[Camouflage] had a rather interesting skill note.
Since crossing over, this was the first time Ji Ruo had obtained a skill with two notes.
[Note: Understand your surroundings, blend into your surroundings, become your surroundings!]
[Note: Nyah nyah nyah~ You can't see me~]
The notes were a bit ridiculous, but on second thought, the second one sounded a little like a note on the first!
"Understand your surroundings, blend into your surroundings, become your surroundings"—that was exactly what Ji Ruo and the others were doing now.
They were covered in mud and lying motionless in it. Even without the skill's effects, they would have been hard to spot at a glance.
After all, even though they were only at the edge of the swamp, the mud was four or five centimeters deep. They had also rolled around in it a few times, leaving themselves completely filthy. You really couldn't tell they were there unless you looked closely.
They had blended into their surroundings and become part of them, so now it was "Nyah nyah nyah~ You can't see me~"
Of course, part of the reason was that the Spider Queen had already been mostly out of her mind.
In any case, as long as Ji Ruo and the others didn't do anything out of line, they could watch this "show" through to the end.
If they were lucky, they might even get a couple of "Out-of-Syllabus Exam Questions."
Li Nannan's aura waxed and waned. After all, she was a Qi Pulse Realm martial artist. The poison in her system didn't seem to have come from the Spider Queen—or perhaps the Spider Queen hadn't intended to kill her outright.
The poison she'd been hit with could certainly be lethal, but Li Nannan was a Qi Pulse Realm martial artist. With Qi Vessels opened within her body, she had long since gained minute control over herself.
Moving her blood and qi around, or using her muscles to seal small wounds, was easy for her.
It was just that the poison also had a powerful paralyzing effect. Otherwise, she would have circulated her blood and qi long ago to expel the toxins from her body.
Earlier, while she was trapped inside the spider-silk cocoon, those Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders had come by every so often to inject her with more venom. As a result, Li Nannan's exceptional physical strength as a Qi Pulse Realm martial artist hadn't been able to make much difference.
Now, though, Ji Ruo had rescued her. Her consciousness still wasn't fully clear, but her blood and qi were circulating on their own, gradually diluting the toxins left in her body.
Unless the Spider Queen herself bit her, the venom of an ordinary Nine-Eyed Demon Spider couldn't kill her unless she was given an enormous dose!
Powerful martial artists were immune to all poisons!
How are those students? Did they get away?
Her body was still numb and weak, but Li Nannan's consciousness was gradually returning.
She could feel that she was lying somewhere, completely motionless.
Thinking back to when Ji Ruo had turned around and carried her as he ran, then taking in her current situation, Li Nannan's still-foggy mind filled with a faint bitterness.
They must have thought I was dead weight and left me out here. Maybe that's for the best. Patrol Examiners are supposed to protect the examinees. How could I hold the students back?
She thought that way, but deep down, she still felt dejected.
Who didn't want to survive? She was still young, too!
They're only Martial Apprentices. They couldn't get far while carrying me. We'd all die. If they left me behind, my body could at least draw some of the Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders' attention. Someone has to make a sacrifice. We can't all die. I failed in my duty as a Patrol Examiner, but I can't hold the students back.
Li Nannan kept trying to comfort herself.
But she still couldn't stop herself from grieving, or from fearing death. She whimpered softly, as if crying under her breath.
Gradually, Li Nannan grew accustomed to the intense ringing in her ears and the dizziness.
She was still very weak, but she could hear things now.
".Whoa! That catfish's tail slap was absolutely incredible! The fat catfish had been attacking with its head and whiskers the whole time. It looked clumsy, but it was really using psychological tactics to lull the giant spider into a false sense of security. Then, when the spider let its guard down and left an opening, that plump tail came crashing down and smacked its mouth crooked!
Keep it up, Big Brother Catfish! You're the biggest one here!"
Ji Ruo was giving an excited commentary in a low voice. Liang Shixian and the other two had long since stopped paying him any attention. The two Demonic Beasts overhead were already fighting like mad, with eyes only for each other. They wouldn't be discovered for a while.
