Wilderness Cave!

Tang Fei ran ahead with a bucket, and Phoenix chased after him with a bucket.

As they ran, dense raindrops began to fall.

Tang Fei stopped and took off the large straw hat he had been wearing, which Phoenix had secretly mocked as "ugly," and placed it on her head.

Phoenix was about to refuse when Tang Fei pressed her head down. "Don't move."

Tang Fei gave a gentle tug on the hat, and it rustled open, expanding outwards like a large umbrella, perfectly covering Phoenix's entire upper body.

"This is made of iron sheets, covered with a layer of hundred-year-old python skin, it can block acid rain."

As Tang Fei spoke, he had already tied the straps securely under her neck and picked up the buckets again, sprinting forward.

And this time, he was carrying four buckets.

He knew Phoenix was still recovering from her injuries, and carrying buckets while running wouldn't be easy for her.

Although she was quite strong, her skill at carrying buckets was even worse than Little Fatty's. She had stumbled just carrying two empty buckets earlier, and Tang Fei saw no need to make things difficult for her in this regard.

He was truly a simp.

Phoenix was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed Tang Fei's pace.

Tang Fei was very experienced at avoiding acid rain, moving with practiced ease, like an old hand at navigating. He quickly found a mountain cave to shelter from the rain.

He ducked into the cave, dropped the four buckets on the ground, and leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

No matter how high your skill, you still fear the kitchen knife.

And even the most formidable kitchen knife could be corroded by acid rain.

It was only then that Phoenix caught up, also standing there, gasping for breath.

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix's flushed face, her cheeks red from running, and couldn't help but laugh. He said, "You can take the hat off now. It's quite heavy on your head. And you look a bit... funny wearing it."

Actually, he wanted to say "cute," but those two words were too difficult to utter. He was afraid it would sound too much like he was fawning over her, so he chose a different word.

Phoenix wasn't angry. She obediently untied the straps around her neck and was about to reach up to take off the hat when Tang Fei called out, "Don't touch the surface of the hat with your hands. There's still acid rain residue on it, and it will burn your hands."

Knowing Phoenix wouldn't know how to operate it, Tang Fei walked over again and pulled a rope. The hat rustled and quickly resumed its original hat shape, shrinking considerably in size.

Tang Fei removed the hat from the inside and set it aside. "The outer layer has been exposed to acid rain. It needs to be cleaned and disinfected before it can be touched."

Phoenix nodded and stood there, studying Tang Fei thoughtfully.

"What are you looking at?" Tang Fei asked, touching his face. "Can't hide my handsomeness?"

Pfft!

Phoenix let out a soft laugh and said to Tang Fei, "This acid rain won't stop anytime soon, will it?"

"It won't stop. It could be ten minutes, or it could be several hours."

"Sit down and rest. I'm actually a bit tired." Phoenix found a smooth spot in the cave and noticed dry grass and leaves nearby. She grabbed a handful and spread them on the ground, then plopped down. "Did you prepare these leaves too?"

"Yes," Tang Fei nodded, his face filled with pride. "Impressive, right? I've prepared several shelters along this route. As soon as the acid rain starts, I can find a place to shelter immediately. No one else knows, and I can't let them know. If they found out, this cave would be packed with people, and there'd be nothing left for me."

Phoenix nodded. She understood the survival rules of Old Earth and couldn't blame Tang Fei for being selfish in this matter.

Everyone was fighting to survive. If you didn't try, if you didn't try hard enough, or if your abilities weren't sufficient, then your right to live would be taken away and replaced.

Seeing Tang Fei still standing, Phoenix asked, "Aren't you going to sit down and rest?"

So Tang Fei went to the empty space opposite her. He was a shy and bashful boy.

Phoenix patted the spot next to her. "I've already spread the dry grass for you."

Tang Fei graciously accepted and sat down beside Phoenix.

As soon as he sat down, a captivating scent wafted over.

