Chapter 826: Tacit Understanding
Zu An didn’t know what Mi Li was thinking. He was just surprised that he had actually found something so awesome just from killing a stinky loach. Mi Li didn’t reply even after he called out a few times, so he put away the Brilliant Glass Bead and arrived at Bi Linglong’s side, saying, “Don’t worry, this place is too deep, and the Jade Moon Serpent has set up all kinds of formations. They won’t be able to come here.”
Bi Linglong bit her lip and replied, “Even if they can’t come down, we still have to return to the surface eventually. It’s not good for us to stay down here for too long anyway.”
Zu An chuckled. “Then I’ll just bring you back up.”
Bi Linglong’s expression finally eased a bit. “Thanks.”
When Zu An had pretty much looted the entire nest, he called out to Mi Li. This time, Mi Li didn’t joke around with him and silently returned to the Tai’e Sword.
Why is she so gloomy all of a sudden? Zu An was a bit puzzled. However, there was no way for him to know unless Mi Li talked about it. He collected his thoughts before arriving at Bi Linglong’s side, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Bi Linglong jumped in fright and leaped backward like a startled rabbit, asking, “What are you doing?”
Zu An rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna carry you up, of course. With your cultivation, you can’t withstand the current at all. How else are we going to return if I don’t do this?”
Bi Linglong felt troubled. “But our statuses are special and there are countless eyes watching. We can’t afford to make any mistakes!”
Zu An was speechless. “It’s not as if I haven’t hugged you before. What are you getting all flustered for?”
Bi Linglong began to panic. “But the problem is that there are many people watching outside…”
Zu An immediately chuckled when he heard what she said. “So you didn’t mind us hugging in private, but you just didn’t want others to see us?”
Bi Linglong looked away. “You better not let your imagination run wild. That’s not what I meant.”
Zu An moved over to her side and pulled in her slender waist. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you go before we leave the surface.”
Bi Linglong opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything in the end. A light blush appeared on her neck. Zu An had to admit that even though this woman normally acted tough, her body really was soft.
When she saw that they still weren’t moving, Bi Linglong said with a voice that was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “Can we… leave?”
“Hold on tight.” Zu An focused his attention and bent down slightly. Then, he kicked off the ground and the two of them shot out like a rocket, rushing straight out of the Jade Moon Serpent’s nest and toward the surface.
Bi Linglong held on nervously. She had already used ki to store a bit of oxygen around herself. Even so, it was barely enough. Unfortunately, they were just too deep in the water right now. This was a place where even the massive Jade Moon Serpent could swim freely, so it was easy to imagine just how deep the pool was.
Bi Linglong could still barely hold on at first, but her expression became grave soon afterward. She could feel that she was about to faint. She had underestimated how deep they were. The oxygen around her was already getting thin before they even reached the surface, and it was getting hard to breathe.
This deep down, the berserk water element attacked a cultivator’s ki viciously. A cultivator might be able to last an hour underwater normally, but here, they would only be able to hold on for a few minutes.
However, she clenched her teeth and held on. Her small hands grabbed the man beside her. She only felt a bit more at ease when she felt the warmth coming from his arm. Perhaps because this feeling really was awful, even though not much time had passed, she felt as if it had taken several years.
A while later, she could vaguely see light above her. She knew they were about to reach the water surface. She felt a sense of ease, but then she could no longer hold on. The lack of oxygen made her mind a bit hazy, causing her to accidentally drink several gulps of water. She subconsciously began to struggle.
Suddenly, a pair of soft lips pressed against hers and she felt a burst of fresh oxygen enter her body. Bi Linglong greedily took in the oxygen, and then her mind gradually calmed down again. Her beautiful eyes immediately widened. Only now did she realize that the two of them were kissing.
It was as if an explosion had gone in her head, and then everything went blank. Even at this age, she had never kissed another man yet, even though she had already gotten married.
