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

Xiao Hanxing's low, labored breathing, tinged with pain, made her heart tighten. She instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm, asking, "How are you?"

Xiao Hanxing put away the black iron folding fan and looked down at the slightly furrowed brows of the person in his arms.

The pain surging in his eyes was masked by a smile, and his fingertips gently brushed across her nose, which was red from the cold.

"I can still manage, thank you for your concern, Miss Liu."

Liu Yunshu was startled by his sudden intimate gesture, and the blush that had just faded from her ears quietly returned.

She quickly broke free from his embrace, but didn't forget to reach out and steady his swaying body.

"Don't push yourself, your wound has reopened."

The small cave was narrow and cramped, only wide enough for two people to sit side by side.

The cave walls were covered with a thick layer of ice, which effectively blocked out most of the cold air.

Liu Yunshu helped Xiao Hanxing sit down, then untied the water pouch and was about to remove the cloth strip from his palm when he raised his hand and pressed it down.

"No need for that."

Xiao Hanxing grasped her wrist, the warmth of his palm seeping through the fabric, carrying a slight chill from her injury.

"We can talk about it after we find an exit; for now, let's conserve our water and medicine."

He looked down at her furrowed brows and added.

"I'm tough and resilient, this injury is nothing."

Liu Yunshu ignored his explanation and gently pulled her hand away from his.

"If the wound is not treated, it will become infected and cause more trouble."

Her fingertips remained steady and light as she carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked strips of cloth.

Sure enough, the deep, bone-revealing wound had reopened, its edges red and swollen, mixed with shards of ice that hadn't been wiped away—a truly horrifying sight.

She bit her lip, held the water pouch to his palm, and the warm water flowed slowly, washing away the newly seeping bloodstains.

Xiao Hanxing endured the pain, but his gaze remained fixed on her face.

The air outside the cave was bitterly cold, and her cheeks were flushed a pale pink from the cold.

Fine icy mist clung to her eyelashes, and her lowered gaze was even more beautiful than the ice flowers on the cave walls.

"Miss Liu,"

He suddenly spoke, his voice sounding particularly deep in the narrow cave.

"When you defended Brother Shen just now, did you truly believe in his sincerity, or... were you simply unwilling to admit it?"

Liu Yunshu paused, and warm water dripped from his palm, spreading a small water stain on the ground.

She looked up at him, a complex expression in her eyes: "Why does Alliance Leader Xiao keep bringing this up?"

"Because I don't want you to deceive yourself."

Xiao Hanxing's gaze was intense, as if trying to pierce through her feigned calm.

"Do you truly not understand whether your feelings for him stem from childhood dependence or from a deep and unforgettable love?"

He leaned down slightly, and the distance between the two suddenly closed.

Liu Yunshu's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously stepped back, but the cave wall blocked her way, trapping her in a small corner.

His gaze was so sharp that it seemed to see through all her pretense and struggles.

This made her inexplicably flustered, and she raised her hand to push him away: "Alliance Leader Xiao, I've said it before, this place is not..."

Before he could finish speaking, the cave suddenly began to shake violently, with icicles falling from the ceiling and rocks crashing down.

Xiao Hanxing reacted quickly, immediately pressing her down and shielding her with his back.

With a loud "boom," a huge rock landed at the cave entrance, instantly blocking most of the light, leaving only a sliver of light to filter through.

As the dust settled, Liu Yunshu nestled in his arms, clearly feeling his rapid breathing, realizing he had been hit by a rock.

Her heart tightened, and she quickly sat up: "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Xiao Hanxing slowly straightened up. His dark blue robe was covered with dust and gravel, and the fabric at the back was torn, with a faint dark red seeping through.

He just grinned, a hint of slyness in his eyes: "Looks like even God wants us to stay a little longer."

He raised his hand and gently brushed away the pebbles from her hair with his fingertips.

"Miss Liu, now that no one is around, can you tell me the truth? Do you really only feel 'traveling along the same road' for me?"

Liu Yunshu bit her lip and remained silent. She straightened up, gathered her inner strength in her palm, and struck the boulder.

The internal force, carrying a sharp airflow, struck the stone surface with a crisp "crack".

A narrow crevice opened in the boulder, and a chilling aura rushed in, mingling with the crisp sound of icicles falling from outside the cave.

The next moment, the cave shook again, and icicles from the cave ceiling rained down like a sudden downpour.

Xiao Hanxing grabbed Liu Yunshu and shrunk deeper into the cave. The black iron folding fan unfolded again, and the fan ribs flapped to deflect all the incoming ice shards.

"Don't force it!"

He let out a low shout, and the wound on his palm was aroused by his internal force, causing it to ache even more. The blood-soaked cloth strip was completely soaked in dark red.

"The rocks are loose; forcibly breaking them will only cause the cave to collapse even faster!"

Liu Yunshu abruptly withdrew her internal force from her fingertips, and he pulled her down onto the ice, her moon-white skirt stained with pebbles and frost.

She stared at the narrow opening at the cave entrance, barely wide enough for one person. Cold mist swirled in through the opening, chilling her fingertips.

"Being trapped here isn't a solution. The cold is too intense; if we stay here any longer, we'll freeze!"

