The icy lake surface made coordination difficult.
Linlang choked on water and felt her leg cramp. When Lin Yuning pressed her head down again, she couldn't catch her breath.
"Mmph!" she grunted, feeling herself sinking.
But soon a warm little hand gripped her chin and pulled her out of the water.
Linlang's eyes met Su Yunmo's young face.
She froze, a strange sensation spreading through her.
"Save me, save me!" Lin Yuning was still struggling.
Linlang gave Su Yunmo a deep look, then turned and swam to save Lin Yuning.
Lin Yuning clung to Linlang's shoulder, shouting in panic, "Hurry to shore, get to shore!"
Su Yunmo struggled to swim, "Can you still tell which way is which?"
Linlang shook her head, also flustered, "He used a dual formation. I can't tell in the lake."
"Hahaha... you naturally can't break my formation. Let the master solve it," Hong Tong's voice echoed from above.
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes, quickly identifying the direction of the speaker.
Hong Tong said, "Listen, you have half an incense stick's time. If you can't find the formation's eye, the lake water will drown you completely."
Linlang gritted her teeth, "Are you crazy? If your master dies, you won't complete the mission either!"
The other party's tone was indifferent, "If you can't even break my little formation, then she's not qualified to be the owner of the Glazed Lock."
Su Yunmo looked in one direction, making a final identification, "The Marquis's estate is so large, how do we know where the formation's eye is hidden?"
Hong Tong said, "Here's a hint, the formation's eye is in this lake."
It's to the left!
A glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes.
Hong Tong was to the left, which meant the shore was to the left.
He said the formation's eye was in the lake, which was likely a lie.
He himself was the formation's eye. The person casting the formation was within the formation. As long as they found him, they could break it.
"Let me out, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!" Lin Yuning screamed, struggling frantically.
Linlang pulled her with great effort, "Princess Consort, don't panic. Let's get to shore first."
"That's right, get to shore first. After we get to shore, I'll wait on the shore, and then you can come down and look. Shore, shore..." Lin Yuning muttered, pointing in one direction, "Go this way, this is the shore."
The direction she pointed was opposite to where Su Yunmo had found it. "Wait a minute, the shore isn't that way, it's this way."
Linlang looked at her. Perhaps because she had been saved earlier, she trusted her a little now. "How do you know?"
"Hong Tong's voice came from this direction when he spoke, and I have a feeling," Su Yunmo furrowed her brows.
This sounded strange, but she really had this feeling. She couldn't tell directions before, but now she seemed to recognize them a little.
Linlang frowned. The first half of the statement was credible, but the latter half sounded like she was gambling.
"What feeling? If we mistake the direction, we'll die. Do you want to kill us!" Lin Yuning screamed, her mind unable to think.
She knew very well how big this lake was.
In such cold water, they couldn't swim from one end to the other. They would only reach halfway before their hands and feet went numb, becoming unable to move and drowning.
In other words, they had to find the right direction the first time, or they would surely die.
"Go this way, I am your master! Listen to me!" Lin Yuning shouted.
Linlang glanced at Su Yunmo, her expression somewhat complex, but she still followed Lin Yuning's instructions and swam in the direction she indicated.
Su Yunmo grabbed her, exasperated, "Have you considered that she might not be your master?"
Linlang froze.
"What nonsense are you talking about, get away!" Lin Yuning's nervousness turned to panic, and she wildly flung Su Yunmo's hand away.
What did she mean by saying this to Linlang now? Was she trying to win Linlang over and isolate her?
She knew she couldn't swim, so she wanted Linlang to abandon her. She wanted to drown her!
She would never let her succeed!
A murderous intent flashed in Lin Yuning's eyes, and she kicked Su Yunmo with all her might.
Su Yunmo was kicked squarely. Due to the buoyancy of the water, the kick didn't hurt much, but it was enough to make Su Yunmo lose her balance and sink into the lake.
Linlang was startled and instinctively reached out to save her.
Lin Yuning held her back, "No!"
Linlang looked reluctant, "But Princess Consort, didn't you say we should cooperate..."
"Didn't you hear me say no?" Lin Yuning hugged her head with both hands, her eyes bloodshot, almost mad.
"What you need to do now is get me to shore safely. Even if you die in the lake, you must get me out safely, understand?!"
She couldn't die. She had finally gotten rid of Lin Niange, married Prince Lian, and finally gained Prince Lian's favor.
Soon she would become the Crown Prince, and then step by step ascend to the throne of Empress. A great life awaited her in the future.
She couldn't die, absolutely couldn't die!
Linlang was startled by her sinister gaze. She looked back.
Su Yunmo had already sunk into the water.
The little dumpling struggled desperately underwater, her small face pale and bloodless from the cold, her delicate fingers also turning blue from the cold, seemingly lacking the strength to swim.
She reached out her hand towards Linlang, her eyes conveying a plea for help.
Linlang's hand froze.
"I command you to go, now!" Lin Yuning said word by word.
Linlang took a deep breath, averted her gaze, and ruthlessly suppressed the reluctance in her heart. "Yes."
Her master was the Princess Consort of Prince Lian, and she had to obey her orders.
Su Yunmo watched Linlang withdraw her hand and swim away, feeling both angry and annoyed.
The cold water lapped against her body. She let out the breath she had been holding, and a large amount of cold water rushed in.
"Gurgle gurgle~" She saw many bubbles rising to the surface of the lake, which were the breaths she had exhaled.
Her fingers began to stiffen, and her vision gradually blurred.
But suddenly, her embrace felt warm. This heat spread to all parts of her body, reaching her fingertips.
Su Yunmo rejoiced, suddenly realizing that she could use her abilities even in the water!
Her fingers moved, an invisible force enveloped her body, and she shot out of the water.
Linlang and Lin Yuning were no longer visible on the surface of the water.
"Damn it!" Su Yunmo squinted, trying to see, but still couldn't discern the direction clearly.
But she was certain that the direction they were heading was wrong.
She didn't care what happened to Lin Yuning, but Linlang couldn't die!
Su Yunmo looked back towards the shore, closed her eyes, and tried to sense. She seemed to faintly hear Lin Yuning's voice.
"To the right!"
Su Yunmo gritted her teeth. She could only gamble now!
She quickly pursued Linlang's direction.
Linlang had been swimming for a long time, but the shore was still not in sight.
The icy water enveloped her body, giving her the illusion that her blood had frozen into ice shards.
"Useless, can't you swim faster? I'm freezing!" Lin Yuning urged, shifting her body and climbing onto Linlang's back.