Chapter 232 Zhizhi, I'm alright

Xie Qi wrapped one arm around Jiang Zhi's waist, turned her around, and pulled her into his arms. With a slight touch of his toes, the two of them moved nimbly on the cliff face, dodging the cliff vulture's attack once again.

But the cliff vulture seemed to be extremely hungry, its eyes fixed on the two unruly prey, staring at them intently and refusing to give up.

Xie Qi felt a chill in his heart.

If this continues, and the cliff vulture breaks the rope, he and Jiang Zhi will both fall to the bottom of the cliff and become food for this beast in an instant!

We have to come up with a solution.

Just then, his gaze sharpened as he spotted a certain place.

It was a narrow crevice, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. It was so dark that it almost blended into the cliff face, and could not be seen unless you got close.

He grabbed the rope and swung Jiang Zhi across before the cliff vulture's next attack.

"Go inside and hide." He first pushed Jiang Zhi into the gap.

Even in this life-or-death situation, Jiang Zhi didn't mince words. She squeezed in sideways and reached out her hand to Xie Qi, saying, "Come in quickly!"

Behind Xie Qi, the cliff vulture's sharp claws, gleaming with cold light, were already hurtling towards him!

At the last moment, Xie Qi's hand finally touched Jiang Zhi's. With a loud ripping sound, five hook-like toenails slashed fiercely across the cliff face, making a teeth-grinding sharp sound.

The thick rope snapped instantly, and Xie Qi leaped into the crevice, leaving only half a piece of his clothing on the cliff vulture's iron claws.

The beast desperately tried to dig its way in, but its body was too large, and it struggled to even squeeze in with one paw. It dug around on the outside for a long time before giving up.

Jiang Zhi's heart was still pounding, and she quickly went up and down to check if Xie Qi had been injured by the cliff vulture.

Seeing that he was unharmed, with only a piece of his clothing missing, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zhizhi, I'm fine." Xie Qi looked at her with bright eyes.

Zhizhi is worried about him.

very nice.

But her face was deathly pale, her lips were much paler, and her hands were bluish-white from the cold.

He immediately took her hand and placed it on his chest, tightening her cloak before he had a chance to observe the surrounding terrain.

The gap was so narrow and cramped that it could barely fit two people.

Jiang Zhi was alright, but Xie Qi, being so tall and long-legged, couldn't even stand up straight. He had to bend over and use his cloak to pull Jiang Zhi into his arms so that she wouldn't feel a gust of wind.

The cliff vultures outside were still circling.

It seems we can only wait for that beast to leave before we can figure out a way to get out of here.

Just then, Jiang Zhi patted him, peeked out from his arms, and said with a slight twitch of her nose, "The fragrance here is very strong. Frost Balance Grass should be nearby."

But this place is so small, where can you find any trace of Frost-resistant Grass?

The two looked around, and suddenly Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up, "Look here!"

Behind them, which they hadn't noticed because of the dim light, there was a gap, but it was very narrow, only as wide as a finger's width, so narrow that even Jiang Zhi couldn't squeeze through it sideways.

Without saying a word, Xie Qi took out his sword and began to chisel. Rocks fell down with a rustling sound, and in no time, their vision suddenly cleared.

Behind the crevice lay a hidden world, a naturally formed cave that, though dark, was quite spacious.

Xie Qi took out a tinderbox he carried with him, lit it, and went inside first.

It was even colder and damp inside, but the cool fragrance was even stronger.

Jiang Zhi gripped her cloak tightly and, using the light from Xie Qi's hand, indeed found a plant on a rock wall covered with ice crystals that looked very similar to the one in the painting!

"Young Master Xie, I'm here!" She couldn't help but feel excited.

I never expected that Frostweed would grow here; it's like searching high and low without finding it.

The rhizomes of the frost-resistant grass are dark green, and the leaves are oval and serrated, slanting out from the tiny crevices of the cliff. The flower buds at the top are shrunken into small green shoots, with only a faint hint of light purple showing at the tip.

It hasn't fully bloomed yet.

"It looks like we'll have to wait quite a while," Xie Qi said.

The herbs must be picked within three hours of the flowers fully opening to preserve their medicinal properties.

Meanwhile, the cliff vultures were still circling outside the cave.

Xie Qi walked to the cave entrance, put two fingers to his lips, and made a long, bird-like sound. Soon after, a response came from afar.

After exchanging words, Xie Qi returned to the cave.

“I’ve contacted my men, and all three of them are fine. I’ve had them lower a rope down, and I’ll take you up first so we can go back to Yaocheng together. I can wait here.”

It's too cold here. He doesn't know how many hours it will take for the Frostweed to fully bloom, and he can't bear to see her suffer here.

But Jiang Zhi shook her head, "I'd rather wait here with the young master."

She wouldn't be able to sit still even if she went back without picking the Frost Balance Grass, so she might as well stay here and keep watch.

Xie Qi pursed his thin lips, his voice slightly hoarse, "Okay."

Is Lu Yuan really that important to her?

He went outside the cave to contact his men, and soon a rope was lowered down with some dry food and water tied to it, as well as the heavy cloak that Ye Qi had been wearing earlier.

Xie Qi tugged on the rope to indicate that he had received it, and then there was silence on the cliff top.

But the cave was really cold and damp. After standing there for a while, Jiang Zhi felt cold all over and her hands and feet became stiff.

Xie Qi spread Ye Qi's cloak on the ground for her to sit down, and then stretched out his long arm to pull her into his arms. "You're too weak. Eat some dry food and rest for a while."

It was completely dark by then.

Jiang Zhi was enveloped by Xie Qi's warm body temperature, her nose was filled with his unique scent, and she could even hear his vigorous heartbeat.

She was indeed tired after traveling all day. After eating some dry food and drinking some water, she quickly fell into a deep sleep in Xie Qi's arms.

Jiang Zhi slept soundly, but Xie Qi suffered.

He held in his arms the woman he had been longing for day and night, her body delicate and soft, nestled unguarded against his hard, intertwined thighs.

In dim light, all senses are amplified.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the faint fragrance emanating from the top of her hair completely banished his sleepiness.

When he kissed Zhizhi last time, Zhizhi didn't object.

If I secretly kiss her while she's asleep this time, she won't be angry even if she finds out, right?

So he followed his heart and lowered his head to press his burning lips to her face and lips.

She smells so good, she's so soft, I just want to hold her like this forever.

Xie Qi was overwhelmed with emotion, tightening his grip on her, wishing he could merge the person in his arms into his very bones.

Just holding and kissing him sent shivers down his spine and made his breathing heavy.

Fortunately, Zhizhi was asleep at the moment; otherwise, if she had noticed anything unusual about his body, she would have definitely laughed at him.

Xie Qi was immersed in the warmth and fragrance of the woman, but soon his sharp ears caught a sound that was not ordinary.

He listened intently.

In the stillness of the night, the sound of approaching hooves was particularly clear, seemingly several miles away, and was interspersed with strange shouts.

Xie Qi recognized what it was, and his heart skipped a beat. The heat that had been coursing through his body vanished in an instant.