Chapter Ninety-Two: Fingers Interlaced

After who knows how long, Chu Bing’s vision had gone blurry. Her legs felt like two wooden poles—numb and aching—and just as she thought she might collapse, the system in her head cried out in delight, “Quick! There’s a cave over there! That place is safe!”

Chu Bing stirred, lifting her eyes at last to see a tiny cave tucked at the very foot of a cliff.

The breath in her chest finally loosened, and she sank weakly to the ground.

She raised an arm to shield her eyes, her mind a tangled mess, and failed to notice the complex look in Li Yuxi’s eyes.

After resting for a while, Chu Bing forced herself upright again and half-dragged, half-carried Li Yuxi into the cave. Fortunately, it was a little warmer inside than outside, so the night should not be too unbearable.

She arranged Li Yuxi at the deepest part of the cave. After checking him over, she found that his breathing had steadied. It seemed he would wake before long.

She helped him tend to his wounds, and just as she was about to leave, Li Yuxi suddenly clutched her hand tightly.

Had he awakened?

Chu Bing looked at him suspiciously, but the man on the ground still had his eyes shut, with no sign of consciousness at all.

The doubt in Chu Bing’s eyes gradually faded.

He must have had a nightmare.

She wrinkled her nose and snorted, “As expected, you really are trouble.”

She tried to pull her hand free, only to find that no matter how hard she tugged, she could not break loose.

Chu Bing gritted her teeth. “Fine, cling if you want. I suppose I’m the unlucky one!”

With that, she simply sat down beside Li Yuxi, closed her eyes, and prepared to sleep.

Once her breathing had grown even and steady, the supposedly unconscious Li Yuxi opened his eyes. He carefully looked at the hand he was holding.

The fair, delicate fingers and rounded nails looked unbearably sweet.

A trace of warmth flickered in his eyes. Gently, almost reverently, he loosened his grip, then threaded his fingers through hers one by one.

When everything was done, he closed his eyes in contentment.

The cave gradually fell silent, save for the howl of the wind outside.

Their two figures drew closer and closer, leaning into one another, making the small cave feel unexpectedly warm and homey.

Chu Bing woke from the heat.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Li Yuxi’s enlarged face right in front of her.

The two of them had somehow ended up sleeping side by side without her realizing it.

Chu Bing glanced at Li Yuxi in confusion and found that he was still lying in the same place as before. It was she who had shifted from sitting against the wall to lying on the ground.

Had she slipped down in her sleep?

With a darkened expression, Chu Bing pushed Li Yuxi away, only to suddenly discover that her fingers and his were tightly interlaced.

Not just a normal hold from last night, but fingers woven together.

Her mouth twitched. She tried to pull her hand free, wondering what on earth was going on. She already slept poorly enough—was she now sleepwalking too, just to interlock her fingers with his?

The thought startled her. She hastily used her inner energy before finally prying his fingers apart.

She absolutely would not hold hands with that pervert like this.

Just thinking about it made her feel sick.

Chu Bing quickly got to her feet and stepped outside the cave, only to find that a light rain had already begun to fall.

The system suddenly spoke. “Host, head south for about three kilometers. There’s food there!”

This was the first time the system had ever shown such concern for something as trivial as food.

Chu Bing’s eyes flashed. “What’s to the south?”

Was there another trap waiting for her?

The system was already at a loss for words when it came to Chu Bing’s imagination.

It muttered gloomily, “I’m kindly reminding you. Believe me or don’t!”

Chu Bing hesitated. Her reason told her not to trust this useless system, but she really was hungry.

She had barely eaten any of the grilled fish yesterday, and by now it would have been fully digested.

Chu Bing rubbed her stomach and followed the direction the system had given.

Before long, a stretch of lush green grass appeared before her, soft as a dream. After a moment’s hesitation, Chu Bing stepped onto it and walked to the center, stopping before a strange old tree.

By rough estimate, the tree was four or five meters thick—so massive that several people would be needed to encircle it.

Chu Bing tilted her head back to look at the luxuriant canopy and asked the system with an odd expression, “This is the food you were talking about?”

Though the tree looked vigorous and full of life, in truth it bore only three fruits.

Chu Bing was worried she might have counted wrong, so she counted several more times just to be sure.

The system’s tone turned solemn. “If you can get all three fruits into your possession, that will count as real skill.”

Chu Bing curved her lips. “You’re underestimating me. What’s so hard about three little fruits? Just watch.”

She flipped her hand and produced several silver needles, sending them straight toward the nearest fruit.

As she expected, the fruit dropped directly to the ground.

Chu Bing walked over to pick it up, teasing the system smugly as she went. “I told you not to underestimate me. How could I possibly fail to find a fruit—?”

Her eyes widened.

She watched helplessly as the fruit that had fallen to the ground vanished.

It was as if it had sunk straight into the earth.

How could that be?

It was far too fantastical.

Almost... like the immortal ginseng fruit from the Journey to the West.

Chu Bing looked up abruptly at the last two fruits remaining on the tree.

These were the final two.

Without needing the system to remind her, Chu Bing carefully climbed the tree to pick them. Fortunately, she had martial skills and was highly alert, so she smoothly retrieved the remaining two fruits.

She jumped down, cradling them as if they were precious treasures, and carried them back to the cave.

Li Yuxi was still in the same state as when she had left him. Chu Bing did not bother with him. She wiped the fruits clean and was just about to put one into her mouth when she suddenly remembered that wild fruit... might be poisonous.

Chu Bing stared conflictedly at the small fruit in her hand, when a glance from the corner of her eye fell on Li Yuxi.

Her eyes rolled, and with a smile she walked over to him holding the fruit.

Resting her chin in one hand, she looked at Li Yuxi with his eyes closed and sighed theatrically. “I finally managed to find these fruits today. Since you look so pitiful, I’ll give you one.”

With that, she unceremoniously stuffed the fruit into Li Yuxi’s mouth.

To help him swallow it, she even pinched his chin.

Fortunately, the fruit melted in the mouth and was quickly digested by Li Yuxi.

Chu Bing waited for a long while, watching with wide eyes, and seeing that nothing had happened to him, she quickly stuffed the remaining fruit into her own mouth.

Li Yuxi’s eyes quietly slit open, and when he saw Chu Bing happily finishing the fruit like a little squirrel, his heart turned soft beyond measure.

What a foolish girl. There were clearly only two fruits, and she still remembered to save him one.

After Chu Bing finished eating, she carefully checked for any changes in herself... aside from her face feeling a little itchy, there seemed to be nothing different?

It seemed that the so-called ginseng fruit was indeed only her wild imagination. That first fruit that had vanished must have fallen somewhere she had not noticed.

Chu Bing scratched at her face and sighed helplessly.