CH 27

Chapter 27: Seeking Treasures in Su Yu Valley

Yun Zhao was brought to the lakeside, where the night sky shrouded the surface of the lake. The cool moonlight broke into ripples on the water, with stars shining like a cluster of bright dots.

A faint mist began to rise from the water, revealing the layered shadows of mountains reflected on the surface. However, the elusive cold pond shrimp that Yun Zhao was hoping to find was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Yun Zhao was puzzled, his wrist was suddenly pulled, and he was effortlessly lifted up by Ao Yu with one hand.

"Uh!" Yun Zhao let out a small cry of surprise and instinctively held onto Ao Yu's neck. His forearm pressed against Ao Yu's solid chest, where he could feel the powerful beating of his heart.

Under the moonlight, Ao Yu's pupils were particularly captivating, as if they were infused with specks of shimmering gold. It was so beautiful that Yun Zhao couldn't take his eyes off him, and his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the collar of Ao Yu's garment.

A slightly cool hand touched his back and then gave a warning pat.

Yun Zhao snapped out of his daze, only to find Ao Yu looking at him with a faint smile as he said in a soft voice, "I'm wearing a lot of layers. Don't touch randomly."

"I wasn't touching randomly!" Yun Zhao quietly retorted, feeling like he was being treated like a thief.

He shifted his gaze away and casually asked, "What are we going to do?"

"Catch shrimp," Ao Yu replied.

As soon as Ao Yu finished speaking, pale blue floating stones appeared in the water in front of them, one after another, extending all the way to the center of the lake.

Yun Zhao squinted his eyes and carefully observed. He realized that these floating stones were actually moving! Upon closer inspection, he discovered that they were not stones but fish swimming in the lake.

These fish emitted a shimmering blue light, flickering with dazzling brilliance in the water.

At this moment, lilies swayed in the moonlight, and fluorescent lights dotted the thin mist. Glass-like butterflies fluttered, and a few six-winged birds landed on the treetops. Yun Zhao couldn't bear to take his eyes off all these creatures that seemed to have come straight out of a fantasy.

Yun Zhao exclaimed in his mind, "System, it's so beautiful!"

The system was also intoxicated, replying, [Yes! I should take a few pictures to keep!]

Just as Yun Zhao hadn't fully recovered from the surrounding scenery, Ao Yu held him in his arms and ruthlessly stomped on the fish with a resounding "thud."

Yun Zhao: "..."

Is this dragon allergic to romance or something?

"To find the cold pond shrimp, we need to go to the center of the lake," Ao Yu explained and took another step forward.

Yun Zhao was surprised to see him stepping on the beautifully dreamlike fish as if they were stepping on blue stones.

With each step, a series of bubbling sounds surrounded them, as if the fish were incomprehensibly complaining to them.

Yun Zhao sheepishly pulled at Ao Yu's white hair hanging on his chest.

Ao Yu lowered his head and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Yun Zhao hesitated and said, "I feel like they're scolding us."

"Oh, well, I can't understand them anyway," Ao Yu said, withdrawing his gaze and continuing to walk without paying attention to the bubbling sounds around them.

The incessant bubbling sounds filled the surroundings, but Ao Yu turned a deaf ear to them. With one hand holding Yun Zhao and gently lifting him, he naturally proceeded towards the center of the lake.

At the end of the row of pale blue fish, a stone pavilion appeared. There were no seats inside the pavilion, only a jade-faced mirror emitting a faint glow. This must be the "center of the lake" that Ao Yu mentioned.

Curiously, Yun Zhao asked, "What's inside?"

"A barrier that connects to the heart of the lake's cave," Ao Yu replied.

Inside was damp and cold, and Ao Yu originally intended to leave Yun Zhao here to wait. However, Yun Zhao eagerly urged, "Let's go in quickly."

Being looked at with a smiling expression by the youth, Ao Yu gave up his original plan and simply held him tighter.

His other hand lifted, and Ao Yu extended a finger to touch the jade-faced mirror. Ripples appeared in the mirror as if there were water, and a white light flashed, causing Yun Zhao to unconsciously grab a strand of Ao Yu's hair and hold it in front of his eyes.

