Were there only the monster from just now in the mountains?
If there was only that one monster, then leaving with Brother Hui and the others would be fine. But after what had happened earlier, the quiet girl had already grown wary of them. In that case, she might as well go with Lin Chen.
Besides, if there were more monsters, Lin Chen—who could kill them with ease—was undoubtedly the safer choice. If she went with Brother Hui and the others and encountered another monster, they would be just as doomed.
So, whether she looked at it rationally or emotionally, she would be safer with Lin Chen!
"You want to come with me?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. To be honest, he didn't want anyone following him, especially an ordinary person—a girl, no less.
He had come to Fire Forest Mountain to hunt exotic beasts. Bringing a girl along would only get in the way of gathering their essence.
"I came to Fire Forest Mountain on a mission. I'm here for these exotic beasts." Lin Chen glanced at the quiet girl, his tone calm. "I'm not going to go out of my way to accommodate you."
"That's okay. I can manage!" The quiet girl looked determined.
Seeing the girl's resolute expression, Lin Chen sighed inwardly. Brother Hui and the other two had already left. He couldn't really abandon the girl in front of him; otherwise, she might end up as food for an exotic beast.
Besides, Lin Chen had just seen her own companions betray her. He felt some sympathy for her. She had saved someone, only to be stabbed in the back by them.
Vmm—
Lin Chen stirred the Blood Qi True Flame within his body. With a flick of his hand, a flame of Blood Qi True Flame fell onto the monster, turning its body to ash.
The quiet girl stared in disbelief and murmured, "A spell?"
"Just a martial art." Lin Chen shook his head.
Spells did indeed exist in the Cultivation World, but Lin Chen practiced the Martial Dao. What he used wasn't a spell at all!
"Martial arts really exist in this world?" The quiet girl looked curious.
Lin Chen glanced at her and replied evenly, "Of course. You've seen exotic beasts with your own eyes. What's so strange about martial arts existing too?"
"Can I learn?" The quiet girl looked at Lin Chen.
"No."
Lin Chen shook his head. He had gained his abilities through system enhancements, and he didn't even know how to cultivate them himself—let alone teach anyone else.
"Let's go. Keep up!"
Lin Chen glanced at the quiet girl, then headed toward the depths of Fire Forest Mountain. Seeing this, she hurried after him.
As they talked along the way, Lin Chen learned that the girl was called Huang Qian and attended Qingzhou University. As it turned out, she was his classmate.
The other men and women were Qingzhou University students too. With graduation approaching, they had organized this hiking trip, never expecting things to go wrong.
Lin Chen had said he wouldn't accommodate Huang Qian, but she was just an ordinary person, and her presence seriously slowed down his exploration.
Left with no choice, Lin Chen asked Huang Qian, who was walking in front of him, "After you entered Fire Forest Mountain, did you notice any unusual places?"
At his current pace, searching Fire Forest Mountain would take who knew how long. According to Huang Qian, they had entered the mountain early that morning, well before Lin Chen. Perhaps she knew something.
"Unusual places?"
Huang Qian raised her eyebrows slightly, then shook her head. "No."
"Wait!" Huang Qian suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Lin Chen. "There was one unusual place. I just don't know if it's what you mean by special."
"Go on." Lin Chen looked expectant.
"The stream we were at earlier." Huang Qian looked at Lin Chen.
"The stream?"
Lin Chen paused. Frowning at Huang Qian, he asked, "What's special about it?"
"We followed the stream all the way there," Huang Qian explained. "There are some simple paths beside it, probably made by people who climbed the mountain in the past."
"I heard that there's only one stream in all of Fire Forest Mountain. People and animals alike need water, right?" Huang Qian said, a little uncertainly.
"A water source!"
Lin Chen's eyes lit up. Whether human or exotic beast, everyone needed water.
Even with his current strength and abilities, going too long without water or food would affect his body. The exotic beasts were weaker and needed even more food.
According to the Demon Suppression Division, more than one exotic beast had gathered in Fire Forest Mountain this time. With so many beasts in one place, they had to find food and water.
If the stream was the only water source in Fire Forest Mountain, then the exotic beasts gathered there couldn't be far from it. The mutated wild boar's attack on Huang Qian and the others had already shown as much.
The mutated wild boar might not have spotted Huang Qian and the others at first. It might simply have come to the stream for a drink, noticed them, and only then attacked.
If it had spotted them earlier, it probably wouldn't have been just one beast attacking them, but several. After all, wild boars were semi-social animals.
Lin Chen looked at Huang Qian and smiled. "You're really clever. If we find the exotic beasts this time, I'll thank you properly when we get back!"
"No need. I only thought of it by chance. Besides, you saved my life. I'm the one who should thank you," Huang Qian said, shaking her head repeatedly.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Chen said no more. He took Huang Qian back to the stream, then followed it toward the depths of Fire Forest Mountain. Just as Huang Qian had said, some simple trails left by hikers ran alongside the stream.
Those trails made no difference to Lin Chen, but for Huang Qian, they were much easier than following him as he blundered around through the deep forest.
Even so, they were still much slower than Lin Chen would have been on his own. It got dark early in the mountains, and when dusk began to fall, Lin Chen had no choice but to camp with Huang Qian in a clearing by the stream.
After lighting a fire, Lin Chen said to Huang Qian, "Stay here. Don't wander off. I'm going to look around."
Whoosh—
Lin Chen pushed off with one foot and took a look around from the high ground nearby. Unfortunately, the sky was already growing dark, and he found nothing.
Thwip! Thwip!
Two rabbits drinking by the stream collapsed as two sharp sounds cut through the air. Lin Chen was the one who had struck them.
Lin Chen didn't know if mutated wild boar was edible, but the wild rabbits in front of him should be!
Looking at the rabbit, roasted golden brown, Lin Chen tried a bite, only to gag and spit it out. "It tastes awful! Don't they make it look delicious in movies and TV shows?"
"That's all fake. How could it taste good without salt or seasoning?" Huang Qian chuckled and handed him the food she had brought. "Have some of mine."
Huang Qian had originally offered to share her food with Lin Chen, but he had insisted on roasting the rabbit himself, leading to what had just happened. Seeing the food she held out, Lin Chen didn't refuse this time.
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