Sunset Forest

"Uncle Snake Spear, please take this bag of gold soul coins and this letter to my grandfather."

Outside the carriage, Qian Renxue handed Flender's small treasury to Snake Spear Douluo and thoughtfully included a letter for Qian Daoliu.

Snake Spear Douluo nodded, accepted the task, and turned to Pufferfish Douluo, patting him on the shoulder.

"Pufferfish, the Young Master's safety for the next two days is in your hands."

Upon hearing this, Pufferfish Douluo patted his chest in assurance.

"Leave it to me. As long as I am here, no one will be able to harm a single hair on the Young Master's head."

With that, Snake Spear Douluo prepared to depart immediately to deliver the secret letter and the gold soul coins to the Consecrated Hall.

"Oh, and Uncle Snake Spear, make sure you aren't discovered by Bibi Dong or her people."

"Understood!"

Snake Spear Douluo's figure quickly vanished into the alley, speeding toward Spirit City to complete his mission.

Seeing Snake Spear Douluo leave, Qian Renxue and Chen Qi climbed into the carriage, while Pufferfish Douluo took the front to act as the coachman.

"Young Master, where are we heading next?"

Having spent less than a day in Soto City, Qian Renxue was already eager to leave, mostly thanks to Flender.

Qian Renxue thought for a moment, only to find her mind blank; she hadn't planned a destination in advance and didn't know where to go.

She turned to Chen Qi, wanting to hear his suggestion.

"Where to? Hmm..."

Chen Qi lowered his head and thought carefully. If there was one place in the Heaven Dou Empire that was a must-visit, it was the Sunset Forest.

Not for the soul beasts within, but for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well hidden deep inside.

Truth be told, without the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, none of the others in Shrek—aside from Tang San—would have ever become gods.

It was only because they consumed immortal herbs and underwent a complete transformation that they caught the eyes of the gods and eventually inherited their divine positions.

This showed just how important the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was; even in the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, it still played a vital role.

"Let's go to the Sunset Forest."

"The Sunset Forest?"

Chen Qi's answer caught Qian Renxue by surprise. Logically, Chen Qi should have been desperate to visit cities; why had he suddenly done a complete turnaround and requested to enter the forest?

Could it be that his brain had broken from staying outside for too long these past few days?

"Chen Qi, are you alright? The Sunset Forest is the wilderness, the place you hate the most."

"A person has to push themselves at least once. As they say, the best way to overcome fear is to face it, so I want to give it a try."

Chen Qi's plan was simple: as long as he obtained the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his sacrifice would be worth it—at most, he would just have to stay at home for a few hundred years.

A week later, the carriage finally arrived outside the Sunset Forest. Qian Renxue opened the curtain and looked at the vegetation she had never seen before, filled with curiosity.

"Chen Qi! Chen Qi! What are these trees? Half red and half blue, I've never seen anything like them!"

On the other side, Chen Qi had his head buried deep, muttering "I was wrong, I was wrong" under his breath.

Having stayed in the outside world for a full week, Chen Qi had overestimated his willpower. He was now on the verge of a breakdown and could only struggle to create a closed-off space for himself.

"Chen Qi, stop hanging your head. You were the one who suggested coming to the Sunset Forest, don't blame me."

As she spoke, she pulled Chen Qi up. It would have been better if she hadn't; the moment she pulled him, Chen Qi acted like a startled kitten and burrowed into Qian Renxue's arms.

For a moment, Qian Renxue's mind went blank. What just happened? Who am I? Where am I?

Her face gradually flushed red as she looked at Chen Qi, who was still burrowing into her chest, and found herself completely at a loss for what to do.

Maybe I should just let it go, he's actually quite pitiful.

Qian Renxue thought this to herself, preparing to just endure it, when suddenly Chen Qi's hands became restless, grabbing a pair of round objects.

Pitiful my foot!

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Qian Renxue couldn't hold back and slapped Chen Qi across the face a few times on the spot, effectively snapping him out of it.

"Ouch, Master, why did you hit me?"

Chen Qi slumped to the side, rubbing his burning cheeks.

Qian Renxue, blushing furiously, quickly turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes.

System: Detected a change in Qian Renxue's favorability. Current favorability: 650/1000.

Chen Qi was even more confused now. What had he done? Why had her favorability suddenly dropped?

Women truly were mysterious creatures.

Just then, the carriage stopped, and Pufferfish Douluo poked his head in.

"Young Master, if we go any further, we will officially enter the Sunset Forest. The carriage cannot go in; the soul beasts inside will spook the horses."

Qian Renxue quickly adjusted her composure, suppressing the lingering shyness as she said:

"We shall get off here; we will walk the rest of the way ourselves."

Pufferfish Douluo nodded, then tethered the carriage to a crooked tree, preparing to proceed on foot.

Just then, a green-haired man walked over from out of nowhere. He looked at Pufferfish Douluo and bowed respectfully.

"I am Dugu Xin. May I ask what brings Your Excellency here?"

Pufferfish Douluo looked at the man before him with some surprise; a person appearing in the middle of the wilderness to ask his business.

Could it be a ghost?

"We are here to hunt for a spirit ring. What, are you going to stop us?"

Dugu Xin smiled at these words and shook his head.

"I would never dare. I am here to warn you that there is a section of the Sunset Forest shrouded in poisonous mist. Even a Title Douluo would die if they entered it. You must be careful; if you see it, remember to stay far away."

Now Pufferfish Douluo was even more suspicious. Being told of danger for no reason was definitely not simple.

"Fine, I have noted it."

With that, he led Qian Renxue and Chen Qi into the forest. Dugu Xin watched them leave, nodded, and then headed toward another person entering the Sunset Forest.

Inside the Sunset Forest, Qian Renxue felt a bit panicked; she had actually believed Dugu Xin's words.

"Uncle Pufferfish, we must absolutely avoid that poisonous mist."

"No, we are going to head straight for that poisonous mist!"

Chen Qi played devil's advocate, determined to have his own way—if you tell me not to go, I am going.

"Chen Qi, have you lost your mind? That place can even poison a Title Douluo to death!"

Qian Renxue was extremely nervous, thinking that Chen Qi had been outside for too long and had started to become unhinged.

"Master, listen to my explanation. First, it is highly suspicious for someone to tell a stranger there is danger for no reason. Under the law of the Douluo Continent where the strong prey on the weak, everyone wishes for your death; there is no such thing as someone warning you not to die.

Secondly, it is hard to believe that it could poison a Title Douluo to death. As a Title Douluo, one's physical constitution has reached its peak. If it could truly kill a Title Douluo, why is there no news of it anywhere in the world?

In summary, there must be a treasure hidden within that poisonous mist, otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically sent someone to spread that message."

After listening to Chen Qi's analysis, Pufferfish Douluo nodded; he had also sensed that something was wrong.

He himself was a master of poison, and even he couldn't guarantee he could poison a Title Douluo to death instantly. Furthermore, he had never heard of a poison capable of killing a Title Douluo, unless one stayed in it for a very long time—perhaps a month or two—which might lead to trouble.

Otherwise, at most, it would only cause mild poisoning. Besides, once one reaches the Title Douluo level, who wouldn't know how to use spirit power to isolate toxic gases?

Qian Renxue also felt there was some logic to it; when things are abnormal, there must be a demon afoot.

"Then shall we go and take a look?"

Qian Renxue was still a little afraid, as the warning had made the poison sound very formidable.

"Rest assured, with Pufferfish Douluo here, there won't be any problems at all."