The secret passage behind the hidden door was damp and freezing. The bloody gash on Ye Fan's back scraped raw against the stone wall, but the pain was nothing compared to the searing heat churning in his chest. Su Qingxue's hand pressed against his waist; even through a layer of coarse cotton tunic, he could feel the faint calluses on her palm—the lingering mark of years plucking the ice-silkworm strings. "Watch your step." Her voice was as light as a willow catkin drifting on water, yet the corners of her eyes were drawn into sharp lines, and a droplet of blood from the sound wave's shock still clung to her earlobe.
Lin Zhaoyue used her sword tip to spark a flint, the cold white light making the arch of her brows look even frostier. When she turned back, the ends of her hair brushed Ye Fan's jaw, carrying the crisp clarity unique to sword qi: "There's a ventilation shaft on the right ahead. It leads to the back alley of the martial arts arena."
Before her voice faded, Chu Hongzhujing's silver bell earrings suddenly chimed. She pinched a translucent Gu Insect and brought it to the tip of her nose: "Old Ghost Zhao's Soul-Calling Bell poison is still lingering in the air. Big Brother Ye's Inner World has to protect us." With that, she flicked the Gu Insect toward Ye Fan's chest. As the bug burrowed into his collar, he clearly heard a crisp "ding" sound echo from within his Inner World—it was the Jiuxiao Huanpei responding.
Chapter 229