Chapter 33

Chapter 33

In the Mind Trap Array.

The instant the "Execute Now" prompt sounded, Shen Xiyin suddenly heard a series of strange, loud cracking sounds, like old timber snapping under a violent impact. Then, the once-stable boat lurched downward sharply and began to rock violently.

Tables, stools, and wooden couches inside the cabin tilted and toppled, and muddy river water immediately surged in through the gaps in the floorboards.

As water flooded the cabin, Shen Xiyin, without a second thought, stumbled out the door and ran toward higher ground.

Pei Su stood at the bow's highest point, looking down at the hull.

Their boat was in the middle of the river, with no shore in sight and river ghouls lurking nearby. This vessel was their only refuge; if it sank, they'd be dead men walking.

He looked toward the slender figure rushing up to higher ground.

Every time she drew closer to him, the boat sank slower.

It seemed that this time, the Mind Trap Array was trying to force their compliance by controlling the very boat they were on.

This was almost a surefire plan. At a life-or-death moment, fighting to stay alive, folks might do anything to survive.

He might be able to hold out till the end, but that Mrs. Xu might not.

Unfortunately, the Mind Trap Array had missed one thing.

For a regular cultivator, with their spiritual power blocked, controlling a sinking boat was impossible. But just because others couldn't do it didn't mean he couldn't either.

Before long, the rocking, sinking boat, held up by an invisible force of spiritual energy, slowly steadied itself.

Everything happened so suddenly. Shen Xiyin looked around, confused, and when she raised her eyes, she locked eyes with Pei Su.

The river wind whipped. She stood barefoot on the deck, with sticky water still on her legs, wearing only a thin, damp undershirt that flapped in the damp breeze, showing off a lot of pale skin.

Shen Xiyin quickly tried to cover up, but it was futile against the strong wind.

She lowered her head, curling her toes, embarrassed.

Pei Su closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He took off his black robe and handed it to her. "Here, put this on."

Shen Xiyin reached for it, then pulled her hand back and silently backed away out of his sight.

Hiding behind a mast not far from him, she asked in a low voice, "About the... forced stuff?"

Pei Su replied, "It's fine. Don't worry."

"Alright," Shen Xiyin responded without asking further. She looked away and went back into the cabin.

Pei Su glanced at the black robe she hadn't taken, his face unreadable.

Back in the cabin, Shen Xiyin lightly slapped her cheeks, let out a deep breath, and got herself together.

She wiped off the sweat and stickiness with a cloth, got dressed properly, and then looked out the small window at the sun, almost directly overhead. She headed out to make lunch.

She had originally planned to make taro with mixed fish, but after being startled by the river ghoul near the fish cage earlier, she wasn't in the mood for fish anymore.

After a moment's thought, she went to the storage cabin and grabbed some sun-dried shrimp she had dried a few days earlier. She chopped them up and tossed them into the cut taro for flavor.

Pei Su stood by the railing, his eyes on the river, shifting slightly. He caught her steaming two bowls of taro out of the corner of his eye.

"Cooking lunch?" he asked casually.

Hearing his question, Shen Xiyin softly replied, "Mm."

Pei Su originally wanted to tell her she didn't need to prepare any for him, but seeing her busy and focused on her work, he said nothing more.

The midday sun was blazing. Shen Xiyin carried the food past Pei Su and found a shady spot at the back of the boat to eat in peace.

While she was eating the taro, she suddenly felt someone watching her. She paused, looked up, and met Pei Su's gaze. "What's wrong?"

Pei Su looked away calmly and said flatly, "Nothing."

Since they'd boarded early that morning and only hastily eaten breakfast, she was really hungry by noon. After scarfing down two bowls of taro and a plate of cold wild greens, she cleaned up the dishes, rinsed her mouth with water, and began tidying the boat, which was in disarray from the earlier sinking.

She didn't have the power to fight the Mind Trap Array; all she could do was this.

Pei Su stared at the river, feeling the breeze each time she passed by him, and his grip on the railing tightened.

A restless frustration surged in his chest.

No matter what he said to her, she always responded—courteous and proper, without any fault.

And yet, there was clearly something wrong.

After working for a while, Shen Xiyin wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve and cast a quick glance at the tall figure standing by the railing.

