382: Chapter 381 Hollowed-out Mountain Cave

The moment Qin Yi pulled Si Yao into the white mist of the pit, a blast of hot, humid air mixed with the scent of sulfur rushed toward them.

The two slid several meters down the sloping cave wall, sending gravel cascading down and creating a heart-stopping echo in the bottomless darkness.

"Hold on tight!" Qin Yi shouted in a low voice, then suddenly turned, driving his "clear shadow" dagger deep into a rock crevice with a crisp "click." His other hand wrapped around Si Yao's waist like an iron clamp, shielding her tightly in his embrace.

As the dust settled, Qin Yi slowly looked up. The daylight filtering in from the cave entrance transformed into a blurry halo within the thick white mist, resembling the entrance to another world.

It was only then that Qin Yi realized this was no mere meteorite impact crater; it was an unimaginably massive underground space, as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out by some mysterious force, leaving behind only this vast and enigmatic cave.

Looking down, it was bottomless, with only the rolling thick mist surging like turbulent waves, devouring everything in sight.

At the bottom of the abyss, where vision could not penetrate, a dark pool of water was faintly visible, bubbling away and sending up white heat that permeated the entire cave.

What surprised Qin Yi even more was that the circular cave walls were not smooth, but filled with crisscrossing rock fissures and protruding boulders.

Not far from where they were, a naturally formed rock path wound down along the steep cave wall, like a giant Dragon coiling above the abyss, leading directly to the dark pool at the bottom.

Qin Yi exerted force again, his 'clear shadow' dagger cutting into the rock wall, and the two slowly slid down toward the rock path, soon landing steadily upon it.

The rock path was spacious enough for two people to walk side by side.

Just as Qin Yi was intently observing the environment inside the pit, a violent coughing fit suddenly came from his side.

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Qin Yi turned his head, his pupils constricting—Si Yao's palm was stained with a shocking pool of blood!

"Si Yao, what's wrong?" Qin Yi's face showed nervousness, his brows furrowed tightly.

Si Yao gently wiped the blood from her lips, shook her head with a bitter smile, and said, "It's nothing. It must be because I just released Blazing Sun True Qi, and my Meridians were damaged."

She looked up at Qin Yi, a complex expression flashing in her eyes. "To be honest, I didn't completely believe what you said before, but now it seems you were right. My body... really cannot continue to Cultivate the Blazing Sun True Art."

Qin Yi's heart sank, and a wave of guilt washed over him. "It's all my fault; I shouldn't have let you come into the mountain with me. Bai Ruoxue's target is me; it has nothing to do with you."

"What are you saying!" Si Yao raised her hand and gently pushed Qin Yi, chiding him, "Are we still friends or not? It's just a minor injury; what's the big deal?"

She paused for a moment, as if remembering something, a sly glint flashing in her eyes as she continued, "However, just now when I fought with that Bai Ruoxue, I discovered that my Si Family's Blazing Sun True Qi is the perfect counter to her Mystic Ice True Qi! Just wait for me to recover; a mere Peak Anjin is no match for me at all!" As Si Yao spoke, she gave Qin Yi a look that said, 'Don't worry, I've got this.'

Yet, just as she finished speaking, another violent coughing fit seized her, as if she were trying to cough up her very internal organs.

Following that, blood seeped out from between her fingers.

There was no other choice; Si Yao's situation was critical. Qin Yi could not afford to overthink it and directly took a 'longevity pill' from his System Space, handing it to Si Yao. "Stop trying to be brave, quickly take this Medicinal Pill."

"This is..." Si Yao took it, stunned, and suddenly remembering something, she frowned and looked at Qin Yi. "Didn't you say before that the ingredients for that Medicinal Pill were extremely hard to find? How come?"

"Don't overthink it. This is just a healing pill; it can quickly repair your damaged Meridians and heal your injuries, but it cannot resolve the Blazing Sun True Qi inside your body!" Qin Yi explained.

"Oh, I see. But where did you get this Medicinal Pill? Don't tell me you refined it yourself..." Si Yao continued to press.

Qin Yi didn't know how to explain, so he simply didn't. Avoiding her gaze, he urged, "Why do you have so many questions? You're usually not this long-winded. Do you think I would harm you? Hurry up and eat it; if you don't, Bai Ruoxue will catch up soon."

Si Yao looked at him deeply, then tilted her head back and swallowed the Medicinal Pill.

