Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

Guan Shanyu was really afraid that Yan Ruchen would leave him here and run away.

Based on the image I imagined of him in Yan Ruchen's eyes...

He must be a pervert.

After all, he speaks incoherently, his personality is crooked, and his behavior is suspicious. No matter how you look at him, he looks like a dangerous person. Apart from his good-looking face, he is almost a sinister villain with a two-faced appearance.

He held the freshly dried clothes in his hands and sighed. He didn't expect that his accidental success would make him resemble Guan Shanyu in the original novel, a two-faced person who said one thing to one person and another thing to another.

Alas, it’s all because of my poor acting skills. No wonder Yan Ruchen looks at me more and more strangely now. I wouldn’t be willing to take such a pervert with me, who bullied me in the early stage and flattered me in the later stage, who wanted to be a gay sometimes and get married sometimes.

The more Guan Shanyu thought about it, the more scared he became. He was afraid that when he woke up, Yan Ruchen would have already ridden away on his sword, leaving him alone and helpless.

Not only was there no hope of overturning the verdict for Song Ziye, but even the way back to the sect became a problem.

After all, the horses and mules had been left at the teahouse, and he had originally planned to rely on his sword to move forward, but once Yan Ruchen left, he became a lone ranger with no one to rely on. In this dangerous deep forest, if a frail and beautiful man like him encountered a wandering monster, wouldn't he immediately become its meal?

Guan Shanyu was on edge the whole night. If Yan Ruchen made the slightest movement, he would be like a frightened bird. Even if a beetle flew over, Guan Shanyu would immediately open his eyes at the faint sound of its wings.

But not daring to sleep is one thing, and feeling sleepy is another.

In the second half of the night, sleepiness struck. No matter how scared he was, he couldn't help but close his eyelids. He told himself that it was just a short nap, but not long after, he fell into a deep sleep with a snoring sound. Until the next morning, Yan Ruchen shook him awake with an expressionless face. He was still mumbling, "I'm not a pervert. Don't leave me."

Yan Ruchen had a blank expression on his face. He stood up, looked at him, and said, "It's time to set off."

Guan Shanyu immediately jumped up from the ground, almost bumping into the nose of Yan Ruchen who was standing in front of him. He quickly picked up the bag he had packed last night and said seriously, "Let's go! But do you want breakfast? I have cakes."

"..." Yan Ruchen said, "I'm not eating anymore. You eat first. Let's get on with our journey."

"Okay!" Guan Shanyu's eyes were bright. He took out a piece of cake from his arms and started to eat it, but his eyes were still fixed on Yan Ruchen, as if he was afraid that Yan Ruchen would run away if he was not careful.

Yan Ruchen controlled the impatience that was about to burst out on his face and said in a calm tone, "Let's go."

After passing through the woods, Wangshuiling was still about 20 to 30 miles away. Since the road was deserted and deserted, Yan Ruchen decisively chose the fastest way—flying on his sword.

But Guan Shanyu didn't know how to do this, so he could only ride on Yan Ruchen's back, being carried by him. Flying at high altitudes was much more risky than on the ground, and the high speeds required a firm footing to prevent falls. Usually, those who shared a sword would be connected by a rope or physically leaning against each other to ensure safety.

The two of them did not bring any ropes or anything like that, and Guan Shanyu did not dare to hug or put his arm around Yan Ruchen, for fear that his inappropriate behavior would offend him. So he stood behind him very reservedly, quietly pinching a small corner of Yan Ruchen's clothes.

However, this little force was no match for the strong wind during flight, so Guan Shanyu was blown back again and again, and Yan Ruchen turned back and grabbed him with his hands again and again. The last time Guan Shanyu almost fell, Yan Ruchen grabbed his collar and finally said helplessly: "Shanyu, if you don't mind, you can actually hold on to me..."

"I do not mind!"

After hearing the first half of the sentence, Guan Shanyu immediately stepped forward and hugged Yan Ruchen's waist. He was afraid of heights, but he didn't dare to get too close to Yan Ruchen. He had almost dropped his sword several times, and he was scared out of his wits. When he heard Yan Ruchen let go and agreed to let him hold him, he hugged him without thinking.

This was agreed by Yan Ruchen, and he had no intention of offending anyone.

Guan Shanyu gasped for breath, holding his chest with his hands. He was sweating profusely but had no time to care. The shock just now made his heart beat like a drum, and the close contact with Yan Ruchen intensified this feeling. He was afraid that if he didn't pay attention in the next second, his whole heart would explode.

Yan Ruchen lowered his head slightly and saw Guan Shanyu pressed against his back, holding his waist with both hands, squeezing him tightly as if he didn't know how hard he was squeezing. Yan Ruchen felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to pull Guan Shanyu's hands away. It was really uncomfortable to be squeezed so tightly, but when he saw him sweating profusely and his face was pale, his heart softened and he sighed.

