Night deepened.
Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yi Xian wandered through the mountain forest, stopping now and then along the way.
Both were dressed in white, like a couple, but the tenderness in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes whenever she looked at Xiao Yuan made her seem more like an older sister.
After about two and a half hours, they finally stopped at the edge of a cliff.
"Oh, White Orchid Fruit!"
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes suddenly lit up. She hurried over to the cliff's edge, crouched down, and reached for a plant growing on the sheer rock face, trying to pluck it.
The plant bore pale white flowers, and nestled among the blooms were faint glimpses of bright red fruit.
A faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the air.
The White Orchid Fruit had ripened.
Xiao Yi Xian picked it and, beaming with delight, put it into her Storage Ring.
White Orchid Fruit was not actually rare. It was simply that the herb always grew on sheer cliffs, and magical beasts in the form of birds adored it. As a result, ripe White Orchid Fruit was exceptionally hard to find.
But Xiao Yuan, who had also crouched down at the cliff's edge, was looking below the precipice.
"It looks like there's something down there."
As he spoke, Xiao Yuan pointed toward the rock face below and to the side.
"Something?"
Hearing him, Xiao Yi Xian leaned over too. She brushed a strand of hair from her forehead with her slender fingers and strained to look down.
But all she could see were clumps of strange trees growing between the steep cliffs.
There also seemed to be a few things like bones.
Beyond that, all she heard was the howling wind rushing through the mountain gorge.
"You can't see it? Then this should make it a little clearer."
Whoosh—a tuft of emerald-green flame sprang up at Xiao Yuan's fingertip.
He flicked his finger, and the flame shot into the clump of strange trees. The lush growth and the Rock Snakes hidden among it were instantly burned to ash.
By the light of the flames, Xiao Yi Xian could finally make out what Xiao Yuan had meant.
"A cave?"
"Yeah. Want to go take a look?"
"How are we supposed to get down?"
Xiao Yi Xian knew this had to be the opportunity mentioned in Xiao Yuan's inner thoughts—the one that belonged to her.
But they hadn't brought any ropes or anything like that on this outing.
Even if she wanted to go down, there was nothing she could do.
"Forget it, little brother Xiao Yuan. We'll come back another—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Yi Xian was suddenly pulled to her feet by the arm.
Xiao Yuan wrapped an arm around Xiao Yi Xian's famously slender waist, officially recognized as the most delicate in Battle Through the Heavens. The moment he held her, Xiao Yi Xian's body stiffened, and her ears flushed red.
"Hold tight."
Xiao Yuan spoke softly. Before Xiao Yi Xian could react, he jumped straight off the cliff.
"Ah—!"
Xiao Yi Xian squeezed her eyes shut in fright.
The wind howled in their ears, mingling with the girl's unmistakable scream.
She had no idea how long it took before she felt the ground beneath her feet again.
"So I didn't know big sister Xiao Yi Xian was afraid of heights."
Only when she heard the teasing lilt in Xiao Yuan's voice did Xiao Yi Xian dare to slowly open her eyes.
Before her was a pitch-black cave, and Xiao Yuan's face, wearing a rather roguish smile.
"Don't ever do that to big sister again, understand?!"
Xiao Yi Xian clenched her fist and lightly tapped his chest.
There wasn't much reproach in her voice, though. It sounded more like she was pouting at him.
"Okay, I understand, big sister Xiao Yi Xian."
Xiao Yuan chuckled softly and released his arm from around her slender waist.
I have to admit, she feels pretty nice.
Ya Fei's waist is slim and soft too, but it really can't compare to Xiao Yi Xian's.
His inner thoughts trailed off.
Xiao Yi Xian's ears turned scarlet. She quickly headed deeper into the cave, as if she wanted to escape from Xiao Yuan.
The cave was so dark that no one could see how red her face had become.
She could still feel the warmth of his hand lingering on her waist, along with the tingling sensation it had left behind.
She couldn't help reaching down to rub the spot where Xiao Yuan had touched her. Only then did that strange feeling begin to fade.
This was the first time in her life that she had ever been so close to a man.
And on top of that, Xiao Yuan had said something so embarrassing in his inner thoughts.
Shame on you, little brother! What a lecher!
How dare you compare me to another woman!
Who is that Ya Fei?!
Those curses kept circling in Xiao Yi Xian's mind.
At that moment, her heart was in complete disarray.
The cave was cramped and dimly lit, almost entirely dark.
A faint chill also lingered around them.
Xiao Yuan, walking ahead, held the Life Spirit Flame he had gathered in his palm like a torch. Its light drove away the darkness and the faint, creeping cold.
"Hmph. Little brother Xiao Yuan just loves to lie to me. He can clearly control fire, yet he said he wasn't an alchemist."
Xiao Yi Xian followed behind, muttering under her breath.
She wasn't an alchemist and had no idea what kind of flame Xiao Yuan had gathered in his palm. But she could tell from the strange sense of comfort that had filled her body as soon as the flame appeared—
This flame was no ordinary thing!
And there were all his previous displays, along with those strange inner thoughts.
A complicated look crept into Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes.
Little brother Xiao Yuan, who exactly are you?
"We've reached the end."
Before long, Xiao Yi Xian had followed Xiao Yuan to the end of the cave.
It was a dead end.
But Xiao Yi Xian didn't say anything. She knew Xiao Yuan was bound to do something next.
While she waited, she curiously looked around.
The stone walls, lit by the flames, were covered in all kinds of mottled marks left by blades.
It was obvious that this cave had been carved by people, not formed naturally.
What was more, Xiao Yi Xian noticed a section of rock wall glowing with a faint yellow light, its shape like a stone door.
"Little brother Xiao Yuan, there's a stone door here. Judging by the yellow light on it, this place clearly has an earth-element mechanism—"
Before Xiao Yi Xian could finish speaking, she saw Xiao Yuan raise his fist and drive it hard into the faintly glowing stone wall.
Boom!
A deafening crash rang out.
The air exploded, sending out a ring of ripples like waves on water.
Under Xiao Yi Xian's astonished gaze, the once smooth rock wall was smashed to pieces by Xiao Yuan's punch!
She had been about to say that she knew a little about mechanisms and that they didn't need to use brute force to break through. The words died in her throat.
After breaking through the stone door, Xiao Yuan shook out his slightly numb hand.
That felt great. So this is what it's like to punch open the road between life and death.
Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique—Eight Extremities Collapse.
Hearing the system notification, Xiao Yuan grinned.
He hadn't expected to get even Xiao Yan's go-to face-slapping Dou Technique.
But when he walked into the cave beyond, he realized Xiao Yi Xian hadn't followed him.
She was frozen in place, motionless.
"Big sister Xiao Yi Xian, what's wrong? Come on."
"Ah, I'm coming, I'm coming."
At Xiao Yuan's call, Xiao Yi Xian finally snapped out of it. The look she gave him gradually grew more complicated.
Xiao Yi Xian suddenly felt that she might have underestimated the sworn little brother she had only recently taken in.