Xiao Hanxing pulled her closer to his arms, barely shielding her from the chill.

"Don't be afraid, there will be a way."

No matter how profound one's inner strength, it cannot withstand the bone-chilling, lingering cold.

Liu Yunshu could feel the cold air seeping into her muscles through the gaps in her clothes, and her limbs gradually became heavy, even making it harder to circulate her internal energy.

She subconsciously moved closer to Xiao Hanxing. Although the warmth in his arms was being eroded by the cold air, it was still the only warmth in this icy cave.

"This can't go on."

Xiao Hanxing looked down at her pale lips, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He released his arm from hers, tossed the black iron folding fan aside, and the hem of his dark blue robe swept across the ice, stirring up fine frost flowers.

Before Liu Yunshu could react, he had already reached out and untied the belt of his outer robe, draping it over her shoulders.

The robe was large, covering most of her body, and carrying his remaining body heat, it instantly dispelled some of the chill.

Liu Yunshu's heart skipped a beat, and she raised her hand to lift it: "Give me your outer robe, what will you do then?"

"My internal strength is greater than yours; I can withstand it."

Xiao Hanxing pressed down on her hand, the coldness of her fingertips seeping through the fabric, and the wound on her palm oozing out dark red again due to the movement.

His lips still held a smile, but a barely perceptible pain lingered in his eyes.

"If Miss Liu feels bad about it, please keep me company and talk to me a little longer, so that I won't get so cold that I feel sleepy."

He was only wearing a dark undergarment, the dark fabric clinging tightly to his body.

Dark red bloodstains, seeping from the shoulders and back where the boulder had struck, were particularly glaring under the icy light.

She didn't refuse again, but moved closer to him and pulled a corner of her robe closer to him.

"Let's stick together, we'll eventually get a chance to get out."

Xiao Hanxing's eyes softened, and he turned to sit beside her.

Their shoulders touched, their body heat mingling to barely ward off the chill.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Yunshu felt the body temperature of the person beside her gradually decrease, and even their breathing became shallow and rapid.

Her heart tightened, and she turned her head to look.

Xiao Hanxing had her eyes downcast, her face was so pale it was almost transparent, her dark inner robe was already soaked with cold air, and even her lips were white.

He seemed to be forcing himself to stay conscious, his fingertips instinctively protecting her shoulder, afraid that her robes would slip off.

"Xiao Hanxing!"

Liu Yunshu reached out to support his swaying figure, her fingertips touching his cold skin, which startled her.

She quickly pulled her robes tighter around him and snuggled closer to him, trying to use her inner strength to dispel the chill from him.

"Don't sleep! Talk to me!"

Xiao Hanxing was brought back to her senses by her voice, and slowly opened her eyes, which were covered with a layer of moisture.

Yet he still managed a weak smile, managing to tug at the corners of his lips.

"I didn't sleep... I'm just a little cold."

He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling as he tried to touch her cheek, but his hand fell in mid-air and was tightly grasped by Liu Yunshu.

His palms were icy cold, and the blood from his wounds had congealed into dark red scabs that felt hard to the touch.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on reopening your wound, if I hadn't tried to forcefully break the stone..."

Liu Yunshu's voice was choked with sobs as she pressed his hand against her cheek, warming his cold fingertips with her body heat.

Xiao Hanxing looked at her reddened eyes and her heart softened. Despite the pain, she raised her hand and gently wiped away the moisture from the corner of her eyes with her fingertips.

"It's not your fault..." His voice was so low and hoarse that it was almost inaudible, but it carried a hint of solemnity. "I'm willing to protect you."

Seeing his weak and almost unable to hold on, Liu Yunshu felt as if her heart had been stabbed hard by an ice pick.

A bittersweet feeling, mixed with panic, spread.

Without further hesitation, she raised her hand and placed it on his back, her inner strength flowing continuously into his body through her palm.

With her own warmth, she tried to dispel the chill that clung to his body.

But that's not enough at all.

Feeling Xiao Hanxing's cold skin, Liu Yunshu gritted her teeth, unbuttoned her own clothes and his clothes, and pulled him into her arms.

The moment skin touched, the biting cold and the warm sensation suddenly intertwined.

Liu Yunshu shuddered subconsciously, her fair skin instantly trembling slightly.

She tightened her arms around him, holding him tightly in her embrace, and enveloped him with her body heat.

Internal energy flowed continuously through their embracing skin, like a stream flowing through his sluggish meridians.

Xiao Hanxing froze, his remaining consciousness becoming somewhat clearer from the sudden intimacy.

He could smell the faint scent of cold plum blossoms in her hair, lingering around his nose, which dispelled most of the chill and pain.

His cheek pressed against her warm neck, his breath carrying the sensation of her delicate skin.

And there was her rapid heartbeat, steady and powerful, as if it were infusing him with life.

"Miss Liu..."

He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, his fingertips instinctively trying to push her away.

He didn't even have the strength to lift his arm, and could only let her hug him. "There's no need for this..."

"Shut up."

Liu Yunshu's voice trembled slightly, yet remained exceptionally firm.

"This is not the time to talk about rules. If you don't want to die, you'd better stay close to me."

She buried her face in the top of his head, feeling his body temperature gradually warming up, and the panic in her heart subsided a little.