Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: A Cunning Fox Indeed

The three of them were surrounded, unable to get any closer.

He gathered his power again and struck the ice wall.

”BANG!”

The ice wall was instantly shattered by the blow.

This time, the man in black finally saw what was inside. A smirk touched his lips. It really was a passageway!

He glanced at the three people trapped by his Spiritual Body, then turned and strode into the tunnel.

Watching the man’s retreating figure, Gu Fangqi cried out anxiously,

”Damn it, he went in!”

Huang Ziyue tried to give chase but was once again entangled by the black mist.

Bai Chaosi, however, simply stared at the tunnel, suddenly in no rush at all.

”Let’s deal with these Spiritual Bodies first!”

After a short while, the three of them managed to disperse the black mist.

As Gu Fangqi landed, he said,

”What now? We have to go after him!”

But Bai Chaosi stopped him.

”No need to rush.”

He straightened his sleeves and wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

”Don’t worry. He won’t find it.”

The other two looked at him.

”What do you mean?”

A wicked, sly smile—the first of its kind on his gentle face—touched Bai Chaosi’s lips.

”Does he think he’s the only one allowed to set traps, and we can’t lure him into one? There’s no such rule in this world.”

Gu Fangqi still didn’t understand, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Bai Chaosi explained unhurriedly,

”Actually, I lured him in on purpose. Down here in this underground abyss, the real danger isn’t this great hall, but the passages beneath it. To be precise, they should be called the Mist Cave. Once he’s in, I’m afraid it will be very difficult for him to get out.”

”That’s why I walked up to the ice wall and then moved away, half-hiding, half-revealing. It was to make him guess for himself, so he would rush in eagerly without any suspicion.”

”Are you serious?” Gu Fangqi asked. ”It’s really the Mist Cave in there?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. ”Then why didn’t you say so earlier? I almost followed him in.”

”You didn’t ask,” Bai Chaosi replied.

Gu Fangqi said,

”A true fox. So cunning.”

Still, he asked,

”But even if it is the Mist Cave, how can you be so sure he won’t find his way out?”

After all, Bai Chaosi had managed to get out with Shen Yue and the Leopard before.

What if the man in black could get out, too?

Huang Ziyue had thought of this as well and looked toward him.

Bai Chaosi said with conviction,

”After I came back in, I noticed the great hall looked different. That’s when I realized this whole underground palace must have a mechanism that activates periodically, rearranging the positions of its various areas.”

”When I saw the ice wall was perfectly intact, I became even more certain of my theory. It meant the man was still hiding in the hall and hadn’t found the entrance. I was also sure that the Mist Cave’s paths must shift along with the mechanism, becoming more complex and confusing. Therefore, even if I went in again, I wouldn’t necessarily find the right direction, let alone the passage we used before.”

With that, he raised an eyebrow.

”For all we know, the tunnel he just entered has already become a dead end. It’s not the same path we took to get out.”

Bai Chaosi knew a thing or two about mechanisms; otherwise, how could he have recognized the Gate of Life and Death at a glance?

Hearing this, the other two finally relaxed.

However, Gu Fangqi was a little curious.

”If the Mist Cave is so complex, how did you all get out back then? You found the exit and everything. Didn’t you get lost?”

At this, Bai Chaosi’s mind drifted back to when Shen Yue had led them out. Every single time, she had made the right call.

’It was from that moment on that I truly understood. She wasn’t the beautiful, weak, ordinary female who needed protection, as I had once thought.’

’She was different from everyone else. She was powerful, confident, and resilient, stunning people and stirring something deep within their hearts.’

’She was like a nexus of energy, radiating a constant power that influenced everyone around her.’

’Always calm, always making the right choice, always clear about her objectives, no matter the situation.’

’She would never let anything compromise the principles she held dear.’

’What I experienced was her brave, fearless, vibrant, and brilliant inner self.’

’And so, from that time on, whenever I thought of her at night, my heart would race. I would feel a deep-seated admiration and joy, my mind filled with her image.’

’I found myself irresistibly captivated, feeling more and more that just being with her, even a little closer, filled me with an immense sense of happiness.’

’A tide of affection would well up inside me, completely out of my control.’

’I wanted to know more about her, to understand just what kind of woman she truly was.’

Bai Chaosi’s thoughts shifted. He met Gu Fangqi’s curious gaze and gave a faint smile.

”I’m not telling you.”

’Why would I share such an incredible experience of shared hardship? I want to keep those beautiful moments with her all to myself.’

Gu Fangqi was left speechless by the retort.

’That fox,’ he thought. ’He really can change his tune in an instant.’

He shrugged.

”Fine, don’t tell me. This emperor was just curious. You must have suffered a lot in the Mist Cave back then, so it’s probably not a good memory. Maybe there’s something you can’t talk about. I won’t force you!”

Hearing this, Huang Ziyue glanced at Bai Chaosi.

’It’s not that Bai Chaosi has some unspeakable secret,’ he thought instinctively. ’He simply doesn’t want to share.’

’That day, the three of them must have experienced something extraordinary in this underground abyss. It was probably related to Shen Yue.’

’Thinking of this, he suddenly felt even more regretful. He should have jumped down with her that day.’

Since the three of them didn’t enter the tunnel, they just waited in the great hall. An unknown amount of time passed.

Gu Fangqi sat on the floor.

”Do you guys think we can still get out of here?”

Huang Ziyue didn’t speak.

He just examined the murals and inscriptions on the walls of the great hall.

Bai Chaosi sat on the other side.

”The Gate of Life and Death is easy to enter, but to get out, you have to choose the right button. Because of the shifting mechanism, however, the buttons have surely switched places, too. Right now, no one knows which button opens the Gate of Life and which opens the Gate of Death. If we want to get out, we’ll have to take a gamble.”

”A fifty-fifty chance... that’s a tough choice,” Gu Fangqi said. ”So how did you pick the right one back then?”

This time, Bai Chaosi didn’t hold back.

”Shen Yue chose. I don’t know what method she used.”

Gu Fangqi was surprised.

”She chose? That amazing? Don’t tell me it was a lucky guess.”

Hearing this, Huang Ziyue also looked over.

Bai Chaosi shot him a glance.

”Do you think she would treat her own life like a game?”

With that, before Gu Fangqi could react, he stood up and walked toward the murals.

Gu Fangqi sat alone on the floor, watching Bai Chaosi’s back.

A roguish smile played on his lips. ’Looks like that fox knows Shen Yue pretty well.’

Huang Ziyue watched the earnest expression that appeared on Bai Chaosi’s face whenever Shen Yue was mentioned.

It was as if he wouldn’t allow anyone to question the woman in his heart.

Huang Ziyue’s heart sank.

’With a woman as outstanding as Shen Yue,’ he knew, ’how could I possibly keep her for myself?’

’She was destined to be loved by many.’