Chapter 127: Answer

The Crux!

The sudden show of concern, whether it excited Bian Weiying or not, caused her hand to tremble as she took the item.

As Shi Chun handed over the item and withdrew his hand, Bian Weiying’s hand, as if startled, instinctively grabbed his in return.

Then, a deathly silence fell over the cave once more.

Wu Jinliang, who had made his way to the cave entrance, froze for a moment. Then, he slowly turned back, and though he could see nothing, he silently gazed in the direction where the voices had been. He had already sensed an unusual vigor in Spring’s earlier "Let's go!" Now, he seemed to understand: Spring might have found a way to leave.

This was good news, and he should have been happy. He was, in fact, happy, but he felt that his joy this time wasn't entirely pure or unburdened. He himself found it strange. Why wasn't it pure? It shouldn't be like this. He had known from the start that once a way to leave was found, Spring would not let the woman live. It was just that this time, his method seemed far more peaceful; instead of a direct 'white blade in, red blade out' (a bloody killing), he would let her fend for herself. This was quite unlike Spring. What on earth had those two been up to in the dark? He only regretted not having seen it. He was also thankful he hadn't blurted out "Sister-in-law." Rationally speaking, Spring's decision was also the correct one. There was no entanglement to begin with, so why did he feel this lack of clarity? Perhaps, as the woman had said, some things require the right time, place, and people, and even a hair's breadth of difference would change everything. Or perhaps it was precisely because this woman could utter such words…

He rested one hand on his saber hilt, the other braced against the cave wall, his index finger repeatedly rubbing a rough spot. He remained silent, patiently waiting, knowing that some decisions were not his to make.

"What's wrong?" Shi Chun's faint voice, devoid of any emotion, broke the silence.

Previously, even leaning in for a kiss hadn't felt out of line, but now, a mere touch of hands made Bian Weiying feel deeply unsettled, and she quickly let go. She tried to keep her tone calm, hoping to sound as composed and unhurried as him. But a shell once shed could not simply be put back on. The moment she spoke, she could hear the tremor in her own voice.

"I'm afraid of the dark. Can you take me to the ice plains?"

The brief silence that followed made her feel as if ten thousand years had passed. It was truly too dark here. While the ice plains were equally dark, at least she could use Sandalwood Gold for illumination there. She would rather endure the cold of the ice plains.

Shi Chun seemed to consider for a moment. His reply remained calm, a single word: "Good." Then, he reached out, took her arm, and helped her walk towards the cave entrance. At the entrance, he released his Wind Scales. The swirling wind currents, directed at the cave's interior, quickly sucked all three of them out, whisking them away into the air in an instant.

During their flight, Shi Chun's hand remained firmly on Bian Weiying's arm. She had been carried when they arrived; now she was being pulled along. Tears streamed down Bian Weiying's face – the bitter feeling of misplaced trust, which she desperately hoped no one would see. Only now did she truly understand; it was better to remain City Lord Bian. Her mother had been right: men were indeed unreliable!

Wu Jinliang, usually the most talkative among them, remained completely silent throughout.

Finally, it was Shi Chun who broke the silence. "Senior Sister," he asked, "if we ever get out of here and my family and yours come into conflict, whose side will you take?"

Wu Jinliang perked up his ears once more.

Overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down her face, Bian Weiying knew what the logical answer was, but she simply couldn't utter it now. Not having cursed and beaten the heartless man was already a struggle; how could he expect her to say she wouldn't care about her family and would stand firmly by his side? Tear-streaked and overwhelmed, she simply couldn't do it at that moment. Her emotions couldn't be adjusted so quickly. She kept her lips tightly sealed, refusing to answer.

Shi Chun said nothing further, seemingly waiting for her answer.

Not long after, Shi Chun landed with the two of them, then raised his hand to retract his Wind Scales. "They reached the ice plains so quickly?" Wu Jinliang was somewhat surprised. Bian Weiying, who had quietly wiped away the tears from her face, also sensed something was wrong. Why didn't she feel the extreme cold of the ice plains? Both instinctively scuffed their feet on the ground, then darted forward to touch it with their hands, realizing it wasn't the ice plains at all.

