A Ridiculously Swollen Head for Ran Yuming!

"..."

As Xu Jinyu spoke, he walked over and sat beside Su Luoheng, though his gaze kept drifting toward the roast chicken sizzling on the iron rack.

The two of them made idle conversation.

As for the Soul Tool incident from earlier, they both acted as though it had never happened.

After all, if Su Luoheng hadn't come to his rescue, Xu Jinyu would probably have already been reincarnated by now.

"..."

Su Luoheng was focused on cooking the chicken, too. The moment he sprinkled on the seasoning, a rich aroma wafted through the air, filling the entire space.

"Little bro—"

Before he could finish, Su Luoheng cut in. "Just call me Luo Heng. Little brother... sounds a bit awkward."

"Sure, then I'll call you Luo Heng."

Xu Jinyu smiled and nodded. "I'm older than you, so just call me Brother Xu."

"Mm."

Once they'd settled the matter of how to address each other, Xu Jinyu asked the question on his mind.

"Luo Heng, what brought you here?"

"This place is full of Soul Beasts. What else would I be doing here besides hunting for a Soul Ring? It's not like I came to the Soul Beast Forest for a sightseeing trip."

Su Luoheng shrugged, looking rather exasperated by the question.

"You've misunderstood."

Xu Jinyu gave a wry smile and waved his hand as he explained, "I meant, isn't it too dangerous for you to come to the Jingyang Mountain Range alone?"

"I came with my teacher. He said there were suitable Soul Beasts here in the Jingyang Mountain Range."

Xu Jinyu looked around but didn't spot anyone.

"Then where's your teacher?"

"He went out to take care of something."

Su Luoheng answered absentmindedly as he turned the roast chicken.

His mind was entirely on the two chickens roasting over the fire. They were his midnight snack, so he absolutely couldn't let them burn.

No one cared more about food than he did.

"..."

Seeing that the boy didn't seem inclined to talk, Xu Jinyu wisely refrained from asking more.

With nothing else to do by the campfire, he began sizing up the boy in front of him. Though he was weak at the moment, Xu Jinyu's discerning eye was still sharp enough to tell that Su Luoheng's strength was no ordinary thing.

His gaze shifted to the roast chicken. He swallowed, then hurriedly dragged his attention back.

If anyone saw him, he'd never live it down...

As his gaze turned back, he happened to notice the badge of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy on Su Luoheng's chest.

"You joined the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy?"

"Mm." Su Luoheng's expression remained calm. "Didn't I tell you earlier that I came here to study? Is there a problem?"

"No, no."

Xu Jinyu's mouth twitched slightly.

At first, he'd thought the kid was just saying that for fun. He hadn't expected him to really be in Ming Capital for school—and at that, at the empire's most prestigious academy, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Who would have thought that some random kid he'd met on the street would be a one-in-a-hundred genius?

At those odds, he figured he could go buy a lottery ticket.

"What about you?"

Su Luoheng glanced at him and asked casually, "I remember you had quite a few guards with you. How did you end up so badly injured?"

He still vividly remembered the burly man who'd killed the Silver Ring Horse with a single palm strike in the street.

"I ran into some trouble, but it's all been dealt with."

Xu Jinyu made it sound like nothing, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Once he returned to his residence, he would find out who had tried to take his life!

At that, Su Luoheng nodded and didn't press him further.

Instead, he focused on the roast chicken again.

"..."

The two sat on opposite sides of the campfire, falling silent once more.

After more than half an hour of roasting, the two chickens were golden-brown and cooked through. Their tempting aroma kept wafting outward, worming its way straight into their nostrils.

The harder Xu Jinyu tried to ignore it, the more clearly he could smell it.

He secretly swallowed. He hadn't had a drop to eat or drink since the assassination attempt that morning.

The roast chicken kept tempting his taste buds. Just as he was debating whether to ask for some, Su Luoheng took the initiative and invited him.

"Want to have some?"

As he spoke, Su Luoheng handed over a whole roast chicken.

"Thank you!"

Xu Jinyu didn't stand on ceremony. He thanked him, took the chicken, and bit into it. His mouth was instantly filled with its fragrant, crispy, tender goodness, and his eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

There was nothing better than eating roast chicken when you were starving.