For some reason, she felt he was watching her.

Uncomfortably, she smoothed her wrinkled skirt and focused back on her task, not dwelling on it.

The river pushed the boat forward gently, with invisible currents flowing beneath the surface.

In the peaceful, quiet afternoon, a faint mist began to rise over the river. At first, it was just a thin layer, but within half an hour, it thickened into a dense, milky white fog, silently enveloping the entire river. Even the sound of the rushing water seemed muffled by the heavy mist, becoming dull and distant.

Pei Su stared at the mist-shrouded river, his brow deeply furrowed.

Shen Xiyin passed by him and gave him a worried look. "Is something wrong?"

Pei Su let out a bitter laugh and told her, "I think we might be trapped here."

Their boat drifted in circles within the thick fog, unable to leave this stretch of water.

The sinking boat tactic had failed, and the Mind Trap Array had turned this vessel into an isolated island. If they couldn't get out, they would be trapped on this cramped boat until they died.

Shen Xiyin asked him, "Is there any way out?"

Pei Su's gaze fell heavily on her. "There is."

As the Trial of Passion instructed, he was to violate her, treat her roughly, until she was thoroughly soaked.

He couldn't do it, and he wouldn't.

If he couldn't fulfill the duty of a husband and treat her with sincerity, how could he do this?

Doing so would destroy her, and it would destroy himself as well.

Pei Su closed his eyes. "There will always be a way."

He just hadn't figured it out yet.

Shen Xiyin and Pei Su went to the storage cabin together and took inventory of the supplies.

"If we're being as frugal as possible, the supplies here should last about five or six days for both of us," Shen Xiyin said, counting carefully.

"It should hold out for nearly ten days." Pei Su had limited spiritual power on him at the moment and couldn't go completely without eating, but he could stretch it by eating less.

Shen Xiyin roughly understood his meaning. "Then you'll have to rough it a bit."

Pei Su replied, "It's fine."

After all, within ten days, they needed to find another solution.

Everything within the Mind-Trapping Array couldn't be judged by normal logic.

It rarely rained on foggy days, but in the dead of night, a pale bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, and moments later, rain poured down.

Rain, fog, and fierce winds tangled together, turning the river into chaos, churning up muddy waves that tossed the boat up and down relentlessly in the thick mist.

The boat swayed on the crests of the waves. Shen Xiyin got up from her bed, lit an old candle, and peeked through the slightly open window.

She saw Pei Su sitting outside the cabin door, the eaves keeping some rain off him, but as the rain grew heavier, it didn't do much good, and he was already soaked halfway through.

Shen Xiyin pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, then said to Pei Su outside the door, "Elder, please come in and get out of the rain."

Hearing her words, Pei Su's gaze fell on his nearly soaked Black Robe. Remembering how she'd refused his robe at noon, he hesitated to answer.

Getting a little wet in the rain was no big deal for a cultivator.

After a long pause, he replied, "Alright."

As soon as he said it, Pei Su was startled to realize he'd actually said yes.

He put a hand to his forehead and quietly cursed himself.

Hearing Pei Su agree, Shen Xiyin stammered, "Please... wait a moment." She lowered her head to wipe away the moisture that had seeped out from her discomfort as she slept, fastened her collar, tied her skirt, and then said to the person outside, "It's... it's ready."

Pei Su pushed open the door and entered the cabin. His stature was very tall, making the cramped, narrow cabin feel even more crowded.

Water droplets slid down his strikingly handsome face, along his undulating Adam's apple, and his soaked clothes clung to his lean, muscular frame.

Shen Xiyin didn't look at him, only stared down at her own shoes.

Moisture spread through the room. The water dripping from him pooled into a puddle, which unknowingly spread to her feet, wetting her shoes.

The two stood in silence, drawn closer by the cramped space.

Shen Xiyin's breathing quickened.

Pei Su averted his gaze from her, and his eyes inadvertently fell on the bed behind her. As the boat swayed, the thin blanket on the bed slipped to the floor, and he clearly saw where it had been covering—a patch of unusual wetness.

His throat tightened. He turned and grabbed the cabin door handle, saying, "I'd better not stay here."

But he didn't manage to leave.