"I'm sorry… Senior Sister Su…" Meng Shuying's voice was barely audible, trembling as she explained, "It's so dark here, I couldn't see anything… I didn't mean to…"
Meng Shuying felt her explanation was weak. Although she and Su Luowei were both women, their statuses were worlds apart. What was an unintentional act on her part could be seen as a form of humiliation to Su Luowei.
She lowered her head, clenching her fingers into tight fists, bracing herself for the impending storm.
Su Luowei was momentarily puzzled, not understanding why Meng Shuying was apologizing.
She hadn't given much thought to the accidental touch earlier. In the pitch-black darkness, it wasn't surprising that Meng Shuying had unintentionally touched her. Despite the awkwardness, it wasn't something worth dwelling on.
Not only was Su Luowei not angry, but she also deliberately moved closer to Meng Shuying to make it easier for her to untie the ropes.
However, to maintain her composure, she deliberately lowered her voice, "The situation is urgent, so I won't hold it against you. Hurry and untie me."
"Yes," Meng Shuying whispered in response.
This time, she was even more cautious, making sure she was touching the rope before exerting any force.
Su Luowei shifted slightly, and the two were almost pressed together, with Meng Shuying catching a faint whiff of Su Luowei's delicate lily-of-the-valley scent.
Although Su Luowei's tone was harsh, for some reason, Meng Shuying felt that she wasn't truly angry.
Having grown up without much close contact with others, Meng Shuying found herself hesitating, her movements slightly restrained.
Nearby, Xie Hanzhu, hearing their conversation, slowly widened her eyes in disbelief.
You're unbelievable, Meng Shuying! You're free to move, yet you don't even help remove the gag from my mouth. How mean!
Xie Hanzhu cursed them silently, but the two paid her no mind. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, until she simply lay down and closed her eyes to sleep!
The ropes binding Su Luowei were different from the ones that had tied Meng Shuying earlier; they seemed to be some kind of spiritual artifact.
Meng Shuying's fingertips were soon cut by the rough knots, and despite her efforts, the ropes only tightened instead of loosening.
"Enough," Su Luowei muttered in discomfort, "You haven't cultivated, so you can't untie them."
But Meng Shuying seemed to be caught in a stubborn loop, determined to untie the ropes no matter what.
After a long while, Su Luowei noticed a faint scent of blood in the air. It was clear that Meng Shuying's fingers had been worn raw.
Seeing her stubbornness, Su Luowei frowned in displeasure, "Don't waste your energy."
Recognizing the displeasure in Su Luowei's tone, Meng Shuying silently withdrew her hands.
She tucked her bleeding fingers into her sleeves, wrapping her arms around her knees, and turned her back to Su Luowei.
Although she was always reserved, Su Luowei couldn't shake the feeling that Meng Shuying was upset.
A young girl, entrusted by her, ends up being kidnapped to this dark place. She tried to help untie her ropes, only to be scolded for her trouble.
What a mess.
Su Luowei sighed softly and softened her tone, "There's a porcelain bottle at my waist. Help me take it out."
For a long moment, there was no response. Su Luowei patiently waited until she finally heard faint rustling sounds.
Meng Shuying turned her head to glance at her, but the room was so dark that nothing could be seen.
After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously reached out to Su Luowei's waist.
Su Luowei's waist was slender yet flexible, different from what Meng Shuying expected given her frail appearance.
As she fumbled for the porcelain bottle, Meng Shuying couldn't help but wonder silently.
Would she grow up to be like Su Luowei?
Meng Shuying didn't know.
But she imagined it wouldn't be the same.
They were from entirely different worlds.
If she was a wildflower growing in the mud, Su Luowei was a carefully nurtured flower, held in the palm of someone's hand.
"Have you found it?" Su Luowei asked.
Her voice was low and gentle, with a hint of a smile.
"You're tickling me."
So she's ticklish…
Meng Shuying blinked, pulling her drifting thoughts back to reality. She lowered her eyes, refocusing on finding the bottle at Su Luowei's waist.
It wasn't long before she found it—a small, slender porcelain bottle, cool and smooth to the touch.
Following Su Luowei's instructions, Meng Shuying uncorked the bottle and poured some powder into her palm, then gently spread it over Su Luowei's wrist.
The ropes were strange; the more Meng Shuying pulled at them earlier, the tighter they became, almost embedding into Su Luowei's wrists. The rough knots had also scraped her skin, causing a burning pain.
Knowing she had inadvertently caused Su Luowei's injury, Meng Shuying was filled with guilt. As she applied the medicine, she secretly studied Su Luowei, trying to discern her expression in the darkness.
Even in this pitch-black room, Meng Shuying felt as if she could see Su Luowei's eyes.
