Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

A sudden wave of weightlessness, accompanied by a biting chill, swept over Xiao Hanxing, whose dark blue robes billowed in the falling air.

He put his arm around Liu Yunshu's waist, shielding most of her body in his embrace.

The wind howled in my ears, mixed with the crisp sound of ice shards hitting the stone wall.

"Use my sword!"

Liu Yunshu's voice pierced through the howling wind, urgent yet clear.

She drew her long sword from her waist with a backhand motion, focused her fingertips, and handed the hilt to Xiao Hanxing.

The sword gleamed with a cold, silvery light, tracing an arc in the falling darkness.

Xiao Hanxing's eyes narrowed, his left hand gripping her waist tightly without letting go, while his right hand smoothly took the long sword.

With a flick of his wrist, the tip of the sword pierced the stone wall beside him.

With a "sizzle," the sword blade scraped against the rock, creating dazzling sparks. Amidst the flying debris, the downward momentum suddenly slowed.

The longsword bent under the force, emitting a humming sound as it struggled to bear the weight.

A gash appeared in Xiao Hanxing's palm, and blood dripped down the hilt of the sword, mingling with the ice shards on the stone wall to form a dark red color.

"pay close attention!"

He let out a low shout, using the support of his longsword.

With a heavy tap of her toes on the slippery stone wall, Liu Yunshu spun around.

Like two withered leaves clinging to each other, they crashed heavily onto a cold, damp ground.

Liu Yunshu staggered to steady herself and was about to speak.

Then Xiao Hanxing swayed, his long sword fell to the ground with a clang, and blood dripped continuously from his palm.

Liu Yunshu's heart tightened, and she subconsciously stepped forward and grabbed his hand.

A deep, bone-revealing wound was visible on his palm, mixed with pebbles and ice shards—a horrifying sight.

"How did you get hurt so badly!"

Xiao Hanxing used her strength to steady himself, his fingertips wiping away the blood that had spilled from the corner of his lips, but a nonchalant smile played in his eyes.

"It's nothing, it's just the force of the blade rebounding."

He looked down at their clasped hands; her fingertips were slightly cool and trembled almost imperceptibly, which warmed his heart for no reason.

"What a pity about Miss Liu's sword."

Liu Yunshu didn't reply, but instead frowned and pulled him to a relatively dry rock to the side, then took off the water pouch and medicine from her waist.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her movements to avoid the wound were steady and gentle.

First, rinse away the blood and gravel with the warm water from the water bag, then sprinkle the white powder evenly on top.

The moment the powder touched the wound, Xiao Hanxing let out a muffled groan, but her fingertips unconsciously caressed the delicate skin on her wrist.

"Bear with it."

Liu Yunshu looked up at him, her eyes filled with a hint of reproach.

"Why did you use such brute force just now?"

She tore off a piece of her skirt and wrapped it around his palm, applying just the right amount of pressure.

"This sword was a gift from my master. Although it is precious, it is not as important as personal safety."

Xiao Hanxing gazed at her lowered eyelashes, which were still covered with a little bit of icy mist, much like the dew on the branches of a winter plum tree.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse: "If it weren't for this, Miss Liu would probably have fallen quite hard by now."

He paused deliberately, adding a touch of mockery to his tone.

"Besides, it was worth it to have Miss Liu personally bandage my wound."

Liu Yunshu paused in wrapping the cloth strips, her ear tips instantly flushing red. When she looked up, she met his eyes with an intense, unyielding smile.

The smile held a hint of smugness, which inexplicably made her feel uneasy.

He quickly lowered his eyes to look away, his fingertips quickening the bandaging motion: "Alliance Leader Xiao is joking, it was just a small favor."

The moment the cloth strip was tied, she subconsciously pulled her hand back, but Xiao Hanxing grabbed it from behind.

The medicine on his palm still had a slightly cool touch, but the pressure wasn't too strong, just enough to trap her fingertips in his palm.

"It was just a small favor?"

He leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe, carrying the scent of cold plum blossoms and a faint smell of blood.

"Miss Liu is so thoughtful; she doesn't go to such lengths for just anyone, does she?"

The two were extremely close, and Liu Yunshu could clearly feel the emotions surging deep in his eyes, causing her heart to suddenly race.

She struggled to pull her hand away, but he gripped it even tighter, so she could only look up and glare at him.

"Alliance Leader Xiao, please have some self-respect. This is not a place for jokes."

Xiao Hanxing stared intently at her reddened earlobes, his fingertips gently caressing her slightly cool skin.

His tone carried a hint of lazy persistence: "I'm not joking."

As he bent down, his dark blue robe slipped off his shoulder, revealing his collarbone, which was covered with tiny shards of ice.

The contrast with the undried water stains on her neck added a touch of wild allure.

"I, Xiao, am truly in love with Miss Liu."

"Alliance Leader Xiao!"

Liu Yunshu abruptly pulled her hand back, the force of which caused Xiao Hanxing to stagger half a step.

She staggered back several steps, her moon-white skirt sweeping across the thin frost on the ground, her ear tips so red they seemed to bleed.

"We're merely traveling together by chance; Alliance Leader Xiao's words are far too abrupt!"

A bitter taste rose in Xiao Hanxing's throat, but she still managed a slight smile, trying to ease the tension:

"It's better to be impulsive than to hide it and regret it later."

He picked up the longsword from the ground and handed it to her; the scratches on the blade were still clearly visible.

"I will find a way to repair Miss Liu's sword."

