Yuan Shu was still clinging tightly to him, and because he was afraid of hurting her again, Shi Shuchen had taken the initiative to wrap an arm around her waist.
They were so close that only a few thin layers of clothing separated them.
Not to mention the accident just now—he had even kissed her on the lips.
In the cultivation world, only dao companions could be that intimate. And just now, they had already done exactly that.
Shi Shuchen had never intended to take a dao companion, but now that things had happened, he could not simply remain indifferent.
His tone was serious. Clearly, he had thought it over carefully before reaching that conclusion.
Yuan Shu froze for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. “Peak Master Shi, are you saying you have to take responsibility because you accidentally kissed me?”
Shi Shuchen lifted his head to look at Yuan Shu. He remained silent.
Which amounted to an admission.
Yuan Shu chuckled and shook her head. “That won’t do. My dao companion has to genuinely like me. Peak Master Shi, you look as though you’re only forcing yourself. That won’t work.”
Ahem. She had almost taken the joke too far.
She had only meant to tease this cold, handsome iceberg of a man.
“I…” Shi Shuchen’s brows drew together. He had just begun to speak when the formation plate beneath them started shaking again.
Yuan Shu hurriedly hooked an arm around his waist and wrapped both arms tightly around his neck.
Her slender arms clung to him with all their strength, like an octopus latched onto its prey.
Her delicate fragrance, mingled with the scent of pear blossoms, drifted into Shi Shuchen’s nose. His heart immediately began beating a few times faster despite his control.
The words he had been about to say were swallowed back down.
“Hold on tight. You promised you wouldn’t let me get hurt, so don’t go and fling me off!”
Warm breath brushed against his ear, and Yuan Shu’s soft voice suddenly reached him, traveling along the curve of his ear and into the canal.
Shi Shuchen’s ears flushed hot in an instant. The hand that had been resting loosely against the small of Yuan Shu’s back tightened involuntarily, pulling her closer.
A sensation of weightlessness swept over them, and the two of them were hurled into the air.
The woman’s warm breath brushed against his neck, sending a tingling sensation through him and making his entire body tense.
Even when his back slammed hard against the formation plate, Shi Shuchen did not feel much pain.
Instead, his heart began beating even faster.
At last, after they had remained locked in each other’s arms for some time, the dim space around them suddenly changed. Bright light poured in.
The formation plate, which spun like a huge winnowing basket, slowly came to a stop, and the oppressive gravity weighing them down vanished just as quickly.
Spiritual energy surged back into their meridians and blood, restoring their strength.
Yuan Shu sighed in relief, released her arms and legs from around Shi Shuchen, and stood up first to stretch her limbs.
Shi Shuchen rose a moment later, feeling the pressure on his body ease.
He turned his head and looked at Yuan Shu, whose expression was as calm as ever. His lips pressed into a thin line.
He had just taken the initiative to propose that they become dao companions, yet she had rejected him.
Did she… not like him?
Shi Shuchen shook his head, then quickly stood as well.
“So the gravity really does disappear once the time is up. You’re pretty impressive, Shi Shuchen. You even knew that?”
Yuan Shu circulated her spiritual energy with pleasant surprise. Feeling it return, she finally relaxed.
They had come in to rescue someone. If they could not even control their spiritual energy, how were they supposed to save anyone?
Shi Shuchen gave a slight nod. “This is a linked formation. One section is a Windfall Formation, another is a Gravity Formation. What we’re in now should be the final formation—the Essence-Sealing Formation trapping Peak Master Yao.”
“This formation possesses a spirit, and this place is the center of the entire formation. Be careful.”
“Got it.” Yuan Shu answered and followed him as they jumped down from the formation plate, landing on the blue, mirrorlike path at the center of the formation.
The surroundings were deathly quiet. The only sounds were Yuan Shu and Shi Shuchen’s footsteps landing on the path.
Suddenly, a chain shot out from the left with no warning, twisting toward Yuan Shu.
Clang!
