The Romantic Slide

The newly opened ice cave was brief and frigid, and the two quickly reached its end.

However, when Xiao Yi Xian saw the scene beyond the exit, she felt a chill shoot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, more piercing than the cold inside the cave.

Beyond the exit was not the mountain forest they had expected, but a nearly vertical cliff slope so steep it made one dizzy!

Below lay a dark ravine of unfathomable depth. The heavy night was like the gaping maw of a beast, waiting to devour everything.

Cold mountain winds howled up from the bottom of the ravine, carrying damp, icy air that sent their clothes flapping and chilled their hearts.

Almost at the same time, heavy, urgent thuds—"Thud! Thud! Thud!"—accompanied by faint roars of fury, came from behind them like a death knell.

Fine cracks spread rapidly across the thick Ice Wall blocking their path like a spiderweb. It clearly would not hold for long.

Ahead was a bottomless abyss, behind them vicious pursuers. The faint hope that had risen when they opened a new path was instantly shattered by this cruel reality.

The little color Xiao Yi Xian had managed to regain vanished from her pretty face at once, leaving her pale as paper.

She stared at the terrifyingly steep slope, the light in her beautiful eyes quickly dimming. Her delicate body went weak, and if not for the icy cave wall supporting her, she would have nearly collapsed.

"Still... can't escape..." she murmured, her voice dry and despairing as a deep sense of helplessness seized her.

Yet in stark contrast to her, Mo Lin stood at the entrance and leaned out to inspect the danger below. Not only was there not the slightest fear on his face, a gleam of eager anticipation flashed in his eyes. The corners of his mouth even curled into an uncontrollable smile tinged with mischief and excitement.

He turned around, his gaze falling on Xiao Yi Xian's pale, fragile yet still exquisite face. Then, as naturally as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, he opened his arms to her.

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian, it seems the usual path won't work." His tone carried a strange mixture—seven parts calm acceptance of the situation, three parts eagerness for an exciting adventure. "Looks like we'll have to use some unconventional means. Hold on tight."

That gesture, that request, would have drawn an intense, indignant reaction from Xiao Yi Xian only moments ago.

But now, perhaps because she had experienced one desperate reversal after another, or perhaps because she had already developed an inexplicable reliance on this mysterious, powerful young man, that indignation deflated like a punctured balloon. In its place came a resigned sense of of course it would come to this, and even... a faint, unnoticed thrill of secret delight and anticipation?

She did not leap back like before. She merely shrank back slightly in a token gesture, her pretty face flushing as she looked away. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but there was no longer any firm resistance in it. "Y-you... what are you trying to do now...?"

Mo Lin was somewhat surprised by her reaction. Her near-consent only made him find it more amusing.

He stepped closer, wearing the wicked smile that made Xiao Yi Xian both angry and helpless. Lowering his voice with a hint of menace, he said, "Nothing. I just want to get you out safely. But if you would rather stay here and wait for Mu Li... I'm sure he'll treat you very 'gently.'

"Or do you think jumping into that pitch-black ravine alone and facing whatever might be down there—venomous snakes that like crawling into skirts, perhaps, or swarms of rats with hungry green eyes—would be a better choice?"

He had struck precisely at Xiao Yi Xian's greatest fear. Her terror of insects, snakes, and rats far surpassed her fear of heights.

Sure enough, every time he named one, her delicate body trembled involuntarily and her face turned a shade paler.

"Y-you... you're just awful!" she said, stamping her foot in anger. Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice trembled with embarrassment and frustration, but her mental defenses had already crumbled.

Bang! Crack—!

At that moment, the Ice Wall behind them let out a tremendous groan under the strain. A clear crack tore across it, and through the gap they could even see Mu Li's furious, twisted face!

"No time to hesitate!" The teasing look vanished from Mo Lin's face in an instant. His tone turned firm and unquestionable as he opened his arms again, his burning gaze locking onto her. "Come here!"

Her last hesitation was thoroughly crushed beneath the threat of death. Xiao Yi Xian closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, as though making some great decision. In a barely audible voice, she hurriedly said, "Y-you'd better not try anything... I..." The threat reached her lips, yet sounded so pale and powerless.

The next moment, like a swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself lightly into Mo Lin's waiting embrace. There was a trace of resolve in her movement, but even more resignation and obedience.

With her soft, fragrant body in his arms again, Mo Lin could clearly feel that although the delicate body in his embrace was still somewhat stiff and trembling, the sense of desperate resistance had weakened considerably.

The astonishing feel of her slender waist, mixed with the faint herbal fragrance of her untouched body, still stirred his heart.

His arms tightened with practiced ease. One hand wrapped around her back, while the other supported the bend of her knees, securely holding her in a princess carry.

"Mmm..." Xiao Yi Xian let out a soft moan that was nearly a whimper, burying her burning face deep in the hollow of his neck. This time, she seemed... a little more accustomed to it than before?

