Chapter 8: Down Below

Under the moonlight, a massive creature lay dead in the forest.

In the shadow of the headless wolf demon, Chu Chen knelt before Xu Xiaoyao, his eyes covered by a blindfold. Xu Xiaoyao had removed her upper garments, and a tree branch that had pierced her abdomen needed someone to pull it out.

"Brace yourself, this might hurt."
"Hurry..."

This was the first time Xu Xiaoyao had been topless in front of a man. Even though Chu Chen was blindfolded, she still felt deeply aggrieved, her voice laced with tears.

"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the branch."
"Can you hurry up, please?"

Chu Chen quickened his movements, but instead of finding the branch, his palm brushed against something warm.

"Lower down!"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

If Xu Xiaoyao hadn't seen that Chu Chen was truly blindfolded, she would have suspected he was doing it on purpose. Finally, Chu Chen successfully located the branch and pulled it out with a firm tug. Xu Xiaoyao clutched her wound and quickly put her long robe back on.

Hearing the rustling stop, Chu Chen asked, "Can I take this off now?"
"Yes."

Chu Chen removed the cloth and tossed it aside. "I really didn't mean to, just now."
"Shut up, I don't want to hear it," Xu Xiaoyao retorted, then added, "And don't tell anyone about this."
"I swear, I will never tell a soul about what happened today," Chu Chen said, raising his right hand.

Xu Xiaoyao said nothing more and began walking down the mountain on her own. Chu Chen followed the aggrieved girl in silence.

"What... what is your cultivation level, exactly?" Xu Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask.
"Early-stage Qi Refining."

Xu Xiaoyao suddenly stopped and stared at the young man behind her. "Don't