At this moment, seeing her like this, Qin Luo felt that something was not right.
He could clearly feel that Huang Lu's watery eyes had begun to reflect his image. The emotions contained in her gaze were too complex and too intense, catching him somewhat off guard.
This made Qin Luo secretly think to himself that he didn't seem to have done anything wrong.
From the very beginning, wasn't it she who begged him to help her get rid of Li Tuo's entanglement that led him to bring her to this fifth level of the Abyss? He had done his best to protect her along the way. Although she was indeed frightened when the Abyss Wind attacked just now, he had done his best to resist it.
But now, looking at Huang Lu's shy yet alluring appearance, and the undisguised dependence in her eyes, a sense of panic welled up in his heart.
Qin Luo's thoughts were churning, and he wanted to say something to break the slightly ambiguous atmosphere, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.
My mind was in turmoil, and I swallowed the words that were on the tip of my tongue, feeling that it wouldn't be appropriate to say anything now.
Seeing that Qin Luo was just staring at her blankly without saying a word, Huang Lu's courage, which she had just mustered, began to wane.
She nervously twisted her fingers, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, wondering if her actions had been too abrupt, making Qin Luo feel uncomfortable.
"Junior, I...I was a little offensive just now, please don't take it to heart."
Huang Lu's voice was tinged with trepidation, and the soft tremor became more pronounced. She lowered her head, not daring to look Qin Luo in the eye.
Hearing this offer, Qin Luo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said:
"Senior, it's okay, don't take it to heart. Everyone was a little panicked in that situation, and you were quite frightened too. It's perfectly normal to act impulsively."
After speaking, Qin Luo tried to force a smile that looked fairly natural, attempting to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere.
Then, in order to get rid of the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Qin Luo put Huang Lu down from his arms, making the movement as natural and unintentional as possible, as if it were just a matter of going with the flow.
At the same time, he secretly channeled his spiritual power, and the range of the Flame Aura Shield around him expanded considerably, instantly creating a certain distance between the two of them.
The distance wasn't too far, but it was enough to ease the inexplicable tension in Qin Luo's heart slightly. He pretended to be intently observing his surroundings, muttering to himself:
"Senior, it seems we can only stop here. We need to find the Jade Platform to cultivate as soon as possible, otherwise it's not good to stay here any longer."
After Huang Lu was put down by Qin Luo, she immediately felt the distance that Qin Luo had deliberately created as soon as her feet touched the ground.
Seeing Qin Luo so readily abandon the topic and put herself aside, the last glimmer of hope she held in her heart shattered like a bubble.
She looked up at Qin Luo, who was deliberately maintaining a distance.
Although a slight blush remained on her face, the light in her eyes had clearly dimmed. An inexplicable sense of loss welled up inside her, as if the warmth she thought she was about to grasp had slipped through her fingers in an instant, leaving only an empty, cold emptiness.
With Qin Luo deliberately keeping his distance, the two quietly sped through the fifth level of the Abyss. Along the way, Qin Luo focused intently on the surroundings, searching for a relatively secluded jade platform.
Huang Lu followed absentmindedly, her mind replaying the scenes that had just happened between her and Qin Luo. From the initial sense of security she felt in his arms to her courageous actions, and now to Qin Luo so decisively abandoning her, all of this made her feel increasingly depressed.
Before long, Qin Luo finally found a relatively secluded and quiet jade platform in a corner surrounded by rocks.
The jade platform emitted a faint glow in the dim abyss, making the swirling abyssal winds nearby seem to thin out considerably.
Qin Luo was overjoyed and stopped walking. Huang Lu, who had been absentmindedly following behind, bumped straight into him because of his sudden stop.
Turning around, Qin Luo saw Huang Lu's expression as she struggled to hold back her tears.
Her eyes were already red, and tears were welling up inside, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Her once pink lips trembled as she struggled to control the turmoil in her heart. The last trace of blush on her face now appeared pitiful due to her grievance and disappointment.
Huang Lu snapped out of her daze when she bumped into that broad back. She bit her lower lip hard, trying to keep her voice steady, but the obvious tremor betrayed her distress.
"Sorry, junior, I didn't notice you stopped for a moment."
After saying that, she turned her head away, not wanting Qin Luo to see her looking like she was about to cry.
Seeing her feigned strength, Qin Luo felt helpless.
He knew that Huang Lu was in this state because his deliberate attempts to change the subject and keep his distance had hurt her.
But he never expected things to turn out this way in such a short time. He only wanted to help Huang Lu get rid of Li Tuo's entanglement, but he never thought that he would unknowingly involve her feelings and thus fall into this awkward situation.
"Could it be that my slightly joking remarks earlier caused her to misunderstand something? No, I think Senior Sister Huang Lu should be the kind of person who can take a joke."
But no matter how much Qin Luo thought about it now, it was no use. All he could do at this moment was keep his distance from her.
After all, he didn't have that much time to waste on her feelings. Firstly, he was still waiting for Dan Bingli to spend time and effort on him, and secondly, Huang Lu wasn't in his investment plans. Getting too attached to her would only waste a lot of his time.
Therefore, even seeing Huang Lu's expression as she forced back her tears, he could only harden his heart and continue to maintain this deliberate distance.
And he constantly reminded himself not to deviate from the original plan because of momentary compassion, otherwise all his previous efforts would be in vain.
Nian Zhi sighed and said:
"Senior, this is a quiet place. Let's cultivate here in peace."
Huang Lu gazed at the jade platform not far away, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes again.
She knew that with her late-stage Soul Contract Realm strength, she couldn't last long in this fifth level of the Abyss. She had only been able to get this far thanks to Qin Luo's protection.
Cultivating here now means that the two of them will inevitably have another chance to meet, which undoubtedly gives her a renewed glimmer of hope.
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