Chapter 156: No Rush to Eat Yet

"No wonder Old Cat would rather risk everything to raid this tomb..."

Shen Ke muttered to herself, "Even my heart skipped a beat for a second when I saw all this jewelry just now."

Lin Jian’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

He had actually been planning to pocket the bag of jewels for himself. These gemstones and artifacts were all high-quality antiques; if sold, they would easily be worth hundreds of millions. However, upon hearing her words, he realized he couldn’t keep the loot.

Even though Shen Ke liked him, she was an incredibly upright and righteous woman. If he really tried to embezzle this bag of jewelry, she would absolutely refuse to go along with it, and it would definitely cause a massive rift between them.

"Who wouldn’t be tempted? Even a billionaire like me is moved by this."

Lin Jian suddenly tied the bag securely and heaved it over his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Ke said, "Lin Jian, you can pick three items from this bag to keep, but I am handing the rest over to the Duke."

"There’s no need. I won’t take a single thing. I’m not short on money!"

"Really?"

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Shen Ke found it incredibly hard to believe. Did Lin Jian really treat money like dirt? This was far beyond her expectations.

"Of course it’s true. These are stolen goods. If I take them, I’ll just bring trouble upon myself, so I might as well take nothing at all."

"Lin Jian, you’re so amazing!"

Shen Ke immediately threw her arms around his waist, deeply moved by his selflessness.

What she didn’t know was that while Lin Jian appeared completely unbothered on the surface, his heart was practically bleeding. At the same time, he was still racking his brain for a way to pocket the bag of jewels.

The bag of jewelry easily weighed around one hundred and fifty pounds. It was extremely heavy, largely due to the sheer number of gold lumps inside.

The two of them continued downward along the passageway behind the back door. After walking for about two or three hundred meters, they heard the sound of flowing water.

"Flowing water! That’s wonderful!"

Shen Ke excitedly took the lead and ran forward.

However, when she reached the source of the sound, she was dismayed to discover that it was only a deep underground pool. There was still no light and no exit, and it was impossible to tell just how deep the water was.

Lin Jian set the bag down, and his Thought reached out, following the flow of the water. But he could only scan within a ninety-meter radius. He found numerous underground culverts, leading to who knew where.

His scalp prickled with dread. With so many culverts, if they took a wrong turn into one, it would be a guaranteed dead end. So, how were they supposed to get out?

"The water is freezing!" Shen Ke tested the water temperature, finding it bone-chillingly cold to the touch.

If someone jumped into water this frigid, their body heat would be completely drained in just two or three minutes, and they would inevitably drown! The path to escape was practically non-existent.

"Shen Ke, sit down and rest for a bit. I’ll go into the water and check the situation!"

Lin Jian stripped off all his gear. After a moment of thought, he even stripped completely naked.

"Ah, what are you doing?"

Inadvertently sweeping her flashlight over him, Shen Ke realized this little rascal was acting like a total pervert!

Lin Jian burst into laughter. "Did you just see something?"

"I absolutely did not! What are you doing? Hurry up and put your clothes back on," Shen Ke said, turning her back to him.

"Silly Shen Ke, I can’t wear them. If I jump in with my clothes on, they’ll be soaking wet when I come out, and I’ll be freezing cold.

"But if I jump in naked, I’ll have dry clothes to put on when I get back, which will help me warm up quickly."

"Oh..." Shen Ke was taken aback. Lin Jian’s thinking was incredibly thorough and meticulous. She hadn’t even considered that, merely assuming he was being indecent.

"Shen Ke, I’m going in."

"Be careful, Lin Jian."

Shen Ke hurriedly ran over to him, no longer caring whether he was wearing clothes or not.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Wait for me to come back."

With that, Lin Jian dove headfirst into the water.

SWISH.

Like a fish, he darted into one of the water-filled culverts under the guidance of his Thought.

After swimming for about seventy or eighty meters, he saw that the culvert seemed endless. However, his stamina was draining far too rapidly, the water was too freezing, and he needed to return to the surface to breathe. Yet, there was absolutely nowhere inside the culvert to catch his breath! So, he had no choice but to swim back.

WHOOSH.

A moment later, he scrambled back onto the shore, collapsing on the ground and gasping heavily for air!

Shen Ke’s heart ached for him, and she immediately pulled him into her arms. She could feel his skin was icy cold, and he was visibly shivering! Gritting her teeth, she unbuttoned her own clothes and pressed his upper body tightly against her chest!

Pressed together like this, the body heat from her skin quickly transferred to Lin Jian. Naturally, Lin Jian was thoroughly enjoying this; it was so incredibly warm, soft, and smooth. In that moment, he even wished time would stand still.

"Lin Jian, how are you? Are you feeling any better?" Shen Ke asked a moment later, gently stroking his face.

"Much better, but let me stay like this for a little longer."

Lin Jian smugly nestled closer, and Shen Ke lightly swatted him, her face flushing bright red.

At this moment, she completely let go of her inhibitions. There was no one else around, Lin Jian needed her warmth, and above all, she truly liked and loved him. So, what was the big deal about helping him warm his body? Who was going to laugh at her? Perhaps no one would ever laugh at her again in this lifetime, because she knew their chances of making it out alive were far too slim!

"I’m good now. Shen Ke, wait for me. I’m going to explore again!"

Without waiting for her reply, Lin Jian plunged back into the water. This time, he chose a different culvert and stayed under for much longer! By the time he returned, his lips had turned purple.

This time, Shen Ke did the same as Lin Jian; she stripped off all her clothes and held him tightly...

Half an hour later, Lin Jian entered the water for a third time! Afterward, he returned once more to warm up. But after that third attempt, Lin Jian decided to stop.

He had realized that all the culverts were actually exits, as all the water flowing through them was heading in the same direction. This meant that as long as they followed the current, they should be able to find a way out.

However, he couldn’t hold his breath long enough, and the range of his Thought was still too short! Thus, Lin Jian prepared to absorb the Seven-Star Spirit Stone. He needed to acquire another Dao Fruit. As long as he obtained the third Dao Fruit, he would undergo a threefold advancement. When that happened, their chances of finding the exit would be significantly higher!

Naturally, after his third return, he wasn’t in any rush to leave Shen Ke’s embrace. He lingered affectionately in her arms, and a few times, he even considered taking her right then and there! Shen Ke didn’t seem to have any intention of refusing, either. As long as Lin Jian wanted it, she was willing to give herself to him.

But Lin Jian held himself back! In this kind of environment, with the hard, uncomfortable ground beneath them, acting like a beast right now would be completely disrespectful to her. Therefore, he was in no hurry to bite into the ripe peach that was Shen Ke. Once they escaped with their lives and were in a warm, comfortable setting, he would take his time enjoying the beauty of this absolute Little Demon!