The smell was pleasant, and Tang Fei couldn't help but sniff the air.

More like a dog.

"What are you doing?" Phoenix stared at Tang Fei, her expression wary.

A man and a woman, alone in a mountain cave in the wilderness. What if he had some ill intentions towards her?

Oh, I'm a cultivator, so it's fine.

It wasn't until Tang Fei's eyes met Phoenix's that he realized what he had been smelling.

Her natural body scent!

That light, sweet fragrance, with the tartness of green lemons, a mark and reward unique to a young maiden.

Of course, Tang Fei couldn't tell the truth. Wouldn't that make him seem like a pervert?

"Do you smell something foul?" Tang Fei retorted.

Phoenix sniffed the air and shook her head. "No, what foul smell? I don't smell anything."

"Your nose isn't sensitive enough. I smell rat droppings. There are a lot of rats in this cave, and surely one of them has pooped in a corner."

Phoenix believed him completely and was greatly impressed. "You're amazing, you can even smell that."

"Of course, without rich survival experience, we would have been eaten by those beasts long ago." Tang Fei felt that the girls from New Star were too easy to fool, they fell for it every time. If only he could go to New Star...

Never mind, he couldn't.

Hearing Tang Fei's words, Phoenix felt an inexplicable sadness.

She turned to look at Tang Fei's lean profile and asked, "Tang Fei, are you happy?"

"What did you say?" Tang Fei's eyes widened as he looked at Phoenix.

"I'm asking if you're happy, if you're happy with your daily life?"

Tang Fei stared blankly for a long time before looking at Phoenix with disbelief and saying, "How can you bring up such a heavy topic with me? Can't you tell if I'm happy or not? Isn't it as obvious as the wrinkles on an old man's face?"

"."

Phoenix felt very guilty. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to understand you better... I wanted to hear about your past life, your current life, and what kind of life you want to live in the future."

"If you want to know something, just ask directly. Don't ask me if I'm happy," Tang Fei said. "Just living is already difficult enough. Talking about anything else is a luxury."

"Okay, I understand." Phoenix felt even worse. She felt that every word Tang Fei uttered with his careless tone could evoke sympathy and pity, a kind of bone-deep sadness.

The more indifferent he seemed, the more it proved that he had become accustomed to the hardships he had experienced.

"Understand what?"

"I understand that your lives are very difficult."

"Yes, so when you return to New Star, don't forget what you promised us. It's not for me, but you saw it yourself, Little Fatty is growing and has to smash so many stones every day. The poor child..."

Tang Fei knew that Phoenix liked Little Fatty's simple honesty. Their "friendship" was much deeper than hers with him.

He could sense that Phoenix had been wary of him all along.

It couldn't be helped, who asked him to be a dangerous man?

"." Phoenix was quite speechless.

So this shameless guy was digging a pit for her here?

"Don't worry, I will definitely keep my promises, and I'll do even more, not less," Phoenix said, almost patting her chest to guarantee it.

"Mm." Tang Fei nodded firmly. "I believe in your character."

"."

If only that were true.

If she believed him, she wouldn't have to keep reminding him.

Phoenix remained silent, and Tang Fei didn't know what else to say.

Thus, the cave fell into a deathly silence.

Only the whistling wind outside and the sound of acid rain pattering against the leaves and the ground could be heard.

It was unclear what was happening, but these large trees had somehow adapted to the corrosive intensity of the acid rain. Not only were they thriving, but they were also absorbing it and growing wildly as if it were nourishment.

Of course, those that couldn't adapt had already died.

"Why do I smell sulfuric acid?" Phoenix asked.

Upon hearing this, Tang Fei's expression turned strange. He quickly jumped up from the ground, took off his upper jacket, and was about to take off his pants...

Phoenix was shocked and shouted, "Tang Fei, what are you doing?"

(ps: Thanks to sunny冉冉 for becoming our Star River Lord. I'm not bragging, but I watched this young lady grow up.)