Water droplets rolled down between the rocks, creating an ethereal echo.

Yun Zhao looked up and found that they were already deep inside the dark cave.

The cave was pitch black, and they couldn't see their own hands in front of them. Ao Yu, unaffected by the darkness, continued to hold Yun Zhao and walked further into the cave.

After Yun Zhao squinted his eyes and adjusted for a while, he said to Ao Yu, "You can put me down. I can walk on my own."

Cracking sounds came as if something was being stepped on and crushed.

Hearing Yun Zhao speak, Ao Yu paused his steps, his voice sounding somewhat hesitant, "I advise you to stay like this."

Yun Zhao: "..."

The cold air blew past Yun Zhao's ear, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Considering Ao Yu's tone and the eerie sounds coming from the ground, Yun Zhao quickly abandoned the idea of walking on his own.

His hesitant appearance elicited a casual chuckle from Ao Yu, who, nevertheless, quickened his pace.

After walking for a while longer, the chill in the air became more intense. Yun Zhao exhaled a white breath and finally heard the sound of flowing water not far ahead.

As they approached, Ao Yu placed Yun Zhao on a smooth rock and took out a night pearl from his storage bag, tossing it into the air.

The warm light illuminated the small space, and Yun Zhao could finally see that there was an unfathomable pool of water in front of him.

The cold water surged up from the depths of the earth, and as soon as the light approached, Yun Zhao's whole body stiffened as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Ao Yu, can you help me catch some shrimp?" Yun Zhao pleaded, looking at Ao Yu. If he were to go fishing for shrimp, he would probably freeze into an ice block before catching any.

However, Ao Yu, who had always been accommodating, acted out of character this time. He leaned against the stone wall with his arms crossed and simply stated, "It's too cold, I'm not going."

Yun Zhao was greatly shocked. "But you brought me here!"

Ao Yu nodded. "I only said I would bring you here."

Yun Zhao was at a loss for words. It seemed that Ao Yu was right.

He looked at the deep and cold pool and swallowed hard. He was about to turn into an ice popsicle now.

Ao Yu remained silent the whole time, apparently enjoying the sight of Yun Zhao's distress. He finally walked over and squatted in front of Yun Zhao, their eyes meeting.

Perhaps because it was too cold, the youth huddled obediently on the rock. The dim and enclosed cave felt like a perfect prison, holding him tightly captive.

For some reason, a strange thought arose from the depths of Yun Zhao's heart, suggesting that burying treasures deep underground where no one knew seemed to be an inherent instinct of creatures like dragons.

Ao Yu's gaze was intense, causing Yun Zhao to shrink back. He asked, "W-What's wrong?"

Ao Yu lowered his eyes and whispered, "I'm hungry."

Yun Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed like they had only eaten some roasted fish and carried themselves for this distance. The little dragon must be starving.

"Well, how about I cook something delicious for you when we get back? Beef stew, perhaps? Roasted chicken is also good. If you want to eat both, that's not a problem," Yun Zhao showed his thoughtfulness and made a small request in the end. "But could you help me catch a shrimp first?"

Ao Yu chuckled and ruffled Yun Zhao's hair before standing up and walking to the edge of the pool.

He rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders, revealing the well-defined muscles and faintly protruding meridians on his arm. Yun Zhao lifted his own arm and flapped it like a little chicken before hugging it back to his chest.

As he cupped his face, Yun Zhao's gaze wandered over that attractive arm. Unexpectedly, Ao Yu, who appeared as a refined young gentleman, had such a well-built physique.

Lost in his thoughts, Yun Zhao casually glanced over and couldn't help but hold his breath.

Delicate silver-white scales gradually appeared layer by layer on Ao Yu's arm, extending all the way to his fingertips. The joints made cracking sounds, and the sharp fingertips shimmered with a dazzling cold light.

What was just a human arm, adored by modern-day nurses, had suddenly transformed into a dragon claw capable of lifting heavy trucks.

Ao Yu immersed his dragonized arm into the pool, causing the water to surge even more vigorously.

