Wuxia Across the Heavens: I Collect Side Effects

After a moment of silence, Ji Xiaofu said in a low voice with a hint of stubbornness, "I'm the one who asked you for help in the first place, how could I possibly cause you any more trouble?"

Su Xin gently shook his head, inwardly grumbling to himself:

This person is really like Abbess Miejue; from top to bottom, only their mouth is the most stubborn. They are grateful in their heart, but they refuse to show any weakness in their words.

He pointed to the bear meat roasting by the fire, his tone softening: "Eat something first to replenish your strength, otherwise you won't be able to walk at all tomorrow."

Ji Xiaofu nodded without refusing. She took out the dry rations she had brought from her bundle and ate them slowly by the dim firelight, her expression calm and without the slightest complaint.

They must be people of the martial world, used to living a life of hardship and content as long as they have enough to eat.

After the two finished eating, the fire continued to crackle, dispelling the chill in the cave.

Su Xin stood up and said to Ji Xiaofu, "You rest here. I'll go further into the cave to see what else is inside and check if there's any danger."

"Okay, be careful." Ji Xiaofu nodded quickly, her eyes filled with worry. The depths of this cave were dark and unknown, and no one knew what was hidden inside.

Su Xin responded, picked up the tinderbox, and turned to walk deeper into the cave.

The further you go into the cave, the more peculiar the scenery becomes. Many crystal-clear icicles, varying in length and thickness, are condensed on the rock walls on both sides. Under the light of the firelight, they gleam with a faint white light, which is quite beautiful.

Su Xin carefully avoided the ice pillars, slowed his pace, and continued walking in.

Strangely, the deeper we went into the cave, the temperature did not drop further; instead, it gradually rose. The biting cold gradually dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling.

After walking about several dozen steps, Su Xin felt a bit hot and couldn't help but take off his fur coat, drape it over his arm, and continue exploring forward.

Carrying the burning tinder, Su Xin continued walking deeper into the cave, following the warmth. The snow under his feet gradually thinned, the icicles on the rock walls became sparser, and there was a faint, sticky feeling in the air.

Just then, in the flickering light of the tinderbox, several silvery-white spider webs suddenly came into view, crisscrossing and winding between the crevices of the rock wall, gleaming faintly.

Su Xin's heart stirred, and he quickly slowed his pace, carefully looking through the dim firelight. Instantly, he revealed an undisguised surprise.

On the rock beneath the spider silk lay a dozen spiders, each about the size of a wine cup. Their bodies were covered with bright red and green stripes, their colors dazzling and eye-catching. In the firelight, they resembled scattered five-colored snowflakes—the very five-colored snow spiders he had been searching for!

"So they really do live deep in the cave; I was looking in the wrong place before."

Su Xin muttered to himself, and the anxiety in his heart instantly dissipated.

He raised his hand to feel the temperature around him. Deep inside the cave, the temperature fluctuated between cold and warm, with both the chill lingering on the rock walls and a strange warmth lingering around.

This unique environment is likely due to the habits that allow the snow spider to survive, which explains why they don't inhabit the shady spots at the entrance of their burrows.

Su Xin dared not delay. He returned to the cave entrance, retrieved the brocade box, and lured the five-colored spider into the box.

Looking deeper into the cave, it was pitch black, and the warmth grew even stronger.

After a moment's thought, he gave up the idea of ​​continuing the investigation.

The depths of the cave are unknown, and Ji Xiaofu is still lying weakly at the entrance. It would be too risky for her to venture in alone. Moreover, the Five-Colored Snow Spider has already been found. It would be safer to wait until tomorrow during the day and search for the Snow Mountain Jade Spider carefully under the daylight.

Having made up his mind, Su Xin turned around, picked up the tinderbox, and slowly returned to the cave entrance along the same route.

From afar, one could see the fire still crackling and burning. Ji Xiaofu leaned against the rock wall, her eyes slightly closed, her face still pale, and her breath still weak, clearly not yet fully recovered.

Su Xin frowned, stepped forward, and tossed the fur coat draped over his arm to him, his tone casual yet revealing a hint of concern: "Put this on. It's warm inside the cave, but you're weak, so don't catch a cold."

After saying that, without waiting for Ji Xiaofu's response, he walked to the open space on one side of the cave, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his internal energy to cultivate the Vajra Subduing Demon Divine Skill.

As his inner energy slowly circulated, a thin layer of white mist gradually rose around him, enveloping him and isolating him from the cold air outside.

Putting aside everything else, this Vajra Subduing Demon Divine Skill is a top-tier martial art rarely seen in the martial arts world when it comes to tempering the body.

During his cultivation, Su Xin felt his internal energy surging through his meridians, washing over his limbs and bones. Every inch of his muscles and bones was being repeatedly tempered. Amidst the soreness, an indescribable sense of power was quietly growing.

A moment later, he withdrew the Vajra Subduing Demon Divine Skill, and with a swift movement, began practicing the Seven Injury Fist again.

With each punch, the force was both powerful and restrained. One could feel the internal organs being tempered by an invisible force. Although there was a slight throbbing pain, one could clearly perceive that the resilience of the internal organs was constantly increasing.

Su Xin thought to himself with a sigh:

These two martial arts are more like the legendary Chinese martial arts of later generations. They do not emphasize fancy moves, but focus on physical training. When it comes to honing the body, they are much more interesting than those martial arts that only train internal strength and do not train the body.

Beside the cave entrance, Ji Xiaofu caught the fur coat that Su Xin threw to her. Her heart stirred slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, she gently draped the fur coat over her body. The warmth instantly enveloped her entire body, dispelling the lingering chill within her.

She opened her eyes, and her gaze involuntarily fell on Su Xin, who was practicing martial arts not far away, and she couldn't look away.

The flickering firelight cast a long shadow of Su Xin. Every movement he made in martial arts was steady and powerful, his punches fierce and his posture upright. Every punch and every turn carried a sense of composure and power as if he were in complete control.

That figure was clearly reflected in Ji Xiaofu's eyes, gradually etched into her heart.

For some reason, Ji Xiaofu's heart suddenly felt inexplicably warm, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

She had to admit that although Su Xin practiced unorthodox martial arts and had a somewhat cold and ruthless personality, his tenacity, strength, and the unintentional concern he showed just now stirred up a strange feeling in her heart.

But as soon as this feeling emerged, she forcibly suppressed it.

She was already engaged to Yin Liting, an engagement arranged between the Emei and Wudang sects. As an Emei disciple and the future Emei sect leader, how could she have such inappropriate thoughts?

Thinking of Yin Liting's appearance, Ji Xiaofu's heart tightened, and she quickly turned away, no longer looking at Su Xin's figure practicing martial arts, secretly warning herself not to let her mind wander.