Chapter 239: Desperate Straits
“Young Master wants Cultivation Method Perfection, but that can’t do without my… active cooperation.” Su Yingxiu’s voice trembled slightly toward the end, each syllable thick with shyness. “If I were hit by the Soul Seizing Great Method and turned into a wooden person, for Young Master… that would be the opposite of beautiful…”
“…” Though in the darkness, Lu Yun could still clearly see the fiery light shining from Su Yingxiu’s watery big eyes.
Lu Yun involuntarily avoided Su Yingxiu’s gaze, coughing dryly several times. “What nonsense are you talking!”
“How am I talking nonsense?” Su Yingxiu lifted her head bashfully, hands over her heart, lightly shifting her lotus steps, walking step by step toward Lu Yun. “As the saying goes, solitary yin does not engender, solitary yang does not grow, thus heaven and earth pair with yin and yang. Young Master has read extensively, surely understanding the true meaning better than I…” Whether intentional or not, she bit down heavily on the word ‘pair’.
Lu Yun smelled the orchid-like, musk-like girlish fragrance from Su Yingxiu’s body, and for no reason his heart panicked. He hurriedly shouted, “Stop!”
“Doesn’t Young Master Lu want Great Joy, Great Liberation?” Su Yingxiu turned a deaf ear, her smile on her face becoming ever more flirtatiously alluring. She had finally found Lu Yun’s weak point. Su Yingxiu’s face was like steamed powder, her voice becoming thin as a flute, yet even more soul-seizing. “As long as you promise not to hurt me, I, I… will agree to anything.”
Lu Yun’s face flushed red as he retreated several steps, his voice losing its previous surging killing intent. “Can’t you have a little shame? How can you say these words out loud?”
“Your Confucius said it: food and sex are human nature.” Su Yingxiu said matter-of-factly. “We follow the sage’s teachings, what’s wrong with that?”
“That’s not what it means at all…” Lu Yun glared fiercely at Su Yingxiu, the killing intent on his body completely gone. “And that was said by Mencius.”
Seeing Lu Yun’s killing intent turn into bookish pedantry, Su Yingxiu’s smile became even sweeter. “Then what did Confucius say?”
“Food and women, these are the great desires inherent in human nature.” Lu Yun said without thinking.
“Isn’t that the same meaning?” Su Yingxiu covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. “The Way of Confucius and Mencius can’t be wrong, right?”
“I’m not discussing this with you!” Lu Yun rolled his eyes dramatically, standing even farther from Su Yingxiu.
“Young Master Lu, don’t stand so far away.” Su Yingxiu clung to him.
“Miss Su, Saintess Su.” Lu Yun raised his index finger, somewhat exasperated. “If you want to live, shut your mouth and stay away from me!”
Su Yingxiu finally stopped, tugging at her sleeve and muttering softly, “I’m afraid of the dark.”
“I’d have to be a fool to believe you.” Lu Yun rolled his eyes again, striding straight toward that stone door, wanting to find a way to escape.
But after searching carefully all over, he found no mechanisms. He raised his palm and struck the stone door, but only brought down billowing dust, unable to shake the heavy stone door at all.
With no other options, Lu Yun turned back to look at Su Yingxiu. Su Yingxiu hurriedly shook her head, pointing at her tightly closed mouth.
“You can speak, but you must talk like a normal person.” Lu Yun gave her an annoyed glance.
“You’re the one who’s not normal…” Su Yingxiu muttered softly. Lu Yun glared, and she hurriedly straightened her face, saying seriously, “To inform Young Master Lu, you’d better not waste your strength. This stone door’s material is exactly the same as the Dragon-Slaying Stone, over a foot thick. Though Young Master’s martial arts are extraordinary, he’s not yet a Grandmaster, and can’t do anything to it.”
“Where’s the mechanism?” Lu Yun said with a dark face. “Sun Yuanlang must have told you how to get out, right?!”
“Really not.” Su Yingxiu shook her head, smiling. “Master said it’s actually safer inside here than outside. Once he finishes handling things outside, he’ll naturally have a way to get me out.”
