The bonfire was nearby.
Li Xian embraced Wen Caishang, blowing forest breeze across them, gazing at the bright moon and stars. There was no longer the threat of life and death, nor the embarrassnt of fleeing, and peace settled in his heart.
He thought too much. Since crossing over, there was not a mont he did not contemplate his circumstances, his position, or strive for survival... Although he often "passed obstacles and defeated enemies," the exhaustion had piled up in his heart.
At this mont, gazing at the Star Chart, he beca increasingly drowsy. Li Xian closed his eyes and fell asleep, and Wen Caishang watched Li Xian in her arms, not speaking annoyance today, nor acting flirty to provoke a fight, feeling very odd.
She suddenly thought: "If it weren’t for his help, even with ten lives, I would have died. He is talented beyond asure, and his appearance is handso. I didn’t pick the wrong person, his charisma is extraordinary, though still young, he is very clever, and this cleverness makes rely on him continuously."
Sweet as sugar, affectionate like honey. Fingers teased his hair, caressing his cheek, her beautiful eyes shimred.
"... But... but he is really not honest! Previously he tricked , now he is tricking ... who knows how many tis he has deceived . He... he risked himself to save , does he love ? He said he loved dearly, dreaming of even in his sleep, is he lying to ?"
Her mind was a chaotic jumble, scrutinizing Li Xian for a long while, yet not feeling sleepy. Turning over her thoughts, feeling increasingly tangled, worried about gains and losses.
Li Xian slept until noon the next day, woke up, and annoyed, said: "It’s too late! It’s too late!" He originally planned to collect dew to drink along the journey.
Wen Caishang had thought much last night, staying awake throughout, pretending to sleep when morning dawned, lying beside Li Xian.
Wen Caishang’s beautiful eyes filled with complexity, suddenly asking, "Little Immortal, you slept soundly last night, did you dream?"
Li Xian casually laughed: "Beautiful dreams ca true, no need to dream!" stretching lazily, very comfortable. The scent of hair lingered on his chest.
Wen Caishang pouted: "I am asking sincerely, you mustn’t be frivolous." Her tone serious, eager to find out.
Li Xian didn’t think much, honestly said: "I was too tired last night, didn’t dream." Wen Caishang thought: "I was beside you last night, and you didn’t dream of , you... you... were you really lying to before?" Her face slightly pale.
Li Xian concernedly said: "Are you injured, madam?" He checked her pulse, examined her injuries. Wen Caishang was initially very sad but seeing Li Xian tend her so attentively, she felt sweet again.
"No problem, let’s leave quickly." Wen Caishang said.
Li Xian took out the map, wielding the Sinking River Sword, cutting through trees to clear a path. The remaining journey, while the dense forest was still perilous, occasionally offered resting areas with shade.
He coped calmly.
Traveling over ten miles a day, this continued for several days.
Li Xian and Wen Caishang’s clothing were scraped by branches, becoming damaged and needing repairs, stopping and starting the journey repeatedly.
Li Xian’s sword wound scabbed over, arm injury gradually healing. It had improved by thirty percent, Wen Caishang collected Herbs in the forest, brewing ointnt, and applied it to Li Xian.
Her white and graceful fingers, during application, teetered teasingly. Her beautiful eyes carried spring and expectation, exceedingly captivating. Li Xian vaguely sensed Wen Caishang had changed, becoming more feminine.
He traveled the wilds by day, studied the map at night. Map in hand, but with the mountain terrain looming, it wasn’t easy to step out of Tiger Cry Ridge.
Absolutely not carefree.
Ti flowed.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Accompanying each day, the two beca intimately close in spirit. Wen Caishang sotis masterful, sotis alluring, Li Xian lively and free-spirited, making the journey far from dull.
This day.
Li Xian spotted distant black smoke, laughed: "Madam! It’s cooking smoke, finally spotted signs of life!"
Wen Caishang said: "Indeed! It’s truly rare."
Black smoke dissipated, creating silence in the forest. After brief joy, the two hurried on together. The "Poisonous Leech" wasn’t plentiful here, but a toxic flower blood, attracting poison creatures like "snakes," "scorpions," "spiders," etc.
Suddenly seeing a short tree in the distance, with three hanging corpses. All were n, wearing silk robes, gently swaying in the breeze, dead for two days.
Li Xian lanted: "Judging by their attire, they must be passing rchants, mistakenly venturing into Tiger Cry Ridge. Overco by grief from the tiger’s mourning wails, their sorrows led them to end their lives here."
Wen Caishang said: "Seeing them, we must be close to exiting the forest!"
Li Xian nodded: "These accompanying rchants weren’t very skilled. Certainly hard to penetrate the forest, likely just two more days’ journey until we can leave the forest."
Li Xian thought: "Our clothes are tattered, we own no money, having encountered you all, we can only borrow what you have. Hmm... let’s just consider it the fee for burying you!"
As he touched the corpses, he suddenly felt movent in his sleeves. Li Xian beca wary, retreated three steps, and unleashed Jade Palm.
With a "crash," poisonous insects, scorpions, venomous bees... nurous poisons fell from the pants and sleeves, chilling to behold.
Tiger Cry Ridge was extrely perilous. Countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants, poisons and beasts thrived. Once a person died at this place, it imdiately attracted the "Cannibal Ants." These ant creatures bite painfully and exist in large numbers.
Cannibal Ants attracted "Red Poison Frogs," which drew venomous snakes... and so forth, under the robes naturally "harbored filth," "snakes and rats together."
Li Xian clapped several tis, scattering all the poisonous creatures. The three corpses had turned to "Red Bone" except for their skulls, having bones still attached to flesh.
He opened their mouths, the brain stem, tongue, eyeballs... all had been eaten by poisonous insects. Li Xian managed the three corpses, driving away the pests, stripping off their clothes.
He dug a pit on the spot for burial, chopped trees to erect a simple wooden monunt. As the identities of the three were unknown, the monunt bore no inscription.
Li Xian gathered the clothing. Based on the map, he sought a flat terrain. Nearby lay a stream, sowhat safer compared to other areas.
There was no longer a "rest area" in sight.
Li Xian inspected the spoils. "Silk fabric" in three sets, though traversed by poisonous creatures, slling foul and stained with blood. Nonetheless, relatively intact.
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