The sudden concern was unexpected, and it was unclear if it had excited Bian Weiyin, as her hand quivered while receiving the item.

When Shi Chun withdrew his hand after giving the item, Bian Weiyin's hand, as if startled, instinctively grasped his.

Then, the cave fell into deathly silence again.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, Wu Jinliang was at first stunned; then he slowly turned around. Although he could see nothing, he quietly looked in the direction from which the voice had come.

He had felt that Chun Tian's "let's go" was particularly spirited, and now he probably understood—Chun Tian might have found a way out.

This was good news, and he indeed was happy, but the joy didn't feel quite complete.

He wondered why it felt incomplete. It shouldn't be that way.

He had known from the start that once there was a way out, Chun Tian wouldn't let this woman live. But this time, the method seemed much gentler. There was no direct violence, just leaving her to her own devices.

This didn't quite seem like Chun Tian. Damn it, what had those two been up to in the dark?

He cursed himself for not having seen it.

And he was relieved he hadn't called out "sister-in-law."

Rationally speaking, Chun Tian's approach was right.

There weren't any entanglements, so why did he feel this way?

Perhaps it was really like the woman had said: some things only feel right with the perfect confluence of timing, location, and people involved. Even a slight deviation can alter the feeling.

Or maybe it was because the woman could utter such words.

He hoisted his blade over his shoulder and, with one hand against the cave wall, repeatedly rubbed a rough spot with his index finger, not speaking, just silently waiting, knowing that some decisions weren't his to make.

"What's wrong?"

Shi Chun's voice, devoid of any emotional tone, shattered the calm.

Previously, approaching to kiss didn't feel like a transgression, but now, just holding hands made Bian Weiyin feel she had crossed a line, and she quickly let go.

She tried to keep her tone as calm and collected as the other's, but one can't simply put an armor back on once it's been removed. As soon as she spoke, she could hear the tremble in her own voice.

"I'm scared of the dark; can you take me to the Ice Field?"

A brief silence made her feel as if eons had passed.

This place was too dark. Although the Ice Field was equally dark, at least she could use Sandal Gold Illumination there; she'd prefer the cold of the Ice Field.

Shi Chun seemed to consider it for a moment, then replied with the same calmness, just one word, "Okay."

Then he reached out, clasped her arm, and helped her towards the cave entrance, where he released the Wind Scale.

The whooshing wind faced the cave, quickly sucking the three of them out and away in an instant.

Along the way, Shi Chun's hand still gripped Bian Weiyin's arm tightly.

She had been carried here; now, she was being dragged away, and tears streamed down Bian Weiyin's face—a sense of misplaced trust. She didn't want anyone to see.

Now she understood it was better to remain as Lord Bian. Her mother was right; men are unreliable!

Among them, Wu Jinliang, who usually spoke the most, was silent throughout this time.

Eventually, Shi Chun broke the silence, "Senior sister, if one day we get out and I have a conflict with your family, whose side will you take?"

Wu Jinliang perked up his ears.

With emotions overwhelming her and tears flowing even more, Bian Weiyin knew what the rational answer was, but she really couldn't say it. Not scolding the faithless man was already her last resort, let alone declaring that she wouldn't care about her own family and firmly stand by his side?

With tears streaming down her face, she just couldn't do it. Her emotions couldn't adjust instantly, and she clenched her lips, refusing to answer.

Then Shi Chun didn't say anything more, as if waiting for her answer.

It wasn't long before Shi Chun landed with the two of them, retracting the Wind Scale.

They had reached the Ice Field so quickly? Wu Jinliang was surprised.

Bian Weiyin, quietly wiping away her tears, also sensed something was amiss. Why couldn't she feel the cold of the Ice Field?

Both instinctively scuffed their feet on the ground and bent down to touch it, realizing it wasn't the Ice Field at all.

Shi Chun, having walked a few steps ahead and hearing no footsteps following him, turned back and asked, "What are you doing? Come on."

Both hurriedly stood up and groped toward the sound of his voice.

Seeing the two blind mice struggling to find the way, Shi Chun had no choice but to step forward and take hold of one in each hand, leading them on.

Wu Jinliang curiously asked, "Where is this? Aren't we going to the Ice Field?"

Shi Chun: "The Ice Field is too cold; with senior sister's injury not yet healed, I'm not at ease leaving her alone there."

"Huh?" Wu Jinliang's eyes instantly bulged, almost larger than his head.

"..." Lost in her own troubled thoughts, Bian Weiyin suddenly looked up, her expression one of bewilderment and confusion, unsure whether to be surprised or pleased. Was she overthinking things, or was she dreaming?

Having led the two companions not far away, on a slope into a small valley, Shi Chun let them go, approached a monster's body, drew his knife and lifted the creature's belly, then wriggled into the corpse. He set to work on remodelling the already hollowed-out insides to accommodate two extra people.

Besides, they needed to lighten the monster's body to make the journey ahead easier.

Wu Jinliang squinted his eyes and asked, "Chun Tian, what are you doing? Are you up to something indecent with Senior Sister again? You're going too far, haha. Be careful, or I'll take out the Sandal Gold Illumination to expose you two."

Hiding within the monster's body, Shi Chun ignored him and kept busy with his own task.

Bian Weiyin stood to the side, dazed and clueless about what to say or ask. Her mind was in a blur, not knowing if she had been driven foolish by others or by herself.

Shi Chun quickly finished chopping the flesh and cleared out the detritus. He lifted the monster's base plate and called the two over, "Come here."

