Back to the Surface

"Four Guard Bee Magic Stones, seven Star-shaped Fruits in total, and with the other Magic Stones and drops we got today, we should have earned over ten thousand. Not bad." Though his whole body ached and his head was starting to spin badly, and his clothes and pants were basically ruined this time, Xin Mu's clothes were also completely unwearable. Still, the haul Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu had gotten would solve their immediate financial problems. Otherwise, Zhang Ruofeng would have to come to the Dungeon shirtless to earn money for new clothes.

"Xin Mu. Xin Mu." After Zhang Ruofeng had gathered up all their spoils and turned to look for her, he found that Xin Mu had fallen asleep. Their continuous battles and injuries had put her under tremendous mental strain. For someone as young as she was, the ordeal had pushed her to a level of tension Zhang Ruofeng could hardly imagine. Now that the immediate danger had passed, the energy she had been forcing herself to summon vanished completely. She had fallen asleep against the Dungeon wall, not far from him.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping here!" Zhang Ruofeng called to Xin Mu a little louder and poked her cheek. She merely wrinkled her delicate nose slightly, then continued sleeping. "This is the Dungeon. Don't let your guard down like that." Zhang Ruofeng understood how she felt. He was aching all over after their string of battles, too, but he really wasn't sure he could carry Xin Mu back to the surface. The rest might have been manageable, but there was no way he could deal with the Earth Bees gathered in force on this floor.

"Ugh." Zhang Ruofeng scratched his head helplessly. He and Xin Mu were right outside the Food Storage, a place monsters often visited. They couldn't stay there, so he quietly hoisted Xin Mu onto his back and started toward the maze's shortest route—the main passage. He had been careful to avoid drawing the monsters' attention, and it was already afternoon. He had seen several adventuring parties and lone adventurers farther ahead on the main passage. Zhang Ruofeng judged the distance carefully, making sure the group of four who had just passed wouldn't spot them, then began heading upward.

Zhang Ruofeng wasn't being overly cautious. He had always believed it was important to guard against others. He and Xin Mu were still inexperienced, and their clothes made them look poor, but humans could become more terrifying than any other creature when profit was involved. With Zhang Ruofeng nearly out of strength and Xin Mu unconscious and asleep, they would be helpless prey. If he waited until it was too late, he might regret it.

"Whew, whew, whew..." At last, Zhang Ruofeng returned to the first floor of the Dungeon, as cautious as a thief and careful not to make a sound. They were basically out of danger here, and he finally let out a breath of relief, panting heavily.

Xin Mu was about 170 centimeters tall, only a little shorter than Zhang Ruofeng, but she was very slender and therefore not particularly heavy. Still, Zhang Ruofeng had exhausted himself carrying her several kilometers through the twists and turns of the Dungeon. He also had to suppress the lust that kept surging within him, leaving him even more mentally drained. Every step brought Xin Mu's softness into contact with his back. He thought of Perman and his own size, and his desire would flare up. Then his heart would start to ache, and the desire would die down. The cycle went on and on. Zhang Ruofeng was now so exhausted he didn't even want to speak. Heartache and desire tangled together, and he couldn't suppress either of them. He could only keep biting his tongue until it bled to calm himself a little. At last, he made it back to the surface.

"Hm?" Zhang Ruofeng laid Xin Mu on a bench in a secluded corner of Babel Tower Square, then sat cross-legged on the ground facing her. He began silently reciting the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, hoping to suppress his desire. After quite a while, Xin Mu finally awoke from nearly an hour of sleep. She looked at the sunset over the square, then lowered her gaze and saw Zhang Ruofeng sitting on the ground. His face showed both desire and pain, his brows tightly furrowed as he murmured syllables under his breath. Xin Mu knew he was trying to suppress himself again. But seeing him covered in blood, with new, tender flesh showing through his tattered clothes, she knew he must be suffering terribly.

Zhang Ruofeng knew Xin Mu had woken up, of course. But he had already recited the sutra several times. Usually, simply concentrating on the difficult text enough to recite it fluently helped steady his mind. Yet today, no matter how intently he focused, he couldn't shake the flames rising within him or the pain coming from deep inside. It left him bewildered.

"Ruofeng..." Xin Mu called softly, afraid to disturb him. His condition looked worrying, and she was the reason he was like this. Even if she wanted to help, she was powerless.

"I'll go get a bucket of water." With a sigh, Zhang Ruofeng gave up resisting and decided to fight fire with fire. He went to the well, drew a bucket, and poured the icy water straight over his head. The cold washed over him instantly, and his teeth even began to chatter, but he didn't stop. He quickly drew another large bucket and poured that over himself, too. Only then did the desire and pain finally ease, and his whole body relaxed. He staggered back a few steps and collapsed onto the hard flagstones, then rolled onto his back. He didn't have a shred of strength left.

"Ruofeng!" Seeing him drop straight to the ground, Xin Mu rushed to his side. Zhang Ruofeng's eyes stared blankly up at the sky, almost completely unfocused. "You'll catch a cold like this." Helplessly, Xin Mu looked at Zhang Ruofeng, exhausted from his struggle, then glanced around. The place he had chosen was quiet and secluded, and the steady stream of people along the main road meant no one paid attention to this corner. She took off her T-shirt, lifted Zhang Ruofeng's head, and dried his hair with it before putting it back on.

"That should do it. Let's go." Only after a while did Zhang Ruofeng rise from Xin Mu's lap. The two buckets of cold water had left him dazed. Even with his head in her lap, he hadn't felt any desire. He staggered to his feet, tore off his drenched, tattered hemp shirt, and headed toward the Guild.

"This is bad..." Seeing Zhang Ruofeng's condition, Xin Mu grew even more worried. She had never seen him like this before. His face was almost pale, and his lips were faintly purple. She had a feeling things might be getting serious.