The fingers wrapped around her wrist felt ice cold. Their close proximity contributed even more to freezing her than the biting wind itself. She felt a deep shiver crawl across her entire body, raising goosebumps on her skin at the same time.
It was only then she remembered: Lu Zhiyao always seemed to wear very little.
An undershirt with archer’s cuffs and a single outer robe was his only attire for the cold season of March. The biting wind whipped at him, yet he always wore a smile. At first glance, it looked gentle and warm, but on closer inspection, it was clearly a smile that belied the self-abuse within.
She had always assumed he didn’t feel cold. But his hands told a different story.
Coupled with his utterly unhinged behavior earlier, it left Li Ruoshui deeply puzzled.
Beneath his spring-flower-like smile lay the visage of a bloodthirsty Asura demon, always raving for carnage. Perhaps, even hoping desperately for it.
Her initial misjudgment of him was entirely due to the original novel. It hadn’t spent any time describing Lu Zhiyao’s background in detail. It had only left her with the stereotypical impression of an attractive male lead, and a supporting one: the gentle and devoted.
The original novel led me astray.
Li Ruoshui realized her thoughts had drifted off-topic, and she let out a long, quiet sigh.
“What was that just now?”
Not getting a response, Lu Zhiyao sat up until only a finger’s width separated their faces. However, the darkness and cold blurred the boundaries of personal space. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized how close they truly were.
“Why did you bite me?”
His cool breath caressed her face. Li Ruoshui hastily scrambled backward, putting some distance between them.
“Bite you?! I didn’t bite you!”
Lu Zhiyao reached for his sword beside him. With a sharp shing, he drew the blade halfway.
The sound of the unsheathing sword sent a cold sweat down Li Ruoshui’s spine. She hurriedly pressed her hand over the sword hand. “Wait! I didn’t mean to… kiss you.”
Lu Zhiyao paused for a moment, then nodded as if a great mystery had been solved. The tense atmosphere instantly eased. “So that’s what a kiss is.” [1]
Li Ruoshui hadn’t thought much of it before, but his weirdly innocent tone sparked a strange sense of shame in her. She unconsciously reached up and touched her lips.
Just then, Jiang Nian’s voice, strained from shouting, came from the top of the shaft echoing down to their location. “Are you guys down there?!”
She took a deep breath and yelled back, “We’re at the bottom!”
After a moment, another call came down. “We’re coming down, then!”
Li Ruoshui quickly felt her way to the edge of the net. She climbed off carefully, wary of slipping on something. Lu Zhiyao, in contrast, simply rolled over and landed gracefully on his feet.
No sooner had they stepped off the pulley system whirred to life, dragging the net back up with a series of clicks until it locked back into its ready position.
In the suffocating darkness, Lu Zhiyao moved as if it were broad daylight, his demeanor no different from usual. He listened intently for a moment, then turned to walk in a specific direction, only to be yanked back by Li Ruoshui grabbing a fistful of his robe.
“Where are you going?”
“Out. When underground, just follow the water and the wind. I’ve done it before.”
Li Ruoshui tugged on the robe, pulling him closer. Her tone was patient, like a mother lecturing a child. “Look, we have to wait for the other two. It’s too dark out here; I really can’t see. There’s safety in numbers. If something happens, we can help each other.”
Lu Zhiyao allowed himself to be pulled by her side. He contemplated for a moment and said, “Okay.”
People are selfish when faced with life and death. He wanted to see how Li Ruoshui would react when those two abandoned her. Would she, like before, come crying and beg me to save her? [2]
The cave was so pitch black that she couldn’t see her hand a few centimeters in front of her face. The ground underfoot was muddy and uneven, with puddles interspaced around. The roar of the nearby river was loud, echoing ominously in the vast cavern.
Li Ruoshui was completely blind here, but Lu Zhiyao moved with ease, instinctively guiding her to wait by the recess of the wall.
It seemed as if he disliked the silence as he spoke up. “Was our little jump earlier fun?”
She realized, the early madness he had earlier was gone, it tucked away as if nothing had happened, it’s now replaced by his usual gentleness, carrying the soft characteristic of someone from the southern riverlands.
But Li Ruoshui had gradually built immunity to this facade of softness. “No, it wasn’t fun.”
She didn’t want to comment on his sudden fit of madness ear;ier. But she now understood why he got ‘friend-zoned’ in the story. How could someone like Lu Feiyue ever fall for this lunatic?
