Chapter 391: I Will Take Responsibility for You

Bai Wei freed both her hands, and her efficiency increased significantly.

However, having to pour out the Nongfu Spring water, tie the ropes, and prevent herself from being washed away by the river all by herself was also exhausting.

But fortunately, it was finally done.

Over a dozen empty buckets were bundled together with mountaineering rope, forming a makeshift raft.

Bai Wei climbed onto the raft with great effort, took the Flashlight from Xiao Moting's hand, and then reached out to pull him up.

"You come up too."

Xiao Moting cast a sharp glance around, braced himself against the raft with one hand, and climbed up with a push of his arm.

He was tall, and as he climbed on, the raft sank heavily, rocking violently in the water.

Xiao Moting immediately froze, grabbing a stone on the rock wall with one hand to steady the raft.

Only when the raft stopped rocking violently did he let go.

Suddenly!

The surging current instantly swept the raft away at an extreme speed.

Bai Wei's body swayed, and she nearly fell off.

Fortunately, Xiao Moting was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; he pulled her over and held her firmly in his arms.

"Watch out."

Bai Wei gasped, her heart still racing, and hugged Xiao Moting's waist tightly, her heart pounding non-stop.

The current of the underground river was too swift; if Xiao Moting hadn't jumped down to find her regardless of the danger, she likely would have met her end here on her own.

The raft made of empty water buckets had strong buoyancy, enough to support the weight of both of them.

Bai Wei leaned against Xiao Moting's chest; both were soaked through, and now, tightly embraced, there was only a thin layer of clothing between them, which was essentially skin-to-skin contact.

The man's wet clothes clung to his torso, revealing his lean, muscular lines, and his scorching body heat was transmitted through the damp fabric.

Without realizing it, Bai Wei's cheeks turned red uncontrollably.

She felt quite uncomfortable and wanted to loosen her grip, but the moment she did, another wave hit, scaring her into having to hug Xiao Moting tightly once again.

Just then, Bai Wei felt a hot breath fall upon the top of her head.

She looked up and saw Xiao Moting gazing at her.

In the dim environment, his dark eyes appeared even more profound.

Xiao Moting hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"Bai Wei, I will take responsibility for you."

"What?" Bai Wei was stunned, completely failing to understand what he was talking about.

Take responsibility for what?

She hadn't done anything to him!

Xiao Moting's gaze flickered, and a flush of crimson rose to the tips of his ears.

He held Bai Wei's shoulders as if he had made up his mind.

"If we can successfully get out of here, I will come to propose marriage to you immediately; I will certainly not let your reputation be tarnished."

"Propose marriage?" Bai Wei was even more bewildered.

Suddenly, she came to her senses.

So, after all that, it was because Xiao Moting felt that since their clothes were soaked and they were hugging tightly, in his worldview, this would damage her reputation, so he had "made up his mind" to take responsibility for her.

Bai Wei understood, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Only in ancient times, where men and women were not supposed to touch, would hugging like this be considered skin-to-skin contact and a violation of moral codes.

But if this were in the modern era, what would this even count as?

She immediately shook her head, "Xiao Moting, it doesn't matter."

"It does." Xiao Moting was very urgent, "Although it is forced by the situation, regardless, it was I who touched you, and my words and actions were improper; I must take responsibility for you! Once we get out, I will definitely marry you."

His eyes were sincere, carrying a trace of self-reproach.

Bai Wei chuckled inwardly.

Since she and Xiao Moting had known each other for so long and their relationship had already reached that point, what harm was there in agreeing to him now?

"Alright, I promise you..."

Before she could finish, a wave suddenly hit.

Bai Wei heard Xiao Moting's urgent voice in her ear, "Careful—"

Before she could react, she saw a stalactite protruding from the water rushing toward them.

"Boom!"

The raft made of mineral water buckets collided heavily and then fell apart with a splash.

The plastic buckets were not sturdy, and since they were only tied together with rope on the fly, they scattered the moment they were pushed by the current into the rocks.

Splash!

Bai Wei fell into the river again, but fortunately, she was quick-witted and immediately grabbed a plastic bucket, preventing herself from sinking.

"Bai Wei!"

Xiao Moting also grabbed a plastic water bucket, swam hard through the swift current, and caught her.

Bai Wei was still shaken, "Why are there so many reefs here?"

"There are too many hidden reefs in this area; the raft couldn't get through," Xiao Moting said while grabbing the rope to tie her to the mineral water bucket, "The current is too fast here; be careful not to be washed away."

Bai Wei nodded vigorously, gripping the mineral water bucket tightly while holding the Flashlight firmly in her other hand.

River water poured into her mouth, and she immediately spat it out.

Suddenly, the light of the Flashlight swept over several dark shadows emerging from the water ahead.

Bai Wei's expression changed, "There are rocks ahead!"

Xiao Moting reacted quickly; he turned his head to look, realized there was no way to avoid them, and immediately pulled her hard, changed direction, and then opened his arms to shield her in his embrace.

"Bang!"

His back slammed heavily into the reef, and he let out a muffled groan.

Bai Wei cried out in alarm, "Xiao Moting, are you alright?"

She was anxious and pained, her face changing color.

Just hearing the sound of the impact, she knew that the blow he took must have been very painful.

Clearly, it should have been her who hit it just now, but Xiao Moting pulled her, pushed her behind him, and held her tightly in his arms, letting his own back take the impact.

"I am fine." Xiao Moting raised his head, his eyes shining in the faint light of the Flashlight, "Are you injured..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body was slammed heavily again, pushed by the rapid current into another hidden reef.

The underground river was too deep, and hidden reefs were everywhere.

Xiao Moting protected Bai Wei and was struck several times; his handsome face was also scratched by the reefs, leaving bloody marks.

Yet, his two arms remained firmly wrapped around Bai Wei.

The river water was swift and filled with hidden reefs everywhere; the reefs were uneven, some even having sharp corners. Xiao Moting's left shoulder hit a rock, and a bloody gash was scraped open by a sharp rock corner.

His back was also covered in bloody scratches, but Bai Wei, who was in his arms, remained completely unharmed.

Bai Wei felt extremely distressed, tears swirling in her eyes.

If it weren't for protecting her, Xiao Moting alone, with his excellent swimming skills and physical strength, could have completely avoided these hidden reefs.

"Xiao Moting, you don't need to hold me like this, you'll get hurt."

"It's just a small injury, no need to worry about it." Xiao Moting did not let go; instead, he held her even tighter, "Besides, the sword and blade wounds from marching and fighting are much more serious than this. In Beijiang, there is a saying: if you don't have a few scars on your body, you can't be considered a man of Beijiang."

Bai Wei knew he was comforting her, "But..."

"It doesn't matter that I have thick skin, but you are a young lady; even if you are a Goddess, it wouldn't be good if you scratched your face." Xiao Moting didn't give her a chance to speak; he looked down at her, a flash of emotion passing through his eyes, "Besides, I still have to propose to you, how could I let my future wife get hurt?"

Bai Wei looked at him and opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word, a deep sense of being moved welling up in her heart.

Her face was soaking wet, and she didn't know if it was water or tears.