Chapter 63 Both Jiang Zhihes are real.
"Tick-tock—"
It sounded as if water droplets were sliding down the rocks, striking the ground and making a crisp echo.
Gu Xiaozhu groggily opened her eyes, her head still throbbing. She slowly sat up and realized that she was wearing a bright red robe. Directly in front of her, the flickering flames illuminated the darkness, radiating a warm glow.
previously……
Upon hearing those two words, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her mind. The pain was so sudden that she was caught off guard and immediately fainted.
She subconsciously reached out to touch the side of her neck, but quickly put her hand down and instead pulled the outer robe draped over her shoulders tighter.
It's a bit cold.
Looking around, there was nothing but the warm firelight.
Strange, this outer robe clearly belongs to Jiang Zhihe, but... where is he?
"Huh? Xiaozhu, you're awake?"
Speak of the devil and he appears.
The boy strode over, carrying some firewood he had found somewhere. Upon seeing the girl awake, a glimmer appeared in his eyes, and his steps quickened slightly.
He placed the firewood beside the campfire, then quickly moved to sit down next to Gu Xiaozhu. The firelight reflected in his eyes, burning brightly.
"Are you alright, Xiaozhu? I found you unconscious after we landed, you..."
He pursed his lips slightly, his brows furrowed, and his handsome face was full of worry: "What's wrong with you?"
Gu Xiaozhu stared at him for a long time. Faced with that gaze, she couldn't lie. But at the same time, she didn't want to say anything and cause him unnecessary worry. So she simply clutched the robe draped over her shoulders, looked away, and remained silent.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhihe frowned even more deeply, and a surge of anger rose in his heart. He was angry that she didn't care about her health, and he was also angry that she refused to speak up and stubbornly bore everything alone.
But when his gaze fell on the girl's lowered head and slightly pale cheeks, his anger instantly dissipated and could not be rekindled.
In the end, he only sighed, his voice dejected: "Xiaozhu, I didn't want to be so blunt. But..."
He looked at the girl beside him, his gaze fixed on her concealed left arm: "What happened to your arm...?"
He had noticed before that Xiaozhu had been intentionally or unintentionally covering her left arm, as if there was something on it that she didn't want him to see. Even when they fell earlier, she had clearly grabbed him, but then she abruptly let go.
She jerked her head up, her clear eyes revealing a hint of surprise that she hadn't yet been able to conceal. But she quickly realized that this action had undoubtedly given her away, and tried to lower her head again as if to cover it up.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhihe's anger, which had just subsided, rose again. He simply reached out and grabbed her left wrist with lightning speed. Gu Xiaozhu was startled and instinctively leaned back, trying to pull her hand away, but she forgot that there was nothing behind her except the cold, uneven ground.
She lost her balance instantly, and quickly grabbed the boy's collar with her right hand, trying to steady herself. But the boy offered no resistance, his eyes crinkling slightly, and he fell down with her pull.
She instinctively closed her eyes, but the expected pain did not come. Instead, a warm hand supported the back of her head, preventing her from hitting the ground directly.
The hand behind her head was carefully removed. She opened her eyes, her face still somewhat dazed, clearly not having reacted yet. The next second, her wrists were grabbed, her arms were forced up, and then pinned above her head.
She was startled and tried to struggle, but the hand was like a piece of hard iron, impossible to budge. Most importantly, to prevent her skin from rubbing against the rough ground and getting injured while struggling, her wrist and entire palm did not actually touch the ground. A layer of gentle spiritual energy separated the two, yet locked her firmly in place.
Unable to break free.
She was so angry she almost laughed.
Then, turning her head, she saw the boy holding her wrist with one hand and supporting himself on the ground with the other. His black hair hung down, gently brushing against her face, causing a ticklish sensation.
His eyes curved slightly, filled with a triumphant smile.
Gu Xiaozhu was a little annoyed: "What are you laughing at?"
The girl's long hair was scattered on the ground, and her originally pale cheeks were now flushed with anger. Her eyes were slightly red, and her usually gentle eyes now held a hint of sharpness, which he found novel and interesting.
The boy blinked and said, "You're really cute, Xiaozhu."
Gu Xiaozhu: "???"
cute? ?
Isn't her current awkward, immobile state adorable?!
She was furious.
"Xiaozhu, you'd better not move." A voice came from above, carrying a hint of warning, but mostly with an irrepressible chuckle: "I just want to know what's wrong with your arm. I'll let you go after I see it, I promise."
After saying that, he raised his other free hand, trying to reach towards the arm that was being held above him.
Upon seeing this, Gu Xiaozhu was startled and, ignoring what Jiang Zhihe had said earlier, began to struggle and twist her body.
Jiang Zhihe lowered his eyelids slightly, and finally sighed: "It's settled."
Spiritual energy flowed from within her body, surrounding the girl.
Frozen in place, Gu Xiaozhu stared at him in disbelief. She wanted to say something, but the boy suddenly leaned down, instantly closing the distance between them.
Her breath hitched.
Taking advantage of the girl's momentary daze, Jiang Zhihe quickly raised his hand and pulled down the sleeve on his left side.
The smile on his face froze instantly. He stared intently at the glaring golden crack on the arm, his voice trembling slightly: "...What is this?"
Gu Xiaozhu did not answer.
His gaze shifted from his arm to the girl's face: "Xiaozhu, you..."
He paused for a moment.