The black formation plate appeared in an instant, blocking it before it could reach her.
Yuan Shu turned her head and met Shi Shuchen’s handsome eyes. She curved her lips into a smile. “Quick reflexes. Thanks.”
Shi Shuchen gave a polite nod. “Be careful.”
Perhaps because he had promised Yuan Shu earlier that he would not let her get hurt, Shi Shuchen took care of her throughout the journey.
Attacks in various forms occasionally struck from both sides. Some were heavy, ice-blue chains; others were sharp blades and sword edges.
Shi Shuchen’s reactions were incredibly quick. Yuan Shu did not even need to act before his formation plate easily blocked every danger.
But little by little, the attacks grew faster and denser. When seven or eight attacks came at once, even Shi Shuchen found himself unable to handle them all.
Whip!
A fiery-red whip lashed out with the force of thunder, swiftly destroying three of the attacks. Even Shi Shuchen could not help glancing at Yuan Shu.
What a clean whip technique!
The instant it was unleashed, it made almost no sound, yet its power was so pure that it was barely any slower than his formation plate.
That surprise was only the beginning. Before long, Shi Shuchen realized that he must have underestimated Yuan Shu.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, she was not one of those ornamental figures from the sect who had been propped up by pills and external aids, with no real ability to speak of.
She was a genuine expert—someone tempered by actual combat, with seasoned experience and decisive moves.
There were no flashy flourishes in her whip techniques. Every strike went straight for its target at a tricky angle. If an attack could be destroyed with one part of her strength, she would not expend even half a part more.
Yet every time she moved, she successfully resolved the danger.
Yuan Shu had been seriously dealing with the attacks that kept appearing around them, but soon she noticed Shi Shuchen’s intense gaze fixed on her.
She tilted her head, and their eyes met.
A sly smile appeared on Yuan Shu’s face. “Peak Master Shi, do you think I’m beautiful?”
Shi Shuchen had been caught staring and was already feeling awkward, intending to look away. At her question, he froze. “W-what?”
Yuan Shu destroyed another formation attack, then flashed over to Shi Shuchen’s side and teased him with a smile.
“It’s all right. I know I’m very beautiful. You don’t have to sneak peeks at me—feel free to look openly.”
Her features were breathtaking, and her eyes curved into crescents. After she finished speaking, she even gave him a mischievous blink with her bright, watery eyes.
Shi Shuchen’s face flushed hot in an instant, and he awkwardly turned his gaze away.
“Don’t be shy… Wait, look out!”
Yuan Shu had originally intended to tease the icy, handsome man a little more, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a spiritual-energy blade suddenly forming behind him.
The moment the words left her mouth, Yuan Shu lunged forward and pressed one hand against his shoulder. With a light leap, she sent Zhuohua—the whip in her other hand—whistling through the air.
Crack!
The spiritual-energy blade shattered at once, dissolving into specks of light that scattered away.
Just as Yuan Shu was about to land, Shi Shuchen’s hands moved faster than his thoughts. He caught her by both legs.
Yuan Shu’s steps faltered. Her upper body pitched forward, and she fell straight toward Shi Shuchen.
But because he was holding onto her thighs, her upper body rose and then dropped back down.
Her exaggerated, astonishing curves landed squarely against Shi Shuchen’s face without warning.
Softness and an enticing fragrance enveloped him. The scent of pear blossoms mixed within it seemed even more intense now—elegant yet alluring.
Shi Shuchen was completely stunned. Acting on instinct, he drew in a deep breath.
When he realized how improper the position was, his face flushed red once more.
Embarrassment surged through him. The hands holding Yuan Shu’s legs could neither release her nor continue holding on.
That was how things remained until he met Yuan Shu’s lowered gaze.
Pfft.
Yuan Shu burst out laughing. Supporting herself with one hand on Shi Shuchen’s shoulder, she used the other to gently pinch his raised, handsome cheek.
“Peak Master Shi, is this your idea of taking advantage of someone?”
