Linlang felt the weight on her body suddenly increase, and she choked on water.
Her nose touched the water's surface, leaving only a small gap for her to breathe.
Her limbs began to go numb, and her swimming speed slowed down.
Lin Yuning grew increasingly displeased. She pulled out a hairpin from her head and stabbed towards Linlang's shoulder, "Didn't you hear me tell you to hurry? Are you trying to freeze me to death?"
"Mmph!" Linlang grunted, and her entire body sank towards the bottom of the lake.
Lin Yuning's body sank with her. She cried out in surprise and clung tightly to Linlang's hair.
Blood flowed from Linlang's shoulder, staining the cold water.
Linlang mustered all her strength to lift her body out of the water, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain.
She had to get out. She had to save her mistress.
Her mistress was right; her own life was cheap and insignificant. If she died, she died. But she was the only daughter of the little princess, and she could not die.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. Even if I have to give my life, I will save you. I will!"
"It's good that you know." Lin Yuning snorted coldly.
Now that Su Yunmo was dead, she was her only mistress. It was only right for Linlang to save her!
Linlang gritted her teeth and continued to swim.
"Look over there! It's the water pavilion!" Lin Yuning suddenly cheered.
There was a pavilion on the water's surface.
Linlang swam towards it with all her might.
"I knew I was right!" Lin Yuning was overjoyed.
Fortunately, they hadn't followed Su Yunmo's direction, or they wouldn't have known how they died.
Linlang used her last ounce of strength to cling to a protruding edge of the water pavilion.
Lin Yuning, excited, stood up directly, using Linlang's back as a stepping stone, and leaped onto the pavilion.
Linlang's shoulder was already injured. With this step, her entire body submerged into the water, and she gulped down several mouthfuls. She struggled desperately, barely managing to hold onto the edge.
She surfaced, coughing violently, spitting out all the water from her lungs, and struggled to climb onto the pavilion.
Lin Yuning blocked her path, stepping on her shoulder with her foot, and said with disgust, "What are you doing? Who told you to come up?"
This useless person was truly of no help. If it weren't for her superior leadership, they would have already died in the water.
"You don't need to come up. The time that person mentioned is almost here. Since there's a water pavilion here, the formation's eye must be around here. You go down immediately and search for it!"
She didn't want the path to survival she had finally found to be blocked again.
Linlang opened her mouth to say something, but then swallowed her words, only saying "Yes" and turning to swim back down into the water.
The icy lake water seeped into her bones, making her consciousness a little muddled.
She didn't know how many laps she had swum around the water pavilion, but she found nothing.
Linlang felt her legs losing strength and struggled to swim up, "Your Highness, let's rest for a while before searching again."
It was impossible to dive too deep like this. Pushing herself to search would only cause trouble.
Lin Yuning had already rested in the pavilion for a while and had recovered her strength. However, her clothes were wet, and she shivered, hugging herself.
"Rest for what? Hurry up and get back down!"
She was freezing to death, yet this person had the mind to rest.
"Your Highness, please don't worry. There's still enough time. I will find the formation's eye." Linlang said with great certainty.
She had made up her mind. Even if she couldn't find it in the end, she could self-detonate her abilities.
Although she was within the formation, using this final move would loosen it, giving her mistress ample time to escape.
Even though self-detonating her abilities would mean her death, trading her life for her mistress's was worth it.
"You're trying to trick me? You've already wasted so much time swimming over here so sluggishly. How could there still be enough time?" Lin Yuning kicked her on the shoulder.
"You go down and search. Don't come up until you find it!"
Linlang was kicked back into the water.
She widened her eyes, looking at Lin Yuning in disbelief. She had choked on water and couldn't go down, "Your Highness, it's not like that. I wasn't lying to you."
"Damn useless creature, how dare you disobey me?" Lin Yuning, holding the hairpin, stabbed it towards Linlang's back.
"Go down, go down, you go down! Useless, useless!"
Why was she so afraid of death? She was just a servant and should be doing her master's bidding. How dare she defy her for such a little bit of exertion!
"Mmph!" Linlang's face grew paler, and she was stabbed more than ten times on her back.
She looked up at Lin Yuning. Lin Yuning's face was now somewhat contorted, and there was not a trace of extraneous emotion in her cruel eyes.
Linlang suddenly felt as if she didn't recognize her, "Mistress..."
Why didn't her mistress believe her? She had been by her side for so long, always doing her best to complete her commands.
"Get down, useless, useless! You go down! Your life is cheap, and it doesn't matter if you freeze to death, but I cannot die, I cannot die!"
Lin Yuning frantically stabbed the hairpin into Linlang's back, each thrust with all her might, deeper than the last.
Bloodstains quickly appeared on the water's surface but were instantly washed away by the churning waves.
"Mistress, please... Mmph!" Linlang frowned in pain. Her arms gradually lost their strength, and she began to slide into the lake.
Seeing her finally let go, Lin Yuning joyfully stood up and kicked her on the head, "Hurry up and go down to search!"
Linlang was kicked into the water. Her limbs were numb, completely devoid of strength.
She looked at Lin Yuning on the pavilion, her vision gradually blurring. A wave of sadness suddenly surged in her heart.
A large amount of cold water flooded her nose and mouth. Her fingers were immobile, and her lungs felt like they were about to burst.
Pain surged through her body, but it made her mind clearer.
A young, innocent face gradually appeared in her mind.
She remembered how Su Yunmo had saved her earlier, but unfortunately, no one could save her now.
Because Su Yunmo was already dead, and she hadn't gone to save her at that time.
This was probably retribution.
Linlang gave a bitter smile and slowly closed her eyes.
Suddenly, her body felt lighter, and a warmth came from behind her.
"Hold on." A clear, ethereal voice seemed to fall into her ears.
Linlang's body stiffened. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw that innocent, young face.
The next moment, she was lifted out of the water.
Linlang's eyes widened in astonishment, and a surge of excitement welled up in her heart.
She was alright!
Su Yunmo leaped onto the pavilion, threw Linlang onto the ground, and then struck her back with her hand.
"Pfft~" Linlang spat out a mouthful of water, and her choked throat could finally breathe smoothly.
She coughed violently, but her peripheral vision remained fixed on that frail, young figure.
Lin Yuning's eyes widened in disbelief, "You're not dead? How did you get here?"
Weren't they unable to distinguish directions in the water?
Su Yunmo's gaze swept over Linlang's back. There were over twenty holes in her clothes, and bright red blood was slowly seeping out, staining her outer garment.
She stood up, looked at Lin Yuning, and walked towards her.
Lin Yuning, still holding the hairpin, retreated in panic, "What are you doing? Don't come any closer."
Su Yunmo approached step by step, a red glint flashing in her eyes. At the same time, she reached out and clenched her fist from a distance.
"Mmph!" Lin Yuning grunted, feeling her neck being gripped, unable to breathe.
She widened her eyes.
The next moment, she was sent flying and crashed into the lake.