The warmth and sense of security radiating from his strong arms and chest unexpectedly dispelled much of her shame at this moment, replacing it with a strange sense of reassurance.

"Hopeless! Your nature never changes!" Ice Empress's rebuke still rang out in the Sea of Consciousness, but it seemed to contain less of her previous fury and more disappointment that he refused to improve.

Snow Empress remained silent, perhaps tacitly accepting that this was currently their only means of escape.

Mo Lin lowered his head, his lips nearly brushing the girl's crimson ear as he felt her sensitive earlobe instantly turn scorching hot.

He chuckled softly and whispered in his magnetic voice, "This time, you threw yourself into my arms. Hold on tight. If you fall, I won't be responsible."

Before his words had even faded, his gaze sharpened, and the icy Dou Qi in his body surged toward his feet with unprecedented force!

Ice Condensation Path!

Buzz—!

Pure, vast Dou Qi poured forth, instantly freezing into an ice slide about a foot wide on the nearly vertical cliff face beneath his feet. It was smooth as a mirror, flowing with a dark blue gleam beneath the dim moonlight.

The icy path wound down along the cliff slope, leading straight into the bottomless darkness.

"Let's go!"

Mo Lin shouted low. Without further hesitation, he held the warm, soft body in his arms tighter—one that no longer seemed so resistant—and pushed off fiercely from the edge of the ice path!

Whoosh—!

The intense sensation of weightlessness struck again! The two clung tightly to each other as they plunged down the impossibly smooth ice path like a shooting star toward the depths of the ravine. The wild wind howled madly past their ears, making it impossible to open their eyes.

"Ah—!" Xiao Yi Xian still screamed in terror, her arms tightly locked around Mo Lin's neck as her entire body clung to him like a vine.

But unlike the pure fear from before, this time, amid the thrill brought by extreme speed and weightlessness, there seemed to be a trace of... indescribable excitement?

It was as if all her repression and fear were being vented through this mad slide.

She could even feel how steady and powerful the arm holding her was. Amid her terror, a strange hint of trust arose within her.

Mo Lin precisely controlled their speed and direction. Feeling the girl in his arms go from initially rigid and lifeless to gradually adjusting into a more comfortable position as she adapted, along with her breath that remained rapid but was no longer entirely driven by fear, the smile on his lips deepened.

It seemed this Xiao Yi Xian, who appeared cold, gentle, and fragile on the outside, was not entirely without a taste for adventure deep down.

No one knew how long had passed. Perhaps it was only an instant, or perhaps an eternity. The slope beneath them gradually leveled out, and the ice path came to an end.

The two landed steadily on a patch of soft, damp grass. They had reached the bottom of the ravine.

The moment her feet touched solid ground, Xiao Yi Xian nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Her legs gave way, but fortunately, Mo Lin caught her in time.

She panted heavily, her cheeks flushed from the previous thrill and embarrassment. Under the hazy moonlight, she looked especially alluring.

She secretly glanced up at Mo Lin and found him looking at her with a faintly amused smile. She hurriedly lowered her head again, her heart pounding like a drum, yet she no longer wished only to flee from his embrace as she had before.

"It's all right now." Mo Lin released her, his tone returning to its usual calm. "This place should be safe."

Xiao Yi Xian straightened up and tidied her rumpled clothes. "Thank you... You saved me again."

Mo Lin waved a hand and looked in the direction of Qingshan Town, his gaze deepening. "No need to thank me. But this isn't over yet. Mu Li suffered a huge loss this time, and he definitely won't let it go. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group is a problem."

A worried look appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's face as well. "Then... what do we do?"

"We?" Mo Lin turned to look at her and shook his head. "Not we. Me."

A cold curve touched his lips. "Rather than wait for him to bring the whole mercenary group after us, I might as well... destroy his nest first."

Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes widened. "Y-you're going to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group? That's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Mo Lin smiled confidently. "Go back to the Myriad Medicine Hall camp first and act as if nothing happened. Wait for my news."

Watching his calm confidence and recalling all the unbelievable methods he had shown before, the worry in Xiao Yi Xian's heart inexplicably eased somewhat.

She bit her lip, as though she had made up her mind.

Just as Mo Lin turned to leave, she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms lightly and quickly around his waist. She pressed her cheek briefly against his chest, then immediately let go like a startled rabbit.

The embrace was so brief it seemed like an illusion, yet it carried all of the girl's courage and her unspoken feelings.

"B-be careful." Her voice was barely audible. After saying that, she immediately turned and hurried toward the camp without looking back, though the blush at the roots of her ears remained clear even in the night.

Mo Lin froze for a moment. Feeling the lingering warmth in his arms and that faint medicinal fragrance, he watched Xiao Yi Xian's graceful figure hurry away and revealed a meaningful smile.

"Looks like tonight's efforts paid off..."

He wiped the smile from his face, his gaze turning sharp again. With a flicker of his body, he seemed to melt into the night as he sped in the direction opposite Qingshan Town—toward the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's headquarters.

The true hunt had only just begun!