Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 763 Challenge Dungeon 19

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the tent, dividing the interior into alternating strips of light and shadow.

Yun Chu woke up to a warm and firm touch.

Before she was fully conscious, the first thing she felt was a warm chest pressed against her back, its steady and powerful heartbeat penetrating through her clothes and pounding against her spine.

Even more difficult to ignore are the arms that lie across her waist, like iron railings, firmly trapping her in this embrace, unable to move.

Fragments of memories from last night, when I cried myself to sleep, returned like a flood, followed by a clearer sense of humiliation and anger.

She actually... slept in his arms all night?!

Yun Chu's body stiffened instantly, and all sleepiness vanished from her peach blossom eyes, replaced by a flame of shame and indignation.

She almost immediately began to struggle, trying to pry open the strong arm around her waist with both hands.

Her slender, fair fingers contrasted sharply with his tanned, strong forearm. She exerted all her strength, her fingertips turning slightly white, but his arm remained motionless, even unconsciously tightening its grip as she exerted force.

Xie Yipei had actually woken up the moment her eyelashes fluttered and her breathing changed.

He remained asleep with his eyes closed, feeling the person in his arms go through the whole process from drowsy to awake, and then to getting agitated.

Watching her futilely pry her arm with her weak little hands, and listening to her furious but utterly intimidating low rebuke, a strange sense of pleasure welled up in my chest.

The laughter, hoarse from just waking up, vibrated in his chest and clearly reached Yun Chu's ears.

Yun Chu paused for a moment, then suddenly turned her head—though not by much, since she was still being held by him—and met Xie Yipei's deep, smiling eyes, which he had opened at some point.

He showed no sign of being confused after just waking up; he had clearly been laughing at her for a long time!

"What are you laughing at!" Yun Chu's cheeks flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment, her peach blossom eyes widened, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Laugh at that little cat, its claws are clumsy, but its temper is quite something." Xie Yipei's voice was lazy and teasing.

The morning light fell on his sharply defined profile, softening his usual coldness, but the control and interest in his eyes remained undiminished, and even became more meaningful because of their intimate posture at the moment.

Yun Chu felt even more uncomfortable under his gaze, especially realizing how close they were and how intimately they were pressed together.

She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze, and urged him impatiently, "It's already dawn! Let go of me now! Aren't we looking for the hidden dungeon space? You're wasting time!"

She tried to break the suffocating ambiguity and awkwardness by getting down to business.

Xie Yipei's gaze lingered for a moment on her flushed ears and her forced composure on her profile before he readily hummed in agreement.

But he didn't let go immediately. Instead, he suddenly lowered his head and quickly and gently placed a kiss on her slightly pouting, red and swollen lips, which were red from anger.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it touches and then disappears.

"Good morning," he whispered, and then he actually released his arms from her.

Yun Chu froze for a moment as if she had been burned, and then a deeper blush quickly spread across her cheeks, ears, and even neck.

She sprang up from her bunk, flung open the tent flap without looking back, and rushed out, leaving behind only a mumbled "Hurry, hurry up and pack!"

Inside the tent, Xie Yipei sat up, looking at the still slightly swaying curtain. His fingertips unconsciously traced his lips, where the soft touch of her skin and a faint, sweet scent of her still lingered.

The smile in his eyes deepened, carrying the satisfaction of a hunter admiring the vibrant reaction of his rare prey.

He stood up briskly and quickly tidied up the simple furnishings and blankets inside the tent.

When he stepped out of the tent, Yun Chu was already standing on an open space not far away, with her back to him, head down, pretending to tidy up her cuffs and hem, which were not actually messy.

The morning breeze lifted a few strands of her jet-black hair, revealing her bright red ear tips.

Lu Ting and Hu Lanqin had also woken up and were preparing a simple breakfast.

Lu Ting remained calm, but his gaze subtly shifted between Yun Chu's unusually rosy cheeks and Xie Yipei's clearly good mood.

Hu Lanqin lowered her head, forcefully breaking the hard dry food in her hand, her fingertips turning slightly white.

"Let's go." Xie Yipei said succinctly, his gaze falling on Yun Chu. "Lead the way."

Yun Chu took a deep breath, turned around, and forcibly restored her usual indifference to her face, though her eyelashes were lowered, and she did not look at Xie Yipei. "About five miles to the northeast, behind a waterfall."

