FI CH 41

Chapter 41: Underground Labyrinth (XI)

After Kurosawa dove into the water, he quickly realized the well was much deeper—and larger—than he’d expected. But he had no time to analyze the area now. Urgently, he began searching for Bai Hua’s figure.

If this had been an ordinary situation, he might not have been too worried. But something was clearly wrong with Bai Hua. This wasn’t just a sneak attack—given that they already knew the enemy had the ability to mimic voices, Bai Hua shouldn’t have fallen for such a simple trap. Kurosawa already had some guesses, but he needed to find Bai Hua first to confirm anything.

Suddenly, Kurosawa spotted a dark silhouette below. He immediately swam down, and upon confirming it was Bai Hua, he grabbed him tightly. He couldn’t hold his breath much longer, so he didn’t have time to check Bai Hua’s condition—he could only swim upward with all his strength.

Returning to the original well entrance was already impossible. Luckily, when he jumped down earlier, he’d noticed a recessed cave wall not too far away—barely usable as a temporary resting spot.

Kurosawa calculated the distance and swam toward the surface, managing to grab onto a stone ledge at the edge of the cave. He first pushed Bai Hua up, then followed after him. The cave was small—just enough for two people to squeeze inside. It seemed to have been eroded over time by flowing water.

While in the water earlier, Kurosawa had noticed the current here was still moving, albeit slowly. That meant it was live water—which strongly suggested there might be another exit somewhere.

Kurosawa first checked Bai Hua’s condition. He pressed a hand to his forehead, tilted his chin up, and squeezed his cheeks to force his mouth open—only to realize Bai Hua hadn’t swallowed any water. He must have instinctively held his breath the moment he hit the surface.

Kurosawa’s actions woke Bai Hua. He swatted the hand away and sat up. “I’m fine.”

Kurosawa stared at him for a moment. “You really don’t look fine. So it did affect you after all?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you remember? Back in the temporary rest room—the scent you smelled at the start… it was an aphrodisiac.”

Bai Hua froze for a moment, then realization dawned. Aphrodisiacs didn’t just affect those in forced bonds—they were an almost irresistible temptation for Sentinels and Guides with high compatibility. No wonder Kurosawa had looked like he wanted to say something back then but held back. So this was the reason. Bai Hua looked at him again. “But why didn’t it seem like you were affected?”

“I was. Just not as much as you. You inhaled more of it,” Kurosawa replied. “So you should understand now—your condition is dangerous. You’re already showing early signs of bonding heat.”

Bai Hua frowned slightly.

Kurosawa looked away, scanning their surroundings. “But this isn’t the place…”

“Would a dose of Guide suppressant help?”

“It’ll only suppress it. We need to leave this place as soon as possible.”

Bai Hua said nothing more. He took out a dose of the suppressant and administered twice the usual amount. Even if it might not help much, it was at least a psychological comfort.

Given Bai Hua’s current condition, he couldn’t swim effectively, so Kurosawa went ahead to scout the way underwater. After a full sweep within his ability range, he found an exit at the bottom.

Once they were ready, both of them plunged back into the water.

The moment Bai Hua entered the water again, a chill pierced through him. The icy water offered some relief from the heat building up inside, but the sensation of the current brushing against his skin only intensified. His senses were sharper than ever—as if they had been amplified several times.

The discomfort was reminiscent of the time when he first awakened as a Guide, when all five senses suddenly became overwhelming and needed time to adjust. Bai Hua hadn’t felt like this in years—and now he was being forcibly reminded of it, only this time, it was far more excruciating. He forced himself to adapt. When he looked up again, he saw Kurosawa watching him with concern.

He hadn’t forgotten that Kurosawa couldn’t stay underwater for long. Bai Hua made a strained gesture to signal he was fine, and motioned for them to keep going.

They swam toward the exit together. The passage was long and winding. Kurosawa constantly checked on Bai Hua’s state. If needed, he would drag him forward by force.

But just as they swam out of the tunnel, Kurosawa began to run out of air. Without hesitation, Bai Hua leaned forward and shared his breath with him.

However, once their lips met, they almost couldn’t pull apart.

