TM CH29

Chapter 29 Rift Cave (2)

Rong Qi woke up at dawn.

His eyes opened to unfamiliar stone walls, and the faint sound of flowing water reached his ears. His head was dizzy, and he felt heavy all over as he struggled to sit up.

“Awake?” Gu Yunxing’s voice came from nearby.

Rong Qi turned his head and saw that the person who had been half-dead last night was now sitting upright, cross-legged. Judging by his complexion, he seemed to be in good spirits.

“You…” He started to speak, but his voice came out hoarse.

Gu Yunxing said, “You were caught in the rain yesterday and used too much internal energy, so you had a slight fever during the night. How do you feel now?”

A slight fever? Rong Qi thought for a moment. “Why don’t I remember?”

However, his head was still foggy, and his limbs felt weak, which were indeed clear signs of illness.

Rong Qi rubbed his temples, stood up, and walked over to Gu Yunxing. Looking down at the back of his head, he noticed a scab of dried blood, though the wound wasn’t large. Lowering his gaze, he saw that his own right hand was wrapped several times in bandages.

Gu Yunxing looked up at him, his expression serious. “That blood on your hands wasn’t mine. You were the one who got injured.”

Rong Qi was taken aback, then skeptically moved his right hand. A sharp pain shot through his palm, causing him to hiss.

“Don’t move!” Gu Yunxing said in a deep voice, stopping him. “Your palm was cut by rocks, and I barely managed to stop the bleeding. Do you not care about your hand?”

Rong Qi froze for a moment, then retorted, “Gu Yunxing, what kind of tone is that? Why does my injury concern you?”

“How does it not concern me?” He looked up at Rong Qi, grabbing his arm and pulling him to sit beside him. “If it weren’t for your skill with hidden weapons last night, we wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

These words of praise were spoken so naturally that the anger in Rong Qi’s heart subsided a lot. He said, “The silver-ringed bone-piercing needle is inherently a killing move. Any ordinary person would have died on the spot.”

Gu Yunxing held onto Rong Qi’s hand and unwrapped the bandages, checking once more. “Fortunately, it hasn’t bled again.”

Seeing how concerned Gu Yunxing seemed about his wound, Rong Qi couldn’t help but feel a bit curious. “Gu Yunxing, are you worried about this venerable one?”

Gu Yunxing paused. “Of course. Last night, you didn’t abandon me halfway, and you even transferred so much internal energy to me.” He smiled faintly. “Although, transferring internal energy doesn’t heal external wounds.”

Rong Qi was stunned for a moment, then grumbled, “You look like a dead man. Who can tell whether you’re injured internally or externally?”

Gu Yunxing quickly replied, “Yes, yes, yes, Lord Right Protector, I will forever remember the life-saving grace you’ve shown me.”

“Stop with that sarcastic tone.” Seeing him yield, Rong Qi felt no joy at all.

Gu Yunxing: “I’m being sincere, how is that sarcastic?”

Rong Qi said irritably, “Do you think I wanted to save you? That freak’s skill is so profound. I just didn’t want you to die and leave me to face him alone!”

Gu Yunxing smiled, not rebutting him, and went along with what he said. “What Lord Right Protector says makes sense.”

That smile annoyed Rong Qi, but he had nowhere to vent it, so he chose to ignore him. “I didn’t expect such a cursed place to hide such a powerful expert. Gu Yunxing, his behavior doesn’t seem like that of a sane person. He seems more like a madman. Do you have any idea about his style?”

Gu Yunxing shook his head. “That person has very profound internal energy. His movements are forceful and fast. In today’s martial arts society, few can match him. Normally, someone with such martial arts prowess would be easily recognizable, but his techniques don’t match any of the sects I know.”

Rong Qi frowned. “There’s no match in the unorthodox sects of the evil path either. But he couldn’t have possibly become self-taught on this deserted island, right?”

The island was cut off from the world, with no signs of human habitation.

Unless this freak sprang out of a crack in the rocks, he must have come from somewhere.

Rong Qi: “In recent years, with all the turmoil in the jianghu and people disappearing, don’t you have any suspects?”

Gu Yunxing paused for a moment, then replied, “Not for now.”

Rong Qi: “That’s true. This freak is filthy and disheveled. If it weren’t for his martial arts prowess, he’d be nothing more than a barbarian.”

The two fell into silence. They had thought that being stranded on a deserted island was bad enough, but they hadn’t expected it to be hiding a bloodthirsty madman.

The wound on his hand throbbed faintly. Rong Qi lowered his head, feeling dejected. Ever since he had fallen into the sea, every time he thought he had reached rock bottom, fate always managed to push him into a deeper abyss. He said, “If he finds us again, we might not be so lucky.”

Gu Yunxing smiled lightly. “It’s rare to see Right Protector Rong so dejected.”

Rong Qi rolled his eyes at him. Hadn’t he displayed his dejection many times in front of him since arriving on the island?

“Let’s stop thinking about these worries for now. Look inside.” Gu Yunxing gestured toward the deeper part of the cave. Behind some scattered rocks and thick vegetation, mist rose from a hidden pool of water.

Gu Yunxing said, “I’ve checked it. It’s a cold spring, connected to the underground river.”

Rong Qi’s eyes widened in shock. He pushed himself up and slowly walked to the poolside, bending down to stir the water’s surface, causing ripples to spread out.

