Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er

"We've already taken Detoxification Pills." The egg-shaped-faced girl studying Lin Manshan spoke in a crisp voice.

He looked under twenty, somewhat handsome, but most importantly, he was so manly. I was saved by a hero.

She thought shyly to herself. A hero saving a beauty—that was straight out of a story, and it usually led to a passionate fairy-tale romance.

Could my destined fate have arrived?

"My name is Shui Yue'er." Remembering that she had yet to introduce herself, she hurriedly added.

"My name is Shui Bing'er. Thank you, Your Excellency, for saving us." The other girl introduced herself as well.

They were actually Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er. Lin Manshan was slightly surprised, then nodded.

"It's nothing. I just happened to come across you. First, let me take a look at the Detoxification Pills you took. If I'm not mistaken, the poison in your bodies hasn't been cured. Also, my name is Lin Manshan. You can call me A'man."

"Ah?!" Both girls' expressions changed at once. The next moment, Shui Bing'er hurriedly shook the bracelet on her left wrist. A white jade porcelain bottle immediately dropped into her right palm, and she swiftly handed it to Lin Manshan, her voice gentle and pleasant.

"A'man, please."

"It's a trivial matter." Lin Manshan smiled faintly and took the porcelain bottle.

He opened the cap, poured out a pill and sniffed it, then poured it back in and returned the bottle to Shui Bing'er. "This Detoxification Pill is mainly effective against venomous insects and animal toxins, but what you have been poisoned with is a plant toxin that infected your wounds after you were scratched by plants."

As he spoke, he pointed at the wound on the outer side of Shui Bing'er's thigh, where she sat at the front. "So it can only suppress and ease the poison; it cannot eradicate it."

"You were running all the way just now, which has already triggered the toxin. If it isn't dealt with in time, the consequences may be difficult to predict."

As he spoke, he pulled over the basket he had hung from a branch earlier, took out two porcelain bottles, and smiled. "You're lucky. I made these myself today from herbs I gathered along the way through the forest. Take this bottle orally and apply this one externally. They should be able to cure the poison in your bodies. Also, if you have drinking water in your Soul Tool, it would be best to clean the wounds first."

"This branch is spacious enough. You aren't deeply poisoned yet, so handle it yourselves for now."

"Thank you!" Shui Bing'er said gratefully as she hurriedly accepted them.

"You're welcome." Lin Manshan smiled, then shifted his tone. "One special reminder: I just kneaded the antidote pills from fresh herbs today, so the taste may be rather strong. You'd better stuff them into your mouths and swallow them in one gulp, or they'll be very bitter."

"Mm, thank you for the reminder." Shui Bing'er nodded and began taking drinking water out of her Soul Tool to prepare to take the medicine.

Seeing this, Lin Manshan stood up and continued, "There were quite a few Spirit Beasts chasing you earlier, and it's already dark now. It isn't suitable for us to go down and rest tonight. Stay here and clean your wounds first. I'll find a large tree and dig a hole in it for a temporary shelter. Once I'm done, I'll come get you. Also, if any flying Spirit Beasts happen to approach, shout loudly. I'll come over immediately."

By then, the Leopard-type Spirit Beast beneath the tree and the other nearby Thousand-year Spirit Beasts had all dispersed, but he did not know whether they had gone far. After all, his soul perception range was less than seven hundred meters, and that distance was not far for any Thousand-year Spirit Beast.

He did not want to be disturbed in the middle of the night, much less sit on a tree branch all night.

"Mm-hm, we understand." Shui Yue'er nodded obediently.

Lin Manshan nodded, turned, and jumped away.

"Wow, we were saved by a hero!" Once Lin Manshan had gone far away, Shui Yue'er immediately began twisting her body coyly. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she wore a bashful expression full of longing as she imagined a beautiful future. "A'man may not be the super handsome type, but he feels so manly. Could this be fate?"

Shui Bing'er felt exhausted. She immediately rolled her eyes at her. "If you want to act lovesick, don't drag me into it."

"But you were saved too," Shui Yue'er muttered.

"..." Shui Bing'er did not want to bother with her.

