usatvline Chapter 739 Getting involved with you is never a good thing; I almost lost my life.
Chapter 739 Getting involved with you is never a good thing; I almost lost my life.
Just as they were falling off the cliff, the tall, black-clad leader slowly sheathed his long sword.
He walked to the edge of the cliff, glanced indifferently at the churning clouds below, and said, "I can go back and report to my master now."
The biting cold instantly overwhelmed all of Gu Qingchen's senses.
The immense impact caused her to choke on several mouthfuls of icy water, and her lungs felt a burning pain.
In the chaos, a strong arm grabbed her waist and struggled to pull her out of the water.
She coughed violently, her vision blurred, and she could only struggle instinctively. Zhao Chen'an dragged her along, swimming desperately in one direction.
After an unknown amount of time, he pushed aside a thick layer of vines and shoved the nearly exhausted Gu Qingchen into a dry cave.
"Cough...cough cough!"
Gu Qingchen collapsed on the cold stone ground, coughing violently. After spitting out several mouthfuls of water, he finally managed to catch his breath.
Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her body, and the chill seeped into her bones, making her shiver uncontrollably.
But the coldness in his body was nothing compared to the rage in his heart.
She raised her head, her eyes, reddened by moisture and anger, staring intently at Zhao Chen'an, who was also soaked to the bone.
"Are you crazy?!" She finally found her voice and yelled at him.
"If it were rocks underneath, we would have been smashed to pieces long ago! Even if someone discovers we're missing, by the time they find this place, we'll all be starving to death!"
Zhao Chen'an wrung out his soaked clothes, water droplets dripping down his handsome features.
Looking at her face, which was made all the more vivid by her anger, he blurted out, "Don't worry, this cave... Gun Gun and I have been here before."
"Roll?"
Gu Qingchen sprang up from the ground, his eyes wide open. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and kicked with all his might!
"boom!"
Zhao Chen'an was completely unprepared for her sudden attack and was kicked solidly in the shin, staggering back a step.
A look of surprise flashed across his face, which quickly turned into regret and helplessness.
"How dare you mention him!" Gu Qingchen's voice trembled as she pointed at his nose and angrily shouted, "You deliberately sent him away just for this charade today, didn't you!"
He was an insignificant study companion in his eyes, but he was her most cherished friend! And he even dared to use him to comfort her!
Zhao Chen'an then realized that he had misspoke.
Looking at the cat with its fur standing on end, he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration and jealousy.
He awkwardly took another step back, trying to ease the tension: "That's not what I meant... It's just the two of us here, so we can sit down and have a good talk."
"Talk to you my foot!" Gu Qingchen retorted without any politeness.
But her body betrayed her with a shiver, and the violent trembling forced her to temporarily stop fighting.
The two picked up some relatively dry branches at the cave entrance, and Zhao Chen'an took out a flint from his pouch.
His movements were somewhat clumsy, clearly indicating he wasn't used to doing this, but fortunately he managed to ignite a small flame.
The warm firelight finally dispelled some of the chill and made the tense atmosphere in the cave ease a little.
Zhao Chen'an's face darkened. He stared at the leaping flames and analyzed in a cold voice, "Those assassins are ruthless in their moves, leaving no survivors."
"In the capital, besides my good brothers, there is no one else who can raise such a large number of assassins."
Gu Qingchen hugged his knees, huddled on the other side of the fire for warmth, and upon hearing this, couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.
"I've been dragged into this again. I knew I should stay away from you. Getting involved with you is never a good thing. I almost lost my life."
Zhao Chen'an's gaze was heavy as it fell on her puffed-up profile. Her mouth kept chattering, but miraculously calmed the madness in his heart caused by jumping off the cliff.
His voice was low, tinged with self-mockery: "It's my fault for making you suffer. But if we don't do this, neither of us will survive."
"It's better to die than to jump off a cliff with a madman like you!" Gu Qingchen retorted without any appreciation, shifting her body further away from him.
"Now that's great, the people outside think we're dead. Your good brothers can celebrate in peace, while the two of us just wait to turn into two skeletons in this cave."
After she finished speaking, she began to really examine the cave.
The cave entrance was hidden by vines, making it quite secluded. The interior wasn't large, but it was dry enough, with cold rocks on the ground and water droplets seeping from the stone walls, reflecting a faint glow in the firelight.
"Didn't you say you and Gun Gun had been here before?" Gu Qingchen asked warily, hugging his knees. "Did you come in?"
Zhao Chen'an shook his head, his gaze sweeping towards the endless darkness deep within the cave.
"No. I was just chasing a rabbit that time and accidentally discovered the hole. I didn't go any deeper."
That means they know nothing about this place.
Rather than waiting to die, we should actively seek a way out.
The thought arose in both of their minds at the same time.
Zhao Chen'an stood up, pulled a burning branch from the fire, and made a makeshift torch.
The orange flames dispelled the darkness ahead and illuminated his sharply defined face.
“Let’s go, let’s see if there are any other exits inside.” He took the first step.
Gu Qingchen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed. In this pitch-black place, acting alone would be the most foolish thing to do.
The cave was much deeper than they had imagined, and the further they went in, the more damp and cold the air became.
The path beneath their feet became rugged and uneven, with only the monotonous dripping of water and the sound of their footsteps echoing in the empty cave.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
An underground lake, several times larger than the pool at the cave entrance, appeared before them.
The lake water was exceptionally clear, and under the firelight, it displayed a deep, serene blue color, as tranquil as a giant sapphire.
The water was calm and still, seemingly connected to the icy pool where they had fallen.
Holding a torch, Zhao Chen'an carefully searched the edge of the pool, trying to find any possible passage.
As the firelight flickered, Gu Qingchen's gaze inadvertently swept across the water below.
Her breath hitched, her eyes widened suddenly, and she instinctively grabbed Zhao Chen'an's sleeve.
"Look!" she pointed to the depths of the pool, "Isn't there something glowing in that water?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen'an immediately looked in the direction she was pointing.
In the depths of the deep blue pool, a faint yet clear light was quietly shimmering, like a star hidden in the darkness, carrying an indescribable eeriness and allure.
The two stopped what they were doing at the same time and looked at each other.