When Xingqiu engaged the Hilichurls, Hu Tao and Lu Lin had intended to help, to finish the fight quickly. But just as they moved, the world went dark. The ground seemed to spin beneath them.
When their vision cleared, everything had changed. Xingqiu and the Hilichurls were gone. They were somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
"Where is this?" Lu Lin didn't panic. He drew his sword and stayed on high alert. It was one he'd just bought from Hanfeng's Ironmongers.
"Mm… looks like we triggered some kind of mechanism and got pulled into a domain," Hu Tao said, gripping her weapon, the Staff of Homa, with equal vigilance.
They stood in a long corridor. Large night pearls set in the walls lit the area with a soft glow.
But the black mist here was much thicker than outside. Even with the pearls, they could barely see three meters ahead; beyond that was nothing but darkness.
Lu Lin pried two pearls from the wall—not out of greed, but for light.
He handed one to Hu Tao. To his surprise, she not only took it, but also quietly slipped her hand into his.
…Huh?
Her hand was warm and silky. Startled, Lu Lin looked up, wondering at her sudden boldness.
"Mm… I've got a really bad feeling about this place. To avoid any accidents or getting separated, we should hold on a bit tighter."
Literally holding on tighter.
Maybe it was her first time holding a boy's hand, but the usually bold Hu Tao seemed a little shy. Her explanation was stiff, like she was forcing herself to sound official.
Her white ghost, normally stuck to her fingertips, was squeezed out by Lu Lin's hand and had to float sulkily onto her shoulder, tangling itself in her brown hair.
"You're right. We were dragged in here so suddenly. We need to stay alert and not get separated again," Lu Lin said solemnly.
Yes. It was all for safety.
Hu Tao's hand was just as soft as Ganyu's, but different. Ganyu's hands were cool as ice; Hu Tao's were surprisingly warm—like her, lively and blazing with energy.
Hand in hand, they walked deeper into the ruins.
The corridor was straight, with no way to tell direction, but the mist grew thicker as they advanced, proof they were going the right way.
It wasn't that long. After a few minutes, they came to a tightly closed stone door.
Lu Lin tried pushing it. It didn't budge.
"There must be some mechanism. Let's look around," Hu Tao said, still holding his hand as she examined the surroundings.
They soon found a strange cube embedded in a pillar beside the door. It was made of smaller colored blocks, and when Hu Tao tried twisting them, they moved.
Once he saw it clearly, the corner of Lu Lin's mouth twitched.
A Rubik's cube? Really?
"This must be the mechanism… but how do we solve it?" Hu Tao mumbled, turning it randomly. It refused to cooperate.
"Let me try." The cube wasn't exactly the same as the ones he'd played with before. Since it was stuck to the pillar, some of the blocks were fixed.
Back in school, there had been a Rubik's cube craze, and he'd joined the fun. A standard 3×3 was easy for him.
As he recalled the old formulas and studied the altered cube, he experimented step by step. After about ten minutes, he found the trick.
Click.
With a crisp sound, the mechanism locked into place. A rumbling echoed from the door.
"So you have to make each face a solid color. What an amazing device. You're incredible, Lu Lin!" Hu Tao said, slapping his shoulder in genuine admiration.
Even the little ghost on her hair floated over to strike a proud pose at him.
"It's not that hard. You just haven't seen one before. I can teach you sometime if you'd like," Lu Lin said. A normal 3×3 wasn't difficult, but to someone like Hu Tao, watching him solve it was impressive.
"Then it's a promise," Hu Tao grinned. She loved strange little toys like this.
While he worked, she'd leaned in to watch his hands. Their heads had ended up nearly touching.
Focused on the puzzle, Lu Lin hadn't noticed then. Now that he relaxed, the faint plum blossom scent surrounding her seeped into his senses, making his heart stir.
On impulse, he laced his fingers through hers again, and said casually, "The door's open. Let's go?"
"Mm, let's go," Hu Tao replied.
Her hand stiffened for a heartbeat, but then she remembered she'd been the one to grab his hand first. Lu Lin looked perfectly calm, like it was just practical. So she let him lead her on.
"We need to be careful. The unease I feel is getting stronger," she said, voice uncharacteristically serious.
"Stronger?" Lu Lin frowned.
He'd been nervous at first too—it was his first real domain. But the deeper they went, the calmer he felt.
Hu Tao, who could camp overnight in Wuwang Hill without flinching, was the last person he expected to get spooked.
She was famous for her courage.
Even the little ghost perched in her hair was drooping.
Puzzled, they passed through the gate and entered a wide hall.
Rumble…
The moment they stepped inside, the door behind them slammed shut.
"Watch out!" Hu Tao shouted. She swung her spear in a wide arc, knocking down several arrows that shot at them from the dark.
"Yah!!"
With a chorus of cries, a pack of Hilichurls burst from the shadows, surrounding them.
These Hilichurls were unusually frenzied. The moment they saw the two intruders, they rushed in with weapons raised.
"You watch out for yourself. I'll take care of them," Hu Tao said, spear flaring with crimson fire as she leapt into the fray.
Her spearwork, the funeral parlor's secret art, was elegant and devastating—a true "spear that opens the road to the afterlife, butterflies that guide souls across the bridge."
She danced among the monsters like a butterfly, weaving between them. Her spear thrust and swept; not a single Hilichurl could withstand her.
In just a few exchanges, they were all sent to their next life.
She landed lightly, spear slanted at her side, every inch the heroic warrior.
"That was ama—Hu Tao!!"
Lu Lin had just opened his mouth to praise her when he saw her suddenly topple backward.
He lunged forward and caught her in his arms, heart pounding too hard to enjoy the sensation of soft fragrance and warm jade.
"Where are you hurt?" he asked, panicked.