They were calm, with no discernible emotion.
Like the eyes of an immortal in a temple mural, neither sorrowful nor joyful.
Unaware of Meng Shuying's thoughts, Su Luowei finally pulled her hand back after the delicate application of the medicine and said, "The medicine will lose its potency once opened. Use the rest; don't waste it."
Meng Shuying gripped the bottle tightly and quietly agreed, waiting for Su Luowei to say something more.
Why wasn't she angry?
Meng Shuying was puzzled.
Already exhausted from the spiritual attack and this whole ordeal, Su Luowei was too tired to keep her eyes open.
There was nowhere to lean, and she didn't want to lie down on the ground like Xie Hanzhu, so she shifted slightly and leaned against Meng Shuying.
Meng Shuying's body was bony and uncomfortable, and Su Luowei had to adjust her position several times before she found a somewhat comfortable spot.
She didn't think much about it. In the past, she had often shared a space with her colleagues during all-nighters at work.
But Meng Shuying stiffened, instinctively wanting to pull away.
"Let me lean on you," Su Luowei murmured, her voice soft and drowsy, "Just for a little while."
Time passed unnoticed in the cave, with Su Luowei drifting in and out of sleep.
When she was awake, she would chat with Xie Hanzhu, though Xie did most of the talking, and she just listened.
Meng Shuying remained mostly silent, as usual, but she would adjust her position to make Su Luowei more comfortable.
Such a considerate child, Su Luowei thought.
Ning Laoxian had not appeared for a long time, likely plotting something else.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly until Su Luowei wondered if she would be trapped there forever. Suddenly, a familiar electronic sound echoed in her mind.
[Task One Complete: Wenxiantai.]
"Ah, the connection is back!" The familiar voice of Xiao Ba rang in her head. "Host, can you hear me?"
Su Luowei's eyes snapped open. "You're finally back!"
Since she had fainted, Xiao Ba had disappeared, not responding to any of her calls.
"Let me explain! This room has something strange about it, almost like it's blocking the signal. I lost connection with you when you entered, but luckily, once the task was completed, the system automatically reconnected."
The system alert indicated that Wenxiantai had been activated, meaning they had been held for three days.
"Blocking the signal?"
How could there be a signal in a cultivation world?
"Well, I'm not entirely sure either. But I did hear something about certain areas where the signal doesn't fully cover…"
Xiao Ba quickly changed the subject, not wanting to delve into the system's inner workings. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried when I couldn't reach you…"
"…So do you have a way to get me out of here?" Su Luowei interrupted, her voice cold.
"No," Xiao Ba answered honestly.
"But there's good news~ I just detected that this place is rich in spiritual energy. After a closer look, I found there's a rare treasure in this room."
"I figured that out already," Su Luowei replied bluntly. The area where mortals lived was usually devoid of spiritual energy, yet she hadn't felt any depletion of her spiritual power despite not cultivating for days.
And these ordinary girls, despite not eating or drinking, had managed to maintain their strength.
To achieve this effect, there must be a powerful treasure nearby.
"But in my current state," Su Luowei raised her bound hands for Xiao Ba to see, "Even if there's a treasure, it's useless to me."
Xiao Ba: …That makes sense.
"But Meng Shuying can move. You can guide her to retrieve it. The treasure is in the western corner of the room, and it seems to be a genuine Wutong Sacred Wood."
Just as Su Luowei was communicating with Xiao Ba, she heard a timid voice beside her, "Senior Sister Su, are you awake?"
Meng Shuying had no idea when she had fallen asleep, only that when she woke up, she found herself leaning on someone's shoulder.
She was still groggy when she first woke, not realizing anything was amiss until the scent of lilies reached her nose. It was then she realized that she had been using Su Luowei as a pillow!
As Meng Shuying debated whether to stay still to avoid waking Su Luowei or quietly slip away before she noticed, Su Luowei suddenly stirred.
Only then did Meng Shuying realize that Su Luowei had been awake the whole time.
Su Luowei responded with a soft hum, acknowledging her.
Meng Shuying immediately sat up straight, using her hands and feet to distance herself.
"In the westernmost corner, there's something. It's small and square, about the size of a finger. Help me retrieve it."
Meng Shuying quickly got up, eager to escape the awkward situation.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside, followed by the door opening. The warm glow of an orange torch flooded the previously dark room.
Su Luowei instinctively squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness.
Ning Laoxian stood at the door, holding a torch in his hand.
The torch burned unusually bright, perhaps due to some special fuel.
The sudden light stung Meng Shuying's eyes, but worse, Ning Laoxian's appearance was so sudden that she didn't have time to hide.