After the initial shock, Xiao Yixian felt Gu Fei's hand on her waist, and her face turned red.
[Xiao Yixian becomes shy, and her emotional value increases by 100.]
She clenched the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her eyes becoming a bit dazed, and her cheeks and ears flushed crimson. After all, this was the first time Xiao Yixian had been in such close contact with a man.
In the past, despite her gentle personality, she always avoided people's advances. In her eyes, those suitors were never as important as a medicinal herb.
But now, Gu Fei had taken that place...
The Little Medical Fairy patted her cheeks, trying to shake off the random thoughts swirling in her mind.
Gu Fei glanced at her, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Next, Gu Fei and Xiao Yixian descended toward the middle of the cliff.
Just as they were nearing the ground, a rock snake suddenly darted out, its icy tongue flicking as the tip of its tail coiled up, as though it was ready to swallow them in the next second.
Although Xiao Yixian wasn't afraid of snakes, she would always feel a bit startled when one suddenly appeared while she was picking herbs.
But this time, the feeling was different.
[Xiao Yixian develops feelings of dependence and trust, and her emotional value increases by 100.]
The Little Medical Fairy leaned against Gu Fei, unafraid.
She rested against his slender frame, feeling a sense of peace.
Because Xiao Yixian knew that as long as Gu Fei was by her side, there would be no danger.
Even though he wasn't as tall and strong as those mercenaries, she knew he would never falter.
After Gu Fei swiftly dealt with the rock snake, he spotted a barely visible platform extending from the cliff's base.
With a light tap of his toes, he hovered above the platform and glanced around.
It was a messy place, clearly not frequented by anyone, with nowhere suitable to stay.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Fei raised his hand and unleashed a gust of wind.
His control over his strength was precise, only sweeping away the surrounding debris without causing any unnecessary damage.
Gu Fei landed on the platform with Xiao Yixian. As he released his grip on her, the warmth faded, and Xiao Yixian felt a small pang of emptiness in her heart.
[Xiao Yixian feels a sense of loss, and her emotional value increases by 100.]
Snapping out of it, she realized she'd been lingering on the memory of Gu Fei's hand around her waist, causing her face to flush once more.
Soon, she composed herself and looked around seriously, confirming their destination. She stepped forward and called back to him, "Sir, this way."
They soon arrived at the entrance of a cave. Though it was a sunny day and the surroundings were hot, the cave exuded a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.
Gu Fei took the lead, walking into the cave first. Inside, it was so quiet and dark that one could barely see their own hand in front of them.
As they ventured deeper, Gu Fei remained calm, his steps steady, while Xiao Yixian grew increasingly pale.
A slight chill permeated the cave, sending shivers through her. The Little Medical Fairy felt goosebumps rising on her skin.
Gu Fei, however, was fine. Protected by his fighting spirit, he naturally regulated his body temperature, unfazed by the cold.
In the silence, only the faint sound of their footsteps echoed through the cave.
Xiao Yixian, not known for her bravery, felt a growing sense of fear in the claustrophobic environment.
But fortunately, Gu Fei was with her. She secretly let out a breath of relief and stayed close to him, not daring to fall behind even a single step.
After walking for what seemed like a long time, Xiao Yixian's feet began to ache, though she stubbornly kept silent.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, Gu Fei came to a stop.
In her daze, Xiao Yixian didn't notice and, propelled by inertia, bumped directly into Gu Fei's back, bringing them into unexpected close contact.
"I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were stopping... I didn't mean to... I'm really sorry..."
[Xiao Yixian becomes panicked, emotional value increases by 100.]
Her heart raced uncontrollably, her face burning in embarrassment as she stammered out an apology.
There was an almost tearful tone to her voice, which Gu Fei immediately picked up on.
Despite clearly being hurt by the impact, Xiao Yixian was the one apologizing to him. Gu Fei smiled helplessly. "It's fine. I didn't notice you were so close behind me."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yixian's heart pounded even faster. This was completely different from the composed, calm Xiao Yixian that people knew from Qingshan Town.
Glancing around, Xiao Yixian realized why Gu Fei had suddenly stopped. The path ahead was blocked by a large stone door.
"These kinds of stone doors usually have mechanisms. I'll try to find one..." Xiao Yixian suggested tentatively.
"No need," Gu Fei replied, shaking his head as he struck out with his palm.
The massive stone door shattered instantly with a resounding crash.
Xiao Yixian instinctively shielded herself from the debris but was surprised to see that, under Gu Fei's precise control, not a single shard flew toward them.
[Xiao Yixian feels admiration, emotional value increases by 100.]
Young Master is so strong!
His control over his fighting spirit is flawless.
Xiao Yixian marveled inwardly.
They proceeded deeper into the cave in search of treasure, eventually coming across three chests.
However, the remaining part of the demon fire map was with the skeleton, so Xiao Yixian didn't dare approach. Instead, Gu Fei went to retrieve the key.
During this, he also discreetly took the demon fire map hidden within the skeleton's arm and stored it in his ring.
Gu Fei had no intention of mentioning this. Even if he did, it would serve no purpose—Xiao Yixian wouldn't be able to handle such a thing anyway.
It was better that she didn't know.
They opened the treasure chests one by one, revealing the Seven-Colored Poison Sutra, a flying fighting skill, and a volume of Xuan-level advanced fighting techniques.
Xiao Yixian's eyes gleamed, almost blinded by the treasures.
[Xiao Yixian feels surprise, emotional value increases by 100.]
Gu Fei gave them a quick glance, but none of them interested him.
With his current cultivation level, unless it was a high-level earth-grade flying fighting skill or better, it held no value to him.
"Sir, you don't want anything?"
[Xiao Yixian feels guilty, emotional value increases by 100.]
Seeing that Gu Fei was leaving all the treasures for her, Xiao Yixian felt a pang of guilt.
I'm asking him for help, yet I'm not giving him anything in return.
Perhaps Gu Fei truly didn't care for these items.
Not wanting to see her frown, Gu Fei shifted his gaze to a patch of wild medicinal herbs nearby.
"There are some good medicinal herbs over there. Consider them my reward for inviting me down here!" he said with a smile.
"Okay! Wait a moment, I'll go pick them for you."
Hearing this, Xiao Yixian smiled, then took out her tools and began carefully collecting the herbs.
Gu Fei watched her work intently, a look of appreciation in his eyes.
Although she wasn't as breathtaking as Xun'er, she possessed an extraordinary, unique temperament.