Rong Qi: “I heard the sound of water last night and thought it was just rain.”

Gu Yunxing: “If I’m not mistaken, we fell into the rift valley from the mountainside last night. We’re probably at the foot of the mountain now, or even deeper.”

In their panicked flight, they had stumbled upon this natural, hidden cave, and inside it, there was fresh water. If they had discovered it earlier, they would have rejoiced for saving them the trouble of building that ‘wildly imaginative’ house. But now, facing it, only a heavy sense of dread remained.

Rong Qi said, “We can’t stay here for long. That freak’s movements are a mystery. He might still be nearby.”

Gu Yunxing: “That’s right. We’ve been on the island for months now, but both the freak and the two Lihuo Palace disciples who died one after the other only appeared recently. So where were they hiding before?”

Rong Qi’s gaze shifted slightly. He immediately thought of the west island. The sea mist spread across the waters, obscuring the paths between the islands. Only during a brief, specific window each day could one catch a glimpse of the other island. But if he could discover the west island, the people there would surely find this place as well.

Perhaps these people had suddenly appeared from the west island.

Gu Yunxing was still unaware. Should he tell him?

Rong Qi opened his mouth to speak, then walked back to Gu Yunxing’s side, his gaze falling on the wound at the back of his head.

Gu Yunxing asked, “What’s wrong?”

Rong Qi said, “If you had just run away on your own last night, you wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.”

Gu Yunxing hadn’t expected him to say this, but smiled and replied, “Then this humble Gu would be all alone now.”

Rong Qi said firmly, “If I were you, I would never have carried an extra burden while escaping.”

Gu Yunxing met his direct, unwavering gaze and sighed. “Right Protector Rong, you are no burden. Besides, I already acted as a burden last night, unconscious and useless.” As for whether someone had really meant what they said about ‘never carrying an extra burden while escaping,’ that didn’t need further clarification.

Rong Qi fell silent for a moment, then turned his eyes away and acted as if nothing had happened. “There’s no need to mention it. Even if you didn’t abandon me, don’t expect me to be grateful.”

Gu Yunxing’s face showed a hint of hurt. “Ah, Right Protector Rong, why is it so difficult to hear a kind word from you?”

Rong Qi, with a cold face, told him not to change the subject. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Gu Yunxing, teach me how to swim.”

Gu Yunxing blinked, caught off guard. “Why do you suddenly want to learn that?” He paused, then joked, “Could it be that the Right Protector is planning to swim out of the sea?”

Rong Qi stared at him impassively. “Not funny.”

Gu Yunxing: “……”

Rong Qi: “Swimming out to the sea is naturally impossible. But seeing this underground river, I just feel we should make more preparations.”

The two of them followed the source of the water with their eyes. The underground river meandered and deepened, and the further they looked, the wider the water became. Perhaps the rift cave would end in nothing but water.

Gu Yunxing: “Maybe by now, that freak has already left. We could go back the way we came.”

“Impossible!” Rong Qi furrowed his brows. “Aren’t you curious where this underground river leads?”

Gu Yunxing raised an eyebrow. “It’s probably still within the island. We can’t go anywhere else.”

Rong Qi: “That may be true, but…” He paused, then suddenly realized something, his tone turning cold. “Forget it if you’re not willing to teach me!”

Gu Yunxing, seeing the vexed expression on Rong Qi’s face, quickly told him, “Of course I’m willing to teach you.”

Rong Qi glanced at Gu Yunxing, noticing his smile. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being teased.

In the end, the decision to learn swimming was made. The rift cave was incredibly hidden, and their presence there had gone unnoticed by the freak. After resting for two days to recover from their injuries, Rong Qi suggested that they enter the water.

He didn’t have much confidence in his ability to swim. When he was young, Zou Yuchuan had tried every method to teach him but had failed. Now, with Gu Yunxing trying to teach him, what were the chances it would work? But Rong Qi knew that once Gu Yunxing learned about the existence of the west island, he would certainly want to investigate the whereabouts of his friend. Even if he kept it a secret now, it would only delay the inevitable.

Thus, the journey to the west island could not be avoided. He had to force himself to quickly improve his swimming skills.

If he couldn’t learn, and if Gu Yunxing left, he might have to face that freak alone.

Sunlight filtered through the cracks, casting light over the pool. Rong Qi stared at the shimmering water’s surface. Before he even approached, he already felt a bit dizzy.

Not far away, Gu Yunxing had removed his outer robe and was waving at him from the water.

“Don’t worry, the water isn’t deep.”

Rong Qi’s gaze dropped to where the water covered Gu Yunxing’s collarbones. He stood still, not moving.

Gu Yunxing noticed his hesitation and said, “It’s only a few feet deeper than the stream you usually bathe in.”

Rong Qi replied coldly, “I can see that.”

He couldn’t let Gu Yunxing underestimate him. Taking a moment to steady himself, he gripped the collar of his robe, removed his outer garment, and stepped into the cold spring.

The water was cool, and when it touched his skin, it sent a sharp chill through him. He grasped the side of the spring, slowly taking a few steps forward. Soon, the water rose past his knees, then his waist… Rong Qi stopped.

The cold spring wasn’t large, and Gu Yunxing was close by. He only needed to raise his hand slightly to touch him.