She spoke calmly, announcing the first location detected by the fire ants the previous night.

The group stepped into the dense forest once again.

This time, the atmosphere within the team seemed to have undergone some inexplicable changes.

Yun Chu continued walking in the middle, but no longer remained completely detached. Occasionally, based on the feedback from the Fire Iron Flying Ants, she would briefly remind them of the terrain ahead or the slightest biological movement.

Xie Yipei walked diagonally ahead of her, clearing obstacles at an astonishing speed, but occasionally he would glance back at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Hu Lanqin followed behind, watching the subtle aura between the two people in front of her that could not be ignored even though they were separated by distance, and almost crushed the short cane in her hand.

Lu Ting observed his surroundings more vigilantly, diligently fulfilling his investigative duties.

The five-mile journey through the primeval forest was not easy, but compared to the blind search of the previous two days, having a clear goal made it much more efficient.

About an hour later, the faint sound of water began to be heard in the air, and the humidity increased significantly.

Pushing aside the last heavy, hanging vine, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before me.

A wide, silvery waterfall cascades down a cliff tens of meters high, crashing into a deep, green pool below with a thunderous roar, splashing up a cloud of mist that refracts into tiny rainbows in the morning light.

Behind the waterfall, the damp, smooth rock face can be vaguely seen.

"Is this the place?" Lu Ting squinted, trying to see the scene behind the water curtain. "The energy fluctuations are very weak, but there is definitely something unusual, as if it is being covered by the water attribute energy of the waterfall."

Xie Yipei walked to the edge of the pool, stretched out his hand, and felt the active water elements in the air and the slightly discordant ripples in the space.

“The entrance is behind the waterfall,” he said definitively.

Hu Lanqin frowned and asked, "How are we supposed to get there?"

Yun Chu frowned slightly as she looked at the rushing water and smooth rock face. Should she go straight through? She'd be swept away. Should she go around? Steep, slippery cliffs stretched out on either side.

Or should we have the Fire Iron Flying Ant take her there? But we can't reveal that the Fire Iron Flying Ant can grow larger and is very powerful.

While she was pondering, Xie Yipei had already made his decision. He walked to Yun Chu's side and, without saying a word, picked her up again.

"What are you doing?!" Yun Chu exclaimed in surprise.

"Hold on tight." Xie Yipei shouted, and a strong wind element fluctuation suddenly rose around him.

The airflow rotated and compressed around him, forming a semi-transparent wind shield that conformed to their bodies.

The next moment, he exerted force with his feet, and carrying Yun Chu, he rushed directly towards the roaring waterfall!

"Captain!" Lu Ting and Hu Lanqin exclaimed at the same time.

The sound of the water was deafening, and the huge force of the water flow came instantly, but it was steadily blocked and diverted by the tough wind shield.

Yun Chu instinctively closed her eyes tightly, gripped Xie Yipei's chest fabric with both hands, buried her face in his chest, and could only hear the raging water and his steady, powerful heartbeat.

The time spent passing through the water curtain was actually very short, but for Yun Chu it felt like an eternity.

When the surroundings suddenly became quiet and the sound of rushing water became distant and indistinct, she tentatively opened her eyes.

They were already standing behind the waterfall. Here was the entrance to a natural cave, partially obscured by the curtain of water; the light was dim, and the air was damp and cold.

Most strikingly, on the rock face ahead, there was a patch of faint, water-like blue light emanating from it. The space at the center of the light was visibly slightly distorted, like the surface of water tossed with a pebble.

The entrance to the hidden dungeon space is right in front of you.

Xie Yipei gently put her down, but his gaze remained fixed on her slightly pale but composed face, and the corners of his lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

"We've arrived." His voice echoed in the empty cave. "Be prepared, we don't know what's inside."

Yun Chu steadied herself and stepped out of his embrace, the unsettling warmth and scent fading away with her.

She composed herself, looked at the distorted space, gently patted the Wind and Cloud Beast that had somehow crouched at her feet and was also curiously staring at the entrance of the space, and whispered, "Be smart later."

The Wind and Cloud Beast nuzzled her ankle, its amber eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Xie Yipei took in all her movements without saying a word.

Then, using the power of earth, they built a ladder, allowing Lu Ting and Hu Lanqin to enter the cave entrance.

Afterwards, the four humans and one beast entered the hidden dungeon space.