Yang Wei held Sun Yuying tightly in his arms.
He was about to ask her what was wrong, when he noticed eight towering white wolves stalking toward them like hungry predators.
These wolves were abnormally huge. They had fangs the size of swords, intimidatingly muscular limbs and stood at seven meters.
Sun Yuying, feeling the tension, didn't protest being held so intimately in his arms; instead, her focus shifted to the looming threat. "We're done for," she exclaimed fearfully, "those wolves are in the Golden Core realm!"
Yang Wei remained remarkably calm.
Obviously, I shouldn't be bothered about this, but if I do use mana in this realm, it might just spit me out like it did the last time. And I'm fairly certain Yuying won't be coming with me.
He looked at Sun Yuying and asked, "Do you trust me?"
Sun Yuying, startled by the question in such dire circumstances, replied, "Why would you ask such a stupid question when we're about to die?!"
Before they could react further, the eight wolves charged at them with lightning speed.
"NO!" Sun Yuying shouted.
Acting swiftly, Yang Wei scooped Sun Yuying up into a bridal carry, prompting another loud yet brief scream from her before she realized the elegance in his movement. With grace and precision, he danced past three of the wolves, dodging their claws with fluid agility.
As the other five wolves closed in, Yang Wei closed his eyes momentarily and then held out a one-handed mudra, calmly envisioning and channeling the energy of the Black Tortoise's shell. "Six Foundational Steps Invocation! Second Stance: Tortoise Shell Burst!" he exclaimed.
In an instant, a massive golden tortoise avatar materialized behind him, emanating a powerful protective aura. As Yang Wei opened his eyes, now glowing with a golden light, a potent wave of golden energy surged outward, repelling the wolves and sending them crashing into nearby trees and boulders.
Sun Yuying stared at Yang Wei in disbelief, her lips parting in astonishment as she struggled to find words. "H... how..." she stammered to utter silence.
I doubt that was enough... Yang Wei figured.
The white wolves didn't stay down for long. As fancy as Yang Wei's technique looked, it was just a defensive move he turned into an attack. Sun Yuying urged, "We need to get out of here now!" She tried to wriggle free from Yang Wei's grip, but he held her close, refusing to let her go. "If you don't trust in your own abilities, then trust in mine," he insisted.
Besides, I like the way she smells... like daffodils.
Sun Yuying shook her head vigorously. "It's not about trust or anything like that!"
Suddenly, Yang Wei's voice broke the silence. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.
Sun Yuying looked up abruptly, her face still flushed. "M-me?" she stammered, pointing to herself.
Yang Wei sighed. "Of course I'm talking to you."
Gathering her courage, Sun Yuying shook her head and rose to her feet, brushing off the dirt from her robes. "I—"
But before she could finish, Yang Wei turned away, already walking. "Alright, let's start walking. That little scuffle warmed me up," he said casually.
Sun Yuying hesitated, then spoke up again. "I—I, um, Yang Wei..."
Yang Wei paused, turning to look at her, appearing as curious as he was confused.
Sun Yuying bowed her head deeply, her eyes fixed on the ground. "First and foremost, I-I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was bitter because of how you treated me," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper. With a small sigh, she continued, like her next words were difficult to say, "I also want to thank you for helping me with Yuan Po. Though it's late, I hope it means something. And... Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e -novelhall.net
also, thank you for saving my life just now."
Yang Wei tilted his head and said, "How I treated you? Wait, how did I treat you?"
Sun Yuying lifted her head, looking confused and partly angry. To her, it was like he was still trying to act ignorant about how poorly he supposedly treated her. "Well, maybe it didn't seem mean to you, but your words were hurtful to me," Sun Yuying added, her tone growing more assertive.
Yang Wei rubbed his chin and let out a small chuckle.
"Why're you laughing? It's not funny!" Sun Yuying said, stepping forward, her anger tinged with embarrassment. Somehow, her display of strong emotion only seemed to make her more attractive to Yang Wei.
Gradually, Yang Wei's chuckling subsided. "I wasn't treating you poorly, I was just teasing you," he explained.
"Teasing me?" Sun Yuying asked incredulously.
"Obviously! I tease people I like," Yang Wei replied with a smirk.
His words left Sun Yuying speechless as she stood there, looking at him in disbelief.
People he likes...? Then that means, he...