Chapter 235: Chapter 151: Leaving the Cave; Holding Hands (2)

"This..." Ji Xueruo was somewhat shocked.

You Su was equally stunned when he saw the newcomers, but then he immediately took a stern stance and said:

"It’s an illusion!"

He quickly set up his sword, ready for battle.

The two doppelgangers crossed over the evil tide, addressing You Su and Ji Xueruo; one called sweetly "Mr. You," and the other cheerfully "Miss Ji." They enthusiastically approached the two.

You Su felt a chilling sensation and didn’t hesitate to position the Mo Song Sword across his chest, releasing a magnificent sword force.

The sword rang sharply as ’Ji Xueruo’ was suddenly cut in half, then vanished into smoke.

Strangely, ’You Su’ remained unharmed, still displaying that calm and confident smile, stepping towards the still-recovering Ji Xueruo.

You Su thrust his sword again, but it had no effect on the fake figure. He frowned, puzzled by why he could only cut one despite seeing through both as illusions.

You Su tried his best to block the fake figure’s actions, but it was futile. He suddenly thought of something and shouted:

"Miss Ji! It’s your illusion! I can’t help you!"

Ji Xueruo’s beautiful eyes focused; she struggled to sit up, her lower body’s tremors nearing their peak. Yet, she had no choice but to face the enemy herself.

"Miss Ji... I’m here to save you."

’You Su’ drew closer; though they looked the same, Ji Xueruo felt a different sensation entirely. She inexplicably harbored resentment, feeling this fake You Su was an insult to the real one. She was determined to crush it.

Lazily, she decided not to restrain herself from the sensation anymore. She let out an involuntary moan while chanting incantations, as a large water bullet formed in her hand. It shot towards ’You Su’ at the climax with a delicate shout:

"Ah!"

The water bullet pierced through ’You Su’s abdomen at lightning speed, crashing into the evil tide behind and causing massive damage.

Seeing the fake You Su dissipate, Ji Xueruo leaned against the wall, gasping in relief, shivering all over, with a hint of charm on her face. From her exposed ankle beneath the black dress, a delicate stream of water flowed, exuding an alluring fragrance.

"Didn’t expect Miss Ji to excel in water projectile skills."

You Su marveled at the power of the water bullet. Normally, a person couldn’t simultaneously excel in clashing elemental skills, but Ji Xueruo’s consecutive use of formidable fire and water techniques showed her as a talented sorceress.

Ji Xueruo was instantly filled with shame and anger, biting her red lips. She wondered if the young man was genuinely praising her skill or realized she launched water from more than just her hand.

"Ha! I didn’t expect you to be so skilled in sword control!"

You Su focused on slaying the evil and didn’t open his eyes, thus he didn’t notice Ji Xueruo’s state. He modestly replied:

"Just a bit, but the junior sister’s sword talent isn’t bad either."

"Don’t mention that brat!"

Ji Xueruo felt frustrated hearing her sister’s name. That greedy little snake nearly cost her life, yet the boy fighting alongside her couldn’t forget her.

You Su didn’t know what happened, but sensed Ji Xueruo’s attitude towards her sister had changed; previously she was annoyed with him, now it was the junior sister.

He tactfully changed the topic: "Is Miss Ji recovered?"

"Let’s kill the enemies! Let’s retrace our steps; I remember the way."

Ji Xueruo straightened up, starting to condense her powerful skills, glowing brightly.

You Su tightened his grip on the sword. Compared to wandering aimlessly in the cave, taking a known path was indeed wiser. Only by returning to the surface could they secure the lotus seed to awaken Xiaoyu.

The evil tide surged on; the black-dressed girl and black-robed boy fought seamlessly, almost as if they weren’t collaborating for the first time. No evil spirits could approach them; it was as if they were destined partners.

...

In the dark cave, You Su held the Wind Weasel Array Disc in one hand to find direction and lightly linked his other hand with Ji Xueruo.

Both didn’t pull hard, merely brushing against each other, crouching as they moved forward.

"Is this secret technique really effective?" You Su hesitantly asked.

