It was not until the latter half of the night, after Tian Ling'er had exhausted herself with wild thoughts, that she slowly drifted into dreamland.
Only then did Zhong Shan gently open his eyes. He turned his head and looked at Ling Er, who was blowing adorable little bubbles from her mouth. Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled.
A strange feeling of affection arose in his heart. Looking at Tian Ling'er, Zhong Shan shook his head and continued regulating his breathing to recover from his injuries.
Zhong Shan's recovery ability was frightening. The next day, not only had the aftereffects of the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique disappeared, but even his injuries had improved considerably.
When the sun came out, Zhong Shan began practicing his saber techniques.
The booming sounds soon woke Tian Ling'er.
She gently opened her eyes and rubbed them sleepily. Looking toward the source of the noise, Tian Ling'er froze. Then she suddenly remembered the embarrassing events of the previous night, and her face unconsciously flushed again.
Perhaps sensing that Tian Ling'er had awakened, Zhong Shan immediately stopped practicing his saber techniques.
"You're awake? Are you hungry?" Zhong Shan asked.
Seeing Zhong Shan's usual expression, Tian Ling'er deliberately widened her eyes and stared at him for a while.
"What is it? Is there something dirty on my face?" Zhong Shan pretended not to understand and rubbed his cheek.
"No, no." Tian Ling'er answered at once.
She finally confirmed that Zhong Shan had not known anything yesterday. Only then did Tian Ling'er relax considerably. Thank goodness, thank goodness.
"If not, then eat something. I'll go scout ahead and see where this valley leads." Zhong Shan said.
"Y-you're leaving?" Tian Ling'er stared at Zhong Shan with a pitiful expression.
Looking at Tian Ling'er, Zhong Shan unconsciously smiled. "Of course. Otherwise, are we supposed to stay here forever?"
"I don't want to stay here alone. My internal injuries have completely healed, but I still can't walk because of my leg injuries. Help me along with you." Tian Ling'er looked at Zhong Shan pitifully.
Looking at her expression, Zhong Shan felt his heart open up, and a trace of a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
"All right. Get up." Zhong Shan said.
"Mm." Tian Ling'er immediately nodded.
He helped Tian Ling'er to her feet, then flipped his hand and put away the blanket. He also placed the great saber inside his Storage Bracelet.
Looking at Tian Ling'er's legs wrapped in white cloth, Zhong Shan crouched down. Under Tian Ling'er's astonished gaze, he put his hands behind him and hoisted her onto his back.
"Ah~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Tian Ling'er cried out in surprise as both her feet left the ground. She had never done this before—had never been carried on anyone's back. This... this meant the two of them were pressed together, didn't it?
"Zhong Shan, put me down! Put me down..." Tian Ling'er cried out, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Her body twisted rapidly, writhing back and forth as though she wanted to break free from the hands clasped around her thighs.
It would have been fine if Tian Ling'er had stayed still, but once she moved, her graceful figure and soft body, along with the two little white rabbits pressed against his back, bounced up and down. Even though Zhong Shan was already eighty-one years old, and despite his own steadfast restraint, his old face still reddened unconsciously.
"Smack!"
"Stop moving."
When she felt a sudden crisp smack on her buttocks, Tian Ling'er felt no burning pain. Instead, it was as if Zhong Shan's palm concealed a thunderbolt. A current instantly surged through her entire body. Unconsciously, Tian Ling'er's body stiffened, and she stopped writhing.
Tian Ling'er's mind went blank. She did not even know when she had wrapped her arms around Zhong Shan's neck. She remained dazed and foolish for a long while before seemingly coming back to herself.
How did this happen?
Tian Ling'er sensed her posture. Her entire body was pressed without the slightest gap against Zhong Shan's back, her arms around his neck, her whole face almost touching his neck.
Tian Ling'er no longer moved. A numb patch had formed on her buttocks, as though the numb area was shaped exactly like Zhong Shan's palm. Her legs were spread apart in an utterly embarrassing manner, clamped around Zhong Shan's waist. Although separated by clothing, Zhong Shan's large hands felt like two red-hot brands searing her thighs. They were so hot—why hadn't her clothes been burned through with two palm-shaped holes? Tian Ling'er felt as though her entire body were being boiled by the heat in Zhong Shan's palms. At the very least, her face was now so red it seemed ready to drip blood, almost smoking.
Zhong Shan walked forward step by step. On his back, Tian Ling'er swayed with every step, feeling this intoxicating intimacy. She did not dare speak, nor could she speak. This... this had never happened before. Why was this happening? Why do I feel this way? Am I still myself?
