Zanxing

Chapter 122 - Coaxing (1)

But for now, they had to find a way out.

Yanxing walked around the entire stone chamber, almost touching every inch of the walls and floor, even using an illumination talisman to examine the ceiling for any details worth investigating.

But there was nothing.

The stone chamber had nothing, except for the two of them and a cat.

She turned to look at Gu Baiying.

Gu Baiying was still sitting, his expression unusually calm. He said, "I told you, there are no mechanisms."

Yanxing thought for a moment and then pulled Mimi out from the corner. Gu Baiying watched her actions and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Doesn't it have the bloodline of the Silver Lion?" Yanxing said. "I thought it might give us a hint."

Gu Baiying: "Do you think it looks like it can give you a hint?"

"But it is a Silver Lion..."

"It's just a thin bloodline," he said harshly. "After thousands of years, the diluted bloodline is no different from that of an ordinary house cat. It's just a cat."

Yanxing insisted, "Mimi is not just a cat. Even with a thin bloodline, it is still a Silver Lion."

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you deceiving yourself like this?"

"What do you mean by that?"

The youth's eyes were bright and sharp in the dim stone chamber. He stared at Yanxing as if trying to see through her. "A house cat with the bloodline of a Silver Lion is still a cat. Just like you, even with a secret treasure, you still can't protect yourself against powerful beasts."

Yanxing's pupils contracted.

He leaned against the stone wall behind him and laughed indifferently. "You spent a safe night on Gufeng Mountain, shone in the sect assessment, and advanced rapidly in the Pingyang Town selection because you have a secret treasure, right?" He easily revealed Yanxing's biggest secret. "That's why you found the Qing'e Nianhua Staff, and why Yin Ying invaded your room at night. It's because you have something that attracts him. Isn't that right, Yang Yanxing?"

Yanxing couldn't speak.

Sensing the subtle atmosphere in the stone chamber, Mimi jumped aside, curled up in a corner, and pretended to be dead.

After a long time, Yanxing heard her own voice, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not trying to say anything," Gu Baiying said indifferently. "I just want to tell you, Yang Yanxing, that having a secret treasure is not uncommon for cultivators. But if you think that will save you every time, you're gravely mistaken. Relying on external objects won't make you truly strong. Even if you have a hundred secret treasures, the outcome will be the same. Moreover," he glanced at Yanxing, "do you really think you can bear such a fortune?"

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, Yanxing's heart grew cold.

Could she bear such a fortune? Countless nights, she had asked herself this uneasily. Could an ordinary person like her bear the protagonist's halo? But over the past days, every event and the red mark on her palm reminded her that she was just an ordinary person.

So she had the Xiao Yuan Pearl, but it was unreliable. She had a spirit beast with the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, but it was useless except for eating and sleeping. She had the Qing'e Nianhua Staff, but couldn't wield any spiritual weapon from the armory. Even deliberately staying away from Mu Chengxiao and Meng Ying, she was inexplicably pushed into this dark abyss by a beast that had never appeared before.

Yanxing felt a sudden sense of discouragement. She sat down in a daze, silent for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "You're right."

Gu Baiying was a bit surprised.

Her voice sounded lifeless, heavy and different from usual, light as if mixed with complex emotions. "I was too arrogant. I only got this far because of the treasures. But this fortune is probably not something I can bear. I'm just an ordinary person, not someone chosen by destiny. I shouldn't try to defy fate."

She muttered, "Now I've dragged you down here to die with me..."

Yanxing didn't finish her sentence and buried her face in her knees.

A faint sob seemed to echo in the stone chamber.

Mimi's ears perked up, and Gu Baiying's brow twitched.

He lifted his eyelids and sneaked a glance at Yanxing, tentatively asking, "Hey, you're not crying, are you?"

The girl was wearing his clothes, her hair tie removed, letting her hair fall loosely over her shoulders. She no longer had her usual spirited look, appearing somewhat desolate and pitiful.

Gu Baiying inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.

He walked over to Yanxing, half-squatted, and tugged at her sleeve, trying to get her to lift her face. "Yang Yanxing?"

Yanxing ignored him.

"It wasn't me who made you cry, right? I didn't scold you..." The youth looked a bit embarrassed. "Don't cry."

Mimi widened its eyes, curiously watching the two in the stone chamber.

Seeing that Yanxing still had her face buried in her knees, Gu Baiying started to panic. He said, "Alright, it was my fault earlier. I didn't mean to mock you. What I meant was, you shouldn't always rely on external objects to save your life. You need to train more. When you were in Li'er Country, you slept until noon every day and always ate mortal food. How could you possibly improve?"

As he spoke, he realized he was becoming self-righteous again. He lowered his voice and coaxed, "...I didn't say we were going to wait here to die. I will definitely get you out of here."

The person with her face buried in her knees seemed to move slightly but still didn't lift her head.

He racked his brain for something that might cheer her up. "...When we get back to Gufeng Mountain, I'll teach you illusion techniques, okay?"

A muffled voice came from between her knees, "Really?"

"Really!"

Yanxing suddenly lifted her head. "Then it's a deal, Martial Uncle. When we get back to the sect, you must teach me illusion techniques!"

The person in front of him had bright, spirited eyes, completely different from the gloomy face he had imagined. Gu Baiying was stunned. "You weren't crying?"

"It's not time to cry yet," Yanxing said with a smile. "If you go back on your word and forget your promise to me today, then I'll cry."

Gu Baiying stood up abruptly, squeezing out two words, "Sneaky!"

"If I weren't sneaky, how would I know you care about me?" Yanxing said with a smile, glancing at his arm where blood was spreading, likely from the fight with the Golden Flower Tiger.

"You're hurt?" Yanxing reached out to grab his arm. "Let me see."

"Don't touch me!" Gu Baiying angrily shook off her hand, and in the struggle, a drop of blood fell to the ground.

In the stone chamber, a blinding blue light suddenly erupted.

"What is this..." Yanxing was stunned.