Chapter 22. Ghost Cave ⑤: -2...

The moment Xiao Weizhi fell, Lin Xiaoxiao pounced on the edge of the crevice, kneeling face down on all fours. She grabbed a handful of black soil, clenched it into fists, and stared wide-eyed at the falling Xiao Weizhi in astonishment.

Why did Xiao Weizhi still fall? In the story, there was only one arrow, so why are there so many 'accidents' today?

Is it possible that the so-called plotline (fate) is unchangeable?

"So you're Xiao Weizhi's new recruit? Although you're a cripple, your talent for creating a super-large space is not bad. I'll give you a chance. Join my team, and I might let you go." The arrogant words came from behind her.

Lin Xiaoxiao mechanically turned her head and saw that the person who came was a man with bronze skin, dyed blonde hair, three-white eyes, a square face, thick lips, a scar about 6 centimeters long on his right cheek, and wearing black and brown armor.

The man held a large blue sword in his right hand, his smile wicked, his face full of mocking smugness after getting what he wanted.

Chen Feng was wrestling with a muscular man who was 2.3 meters tall. He turned around and saw the man standing behind Lin Xiaoxiao. He shouted angrily, "Wang Xudong, stay away from her."

Standing behind Chen Feng, Cheng Cheng kept his mouth tightly shut and looked at Lin Xiaoxiao, who was kneeling on the ground looking down, with a worried gaze.

Wang Xudong ignored Chen Feng's angry shouts and instead looked at Lin Xiaoxiao, who was kneeling on the ground, with great interest. He said firmly, "You have two choices now: switch teams and join my side, or I'll tear you to pieces and feed you to the ghosts."

Wang Xudong's right hand, holding the greatsword, was taut with muscles, as if the greatsword would slash at Lin Xiaoxiao's slender neck if he didn't get the answer he wanted.

Lin Xiaoxiao stood up unsteadily, turned around and looked at Wang Xudong expressionlessly.

She is a coward who fears death, but she is also obsessed with appearances and has a rebellious streak. She can't stand ugly things and is afraid of being disgusted while eating. She also dislikes being threatened with weapons.

Seeing that Lin Xiaoxiao didn't speak, Wang Xudong became impatient, raised his greatsword, and warned sternly, "Speak, you cripple! Don't push your luck, I'm telling you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiaoxiao scoffed and jumped towards Xiao Weizhi without hesitation.

"No, Xiaoxiao!" Amidst the howling wind, Lin Xiaoxiao vaguely heard Cheng Cheng's terrified voice.

The moment Lin Xiaoxiao turned and jumped without hesitation, Wang Xudong's face turned extremely ugly. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and his breathing became disordered, as if he was extremely angry.

Suddenly, a large swarm of ice blades hurtled towards Wang Xudong.

Wang Xudong raised his greatsword and swung it rapidly. In just a few seconds, the ice blade was shattered into fragments by the sharp sword energy.

He turned to look at Shen Bi'an, who was rushing over, and said sarcastically, "Shen Bi'an, are you sure you want to go against me?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Bi'an, who was about to raise his staff again, froze. The light at the top of the staff went out for no reason. After a moment, his straight back hunched slightly, and he reluctantly put down the staff.

Xiao Weizhi was his childhood friend and a very close brother, but his Shen family couldn't compare to the Wang family. (The five top-tier families in the capital are: Xiao, Wang, Gu, Li, and Mu; Shen Bi'an's Shen family can only be considered a second-tier family.)

Wang Xudong sneered: "Coward!"

Just as the group was locked in a standoff, Xiao Weizhi, who was floating down from the crack in the ground, stared wide-eyed in shock.

Lin Xiaoxiao followed suit and jumped down.

Xiao Weizhi was shocked. This was the first time in his life he had encountered someone so brainless. But why did his heart uncontrollably rise with waves of bittersweet pleasure, as if it were being squeezed?

Lin Xiaoxiao used all her strength, employing an extremely ugly breaststroke motion, to keep paddling forward, and finally, after more than ten seconds, she gradually approached Xiao Weizhi.

Her features were distorted by the wind, and drool even spilled uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth, making her look quite ferocious, but Xiao Weizhi found it strangely cute.

She awkwardly reached out to Xiao Weizhi: "Hand, hand, give it to me."

Xiao Weizhi looked at Lin Xiaoxiao's face, which was distorted by the wind, with a gentle gaze and a handsome smile. He raised his upper body slightly and reached out to her with all his might. Their fingertips touched several times, and then missed each other.

The moment the two held hands, the Destiny Coin that Lin Xiaoxiao had put in her pocket fell out.

The silver coin suddenly flashed a few times with a dark light, then tumbled down beside them, as if it had a spirit, following closely and not straying too far.