Yet Shui Yue'er continued chattering away.

"Later, I have to thank A'man properly and take the chance to ask about his family."

"If A'man had wanted to harm us or do anything bad to us just now, both of us were poisoned and had run out of strength. We definitely wouldn't have been able to escape. A'man is obviously a good man! If it weren't for him, we might have been violated by that group of Spirit Beasts chasing us tonight."

"Luckily, luckily..."

"I don't want half my body to be gnawed away by Spirit Beasts and then left by the roadside for people to see. That would be too embarrassing a way to die."

"Ah, I wonder whether A'man has any older brothers or sisters, younger brothers or sisters. Are they easy to get along with?"

Shui Bing'er: "."

Meanwhile, Lin Manshan had found a towering tree over three meters in diameter and began digging at a suitable spot.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was a top-tier metal-attributed Spirit Beast. After absorbing its Soul Ring, his Soul Power had gained a trace of sharp metal energy, making his Martial Soul even sharper. Cutting into the tree was extremely easy, and before long, he had carved out an entrance only large enough for one person to enter.

After digging inward for a while, the Great Blade became difficult to use, so Lin Manshan switched to digging with his External Soul Bone.

I never expected that on the first day I obtained an External Soul Bone, I'd use it to dig a tree hollow.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear External Palm Bone was incomparably sharp. Digging through wood was like turning over soil, so the process was quite easy. Before long, he had successfully carved out a semicircular tree hollow less than 1.8 meters tall and less than a meter wide at the entrance, yet roughly two meters wide inside.

Other than the rather strong smell, everything was perfect.

He walked out of the tree hollow, first broke off broad leaves and spread them inside, then tossed in several branches covered with lush green leaves. Once people moved in later, he only needed to set the branches upright in the groove beneath the entrance, plug up the gaps, and sprinkle some Snake Repellent Powder to conceal their scent. The door would be complete.

Seeing that the tree hollow was ready, Lin Manshan turned and hurried back.

Shui Yue'er, who had been watching the direction Lin Manshan had left in, immediately stopped talking when she saw him appear. She sat upright and put on an obedient appearance.

"The tree hollow is ready. Since your legs are injured, I'd better carry you over."

Lin Manshan glanced at the bandages on their thighs and arms and spoke seriously.

"Then we'll trouble you. Shui Yue'er is more seriously injured, so take her over first," Shui Bing'er said politely.

"Alright." Lin Manshan nodded and flashed to Shui Yue'er's side.

"A'man, I just applied medicine to my legs, and I've been sitting here for quite a while. They're a little numb now." Shui Yue'er's face was slightly flushed as she lowered her eyes and spoke in a crisp voice. "How about you carry me over?"

"Mm." Lin Manshan nodded faintly. The branch beneath their feet was less than a meter in diameter, uneven, and covered in moss and ferns. Moving around a little was fine, but lying down was impossible. To avoid accidentally rolling off, they could only sit with their legs dangling and brace themselves steadily.

Sitting for too long really could make one's buttocks go numb.

Given the urgency of the situation, Lin Manshan did not think much of it. He immediately crouched halfway, letting Shui Yue'er wrap her arms around his neck, then stood and carried her in a princess carry.

Shui Yue'er was petite and not very tall, so he could barely feel any weight in his arms. Yet the moment he picked her up, Lin Manshan could clearly feel her skin warming and her heart thumping faster.

Lowering his head for a look, he saw that the girl had lowered her eyes and buried her little head against his shoulder, her ears flushed red.

Is she embarrassed?

She is a girl, after all. Lin Manshan secretly sighed. His own heartbeat accelerated slightly, and he hurriedly leaped away.

Before long, he arrived at the tree hollow he had dug. He set Shui Yue'er down, supported her by the waist as she crawled into the hollow, blocked the entrance with branches, then turned and left again.

"Ah, A'man carried me. So embarrassing... Is this what being in love feels like?"

"Ah! I forgot to ask him anything..."

The moment Lin Manshan left, Shui Yue'er covered her face with both hands and unconsciously began twisting about.