Night fell, and the voices faded into silence. After traveling all day, most of the group had gone to sleep, leaving only a handful of guards moving about on patrol.
In the campfire, the flames fueled by Fire Cakes fluttered in the mountain wind, while the shadows of the trees swayed amid its howling.
"The wind's picking up." Fang Qianyuan sat before the campfire, slowly turning the piece of meat in his hand. A sudden gust blew smoke and ash into his face, forcing him to close his eyes.
"Yes. The weather might turn bad tomorrow," Xie Fei said beside him.
"Let's hope it doesn't rain. Once it does, the mountains will turn muddy, all sorts of scouting methods will be hampered, and most importantly, the going will be rough," Chang Yang said with a trace of worry.
"Then we'll just have to grit our teeth and keep going. Since we've come this far, we should finish what we started," Fang Qianyuan said.
"Yes, young master. You're right," the two replied.
While Fang Qianyuan talked with Xie Fei and Chang Yang, Little White sat quietly beside them like a large dog.
Her bright eyes were fixed intently on the roasting meat in Fang Qianyuan's hand. When she saw him brush it with honey and apply another coating of special seasoning, she stuck out her tongue and leaned closer to sniff.
Fang Qianyuan laughed. "Little White, stop edging closer, or you'll burn your nose off."
Little White turned her head to give him a glance, but stayed close to the roasting meat, refusing to move away.
"Young Master Fang, your spirit creature is truly magnificent."
"She must be a powerful species with an Earth Rank bloodline. We've never seen such an intelligent spirit creature..."
Xie Fei and Chang Yang spoke with