The moment the gale swept through, Chu Mingwei instinctively reached out, intending to pull Xiao Lingyu into his arms—but his grasp met only empty air. In the blink of an eye, the world spun, darkness swallowed his vision, and he lost consciousness.
“Mm…”
Xiao Lingyu slowly came to. The instant he opened his eyes, he found himself in pitch darkness. Beneath him was cold, damp ground—half his body submerged in water. Yet in his arms there was something soft and warm, carrying a faint, lingering fragrance.
In the next instant, Xiao Lingyu struck without hesitation. The Wuying Sword shot straight into what he held. Unexpectedly, the soft figure seemed prepared; at the critical moment, it slipped downward with the flow of water, escaping his strike.
Xiao Lingyu did not care that he had missed. With a flick of his hand, the Water Moon Wheel expanded beneath him. Leaning casually against it, he cast several cleansing and drying spells on himself. Bathed in the wheel’s pale blue glow, he calmly regarded the woman who had just been in his arms.
Liu Haoxue had not expected such a reaction. Waking to find herself in his embrace, his first instinct had been to kill—if she had not stayed alert, she would have died just now. And yet, after missing his strike, he simply ignored her. The way he looked at her now was cold and detached, utterly unlike the obedient youth who had earlier been led by Chu Mingwei.
She inwardly cursed her misjudgment. When she had first awakened beside Xiao Lingyu, she had even felt relieved—after all, a pampered sect disciple on his first outing should have been far easier to deal with than Chu Mingwei. Who would have thought this Xiao Lingyu would strike so ruthlessly without even asking questions? Compared to him, Chu Mingwei would have been preferable.
Though she thought this, Liu Haoxue wore a charming smile, casting him a flirtatious glance from afar as she spoke softly, “Little brother, your heart is far too cruel. I merely woke up unexpectedly in your arms after being ambushed. I meant you no harm—was there really a need to try to kill me at once?”
Xiao Lingyu gave her a faint, ambiguous smile. “If you meant me no harm, then why were you touching my storage pouch just now?”
Liu Haoxue was momentarily speechless, but her smile only deepened. “I was frightened of the dark when I woke, so I instinctively reached for the person beside me. Who would have thought I’d accidentally touch your pouch? Why don’t you check if anything is missing? If something is, I’d have no way to clear my name.”
Watching her performance, her soaked clothes clinging tightly to her figure as she deliberately swayed her slender waist, Xiao Lingyu’s eyes flashed with undisguised disgust. “So the famed Liu Haoxue of the rogue cultivator world is afraid of the dark. That’s a first. Still, I suggest you get out of the water quickly. This place is strange—there may be dangers in it.”
Seeing no trace of embarrassment or desire in his gaze—only disgust—Liu Haoxue nearly choked with anger. Not to mention his face was even more striking than hers. Instantly losing interest in seduction, she dropped her smile, summoned her magic tool—a delicate white jade hairpin—and leapt onto it. With a few motions, she dried her clothes and said coldly, “As expected of a rising star of Yuntian Sect. So composed at such a young age. Since you recognize how strange this place is, you must know that our best option now is to cooperate. If we scheme against each other, we may never leave. I, Liu Haoxue, am just a rogue cultivator—it doesn’t matter if I die. But you, a disciple of Yuntian Sect—wouldn’t it be a pity if you perished here?”
Xiao Lingyu watched her shift from charm to indifference in an instant and silently scoffed. No wonder so many male cultivators preferred male partners—if female cultivators were all as fickle as Liu Haoxue, few could tolerate it.
Still, she was right. This place was strange. Though he was not afraid alone, having someone to assist was better than exploring blindly. Having decided, he raised his head. “If we cooperate, what about any treasures we find?”
Liu Haoxue’s eyes flickered. “Each relies on their own ability. How about that?”
Xiao Lingyu lowered his gaze as if considering. Liu Haoxue smiled. “Or is little brother lacking confidence?”
She was certain that despite his composure, he lacked real experience. If they encountered treasure, she didn’t believe he could outcompete her.