Still, the scent on Zhong Shan was quite pleasant. Tian Ling'er thought this softly.
At that thought, Tian Ling'er's face grew even redder, yet a faint smile appeared without her noticing. Perhaps... perhaps this isn't so bad.
Zhong Shan had regretted the moment he slapped her, but fortunately, Tian Ling'er had stopped making a fuss. Since she was no longer causing trouble, then let it be. This was good enough.
But why had Ling Er suddenly stopped speaking? If he had not felt Tian Ling'er's breath brushing against his neck, Zhong Shan would certainly have checked to see what was wrong.
"Ling Er." After walking for a while, Zhong Shan thought over everything that had happened earlier and finally spoke first.
"Mm... mm?" Tian Ling'er had not come back to herself when Zhong Shan called her, and she answered absentmindedly. Then she realized how distracted she had been and gave another questioning hum.
Zhong Shan inhaled deeply and frowned. "Back on the mountaintop, I promised you that if we escaped alive this time, I would take you to see Senior Brother."
At Zhong Shan's words, Tian Ling'er immediately thought of Senior Brother. Yet for some reason, she no longer seemed as eager to see him. She did not know why. According to her former self, she should have been overjoyed. But now... now there was only the faintest trace of happiness.
Tian Ling'er frowned and looked at Zhong Shan carrying her. Her heart felt warm and cozy. After remaining silent for a while, she finally nodded. "Thank you, Zhong Shan."
"Heh, what is there to thank me for? If you hadn't used the Red Silk to catch me at the end, I might have ended up smashed to pieces just like Zhong Di and the others." Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled.
"That wouldn't have happened. Even without me saving you, you definitely would have been fine." Tian Ling'er said firmly at once, as though Zhong Shan were omnipotent.
"Perhaps." Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled. His earlier method of saving himself had been a flash of inspiration in a desperate moment, perilous in the extreme. Much of it had been coincidence. Without the Red Silk, how could he have pulled down that boulder? However, Zhong Shan did not contradict her. Perhaps!
Carrying Tian Ling'er on his back, Zhong Shan headed toward the other end of the valley at an unhurried pace. It was not that he was in no hurry to leave; rather, in this unknown place, moving more slowly was ultimately safer.
All around them were steep cliffs, narrow at the top and broad below. Climbing up would be difficult, and the rocks were extremely smooth besides. It would be far too hard to get out that way.
They could only see whether there was another path.
The valley was enormous, but everything still remained within Zhong Shan's view. They continued forward, and when they reached the front, the mountain path was finally blocked. Another mountain had cut off their way out, forming a dead-end valley.
However, at the very end, there was still a Mountain Cave two meters tall.
A cave?
The inside of the Mountain Cave glowed with a faint red light, while large amounts of hot air surged out from within, as though waves of heat were rushing toward the two of them.
The red glow was weak, but inside the cave were thirteen red dots. Each was about the size of a strawberry, scattered throughout the cave and emitting a red light slightly brighter than the surrounding glow.
"Zhong Shan, what's inside?" Tian Ling'er immediately grew excited when she saw the scene within the cave.
"Don't speak." Zhong Shan frowned.
"Oh." Interrupted by Zhong Shan, Tian Ling'er quickly shifted her gaze from the cave to him and answered softly.
Holding his breath, Zhong Shan listened carefully, trying to hear what sounds came from inside. He quieted his mind, but heard nothing from within—only Tian Ling'er's heartbeat.
He gently picked up a stone from the ground, aimed it into the Mountain Cave, and flicked it with a curved finger.
"Smack." The stone struck the inside of the Mountain Cave with a crisp sound. Zhong Shan continued listening in silence.
Tian Ling'er, meanwhile, watched carefully. At first, she had been captivated by the things inside the cave, but now she was more interested in what Zhong Shan was doing, watching his movements with curiosity.
"There aren't any sounds." Tian Ling'er whispered into Zhong Shan's ear.
At her words, Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled. After all, Tian Ling'er was at the Innate Ninth Stage, so her hearing was naturally stronger than his.
"I was overthinking it." Zhong Shan smiled. Then, carrying Tian Ling'er on his back, he walked toward the Mountain Cave.
After entering the cave and adjusting to the darkness inside, they could finally see what was emitting the red glow. In the distance, the vast stretches of faint red light came from deeper within the winding cave, accompanied by waves of heat. Zhong Shan suddenly thought of a possibility. Could this cave extend all the way to a volcano's crater?
Then Zhong Shan turned his gaze toward the thirteen red dots scattered in different places.
"Blood Bodhi?" Tian Ling'er suddenly cried out in delight.
Before you continue