By the time Xia Kong hurried back to camp, Xiao Yi Xian had already woken up.
She stood looking around, her delicate brows slightly knitted. Her lovely face was filled with unconcealable tension, and lingering worry clouded her eyes.
The moment she saw Xia Kong emerge from the woods, the stone hanging over her heart dropped to the ground. The worry shrouding her features vanished, and her clear eyes instantly lit up.
Seeing this, Xia Kong gave a faint, knowing smile. "Don't worry. I was just patrolling the area."
"Who was worried about you?" Xiao Yi Xian turned her head aside and gave a stubborn little huff. "I was just afraid you'd run off alone, find the treasure, and keep all the spoils for yourself."
Xia Kong said nothing, inwardly musing that women really did say one thing and mean another. Ya Fei was like that, and so was Xiao Yi Xian before him.
"All right. Once we've had breakfast, we'll set out right away."
Xia Kong would neither expose her pretense nor hold it against her.
"Okay, I'll lend a hand."
Though Xiao Yi Xian enjoyed quite a reputation in Qingshan Town, she was no pampered young lady whose fingers had never touched dishwater. Lighting the fire, preparing ingredients, and cooking, the two worked in perfect harmony, their movements flowing like clouds and running water.
After a simple breakfast, they packed their belongings and set off at once.
Xiao Yi Xian had originally estimated that this stretch of the journey would take at least three days.
But her constitution had now been subtly improved by spiritual plant ingredients, and with a powerful expert like Xia Kong protecting her, they traveled far faster than expected. In just a day and a half, they reached the top of the cliff where the cave abode lay.
Xia Kong was crouching to secure a rope, preparing to investigate below, when Xiao Yi Xian's eyes suddenly lit up.
A white orchid fruit plant grew in a crevice in the cliff. She carefully picked its fruit and, cradling it in her hands, joyfully offered it to Xia Kong.
Xia Kong knew very little about the exotic flora of the Dou Qi Continent. Rather than reaching for it, he motioned for her to keep it.
Then Xia Kong remembered that Xiao Yi Xian did not even have a storage item. She had to carry every herb and treasure she gathered on her person, which was terribly inconvenient. With a thought, he moved all the clothes and miscellaneous items in his Storage Ring into the farm space, then slipped off the ring and offered it to Xiao Yi Xian.
"This Storage Ring has ten cubic meters of space inside. It's not much use to me, so you can have it."
Ya Fei had specially prepared this Storage Ring for him. During Xia Kong's earlier stay with the Mittel, he and Ya Fei had shared quite a few intimate moments, and she had noticed that he wore no Storage Ring. Though she could not fathom how he stored his belongings, she had never pressed him. Instead, to keep him from attracting covetous eyes and prying attention while out traveling, she had specially procured this ring. She truly had thought of everything.
Xiao Yi Xian stared at the Storage Ring Xia Kong held out, utterly stunned.
He was simply going to give her such a precious treasure?
Countless thoughts surged through her heart. Did he really care that much about her? Could it be... that he truly liked her? That he had fallen hopelessly for her?
All her earlier wariness and suspicions came flooding back, and she silently reproached herself for remaining so guarded around Xia Kong. She resolved that once this matter of the cave abode was settled, she would try to lower her defenses and trust the man before her.
Seeing Xiao Yi Xian staring blankly, Xia Kong could not begin to guess what she was thinking. In this world, giving someone a ring did not signify a marriage proposal. It was just that he himself did indeed harbor a little of that intention.
Since she had not refused outright, Xia Kong simply reached out, took her soft, slender left hand, and slipped the Storage Ring onto her left ring finger.
"N-no, there's no need. A Storage Ring is far too valuable..."
Only then did Xiao Yi Xian snap out of her daze. She hastily tried to pull her hand back, but the Storage Ring was already on her finger. With a flash of spiritual light, it automatically shrank to fit her.
Xia Kong secretly rejoiced, though his expression betrayed nothing. He turned, walked to the edge of the cliff, and lowered his gaze to examine the cave abode halfway down.
Watching his back, Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes brimmed with tangled emotions. In the end, she did not refuse again. She quietly moved to his side and looked down at the cave with him.
This was also her first chance to take a close look at the rocky cavern she suspected was a cave abode left behind by someone long ago.
Dense vines concealed the entrance in layer upon layer, but through the gaps in the leaves, they could still see signs that the rock face had been polished and worked by human hands. An ancient cave abode was indeed hidden halfway down the cliff, though from the top, they could not tell whether someone else had beaten them to it.
As she pondered this, Xiao Yi Xian gripped the rope, intending to climb down the cliff.
"Wait. There may be unknown dangers lurking below. Let me go down and scout the way first," Xia Kong said, stopping her.
Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks warmed slightly. She stepped back twice to make room.
Gripping the rope, Xia Kong sprang straight off the cliff. His hand tightened around the rope while his feet repeatedly pushed against the rock face, adjusting the angle and force of his descent.
Within a few breaths, he landed lightly on the flat stone ledge jutting out before the entrance.
He did not immediately call Xiao Yi Xian down. Raising his hand, he circulated his dou qi and unleashed Scorching Wood Palm. A fierce gust swept out from his palm, clearing away all the tangled vines, dead branches, and rotting leaves around the entrance.
Xia Kong remembered perfectly well that a first-tier Rock Snake lurked at the entrance to this cave abode. Even an ordinary Dou Shi would have to expend considerable effort to defeat it.
Sure enough, the disturbance from clearing the entrance thoroughly roused the Rock Snake.
Its thick body shot out from the depths of the cave. Rearing abruptly, it opened its jaws and lunged straight at Xia Kong.
Unfortunately for it, the gulf between their strengths was far too vast. Xia Kong did not even need to use a movement Dou Technique. With a casual motion, he sent out a slash of sword energy like blooming flowers, instantly cleaving the Rock Snake in two despite its defenses being difficult for ordinary weapons to pierce.
Only after dealing with the vicious beast did Xia Kong stand at the entrance and call up to her, readying himself to receive her.
Xiao Yi Xian slowly drifted down along the rope. Xia Kong reached out, caught her securely, and set her on the stone ledge.
After their time together on the journey, Xiao Yi Xian no longer blushed at the slightest close contact with Xia Kong as she once had.
Her gaze swept over the Rock Snake's corpse nearby, and a shiver of belated fear ran through her heart. She appreciated Xia Kong's care and thoroughness all the more. Had she come treasure hunting alone, she would likely have already become this demon beast's delicious meal.
Side by side, they passed through the dark, narrow cavern and walked to the stone wall deep within.
Xiao Yi Xian recognized at a glance that a simple Earth-Element Mechanism Art had been installed in this wall.
Xia Kong already knew the mechanism's location from his memories. Before Xiao Yi Xian could act, he reached out and triggered the mechanism on the stone wall.
A low rumble sounded, and the heavy stone doors slowly slid apart.
Beyond them lay a spacious, brightly lit stone chamber.
With the cave abode's treasure right before their eyes, the two harbored different thoughts, yet radiant smiles spread across both their faces.
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