Chapter 76 - 75: Then, it’s a promise.

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Then, it’s a promise.

Chen Yichen continued along the passage with Xiaoyu in his arms, keeping his steps steady as he followed the narrow stretch of stone illuminated by the weak light hovering above his palm.

The underground maze had fallen quiet again, but the silence did little to ease his concern.

He glanced down at Xiaoyu.

Her head rested against his shoulder, and her arms remained loosely wrapped around his neck. She had been quiet for some time.

Although she still opened her eyes whenever he spoke, her responses had become increasingly faint, and the effort of keeping them open seemed to grow more difficult with each passing moment.

Chen Yichen was afraid, extremely afraid. Not because of the monster, but because, for the first time in his life, he was facing a situation he had no idea how to deal with.

He had wanted an adventure, not this.

He never wanted this...

"Xiaoyu, are you still awake?"

"...Mm."

Her answer came softly, almost lost beneath the sound of their footsteps.

Yichen adjusted his arm beneath her knees, taking care not to disturb her injured legs. "Good. I was beginning to think you had fallen asleep. That would be rather unfair, considering how much effort I’m putting into carrying you."

There was a brief pause before she gave a faint laugh.

It was a small sound, but Yichen smiled as though she had said something amusing.

He continued forward, keeping his pace measured.

The passage ahead was long and unfamiliar. Yichen looked at the ground as he walked, searching for anything that might indicate a change in the structure.

He found none.

Then, from somewhere behind them, came a dull thump.

His steps slowed as his pupils dilated, his fingers subconciously wrapping tighter against Chen Xiaoyu’s body.

He listened, his eyes turning toward the darkness behind his shoulder.

For a moment, there was nothing else. Only the faint sound of his own breathing and the soft scrape of his boots against the stone.

Then...

Another thump followed.

This one was louder.

Yichen’s expression changed as a low, guttural growl rolled through the corridor.

Xiaoyu stirred against him.

Yichen looked down at her, then back toward the darkness. He had no need to see the creature to know what was coming.

The sound was too familiar, and the heavy impacts that followed it were drawing closer.

"Hold on to me," he said.

He shifted his grip, securing her more firmly against his chest. "Tighter, Xiaoyu. Please... "

She obeyed, tightening her arms around his shoulders. Her fingers barely had the strength to hold on, but she did not let go.

Yichen turned and ran.

The passage blurred beneath his feet as he moved, his light trembling above his palm.

He did not waste time looking back. The thumping behind them grew heavier, each impact reverberating through the stone and closing the distance between them.

He kept his attention on the path ahead, choosing his steps carefully despite the urgency.

Xiaoyu’s injured legs shifted slightly with each movement, and he did everything he could to keep them from jolting against his arm.

The passage widened.

Yichen saw the opening ahead and began to slow, but the moment he reached it, his heart sank.

The floor ended.

A deep gap separated the passage from the stone platform on the other side.

The distance was not impossible for a cultivator to cross, but carrying Xiaoyu made it far more difficult. He looked across it, quickly judging the landing space and the distance he would need to cover.

Behind him, the creature continued its approach.

There was no time to search for another route.

Yichen tightened his hold around Xiaoyu. He could not afford to misjudge the jump. If he failed to reach the other side, neither of them would have another chance.

Another thump sounded behind them.

Then another.

The impacts came closer together now, their heavy rhythm rapidly closing the distance.

Xiaoyu’s hand tightened around his collar.

"Yichen..." she whispered.

He looked down at her. Her face was pale, and her fingers were trembling against his shoulder. For a moment, she seemed to struggle to find the words.

Then she drew a shallow breath.

"Don’t... let go."

Yichen’s expression shifted. He tightened his arm around her, careful not to hurt her injured legs.

"I won’t."

He turned toward the gap again. The distance still seemed too great, and the creature was getting closer with every passing moment.

He could not retreat, and he could not afford to fail. His mind raced through the possibilities, weighing the distance, his footing, and the burden in his arms, but none of it gave him certainty.

For the first time in his life, he prayed to heaven.

’Please lend me the last ounce of strength.’

A heavy impact sounded behind them.