"N-no… it's just… a little… exhaustion," Hu Tao said weakly, face pale. The little ghost in her hair looked limp and drained.
"Your face is white as paper, and you call that 'fine'? Don't push yourself," Lu Lin said, not believing a word. He started checking her over on his own.
"Y-yaa! What are you doing?" she squeaked, not expecting him to be so direct. But her limbs were like jelly; she couldn't stop him.
"Don't move. I'm checking your injuries," he said.
Her skin was so pale and smooth that it made his breath grow heavier. He forced down the restlessness and carefully examined her.
He was gentle, afraid of hurting her. But after checking her arms, shoulders, waist, abdomen, and so on, he found no wounds.
Only one place was left…
His gaze slid downward.
Though Hu Tao was on the petite side, half reclining in his arms, he could still see the faint rise and fall of her chest. The more ragged her breathing became, the more obvious it was.
She desperately tried to calm herself. It was useless.
His fingers had traced almost every inch of her body. The sensations were unlike anything she'd ever felt. How could she calm down?
When she realized where his eyes had wandered, she panicked even more. Her face was blazing.
"I… I really didn't get hurt," the usually lively girl said, now soft and weak, more shy than indignant. The contrast set Lu Lin's heart racing.
He'd checked so many places. Of course he knew she wasn't injured. But with a blushing girl in his arms, how could he not be moved?
His self-control was stretched to its limit.
"Lu Lin… let me up…" Hu Tao saw his hand still creeping lower and couldn't help pleading.
Her voice, more a soft whimper than a protest, was the final straw.
He lowered his head and found her rosy lips, cutting off the rest of her words.
"Mm—"
Caught off guard, Hu Tao's eyes flew wide.
Taking advantage, Lu Lin caught the tip of her tongue, pressing forward before she could react, stealing every bit of that sweet breath.
His warmth wrapped around her and melted her will, pulling her deeper into the kiss until she was responding just as eagerly.
And then she felt it.
Some strange energy flowed into her through his lips, spreading through her limbs and bones.
Her mind snapped into focus. Strength rushed back. At last she managed to break away.
Lu Lin also came back to his senses. He steadied her, helped her straighten her clothes, and said frankly, "You seem to have gotten a lot of strength back."
Hu Tao rolled her eyes, then asked, "Aren't you curious why I ran out of strength fighting a few ordinary Hilichurls?"
It was strange.
She had a Vision and had trained with the parlor's secret spear art since childhood. Her power was undeniable.
Those Hilichurls had been more frenzied than normal, but there were only seven or eight. It shouldn't have drained her.
"It's the black mist. There's something wrong with it. It's been draining my power," Hu Tao said quietly.
"When I started fighting, I realized both my elemental energy and my physical strength had been consumed heavily.
"It happens without you noticing. Before I used any power, I didn't sense it at all. That unease earlier must've been my subconscious warning me."
The mist drains strength?
Lu Lin clenched his fist. He still didn't feel any weakness. No unease, either.
It seemed he wasn't affected by the mist.
But with only ordinary adult strength, that alone didn't mean much.
Still… looking at the lively, energetic girl in his arms now, this was not what exhaustion should look like.
"How did you recover?" he asked.
"Hehe. That's the parlor master's secret. I'm not telling," Hu Tao said impishly, back to her usual self.
She twirled away, her scent trailing behind her as she bounced ahead again.
"Come on, let's go!"
"Right behind you," Lu Lin said with a wry smile, following.
The mist in the hall was even thicker than the corridor. They could barely see two meters ahead.
They reached another door on the far side of the hall, firmly shut. It was clearly where the Hilichurls had come from.
"Someone's definitely causing trouble," Lu Lin said. There was no way it was a coincidence that the door had shut as soon as they entered and immediately spat out Hilichurls.
"Can you open this one too?" Hu Tao looked at him expectantly. His earlier display had left an impression.
"I can try." Lu Lin lifted his night pearl and examined the mechanisms.
The traps in this domain were intricate, but not overly complex. Once you found the solution, they weren't hard to crack.
As a player who had once cleared the entire map at 100% exploration, he had plenty of experience with puzzles. This level of mechanism was nothing.
A short while later, he opened the door. Another corridor lay beyond.
Inside, six Hilichurl Berserkers hefted giant axes, looking vicious.
"Leave them to me," Hu Tao said, spinning her spear like a blooming flower before leaping forward.
She cleared the monsters in short order. As Lu Lin stepped forward to continue, she suddenly spun around, shoved her weapon away, and threw herself at him.
He caught her slim waist on instinct.
Her hands slid around his neck. Warm lips pressed to his.
He blinked. This time, he was the one being stolen from.
Hu Tao's learning curve was terrifying. After "studying" with him once, her kissing technique had improved dramatically—and she was the one taking the offensive.
Like a butterfly diving into flame.
But against a seasoned "final boss," she was still a little outmatched.
After an intense bout, it was still Lu Lin who emerged victorious.
"So the reason you recovered just now was that… kiss?" he asked. He wasn't stupid; he'd pieced it together from the details.
Standing on tiptoe, Hu Tao gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Wow, you're smart. You got it in one.
"When we kiss, some strange energy flows from you into me. It drives out the mist inside my body.
"But," she added with a playful grin, "I wasn't kissing you just to get rid of the mist~"
Her smile was radiant. She spun away again, hopping down the hall.
Hu Tao was the type to love boldly and hate boldly. Once she'd decided to act, she didn't bother pretending to be shy. She led with enthusiasm instead.
Lu Lin touched his lips and forced his racing heart to calm.
Is this girl planning to steal first place and become the Serenitea Pot's first resident?
They walked deeper into the corridor. Another door blocked their way.
-------
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