The girl's eyes were red and swollen, with tears streaming down her face. The anger in her eyes had long since dissipated, replaced by a heartbreaking sense of heartbreak and grievance.
Jiang Zhihe suddenly realized what he had done, and as if he had been electrocuted, he quickly withdrew his hand and distanced himself from her. The spiritual power that had been binding the girl also vanished instantly.
"I...I...I'm sorry..."
He sat obediently on the ground, head down, like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to look up at her.
"...is a manifestation of excessive use of force."
After a long pause, a muffled voice finally came from the other side.
Jiang Zhihe cautiously looked up and saw that the girl opposite him had sat up at some point, her red outer robe wrapped around her body again, and her reddened eyes staring at him without blinking.
“I… once used my power to rewrite your fate.” She lowered her eyes and spoke softly, “Now, this body can’t hold on much longer.”
This time, she stretched out her arm and proactively pulled up her sleeve: "This is the prelude to a breakdown."
She looked up at the boy opposite her, her tone unchanging: "This is the truth. Are you satisfied?"
Jiang Zhihe pursed his lips, feeling a strange dryness in his throat: "I..."
"Have we gotten separated from Songyun and the others?" Gu Xiaozhu asked.
The topic shifted rather quickly, but Jiang Zhihe immediately said, "Yes... this underground place should be the place Zhu Songyun mentioned, where the Wuji Sea Pass is kept." He glanced around and added firewood to the campfire.
Seeing that the girl didn't respond, he felt a pang of sadness and had no choice but to continue himself:
“This place is strange. It’s off-limits to air travel and storage bags can’t be used. I can freely use my spiritual power, but my spiritual sense can’t extend very far in this space, so I can’t find the other two people.”
The campfire burned even brighter, its scorching heat washing over Jiang Zhihe's face, forcing him to lean back slightly. He put down the stick he had been using to tend the fire and turned to the girl beside him, his tone still tinged with caution: "Um... how are you feeling now? Do you want to... rest a little longer?"
Gu Xiaozhu shook her head: "No need, it's better if we join them as soon as possible."
She stood up, not even glancing at Jiang Zhihe: "The Heavenly Dao will help find them."
Jiang Zhihe's gaze lingered on the girl's left hand for a moment before finally shifting away: "...Okay."
[Host, head southeast and keep moving forward.]
“Southeast, keep going straight ahead,” she repeated.
Jiang Zhihe: "Okay."
… …
"Da da—"
"Da da—"
In the deathly silent and empty underground, only the sound of their footsteps echoed. A chill crept into her body, causing Gu Xiaozhu to unconsciously pull her outer robe tighter around her.
"Xiaozhu, are you cold?" A slightly puzzled voice sounded beside me.
“A little,” she answered softly.
Jiang Zhihe frowned slightly, his face showing annoyance: "If only the storage bag could still be opened, I remember I had a fur coat inside, which was much better at keeping out the cold than this."
He was already a Nascent Soul cultivator, so his physical condition was naturally excellent. Even in the freezing cold, he might not feel cold.
But Gu Xiaozhu was different. Her body was still basically no different from that of an ordinary person, and her sense of hot and cold was naturally more sensitive. To make matters worse, the robe she was wearing today, while having defensive properties, did not provide any protection against the cold.
I don't know how long I walked, but the dark rock walls around me remained almost unchanged. Whenever I asked, the system always gave a definite answer: southeast.
With no other option, they had to continue along this road.
A white mist gradually rose around them, making the empty underground space feel quite eerie.
The white fog quickly spread, covering the surrounding area, and visibility became increasingly low.
Jiang Zhihe grabbed Gu Xiaozhu's hand warily, while the long sword at his waist hummed as if it could be drawn at any moment.
Gu Xiaozhu was also a little nervous because the white fog was getting thicker and thicker—until she couldn't even see the people around her.
Only their tightly clasped hands proved that he was still by her side.
"...Ah-He?"
"I am here."
The sound coming from her right side reassured her somewhat.
But soon, that heart that had just settled down was raised again—
"I am here."
It came from the left, a voice that was very close to her, exactly the same.
At the same time, his right hand suddenly felt empty. It wasn't the tactile sensation of releasing a hand, but rather as if the person had vanished into thin air, simply disappearing without a trace.
Her body froze.
"System, can you see what's happening?"
[Hmm... Don't worry, host, you're safe.]
Gu Xiaozhu: "What about Ah He..."
This time, the system didn't respond immediately. Her heart began to race again: "Is he...?"
No, no, no... um... he's not in danger. It's just...
"What is it?"
The situation is... a bit complicated.
Gu Xiaozhu: Complex? How complex can it be?
As the white fog gradually dissipated, visibility improved. At the same time, faint sounds of arguing could be heard from the previously silent underground.
"Pah! I'm the real one! You imposter!"
"Huh?! How dare you say that?!"
"I really mean it, of course I can say that!"
"Bullshit! I'm the real one!"
The sounds of arguing gradually became clearer, and at the same time, the scene before Gu Xiaozhu was fully revealed.
She stared blankly at the person opposite her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
There stood two Jiang Zhihes.
More accurately, one was dressed in red with her hair tied up, and the other had short hair and wore white.
They are Jiang Zhihe and... from the world of Xianxia.
Jiang Zhihe in modern times.
Gu Xiaozhu stared at the person opposite her in astonishment, her lips parted slightly, and she murmured, "They... one is real and the other is fake?"
The system's tone was somber.
No, it's all true.
Gu Xiaozhu: "???"
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