When the two left the fog, the sky had already turned completely dark.
Looking back, they could only see the dense forest sinking in a pitch-black mist, like a vast lurking shadow. There was no sound, and nothing else could be discerned.
Hua Yan was still a bit frightened.
If she had arrived a bit later, she might not have been able to pull Lu Chengsha out. Although Great Hero Lu had his eyes closed and would generally be fine—she still worried!
Hua Yan detected the fog immediately.
It was a special drug developed by Yu Ye, sold at the medical halls within the sect.
Since it was a personal interest of Yu Ye, it had an artistic name, “Jingmeng” (Terrifying Dream). Its effect was to induce fear, making one frequently see their own terrifying visions. The sect’s hall masters always kept a supply on hand.
However, Hua Yan had never seen such a large amount of Jingmeng forming into a mist. Normally, it would be used in an incense burner to emit a bit of fragrance, enough to make people fearful. It was quite suitable for controlling subordinates.
The method to deal with Jingmeng was not difficult—one just needed a firm mind, or simply close their eyes.
Of course, Hua Yan could quickly identify it as Jingmeng because on the way here, she had encountered countless traps set by the demonic sect.
After becoming suspicious of You Weitian, she released a tracking gu to follow the person he had just talked to. That person was dressed in plain black clothes, very inconspicuous, with an ordinary appearance, blending into the crowd almost unnoticeably.
Hua Yan followed the tracking gu, gradually moving away from the crowd. She had only walked halfway when she discovered her gu had died.
She had walked out of the scope of the Sword-seeking Tournament. Before her was a narrow alley, winding and turning, with high stone walls on all sides, silent and deserted, so unfamiliar that even she didn’t recognize it.
Hua Yan was stunned.
She had no idea what kind of place this was.
The alley’s path contained hidden Qimen Dunjia formations, like a maze. Hua Yan left a silk-worm gu at her original spot and continued forward, thinking if she got lost, she would just retrace her steps. Unexpectedly, she stumbled her way out and then found herself in a dense forest.
Afterwards, she saw Qin Muyan and his group of five from afar.
Hua Yan’s mind worked quickly. Knowing she was in the adventure zone, she joyfully decided to find Lu Chengsha.
She wanted to give Lu Chengsha a surprise!
She swallowed a Breath Concealing Pill and carefully, stealthily made her way. Strangely, along the way, she avoided countless Zhengyi Sect teams and also saw many familiar traps and mechanisms. The whole adventure zone seemed less like a battlefield for righteous sects and more like a testing ground for the demonic sect’s traps.
Suppressing her many doubts, Hua Yan continued her search.
Just before dusk, Hua Yan finally found Lu Chengsha.
Hiding behind a tree, she poked her head out to watch him from a distance, feeling inexplicably cheerful.
She thought she wouldn’t see him for three days!
Hua Yan wondered what expression Great Hero Lu would have upon seeing her. The more she thought about it, the happier she felt.
But before she had the chance to avoid the others and approach Lu Chengsha alone, she saw them walk into the fog. Hua Yan almost cried out but managed to hold back, stomped her foot, closed her eyes, and dashed in. She grabbed Lu Chengsha’s hand and successfully pulled him out.
The fog was getting denser.
Lu Chengsha looked at the fog without speaking.
Hua Yan thought he must be worried about the others inside!
Sigh, Great Hero Lu is really kind.
Even though she really, really disliked Lu Chengzhao, Hua Yan still wanted to try to be a good person.
She tugged at his sleeve and said, “This fog isn’t natural. Someone must have created it on purpose. If we want to save them, we can look around to see if there’s a furnace or something emitting smoke.”
Lu Chengsha paused and asked, “How do we find it?”
She didn’t know either.
Hua Yan scratched her head and said, “Let’s feel our way around?”
Lu Chengsha softly replied, “Mm.”
But it was really too dark. The adventure zone at night was so pitch-black that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Visibility was completely blocked, and even with the exceptional eyesight of martial artists, Lu Chengsha’s fire torch only illuminated the immediate area and cast faint outlines in the distance.
