Chapter Seventy: Marching Toward Death!

"Hehe, just kidding!" Tu Lu hurriedly forced a laugh, quickly averting his gaze.

Yet his heart pounded uncontrollably, an odd, long-lost thrill surging within him.

Zi Ling was silent.

For reasons he couldn’t quite grasp, Tu Lu felt her gaze grow increasingly piercing.

Then, under his watching eyes, she lifted her veil—if only for a fleeting instant—before letting it fall again.

But that brief moment left Tu Lu utterly stunned.

"In truth, back outside Huangyun City, you already wanted to see, didn’t you?"

Her words made Tu Lu’s scalp prickle. He snapped out of his daze, about to deny it, but when he met Zi Ling’s earnest eyes, his will faltered.

"So, what do you think? Are you disappointed?"

Tu Lu coughed lightly, twice.

The truth was, beneath Zi Ling’s veil was the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

He had never in his life met anyone so lovely.

Yet on her right cheek bloomed a faint, snowflake-shaped birthmark.

It was only a small flaw, yet set upon such perfect features, it became more striking, even jarring, to the eye.

But to Tu Lu, while it marred her flawless beauty, it only made her more breathtaking.

"Well? What do you think?" Zi Ling’s voice had grown cold.

Tu Lu snapped back to his senses.

"Though it may be forward of me to say so, I think… you are very beautiful."

He flushed, bowing his head with embarrassment.

"Wha—"

Zi Ling’s composure faltered; the coldness in her eyes vanished at once, replaced by a hint of astonishment.

And after a moment, a faint flush colored her cheeks as well.

Silence fell between them, but this time it was tinged with awkwardness.

They sat across from each other in the cave, neither speaking. At some point, Zi Ling had left her veil aside, her breathtaking face exposed to the air.

Tu Lu could not help stealing glances at her; he found that even his hunger subsided.

Zi Ling, though she outwardly kept her eyes closed, pretending to attempt contact with the outside world, had long since forgotten her efforts. With her spiritual sense, she watched Tu Lu instead.

And every time she caught him sneaking a glance, a secret delight blossomed in her heart.

So the days went by.

Neither knew how much time had passed, but the urgency of their hunger eventually brought them back to reality.

"We can’t go on like this!" Tu Lu could bear it no longer and rose to his feet.

"My strength has dwindled by thirty percent from hunger—my combat power is no longer at its peak. If this continues, I’ll grow even weaker, and by then, even if I wished to fight with all my might, I’d lose my chance!"

Zi Ling frowned. "Even if we manage to break through the beasts outside, we can’t possibly swim upstream against the current…"

Tu Lu was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"We’ll never know unless we try! I can’t just sit here and wait to die—I refuse to accept that!"

Zi Ling hesitated, then shook her head.

"I’ve been missing for so long—my master will surely come searching for me. Is it so wrong to wait together for a glimmer of hope?"

At that, Tu Lu fell silent for a long time.

He looked out at the mountain of monsters blocking their way, at the distant, inverted waterfall, and the whirlpool sky above.

He knew Zi Ling’s words were reasonable; charging out might be less hopeful than simply waiting.

But to pin his fate on another’s rescue—that left him deeply uneasy.

In the end, he shook his head.

"Zi Ling, I believe you. But I have my own convictions. Rather than wait for someone else, I’d rather seize my own chance.

Don’t worry—if I’m lucky enough to make it out alive, I’ll bring help. If I die, and you happen to escape, and by chance you haven’t forgotten me, then light a stick of incense for me. Heh, to be remembered by the Lady of the Taixu Palace—well, that’s no small honor."

Tu Lu smiled.

"I’ll go with you!"

At these words, Zi Ling rose abruptly.

Tu Lu was startled, about to speak, but seeing the look in her eyes, he opened his mouth and could not utter a word.

She smiled gently. "Two have a better chance than one. And even if we fail, at least there’s someone to die with—then the journey won’t be so lonely."