Yichen glanced back.

The pale creature was emerging from the darkness, its long body moving along the wall with the same unnatural fluidity as before.

Its limbs struck the stone as it advanced, and its pale shape seemed to bend in ways that made it difficult to judge where one part ended and another began.

It lowered itself, preparing to lunge.

Yichen turned toward the gap, shifting his weight in preparation for the leap.

Then Xiaoyu raised her hand.

He felt the movement against his shoulder and looked down. A faint shimmer gathered near her fingertips, barely visible beneath the trembling light of his technique.

A single pink petal formed in the air, delicate and familiar.

"Xiaoyu, don’t—"

She released it before he could finish.

The petal floated toward the creature. It seemed almost absurdly fragile against the thing rushing toward them, but just before the creature could reach them, the petal struck its eye and clung there.

The heaven answered, and its attack faltered.

The creature twisted sharply, its lunge veering away from them. Its limb slammed into the stone beside the gap, sending fragments scattering across the edge.

Yichen did not hesitate.

He pushed off the ground and leapt.

For one brief moment, there was nothing beneath his feet. He held Xiaoyu tightly against him, keeping her injured legs supported as he crossed the gap.

His gaze remained fixed on the opposite platform, and he reached forward with his free hand, preparing to catch himself if the landing went poorly.

His boots struck stone.

The impact forced him to take a step forward, but he kept his balance. He did not stop until he had moved several paces away from the edge.

Behind them, the creature struck the stone again.

Yichen continued running until the passage bent and the sound began to fade. Only then did he slow, his breathing controlled despite the urgency of the escape.

He looked down at Xiaoyu.

"Are you all right?"

She rested her cheek against his shoulder. Her eyes were open, but she seemed to be having trouble focusing on him.

"...Mm."

Yichen studied her for a moment before continuing. He knew that the petal had cost her strength.

"You shouldn’t have used your energy," he said quietly.

Xiaoyu did not answer immediately.

Then she whispered, "You... needed it."

He lowered his gaze.

For a moment, he could not find anything to say. He was grateful, more than he could express, but that gratitude was tangled with the fear that she had spent strength she could not afford to lose.

"Still," he said at last, trying to sound casual, "you could have warned me first. I nearly jumped without knowing what you were planning."

A faint smile touched her lips.

Yichen returned it and resumed walking.

The passage remained unfamiliar, and he could not tell how far they were from the place where they had fallen.

He continued to watch the surroundings while keeping Xiaoyu steady in his arms. The creature had not followed them immediately, but he did not mistake its absence for safety.

As they walked, he tried to keep her talking.

"Once we get out of here, I think I deserve a reward."

Xiaoyu’s eyes moved toward him.

"After all," he continued, "I carried you across a gap, escaped that creature, and even managed to land without dropping you. That’s quite an achievement."

"...What reward... do you want?"

Her voice was quiet, but she had answered.

Yichen smiled. "I haven’t decided yet. Perhaps a meal. A good one, preferably. You can help me choose."

She gave a small laugh, though it faded quickly.

He continued speaking, telling her about the sort of meal he wanted and how he would make sure Minghao and Yuexin paid for it.

Xiaoyu listened without saying much, but every now and then she responded with a word or a faint sound of amusement.

Gradually, even those responses became less frequent.

Her voice grew softer. The pauses before she answered lengthened, and sometimes she seemed to drift away before he had finished speaking.

Yichen began watching her more often, searching her face whenever the silence lasted too long.

He kept his tone light, but the effort was becoming harder to hide.

He had been the one to suggest coming here.

The thought returned again and again, no matter how firmly he tried to push it aside.

If he had not proposed the mission, Xiaoyu might never have come.

She would not have fallen into this place, would not have suffered those injuries, and would not have needed to use what little strength remained in her to save him.

He looked ahead, his expression tightening.

There was no point dwelling on it now. Regret would not carry her out of the maze. He could only keep moving and make sure she remained awake until they found a way to help her.

"Xiaoyu," he called gently.

"...Mm?"

"Stay with me a little longer."

"I am."

Her answer came after a delay, so faint that he almost missed it.