Hua Yan just wanted to find a safe place to stay because, despite being familiar with the traps, she could still fall into one in the dark.
“Great Hero Lu, let’s make sure we don’t get separated!”
As she said this, Hua Yan’s fingers slid down Lu Chengsha’s sleeve and gently held his hand.
Almost instantly, Lu Chengsha’s body stiffened.
As expected!
Hua Yan had noticed before that whenever she touched Lu Chengsha, his body would immediately stiffen, like a tightly wound string, the change was unusually obvious.
Probably because he rarely had contact with people.
To be honest, it was quite fun, Hua Yan thought mischievously.
Lu Chengsha’s fingers were long and dry, with distinct knuckles and a layer of calluses from gripping his sword. His hand was cool, while Hua Yan’s was always warm. Holding Lu Chengsha’s hand in the summer felt like holding a piece of cold jade.
A piece of straight, cold jade.
Huh!
Hua Yan realized that Lu Chengsha’s hand was so stiff it seemed it couldn’t even bend.
She couldn’t help but squeeze Lu Chengsha’s hand, noticing that he stiffened again.
Ah! This is so interesting!
They walked cautiously along the edge of the fog, the ground beneath them soft and muddy. The night wind was eerie, and the shadows of the trees swayed unevenly. Despite the unsettling, dark surroundings, Hua Yan felt like laughing.
She tried hard to hold it back.
With limited visibility, Hua Yan turned her head and could only see Lu Chengsha’s profile hidden in the darkness.
His features were gentle, but his contours were sharp and lean. The line from his ear to his jaw was clean and smooth. His brows were refined, and his eyes were like finely drawn ink paintings, slightly slanted and raised, giving him a fierce and cold look at first glance. But the more she looked, the more she felt a sense of gentleness. Even though Lu Chengsha was now scanning the surroundings with a wary and intense gaze, Hua Yan still thought… how gentle he seemed.
It was different from Yu Ye’s kind of gentleness, though Hua Yan couldn’t quite describe it.
As she was thinking this, Lu Chengsha spoke, “Found it.”
Hua Yan looked up, following the direction of the torch Lu Chengsha held, and was immediately astonished.
Embedded in the hillside ahead was a large bronze incense burner. From their position, they could only see a small part of it. The burner, camouflaged by its earth-colored surface, was nearly indistinguishable. It was emitting a large amount of fog, seemingly without end.
Hua Yan: “…”
This is too incredible!
Lu Chengsha handed the torch to Hua Yan and, with a single hand, drew his sword and slashed the incense burner into pieces in just a few strikes.
The incense burner shattered, causing the hillside to collapse and bury the entire burner. The fog soon ceased to be emitted.
“The fog will dissipate soon, so we don’t have to worry about them anymore! Um, we…”
Hua Yan finished speaking, feeling a bit nervous as she looked at Lu Chengsha.
She was worried about explaining how she had snuck in. If Lu Chengsha decided to reunite with the other disciples of Tingjian Manor, she would have to find a place to hide again. While Lu Chengsha might not suspect her, the others certainly would.
Fortunately, it seemed Lu Chengsha had no intention of reuniting with the others.
Before Hua Yan could finish her sentence, Lu Chengsha said, “Let’s find a place to settle down.”
“Okay!” Hua Yan nodded vigorously.
But before they could walk far, a sudden downpour started.
The rain came unexpectedly, turning from a drizzle into a torrential downpour in an instant. The rain was partially blocked by the leaves, but large drops still fell, creating a loud pattering sound, accompanied by occasional deafening thunderclaps, making the scene even more terrifying.
Caught off guard, Hua Yan was quickly soaked, and the torch in her hand was extinguished.
They had to find a shallow cave nearby to take shelter.
The cave was so shallow that it could only fit two people.
Outside, the rain fell like a waterfall.