Xiao Lingyu cast her a mocking glance and agreed. To him, with Zhu Yuruan around, what treasure couldn’t he find? More than treasure, he wanted to find Chu Mingwei.
With the agreement set, neither would attack the other—for now. But trust was out of the question.
Xiao Lingyu summoned the Lüxi Umbrella above his head, while the Wuying Sword and Water Moon Wheel circled him. Liu Haoxue eyed his abundance of magical artifacts with envy. Compared to sect disciples, rogue cultivators truly walked a far harsher path toward immortality.
Only now did Xiao Lingyu take time to observe their surroundings. It seemed to be a side hall, submerged in darkness. Worse still, the entire hall was flooded—the water reaching at least to his calves. Remembering what he had seen outside before entering, he could not fathom where the water had come from.
Still, for someone with a water affinity, this was an advantage.
He quietly called out, “Old Ghost, can you sense Senior Brother’s presence?”
The Old Ghost shook his head. “This place is strange. Spiritual sense cannot extend.”
Xiao Lingyu hesitated. “What if Martial Uncle Wu really isn’t dead—and Senior Brother finds him?”
The Old Ghost scoffed. “This is a relic of the demon race. A mere Core Formation elder surviving here for ten years? Impossible. And Ling Xiaozi sacrificed ten years of cultivation to deduce this—how could he be wrong?”
“Then what about the Yuntian Sect secret technique at the palace? And the spiritual fluctuations Senior Brother sensed?”
“Ancient demons have many strange methods. Mimicking similar spiritual fluctuations is trivial—even I can do it.” Then he chuckled. “No need to worry. Your dear senior brother is deeply in love with you. Even the biggest lie—he’ll help you cover it.”
Xiao Lingyu snorted and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Liu Haoxue finished observing and turned to him. “Fellow Daoist Xiao, what should we do now?”
After a moment’s thought, Xiao Lingyu decided to search for treasure while looking for Chu Mingwei. He hadn’t forgotten that Leng Hanyuan sought something here. If he swept all treasures clean, Leng Hanyuan would leave empty-handed.
He slowly opened his spirit beast pouch and took out Zhu Yuruan. “Zhu Yuruan, do you smell anything good?”
Freed at last, Zhu Yuruan perked up—then froze at the dark, water-filled surroundings, immediately behaving and sniffing around. Suddenly its eyes lit up, pointing to the right.
Liu Haoxue waited expectantly, only to see Xiao Lingyu walk off holding a pig. Irritated, she nearly exploded—yet sensing something unusual, she probed it, only to find it completely ordinary. Furious, she cursed him inwardly.
The two moved silently into the right corridor. As Xiao Lingyu walked, he circulated his technique, sensing faint spiritual fluctuations in the water—growing stronger as they advanced.
At the end stood two stone doors.
The spiritual fluctuations led to the left room.
But Zhu Yuruan pointed to the right.
Xiao Lingyu turned to Liu Haoxue. “I plan to explore a chamber. What do you think?”
She smiled. “Which one?”
“Not together?”
“If we split up, it’ll be faster. If there’s danger, we can call out.”
“Which one will you take?”
“The right.”
Xiao Lingyu smirked inwardly. “What a coincidence—I also want the right.”
Feigning reluctance, Liu Haoxue said, “Then I’ll take the left,” and hurried off.
Watching her disappear, Xiao Lingyu turned to the right door.
Inside was dry and warm.
At the center, atop a platform, lay a deep blue stone crackling with lightning.
Zhu Yuruan was ecstatic. “It smells amazing!”
The Old Ghost cried out, “The Source of Thunder!”
Xiao Lingyu immediately understood.
Without hesitation, he let Zhu Yuruan retrieve it.
The pig swallowed it whole.
At that instant, a deafening roar erupted from the adjacent chamber.
Xiao Lingyu’s expression sharpened. He recalled Zhu Yuruan and stepped out cautiously.
The left chamber shook violently. A formation activated beneath the water, sealing something inside.
No cry for help came from Liu Haoxue.
After a brief pause, Xiao Lingyu turned to leave.
Then—
The Old Ghost’s voice froze him in place.
“Chu Mingwei’s aura is inside!”