Chapter 18
The two vines were wrapped around Xia Qian.
It seemed unsatisfied, and sprouted even more vines, fiercely attacking Xia Qian.
However, before it could even touch Xia Qian, a raging fire suddenly burst into flames at its roots, spreading upwards and threatening to burn the entire vine to ashes. The vine struggled violently, and if it could make a sound, it would surely be screaming.
The vines struggled and thrashed about, forcing Xia Qian, who was bound by them, to sway. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, overwhelmed by the fear of heights. From her perspective, she saw a dense crowd of people and a huge distance above the ground.
The vines that were entwining her kept swaying, up and down, as if they were about to fall from the sky and crash heavily to the ground at any moment.
For some reason, some distant memories surged into her mind, and the old memories overlapped with the scene in front of her. For a moment, she felt as if she were in a memory, but the next second, the roar in her ears constantly reminded her of her current situation.
The fire dragon was roaring and howling in pain again, as if it had been injured by Hughes once more.
But Xia Qian no longer had the energy to look at it.
Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she couldn't look away; she was frozen in place.
Even though she knew she shouldn't look down, her gaze was uncontrollably fixed on the ground beneath her feet.
She tried to calmly overcome herself.
Xia Qian, start struggling!
Lift your eyes and see where the dragon is now. Try to break free from the vines and return to the dragon's body.
That's not right.
They can't just sit here without any reaction.
Xia Qian swallowed hard and tried to move her fingers, but her body was stiff and uncontrollable, as if it wasn't hers at all, and her body even began to tremble.
The vines swayed more violently, struggling to climb higher in their death throes. When she looked up, she saw the moon so close to her eyes, but when she looked down, just one glance was enough to make Xia Qian feel like she couldn't breathe.
Her face was deathly pale, and her heart felt like it was about to stop.
"Xia Xia," a deep voice suddenly rang out, as if it possessed a magical power, drawing all of Xia Qian's attention to him.
She raised her eyes and subconsciously looked down, but before she could find that familiar black figure, Hughes' voice rang out again. His voice was calm, yet strangely reassuring, "Don't look at them, look at me."
Xia Qian was taken aback.
Hughes...
She couldn't see him at all, but it was as if he were right beside her, guiding her step by step. Even his voice had a magical quality, making her feel inexplicably at ease.
My body, which had started trembling due to my fear of heights, suddenly calmed down in an instant.
Only a tiny bit of emotion remains.
She sniffled, feeling like crying.
Just then, Hughes' voice rang out again, carrying a guiding magic that made Xia Qian inexplicably less afraid.
He said, "Close your eyes."
"Xiaxia".
"When you feel yourself falling, open your eyes, and I will be right beside you."
As if he could see Xia Qian's pale face, his voice, instead of its usual sharpness, was low, powerful, and steady: "Good girl."
She sniffled, feeling so tormented by the fire dragon and vines that she wanted to cry. The vines were still swaying, but it seemed they weren't swaying as much; they were almost still, completely motionless.
Xia Qian bit her lip, suppressing her doubts and curiosity. She didn't look down, and at the same time, Hughes' words echoed in her ears. The next second, she obediently closed her eyes.
Everything was dark; I couldn't see anything.
All she could hear was the whooshing sound of the wind rushing past her ears. Just then, the vines that had been binding her suddenly loosened, and before Xia Qian could even open her eyes, she felt herself plummeting from the sky.
"Open your eyes, and I'll be right beside you."
This sentence kept echoing in Xia Qian's mind.
Is what he said true?
Could it be a lie?
Xia Qian couldn't help but try to open her eyes, but the strong wind that came from the air was like a blade, scraping her face. Before Xia Qian could fully open her eyes, she felt that the strong wind was going to blow her over.
This body is really thin.
A single gust of wind could knock her over.
Xia Qian felt like she was about to be slammed to the ground and shattered to pieces, but before that moment even arrived, a chilling aura swept over her.
The next second, a large hand came from behind and tightly wrapped around her waist.
She opened her eyes. The wind was still there, blowing from behind, lifting her long hair, along with the long hair of another person.
Her long hair was as black as ink, even blacker than her own hair, with natural curls at the ends.
That long hair seemed to possess a spiritual quality, carrying a somewhat sharp aura. Their hair was intertwined, and Xia Qian couldn't tell whose hair was whose.
Xia Qian was stunned, and forgot how to react.
He's telling the truth.
"Hughes—"
She opened her eyes and saw him.
She was held in Hughes' arms, her head resting gently on his chest, the sound of his strong and steady heartbeat ringing in her ears.
The vines had been burned away, and even the fire dragon was gone. Xia Qian hadn't noticed it. She couldn't help but guess, recalling the screams she had heard earlier.
Was he injured, so he ran away?
Xia Qian speculated.
They were still on the dragon. Hughes had come to pick her up on the dragon. Xia Qian sniffed. Now that her nerves were relaxed, she suddenly realized that her whole body ached.
