Baili Qingyi helped Yin Wuxiao wander around the chaotic tunnels several times, but they couldn't find a way out.
Actually, it's more accurate to say he was being carried rather than supported. These days, Yin Wuxiao was still being pampered by Baili Qingyi and was quite happy to be carried around.
After walking for a long time, a clear spring finally appeared before them.
Compared to the cesspool-like mess she had just fallen into, Yin Wuxiao almost burst into tears. A beggar's hat is covered in natural grime, a grime accumulated over time with historical significance, while the mud she had just fallen into disgusted her.
Yin Wuxiao looked at Baili Qingyi with pleasure: "Young Master Qingyi, are you a gentleman?"
"What do you think?" He placed her by the spring, then turned and went around the corner.
Yin Wuxiao stared at the glimpse of a blue robe peeking out from behind the corner and smiled: "You are..."
She carefully removed her clothes and slowly immersed herself in the cool spring water. The chill penetrated to her bones, and she couldn't help but frown and gasp.
Baili Qingyi's voice rang out: "Do you need my help?"
She cried out, "No! Don't come any closer!"
A hint of amusement crept into his voice: "Then I'll go and see if there's a way out."
"No!" she cried out in terror again, "You... just stay there." Heaven knows what might be hidden in this cave...
It's utterly pathetic. I find it baffling to myself; when I was adventuring alone, I was fearless, but now that I have a peerless master by my side, I'm filled with worry.
She heard soft laughter coming from the corner of the wall, followed by the rustling of fabric, as if he had sat down against the wall.
Yin Wuxiao felt much more at ease. She held her breath and submerged herself underwater, letting the spring water gently wash her black hair.
A moment later, she rose from the water and her first glance fell on the corner of the wall, where the hem of her blue dress had already disappeared.
"Bai Li Qingyi!"
No one spoke.
Has he left? Or...?
She panicked again: "Baili Qingyi, are you there?...Young Master Qingyi?"
"I'm here." The deep voice carried a hint of a smile.
"You..." He breathed a sigh of relief but clenched his fist tightly; he had done it on purpose.
"Why did you fall down with me?" she asked, her face stern, rubbing her toes vigorously, her voice muffled.
"We're both trapped here now, and I'm afraid we'll have no chance of escaping. If you stay outside, you'll have a better chance of rescuing me."
"That's right, but before that, you'd already drowned in the mud. I'm sure you wouldn't have liked that kind of death."
Yin Wuxiao curled his lip: "Aren't all ways of dying the same?"
There was a moment of silence on the other side of the wall.
Yin Wuxiao was puzzled: Did she say something wrong?
After a while, the sound of Baili Qingyi standing up and patting her clothes could be heard.
"If you stay in there for a few hours, we're really doomed." His voice suddenly lost its warmth, as if he were about to leave.
"Wait!" Why is she angry again? Baili Qingyi is truly unpredictable.
She hurriedly scrambled out, put on her barely wearable undershirt, and was about to chase after them when her injured right foot hindered her progress.
She groaned in pain, and the next moment she fell into a familiar embrace.
"This time it really hurts..." she said, her face contorted in pain.
Xuan He looked back again to make sure no one was following him.
He finally managed to distract the girl Lianhua who had been following him and watching him, and then chose the time of dinner when the guards were less vigilant to sneak into the back garden of the villa. Sure enough, the Qiongjiao followers near the rockery had all gone to the front hall, and it was so quiet that no one would notice his actions.
He turned a protruding rock on the side of the artificial hill, and the ground behind it moved in response, revealing a series of descending stone steps. The steps were covered with the corpses of rats and insects, yet a path had been vaguely cleared among them.
Xuan's expression suddenly changed. This tunnel hadn't been used for twenty years; logically, no one should be here...
He felt a chill on his neck and then realized that a cold, menacing light was shining in front of him.
He paused for a moment, but didn't turn around. He said coldly, "It's you." He should have known. Since he was ordered to monitor him, how could he be sent away for such a simple reason?
A flat, unassuming voice came from behind: "You want to let those two go?"
"So what if it is?"
"The leader expected you to do this. You've wasted your time."
"Hmph." Xuan He turned his head away. "How could you, a tool for killing, understand human feelings?"
Lianhua paused for a moment: "I don't need to understand. The Divine Physician has defied the sect leader's orders. If he refuses to hand over the 'Sacred Poison Scripture,' not only your precious spirit snake and the two people below it, but also the cooks and servants in your manor will die a violent death before tonight."
"You...you're a viper!" Xuan He gritted his teeth, his words ringing out.
Lianhua frowned.
Xuan He suddenly relented, and laughed coldly: "Witch, do you think I don't know? A few days ago you hid a man in the manor. The sect leader shouldn't know that, right?"
Lianhua's movements were fixed.
"That man should be in this underground palace, right?"
Lianhua didn't answer, but instead snorted: "I can kill you right now."
"Kill me?" Xuan Hegu laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Do you know that no one has been in this underground palace for decades? The accumulated miasma is a natural slow poison. If you don't have my antidote, hmph, your lover will be half dead if he doesn't die."
Lianhua remained silent for a long while, then flipped the hilt of her sword:
"Take me down here, now!"