In just a few moments, when he retracted his hand, the dragon claw held a large bunch of lively cold pool shrimp that were constantly jumping.

Each shrimp was as long as Yun Zhao's palm, semi-transparent, with beautiful floral patterns on their abdomens.

Yun Zhao quickly took out his storage bag and put all these shrimps, still emitting a cold aura, into it.

After catching a few more, Yun Zhao hurriedly said, "That's enough, that's enough." If he didn't stop now, he seriously suspected that Ao Yu wanted to finish off all these shrimps in one go.

When Ao Yu heard him say he didn't want any more, he withdrew his hand and reverted his arm back to its original form.

After shaking off the water droplets, Ao Yu saw Yun Zhao still staring at his arm in a daze and asked, tilting his head, "Scared?"

Yun Zhao shook his head and smiled at him, saying, "No, I just think it looks beautiful!"

"Smooth talker," Ao Yu commented in a flat tone as he retrieved the night pearl and stored it in the bag. He then leaned down, wiped off the water, and carried Yun Zhao again, heading outside.

"We're not going back the same way?" Yun Zhao leaned against Ao Yu's shoulder and asked. They seemed to be walking in a different direction from where they had come.

Ao Yu seemed to have noticed something and pressed Yun Zhao's head against his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "There's a closer exit."

"Oh," Yun Zhao responded in a low voice. Well, he couldn't see anything anyway, so having a human-shaped transportation device was quite convenient.

Sure enough, after walking for a while, faint and pure moonlight could be seen coming from the entrance of the cave.

Yun Zhao propped up his head curiously, taking advantage of the faint moonlight, and looked backward. Instantly, his body stiffened.

Ao Yu noticed the person in his arms shivering and couldn't help but find it amusing. "I told you, having too much curiosity isn't a good thing."

Yun Zhao held onto a strand of Ao Yu's hair and nestled against his neck.

He finally understood why Ao Yu didn't use the night pearl for illumination.

The stone floor of the cave was densely covered with white skeletons, big and small. With just a glance, their hollow eye sockets aligned with Yun Zhao's gaze.

Yun Zhao let out a deep sigh, being carried out of the cave by Ao Yu and stepping on the swimming fishes as they reached the shore.

When he was put down, Yun Zhao still stayed close to Ao Yu, snuggling and unwilling to move too far away.

"Now you're scared, huh?" Ao Yu rarely teased.

Yun Zhao rested his head on Ao Yu's shoulder. "I just didn't expect that Su Yu Valley, which is so beautiful, would have such a terrifying cave."

He thought of the cold pool shrimp in the cave and couldn't help but marvel at the unique taste of the Flower God.

"Su Yu Valley used to be an ancient battlefield. The Flower God bestowed the flower seeds, allowing the valley to be adorned with blooming flowers that remain undefeated, thereby dispelling the resentment of lost souls," Ao Yu's voice was exceptionally calm, as if narrating a distant story.

Yun Zhao's fear dissipated slightly, and his eyes still wandered absentmindedly, searching for something.

Noticing this, Ao Yu took his hand and led him away from the lakeshore.

Along the way, Ao Yu reached into the grass and flowers, casually grabbing something and presenting his fist in front of Yun Zhao.

Amidst his curious gaze, Ao Yu opened his palm, and several small fireflies spun around in confusion before flying away.

Yun Zhao followed the flight path of the fireflies, momentarily frozen in place.

In front of him grew thousands of dangling silk floss cherry trees. Their tree forms were elegant and charming, adorned with delicate pink blossoms that dotted every branch. The fragrance of the flowers lingered, creating a particularly fresh and pleasant atmosphere among the rugged rocks.

"However, these cherry trees were originally here in Su Yu Valley. There are no restless spirits of the fallen. If you like, you can take your time and enjoy the view," Ao Yu's low and melodious voice sounded from behind.

Yun Zhao turned around.

Under the moonlight, Ao Yu lightly tapped the flower buds on the branches, causing them to slowly bloom upon contact.

He met Yun Zhao's dazed eyes and his voice carried a hint of amusement. "Are you still afraid now?"