Sitting inside, Hua Yan felt completely drenched. Without her inner strength, she couldn’t ward off the cold. She felt chilled to the bone, and the shallow cave allowed rainwater to splash in occasionally.
This is too miserable!
Hua Yan sneezed, thinking she had been happy for less than a stick of incense’s time!
Is this what they mean by extreme joy begets sorrow?
She turned her head, intending to look at Lu Chengsha, and saw a black robe with silver trim being thrown her way.
It was dry and even warm.
Shivering, Hua Yan didn’t hesitate to wrap herself in the robe.
Oh, it’s a robe dried by inner strength, so warm!
At this moment, Lu Chengsha was only wearing a white undergarment. He bent one leg, rested his arm on his knee, and sat next to Hua Yan, looking straight ahead.
“Are you very cold?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Hua Yan nodded, feeling quite pitiful.
She was indeed very cold, her body still wet and sticky.
In the past, she could dry herself with a quick burst of inner strength, but now… she really missed her inner strength!
Hua Yan looked at Lu Chengsha, but he didn’t look back at her. Instead, he walked out. Moments later, there were loud crashing sounds as trees fell.
Lu Chengsha returned with an armful of wet wood. Using his inner strength, he dried the wood, lit it with a fire starter, and built a small fire.
Hua Yan shuffled closer, stretching out her hands to warm them, but with the wind and rain outside, it was still cold. She sneezed again.
Seeing this, Lu Chengsha brought another pile of wood and, like planting potatoes, arranged them around Hua Yan and the fire, pressing them into the ground one by one. Then he sat down at the edge.
“Are you still cold?”
Hua Yan didn’t know how to respond.
She couldn’t help but sneeze again and wrapped herself more tightly in Lu Chengsha’s robe.
It seemed Lu Chengsha didn’t know what else to do.
After a while, he said softly, “Stretch out your hand.”
Hua Yan didn’t understand but complied, extending her hand.
Lu Chengsha touched her hand with his fingertips, and after a moment, his fingertips became warm. A surge of heat flowed from his fingers, enveloping Hua Yan in warmth, like soaking in a hot spring.
It took her a while to realize that Lu Chengsha was transferring his inner strength to her.
Hua Yan was stunned.
Even if he had abundant inner strength, this was too much!
Hua Yan felt a mix of emotions.
Great Hero Lu is too kind-hearted. If he meets a bad person, he could be deceived!
After thinking for a moment, she withdrew her hand.
Lu Chengsha turned his head, “Hmm?”
Hua Yan wrapped herself tightly and said, “I’m not cold anymore!”
Lu Chengsha seemed to finally relax. After a while, he also took off his undergarment and tossed it over, leaving only a thin inner garment.
The inner garment still carried Lu Chengsha’s body heat, making Hua Yan feel a rare sense of awkwardness, unsure whether she should take it.
But as a cold wind blew past, she quickly grabbed it and wrapped herself up like a dumpling.
Lu Chengsha’s inner garment had a scent of pine needles after a snowfall, very fresh. It was the first time Hua Yan had smelled someone’s scent so closely. Shui Se had once told her that all men smelled bad, no matter how refined they appeared, there was always a strange odor up close. But at this moment, Hua Yan didn’t find it unpleasant at all.
She felt her face getting a bit warm.
She couldn’t help but turn to look at Lu Chengsha again. His summer inner garment was thin, outlining his tall and slender body, with every rise and fall clearly visible.
Then Hua Yan noticed something…
“Huh, Great Hero Lu, why do you have scars on your body?”
Lu Chengsha, hearing this, seemed puzzled by her question, “What about it?”
Hua Yan rephrased, “I mean, do you also get injured?”
Although not very obvious, she could vaguely see the scars beneath, mostly healed, like old wounds.
Lu Chengsha said, “Yes.” He paused for a moment and added, “Is that strange?”
Well, of course, Lu Chengsha wasn’t a tool; he was human, so it wasn’t strange for him to get injured.
Hua Yan shook her head, but she still felt a bit stifled and unhappy.