Chapter 63

After being tossed by the whirlpool at the bottom of the lake twice, Zheng Shiying was both exhausted and hungry. During the dive, he began to search for something to eat, hoping to replenish his strength when he was eventually spat out.

A turtle was chasing a fish, coincidentally passing right in front of Zheng Shiying. For an opportunity to obtain food without much effort, no one would hesitate.

Just as he grabbed the turtle and the fish, the whirlpool emitted a powerful suction force, pulling Zheng Shiying in once again.

Like the previous two times, Zheng Shiying experienced the endless pain caused by the whirlpool's twisting force at the bottom of the lake. Finally, a surge of force from the bottom of the whirlpool pushed him out of the water.

Looking at the steep stone walls around him, Zheng Shiying knew he had indeed returned to one end of the lake.

Being thrown high by the water, and with his body not yet fully recovered, Zheng Shiying was unable to adjust properly and landed heavily on the ground.

Embarrassing! Very embarrassing!

As a martial artist, he couldn't even land smoothly after a leap...

Zheng Shiying, with a face full of embarrassment, looked at the woman sitting cross-legged nearby and greeted her, "Hi, I'm back."

The woman gave Zheng Shiying a cold look and was about to close her eyes, but then her attention was drawn to the red ribbon and embroidered shoes.

Leaving here not long ago and returning again was already strange enough! And he was still wearing embroidered shoes and a red ribbon? Even someone with no curiosity would take a second look.

After all... these shoes and ribbons... were clearly items used only by women! How could they be on a young man?

A hint of thought appeared in the woman's cold eyes, and soon... a look of disgust flashed in those eyes, as if she was saying, "Pervert."

"Pervert?" How could Zheng Shiying not see the meaning in her eyes? He shook the fish and turtle in his hand, muttering, "I'm clearly holding a turtle and a fish, why is she calling me a pervert?"

"Could it be that 'pervert' is written on my forehead?"

Zheng Shiying couldn't understand. Although his looks weren't so handsome that women would throw themselves at him, he was at least decent-looking. How could he be considered a pervert?

The woman retracted her gaze from Zheng Shiying's waist and closed her eyes again, making no response.

"Is there something on my waist?" Zheng Shiying looked down in confusion.

Not looking was fine, but when he did, he could only laugh bitterly. In his rush to escape, he had only cut the red ribbon but hadn't removed it from his waist.

Bai Lian's aim was quite accurate, throwing the embroidered shoe right where Zheng Shiying fell into the water. At the time, he was too focused on finding food to notice the shoe had stuck to his body.

This woman... clearly misunderstood!

Zheng Shiying decided that for his reputation, he needed to explain to this woman who didn't talk much.

Zheng Shiying quickly untied the red ribbon and threw away the embroidered shoe, explaining seriously, "No, no, no, I'm not a pervert. You must have misunderstood me, really."

"I really jumped down to escape from someone trying to kill me. The person who wants to kill me is still waiting outside. Otherwise, why would I ask you if there are any other escape routes?"

The woman's face remained cold, her eyebrows slightly raised, and she said coldly, "A woman?"

Zheng Shiying understood that she was asking if the person chasing him was a woman.

"Smart!" Zheng Shiying raised his thumb vigorously, nodding with a delighted expression, "Brilliant! The one chasing me is indeed a woman..."

As soon as he said this, Zheng Shiying felt something was off. Why did the woman's eyes seem to confirm he was a pervert just because he said it was a woman?

"Great, the more I explain, the worse it gets!" Zheng Shiying felt more bitter than a mute who had eaten a bitter herb.

"What's the point of explaining! Should I explain to her?" Zheng Shiying pursed his lips, deciding not to explain to this woman anymore. He needed to deal with the turtle and the big fish in his hands; he was starving!

There was very little firewood in the cave, but he finally found a small pile in a corner. He carried it over to a spot not far from the woman and lit it.

Without a pot to cook in... the fish and turtle could only be roasted.

The surroundings were bathed in a warm red glow, and the burning firewood crackled continuously.

Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

Zheng Shiying brought the roasted fish and turtle meat to the woman and said, "Let's eat together."

The woman glanced at Zheng Shiying and calmly took the food he offered, starting to eat.

Zheng Shiying walked back to the fire and began eating as well. The two of them finished the meal in complete silence.

After eating, the woman finally broke the silence and said to Zheng Shiying, "I didn't eat your food for nothing. I'll teach you a set of techniques."

Zheng Shiying quickly waved his hands to stop her, "Forget the techniques! Can you show me a safe way out? Of course, not the one I came in through... there are two crazy women blocking the way, and I don't want to die at their hands!"

