Looking at the girl's wide, pleading eyes, Han Zhiqi truly could not bear to refuse her.
The image of her sorrowful, dejected back after being rejected in the square earlier still lingered vividly in his mind. What had she gone through to become so insecure and timid?
If she had been a little more confident, perhaps those people would not have refused to be friends with her. Did she not know that it was precisely her insecurity and timidity that had created her current situation?
Besides, what was the point of having so many friends?
As for superficial friends who could not understand each other's hearts, it was better not to make them at all.
"Whatever. Follow me if you want, but let me warn you: if we run into danger, I won't distract myself protecting you." With that, Han Zhiqi turned and walked ahead.
Hearing his agreement, Kanroji Noe let out a breath of relief and happily cried, "Ah!" A brilliant smile bloomed across her face, her eyes curving with it as she hurried a few steps to catch up with Han Zhiqi.
"I don't need your protection. I can protect myself. If you need it, I can protect you too."
Han Zhiqi once again witnessed what it meant to be big-chested and brainless. If I needed a woman to protect me, I might as well die.
The girl might have said it casually, but Han Zhiqi knew she meant every word. Moreover, she very likely had the strength to back it up. That was also why he had chosen to keep her by his side.
One reason was pity; the other was curiosity.
Although Han Zhiqi's command of Breathing had not yet reached the perfected state of "Total Concentration: Constant," aside from switching back to normal breathing unconsciously while sleeping at night, he maintained his body's normal functions with Breathing most of the time.
Switching between Breathing and ordinary breathing was much like changing a habit.
Han Zhiqi guessed that once he became accustomed to Breathing, he would probably have truly perfected "Total Concentration: Constant."
It was precisely because of Breathing that he could judge whether someone had practiced it by the pace and depth of their breaths.
The instant the girl had raised her head and darted forward just now, Han Zhiqi had clearly sensed that her way of breathing was exactly the same as his.
Even more astonishingly, her breathing frequency far exceeded his own. That meant her mastery of Breathing was likely above his as well.
So how could a girl like this be so insecure and timid? Han Zhiqi could not help but wonder what was so strange about her.
"My name is Kanroji Noe. You can call me Noe. What's your name?"
Out of timidity, Noe never dared walk beside Han Zhiqi or ahead of him. She only dared stand behind him and ask cautiously.
"Han Zhiqi. Bing Shi Han Zhi Qi."
"What a lovely name. Should I call you Mr. Bing Shi or Mr. Han Zhiqi? I think Mr. Bing Shi sounds nice. What do you think?"
"No need. Just call me Han Zhiqi."
"Han Zhiqi?" Receiving such an answer, Noe tilted her head, a shy smile appearing on her face. She basked for a moment in a long-lost happiness before she could not help calling out, "Han Zhiqi."
"What?" Han Zhiqi sounded slightly impatient.
"Nothing."
"If it's nothing, could you please not call me?" In just this short while, Han Zhiqi was already getting a headache from this girl's pestering.
Just how desperately did she want someone to talk to?
The two walked aimlessly, chatting here and there. Most of the time, Noe talked while Han Zhiqi listened. Sometimes Noe asked a question or two, and Han Zhiqi answered only what he was asked. If he did not want to answer, he simply fell silent.
Yet even in the face of such a foul attitude, Noe treated it like a precious treasure, carefully guarding every word she said for fear of upsetting Han Zhiqi.
Though they passed through nothing but dark, dense woods along the way, they did not encounter a single demon. Whether they were lucky or demons simply did not want to come out during the day, they did not know.
Not long afterward, they passed beneath a solitary cliff. A smooth platform extended from its side, as though the top of a small hill had been sliced away.
At that moment, sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and fell upon the platform. Han Zhiqi decided to rest there.
With the cliff at their backs, the spot was secluded. The stone platform stood high, received ample light, and offered a clear view. Even if they encountered one or two demons, they would be able to detect them early, even while asleep.
"We'll rest here. I'm afraid there won't be much time to rest tonight." The last sentence sounded as though he were speaking to himself.
Noe gave a soft hum. She really seemed to have become Han Zhiqi's little tagalong, listening to everything he said.
The two carefully climbed to the top of the stone platform along a gap likely carved out by rainwater. Not caring about the dirt, they leaned against the cliff and sat directly on the ground.
"Rest while you can. Stop chattering and asking about everything."
Noe lowered her head embarrassedly and casually smoothed the hair by her temple. Then she raised her head and said seriously, "Han Zhiqi, you rest. I'll keep watch for you. If any demons come close, I'll let you know."
"No need."
Breathing could enhance one's senses. Even while asleep, he could perceive every danger outside.
As Han Zhiqi closed his eyes and entered meditation, Noe stopped talking as well.
With her large, lively eyes fixed on the dim forest ahead, she occasionally turned to look at Han Zhiqi beside her, a dreamy smile on her face.
No one knew how long passed. Apparently unable to endure such mind-numbing boredom any longer, she tilted sideways, rested her head on Han Zhiqi's lap, and fell asleep.
Deep within the forest, inside a cave beneath a broken cliff, several pairs of beastlike eyes stirred in the darkness.
As though awakened by some mysterious force, they desperately sniffed the air, low "woo woo" growls issuing from their mouths as they restlessly scrambled over the cave walls.
Yet they seemed bound by another force as well, not daring to leave the cave lightly.
Halfway up the mountain, many people sat in a circle with their backs pressed together. Some kept drinking water, while others stared at the sun as it slowly sank westward.
How they wished the sun would set more slowly. Yet the more they wished for it, the faster it seemed to fall. In what felt like the blink of an eye, it had vanished beyond the treetops.
Death was not frightening. What was frightening was the long process of waiting for death.
As the sun sank, the forest became even more sinister. The slightest rustle could frighten three or five people into making discordant noises, their entire bodies trembling along with them.
Kimura looked at the rabble before him and could not understand why they had come here. The escape from war had not even begun, yet they were already scared senseless. If they really encountered demons at night, would they not wet themselves?
Being afraid now was nothing, but if they encountered demons later and became too frightened to walk, probably no one would be kind enough to help them.
If you were afraid, then you could only become demon fodder, buying time for everyone else.
How many of these people would become demon fodder?
Compared with the people before him, Kimura thought again of that White-robed Man. He now regretted not trying harder to pull him into their group.
From their first meeting, Kimura had felt that something was missing from that man's eyes. Only now did he understand what it was.
Fear was what was missing!
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