Moments later, the torches finally drew near.
By their light, Han Li could make out things a little farther away.
The surroundings were white all over — fish and shrimp lay in heaps everywhere, covering the ground in a thick layer. He and the woman happened to be perched atop one of the higher mounds.
Further off, it was still pitch-black and impossible to see anything at all, though he could tell the place seemed vast. No walls or anything of the sort had come into view.
Those men had stopped about twenty or thirty zhang from Han Li.
They quickly set their leather bags on the ground, and apart from one who stood guard, glancing warily in all directions, the rest bent their heads down and frantically stuffed the bags full of fish and shrimp.
Seeing this, Han Li found it somewhat unexpected.
The woman on his body also let out a soft gasp, though so faint that the men hadn't noticed. Han Li, almost instinctively, glanced up at her face.
In the faint reddish glow, a lovely, sweet-featured face emerged dimly from the darkness.
The woman immediately caught him staring at her so brazenly. A blush seemed to rise to her cheeks. She turned her neck slightly, and her face vanished back into the darkness once more, leaving only a pair of bright, modestly averted eyes gleaming in the dim light.
Han Li felt a twinge of amusement at the sight.
She was rather interesting. When they couldn't see each other's faces, she'd been forthright and even a touch willful. But the moment they could actually see one another, she'd turned timid and easily flustered.
That fierce impression she'd given him before had completely evaporated.
Just then, a cry rang out from the distance.
"Something's wrong — fall back, quick! Fire Scale Beasts are coming up!" The lookout suddenly spun around and hissed at the others.
In an instant, the men who'd been packing fish slung all the bags over their shoulders and sprinted off in another direction. Only two torches remained planted in the ground, their flames flickering uncertainly.
Almost simultaneously, several long shrieks echoed from the distant darkness — something had spotted them. Then came a series of heavy thuds, rapid and pounding.
Several crimson figures, each about a zhang long, burst out of the darkness, flashed past, and vanished.
In that brief instant, Han Li had gotten a clear look at these so-called "Fire Scale Beasts." They were monstrous creatures with leopard-like heads and red scales, bristling with razor-sharp fangs that bared with every snarl. They looked incredibly fierce.
In the blink of an eye, calm returned to the area.
Han Li let out a long breath. The beasts hadn't detected the two of them — small mercy in a bad situation.
After a short while, Han Li gently clenched his fists, then wrapped an arm around the woman's waist, holding her close, and slowly rose to his feet.
His body had finally recovered, and he could move freely again.
"You… put me down. I can move now too," the woman murmured from within his embrace, her voice low and flushed.
"Unless you're worried about getting covered in fish smell, I don't mind," Han Li said flatly, glancing at her.
At his words, the woman looked down at the fish and shrimp scattered all over the ground. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, and she wisely said nothing more.
Han Li, still holding her, made a light leap off the fish heap and walked toward the torches.
He had no idea where this place was, but being in total darkness would only bring trouble.
He bent down, pulled one of the torches from the ground, held it up, and looked around, his expression turning pensive.
"Put me down. I can walk now," the woman whispered a moment later, her voice still carrying a trace of embarrassment.
Without a word, Han Li released his grip. She landed nimbly on the ground. After tidying her clothes and skirt, she picked up the other torch and began surveying their surroundings as well.
Han Li, meanwhile, suddenly set off with long strides in the direction those men had come from.
"Where are you going?" the woman blurted, startled.
"I'm not about to wait for those beasts to circle back. Better to find a safe spot first," Han Li replied without looking back.