Shen Leyan, who had vomited until he was utterly dazed, cradled the five or six varieties of tasty, nontoxic wild mushrooms they had finally picked out. Recalling the spectacle he had just made of himself, he silently prayed.
If only there were some way to make Lu Yuanyi and Senior Brother Zheng lose their memories on the spot.
Then they wouldn't remember what I just did, and they wouldn't tell anyone about it...
*꒦ິ^꒦ິ*
Using those nontoxic varieties as references, he picked more wild mushrooms and tossed everything he gathered into Senior Brother Zheng's Storage Ring Space.
The Storage Ring Space held a full ten cubic meters, though it normally looked like an unremarkable, plain ring. It made carrying things very convenient, but it was rather expensive. If he wanted to buy one, he estimated that the Restaurant would have to operate for a month without making any profit.
"Don't worry about it, Junior Brother. Wild mushrooms contain all kinds of toxins. A few strange reactions after being poisoned are perfectly normal."
Zheng Ziheng sorted the wild mushrooms neatly inside the Storage Ring Space. Amid the curtain of rain, his pale eyes seemed to hold the misty drizzle of Jiangnan, his smile gentle.
"Your hands are covered in mud. Wipe them with a handkerchief."
Shen Leyan smiled back.
After picking the area clean of edible wild mushrooms, Shen Leyan wiped his hands and looked with satisfaction at the fruits of his labor, piled into several little mountains inside the Storage Ring Space.
"Picking these took a while, and it's getting dark. Shall we hurry and look for the Jadeblood Snakegrass?"
Before entering the Southwestern Jungle, they had taken pills that protected them against venomous insects and miasma, so they had barely encountered any insects or snakes along the way.
But the closer they drew to the spot on the map where Jadeblood Snakegrass had last been found, the more insects appeared on tree trunks and blades of grass. Some venomous insects were as big as giant rats, the transparent wings on their backs buzzing as though they might take flight and lunge at someone's face at any moment.
As a born-and-bred northerner, the biggest insects Shen Leyan had ever seen were cockroaches, and even those had only been the size of a fingernail.
The moment he saw an ugly, pitch-black bug beating its wings, sounding like an airplane engine as it prepared to take off, he darted behind Zheng Ziheng and covered his head with the other man's sleeve.
Zheng Ziheng let him do as he pleased.
"...Junior Brother? Little bugs like these are very common in the Southwestern Territory. They aren't venomous."
The Southwestern Territory calls these things little bugs?!
He felt as though this little bug could fly over and slap him right across the face.
Lu Yuanyi, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped. His voice lowered, taking on a more serious note.
"The path ahead will be difficult. Shen Leyan, stay here."
Shen Leyan was nothing if not receptive to advice. He couldn't even be bothered to ask why and obediently nodded.
Zheng Ziheng's brows drew together in concern. "Master, isn't leaving Junior Brother here alone a little..."
Shen Leyan found a relatively open patch of ground and stopped there, speaking optimistically.
"It's fine. Apart from these bugs, no other cultivators can get here. If Sect Master Lu and Senior Brother Zheng are worried about my safety, just leave me a life-saving magic artifact—Saint Tier or Heaven Tier, anything will do. I'm not picky."
Lu Yuanyi tossed him a storage ring. "Do you think Saint Tier and Heaven Tier magic artifacts are cabbages growing by the roadside?"
He activated his Spiritual Power and opened the Storage Ring Space. Inside lay a crystal surrounded by a faint halo of white light.
He touched it lightly, and the crystal instantly transformed into a stream of light that enveloped him. The glow vanished without a trace as soon as it touched his skin.
"This is a Heavenheart Crystal. It can withstand one full-force blow from a Mahayana Stage cultivator on your behalf. Wait here. We'll return for you before dark."
Shen Leyan coughed. "Thank you, Sect Master Lu... But what if two Mahayana Stage cultivators come here together to hunt Demonic Beasts, and one of them accidentally blasts me to death? Perhaps you could..."
The Jiangxue Sword at Lu Yuanyi's waist shot out of its sheath in an instant and swept toward him, wreathed in icy mist.
"Hey—"
"I'll leave the Jiangxue Sword with you. No cultivator in the Nine Realms who has reached the Mahayana Stage would fail to recognize it. They'll spare your life out of respect for me."
Shen Leyan: "..."
He took hold of the Jiangxue Sword. Once the chill emanating from its blade subsided, it didn't cause him any discomfort.
He slowly used its tip to stab two bugs that were trying to crawl onto his feet, the corners of his lips lifting.
"Thank you, Sect Master Lu!"
A few breaths later, Lu Yuanyi vanished from the spot. Zheng Ziheng reassuringly ruffled Shen Leyan's hair and told him, "Don't wander off," before circulating his Spiritual Power and heading deeper into the jungle as well.
With the Heavenheart Crystal protecting him, along with the chilling aura of the Jiangxue Sword, which had slain mighty Demonic Beasts, hardly any Demonic Beast nearby would be foolish enough to treat him as prey.
There were still two hours until nightfall.
Shen Leyan tore a piece off the hem of his robe and spread it on the ground before sitting down. He planted the Jiangxue Sword in the earth to keep venomous insects and snakes away, then closed his eyes and began meditating with peace of mind.
Boom—
A tremendous crash, like dozens of century-old trees toppling, made the ground shake violently.
Billowing dust surged out from deep in the jungle. Seen from afar through the torrential rain, it resembled a dark gray Demonic Beast baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
The insects and snakes lurking in the grass were startled by the thunderous noise as well and crawled out of their hiding places. In moments, they covered the ground so densely that there was scarcely anywhere to set foot. Only the small patch around the Jiangxue Sword remained relatively clear.
Shen Leyan was directing his Spiritual Power to flush out a hidden corner of a meridian beside his dantian when the shaking ground abruptly jolted him. He nearly toppled backward.
Fortunately, the Jiangxue Sword was sentient. Its hilt braced him, saving him from falling and planting a kiss on the densely packed venomous insects below.
"Over there..." He glanced at the Jiangxue Sword. Frost surged over its surface, as though the Sword Spirit wanted to hurry back to its master. "Did Sect Master Lu and Senior Brother Zheng get into a fight with something?"
The surrounding trees were too tall, and he couldn't fly on a sword, so he couldn't see what was happening in the distance.
But judging by the rising dust, the battle over there had to be quite fierce.
He let go of the Jiangxue Sword.
"If there's a fight, go find Sect Master Lu. I still have the Heavenheart Crystal. There shouldn't be anyone or any Demonic Beast here that can hurt me."
The Jiangxue Sword swayed from side to side as though shaking its head. After a moment, it wrote a few words in midair.
"My master ordered me to protect you. I cannot leave."
"Can you sense exactly where Sect Master Lu is?"
"Yes."
"Then take me with you. That should work, right? Once we get close, I'll hide nearby, and you can go help Sect Master Lu."
Seeing that the Jiangxue Sword had no objection, he used it as a walking stick and made his way, step by step, toward the source of the tremendous crash.
"Jiangxue Sword? Sword Spirit? Don't you think I'm walking a little too slowly? By the time we get there, Sect Master Lu might already be done fighting."
The Jiangxue Sword buzzed twice in his hand, then suddenly pulled itself free of the ground and pointed its tip into the depths of the jungle.
Shen Leyan's arm was yanked straight.
"What are you do—"
The Jiangxue Sword abruptly accelerated. As though he had grabbed a leaking balloon with a powerful engine, he was dragged forward by the sword, his feet flying clear of the ground.
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