The dragon's speed was steady. The elders underground were still waiting for them. The dragon slowly descended to the ground.
At the same time, Xia Qian frowned in pain. When she looked down, she noticed that her white skirt was being stained red little by little, like a bewitching flower blooming on her skirt.
The vines had thorns, and her legs were injured from being tied up.
Because of her fear of heights, she was on edge and didn't realize it until now, when she finally felt the pain.
She sniffled, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.
Just then, the hand on her waist suddenly tightened. Xia Qian looked up and saw Hughes' profile. He wasn't looking at her; instead, he was looking down at the hem of her skirt, which was stained with blood.
Hughes put his arm around her and said, "Don't move, those vines might be poisonous."
"Your Highness!" the elders called out.
The dragon flapped its wings, preparing to land. Just then, a vine stretched out from the crack in the ground again and grabbed Xia Qian's ankle as she was about to fly over. Xia Qian subconsciously tried to struggle, but a large hand grabbed the vine faster than she could.
Hughes' face was cold, his eyes were as cold as ice. He held Xia Qian in one arm and grabbed the vines binding Xia Qian's ankles with the other.
It was clearly a single person's strength, yet the vines were unable to break free.
Xia Qian noticed that both the vines and the fire dragon seemed to be very wary of Hughes and didn't dare to make a move. But strangely, even though the vines were clearly afraid of Hughes, they still clung to her ankles.
Why?
The vines on her feet were still struggling, trying to drag Xia Qian to the ground.
Xia Qian couldn't break free. If Hughes hadn't been holding onto the vines, Xia Qian felt the vines would have dragged her over even more roughly.
Just then, Hughes finished speaking, "Wyvern, follow."
Xia Qian's current condition is not suitable for fighting with her.
The vines were wary of Hughes, but they were not entirely weak.
It will take some time to completely eradicate it.
Xia Qian was injured, and the vines that had grabbed her were likely still poisonous, so it was necessary to stop the poisoning before it took effect.
They need to get to the ground.
A safe place where you won't be disturbed.
The vine gripped Xia Qian, but at the same time, it was also being held by Hughes.
From Xia Qian's perspective, she inexplicably felt that the vines had suddenly become incredibly docile, as if Hughes was leading the way for them.
It's like a straw handed to someone drowning, leading them to shore.
The docile ones dared not act recklessly.
The male lead is the male lead; anything fierce that encounters him must bow down and admit defeat.
Without even giving the vines a chance to lead the way, the dragon flew towards the huge crevice from which the vines had crawled out.
"Your Highness!"
Upon seeing this, all the elders exclaimed in surprise.
“You’re in danger!” an elder shouted.
"Let go!"
"He's just a lowly slave!"
However, Hughes held the vines tightly, preventing them from causing any trouble or even releasing their thorns. The vines obediently bound Xia Qian, yet he stubbornly refused to let go of her.
Seeing that they were about to go in, the elders gritted their teeth and prepared to attack.
However, before they could have more time, Hughes and Xia Qian's figures had already disappeared into the crevice.
Even the crack in the ground began to heal itself; before the elders could even react, the crack had completely closed.
Xia Qian and Xiu Si have completely disappeared.
"What do we do now?"
In the crowd, one of the elders began to panic, "His Highness the Crown Prince has disappeared!"
"Go to the main gate," Yu Si, who had been silent and hadn't made a move, suddenly said.
Yu Si said, "The underground and the desert temple are connected. As long as we successfully enter the main gate of the desert temple, we will find Hughes."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Elder Gao gave the order, "Quickly!"
"We must find His Highness quickly, and then go find Minghuo! Otherwise—"
The flame is about to go out!
The empire that had always been ahead of the United Kingdom and dominated the entire galaxy was about to become a joke!
Everyone present knew the seriousness of the situation, and they all rushed out, leaving only Yu Si standing still.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry, and there wasn't even a hint of worry in his eyes.
He seemed to already know the ending.
His eyes were indifferent, somewhat like Hughes's indifferent eyes, but with an added layer of lifelessness.
His younger brother is someone no one needs to worry about.
Moreover, the more worried you are, the more outstanding he will be.
That's always been the case.
Meanwhile, it was dark underground.
Contrary to the elders' expectations, Xia Qian did not encounter any danger. The flying dragon flew along the roots of the vines, and the moment it entered the crevice, a burst of fire suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Xia Qian shrank back in fear.
The flame clung to the vine, and before Xia Qian could react, the vine quickly released her ankle, as if it regretted it and wanted to escape, but it couldn't.
Hughes gripped the vine with his bony hands as if he were grasping a struggling snake. The vine struggled incessantly, but no matter how much it struggled, it was to no avail.
The fire on its body burned more and more fiercely, even spreading to its deep roots.
Faintly, Xia Qian seemed to hear the vines' screams echoing mournfully throughout the underground.
Xia Qian subconsciously looked up at Hughes, only to see that Hughes had a cold face and seemed very angry. He was still holding a piece of vine that had not been burned.