As a daughter of a distinguished clan, she had been trained in all types of etiquette ever since she was little. The young ladies of nobility had to follow many rules. They had to present themselves as wise and virtuous women. When she was chosen to become the crown princess, that part of her life became even more strict.
Whether it was the royal family or the Bi clan, they had both protected her, making sure that no men would approach her. Bi Linglong had always fulfilled this part of her responsibility. Until now, she had always been a perfect noble daughter, a perfect crown princess.
Until she met Zu An…
Back then, when the two of them had been right next to each other without a stitch of clothing, she had already become a bit different. However, her powerful rationality had warned her that this was a scheme by the enemy, so it didn’t count.
But what about this? She had been kissed while she was conscious by a man!
What left her at an even greater loss was that right now, she wasn’t as uncomfortable or annoyed as she had imagined. She didn’t even instinctively push him away.
He’s only doing this to save me… Yeah, that’s it. Bi Linglong continuously consoled herself, and then she slowly closed her eyes.
Zu An almost laughed when he saw her. He had originally only been feeding her some oxygen. Yet now, she looked as if she were completely willing to do this. He wasn’t some unromantic brute, so obviously, he continued to kiss her gently.
Bi Linglong’s entire body trembled. He actually… He actually…
But she didn’t know what to do either. She could only close her eyes tightly, as if pretending she didn’t know anything.
A while later, a gentle voice spoke next to her. “We’re almost at the surface.”
Only then did Bi Linglong react and open her eyes. She could vaguely see nervous figures by the shore. She was extremely embarrassed and quickly pushed Zu An away, leaping out of the waters on her own.
“Crown princess!”
The many young masters that were waiting by the shore flocked around her.
However, another figure that even faster, fishing out a cloak from who knew where and wrapping it around her body. It covered her entirely drenched, seductive figure.
The crown princess felt warm inside. Looks like this guy did care about me after all. However, when she saw the others’ expressions, she immediately coughed lightly and said, “Thank you for saving me, Sir Zu.”
Zu An smiled. “Crown princess, you’re too polite. If not for the fact that the crown princess dove down and diverted some of the Jade Moon Serpent’s attention, I wouldn’t have been able to kill it so easily.”
The two of them had called each other Linglong and Ah Zu underwater, but in front of everyone else, they tacitly agreed to return to their usual relationship.
Bi Linglong’s cheeks blushed when she heard what Zu An said. She obviously knew he had said that to help her out. Otherwise, if the others found out that not only had she not offered any help, but she had also almost drowned after diving in, that would really be way too embarrassing.
She gave him a grateful look, and then used the chance to say, “It’s still thanks to Sir Zu having the strength to face the Jade Moon Serpent that I had a chance to offer some help. In that kind of situation, I could only take a gamble. Thankfully, Sir Zu was able to successfully take down that evil serpent.”
The group shouted out in praise, “Sir Zu is formidable, but crown princess, you’re even more incredible!”
“You truly are a woman who’s even more courageous than men!”
“We were all shaking in our boots, yet only the crown princess dared to jump in!”
…
Bi Linglong sighed in relief when she heard the group’s praise. She had been worried about how she was going to explain her action of diving into the waters, but Zu An downplaying his contributions allowed her to easily solve this troublesome problem.
She pursed her lips and looked at Zu An. He was currently smiling toward her. For some reason, her eyes couldn’t help but drift towards his mouth. She immediately became rattled and turned her face away.
Suddenly, a voice cried out from the distance. “Linglong, save me, Linglong!”
Everyone turned around and saw a fatty running while gasping for air. A group of giant wolves were chasing after him. The Eastern Palace guards were all drenched in blood as they tried to fend off the wolves.
“It’s the crown prince!”
“Hurry and save him!”
The group frantically rushed over with their weapons. When the wolves saw that there were so many people there, they stopped at once. After circling them a few times, they reluctantly withdrew into the forest.
Bi Linglong had her subordinates treat their wounds while asking out of curiosity, “What happened? Why were you all being chased by the Giant White Wolves?”