Chapter 271: True Helping Each Other In Hard Times

Chapter 271: True Mutual Aid in Adversity

“Splash!”

“Whoosh!”

Zhao Changhe, holding the unconscious Yue Hongling, emerged from the water, gasping for air.

This “whirlpool” had dropped them down, and below was water! And not just any water—an endless, vast expanse of it, with no shore in sight for the moment.

Zhao Changhe was speechless. He had no idea if he had enough strength left to swim out with her in his arms, or which direction led to land.

After all the trouble of escaping from powerful enemies and armies, dying by drowning after falling into the sea would be a joke. If word got out, would Chi Li and the others die laughing? Would that count as mutual destruction?

He looked up at the sky, but saw nothing—only a pitch-black void. Around them, there seemed to be spatial barriers. This was an independent, alien dimension—perhaps an ancient ocean or great lake that had been isolated here.

Given the formations outside, it seemed more like a man-made “protection” or “concealment.” Someone had set up the array, so it couldn’t be natural.

He had no idea what ancient story this place corresponded to, and he didn’t care. Stretching his senses to the limit, he activated his rear-eye ability to enhance his vision and night sight. Finally, he spotted a faint coastline to the east and began swimming desperately toward it.

His injuries were no lighter than Yue Hongling’s. The subsequent battles and the jolting ride on horseback had taken just as much out of him. She was stronger in cultivation than he was, and she had already fainted. If not for his recently reforged physique, he would have collapsed long ago.

But now, he was running on his last breath. Every inch of the shore felt like an insurmountable chasm. He swam slower and slower, sinking deeper and deeper.

His left arm still held Yue Hongling. Swimming with one hand was weak and feeble. Several times, he felt himself about to sink, but he gritted his teeth, forcing his dantian to hold on, clinging to consciousness with sheer will.

Yet, never once did the thought of letting her go cross his mind—not even a flicker. Even though letting go might have been the only way to ensure he could reach the shore.

But it never occurred to him.

The only thought in his heart was to bring her to land.

In his arms, Yue Hongling slowly opened her eyes. Blinking groggily, she took in her surroundings and quickly understood the situation.

Looking at Zhao Changhe’s face, strained and twisted with effort, her gaze grew misty. The words from the Book of Chaos flashed through her mind again:

“Long River Reflects Evening Glow.”

Not “Sunset Over the Long River,” but the reverse. Perhaps the poetry held another meaning, one that scholars could debate endlessly. But at this moment, there was no need for debate. He was taking care of her, sacrificing his own chances of survival.

In his arms, Yue Hongling could clearly feel that Zhao Changhe’s qi had completely dried up. He was even overdrawing it. His already pitiful meridians were beginning to atrophy. He was relying purely on muscle strength to keep swimming.

But the more he relied on pure muscle, the more his wounds were aggravated. Beneath the water’s surface, invisible to the eye, blood was flowing freely. She didn’t know if the water was clean, but if it wasn’t, an infection alone could kill him.

As she watched, she unconsciously leaned closer.

Zhao Changhe was barely conscious. He had no idea the woman in his arms had woken up. He was just paddling like a dog, driven by pure instinct.

Then, without warning, a warmth touched his lips.

He jolted back to awareness. Their lips were pressed together.

A stream of pure qi flowed from her mouth into his, warm and soothing, seeping into his body.

Zhao Changhe immediately activated their dual cultivation technique. Instantly, it felt like a parched land receiving life-giving water. In a flash, spring bloomed. His dantian was nourished again, his qi began to grow, and his withered meridians started to flow with a gentle stream, penetrating his muscles and bones.

It was like being reborn.

A dual cultivation session at the moment of utter exhaustion had an astonishingly good effect.

Instinctively, he wanted more. He began to suck harder, trying to breach her defenses.

Yue Hongling hesitated for a moment, then yielded, parting her lips slightly to let him in.

Her fainting had been a form of self-protection for her body. While unconscious, her internal energy had circulated on its own, recovering some qi. Now, he was taking it all, leaving nothing behind. If this continued, it would be a form of harvesting, but Yue Hongling offered no resistance. She even willingly loosened the defenses of her dantian, letting him take what he wanted.