Finally, Xiao Weizhi grabbed Lin Xiaoxiao's hand, pulled her into his arms, put one arm around her waist and the other behind her head, the wind carrying away much of his slightly helpless voice: "How can someone be so stupid? Don't move!"

Lin Xiaoxiao wrapped her arms around Xiao Weizhi's waist, put her ear to his chest, listened to the violent heartbeat beneath his chest, and closed her eyes tightly.

She was also gambling, gambling that her protective gear would keep them both alive.

Neither of them noticed that the Destiny Coin floating not far from them was faintly reflecting a very shallow light in the depths of the dark, gloomy ground.

A loud bang was followed by thick smoke.

Xiao Weizhi became Lin Xiaoxiao's human cushion. Under the intense impact, he groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and then he tilted his head and fainted.

Before he fainted, he held Lin Xiaoxiao tightly in his arms with both hands.

Lin Xiaoxiao also fainted from the impact.

She lay on top of Xiao Weizhi, and before she fainted, she vaguely heard a soft sigh: 'Why did they choose such a simpleton this time…'

The Destiny Coin turned to ashes and scattered on the unconscious Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao, enveloping them in bursts of seven-colored light.

Another very soft, divine voice rang out:

'Fate has taken a turn for the worse...'

'Transaction complete, I'll accept the contents of the silver coins!'

As the two voices disappeared, a gray notification screen suddenly popped up on Lin Xiaoxiao's body:

[Forcefully attempting to reverse one's fate, **** is both angry and helpless. In order to protect you as *****, He offers ****... at the cost of you receiving another negative buff.]

[Forced to acquire a negative status effect: Permanently -20% of stamina]

[Note: If you receive this negative buff, you will tire more easily than usual and require longer sleep to recover.]

Several tens of minutes later, the light screen disappeared, and Lin Xiaoxiao's panel had another negative buff added:

[Name: Lin Xiaoxiao

Age: 21

Occupation: Treasure Chest Merchant [Super Hidden Occupation]

Destined Bound Person: Xiao Weizhi [Effect: Shared Life and Death]

Level: LV43 (45124500/2300...) [Currently retained experience points: 3945475]

Job Skills: Daily Treasure Chest [10/10] (10,000 Gold/chest), Luck Treasure Chest (refreshes daily), Experience Treasure Chest [0/3] (100,000 Gold/chest), Sacrifice to the Goddess of Fortune (once every six months)

Other skills: Appraisal (Beginner), Gathering (Intermediate), Listening to the Sounds of All Things

Talents: Extra Large Storage Space, Lucky Libra, [Negative Buff: Experience Points -50% (Permanent)], [Negative Buff: Stamina -20% (Permanent)]

A dozen minutes later, the ghost that hadn't died at the bottom of the cliff found the two people lying unconscious, their bodies intertwined.

A monster with only an upper body approached Lin Xiaoxiao and Wei Zhi, its broken body dragging its claws with sharp black supports, and quickly grabbed at the two of them, as if it could grow back its broken lower body if it chewed them up and ate them.

One of the protective gear on Lin Xiaoxiao's body shattered instantly, and an egg-shaped protective shield appeared out of thin air, protecting the two unconscious people.

As time passed, more and more monsters surrounded them, protective shields appeared one after another, and all sorts of prop fragments were scattered around them.

Just when Lin Xiaoxiao had only a few props left, Xiao Weizhi was the first to open her eyes and wake up.

He slowly sat up, holding Lin Xiaoxiao in his arms, and noticed that his mana had recovered a little. He made a few hand gestures, and a dozen fist-sized fireballs appeared, blasting the ghosts surrounding them into a pile of experience points.

[Congratulations to Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao: Defeat a level 65 Yin Sha Ghost with low health, gaining 24551 experience points]

Congratulations to Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao...

...

Thirty or forty messages of experience gain appeared quickly, but the messages about defeating monsters changed from the Dragon Fang Squad to individuals.

This means that the two of them are definitely more than 10 kilometers away from the ground. (The maximum distance between teams cannot exceed 10 kilometers; once this distance is exceeded, they will automatically separate.)

Xiao Weizhi picked up Lin Xiaoxiao and got ready, only to find that her legs were seriously injured and she was temporarily unable to move. It would take at least ten hours for her to recover to the point where she could barely walk.

So Xiao Weizhi sat at the bottom of the cliff with Lin Xiaoxiao in his arms, occasionally throwing out fireballs, lightning strikes, ice blades and other skills to clear away the approaching monsters.

Fortunately, those monsters were either missing limbs or were in a low-health state, so they could be cleared out without using too many mana-intensive skills.

