[TCFO] Arc 3 – Chapter 134
The Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (28)
They didn’t exchange words on their way, but their auras gradually merged until Zhou Min’s eyes lit up. Subconsciously, she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Shangguan Qi’s right hand, pointing to a place not far ahead. “Can you hear it? Can you hear it? It’s the sound of flowing water, the sound of flowing water!”
Shangguan Qi looked at the slender fingers on his right sleeve, and when he raised his eyes, he saw the enchanting Zhou Min close by. Her eyes let him see the girl from five years ago in the Valley of Divine Physicians again. She was still as heart-pounding, captivating, and vivid, making him feel inferior.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry, let’s go quickly, Shangguan Qi, let’s go!” Zhou Min pulled Shangguan Qi’s wrist, seemingly dragging him towards the sound of the river beating against the stone walls on both sides.
Standing by the mountain stones and looking down at the river below, the water flowed swiftly and clearly. It cascaded like a herd of wild horses, rushing between the canyon walls and rocks. The shouts echoed in the gorge as if countless giant dragons were entwined, wrestling, and flowing down from the upstream mountains, forming waterfalls. The surging white waves were higher than the mountain tops on the shore, one after another, piling up like an avalanche. Massive whirlpools were stirred up, violently scouring the rocks. At intervals of several tens of meters downstream, one or two overlapping whirlpools would rapidly rotate, emitting a deafening roar.
Zhou Min stood by the river and couldn’t help but feel the air temperature drop a few degrees. Her body shivered involuntarily. Shangguan Qi looked at the river and frowned slightly. “Let’s split up to gather some firewood. We’ll find a place upstream to sleep tonight, and then tomorrow, we’ll follow the direction of the river to find a way out!”
Zhou Min nodded, touched the goosebumps on her arms that had risen due to the cold, and followed him into the depths of the jungle. Unconsciously, perhaps because they were closer to the water, Zhou Min found herself walking upstream. With a leap, she landed on a rock by the river, looked up, and saw the naturally formed giant waterfall.
She lifted the veil to her waist, hung her sleeves on her arm, and used clear water to cleanse her body and face. Just as Zhou Min was squinting and enjoying herself, the corner of her eye caught sight of a python lying on a huge boulder beside the waterfall, fast asleep!
Zhou Min bit her lower lip, suppressing the fear that was about to scream out. The fingers holding the Azure Light Sword turned pale, her eyes widened in shock, and her legs weakened but dared not move recklessly. Stepping back softly, she turned and sprinted into the jungle. Only after landing in the forest did Zhou Min dare to scream, as if only in this way could she release the fear from a moment ago. Her scream alerted Shangguan Qi, who rushed back with firewood from the other side of the jungle and stirred up the birds in the forest, which flapped their wings and flew into the sky. When Shangguan Qi heard the scream, he immediately dropped the firewood in his arms and ran towards the source of the sound. However, from a distance, he saw a figure in red, dishevelled, sword in hand, rushing towards him. Before Shangguan Qi could steady himself, Zhou Min violently collided with him, slamming him into the large tree behind him.
With a loud ‘bang,’ the sword fell to the ground, and its back forcefully struck the old tree. Leaves fell from the trees, but Shangguan Qi paid no attention. The shivering figure in his arms entirely drew his focus.
“Zhou Min, what’s wrong?” Shangguan Qi’s hands pressed against her shoulders, but she was surprised by the chilling cold.
Zhou Min clung tightly to Shangguan Qi, her left hand, which had dropped the sword, grabbing onto her right hand. She held onto his muscular waist, burying her face in his chest, refusing to let go.
“Zhou Min, what’s going on with you?” Looking at the half-naked person, feeling her squeezing her chest against his, Shangguan Qi might have thought this woman was trying to seduce him if he hadn’t noticed her pale face, trembling body, and pitiful appearance. “Is there a snake? Or a python?” Zhou Min murmured with a crying tone. Her words, though delivered quietly and pitifully in the silent environment, made Shangguan Qi take notice.
Dangerous creatures in the jungle were not unusual, but not being cautious despite knowing about them brought a sense of imminent danger, as if living next to a tiger. In this case, it wasn’t a tiger but a cold and ruthless giant python.
“Where?” Shangguan Qi asked.
“At the upper end of the river, on the rocks by the waterfall!” Zhou Min said in a soft, trembling voice, shaking her body as she spoke.
Shangguan Qi forcefully pulled Zhou Min’s hands around him and headed straight for the location she pointed out. As he pushed her away with strength, Zhou Min, who had just found a sense of security, shivered instantly with a gust of cold wind. Watching his disappearing figure, without much thought, she turned and hurriedly followed, forgetting even her sword on the ground.
It was already dark when the two stood by the mountain stones again. The jungle was even more dim and cold. Shangguan Qi had already lit the torch in his hand when he came back because his martial arts had not yet recovered. When they went down, it was Zhou Min who led him. Watching the waves splashing on the rocks, stirred up by the waterfall, hitting their clothes and leaving water stains, Shangguan Qi swept the torch in that direction. Zhou Min pointed but found nothing on the scorched stones!
Shangguan Qi looked at her, puzzled, but Zhou Min was even more confused. In disbelief, Zhou Min snatched the torch from Shangguan Qi’s hand, approached the rocks even closer, looked around, and her eyes became increasingly anxious. “I saw it. The dark python patterns, as thick as tree trunks, coiled on this rock for at least five rounds. You have to believe me!”
Zhou Min’s urgency made Shangguan Qi about to speak, but suddenly, from behind Zhou Min came the eerie sound of “hiss, hiss,” making Zhou Min’s mind explode instantly. Her eyes widened in shock and fear, and just as Shangguan Qi noticed her eyes, which had opened in the dark, deep brown and glinting with cold light, he saw the red snake tongue flickering in the dark corner. It disappeared and reappeared intermittently. The sound echoed in the river valley, where the water splashed against the rocks, appearing exceptionally shocking.
Zhou Min felt the sudden chill in Shangguan Qi’s eyes before her.
Before Zhou Min could ask anything, a frightening “hiss, hiss” sound suddenly came behind her. It made Zhou Min’s mind blank, her eyes filled with horror. Shangguan Qi, watching the black giant python gradually crawl over, revealing its true form, became cautious. The jet-black giant python coiled on a high platform not far away, eyeing them closely.
Zhou Min stood between Shangguan Qi and the black giant python, holding a torch, but dared not move. Shangguan Qi had already clamped a silver needle between his two fingers, ready to strike.