Liu Yunshu took the longsword, and only when her fingertips touched the cold scabbard did she regain her composure.

She looked up at him and saw that the strip of cloth in his palm had been stained dark red.

It seemed the wound had reopened during the struggle, and my heart softened inexplicably, so my tone became gentler:

"We shouldn't stay here any longer; finding Brother Shen and the others is the priority."

The two walked forward side by side, the sound of water deep in the cave becoming clearer and the cold air becoming more and more biting.

Ice beads dripped from the tips of the stalactites from time to time, making a crisp sound when they hit the ground.

Liu Yunshu walked ahead, deliberately keeping a distance from him.

But she could always feel that burning gaze behind her, following her like a shadow, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

"Miss Liu," Xiao Hanxing suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the empty cave, "are you and Brother Shen truly sincere with each other?"

Liu Yunshu paused, turned to look at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Why did Alliance Leader Xiao suddenly ask this?"

"It's just curiosity."

Xiao Hanxing stepped forward and stood beside her.

"I noticed that Brother Shen seems to show more unconscious concern for Miss Mu than for you."

Xiao Hanxing's voice echoed through the empty cave, carrying a hint of tentative gentleness.

He tapped his palm unconsciously with the black iron folding fan, but his gaze was fixed on Liu Yunshu's face.

Liu Yunshu's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes to look at the thin frost on the ground, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of her sword.

"Brother Shen is just gentle and kind to everyone."

"Yeah?"

Xiao Hanxing took a half step forward, his dark blue robes, carrying the scent of cold plum blossoms, enveloped her in a small space.

"But when Miss Mu fell off the cliff just now, the anxiety in his eyes was impossible to hide."

As he leaned down, his warm breath brushed against the top of her hair.

"He jumped in to protect her without hesitation, so urgently, which is not the kind of kindness one would show to an ordinary friend."

Xiao Hanxing's voice was very low, with a hint of coaxing, and his fingertips almost touched the ends of her hair.

Liu Yunshu abruptly took half a step back, avoiding his overly close presence, and when she looked up, a thin layer of frost had already formed in her eyes.

"Alliance Leader Xiao is being too serious. Brother Shen and I grew up together and have a deep friendship. He protects Miss Mu only because he cares about her pitiful background."

Xiao Hanxing looked at the sudden aloofness in her eyes, a bitter feeling rising in his throat, but he did not approach her any further, but simply straightened up slowly.

He tapped the black iron folding fan lightly in his palm, and ice shards slid off his dark blue robe.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

His tone softened, but the probing look in his eyes did not diminish.

"But Miss Liu, whether she is sincere or not, she can't ultimately deceive herself."

Liu Yunshu avoided his gaze, turned and walked towards the direction from which the sound of water came, her voice carrying a deliberate coldness:

"There's no point in saying more; finding the person is the priority." Her pace quickened unconsciously.

Xiao Hanxing followed silently, the wound on her palm still throbbing, but not as painful as the stagnation in her heart.

He watched her slightly hurried figure from behind, but in the end he didn't ask any more questions. He simply unfolded his black iron folding fan and cautiously scanned his surroundings.

At the end of the cave was the cold pool they had been searching for. The water was as clear as black jade, shimmering with a cold, eerie light.

Silver fish dart about underwater, their scales reflecting tiny glints of silver light, creating a charming contrast with the icicles hanging from the cave ceiling.

The cold pool was shrouded in mist, and the white fog, carrying a biting chill, rushed towards us.

Liu Yunshu subconsciously pulled her clothes tighter, and fine frost flowers instantly condensed on her moon-white robe.

She looked around and saw that the cave walls were all smooth rocks, with only the surface of the cold pool shimmering with a cold blue light, but there was no trace of an exit.

"This cave is a dead end?"

Liu Yunshu frowned slightly, her fingertips stroking the hilt of her sword, her sharp gaze sweeping across the stone wall by the pool.

Xiao Hanxing frowned, looked around, but found no clues.

Just when the two were at their wits' end, the surrounding cold suddenly intensified, like countless ice needles piercing through their clothes, making their skin numb.

Liu Yunshu tightened her collar, and the frost on her moon-white robe instantly condensed into a thicker layer, even her breath turning into white mist that vanished in an instant before her eyes.

"No! We need to find somewhere to hide, or we won't be able to hold out!"

Xiao Hanxing's eyes darkened, a hint of worry flashing in them. "The air here is too cold. If we stay any longer, we'll probably freeze to death."

Liu Yunshu nodded, her gaze quickly sweeping across the surroundings, when she suddenly noticed a small cave hidden beneath the rock wall on her left.

"There's a cave there!"

The two hurried toward the small cave, the chill like a bone-deep infection, the crisp sound of icicles falling behind them echoing one after another.

Just as the two were about to reach the cave entrance, an icicle fell rapidly towards Liu Yunshu's head.

Its sharp edge, imbued with a bone-chilling cold, cleaved down like a blade tempered with ice!

Xiao Hanxing's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively, he pulled Liu Yunshu into his arms.

He drew his black iron folding fan from his waist with a backhand motion, and with a "clang," the fan ribs sprang out like sharp blades, precisely blocking the trajectory of the falling ice shards.

"clang--"

The sharp crack was so loud it hurt one's eardrums. The icicle shattered, sending shards flying, most of which landed on his dark blue robe and rolled off.

The sudden force pulled at the wound on his palm, causing excruciating pain, and the bleeding cloth instantly spread out in large patches of dark red.