Chapter 180 (1/2)

Chapter 180: Trust

Nan Xun jumped onto the tiger's back from behind. While the tiger was distracted, Jun Huang yanked her sword out of the tiger's mouth without hesitation, cutting off the tiger's tongue at the same time. Blood gushed out of the tiger's mouth.

Neither Jun Huang nor Nan Xun spared a glance for the grotesque mess they had made. Nan Xun plastered his body along the tiger's back and held onto its neck as Jun Huang stabbed at the tiger's stomach.

Right before Jun Huang's sword could hit the tiger, Nan Xun was thrown off the tiger's back. A pained huff escaped his mouth.

His heart clenched when he saw the tiger's furious eyes. Before it could stomp on his face, Nan Xun rolled to the side and scrambled to his feet. Jun Huang threw him his sword. He caught it and drove it into the tiger's stomach.

In, and out. Crimson blood splattered out of the cut. The air was filled with a sickening metallic smell. Jun Huang started retching while supporting herself against the wall.

Nan Xun let out a deep breath after the tiger had collapsed. His vision went dark for a moment. He inhaled deeply and struggled to Jun Huang's side with a hand on the wall. He patted her on the back.

”I… I'm fine,” Jun Huang said with a trembling voice. She waved a hand at Nan Xun, trying to a.s.sure him, but she couldn't stop her legs from shaking. She fell to the ground. Nan Xun wanted to help her up, but he felt light-headed as soon as he bent down. He collapsed as well.

They lay on the ground and exchanged a smile. Tension drain out of their bodies. The adrenaline rush left them exhausted. They couldn't even utter a single word. The pain was now dull, but the exhaustion had overcome them.

It took a while for Jun Huang to recover. She propped herself up and got to her feet. A search around the room yielded no results. She didn't find another exit. Her focus s.h.i.+fted to the cage at the center of the room.

An idea came to her mind. She walked into the iron cage and felt around. There was a trigger on the cage.

She wasn't going to just push it. After a bemused pause, she walked out of the cage and pushed the trigger. Click! A small trapdoor revealed itself at the bottom of the cage. She let out a sigh of relief.

”There's a door here, Nan Xun,” Jun Huang said, turning to Nan Xun.

Nan Xun got to his feet and brushed away the dust on his clothes. He walked up to her. Jun Huang took a step back to let Nan Xun look at the door. Her gaze settled on Nan Xun's injured fingers. Her heart ached thinking of how Nan Xun had fought the tiger with bare hands. The thoughts alone made her wince in sympathy.

Nan Xun turned to her. Realizing that she was staring at his wounds, he casually hid his hands under his sleeves and said, ”I'll have a look first.”

Jun Huang nodded. She didn't want to argue with him over this again. Nan Xun told her to be careful before jumping down the small trapdoor.

The room underneath was again empty. The walls were not made of stone, but of iron. There were skeletons left on the floor. It was horrifying to be faced with the hollow eyes of the skulls.

”What's down there?” Jun Huang asked. ”There's no exit in the room up here. The room below should be our way out.”

Nan Xun agreed with Jun Huang. ”Jump. I'll catch you.”

Jun Huang entered the cage and looked down. The floor was about two meters away from her. She took a deep breath and leaned forward.

She jumped. Nan Xun caught her in his arms.

Jun Huang slowly opened her eyes when she stopped falling. Her gaze met Nan Xun's. She coughed and pulled away from him.

She was faced with the skeletons as soon as she turned around. Startled, she backed away. Nan Xun put a hand on her shoulder and said rea.s.suringly, ”Relax. We'll look around for an exit.”

”Alright,” Jun Huang said with a nod.

The door above them was suddenly slammed shut. Jun Huang and Nan Xun shared a look. Realization dawned on them. Nan Xun leaped into the air, trying to push the door open, but the door was sealed. He landed on the ground and shook his head.

”I don't think it's as simple as trying to find a switch,” Jun Huang said. She quickly calmed herself down. ”There must be a catch.”

Nan Xun nodded. He didn't have a clue what the right thing to do now was.