By comparison, Su Luoheng was much more refined.

He first tore off a drumstick and savored the food at an unhurried pace.

He'd noticed Xu Jinyu's gaze long ago. Since he had two roast chickens, he didn't mind sharing with one more person.

A little while later, the two of them had eaten their fill.

Besides the two roast chickens, they'd grilled some other ingredients as well.

They were both thoroughly satisfied with their midnight snack.

After sharing a meal, they'd grown much closer.

"..."

Seeing that Xu Jinyu had more or less recovered, Su Luoheng asked, "Brother Xu, how are you planning to leave? Your men must be looking for you, too, right?"

"..."

At that, Xu Jinyu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Now that he'd eaten his fill, he'd been considering the same question.

He had a way to contact his men, but he didn't dare reach out just yet.

His trip to and from the Fear Claw Soul Master Regiment's camp had been highly confidential. Only a handful of people close to him knew about it. The fact that he'd been ambushed now was more than enough to show that someone around him was a traitor, though he still didn't know who.

If he contacted them recklessly and something happened again...

Should he make contact or not?

There might only be one or two people involved, but he wasn't about to gamble with his life. On the other hand, without someone on his side to meet him, there was no guarantee he wouldn't run into danger on the way back. In his current condition, it would be difficult to make it back to Ming Capital.

"..."

At the thought, Xu Jinyu furrowed his brow.

He mulled it over for a moment, then suddenly looked at Su Luoheng, an idea taking shape in his mind.

"Luo Heng, let me travel with you."

"Travel with me?" Su Luoheng paused, then thought it over. "I can't decide that. We'll have to wait until my teacher gets back."

"Then when will your teacher be back?"

"I don't know."

"..."

Xu Jinyu looked bewildered. Su Luoheng looked sincere.

Their eyes met, and an awkward silence fell between them.

After a long while, Xu Jinyu raised a hand to his forehead, at a loss for words.

Su Luoheng helplessly spread his hands. He truly had no idea when Ran Yuming would return.

Though Xu Jinyu was frustrated, he had no better option for now. All he could do was stay here with Su Luoheng and wait for Ran Yuming to return.

Chapter 66: A Ridiculously Swollen Head for Ran Yuming!

Time flew by.

At last, on the third day, Ran Yuming found them and rejoined the group.

The Blood Flame Bees had all been dealt with.

Only...

Something had gone wrong during the fight with the Blood Flame Bees. Ran Yuming had let his guard down for a moment and been struck by the dying sting of the ten-thousand-year bee queen. He'd promptly purged the poison from his body, but the spot where he'd been stung had inevitably swollen up.

And the spot was right in the middle of his forehead.

A lump of flesh the size of a fist had risen on his head. The swelling had also made his eyes narrower. Even when he tried his hardest to open them, he could only manage a thin slit. His whole appearance was utterly ridiculous.

Su Luoheng felt bad about what had happened to Teacher Ran...

But when he saw him looking like that, he nearly burst out laughing.

He immediately lowered his head to hold it in, thinking of every sad thing he could. But the moment he'd gotten himself under control and looked up again, he broke in a second.

He knew he shouldn't laugh, but he just couldn't help it...

If he held it in any longer, he'd burst a blood vessel...

"Teacher, what happened to you, pfft—"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"..."

Su Luoheng laughed until tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't even get his words out properly. After stumbling over them for a while, he finally managed a more or less complete sentence.

"Teacher, that lump on your head... pfft!"

"You little brat! I only got stung by that tiny Blood Flame Bee because I was protecting you. Otherwise, do you think it could've stung me?"

Ran Yuming's face instantly turned black as the bottom of a pot. He glared at him fiercely.

But his normally imposing expression looked even more ridiculous on that peculiar face, and Su Luoheng couldn't help laughing again.

Ran Yuming's forehead was covered in black lines as he shot him another fierce glare.

"You little brat, laugh again and I'll put a lump on your head, too!"

"N-no... I'll stop, I'll stop."

Su Luoheng waved his hands repeatedly, promising him while struggling to hold back his laughter.

"..."

After their playful exchange, Su Luoheng grew serious again—but he kept his head lowered and avoided looking at Ran Yuming's condition.

Otherwise, he really wouldn't be able to take that ridiculous face.