That single kiss was all it took for Bai Hua to lose control completely. It was as if he’d forgotten they were still underwater. What started as a simple transfer of air quickly turned into something else—his movements changed, and instead of helping Kurosawa, he began to greedily take in the oxygen from his mouth. His tongue plunged deep, swirling wantonly in Kurosawa’s mouth. The pheromones in their shared saliva tasted unbelievably sweet and intoxicating.

Every cell in Bai Hua’s body screamed with excitement, unable to resist the overwhelming pleasure.

Even underwater, Kurosawa could feel Bai Hua’s body temperature was abnormally high. But he couldn’t move recklessly—if he struggled, Bai Hua would only pull him in tighter. So he had no choice but to go along for now, half dragging and half guiding Bai Hua upward toward the surface.

When they finally broke the surface again, both of them gasped desperately for air, their lips separating only because of oxygen deprivation.

They both showed signs of having swallowed some water. Bai Hua began coughing violently, and through the haze of his mind, he vaguely remembered what he had just done. He’d nearly gotten both of them drowned.

Kurosawa looked at him and said, “Just hang in there a little longer.”

Bai Hua closed his eyes and nodded.

“I’ll swim us forward,” Kurosawa said, looking ahead. Thankfully, this area of water was clear of obstructions, so they could float and move on the surface. He wrapped his arms around Bai Hua in a careful hold, avoiding any direct contact with his exposed skin. “Relax your body.”

In this state, it was nearly impossible for Bai Hua to relax. The fact that he hadn’t already lost control and pinned Kurosawa was a miracle in itself. Still, as uncomfortable as he felt, he forced himself to comply.

The two of them drifted slowly along the water’s surface. Their pace was sluggish, but at least it was safer this way.

But the inability to touch solid ground felt like a never-ending torture.

Finally, just when Kurosawa spotted a place where they could rest temporarily, a sudden current slammed into him from behind, forcing him backward. His sharp senses flared up—someone was nearby. This presence… it was Jing He.

Just as her name surfaced in his mind, both his and Bai Hua’s legs were yanked downward. They were abruptly dragged under the surface, sinking fast into the depths.

Jing He’s spirit form was a fish—this environment was her domain, and her abilities would be at their peak here.

They had never considered the possibility that Jing He—who had been missing for so long—would suddenly appear in a place like this. But right now, Bai Hua was in no condition to fight, and Kurosawa’s Guide abilities had already been stripped away. Even if they had the strength, escaping unscathed wasn’t guaranteed.

Things couldn’t get any worse.

At first, they thought Jing He intended to kill them. But surprisingly, she didn’t. Instead, she dragged them along a winding, complicated path, swimming deeper with clear intent and direction.

The process didn’t last long—barely two minutes had passed before Jing He pushed them both into a swirling vortex.

Jing He’s presence suddenly vanished—she was no longer following them.

Surprisingly, beneath the whirlpool was another hidden space. After the two of them fell into the water, Kurozawa quickly grabbed Bai Hua and dragged him toward the shore.

This place seemed to be even deeper than the underground cavern, as they could feel the chilling coldness in the air. A thin layer of frost coated the stone walls. The temperature here wasn’t quite low enough for the pool to freeze completely, but the water flowed very slowly.

But Kurozawa didn’t even have time to examine their surroundings carefully, because Bai Hua was already on the verge of his limit. Even through the special material of his clothing, Kurozawa could still feel the searing heat radiating from the other’s body.

Bai Hua’s consciousness was already hazy, but he still remembered what Kurozawa had told him earlier—to hold on a bit longer. His body trembled from suppressing his desire too hard, straining from the restraint.

Kurozawa had originally intended to take him back first and deal with it later. With today’s medical technology, there were always ways to temporarily suppress a heat cycle. He honestly hadn’t wanted it to happen under such circumstances. But one unexpected incident after another had left him with no other choice.

Kurozawa stared at Bai Hua for a moment, as if finally making up his mind.

He unfastened the top button of his shirt, then turned Bai Hua’s body around so his back was against him. His slender fingers slid from Bai Hua’s soft hair down to his cheek, finally gripping his chin.

“Don’t hold back anymore. Let’s do it.”

(To be continued…)