Shi Chun, having walked a few steps ahead, noticed they hadn't followed the sound of his footsteps. He turned back and asked, "What are you two doing? Catch up!"

The two quickly stood up and fumbled their way towards the sound of his voice. Seeing them fumble blindly, unable to walk straight, Shi Chun had no choice but to step forward, taking one by each hand, and lead them.

"Where are we?" Wu Jinliang asked curiously. "Aren't we going to the ice plains?"

Shi Chun replied, "The ice plains are too cold. Senior Sister's injuries haven't healed yet, and I wouldn't be at ease leaving her there alone."

"Oh?" Wu Jinliang's eyes instantly widened, almost as big as his head.

Meanwhile, Bian Weiying, who had been lost in her secret sorrow, suddenly looked up. She was bewildered and confused, unsure whether to be surprised or not. Was she overthinking things, or was this a dream?

Leading the two, they didn't walk far before descending a slope into a mountain hollow. Shi Chun released them, then walked over to a monster's corpse. Drawing his knife, he sliced open its underside and entered its body to further modify the hollowed-out interior, as there were now two additional people. Another purpose was to reduce the monster's weight for easier long-distance travel.

Wu Jinliang, still fumbling like a blind man, asked, "Spring, what are you doing? You're not doing something indecent with Senior Sister again, are you? You two are getting out of hand, I warn you, I'll pull out my Sandalwood Gold and light you up!"

Shi Chun, hidden inside the monster's body, ignored him and continued with his work.

Bian Weiying stood by blankly, not knowing what to say or ask. Her mind seemed to have stopped working; she couldn't tell if she had been made foolish by others or by her own thoughts.

Shi Chun quickly finished cutting out some meat and clearing out the debris. He then lifted the monster's underbelly and called out to them, "Come here!"

So the two cautiously approached. Wu Jinliang was ushered in, but with Bian Weiying, Shi Chun was noticeably gentler; he took her hand and helped her inside.

Once they were all inside, Shi Chun produced a piece of Sandalwood Gold for illumination, and only then did Wu and Bian realize they had entered the monster's body.

"What are we doing here?" Wu Jinliang asked curiously.

Bian Weiying, participating in their plans for the first time, was even more curious. Already bewildered to the point of speechlessness, she had yet to fully emerge from her confusion when a new wave of it washed over her.

Shi Chun patted the large meat mound in the middle. "I've tried it," he said, "those monsters aren't particularly intelligent. Carrying this, we can blend in among them."

Wu Jinliang didn't understand. "Blend in for what?"

Shi Chun replied, "What we did earlier worked. Those two beasts were stuck there, and I saw them opening an exit."

Wu Jinliang understood instantly, his eyes lighting up. "Infiltrate among them and wait for the exit to open?"

Shi Chun nodded slightly, then reached out and peeled back a piece of flesh from the wall, revealing a head-sized opening. He pointed to other spots, saying, "I've made six holes for observation. Go outside and check if the light from inside can be seen once it's sealed." With that, he let the flap of flesh fall back into place.

"Alright!" Wu Jinliang, invigorated by the good news, immediately lifted the bottom edge and crawled out.

Bian Weiying's gaze fell on Shi Chun's face. She bit her lip, intently watching his every move.

Not long after, Wu Jinliang, who had felt his way around outside, crawled back in through the bottom. He chuckled gleefully, "Excellent, excellent! It's very secure; no light can be seen."

"Alright, let's move. It's your turn to put in some effort. Shoulder it," Shi Chun pointed to the meat mound in the middle.

"Hmph, a trivial matter," Wu Jinliang readily declared. He plunged his large saber into the monster's flesh, then hoisted the meat mound onto his shoulder, supporting the monster's entire frame.

