“What’s wrong?”
Bai Xia did not answer Tian Zheng’s inquiry. Instead, she halted before a stone wall in the deepest part of the goblin lair. As the cave was rather dim, she produced a torch.
The torchlight dispelled the shadows, revealing to Tian Zheng, who had followed closely behind, the reason for Bai Xia’s unusual behavior.
Previously, due to the dim light within the lair and their complete focus on the goblins, no other strange anomalies had been noticed during their battle.
Now, illuminated by the torch, the lair’s true appearance finally came into full view.
While other areas presented nothing out of the ordinary, one particular spot stood out as truly peculiar: the wall before Bai Xia. More precisely, it was the murals etched upon that wall.
Compared to the rest of the cave, the stone wall in this innermost section was astonishingly smooth, and adorned with countless unknown murals.
These murals depicted a myriad of monsters whose names Bai Xia couldn’t even begin to guess. Some resembled snakes with six wings sprouting from their backs, others bore the faces of wolves on the bodies of bears with four hooves treading fire, while still others were colossal birds engulfed in flames, or enraged dragons whose claws crackled with thunder.
Each mural was so lifelike that Bai Xia felt an unsettling illusion: as if they could leap from the stone at any moment and swallow her whole.
“I doubt… goblins possess this kind of artistic sensibility, do they?” Bai Xia muttered, pointing instinctively at the stone wall before them.
Tian Zheng opened his mouth, but remained silent.
While the previous goblins were indeed the lair’s inhabitants, it was abundantly clear these murals weren’t their creation. After all, attributing such intricate artwork to goblins, creatures with barely any brains, was akin to claiming a blind man could fly a plane.
If not the goblins, then the origin of these murals became a perplexing question, one that demanded deep contemplation.
However, this wasn’t what currently occupied Bai Xia’s thoughts. After staring at the stone wall for a long while, she suddenly produced the Skybolt Stone she had just acquired.
Just as Tian Zheng pondered what she intended to do, he suddenly met the young woman’s gaze. “Crouch down.”
“…Hm?”
“Lend me your shoulder for a moment.”
Bai Xia raised her hand, pointing towards a spot near the center of the stone wall. “Do you see that? I want to get a closer look.”
Tian Zheng followed her gaze. The spot was quite high up, yet it was the only section of the entire wall devoid of murals. Furthermore, it appeared to have a… gap in its center?
The man raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful, but nonetheless complied, moving to the designated spot and crouching down.
“Come on up.”
Bai Xia stood behind Tian Zheng, hesitated for a brief moment, then accelerated into a leap, landing squarely on his shoulder. It was fortunate they were in a game; otherwise, such a steady landing would have been impossible.
However, as Tian Zheng stood, her body still swayed involuntarily. Only after he gripped her ankle did she feel a bit more stable.
Bai Xia squinted, seemingly about to speak, but ultimately redirected her attention back to what lay ahead.
Tilting her head slightly, Bai Xia examined the gap in the stone wall, then held up the Skybolt Stone in her hand to compare. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but the marble-sized Skybolt Stone could certainly be inserted completely.
As the thought crossed her mind, Bai Xia acted upon it.
The instant the small Skybolt Stone touched the rounded indentation… *Buzz!*
“Eh?”
A powerful suction suddenly emanated from the gap, drawing the Skybolt Stone directly inside before Bai Xia could even react.
The next moment, a flash of lightning erupted, and the murals across the entire stone wall seemed to spring to life!
Accompanying this was a peculiar jolt, impacting not just their bodies, but their very minds, which felt as though they had been violently struck.
Taken by surprise, Tian Zheng, who was standing nearby, grunted and stumbled back several steps, his footing unsteady and his movements disoriented. Bai Xia fared even worse; her feet slipped, and she tumbled directly from his shoulder!
“Bai Xia!”
Tian Zheng, having just regained his balance, paused in surprise, then quickly fumbled to catch her.
Caught by Tian Zheng, Bai Xia shook her slightly dizzy head, then pressed a hand to her forehead. “Ugh… I’m fine.”
It was at this very moment that the stone wall before them underwent another transformation!
Streaks of electric light continuously wove through the murals, and as time passed, cracks began to spiderweb across the formerly smooth wall.
*Crack… crack…*
The strange sounds captivated Bai Xia’s attention, so much so that for a moment, she forgot to ask Tian Zheng to put her down.
Then, under the watchful eyes of both, the wall before them… shattered!
“What is this… an entrance?”
Indeed, as the stone wall crumbled, it revealed an opening tall enough for a person to pass through.
Yet, this entrance was profoundly strange. While it appeared to be a real passage, it simultaneously gave off an ethereal sensation, as if it might vanish at any second. Moreover, the interior was utterly black, exuding an indescribable aura, like a true abyss!
Even before they drew near, a spine-chilling sensation washed over them.
‘What in the world is this?’
Bai Xia blinked, and then she realized…
“Where exactly is your hand?”
Her eyes narrowed instantly as she discovered that while one of Tian Zheng’s hands supported her back after catching her, his other hand was inexplicably placed on her backside!
Tian Zheng raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do it on purpose?”
“So, that forceful squeeze wasn’t on purpose either, I suppose?”
Setting her down under Bai Xia’s furious glare, the man cleared his throat, his gaze fixed on the peculiar entrance before them. “What do you think this thing is?”
“Your attempts to change the subject are utterly pathetic, aren’t they? And I’ve just realized, you might seem respectable, Great God, but you’re actually a pervert… No, a lolicon (TL Note: A person attracted to fictional or real-life prepubescent girls), aren’t you? Great God, you should know that harassing lolis is a crime! You’ll be kicked to death by horses!”
Bai Xia huffed, feeling utterly displeased. ‘Seriously, is today my unlucky day? First, my chest was groped, and now my backside!’
And Tian Zheng, of all people! He seemed so proper, yet his actions undeniably screamed ‘lolicon,’ didn’t they?!
“But, Bai Xia, didn’t you say you were twenty years old?” The man chuckled dismissively at her words. “Twenty isn’t exactly a loli, is it? Besides, my actions were merely a man’s most genuine reaction; how is that harassment?”
“Just because someone’s a ‘legal loli’ doesn’t mean they’re not a loli! Go apologize to all those hundreds- or thousands-of-years-old lolis out there!”
Today, Bai Xia finally discovered yet another of Tian Zheng’s ‘virtues’ – his skin was as thick as a city wall.
‘It seems my initial impression of him being decent was utterly mistaken. This man is incredibly dangerous!’
“Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay?”
Patting Bai Xia’s head with a rather perfunctory gesture, Tian Zheng then turned his serious attention back to the dark opening ahead. “However, before you scold me further, I believe we should first figure out what this strange entrance is. What do you think, Bai Xia?”
“I think it’s more important for me to stab you a few times to vent my frustration first.”