“I answered your question. Why did you still jump?”
Lu Zhiyao merely smiled in response. His reply is mild and soft. “I don’t believe I ever said I wouldn’t jump if you answered me.”
Li Ruoshui was left speechless. Yes, you did not. But why?? (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Lu Zhiyao smiled, recollecting the memory, savoring it. “I originally wanted to see your reaction, but I accidentally discovered something more interesting—”
“…” She really didn’t want to hear it.
Jiang Nian’s shouts came from above. The two were likely on their way down. But Lu Zhiyao acted as if he didn’t hear, continuing to share this ‘interesting’ bit he discovered. “Also, I never knew a person’s heartbeat could get fast enough.”
His fingers tapped rhythmically against his sword, the tempo gradually speeding up until he let out a low, soft laugh. “It even made my heart beat faster. It felt… truly fascinating.”
That was my physiological fear response! His was just pure maniac glee! However, she begrudgingly admitted that his excitement in these scenarios were strangely ‘compelling.’
Li Ruoshui silently took another step away from him.
“And you warmed up fast, too. Heating up instantly, like a ball of flame.”
Lu Zhiyao tried ceasing his chuckles, but his uplifted tone betrayed his mental state—like a child who’d found a fascinating new toy, his words full of indescribable novelty and amusement.
“That’s a normal reaction when someone faces a life-threatening situation. And I felt like a ball of fire because your body’s temperature is too low!!!”
Who doesn’t have an adrenaline spike when terrified? But he enjoys edging death, so how could he even experience that?
In the darkness, without his usual charm to soften the image, the madness within him was put on full display.
No one would believe her that the once gentle man before her, inside and out, was this sick bast*rd!
People do love to judge the book by its beautiful cover; add the preferential treatment, of course.
The shouts from above grew closer. The other two were almost there.
The pulley system triggered again. They had landed in the net. Jiang Nian’s anxious voice was audible, “Feiyue, are you okay? Did I crush you?”
This was followed by Lu Feiyue’s flustered and slightly angry reply, “Get off!”
The two jumbled their way off the net. Then, points of faint green fluorescent light glowed, vaguely illuminating their faces.
Lu Feiyue walked over to Li Ruoshui and Lu Zhiyao, holding a glowstone, and handed Li Ruoshui the brightest one. “Carrying glowstones is a habit for handling cases like these, but it’s far too dark here. It may not be that bright, but it’ll have to do.”
Jiang Nian slowly approached, also holding a glowstone. He looked up at the cave ceiling, a hint of pride in his voice. “This is quite a deep shaft, but if I have some throwing weapons for footholds, I can get back up.”
Li Ruoshui nodded, accepting the large glowstone. Remembering the male lead’s cocky personality from the book, she teased him out of habit. “Yeah, no need for weapons. You can just step on your own left foot with your right foot and propel yourself up.” [3]
The usually stern Lu Feiyue suddenly burst out laughing. And it was the kind of full blown laughter where you can’t stop yourself.
Realizing all of a sudden that this was unbecoming of her usual demeanor, she turned her face away, but still couldn’t suppress her giggles. It made her look less mature and more like the lively young woman she should be.
Jiang Nian’s jaw dropped. He scrutinized Lu Feiyue for a moment, then sidled up to Li Ruoshui. “Hey, can you teach me how to tell jokes like that?”
“…Let’s talk about it after we get out.”
Lu Feiyue finally managed to stop laughing and cleared her throat. She raised her glowstone and started walking along the river. Jiang Nian immediately turned and followed closely behind her.
A damp, cold wind blew from behind. Li Ruoshui turned, grabbed ahold of Lu Zhiyao’s sleeve, raised her glowstone, and hurried after the other two. “You dropped your cane earlier. I’ll guide you for now.”
Lu Zhiyao paused for a fraction of a second, then resumed his usual smile. “Thank you.”
Holding the glowstones, they could only vaguely illuminate the outline of the underground river bank. The water beside them wasn’t very deep, but it is a swift flowing river, occasionally splashing up and wetting the hems of their robes.
Although they were underground, the air around the cave flowed smoothly. There was none of the stuffiness one would expect from a deep cave. The only downside was the cold biting wind.
Especially for Li Ruoshui, who had broken out a cold sweat earlier. Now, with the cold wind blowing, she felt even colder. She shivered involuntarily and then sneezed. “Achoo—!”
