An Offense Before the Dance

"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you."

Zhao Linchuan sighed. He looked helpless, yet he took the initiative to step forward and followed her toward the middle of the stream.

The pebbles beneath their feet were slippery. He tightened his grip on her hand while wrapping his other arm around her waist.

The water grew deeper and deeper, passing their ankles, submerging their calves, rising above their knees, and finally stopping around their waists.

At that moment, Ning Rongrong suddenly released his hand and took another half-step forward.

"Good brother, let me help you."

As she spoke, she turned around and slowly submerged herself beneath the water in front of Zhao Linchuan.

About two hours later.

The sky had completely darkened.

The orange-red sunset struggled at the horizon for a few moments, but it was ultimately swallowed by the night.

Footsteps and voices drifted from the distant woods, drawing closer and becoming clearer.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing emerged from the forest carrying a pile of prey.

Seeing this, Zhao Linchuan and Ning Rongrong hurriedly separated. The two of them tiptoed from the deep water toward the shore, afraid of making too much noise.

Once they reached the bank, they hurriedly began putting their clothes back on.

As Ning Rongrong pulled her outer robe over herself, she muttered softly, "You really don't know how to hurry up..."

"...Weren't you the one insisting on cooling down?"

A moment later, the two of them were properly dressed.

Zhao Linchuan raised his hand. Azure Soul Power gathered in his palm and became a warm breeze, drying their soaking-wet hair.

Their strands fluttered in the wind from his palm, tangling together before drifting apart again.

Ning Rongrong smoothed down her disheveled hair and glanced toward the faint figures visible by the woods, her tone carrying a hint of resentment.

"Those two came back at the worst possible time. I was so close."

"Sigh, I'm suffering even more than you are."

Zhao Linchuan's expression was somewhat strained, his lips pressed together as though he were suppressing something.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, then took Ning Rongrong's hand and headed toward the tents.

After taking a few steps, Ning Rongrong suddenly lifted their tightly clasped hands.

"My good brother~~" Her tone was teasing. "If your other little sister saw this, she wouldn't get mad at me, would she?"

"Why are you being so coy?" Zhao Linchuan paused, his expression turning serious as his brows furrowed slightly. "But this really is a bit troublesome."

"If it's troublesome, then we'll hide our relationship." Ning Rongrong gently pushed Zhao Linchuan's hand away. "That would be better for both of us."

"If someone sent by my father discovers our relationship, that'll be a problem."

"My dad... He may always look like he's smiling, but if he finds out some blind fool of a man dared lay a hand on his precious daughter..."

Halfway through, she deliberately drew out the last word and made a throat-slitting gesture, then burst out laughing.

Zhao Linchuan nodded at her words, but then raised his brows again and asked uncertainly:

"Rongrong, are you sure you don't just like the thrill of sneaking around?"

"I like the feeling that no one else can give you." Ning Rongrong blinked, and that sly smile appeared on her face again. "Come on, before they notice us."

About half an hour later.

The campfire in front of the tents was already burning brightly. The flames danced in the night wind, casting shifting light and shadow across the surrounding grass.

The skewers on the grill sizzled with oil, their fragrance spreading through the air and mingling with the smoky scent of burning firewood beneath the night sky.

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were putting up the tents.

Originally, Zhao Linchuan had planned for all four of them to sleep together, and neither Zhu Zhuqing nor Ning Rongrong had objected.

Zhu Zhuqing felt that she was dependent on others and was not in a position to say much.

Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, had ulterior motives and wanted something else to happen later in the night.

But Xiao Wu loudly went on about how men and women should not share such close quarters, her voice loud enough for the entire camp to hear. Her reason was that it was improper for her brother, a man, to sleep with three women.

Left with no choice, Zhao Linchuan could only abandon the idea.

A moment later, the two women finished setting up the tents and came over to the campfire.

By then, the assorted meats on the grill had also finished cooking.

Their golden-brown skins glistened with oil, sprinkled with salt and spices. Roasted over the flames, they gave off an irresistible aroma.

The venison was crispy outside and tender within. The mountain chicken skin was crisp as paper. There were also several skewers of meat from some unknown animal, charred and fragrant enough to make anyone drool.

Xiao Wu picked up ten skewers of roasted kidneys with both hands, slowly walked over to Zhao Linchuan, and held them out to him.

"Brother, eat more. Replenish your nutrition properly."

Zhao Linchuan accepted the ten kidney skewers with both hands. He looked down at them, then looked up at Xiao Wu's face, which plainly said, "I'm doing this for your own good," and asked in surprise:

"Xiao Wu, are you trying to stuff me to death?"

"Oh, you can leave them if you can't finish them." Xiao Wu smiled, her gaze shifting slightly. "Anyway, you're the only man here. If you don't eat them, wouldn't they just go to waste?"

"That's right, Brother Linchuan."

Ning Rongrong sat on the other side of the campfire, holding a skewer of roasted meat and taking small bites from it.

She raised her head and gave Zhao Linchuan a playful look.

"You used up so much energy today. You really should nourish yourself properly."

"Oh, right."

She seemed to have "suddenly" remembered something. Setting down her skewer, her expression became utterly serious.

"One of my bullets got stuck in the chamber today. Is that serious?"

Zhao Linchuan froze. He nearly dropped the roasted kidneys in his hands and could not help muttering inwardly:

You little minx, you really dare to say that!

Fortunately, foolish Xiao Wu did not catch the meaning. She had her head lowered, intently working on the roasted chicken leg in her hand. She tore off a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing until her lips shone with oil, her face full of satisfaction.

Zhao Linchuan steadied himself and replied with a serious expression:

"It's fine. Give me the Soul-Extinguishing Gun later, and I'll fix it for you."

"Don't you need me to 'help' from the side?" Ning Rongrong asked in a "puzzled" tone.

"No." Zhao Linchuan answered solemnly. "I can handle it by myself."

"Oh~~ All right, then."

Ning Rongrong's playful expression vanished. She lowered her head and continued taking small bites of the roasted meat in her hand, as docile as a tabby cat that had yet to abandon its owner.

The campfire crackled. Sparks flew up, then fell back into the ashes.

After several breaths of silence, she casually asked again:

"Where are you going tomorrow? Are you returning to your own sects?"

"The three of us are independent cultivators. We don't have sects."

Xiao Wu answered from the side, still chewing meat, her voice somewhat muffled.

"Then where are you planning to go?" Ning Rongrong continued, her gaze moving back and forth between Zhao Linchuan and Xiao Wu. "Tell me. Maybe we'll be heading the same way?"

She had already made up her mind. No matter what Zhao Linchuan and the others said, she would say, "What a coincidence! Me too!"