The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 165: Escape from the Water Prison

Cen Jiexiao ignored Mo Lei's sarcasm. She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs, calming her. She looked around. The dungeon's floor was uneven, its walls damp and slick, clearly the result of years of being submerged in water. While the water level was rising slowly, the direction of the current was clear: it was all converging in the same direction.

"Dean, what are you looking at? Are we really going to drown?" Xiaozhi's voice was tearful. She clutched Yu Lan's sleeve tightly, her little face pale.

Although Yu Lan was also panicking, she still pretended to be calm and comforted Xiao Zhi: "Don't be afraid, with me and the dean here, we will definitely be able to escape."

Cen Jiexiao ignored them. Her eyes were fixed on the direction where the water converged. That was the deepest part of the dungeon and the place where the water level rose the fastest.

"Mo Lei is always cautious. If he dared to imprison us here, he must have a way out." Cen Jiexiao said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be the drain of the water dungeon."

"A drain? Then we can escape from there?" Xiaozhi's eyes lit up when he heard that, but then dimmed again. "But we can't swim. How can we escape from the water?"

"Can't swim?" Cen Jiexiao raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in her eyes, "Who said we were going to escape by swimming?"

Yu Lan was very perceptive and immediately understood what Cen Jiexiao meant. She asked in surprise, "Dean, you mean..."

Cen Jiexiao didn't answer directly, but walked to the deepest part of the dungeon and carefully observed the drain. The drain was blocked by a huge bluestone slab. There was only a tiny gap between the slab and the ground, and the water flowed into the dungeon through this gap.

"If I'm not mistaken, this drain should be connected to the river outside." Cen Jiexiao pointed at the drain and said, "As long as we can find a way to remove this stone slab, when the water level rises to a certain level, we can escape through the drain."

"But this stone slab is so big, how can we move it?" Xiaozhi looked at the huge bluestone slab and said in despair.

"If we can't move it, we can smash it open!" Cen Jiexiao said, picking up a sharp piece of gravel from the ground and smashing it hard on the bluestone slab.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud, the gravel was bounced away, leaving only a shallow white mark on the bluestone slab.

"I don't know what material this stone slab is made of, it's so hard!" Yu Lan also tried to hit it a few times, but also failed.

"It seems brute force won't work." Cen Jiexiao put down the gravel in her hand, frowning, "We have to find another way."

Xiaozhi stamped her feet anxiously and cried, "This won't work, and that won't work. What should we do? I don't want to die here!"

Yu Lan suppressed the fear in her heart and comforted her, "Xiaozhi, don't worry, the dean will definitely find a way."

Cen Jiexiao didn't say anything. She looked around again, trying to find something else to use. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a pile of rocks in the corner of the dungeon.

"Got it!" Cen Jiexiao's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked to the pile of rocks and began to search carefully.

"Dean, what are you looking for?" Yu Lan asked.

"I'm looking for something I can use as a crowbar," Cen Jiexiao replied without even looking up. "As long as we can find a strong enough wooden or iron stick, we can use the principle of leverage to pry up the bluestone slab."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lan quickly joined the search team.

Hard work pays off, and soon, Cen Jiexiao found a piece of broken wood as thick as an arm in the pile of rocks. Although the broken wood was not too long, it was strong enough, and there was a natural hook on one end, which was just right for grabbing the edge of the bluestone slab.

"That's it!" Cen Jiexiao happily raised the broken wood and said to Yu Lan and Xiao Zhi, "Let's go to the drain!"

The three of them worked together to move the broken wood to the drain. Cen Jiexiao stuck the curved hook of the broken wood onto the edge of the bluestone slab, and then pressed down hard on the other end of the broken wood.

"rise!"

Following Sister Cen Xiao's delicate cry, the broken wood began to creak, and the bluestone slabs began to tremble slightly.

"Quick! Let's work together!"

With the concerted efforts of the three, the bluestone slab was finally slowly lifted up, revealing a larger gap.

"Crash..."

Water flowed in through the cracks, and the water level rose even faster.

"Xiaozhi, are you scared?" Yu Lan asked with concern as she watched the water level rising.

Xiaozhi clutched Yulan's arm tightly, her face pale with fear, but she still shook her head with forced composure and said, "I... I'm not afraid, but... I'm still a little scared."

Yu Lan gently patted Xiao Zhi's hand and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

"Xiaozhi, you can't swim. I will tie you to my back later. Just hold me tightly." Cen Jiexiao calmly arranged the escape plan.

"Dean, will I implicate you?" Xiaozhi asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, I can swim. I used to be on the Shuzhou Normal University swimming team." Cen Jiexiao smiled slightly. "But, let me make this clear, Xiaozhi, once you enter the water, you must stay calm. Follow my instructions and don't panic. Otherwise, I'll have Yu Lan knock you out."

"Ah! Knock me out..." Xiaozhi wanted to say something but was interrupted by Yu Lan.

"Xiaozhi, you'd better listen to the dean. What we need to do now is to trust her!"

Xiaozhi looked at Cen Jiexiao's determined eyes and finally nodded.

The water level continued to rise, and in a blink of an eye, it had already reached their knees.

"Are you ready?" asked Cen Jiexiao.

"Ready!" Yu Lan and Xiao Zhi answered in unison.

Cen Jiexiao took a deep breath, carried Xiaozhi on her back, and then tied them tightly together with a rope.

"go!"

Cen Jiexiao leaped into the icy river water...

Cen Jiexiao leaped into the icy river, a bone-chilling chill sweeping through her body, as if countless venomous snakes were gnawing at her bones. The sudden chill made her shiver; the water was even colder than she'd imagined, as if it would freeze her to death. She gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain her balance, keeping Xiaozhi's upper body above the water.

"Dean, I'm scared..." Xiaozhi's voice trembled, and her hands tightly hugged Cen Jiexiao's neck, shivering like a frightened kitten.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaozhi, don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here..." Sister Cen Xiao endured the coldness and comforted Xiaozhi over and over again. Her voice was gentle and firm, like a ray of light in the dark night, hoping to bring Xiaozhi a little warmth and security. "Hold on to me, Xiaozhi, hold on to me!"

Cen Jiexiao's eyes were fixed firmly on the front. In the dim light, the faint light from the drain was like a distant star, guiding them in the direction of escape.

"Dean...the water...the water is so cold..." Xiaozhi's voice was intermittent, and it was obvious that she was very cold.

"Be good, Xiaozhi, hold on a little longer. We will be there soon and it will be safer there." Cen Jiexiao lowered her head to comfort Xiaozhi, but she felt even more anxious in her heart.