The two approached tentatively, Wu Jinliang being dragged in, while Shi Chun was noticeably gentler with Bian Weiyin, grabbing her hand and guiding her in.

Once inside, Shi Chun took out a Sandal Gold Illumination, and only then did Wu and Bian realize they had entered the body of the monster.

"What's this for?" asked Wu Jinliang, curious.

Even more curious was Bian Weiyin, who, for her first time involved in the duo's plans, was yet to fully recover from her confusion and found herself faced with new bewilderment.

Shi Chun patted the large lump of flesh in the center, "I've tried it already. Those monsters aren't very clever. Carrying this thing, we can blend in with them."

Wu Jinliang, puzzled, asked, "Blend in for what?"

Shi Chun replied, "The distraction we created earlier worked. Those two have been pinned down, and I saw them opening an exit."

Wu Jinliang's eyes lit up in an instant, exclaiming, "Infiltrate among them and wait for the exit to open?"

Shi Chun nodded slightly, then lifted a flap of flesh from the wall, revealing a hole the size of a head, and pointed in other directions, "I've made six holes for observation. Go out and see if, after it's closed up, you can see any light from the outside." Having said that, he let go of the flap of flesh.

"Alright!" Wu Jinliang, lively with excitement, immediately lifted the edge and crawled out.

Bian Weiyin's gaze, however, rested on Shi Chun's face, biting her lip and scrutinizing his actions.

Soon enough, Wu Jinliang, who had felt his way around outside, crawled back in, chuckling, "All good, all good, it's tightly sealed, no light visible."

"Alright, let's move. It's your turn to exert some effort, carry it," suggested Shi Chun, pointing at the central lump of flesh.

"Heh, no problem," Wu Jinliang took charge without hesitation, plunged his blade into the monster's flesh, lifted the lump onto his shoulder, and propped up the monster's body.

Shi Chun stowed the Sandalwood Gold and took Bian Weiyin's hand in one of his, steadied Wu Jinliang's back with the other, and opened his right eye's superpower to navigate the path.

In this clumsy manner, the trio hastened along, scaling mountains and traversing ridges at a rapid pace, sometimes passing by other monsters as they approached the distant cluster of creatures.

This was merely a trial; Shi Chun had no absolute confidence in whether they could stay undetected in the monster group for an extended period. After all, earlier, it had only been a test in front of a few monsters.

With his intermediate level of cultivation, Wu Jinliang found carrying this weight no issue, his feet sprinting as swift as the wind.

The real problem lay with Shi Chun, whose right eye superpower could not last long.

Moreover, he dared not completely deplete his stamina at once, fearing it would be terrible if an emergency arose and he needed to act swiftly.

So, after traveling a considerable distance, Shi Chun indicated an appropriate place to pause. Understanding him, Wu Jinliang stopped for a break, which would also allow himself to recuperate; after all, no journey is light.

After swallowing a Pill and sitting down cross-legged, Bian Weiyin leaned close to him and finally asked in a soft voice the question that had been weighing on her, "When you gave me the Pill earlier, did you consider abandoning me and going on your way?"

She couldn't hold it back any longer.

Charging his breath and settling in for meditation, Wu Jinliang perked up his ears.

Shi Chun replied with surprise, "Did I ever say I wouldn't take you with us? When I gave you the Pill, I intended to call you along. You suddenly said you wanted to go to the Ice Field, and that confused me. That's why I ignored you and, without your consent, just brought you here."

Is that so? Bian Weiyin thought it over and still found it inconsistent. She became uncharacteristically hung up on the detail and retorted, "That's not right. You only called Wu Jinliang to leave. By giving me the Pill, you wanted me to fend for myself."

Shi Chun, astonished, said, "Senior Sister, what are you thinking? If I wanted to abandon you, why would I have saved you in the Ice Field?"

Bian Weiyin was dumbfounded. Indeed, if he had wanted to abandon her, there would have been no need to save her in the first place.

No matter how many reasons she could think of, none seemed as convincing as that one. She instantly realized she had been overwrought with unnecessary worry.

Thinking of her inexplicable tears before, she lunged forward and bit down hard on Shi Chun's shoulder, reverting to her daughterly demeanor from her role as Lord Bian.

Despite the pain, Shi Chun made no attempt to dodge or resist, wearing a slight smile as he let her bite him.

Only he knew the full truth behind their situation. Being able to take this woman with him hinged on the words she would choose when conflicts with her family from Wukang Mountain arose—on whose side would she stand?

In truth, when he had asked her that crucial question, he had all but decided not to leave Weiyin a way out.

Whether she claimed she would stand with her family or say she would side with him to survive, neither was the answer he wanted.

Giving her the Pill wasn't intended to let Bian Weiyin fend for herself; it was merely applying pressure. Even if she hadn't mentioned the Ice Field, he would have still posed the question.

Without the answer he sought, there would be no "fend for oneself." He wouldn't leave survivors. Wu Jinliang's guess was spot on—if she had picked the wrong side, he would have struck with his knife immediately. Sending her to the Ice Field was an even less acceptable risk.

After the bite, Bian Weiyin worried that she might have bitten too hard. She loosened her bite, rubbed the spot for him, and lightly punched him, chiding, "Do you have any idea how scared you made me?"

Wu Jinliang smiled slightly to himself as he eavesdropped. He understood the situation; he knew this woman had already walked to death's door and back. Seeing Chun Tian's actions, he surmised there must be a reason, just like the feigned affection towards Miao Yilan.

He chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, don't flirt and fuss now. Let him recover quickly. Once we're out there, no one will bother if you have kids."

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