Borrowed Sword

Chapter 38: Han Shuangjiang’s Embarrassed Anger

Han Shuangjiang couldn’t understand why Chu Huaixu chose to enter the same entrance with her.

That would waste one entrance for no reason, and from a probability standpoint, it wasn’t a good thing.

If the concern was facing a trial alone and struggling to cope, that still didn’t make sense.

Because the senior who designed the ten entrances likely intended for each person to take one.

If one’s strength was exceptional enough, they should be able to withstand the test.

So, after a brief moment of contemplation, she said, “Why don’t we split up? If I gain something here, I’ll bring it out for you.”

Before entering the secret realm, she had already made up her mind.

If she did obtain anything, she would just give it all to Chu Huaixu.

The previous conflict had started because of her, and every problem had been solved by Chu Huaixu. She was always clear-headed about such things.

She had originally intended to give him the Jade Token Fragment, but he didn’t want it.

Unexpectedly, after hearing her words, Chu Huaixu still stuck to his decision and shook his head.

“Trust me, we’ll go together,” he said.

“Okay.” Han Shuangjiang stopped insisting.

Experienced as he was, Chu Huaixu clearly understood that so-called fortunes weren’t always shareable, even if one wanted to share them.

He didn’t plan to gamble on probability or rely on luck.

He would rather believe that this girl, blessed with great fortune, was his lucky charm.

— Watch closely, this is how you use the World Protagonist!

Before entering Cave Seven, Han Shuangjiang glanced regretfully at Cave Eight beside it.

“Don’t look anymore. Trust your first instinct,” said Chu Huaixu.

“I trust you too. Maybe you’ll bring me good luck.” He was directly using the World Protagonist as a “treasure-hunting mouse.”

The cold-faced girl pressed her lips together slightly, feeling like this grinning guy was putting pressure on her.

Time was of the essence. Everyone else was rushing into the caves, and they couldn’t afford to delay either.

The two walked inward, and the space was very narrow.

It felt somewhat like in “Peach Blossom Spring”: at first, extremely narrow, barely passable for one person, but after a few dozen steps, it opened up suddenly.

However, the spaciousness didn’t last long before the path split into two smaller tunnels.

“Feels like a maze,” Chu Huaixu squinted his eyes and said.

Han Shuangjiang nodded and suggested, “Should we make a mark?”

“Sure.” Chu Huaixu didn’t mind. Whatever she wanted to do, she could.

To him, there was no need, because he had the 【Map】 function.

Anywhere he walked would be revealed on the map, and he could refer to it later, so there was no need for physical markers.

However, inside the dungeon, precise location detection wasn’t possible—unless one had a level suppression advantage.

Soon enough, Han Shuangjiang started to feel that this man was putting pressure on her again.

“Which way?” he asked.

The icy girl felt helpless inside. After glancing left and right, she chose the right path.

“Okay, let’s go eat dog.” Chu Huaixu reflexively said in English, leaving Han Shuangjiang baffled, but she quickly followed.

Sure enough, after walking a bit, another fork appeared—this time splitting into three paths.

“Pick one,” Chu Huaixu said again.

Han Shuangjiang looked and suggested, “How about... the middle one?”

“Alright, that’s the one!” he accepted immediately.

Then, Chu Huaixu continued walking without stopping.

Han Shuangjiang was left behind, making marks at the fork. By the time she finished, he had already gone far ahead, so she pursed her lips and jogged after him.

Just like that, they passed ten forks in one go.

Then they walked into a very large clearing, with six paths ahead!

Chu Huaixu began to pressure Han Shuangjiang again.

“Pick one.”

The cold-faced girl’s expression grew colder—she was getting annoyed.

“Can’t you choose one yourself?” she frowned and asked.

Clearly, they had agreed that all the opportunities would be his. Why did she have to make all the decisions?

What if they chose wrong and he blamed her later?

“Nope.” Chu Huaixu was shameless in reply.

“I’m telling you, I’m really bad with directions.” He started making things up.

Han Shuangjiang was, after all, still a young girl. Upon hearing that, she became even more upset. “Then why aren’t you making marks?”

She felt a bit aggrieved—like she was doing all the chores while he just marched ahead without pause.

“I’m not leading the way on purpose? How do you know this place isn’t dangerous? What if it’s more than just a maze?” Chu Huaixu argued righteously, full of reason.

Han Shuangjiang stared at him speechless, cursing inwardly: “You shameless dead fox!”

As it turned out, while she was giving him nicknames, he had the same idea.

“You always wear that cold face all day. When you get angry, it gets even colder. Big Ice Block, pick quickly, which of these two paths?”

Chu Huaixu was getting impatient and urged her.

“B-big Ice Block?” Han Shuangjiang was dumbfounded, thinking, “That sounds awful!”

“Little Ice Block” still sounded kind of cute, but “Big Ice Block” felt clumsy and silly.

Fuming, she pointed at the left path purely on instinct. “This one then!”

