Return to the Surface

"4 Guard Bee Magic Stones, 7 star-shaped fruits in total, plus the other magic stones and loot from today—the total profit should be over 10,000. Not bad." Despite his entire body aching, a severe sense of vertigo setting in, and his clothes being essentially shredded—with Xin Mu's clothes also completely ruined—this decent haul was a true lifesaver for Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu. Otherwise, Zhang Ruofeng would have had to go shirtless to the Dungeon to earn money for new clothes.

"Xin Mu. Xin Mu." After Zhang Ruofeng finished packing up the spoils and turned back to check on her, he found that Xin Mu had actually fallen asleep. The constant fighting and injuries had brought her immense mental pressure; for a young lady like her, her nerves had been stretched to a point Zhang Ruofeng couldn't even imagine. Now that the crisis was resolved, the adrenaline Xin Mu had been forcing herself to maintain vanished, and she had slumped against the Dungeon wall near Zhang Ruofeng and fallen asleep.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping here!" Zhang Ruofeng called out a bit louder and poked her cheek. Xin Mu merely wrinkled her delicate nose slightly before continuing to sleep. "This is the Dungeon, don't be so relaxed." While Zhang Ruofeng understood her state—he himself was aching all over from the repeated battles—he really didn't have the confidence to carry Xin Mu back to the surface. Other things aside, he truly couldn't handle the large swarms of Earth Bee gathered on this floor.

"Sigh." Zhang Ruofeng scratched his hair helplessly. They were right at the entrance of the Food Storage, a place monsters frequented, so staying here was definitely not an option. He silently hoisted Xin Mu onto his back and began heading toward the shortest route to the maze, the main path. Since he had been avoiding monsters and it was already afternoon, he had spotted several teams and individual adventurers ahead of him on the main path. He estimated the distance to ensure he wouldn't be spotted by the four-man team that had just passed, then began his ascent.

It wasn't that Zhang Ruofeng was being overly cautious; he simply believed that one should always be on guard. Although he and Xin Mu were dressed like poor rookies, humans could sometimes be more terrifying than any beast when it came to profit. In his near-exhausted state, with Xin Mu unconscious, they would be lambs to the slaughter, and regret would come too late.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..." Zhang Ruofeng finally managed to return to the first floor of the Dungeon like a thief, cautious and silent. Once there, the danger was mostly gone, and he let out a sigh of relief, gasping for air.

Although Xin Mu was 170cm tall—only slightly shorter than Zhang Ruofeng—she was very thin and not heavy. However, with his stamina depleted, carrying her for several kilometers while trying to suppress the fire of desire surging within him left Zhang Ruofeng mentally exhausted. With every step, he felt the softness of Xin Mu against his back, thought of Perman and his own size, and the fire would flare up; then, the next step would bring a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart, extinguishing the fire. It was a cycle. Zhang Ruofeng was now too tired to even speak, his heart pain and desire intertwined. Unable to suppress either, he could only keep biting his tongue to stay calm until he finally reached the surface.

"Hmm?" Zhang Ruofeng placed Xin Mu on a bench in a secluded corner of Babel Tower Square and sat on the ground facing her, beginning to recite the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra in hopes of suppressing his desire. After a while, Xin Mu finally woke from her nearly hour-long sleep. Seeing the sunset over the square, she looked down to see Zhang Ruofeng sitting on the ground, his face a mix of desire, calm, and pain, his brows furrowed as he muttered syllables. She knew he was trying to suppress himself, but seeing his blood-stained body and the fresh, tender skin revealed through his tattered clothes, she knew he must be in agony.

Zhang Ruofeng knew she had woken up, but he had already recited the passage several times. Usually, focusing on this obscure scripture was enough to stabilize his mind, but today, no matter how hard he tried, the rising fire and the deep-seated pain left him bewildered.

"Ruofeng..." Xin Mu whispered softly, not daring to disturb him. His state looked dire, and she was the cause, yet she felt powerless to help.

"Let me go get a bucket of water." Zhang Ruofeng sighed, giving up on resistance and deciding to fight fire with fire. He walked to the well, drew a bucket of icy water, and poured it directly over his head. The cold instantly washed over him, making his teeth chatter, but he didn't stop. He drew another large bucket and poured it over himself. Only then did the fire and pain subside, and his body finally relaxed. He retreated a few steps, collapsed onto the hard bluestone, and lay flat, unable to muster any more strength.

"Ruofeng!" Seeing him collapse, Xin Mu rushed to his side. She saw his eyes staring blankly at the sky, completely unfocused. "You'll catch a cold like this." She looked at him with helpless concern, then checked their surroundings. The spot was secluded, and with the main path bustling with people, this corner was ignored. She took off her t-shirt, cradled his head to dry his hair, and then put her shirt back on.

"That's enough, let's go." After a while, Zhang Ruofeng rose from Xin Mu's lap. The cold water had left him feeling dazed, and he felt no desire from the lap pillow. He wobbled to his feet, tore off his soaked, tattered hemp clothes, and headed toward the Guild.

"This is bad..." Xin Mu watched his state with growing worry. She had never seen him like this before, and seeing his pale face and slightly purple lips, she felt that things might be taking a turn for the worse.