"Two?" The woman raised her eyebrows, looking at Zheng Shiying with a strange expression.

Zheng Shiying naturally understood her meaning. Clearly, this woman had misjudged him again.

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood me again. I haven't been two-timing."

"It's like this: I accidentally ended up in a woman's bed, and another woman found out. I tried to explain to the woman I was with, but she wouldn't listen and wanted to kill me. The other woman also wants to kill me..."

Before Zheng Shiying could finish, the woman rolled her eyes and said coldly, "Ending up in a woman's bed and being chased by two women."

Her simple response left room for imagination, and her strange expression seemed to say, "If you hadn't done something to these two women, why would they try to kill you?"

Zheng Shiying felt his head was about to explode from explaining. Being pursued by a woman who wanted to kill him with a sword was understandable, but why did the second woman join in? This was completely incomprehensible!

Zheng Shiying wanted to continue explaining, but the woman interrupted him with a look, "Is your goal to learn my techniques?"

Zheng Shiying opened his mouth to explain the previous incident but closed it immediately when he heard this, muttering, "What's going on here! I don't even know where this place is! I don't know who you are! How can I learn from you?"

The woman didn't say anything more, just giving him a disdainful sneer.

Zheng Shiying didn't care if the woman believed him. Instead, her confidence piqued his curiosity, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you very strong?"

The woman's eyes flashed with a condescending sneer, "So eager to learn my techniques? You're too inexperienced."

Zheng Shiying looked at the chains behind the woman, pointing at them mockingly, "If you were as fierce as you think, why would you be locked here? Even if I learned from you, I'd still end up locked here."

"Learning from you, no matter how strong, would still result in being locked up here."

A flash of anger crossed the woman's eyes. She glanced at Zheng Shiying and then closed her eyes, saying nothing more.

"Can't I meet a normal woman today?" Zheng Shiying muttered to himself, also sighing that he should have checked the almanac before leaving home. He had encountered three mentally unstable women in one day.

The first and second women had drawn their swords and attacked without any reason. The third woman kept saying strange things, as if everyone in the world wanted to learn her techniques.

"I wonder if those two fierce women have left. If I go out now, I might run into them again! I might as well practice here and increase my chances of escaping from them."

Zheng Shiying ignored the woman, walked to a place farther away from her, and began practicing the "Eight Directions Step."

The two women's cultivation was too high. To escape from them smoothly, he could only rely on the "Eight Directions Step." Even a slight improvement in the "Eight Directions Step" would be very beneficial for escaping.

"Eight Directions Step, one step, eight directions!"

As he moved the "Eight Directions Step," the entire space was filled with Zheng Shiying's shadows.

The woman opened her eyes, looking at this scene in surprise, "I didn't expect this kid to have mastered the 'Eight Directions Step.'"

However, her surprise quickly turned to a cold sneer, "You people have gone to great lengths to get my techniques. You've tried every method. This time, you sent a genius to make me teach him out of admiration. Don't even think about it!"

Zheng Shiying was immersed in a profound state, feeling his balance improving. After the fourth step, he didn't stop and took another step forward.

"Fifth step!"

A streak of white light passed, and Zheng Shiying appeared even farther away.

Zheng Shiying was delighted. Mastering the fifth step would certainly increase his chances of escaping from the two women. However, he didn't want to leave just yet.

If the fifth step still couldn't shake off the pursuers, he would be completely at their mercy.

Sitting cross-legged, he knew that only by improving his strength could he have a chance to escape from them.

"Blood Flame Heart Method"!

Zheng Shiying began to focus on his cultivation. The spiritual energy in his body surged, continuously entering the wheel and gathering on the ninth spirit wheel, which gradually grew.

"Blood Flame Heart Method?" The woman's eyes lit up, quickly recognizing the heart method Zheng Shiying was using.

The light in her eyes was brief, quickly fading, and she sneered, "The Blood Flame Heart Method you learned is just a inferior version derived from the Crimson Dawn Heart Method! Even this inferior version, you haven't learned completely."

"If you had the complete heart method, the power you could unleash would be at least several times what you can do now!"

"How does she know?" This thought made Zheng Shiying's mind clear. As a cultivator, he knew that the heart method was indeed incomplete, as the woman said. The power it unleashed was far from what was described in the method.

Zheng Shiying stopped his cultivation, opened his eyes, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Senior... do you have the complete version?"

The woman looked at Zheng Shiying calmly and said, "If you want to learn, I'll teach you."