Beggar Travels the World

Chapter 21

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"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.

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: "We won't. There's always a way out, as long as..."

"As long as we can make it that way 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, with a bunch of snakes, insects, and rats. It's obvious no one has been here for many years. Even if there is a way out, it's probably been sealed off."

"At least with a bunch of snakes, insects, and rats, we won't starve to death," Baili Qingyi shrugged.

"Why..." Suddenly realizing what he meant, Yin Wuxiao felt a wave of nausea. "I'd rather starve to death."

Baili Qingyi smiled upon hearing this, and gently stroked her brow with one hand: "Trust me, we won't starve to death here."

"And there won't be any snakes, insects, or rodents?" she asked cautiously, looking at him.

He smiled again: "No snakes, insects, rats, or ants, I guarantee."

Yin Wuxiao smiled and gently leaned into his arms: "Baili Qingyi, you are a very good comrade in distress." Not many people can remain calm and talk and laugh freely in this situation. The protector of the martial arts world, the young master in green, is indeed not to be underestimated. And now, he is her protector alone.

"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 curled her lip in disbelief: "I'm not a member of the martial arts world. I'm just a weak woman with no strength to 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. I'm a burden to you."

“You’re not.” Baili Qingyi stared into her eyes, disagreeing. “You never complained, and you’re 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’re different. You’re smart, always able to grasp the key points, and you never complain. You’re always calm and gentle in any situation, and 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 she wasn't. Given his status, martial arts skills, and… good looks, one could imagine how many chivalrous young women, talented girls, and infatuated girls would want to join him in a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama.

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 wild man who had appeared out of nowhere... 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 to shout.

"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...wait a minute!" Yin Wuxiao bent down, focusing on the strange man's face amidst the tangled hair. "That voice..."

"Who won?"

Yin Wuxiao reached out and brushed aside the strange man's messy hair, revealing his dark face. She scrutinized him for a moment, then suddenly pinched the strange man's cheek hard.

"Ah!... Copper!" The strange man immediately bared his teeth.

Yin Wuxiao's face showed a look of joy:

"Bai Can!"

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It seems there is no man in the world more unlucky than Bai Can.

He disappeared for three days, becoming a hairy mud monster dwelling underground, unable to speak, with a hideous face, and was even knocked to the ground and trampled underfoot by the young man in blue. This kind of... well, experience is indeed very rare.

After much deliberation, Yin Wuxiao finally found a suitable phrase to ask the question:

"I know you've never been one to care about your appearance... but how did you end up like this?"

After some repairs, Bai Can finally regained his handsome face, but his exceptional eloquence did not return.

So, hearing the beast-like howls, Yin Wuxiao could only look at Baili Qingyi in bewilderment.

Typical example of poor communication.

"He stayed in the underground palace for too long and was poisoned by the miasma that had accumulated over the years, which caused spasms in his mouth and tongue muscles." After a while, Baili Qingyi came to a conclusion.

"You mean, if we stay any longer, we'll end up like this too?" Yin Wuxiao's palms were slightly sweaty.

Baili Qingyi did not reply, but his expression said it all.

Bai Can gestured again, trying to explain something.

"Quiet!" Yin Wuxiao glared at him. This guy left her alone in Baiwen Valley. He deserved it.

"Are you lucid?" she asked tentatively.

Bai Can nodded hastily.

"How did you get here?" Baili Qingyi frowned.

“This problem is too difficult for him, so let’s take it slowly,” Yin Wuxiao sighed.

"Were you locked up here?"

Bai Can nodded.

"By a man?"

Bai Can shook his head.

"Yes, I should have known." Yin Wuxiao gave him a mocking look.

"So, have you found Miss Cui?"

Unexpectedly, Bai Can did not answer. He thought about it seriously for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Then who locked you up here? That woman... was it Mu Wanfeng?"

Bai Can shook his head again.

“It’s Lianhua,” Baili Qingyi suddenly said. “She is the person closest to Xuan Hegu, and only she has the opportunity to understand this underground palace.”

"Is it her?" Yin Wuxiao looked at Bai Can in confusion. "The little girl whose face was all swollen?"

Bai Can nodded.

"Why would she do this? She could have just killed him." Yin Wuxiao asked, puzzled.

"I can." Lianhua appeared in the tunnel in the blink of an eye, her long sword pressed firmly against Xuan Hegu's neck.

She freed one hand and tossed a pill to Bai Can: "Swallow this, it will cure your miasma poison."

"You're saving him?" Yin Wuxiao's mind was clear.

Lianhua seemed not to hear: "Young Master in Green, as long as you stay in this underground palace, your lives will naturally be safe, unless..."

"Unless what?"

Lianhua suddenly sneered: "Unless this old ghost is still unwilling to hand over the 'Hundred Questions Medical Classic,' the Mu Cult Leader will use your lives to threaten him."

"The Hundred Questions on Medicine?" Yin Wuxiao's face twitched, but he quickly returned to normal.

“How could Master Mu possibly use…” Xuan He shouted loudly, as if trying to cover something up.

"Do you think Master Mu can't see that you're helping them?" Lianhua scoffed disdainfully. "The lives of everyone in your manor aren't enough to exchange for the 'Hundred Questions on Medicine,' so why wouldn't Master Mu give these two a try?"

“You…” Xuan He gritted his teeth.

"For you to resort to such a desperate measure, these two people must be very important to you."

"Witch, if you die here, none of this will have happened." Xuan He suddenly grinned, flicked his wrist, and pressed an acupoint on Lianhua's waist. She immediately went limp, and the long sword in her hand clattered to the ground.

“She…” Yin Wuxiao stared in disbelief.

Xuan He glanced at her with disdain: "This woman is pregnant and doesn't even know it. She deserves it."

"What?" Yin Wuxiao and Bai Can screamed at the same time, but one was clear and the other was mumbled.

"How many months?" Yin Wuxiao asked impatiently, grabbing Xuan Hegu's shirt.

“More than a month.” Xuan He looked at their reaction with surprise.