Yichen smiled down at her. "Good. Because I still haven’t decided what I want for my reward. You can’t leave me to make such an important decision by myself."

She gave a weak laugh.

He laughed along with her, though the sound came out strained. He turned his attention back to the passage before she could notice.

They continued onward.

The stone beneath his feet gradually changed, becoming smoother and less cold.

A faint fragrance drifted through the air, so subtle at first that Yichen wondered whether he had imagined it.

He slowed, looking toward the darkness ahead.

The scent grew stronger as the passage widened, carrying something gentle and strangely out of place in the depths of the maze.

Then the corridor opened.

Yichen stepped forward, and the light above his palm revealed a vast field of flowers.

Blossoms covered the ground as far as he could see, their colours faint beneath the dim illumination.

At the centre of the field stood an enormous tree, its broad trunk rising from the flowers and its branches stretching into the darkness overhead.

For a moment, Yichen simply stared.

After everything they had encountered beneath the earth, he had not expected to find something like this hidden within the maze.

Xiaoyu stirred in his arms.

"...Flowers," she whispered.

Yichen looked down at her.

Her eyes had opened a little wider, and for the first time in a while, there was a hint of interest in her expression.

"Yes," he said softly. "A whole field of them."

Yichen pointed toward the passage at the other end of the field.

"There’s a passage over there," he said. "We should keep moving."

Xiaoyu looked at him, then asked softly, "Can I rest for a moment?"

He hesitated. They needed to keep moving, but under her pleading gaze, he eventually gave in with a heavy heart.

He carried her into the field, searching for a place beneath the great tree where he could lay her down without disturbing her injuries.

The flowers brushed against his boots, and their fragrance grew clearer with every step.

Xiaoyu watched them quietly.

Yichen continued talking as he walked, telling her that they had finally found somewhere beautiful in this miserable place, and that perhaps their luck had decided to improve at last.

He smiled as he spoke, keeping his voice warm and easy.

But his eyes returned to her again and again, making sure she was still listening.

At last, he found a place beneath the tree where the ground was relatively even and the flowers grew less densely.

He carefully lowered himself, then eased Xiaoyu down, supporting her injured legs until she was settled against the ground.

He made sure not to move them more than necessary before sitting beside her.

"Is this all right?" he asked.

Xiaoyu gave a faint nod.

Yichen adjusted her position a little, then let her rest with her head over his lap.

He brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face before taking her hand in his.

Her fingers felt weak in his grasp, and he held them gently, as though afraid even a little pressure might hurt her.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Above them, the enormous branches spread across the darkness, while the flowers surrounding them swayed faintly.

The place was quiet, almost peaceful, and Yichen found himself wishing they had discovered it under different circumstances.

He looked down at Xiaoyu and tried to ease the mood.

"Well, at least we found somewhere comfortable to rest. Perhaps this maze isn’t entirely terrible."

His smile was gentle, though he knew the words could hardly make their situation better.

"We’ll get out of here," he continued. "Once we’re back, I’ll make sure you get proper treatment. You won’t have to worry about walking around with those injuries any longer."

Xiaoyu looked at him quietly.

"And when you’re better," he added, "you should come with me more often. Not on missions like this, necessarily. We can go somewhere peaceful instead. Somewhere with good food, and no strange creatures chasing us."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Yichen squeezed her hand lightly. "I’m serious. There are plenty of places we haven’t visited yet. We can go together when this is over."

He paused, then glanced toward the flowers surrounding them.

"Your dance is very beautiful, Xiaoyu. I want to see more of it."

His voice softened as he looked back at her.

"Next time, when you’re feeling better, will you dance for me again?"

He held her hand between both of his, waiting for her answer.

Her head remained on his lap, and for a moment, she seemed to be looking at him as though she wanted to say something but had not yet found the strength.

Yichen did not hurry her.

He simply stayed there beside her, holding her hand beneath the great tree, his smile still in place as he waited.

"I will..." Xiaoyu whispered.

Her voice was barely audible, but Yichen heard her clearly.

His smile widened, and for a moment, the tension in his expression eased. "Then it’s a promise."