Shi Chun put away the Sandalwood Gold. With one hand, he held Bian Weiying's hand, and with the other, he rested it on Wu Jinliang's back to guide their direction, using his left eye's unique ability to see the path.

The three of them traveled in this ingenious manner, slowly traversing mountains and valleys, occasionally passing by other monsters, constantly drawing closer to the nearby monster cluster. This was merely a trial run. Once they truly entered the monster group and settled in for a long period, Shi Chun had no absolute certainty whether they would be discovered. After all, he had only briefly passed by a few monsters before.

With his high martial cultivation, though only a minor accomplishment, carrying that weight was no issue. Wu Jinliang's feet were as swift as the wind. The real problem lay with Shi Chun. His left eye's unique ability couldn't be sustained for long. Furthermore, he didn't dare to fully exhaust his endurance at once, fearing he would be at his weakest if an emergency situation arose and required a quick response. So, after traveling a considerable distance, when Shi Chun spotted a suitable place, he signaled for a halt. Wu Jinliang understood him, stopped to rest, and recuperated a bit himself, as it was a long journey with a heavy load.

Shi Chun swallowed a pill and sat down cross-legged. Bian Weiying then settled down beside him, finally asking in a soft voice what she had long wanted to know: "Earlier, when you gave me that pill, were you planning to abandon me and just leave with him?"

She truly couldn't hold back that question any longer. Wu Jinliang, who was about to regulate his breathing during meditation, pricked up his ears again.

Shi Chun looked surprised. "Did I say I wasn't taking you with me? When I gave you that pill, I was about to ask you to come along, but you suddenly said you wanted to go to the ice plains, which thoroughly confused me. I was too lazy to argue, so without waiting for your refusal, I just brought you along!"

"Was that how it was?" Bian Weiying pondered, still sensing a discrepancy. She suddenly became very insistent. "No, that's not right. You only called Wu Jinliang to leave back then. Giving me that pill was so I'd fend for myself."

Shi Chun asked, surprised, "Senior Sister, what are you thinking? If I wanted to abandon you, why would I have saved you in the ice plains?"

Bian Weiying was stunned on the spot. That's right, if he had truly wanted to abandon her, there would have been no need to save her earlier. Of a thousand arguments, none held as much weight as that one. She instantly realized she had been caught up in needless anxiety, overthinking everything. Thinking of the inexplicable flood of tears from earlier, she pounced and bit down hard on Shi Chun's shoulder. Just as she had resolved to be City Lord Bian once more, she reverted to a childish demeanor.

Though the bite hurt, Shi Chun neither dodged nor resisted. With a slight smile, he allowed her to bite him. Only he himself was truly clear on the truth of the matter. The sole reason he allowed this woman to accompany them was because of that very question: whose side would she take if his family and hers from Kangshan were to conflict in the future? In fact, when he asked that question, he had essentially no intention of letting Bian Weiying live. Whether she said she would stand by her family, or claimed she would stand by him to save her life, neither was the answer he desired. Giving her the pill was also not intended to let Bian Weiying fend for herself; it was merely a means of applying pressure. Even if Bian Weiying hadn't mentioned wanting to go to the ice plains, he would still have asked that question. If he didn't get the answer he wanted, there would be no 'fend for herself' option. He would leave no survivors. Wu Jinliang's guess was entirely correct: he would have directly drawn his saber and dealt with her. Sending her to the ice plains would result in fewer potential issues down the line, and it would be even more feasible to dispose of her there.

After the bite, Bian Weiying worried if she had bitten too hard. She let go, rubbed the spot, and even playfully punched him, muttering, "Do you know, you really annoyed me."

Wu Jinliang, who had been listening intently, smiled faintly. He couldn't fully comprehend it, but he knew that this woman had just narrowly escaped death. Given Spring's character, his actions must have had a purpose, just like his feigned admiration for Miao Yilan. He chuckled, "Sister-in-law, now's not the time for lovers' quarrels..."