"Listen, if you keep forcing me to continue like this, in three hours, the person next to you will be a lewd ghost." Yin Wuxiao raised a finger and waved it in front of Baili Qingyi in a very threatening manner, but her heavy breathing, which made her breathless, significantly reduced her imposing aura.
She felt weak all over and her head felt as heavy as lead.
After receiving a tacit approval look, she collapsed to the ground.
"We're finished. We'll be trapped here and never get out," she muttered to herself.
Baili Qingyi frowned: "There's always a way out, as long as..."
“As long as we can make it to that road alive.” Yin Wuxiao shrugged. “Look at this tunnel, it’s like a maze. Who knows when we’ll find our way out? Besides, this place is damp and cold, and there are a bunch of snakes, insects, and rats. It looks like no one has been here for many years. Even if there is a way out, I’m afraid it’s been sealed off.”
"At least with a bunch of snakes, insects, and rats, we won't starve to death," Baili Qingyi shrugged.
"Why?" Suddenly understanding his meaning, Yin Wuxiao smiled smugly: "Don't worry, I'm very good at roasting snakes, insects, and rats."
Baili Qingyi smiled. Was this woman really a woman?
"We will definitely find a way out, I assure you."
It's strange, she's so weak, how come Baili Qingyi is perfectly fine? Tsk tsk, she always thought her stamina was pretty good, it seems there's still a huge gap between her and a peerless master like this. Not many people can remain calm and talk so freely in this situation. The protector of the martial arts world, the Green-Clad Young Master, is indeed no ordinary person. And now, he is her protector alone.
Yin Wuxiao shamelessly leaned into his arms to shift his weight: "Baili Qingyi, you are a very good fellow sufferer."
"You too." Baili Qingyi chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder. This girl had already become dependent on his embrace, without even realizing it herself.
Yin Wuxiao pouted: "I'm just a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken. For you, young master in blue, a chivalrous woman like Yuwen Hongying would be a better companion right now." She glanced at herself and smiled bitterly, "She won't keep complaining about being tired, and she won't need your promises to muster the courage to keep going. As for me, I'm just a burden to you."
“You are not.” Baili Qingyi stared seriously into her eyes. “You never complained, and you are not a burden to me. Many so-called heroines may be physically stronger than you, but in real danger, they are a real burden. But you are very smart, always able to grasp the key points, and never complain or blame others. You remain calm in any situation. Moreover, you never take being protected for granted.” All along, the truly composed and witty one was her.
Yin Wuxiao pursed his lips, his cheeks slightly flushed.
"Baili Qingyi, you have good taste. It's no wonder I considered you a friend." She patted his shoulder generously to cover up her embarrassment.
A dangerous glint flashed in Baili Qingyi's eyes: "You take me... as a friend?"
Yin Wuxiao nodded, looking completely innocent.
Baili Qingyi then kept silent.
After a while—
"Baili Qingyi, did you... cough cough... carry many bundles in the past?"
Okay, she was curious, very curious.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't curious, right? With his status, martial arts skills, and good looks, you can imagine how many chivalrous young women, talented girls, and infatuated girls would want to stage a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama with him.
She waited quietly for an answer, but suddenly found herself pushed away by a strong yet gentle force, and Baili Qingyi's voice echoed in her ears:
"Get out of the way!"
Yin Wuxiao was momentarily bewildered, but the rapidly descending black shadow instantly resolved her doubts.
Before she could see clearly, the two people in front of her were already locked in combat, their robes and sleeves fluttering, mud flying everywhere.
The newcomer was covered in mud, with disheveled hair, an indistinct face, and thick body hair. At first glance, he looked like a savage from the subterranean world... or perhaps he wasn't even human!
“Zhiwu… Ah, say!” The strange man was still desperately shouting, but his words were indistinct and his meaning was unclear.
After a few moves, Baili Qingyi had already kicked his opponent's knee acupoint, knocking him to the ground, and then stepped on his back with one foot.
"Who are you?" Baili Qingyi's sharp shout carried a hint of uncertainty. Yin Wuxiao frowned understandingly; she wasn't quite sure if the strange person was actually human.
"Stop...stop!" The strange man finally managed to utter a few barely recognizable words.
"Are you... speaking human language?" Yin Wuxiao was still not quite sure.
"I am... Stop!" The strange man's speech was still not very clear, but it could be vaguely recognized as human language.
"Who are you?" Yin Wuxiao approached cautiously.
"My book...returns to Sang!" The strange man raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"What? What is he saying?" Baili Qingyi raised an eyebrow.
Yin Wuxiao shook his head helplessly.
"Could it be that the old man Xuan He is raising some kind of monster in his underground palace?"
“It’s not entirely impossible,” Baili Qingyi pondered.
“I have never received a book from you! I ask you, do you regret not having a book to write about me…” the strange man continued shouting.
"Then... what should we do with it?" Yin Wuxiao asked, looking puzzled.
"Who's lying!" The strange man raised his head and glared fiercely at Yin Wuxiao.
"Wait a minute!" Yin Wuxiao bent down, focusing on the strange man's face amidst the tangled hair. "That voice..."