Yuan Shu lowered her head and saw that Shi Shuchen, who had been behind her moments ago, had somehow already been pinned flat against the formation disc.
And, by some incredible coincidence, he was directly beneath her!
The tremendous force pressed down like a mountain, weighing heavily on every bone and limb. Even the spiritual energy within their bodies seemed sluggish and blocked, leaving them with no strength to resist.
Yuan Shu instinctively raised a hand and braced it against Shi Shuchen’s chest.
At the same time, Shi Shuchen reached up as well. One hand caught her left shoulder, while the other supported her abdomen, preventing her from crashing directly onto him.
Even so, they were still far too close.
Yuan Shu didn’t mind in the slightest. Her expression remained perfectly calm. She even had enough leisure to imagine the shape of Shi Shuchen’s chest muscles.
She had to admit, he was impressively built.
Shi Shuchen, on the other hand, had never been this close to a woman before, and his expression was distinctly awkward.
His palms rested against the woman’s rounded shoulder and firm, slender waist. Her smooth, dark hair spilled down on either side of her body, completely enclosing him in the cramped space.
With just one careless glance, he could see the breathtaking curves beneath the smoke-pink bandeau top. Startled, he instinctively looked away.
Yet the light, pleasant fragrance of pear blossoms continued drifting irresistibly into his nose, soft and alluring.
And under the force of gravity, Yuan Shu’s legs had no support. She was forced to kneel across his legs.
His senses were sharp. Even through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could still feel the delicate curve of her slender calves.
“Um, I’ll get up first. Bear with me for a moment.”
In the awkward atmosphere, Yuan Shu spoke first. Before Shi Shuchen could react, she lifted one foot and planted it on his leg, using it for support as she tried to climb up.
Shi Shuchen’s long lashes trembled. For some inexplicable reason, the leg beneath Yuan Shu’s foot began to feel faintly numb.
Yuan Shu got up quickly. Her legs were strong, and with a backward flip, she landed on her back on the flat section of the formation disc beside Shi Shuchen.
He no longer needed to support her.
“Sorry. There was no other choice in the circumstances.” Shi Shuchen slowly turned his face toward her as he spoke.
Yuan Shu waved it off. “The gravity came out of nowhere. Find a way to get us out of here as soon as possible.”
She truly had no talent for formations. At most, she could identify the direction in simple ones.
A formation of this level was completely beyond her ability to deal with.
They could only rely on Shi Shuchen.
Shi Shuchen knew how urgent the situation was as well.
The formation disc was under his control. If he couldn’t find a solution soon, the consequences would be severe.
He forced himself to rise from the disc and sit cross-legged. Forming seals with both hands, he guided the sluggish spiritual energy within his body, attempting to control the formation disc once more.
But the instant he did so, it was as if water had been poured into a pan of boiling oil.
The entire formation erupted!
“Boom!”
A deep, muffled roar of churning energy came from the depths of the formation space. Immediately afterward, an overwhelming force slammed violently into the formation disc.
Caught off guard, Yuan Shu and Shi Shuchen were thrown into the air once more, then smashed back down.
Bang!
Yuan Shu’s back struck the bottom of the formation disc with force. She sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
The next moment, a tall, broad-shouldered figure came hurtling straight down onto her.
The situation had changed so abruptly that neither of them had time to react.
Aside from instinctively turning their faces away from each other at the last moment, Yuan Shu was completely pinned beneath Shi Shuchen!
The surging gravity still seemed unsatisfied. It bore down heavily on Shi Shuchen’s body.
“Hiss!”
Yuan Shu sucked in another breath.
That tall, powerful body had come crashing down on her. With no spiritual energy to resist, she could only rely on her flesh and bones to endure it, and it was truly difficult to bear.
To make matters worse, his chest muscles were far too solid, pressing painfully against her chest.
“Relax!”
Yuan Shu raised a hand and tapped the dazed Shi Shuchen.
Only then did his tense body seem to loosen.
“Miss Yuan, I—I…”
“You didn’t do it on purpose. I know. Don’t explain. Find a way out.”
Yuan Shu hurriedly cut him off.
Neither of them had done this intentionally. She hadn’t either.
Who could have expected this formation to be so outrageous? After the blades of wind and the wind spikes, it had actually led them into an advanced gravity space.
And not just any gravity space—it was one that shook them around as well?
Shi Shuchen’s ears turned bright red. Flustered, he tried to push himself up, but accidentally pressed against Yuan Shu’s chest before reflexively pulling his hand away.
“I’m sorry.”
The pale, snowy curves were right before his eyes. He only dared to glance at them once before hurriedly looking away, his long lashes trembling violently.
With his hands braced against the ground on either side, he struggled to rise.
Yet a thought unexpectedly flashed through his mind.
She’s so small.
He hadn’t crushed her, had he?
Just as Shi Shuchen managed to push himself up from the formation disc, the disc suddenly began to shake violently again.
The tremendous force of the formation flung them both even higher. Their eyes met in midair, and Shi Shuchen landed first.
Yuan Shu landed a moment later.
The difference was that Shi Shuchen landed on the ground, while Yuan Shu landed on Shi Shuchen.
Her cheek collided squarely with his solid chest. Yuan Shu sucked in another pained breath.
Acting on reflex, she raised a hand and punched him in the chest.
“Why do you tense up so much when nothing’s happening? You’re so hard—I hit you and it hurt!”
Her fair, delicate fist landed against his chest in anger, though it held little actual force.
Shi Shuchen’s heart was as though a pebble had been dropped into it, sending out layer upon layer of ripples for no reason at all.
His body, however, instinctively relaxed. “Miss Yuan, I—I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Yuan Shu ground her teeth in irritation. Of course she knew he hadn’t done it on purpose.
If he really had done it intentionally, she would be using a weapon on him right now, not her fist!
The overwhelming gravity pressed down once more, forcing Yuan Shu tightly against Shi Shuchen’s chest as they waited for the force to ease.
Only then did Shi Shuchen finally steal a glance at her profile.
Her small, fair, exquisite face carried a natural flush, like a fresh peach ripened to perfection.
They were so close that he could even see the faint down covering her lovely features.
He had never examined Yuan Shu carefully before. He had only subconsciously thought that she was beautiful. But now, seeing her from such a short distance, a trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes.
Even through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could clearly feel the graceful curves of Yuan Shu’s body.
Pale, snowy scenes surfaced in his mind…
All sorts of disorderly images involuntarily flashed through Shi Shuchen’s thoughts. His heart tightened, and he hurriedly cast those distracting thoughts aside.
One thought remained in the end: Yuan Shu truly looked so small. Her slender, delicate waist seemed scarcely wider than the span of one of his hands.
“Peak Master Shi, hurry up and think of something!”
The strongest part of the gravity slowly weakened, and it was finally possible to struggle upright. Yuan Shu quickly got off him and couldn’t help urging him on.
Shi Shuchen’s cheeks burned. He couldn’t tell whether it was from embarrassment or awkwardness.
“I—I’m thinking.”
Yuan Shu turned to look at him, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Forget it. Pressuring him too much would only interfere with his thoughts.
The moment that thought arose, the formation disc began to shake violently again.
Yuan Shu was already becoming accustomed to being tossed into the air, only to be slammed back down moments later.
Her back struck the ground. Yuan Shu ground her teeth in resentment and lifted her head—only to meet Shi Shuchen’s face, his long lashes trembling violently.
Their lips missed each other, but hers landed against the corner of his mouth.
