Chapter 4: A Sheltered Escape

Boom—

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, as the rain cascaded from the sky.

Qin Jinxuan huddled deep within the cave, startled perhaps by the recent clap of thunder, and nervously glanced towards the entrance.

Her gaze swept past the flickering flames of their campfire, settling on Cheng Lan, who stood guard by the cave mouth.

Every so often, he would turn his head to peer outside, as if wary of some unseen threat.

“Cheng… Cheng Lan, my classmate…” The young woman’s cherry lips parted, and a fragile voice emerged. “Can we… can we still return home?”

Cheng Lan turned his head to face the interior of the cave, his eyes meeting the young woman’s pale pink gaze. He shook his head with a sigh. “Jinxuan, my classmate, I’ve told you countless times already. If even I can’t take you back, then no one in this world will be able to.”

“But…” Qin Jinxuan couldn’t help but recall everything she had witnessed on their journey so far—

Towering trees that dwarfed skyscrapers, dense thickets of bushes large enough to conceal an entire group of people, mosquitoes the size of basketballs, and… dinosaurs!

These scenes, which should only exist within movies or games, had materialized vividly before her very eyes.

Had it not been for her classmate, who had guided her relentlessly, she would likely have met a dire fate long ago.

Seeing Qin Jinxuan’s hesitant, unspoken expression, Cheng Lan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? You still don’t believe what I’ve told you?”

Qin Jinxuan paused, then slowly nodded, only to quickly shake her head. “How should I put it… Cheng Lan, the fact that you claim to be a ‘reborn’ person still sounds a bit…”

It was somewhat unbelievable, yet Cheng Lan truly knew the environment here like the back of his hand, just as he claimed.

Their ability to evade various dangers had all been thanks to him.

Suddenly, Cheng Lan spun away from the cave mouth and rushed several steps deeper into the cave’s interior.

As he ran, he casually extinguished the burning campfire. Then, in one swift motion, he pulled Qin Jinxuan into his embrace, gently pressing her head down with his hand to prevent her from moving.

“Mmgh—!”

Just as Qin Jinxuan was about to speak, Cheng Lan immediately leaned close to her ear and whispered softly:

“Shh! Don’t make a sound.”

The young woman in his arms instantly froze, not daring to even breathe.

She subtly tilted her head towards the cave entrance, only to see a dinosaur’s snout poking inside, its nostrils twitching continuously as if sniffing for a scent.

Time seemed to freeze.

After what felt like an eternity, the snout slowly withdrew.

Just as Qin Jinxuan saw that the outside of the cave was empty and prepared to let out a sigh of relief—

“Don’t move!” Cheng Lan warned in a hushed tone again, his arm tightening around her even more firmly.

Thump! Thump!

A heartbeat echoed in her ears, and for a moment, she couldn’t discern if the sound belonged to her or to Cheng Lan.

Suddenly, an amber-colored vertical pupil appeared outside the cave entrance, eerily scrutinizing the cave’s interior.

It blinked twice, then vanished from sight.

Immediately after, a massive black claw abruptly plunged into the cave, stopping less than two centimeters from their bodies!

The claw relentlessly scraped against the cave walls and ground, leaving deep gouges as it attempted to drag its prey from the depths of the cave.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Qin Jinxuan’s heart pounded ever faster, threatening to burst from her chest.

She looked at Cheng Lan with terror in her eyes.

Cheng Lan, however, remained perfectly calm, as if everything was unfolding precisely as he had anticipated.

Seemingly sensing her gaze, he lowered his head to look at the young woman in his arms, moving his lips to silently mouth, ‘It can’t reach us.’

Understanding Cheng Lan’s meaning, Qin Jinxuan managed to calm herself slightly.

After half an eternity of futile attempts to snatch its prey, the colossal claw finally withdrew from the cave.

“Roar!” A frustrated roar of defiance exploded at the cave entrance.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Then, heavy footsteps faded from near to far, eventually vanishing completely amidst the torrential rain.

It seemed the colossal creature outside the cave had finally departed.

Yet, deep within the cave, the two remained tightly embraced, not daring to make a single move.

After another moment, the sound of rain gradually subsided.

Cheng Lan slowly loosened his embrace, silently gesturing to Qin Jinxuan with a ‘stay put’ motion, indicating that he would go out to scout ahead.

Seeing her gentle nod, in the next instant, he melted into the darkness, quietly vanishing into the cave’s shadows.

Qin Jinxuan hugged her knees and remained huddled deep in the cave, her face etched with worry as she gazed towards the entrance.

The torrential rain had ceased, though occasionally, a few drops of water still fell from outside the cave mouth.

Suddenly, a hand gently tapped her shoulder.

Her body instantly stiffened.

“Well now, what are you looking at?” he whispered softly into her ear.

She slowly turned her head, and upon seeing Cheng Lan, her taut nerves finally relaxed.

“You! You scared me half to death!” She glared at him, annoyed.

“Scared to death by just that?”

Seeing the young woman who would one day become an unparalleled Sword Immortal, now looking utterly timid, Cheng Lan couldn’t help but feel a surge of amusement.

“There’ll be plenty more situations like this in the future. I’m kindly helping you build courage; you should be thanking me.” he retorted sarcastically.

Hearing Cheng Lan’s words, Qin Jinxuan pouted in extreme displeasure.

However, she was used to it; though she didn’t know why, this guy had been passive-aggressively teasing her the entire journey.

“Are you rested? If so, let’s go. I’m taking you home.”

Qin Jinxuan nodded, then slowly stood up.

However, the moment she found her balance, a piercing pain shot through the sole of her foot.

She figured it must be from running desperately for so long earlier, having chafed her feet raw.

Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and began to hobble step by painful step towards the cave entrance.

“Tsk.” Cheng Lan clicked his tongue, watching her limp.

At her current pace, it would take an eternity to reach the boundary of the World Rifts.

He took a few steps forward, then crouched before her. “Come on, get on.”

“I can manage by myself…”

“Alright, stop dawdling. While you’re taking your sweet time, I’d rather get back sooner.” he said impatiently.

“Oh…” A hint of shyness bloomed on Qin Jinxuan’s face as she carefully climbed onto his back, her hands timidly encircling his neck.

“Did you not eat? Is that all the strength you have? If I run fast, I’ll shake you right off.”

“What’s wrong?! Yes, I didn’t eat! Are you going to cook for me?!” Qin Jinxuan, flustered, instantly tightened her grip around Cheng Lan’s neck, wishing she could strangle him on the spot.

“That’s more like it. Hold on tight.” Cheng Lan’s arms firmly supported her bent knees as he stood up.

“Am I… heavy?” she whispered.

“Eat more when we get home, look how starved this child is. My back feels bony.” Cheng Lan commented sharply.

“Nonsense! I clearly still have…” Qin Jinxuan was about to retort, then suddenly realized what she was saying.

Her small face flushed even deeper red, and she gritted her teeth in exasperation—this boy in front of her was good in every way, except for his mouth.

“Hold on tight!”

Before the young woman on his back could even react, Cheng Lan suddenly propelled himself forward, bursting out of the cave like an arrow loosed from a bow, darting through the rainforest.

“Slow! Slower!!”

“Speak louder! I can’t hear you!”

Qin Jinxuan was jostled so hard she nearly bit her tongue, forcing her to cling desperately to his neck, burying her face in his back, all the while silently cursing him from head to toe.