The next second, flames erupted from his hand, igniting the unburnt vine in his hand. Then, the next second, Hughes threw the flaming vine onto the ground not far away.
The force was fierce, like throwing a dart, and it shot into the ground with incredible ferocity.
Instantly, fires erupted everywhere, alarming everything hiding in the shadows.
Hughes was very angry.
He seemed very angry.
"Flying Dragon, find a safe place to land."
He had a cold expression on his face, and Xia Qian didn't dare to say anything more, for fear of saying something that would upset him.
His fire seemed similar to the dragon's flames, yet it also seemed more ferocious.
The fires seemed to be imbued with spiritual energy, circling around each other in circles. They burned there but did not start to burn the ground. In fact, the fires were not scorching hot; on the contrary, they exuded a cold aura.
At the same time, like samurai, they each guarded different places.
But its aura was incredibly fierce.
Anyone who dares to make a move will definitely suffer a terrible death!
Like the vines from before.
The dragon flew for a short while before circling and landing. Firelight guarded all around, forming invisible circles around them. They were in the center of the circles, along with an incredibly ancient and towering tree.
But this big tree seemed to have lived for a very long time, and had lost all its spiritual energy. It was ordinary, but its leaves and branches were lush and full of vitality.
It was not mentioned in the novel.
It's probably because Xiao Yaoyao didn't describe it; she treated it as background and didn't even mention it.
But Xia Qian felt a strange sense of familiarity.
As she looked at the big tree, the sense of familiarity in her heart grew stronger.
Xia Qian couldn't help but take another look. Just then, Hughes' voice came from behind, "This is imitating the Source of Life."
The source of life?
Xia Qian was taken aback.
She subconsciously looked around. So this is what the source of life looks like?
“I’ll carry you down, and we’ll go to flat ground to treat you.”
Xia Qian obediently held onto Hughes's clothes with both hands.
The dragon slowly came to a stop on the grass under the big tree. Hughes carried her down from the dragon. The firelight in the distance illuminated them. Hughes placed her under the tree, her back against the tree, and then he was right in front of her.
Xia Qian sat there obediently without moving.
Her white dress was now stained red with bright red blood.
Because the vines had thorns that wrapped around her legs, fortunately, the vines split off into more vines that gripped her, so she wasn't exposed. However, her legs were covered in blood from the thorns.
"Besides your leg, is there any other injury?"
Xia Qian shook her head.
The next second, Hughes's gaze fell on her white ankles. "Xiaxia, let me see."
Xia Qian slowly began to lift her long skirt little by little, from her ankles to her calves. The wounds from the fallen vines continued to entwine around her, extending upwards.
Slowly, Xia Qian realized what was happening, and her movement of pulling up her skirt paused. For some reason, she suddenly stopped there.
Her cheeks flushed, and she stammered, "Give me the medicine, give me the medicine. I can apply it myself."
However, Hughes did not respond.
His gaze fell on her calves, where scars coiled in circles, rising up her legs, past her knees, and then down to her thighs…
Hughes raised his eyes and met Xia Qian's gaze. "There's no medicine."
“I’ll use my fingers.”
Xia Qian was taken aback, and then she remembered.
He possesses healing abilities.
It is precisely because of his rare healing abilities that Hughes is an invincible being.
No matter the predicament, he can heal himself, like a phoenix, immortal.
But, but, he's here to heal her now...
That was him touching her with his fingers...
"Xiaxia, let me see the wound on your thigh."
Xia Qian shook her head, firmly holding her skirt hem, "Not there..."
The vines grabbed her legs, wrapping around her from her calves to the top of her thighs. If she were to lift her skirt and show Hughes the wound on her thigh, wouldn't Hughes also see her private parts?
She didn't know how to explain; she only felt incredibly ashamed. "That place isn't okay—"
"I can do it myself."
Her voice was soft, and even her ears were red with embarrassment.
"How are you going to do it yourself?" Hughes' voice was very calm. "You don't have any medicine on you, and you don't have any healing abilities."
Xia Qian paused, unsure how to refute.
But the thought of her lifting her skirt and exposing her private parts, which connected to her thighs, to a man filled her with shame.
Her head was lowered, and she no longer knew how to face him.
Just then, Hughes' voice rang out above her head, "Xiaxia."
Like countless times before, this time he was calling out to her again.
But this time the tone seemed different, and Xia Qian couldn't quite put her finger on it. The next second, she heard Hughes' voice linger in her ear, saying, "You're injured."
“I’m your boyfriend.” Hughes hugged her tightly, holding her close. “There’s no need to feel ashamed. It’s perfectly normal for me to see your underwear.”
Hughes paused, "It'll happen sooner or later."
Xia Qian trembled.
Before she could react, Hughes gently brushed his fingers across the mark on her neck. "Be good, lift it up so I can heal you."
The tone was very gentle.
His voice was low and gentle, unlike the usually sharp Hughes.
It sounds like they're trying to coax someone.
I'm trying to coax her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