She rubbed her nose and heard Lu Zhiyao chuckle softly. She had no idea what he found so amusing this time.
The group pressed on. The river channel gradually widened, though the water level was lower than before, the water flow was constricted into a narrower, more turbulent path.
Three cave openings of varying heights appeared at the end of the rushing river. The rushing river split, flowing through the three cave openings and disappearing into the darkness.
Several large stones were placed in the river, leading right up to the openings, as if saying, ‘Step on me, come in this way.’
Jiang Nian stepped onto them first. He raised his glowstone, carefully examining the three openings, but the light was too dim to see very far.
He turned back to look at the trio. “There are three paths, but we definitely shouldn’t split up. That would be unsafe.”
Lu Feiyue nodded in agreement and also stepped onto the stones. “We can investigate each one, just halfway is fine. If someone has been through, they’re bound to leave traces.”
Seeing the two investigating the openings, Li Ruoshui pushed Lu Zhiyao back a bit and patted his shoulder. “You wait here for a while. I’ll go take a look with them.”
In the original story, the protagonists caught the trafficking ring without taking this route. Falling underground today was unexpected.
If we don’t find the traffickers in time, and Lu Zhiyao were to lose interest along the way, I have no doubt I’ll be dead where I stand.
Li Ruoshui had just stepped forward when Lu Zhiyao grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back to the bank.
“This way.” He pointed to the third opening.
Lu Feiyue also went to look at the third opening. She turned back to him. “Why?”
“The sound of the water.”
Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian didn’t doubt his hearing in the slightest—after all, this was the man who had pinpointed the hidden mechanisms earlier.
They exchanged a glance, then nodded at Li Ruoshui. “We’ll go check it out first, then.”
Li Ruoshui gestured for him to let go, then took a big step onto the stones. Icy water flowed over her foot, soaking her shoes and socks, bringing a piercing chill. “Aah, so cold!”
Li Ruoshui shivered, then used her foot to step down harshly, causing the water to splash, just so he knew where to step. She was afraid that his blindness would cause him to miss a step. “Step right here. Can you tell where it is?”
In the green fluorescent light, his face wasn’t clear, but she could see the curve of his smile. “Probably.” He stepped forward indifferently, reaching the water’s edge.
“One more step and you’ll be in the river!” Li Ruoshui raised her glowstone for a look and called out in a panic, “Hold your hand out. I’ll pull you across.”
Subconsciously, she’d forgotten this was a wuxia world where none of them needed her to worry about their ability to step on stones.
Lu Zhiyao hung his sword on his belt and stretched his hand forward. A wave of warmth immediately enveloped his fingertips.
“Jump a little in this direction, so you don’t trip and fall in.”
So this is what it feels like to be held.
Lu Zhiyao’s eyebrows rose slightly. Listening to the sound of the water, he leaped, landing right in front of Li Ruoshui.
They bumped into each other face-to-face. Li Ruoshui quickly steadied herself by wrapping an arm around his waist, then proceeded to guide him into the cave entrance with her arm still there. “Hurry, hurry, or we’ll lose them. It’s dark and cold out here. We can’t be left alone.”
The sensation at his waist was extremely distinct. The smile on Lu Zhiyao’s face froze abruptly, and his steps became somewhat unnatural.
This was far too close. No one has ever been this close to him before.
Everyone else he had encountered before either despised him or feared him. Who would ever approach him? Especially with such a protective attitude?
So—
Should I break her wrist now, or slit her throat?
I wonder if Li Ruoshui will heat up and her heart race when she realizes I’m about to kill her? It might bring a different rhythm to this gloomy underground.
How… dreadfully delightful. ^_^
Lu Zhiyao let out a low laugh. His right hand moved to rest on his sword scabbard. He took a slight, deep breath to calm his trembling hand, and—
“Look out!”
He was yanked sideways by Li Ruoshui. The two of them crashed against the stone wall, and his face was buried in a soft, warm fullness.
Chapter Notes:
[1] This is a playful jab referencing a common trope in Wuxia/Xianxia where masters are depicted as being able to leap great heights or even ‘fly’ by stepping on their own feet mid-air, completely ignoring physics.
[1] Editor’s Note: Me->( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`) <- ML
[2] TLN: That is some psychopathic behavior my boy, aren’t you afraid you’ll scare her off :0