In truth, a mere kiss couldn’t achieve the effect of harvesting. It was futile. But with their mutual cooperation, her meridians weren’t nourished much. Instead, her dry lips became moist and even more vibrant.

Yue Hongling’s mind grew hazy from the kiss. A random thought surfaced: Was this the original meaning of the phrase “mutual aid in adversity”?

“Tap…”

As they kissed, Zhao Changhe’s limbs continued to paddle instinctively. The short “chasm” now felt easy to cross. His right hand touched solid ground on the shore.

Both of them snapped back to reality. They parted slightly and silently climbed onto the shore, their hearts pounding.

Before this, Yue Hongling had kissed his cheek and called it “just a reward.”

But this time, it was a full kiss, deep and intimate—far more than when Sisi had pretended to be her and lightly brushed her lips against his.

Yue Hongling remembered Sisi’s words: “I think if it were you, you’d probably do the same…”

Maybe so. Especially this time, meeting him again—everything about him made her heart stir. It was like walking alone through a desert, and suddenly a spring breeze brings an oasis into view.

And so, her heart settled there.

Zhao Changhe turned to look at her. After falling into the water, the female warrior’s hair was plastered to her forehead, her gaze was dazed, and her head was slightly bowed. She looked so different from her usual spirited self—a vulnerable contrast that was deeply touching. That faint, shy silence was her last stubborn attempt to save face, but it only made her more captivating.

At this moment, she truly seemed like a woman.

He swallowed hard and broke the silence in a low voice: “How’s your internal energy?”

Yue Hongling steadied herself and replied simply: “Exhausted.”

She had recovered a little while unconscious, but she had given it all to him.

She knew what Zhao Changhe was thinking.

Both of them were injured, their bodies weaker than usual. They were soaking wet, and infection was a real risk. If they stayed like this, they wouldn’t need anyone to find them—they’d fall ill on their own.

But their packs were soaked through. They couldn’t dry themselves or change clothes immediately.

What could they do?

Zhao Changhe stripped off the grassland clothes Batu had given him and tossed them aside, revealing his bare, muscular torso.

Yue Hongling felt a twinge of envy. Men had it so easy.

Zhao Changhe untied his pack, fumbled around, and pulled out a flint and steel, laying them out to dry. “These are better than tinderboxes. Once they’re dry, I’ll see if I can strike a spark. I’ll look around for dry grass or something first. You…”

He stood up and walked slowly into the darkness. “You take off your clothes and try to dry off. I… I won’t look.”

Yue Hongling watched his staggering figure disappear into the dark, her emotions complicated.

Honestly, given the atmosphere just now, even if he had looked, or even if he had taken off her clothes himself, she might not have resisted.

But they were both injured, exhausted, dirty, and smelly. There was no mood for that.

Still… it would have been better if he had just taken the lead.

Now, with no shelter in sight, even if he couldn’t see her in the dark, how could she bring herself to undress out in the open?

She was hesitating, clutching her collar, when Zhao Changhe’s voice came from the darkness: “There’s a pile of rocks over here. Looks like a proper beach. Bring the flint and steel and hide behind the rocks. I’ll keep looking for plants or something.”

Yue Hongling gathered the things he had laid out and followed his voice. Sure enough, in the darkness, she saw a jumble of jagged rocks. Some were huge, standing around like sentinels. Hiding among them felt like being in a natural little hut. Combined with the endless darkness, it gave her an inexplicable sense of security.

Even though, in reality, there was no difference. There were no doors or windows. If he wanted to look, all he had to do was poke his head in. But psychologically, it felt different.

Yue Hongling bit her lower lip and slowly began to undo her wet clothes, letting her jade-white body be exposed to the darkness.

Who said I stink? My body is already free of dirt. It’s just my clothes that smell…

No, you’re the one who stinks!

Over by the rocks, Zhao Changhe strained his eyes, searching. He found some dry grass and a few withered trees nearby. Ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen, he drew his blade, Longque, and chopped off some dead branches.

Yue Hongling watched him from behind the rocks, her gaze steady. Even though they were both so weak, a strange, unprecedented sense of safety welled up in her heart.

It was a strange feeling, one she couldn’t explain.

Like a frail wife, watching her towering man hack through thorns and brambles, building their own safe little hut.

Like a pillar of the house.