This time, she strode ahead quickly without bothering to leave any marks.

Chu Huaixu looked at the pouting cold-faced girl and wasn’t upset—he actually found it amusing.

The colder she acted, the more he wanted to tease her.

Relying on his 【Map】 function, Chu Huaixu had no intention of leaving any marks.

He stared at Han Shuangjiang’s slender, alluring figure, at the graceful sway of her perfect hips as she walked with large strides, and quickly hurried to catch up.

But right after catching up, he sheepishly ran back to the fork and left a mark.

The girl he called Big Ice Block turned back, saw what he did, and let out a soft hum. She felt much better and quite satisfied.

What she didn’t know was that at this moment, Chu Huaixu was secretly alarmed.

The reason was simple — all ten previous forks had been recorded on the 【Map】.

But this one hadn’t!

According to the system’s 【Map】 function, the area ahead should appear black, but once he walked forward, the path he tread would be revealed and recorded.

Yet this path wasn’t showing up. He had already walked a dozen steps, but it remained pitch black, and no new path appeared on the 【Map】!

The 【Map】 only showed the large clearing they had just passed. After choosing one of the six paths—specifically the second—there was still no new route revealed, as if the system had gotten stuck.

“My permissions are too low?”

Chu Huaixu was puzzled and thought he’d better leave a marker just in case.

The two continued walking and choosing, for nearly a full hour.

Han Shuangjiang was growing more and more unsure of herself.

“The space beneath this Cold Pool is really this big?” she couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Also, we started off splitting into ten entrances. We’ve walked so far and still haven’t run into anyone else. That proves it’s really not interconnected inside.”

“Could it be that we chose the wrong path from the beginning?” she looked at Chu Huaixu and voiced her thoughts.

“It’s normal for you to feel uncertain,” Chu Huaixu said.

In his view, Han Shuangjiang was new to the cultivation world. She hadn’t yet encountered any real fortune and didn’t know that she carried tremendous destiny, with countless miracles awaiting her, as if the entire world revolved around her.

It’s like when people think they’re lucky — only after repeatedly tasting success do they start to realize their luck is real.

Chu Huaixu looked at her and shifted the tone of the conversation. “But I believe in you. Don’t feel pressured, Big Ice Block.”

Han Shuangjiang: “......”

Then you shameless dead fox, why don’t you pick the path yourself, bastard!

The cold-faced girl took a deep breath and clenched her teeth as she resumed the decision-making.

She still didn’t understand why she had to be the one choosing. She didn’t feel it was her responsibility.

Like that, they walked for nearly another half hour.

They still hadn’t exited the maze, nor returned to any previously marked paths — meaning they hadn’t doubled back.

“Why don’t you pick this time?” Han Shuangjiang was no longer slightly annoyed, but rather a little disheartened.

Choosing and walking repeatedly — it felt like there was no end.

Through it all, one could only keep questioning oneself.

She didn’t know whether she had chosen wrong or not — she just didn’t know if she was right. Only endless confusion remained.

If it were just her alone, with her stubborn personality, she wouldn’t have felt this way. She’d probably even go toe-to-toe with herself.

But the problem was she had been making all the choices for Chu Huaixu.

That changed one’s mindset.

Chu Huaixu heard her refusing to pick and didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked, “Are you hungry?”

“Seriously, you pick. I keep thinking I’ve led you into a dead end,” Han Shuangjiang ignored his question.

“It’s noon already. How about eating the flatbread we packed?” Chu Huaixu said.

“Why do you insist on me picking? What’s the point of this?”

“Want one?” He took out two pieces of flatbread.

Han Shuangjiang was furious. Her beautiful eyes glared at him fiercely. The icy air faded slightly, and the anger made her more lively and added a new charm to her beauty.

Under her gaze, Chu Huaixu had already taken a bite.

“Really not eating?” He held out the flatbread to her.

“I’ll eat.” She kept a straight face and replied coldly.

......

......

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they resumed their journey.

After about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, Chu Huaixu noticed Han Shuangjiang seemed like she wanted to say something.

He assumed she didn’t want to make more decisions, so he didn’t ask.

But after a while, she still looked like she was holding something in and seemed very uncomfortable.

She clearly had long, slender legs and could barely keep pace with Chu Huaixu’s long strides, yet now she was slowing down.

This seasoned Play Companion was someone who paid close attention to details — it was the only way to provide excellent service and emotional value to clients.

Chu Huaixu had a suspicion and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re...”

He hadn’t finished when Han Shuangjiang, her cheeks tinged red, interrupted him.

This time, she quickly chose a path and said, “Let’s take the middle one. You... you go first. I’ll catch up soon. Don’t wait for me.”

“A-and don’t turn around!” Her voice grew softer the more she spoke. But the final two words rose sharply, and she lowered her head slightly.

Clearly, she didn’t dare look at him — yet she was filled with shame and anger.

Chu Huaixu had guessed correctly. She wanted to pee.

......