The Medicinal Pill dissolved instantly upon entering her mouth, its gentle medicinal power flowing like a spring of water through her burning Meridians, bringing a wave of coolness and comfort. She couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

However, before Si Yao could continue to feel the changes the Medicinal Pill brought to her body, she heard Bai Ruoxue's provocative voice from the top of the mountain.

"Qin Yi! If you're a man, get out here! Don't hide like a coward! Come and fight! Let me see just how remarkable the person who captured Brother Yu really is!"

Bai Ruoxue's sharp shout came from the mountaintop, echoing repeatedly against the cave walls.

Si Yao raised an eyebrow at Qin Yi, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of teasing, "What will you do? Being called a coward by a woman—aren't you going to go out and do something about it?"

"Do what? A good man doesn't fight with women! Besides, a real man knows when to yield and when to stand tall!" Qin Yi scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the bottomless rock path. He pulled Si Yao's hand once more and started walking down the path. "Let's go. Let her shout up there for now; let's go down and see what's actually at the bottom."

Si Yao looked at her hand being held by Qin Yi, and a strange feeling couldn't help but rise in her heart—a feeling she had only ever had before when meeting a woman she liked...

Si Yao felt a bit flustered in her heart: What is wrong with me? How could I have this feeling toward him?

Thinking of this, Si Yao couldn't help but feel her face heating up slightly, not knowing if it was from the white mist or something else... Suppressing the restlessness in her heart, Si Yao asked curiously, "Qin Yi, what exactly are you looking for in this Zhuilong Valley?"

Qin Yi did not stop his pace and replied, "Naturally, I am looking for something particularly important."

"Mysterious and boring. Forget it if you won't say." Si Yao shook off Qin Yi's hand, her tone carrying a hint of coyness she didn't even notice. As she walked past Qin Yi, she didn't forget to roll her eyes at him, continuing downward on her own.

"Don't be angry. If you really want to know, I can tell you. But this is a secret between the two of us; you cannot tell anyone else, not even your grandfather!"

Hearing this, Si Yao stopped, turned around to look at Qin Yi, and immediately beamed with joy, "Don't worry! My lips are sealed!"

"Hmm, have you heard of a Dragon vein?" Qin Yi asked mysteriously.

"A Dragon vein? I have naturally heard of it. However, isn't that all just talk about Feng Shui and geomancy? Could it be that you understand Feng Shui and geomancy too?"

"I naturally do not understand it. However, this dagger does!" As Qin Yi spoke, he flicked the blade, which emitted a clear, resonant Dragon's roar.

Si Yao looked at the dagger, her brows furrowing even tighter. She looked at Qin Yi and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean? It's just a dagger; how could it possibly understand matters regarding a Dragon vein? Are you trying to fool me?"

"Hahaha, listen to me slowly. Actually, it's like this." Qin Yi began to organize his words and made up a story, "On the very night you gave me this dagger, I had a dream. I dreamt that a ball of white mist emerged from this dagger. The white mist told me that it was the artifact spirit of this dagger. And the place where the Meteoric Iron used to forge this dagger was located on a Dragon vein. If I can find an item within the Dragon vein, I can forge this dagger into a Spiritual Artifact and activate the artifact spirit inside."

After Qin Yi finished speaking, Si Yao widened her beautiful eyes and stared at him as if he were a madman, speechless for a long while.

Seeing that Si Yao was silent, Qin Yi shrugged and said helplessly, "See, I told you, and you didn't believe me; I didn't tell you, and you said I was being mysterious... Let's go. Once I find that item and forge this dagger, you'll believe me. By then, if you want to take this dagger back, I really wouldn't mind."

"Heh, no, then what are you aiming for? You're going through all this trouble to upgrade the dagger, and then give it back to me?" Si Yao caught up two steps.

"Life is about the struggle." Qin Yi turned back and smiled, his figure disappearing into the thick mist. "It's just a dagger; it was yours to begin with. Besides, if you hadn't given the dagger to me, I wouldn't have had the chance to come here. Who knows, I might even encounter other Opportunities?" After saying that, Qin Yi continued walking downward.

Si Yao looked at the direction where he had disappeared and unconsciously stroked the corner of her lips, which still held a lingering warmth.

The warm current of the Medicinal Pill was still flowing through her Meridians, just like the feeling brought by the man before her, making one unable to resist wanting to explore more.

"Qin Yi..." she whispered to herself, "Just how many secrets are you hiding?"