"The giant spider isn't going to take that lying down. Even though the sudden blow knocked its mouth crooked, it doesn't care at all. It's acting like it paid for an exclusive skin. Huh? Teacher, you're awake? Uh... why are you crying? Are you hungry? Hang in there. We'll be able to get something to eat before long."
In the middle of his excitement, Ji Ruo suddenly heard a quiet sob beside him. He turned and asked.
Li Nannan had been crying, but now she froze. The grief she'd worked herself up into suddenly fell apart.
She was lying right beside Ji Ruo. Since she'd been unconscious, Ji Ruo had personally rolled her around in the mud, so her head was turned toward him.
When she heard his voice, Li Nannan hurriedly opened her eyes. "You didn't get away? I told you not to worry about me. Why didn't you listen?"
"Shh!"
Ji Ruo looked at Li Nannan sternly. "Teacher, you can't be loud when you're playing hide-and-seek or watching a show. You'll ruin the experience for everyone else!"
"Hide-and-seek? Watching a show?"
Li Nannan stiffly turned her head to look above. Two Demonic Beasts, both clearly much stronger than she was, were fighting on a vast, deep-purple spiderweb. Both were already covered in wounds.
The Six-Whiskered Catfish was riddled with tiny holes from head to tail. They'd been made by the Spider Queen's hideous mouthparts and sharp, spiny legs.
Some places had even been eaten away into huge pits by highly corrosive venom. They were still smoking.
Many of the wounds were bleeding. The blood was a strange blackish purple and reeked horribly.
It was obvious the catfish had been heavily poisoned.
The Spider Queen, who had defeated and captured Li Nannan earlier, wasn't doing much better.
Half of the hideous mouthparts outside her mouth were gone. No one knew where they'd ended up.
The silk sac behind her was a little deflated, and three of her eight sharp, spiny legs had been snapped off.
Li Nannan found the scene utterly absurd.
They were lying right beneath the two Demonic Beasts, but neither one attacked them. They were too busy fighting each other, and it looked like they'd been at it for quite some time.
"What... is going on?"
Li Nannan asked blankly.
Ji Ruo smacked his lips. "I'm not too sure either. They just started fighting out of nowhere. But it's not hard to figure out. Maybe it was love at first sight, one-sided infatuation, unrequited love turning to hate, or something like that. Maybe the Six-Whiskered Catfish was cheating, and the Spider Queen got so mad she came over to beat him up."
Li Nannan: "..."
Love at first sight? Love turning to hate?
What was he even talking about?
They weren't even the same species!
"Teacher, how are you feeling? You seemed pretty badly poisoned earlier. How do you feel now?" Ji Ruo asked.
Li Nannan thought for a moment, then said softly, "My blood and qi have diluted most of the toxins, but I'll need some time to recover."
"Got it. Then lie down and get some rest, Teacher. We're in no hurry. Take your time recovering."
Li Nannan opened her mouth, but for a moment, she had no idea what to say.
How could this student say that so casually? This was the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Secret Realm, where a sudden upheaval was underway! Even she, a Patrol Examiner, had nearly died. Why did this student seem completely unconcerned?
Suddenly, Li Nannan sensed something strange in her mouth. Without thinking, she touched the spot with her tongue.
"Why did one of my teeth fall out?"
She was stunned.
Then she realized her face felt a little swollen, too. But with the toxins still in her body, she couldn't feel much pain.
At that moment, Ji Ruo suddenly said indignantly, "That spider's unbelievable! She was sneaking around behind the Six-Whiskered Catfish's back, fooling around with others and having a whole bunch of spiderlings, and she still had the nerve to come over and accuse him of cheating! What a piece of work!"
Li Nannan: "..."
She was deeply puzzled. How had she lost two teeth?
She'd never heard of Nine-Eyed Demon Spider venom making your teeth fall out.
Thanks to reader '丿emmm' for the 100 tip!
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