After speaking with the Millelith, Yu Xie roughly understood the current situation.
Just as Yelan had mentioned earlier, spatial fluctuations had occurred, suggesting the emergence of a potential secret realm. Such phenomena were no longer unusual, but to prevent any accidents, the Millelith had cordoned off the area and stationed guards to ensure no miners wandered into danger.
Yu Xie and Yelan crossed the blockade and ventured deeper. The surroundings were quiet.
Everywhere, rich mineral deposits lay waiting to be mined—truly befitting Liyue's reputation as the largest "mineral base."
Time ticked by as the two walked side by side, feeling no abnormalities.
Yelan glanced at Yu Xie; there was a question she had wanted to ask from the very beginning.
"Yu Xie, may I ask you something?"
"What is it? Go ahead," Yu Xie replied.
"Legend has it that Guili Assembly once had a deputy general who, as a mortal, protected the assembly and struck fear into many demon gods. That deputy general was also named Yu Xie. Have you... heard this story?"
"That story, huh... Yes, I've heard of it," Yu Xie nodded.
"Is it really just a coincidence of the same name?" Yelan pressed further.
"Who knows?" Yu Xie smiled, shrugging as he met Yelan's gaze. "If I told you I was that deputy general who once protected Guili Assembly, would you believe me?"
Yelan looked into Yu Xie's eyes, hesitating.
As an intelligence operative, she had encountered countless people and could usually discern something from their eyes.
But at this moment, she found nothing in Yu Xie's gaze.
His eyes were clear and pure, yet inexplicably deep, concealing countless secrets.
She shook her head.
"You don't believe me?" Yu Xie asked.
"It's not that—I just don't know," Yelan replied with a helpless smile. "It feels like your past is so complicated, more than I could ever imagine."
"My past..." Yu Xie murmured.
Even he didn't fully know his past.
Those memories were like dreams forgotten upon waking—not even fragments remained.
"Still, I'm inclined to believe you are the deputy general," Yelan said with a faint smile. "Though we only met today, my instincts tell me so."
"Is that so?" Yu Xie also smiled but didn't continue the topic.
At that moment, a faint spatial ripple suddenly appeared.
Both Yu Xie and Yelan stopped in their tracks.
"Be careful," Yelan warned, scanning the surroundings.
The area became quiet again, as though the spatial ripple had never existed.
In the next instant, the ground beneath them vanished.
The solid terrain disappeared without a trace, and under the pull of gravity, the two plummeted downward.
A bracelet on Yelan's wrist lit up, and gleaming threads materialized in her hands. She attempted to use the threads to pull herself and Yu Xie to safety, but a sudden wave of dizziness struck her. Her consciousness began to fade.
In the haze, she saw Yu Xie reaching out toward her.
...
It was unclear how much time had passed before Yelan regained consciousness.
A sharp pain radiated from her left ankle.
She let out a soft groan.
"You're awake," Yu Xie's voice sounded beside her. "You twisted your ankle during the fall. Don't move too much. Sorry I couldn't catch you completely."
Yelan steadied herself and glanced around. The dim light revealed nothing but rock walls and stones—it seemed they had fallen deeper into The Chasm.
"You don't need to apologize; I should be thanking you. Without you, I probably would've hit the ground directly—alive, but barely," Yelan said wryly. "I thought I was familiar with The Chasm, yet here I am."
"I've roughly investigated the surroundings," Yu Xie said. "There's no exit. This doesn't seem like just a deeper part of The Chasm—it feels more like an entirely different space."
"Could it be..." Yelan paused, "we've been pulled into those spatial fluctuations?"
"That's possible," Yu Xie nodded, then looked at Yelan's ankle. "How's your ankle? Does it hurt a lot?"
At this point, Yu Xie suddenly remembered something. If he wasn't mistaken, Yelan had a rather unusual preference—she enjoyed the sensation of pain...
"It's not serious; it's manageable," Yelan replied.
"Just in case, I brought some medicine before coming here. Take off your shoe, and I'll apply it for you," Yu Xie suggested after some thought.
Yelan hesitated.
First, her outfit was a one-piece design, making it difficult to remove her shoe. Second, her feet were quite sensitive—she had never let anyone touch them before.
"Who knows how long we'll be stuck here? It's better to treat it now," Yu Xie added.
"...Fine, but it's a bit of trouble. Use this dagger to cut the fabric around my ankle. Otherwise, it's hard to remove the shoe," Yelan relented after a moment of silence, pulling out a small dagger she carried with her.
"Alright," Yu Xie took the dagger and carefully worked to cut the fabric. Then, with gentle movements, he helped Yelan remove her shoe.
The area around Yelan's ankle was already slightly swollen and reddened from the sprain.
With a faint flash of light in his hand, Yu Xie produced some topical medicine and bandages.
"If it hurts, let me know," Yu Xie said.
"Mm," Yelan nodded slightly, a hint of shyness in her demeanor.
Yu Xie began carefully applying the medicine to Yelan's ankle.
Yelan averted her gaze, feeling a ticklish sensation on her foot.
It was her first time letting someone touch her feet, and to her surprise, it was under these circumstances.
Yu Xie's movements were so gentle that Yelan felt no pain at all.
This feeling... was oddly indescribable.
After a short while, the bandaging was done.
"Alright. Try to avoid walking as much as possible, or it could worsen," Yu Xie advised.
"Given the situation, walking seems inevitable..." Yelan said with a trace of guilt. She had never imagined a day when she would become a burden to someone else.
"If you don't mind... I could carry you," Yu Xie offered.
End of chapter
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