Seven hours later, Lin Xiaoxiao leaned her head on Xiao Weizhi's shoulder and slowly opened her eyes wearily. Even after opening her eyes, she was still unable to recover for a long time because she had received another negative buff.

Xiao Weizhi noticed that Lin Xiaoxiao had woken up. He gently touched her forehead and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is anything bothering you?"

As she blinked, Lin Xiaoxiao's cheeks flushed instantly. She struggled to climb out of Xiao Weizhi's arms and sat down to the side, stammering, "No, I'm not feeling unwell."

Xiao Weizhi's gaze fell on Lin Xiaoxiao, and her eyes, without her glasses, looked very gentle.

More than an hour later, Lin Xiaoxiao, with her legs unable to move easily and Xiao Weizhi's arm draped over her shoulder, slowly got up and prepared to set off to find a way back to the ground.

Unexpectedly, I saw a patch of sharp rocks two meters away, one of which was particularly sharp and tall.

A thoughtful look flashed in her eyes. So, could it be said that Xiao Weizhi had overcome his first ordeal?

In the original novel, there are two reasons why Xiao Weizhi's legs were crippled:

One is that when he fell, he landed on a patch of sharp rocks, and his legs were pierced through by a sharp rock along with his flesh and bones.

Secondly, during the seven days he was in a coma, a gold-level protective item protected his body, but during the coma, there were ghosts gnawing at his body.

After being rescued, although his body surface recovered, a large amount of ghostly energy accumulated inside him, causing his legs to become completely useless and beyond any possibility of recovery.

Xiao Weizhi pressed his body close to Lin Xiaoxiao, affectionately patted her head, and followed her gaze to the pile of stones, asking in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Lin Xiaoxiao gently shook her head and smiled, "It's nothing."

Although she inexplicably gained a negative buff, Xiao Weizhi's legs were not ruined. In terms of cost, it seems like she lost out, but it also seems like she didn't lose out.

Half an hour ago, Lin Xiaoxiao noticed that something was wrong with her body. After checking around, she found that her panel had another negative buff that reduced her energy by 20%.

I've thought about it for a long time, but I still can't figure out why I suddenly got this buff.

"Which way should we go now?" Lin Xiaoxiao raised her head slightly and looked at Xiao Weizhi.

Xiao Weizhi smiled, her tone indifferent: "You choose the direction."

When Lin Xiaoxiao met Xiao Weizhi's smiling eyes, her face began to flush slightly, and her heart started to race uncontrollably.

Why is this person laughing the whole time after falling? Like a peacock spreading its tail feathers!

She put on a show of nonchalance and casually chose a direction: "This way it is."

Hidden beneath the crevice, they supported each other as they groped their way forward in the darkness, heading in a chosen direction, trying to find a way out.

On the ground, the remaining Dragon Fang team members are in a precarious situation.

Chen Feng, panting heavily, cleaved away more than a dozen swarming ghosts with a single sword strike;

Li Junxuan manipulated three large metal shields, tightly protecting Cheng Cheng, Wang Hao, and Chen Yijin. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his face was pale, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably, clearly indicating that he was exhausted.

Wang Hao's fingertips trembled, and he could barely hold onto the dual pistols in his hands.

Liu Huihui, amidst a horde of ghosts and monsters dozens of meters away, carried the unconscious Jiang Tao on his shoulder, rapidly wielding his greatsword. His occasional staggering steps indicated that he too was nearing his limit.

Most teams have already left, with only a few teams still struggling to hold on, including the entire Dragon Fang team, who are trying to clear out the monsters and then go down to rescue their captain.

Li Junxuan said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Feng, if we keep going like this, we'll all perish here."

Chen Feng's eyes were bloodshot. He unleashed another Light Knight Slash, blasting away the approaching monsters. He turned to look at his companions, who were already exhausted, gritted his teeth, and commanded in a deep voice, "Prepare to retreat!"

With red eyes and a sob in his voice, Wang Hao asked, "Brother Feng, if we leave, what will happen to Boss and Xiaoxiao?"

Chen Feng's chest heaved rapidly as he roared in a deep voice, "With the captain gone, as the vice-captain, I must make the most suitable choice in the battle. Enough talk, let's go!"

Moreover, on the team panel, Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao's avatars were still lit, proving that they were still alive.

'Bang--'

As Chen Feng unleashed his Knight Charge skill, a 2-meter-wide and 5-meter-long road was instantly blasted open, and the others could only grit their teeth and follow.

Before leaving, they all glanced instinctively at the direction where Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao had fallen into the crevice.

They all silently prayed in their hearts: Boss, Xiaoxiao, please don't get into trouble, wait until we recover.

A note from the author:

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