After entering Poison Peach Valley, everyone was clearly on edge, and the hundred imperial guards were ordered to take the lead.
"Wow, it's so beautiful here!" Ivy Shen couldn't help but marvel at the scenery. Surrounded by blooming peach blossoms, she just couldn't imagine this place living up to its hellish reputation.
"Watch out!" Colin Kerr suddenly shouted. Before Ivy knew it, she was swept off her feet—looking up, she found herself in Adrian Night's icy embrace as he spun them both to safety.
She turned to see what had just happened, but the scene before her left her utterly stunned.
Thousands of arrows had come out of nowhere, and more than half of those hundred guards now lay lifeless on the ground, their armor pierced through.
"Are you hurt? Let me check!" A frantic voice made Ivy turn her head. Liam Willow, who had just been tackled to the ground by Colin Kerr, looked mortified, but what really shocked everyone was Colin's panicked, almost too-intense concern—seriously, was this level of devotion supposed to show up on a guy's face?
"Are you really not hurt? Let me see—come on, let me check!" Colin tried to pull open Liam's robe for an inspection, his endless fussing making Ivy speechless. Was the mighty martial champion... actually bent?
"General Kerr, I'm fine," Liam Willow quickly dodged Colin's hands and replied as seriously as he could.
"Really? This place is way too dangerous. You need to stick with me at all times!" With that, Colin grabbed Liam's hand and held it tightly, his worried expression so intense it was almost too much for the survivors to handle.
"General Kerr, let go! Let go!" Liam Willow blushed furiously, yanked his hand back, and hurried ahead.
Colin, scolded so harshly by Liam, looked awkward for a moment before quickly saying, "Everyone be careful! There are way too many traps here. All right, let's keep moving." He ducked his head and hurried past them.
"Wife, are you okay?" Liam Willow came up to Ivy Shen, concern written all over his face.
Hearing this, Ivy glanced at Liam. This kid was really too kind—he'd almost gotten killed, but he was still here worrying about her. What kind of magic did Ivy Shen have to make this pure-hearted guy give his all for her?!
"Wife, are you really okay? Don't worry, I'll walk right beside you. If any blades or whatever come flying out, let them pierce my chest instead!" Liam declared solemnly. He knew he couldn't protect her with martial arts like Adrian or Lucian, but in his heart he imagined a stronger version of himself—if danger struck, he'd risk his life to keep her safe. After all, she was his wife. His one and only wife!
"Stop!" Suddenly, Colin Kerr shouted from the front, bringing everyone to a halt.
"What's wrong?" Adrian Night, also here for the first time, couldn't help but ask.
"Heh, this bridge won't be easy to cross," Caleb Miles said with a smirk.
Hearing this, they moved forward and saw a rickety wooden bridge stretched across a cliff, swaying dangerously in the breeze—as if it might snap in two at any moment.
"This is the Weight Bridge that Gideon Gu described. To cross, you have to be heavier than usual; otherwise, the bridge will shake and you'll fall right off the cliff," Lucian Vane explained coolly. But his words left everyone stumped—what did 'heavier than usual' even mean?
"All right, I'll go first." Lucian Vane flashed a wicked grin, then suddenly scooped Ivy Shen into his arms and strode toward the swaying bridge in front of everyone.
"Hey, why are you carrying me?" Ivy Shen pouted. She'd meant to let Liam Willow have his chance to shine, but the 'poison snake' had swooped in first.
"Duh, you're the only woman here, and I'm your husband. If I don't carry you, should I carry a man instead?" Lucian Vane shot back smoothly. Honestly, no one noticed that during the arrow ambush, he'd reached out to grab her too—but Adrian's speed beat him by a hair. Now, with the Weight Bridge test, he's determined to be one step ahead of the Iceberg!