“…” Su Yingxiu’s words were so reasonable that Lu Yun couldn’t refute. Seeing Su Yingxiu’s posture of planning to settle down here for the rest of her life, he turned and walked toward the control room.
“Young Master Lu, what are you going to do?” Su Yingxiu asked from behind him.
“I want to be quiet.” Lu Yun said irritably. “Don’t follow!”
.
In the control room.
Lu Yun did want to be quiet, but he more wanted to quietly find a way out. He carefully examined those mechanism hubs, studying their principles and connections.
In this dark, sunless cave, it was almost impossible to feel the passage of time.
Until startled by the rumbling sound from his own stomach, Lu Yun dazedly came back to his senses. He saw Su Yingxiu had appeared by his side at some point.
“A day has passed?” Lu Yun inferred the time from his own hunger, startling himself.
“What do you think?” Su Yingxiu gave him a sideways glance, her voice slightly hoarse, no longer as tenderly dripping as before. “I’m thirsty, hungry, and bored, yet you’ve been staring blankly like a wooden person.”
“What happens to you has nothing to do with me?” Lu Yun looked at Su Yingxiu somewhat puzzled, his brows slightly furrowed. Though he had been like an old monk in meditation before, his six senses were sharper than usual. He knew that in this day, there had been no movement from outside the stone door.
“Not to mention you’ll need me in the future to harmonize yin and yang, just consider that we’re now depending on each other for survival.” Su Yingxiu pouted. “We might even die in the same year, month, and day. How can you say it has nothing to do with us?”
“Won’t your master come get you out?” Lu Yun snorted.
“It’s been a day with no movement. Who knows what’s happened outside?” Su Yingxiu sighed lightly, seeming somewhat lacking in confidence. But this woman was full of lies, and Lu Yun didn’t know which words were true or false. He nodded without responding, but didn’t chase her out again.
“Young Master Lu, you’ve looked for so long. Found any clues?” Su Yingxiu could feel the anger in Lu Yun’s heart and asked cautiously.
“…” At her words, Lu Yun was silent for a moment. He looked up at the various large and small holes in the control room walls. Thick and thin iron chains passed through these holes, connecting to the mechanisms in various places.
Under Su Yingxiu’s questioning, Lu Yun hesitated before saying, “Since those iron chains connect to the various mechanisms, those holes naturally connect to the outside. I want to see if there’s a way to use those holes.”
“Impossible. The thickest holes are only bowl-mouth thick.” Su Yingxiu burst out laughing at his words. “Unless Young Master Lu can turn into a mouse, you can’t crawl out.” Saying this, she looked at Lu Yun as if realizing something. “Do you actually understand the art of mechanisms?”
“No.” Lu Yun said dully.
“Then why look for so long?” Su Yingxiu had black lines on her forehead.
“Anyway, with nothing to do, looking anywhere is looking.” Lu Yun said, glancing at Su Yingxiu. “Do you understand the art of mechanisms?”
“Of course, I’m the omnipotent and omniscient Saintess after all.” Su Yingxiu smiled proudly.
“Your Taiping Dao definitely doesn’t have cows.” Lu Yun said flatly.
“What do you mean?” Su Yingxiu was stunned.
“Because you’ve blown them all up to heaven.” Lu Yun sneered.
“Uh…” Su Yingxiu stared blankly at Lu Yun, then giggled. “Young Master Lu’s jokes are far worse than your deception skills.”
“If you have a way, say it quickly.” Lu Yun licked his dry, cracked lips. From dusk yesterday to now, he hadn’t had a drop of water, yet his consumption was several times greater than usual, and his body was starting to suffer dehydration.
“I don’t know a way out, but I know how to find water.” Su Yingxiu said softly.
“That works too.” Lu Yun’s eyes lit up. People can endure hunger for a long time, but just two or three days without water and the body will be in serious condition. No matter how high his martial arts, he couldn’t change that. “Quick, tell me, how?”