Ji Xueruo glanced at him and said, "My ’Void Snake Shedding’ is a snake race secret technique, specifically for concealing aura and cultivation. Unless there’s a Venerable of the Void Realm, even Feather Transformation Realm cultivators can’t see through my disguise. Otherwise, why couldn’t you perceive my disguise as a mortal Xiaoyu when you entered the pool?"

You Su nodded, yet the tender and smooth sensation on his hand still made him feel strange, "Do we really need to hold hands?"

"Do you think I want to hold yours?" Ji Xueruo sharply poked his hand, "Don’t overthink! If this technique lacks mutual contact, I can’t help you. If you’re exposed, my disguise is meaningless."

"Thank you, Miss Ji." You Su conceded. After all, it was just holding hands, a trivial matter compared to dual cultivation.

Ji Xueruo pursed her red lips; truthfully, she too felt the rough calluses on You Su’s hand exceptionally clear, which stirred her heart.

"Hey, have you seen evil spirits before?" Ji Xueruo suddenly asked.

"How did Miss Ji notice?" You Su was surprised.

"Whether it’s the tentacle in the dark pool or that evil tide swarm, your divine sense could explain them. Yet when the two appeared, you immediately recognized it was an illusion, indicating you must have seen their faces clearly. And you’re blind, so you’ve surely seen more powerful evil spirits." Ji Xueruo lowered her voice, "Moreover, the Exorcism Bureau doesn’t have members below the Condensed Water Realm. You, a Middle Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, possess an Exorcism Order because you must’ve encountered evil spirits."

You Su was silent for a while before admitting:

"Yes, my junior sister and I faced a great catastrophe in Chuyun City, similar to Jade Ring Pool, where numerous powerful evil spirits appeared. Evil spirits of the Dream Master type once appeared in my dreams, thus later I could directly see those spirits."

"Alright, I don’t intend to pry into your secrets; I just hope you can be honest. But when slashing my fake body, why were you so decisive? Do you really wish to cut me?"

You Su chuckled, surprised, "I saw Miss Ji mercilessly spray ’me’ with water, too."

Ji Xueruo was infuriated and pinched You Su, scolded, "Shut up! We’re approaching that dark pool!"

Following her words, You Su kept silent, and the two carefully navigated along the wall.

After a while, they returned to the dark pool where food was sacrificed to the Evil God.

The dark pool was calm now, showing no reaction to You Su and Ji Xueruo’s arrival. You Su released his divine sense in the direction Ji Xueruo pointed, but felt nothing unusual. He continued silently following Ji Xueruo on the familiar path.

No idea how many turns and evil spirits they bypassed, the two finally found their way out of the cave. Emerging, they were greeted by a spring and the bright moon in the sky, with Jade Ring Lake not far from the mountain’s base.

Crawling out of the water, surprisingly dry and completely cleaned of dirt, the spring was indeed the source of the Purification Curtain at the mountain’s foot — the Unstained Spring.

"Perhaps building the passage here serves another purpose." You Su took a deep breath of fresh air.

"But this Unstained Spring cleans the dirt on one’s body but can’t purify the filth in one’s heart." Ji Xueruo sighed and glanced at the sky, "Seems a day has passed..."

"Isn’t anyone guarding this place?"

"Clearly, the people at Jade Ring Pool haven’t discovered Yui Zhen’s death yet, and only a small faction raised the Evil God. Most remain in the dark; if all the pool’s thousands took part, it wouldn’t be at this pace." Ji Xueruo looked back at the vast Jade Ring Lake, asking, "Really not turning back? We might escape."

"If it were truly so easy, Jade Ring Pool’s people would’ve left long ago."

You Su faced Jade Ring Pool, his robes fluttering in the mountain wind. He knew this path was a point of no return:

"The priority... is acquiring the lotus seed without revealing you; but where to get it?"

As he turned, their hands naturally separated. Ji Xueruo unexplainably felt a sense of loss in her heart.

She quickly masked it, pulling two brightly colored dresses from her pouch and taking two glances at You Su’s upright figure, smiling:

"I have an idea."