Forget it.

Let him hold me like this. What if I try to pull him away and forget to use enough strength to scare him? I don’t know how many times he will fall on the sword again.

So the two of them flew all the way to Wangshuiling on their swords in this awkward yet intimate posture.

Wangshuiling got its name from its towering peaks, which overlook the river in the distance, hence the name "looking at water from high mountains". But in fact, this place is a basin terrain, surrounded by high mountains like screens, isolated from the world.

A vast river flows quietly through the basin, bisecting the emerald green landscape. Its clear waters reflect the lush forests on both sides. This forest, seemingly ordinary in appearance, was once the domain of demons. Now, with the demons gone, only desolate ruins remain amidst the lush vegetation. Over time, a legendary curse kept this place from trespassing. Eventually, it returned to the embrace of nature, transforming into a pristine and mysterious primeval forest.

As soon as he landed, Guan Shanyu quickly jumped off the sword and hurriedly apologized to Yan Ruchen, saying that he had no intention of taking advantage of him and that he was just too scared to hold him tightly, begging Yan Ruchen not to take it to heart.

Yan Ruchen felt amused when he heard this, but he maintained his composure and said comfortingly, "It's okay. It's natural to be nervous when flying a sword for the first time. I understand."

Guan Shanyu felt relieved upon seeing this, and stopped dwelling on the matter. Instead, he looked around and asked Yan Ruchen, "How do we get in then?"

This question may sound redundant, after all, the basin is accessible from all sides, but for those who practice Taoism, it holds a hidden secret.

This place was once the domain of the demons, and the entrances were heavily guarded with traps, barriers, and secret passages to prevent outsiders from entering. Just like building a house with only one door and leaving the rest as a wall, taking the wrong path leads to a primeval forest. Even if you descend with a sword, you can't enter. Only a specific entrance allows you to enter and reach the true depths of Wangshuiling.

Just like the concept of inner world and outer world.

The two stood at the edge of the valley, before them a lush, impenetrable forest. Recalling the open basin at the center of Wangshuiling when they had looked down from the air, now all they saw was layers of trees, completely obscuring everything.

Yan Ruchen and Guan Shanyu exchanged a glance, both knowing they needed to find the correct entrance to get in. However, Guan Shanyu felt a little guilty, as he had previously told Yan Ruchen that he could come to Wangshuiling to look for herbs, and now he was worried that Yan Ruchen would ask him if he knew where the entrance was.

So Guan Shanyu immediately lowered his head and pretended to be a quail, tidying up the bag on his body with his hands and pretending to be very busy.

But what you fear will come true. Yan Ruchen's voice sounded gently beside him: "Shanyu, do you know how to get in?"

Guan Shanyu immediately raised his head and shook his head, denying it: "I don't know! I've never heard of it!"

"Is that so?" Yan Ruchen turned his head away in disappointment, stroking his chin as he carefully observed the dense forest ahead. He said with some disappointment, "This demon clan has long since declined and left no information for the world. The world has limited knowledge of them, let alone how to enter their territory. I thought Shanyu was fond of reading and had a wide range of knowledge, so he might know something or other, but if we don't have a good solution now, why not..."

Yan Ruchen paused, Guan Shanyu's heart pounding as he asked cautiously, "Not as good as what?"

Yan Ruchen turned around and smiled at him, saying, "Why don't we just walk in directly? If one entrance is wrong, mark it and try another one."

What? ? ?

Damn, do you know how big this forest is?

Guan Shanyu sincerely felt that although Yan Ruchen gained the sword-making spiritual consciousness by killing the black python and broke through his martial arts, he had not gone through the life-and-death trials at the foot of the Wuzi Peak. Although his martial arts power had improved, his brain had not been enlightened.

It would take at least seven days to try every entrance to such a huge forest!

But Yan Ruchen was really not impatient, and took Guan Shanyu to try those possible entrances one by one. Whenever he found something wrong, he would touch his chin, smile at Guan Shanyu with a hint of apology, and say: "Sorry, it seems we went the wrong way again."

This cycle continues until noon.

The sun was blazing, the earth so hot it seemed to be smoking. Guan Shanyu's clothes were already soaked with sweat, and his legs were shaking from the long hours of walking.

After going astray once again, he finally couldn't hold on any longer. His meniscus was already protesting with pain. He held onto a tree, panting, and whispered to Yan Ruchen, "Actually... I seem to remember seeing a description of the demon clan's entrance in some storybook before..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruchen slowly turned around from the dense woods and looked at Guan Shanyu, asking seriously, "Really?"