Andrew gave her bottom a helpful push and said casually, “It’s not that I was rough. You just need a little more experience!”
Chantelle was climbing ahead and angrily replied, “I never thought you were such a pervert!”
Andrew deliberately kept talking to distract her and make the climb less difficult, and as they bantered back and forth, Chantelle eventually started laughing too.
“The moonlight is lovely tonight. The moon in the mountains seems prettier than in the city!”
Andrew said seriously, “No matter how beautiful the moonlight is, it’s not as beautiful as you, Ms. Garcia!”
Chantelle stopped talking and climbed silently. After a while, she turned back and huffed at Andrew, “Mr. Lloyd, I can give you my body, but do you know that if you keep being so charming, I might end up giving you my heart too? When that happens, I’m afraid you’ll have quite the problem on your hands!” 1
Andrew looked genuinely worried. “Please don’t! Just giving me your body is fine. Your heart is too precious, and I couldn’t handle that responsibility!”
Chantelle was both angry and amused. Just as she expected, men really did not want to take responsibility once they pulled their pants back up.
But why was she getting angry? She was the one who had taken advantage of Andrew, not the other way around. The initiative had been on her side, so if anyone should feel taken advantage of, it should be Andrew.
Chantelle comforted herself with this self–serving logic.
Finally, the two reached the top of the modest slope. Looking around, they saw wilderness everywhere–nothing but dark forests and mountains stretching in all directions.
“It looks like that underground current swept us up from below ground,” Chantelle said after figuring out the directions.
Andrew looked around, frowning. “Ms. Garcia, don’t you feel like where we’re standing is actually a small path?”
Chantelle looked and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re right! Mr. Lloyd, look–these stones on the ground were clearly laid by people.”
Andrew said, “Let’s go left first and see where it leads. One thing’s for sure–we’re definitely still within the mountain range around Gallow’s End.”
Chantelle nodded. “We weren’t in that underground current very long, and based on the water flow speed, we can’t be more than a few hundred yards from the underground tomb!”
Andrew thought that while a few hundred yards were not short if they could not find a way back into the underground world, those few hundred yards might as well be an impossible distance.
He could not worry about treasure now–he just wanted to reach the tomb quickly to ensure Tiana and the others were safe.
Following the left–hand path, they walked a few hundred yards and reached the foot of the mountain. At the end of the road, a dark cave appeared, surrounded by towering trees that would make it hard to spot if you were not looking carefully.
Chantelle was delighted. “Mr. Lloyd, could this cave lead to the tomb?”
Andrew looked at the ground and noticed that the small path seemed to have been carved out by people. It was
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very roughly made and uncomfortable to walk on, covered with vines and weeds that clearly had not been disturbed in ages.
“This path was probably built by the Patoajo people from the village below,” Andrew said. “Regardless of where that cave leads, let’s continue down the path and take a look!”
Chantelle was full of energy. “Right, I’ll go first and check it out!”
The cave’s location was basically a downward slope, and the two carefully walked down into the entrance.
The moonlight disappeared immediately, leaving them to feel their way forward in the dim light. Normal darkness could not stop Andrew, of course. The cave entrance was not large, but once inside, it opened into a whole different world with a much more spacious interior. 1
Chantelle waved her hand in front of her nose. “Mr. Lloyd, do you smell that musty stench in here?”
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