Xiao Yi Xian had just lifted a few translucent potato shreds into her mouth when she keenly sensed something unusual.
A gentle current of warmth melted across her tongue, traveled through her meridians, and slowly spread into every limb and bone.
This warmth felt much like what she had experienced after eating the cherry tomatoes, yet it was entirely different. The warmth from the cherry tomatoes had been mild and lingering. Although she had clearly felt her body and meridians being nourished, there was something elusive and almost unreal about it, like rain silently nurturing all things. The warmth released by these ingredients, however, was a tangible, burning heat that soothed her flesh and bones. Every inch of her skin could distinctly feel the strength filling it.
Xiao Yi Xian began to form a guess. None of the ingredients Xia Kong had casually taken out were ordinary food. They were rare treasures that could nourish the body and aid cultivation. Only now did she truly begin to understand how Xia Kong had become a Five-Star Dou Master at such a young age.
What ordinary powerhouse would not treasure such rare spiritual ingredients, reluctant to waste even a little? Yet Xia Kong paid them no mind. Not only had he casually taken them out and set them on the ground, but he had personally set aside the dignity and pride of a powerhouse to light a fire and cook for her. Throughout it all, he had said nothing, made no demands, and seemingly sought nothing in return.
As her emotions surged, a bittersweet warmth rose in Xiao Yi Xian's heart. Her parents had died young in that accident she refused to remember, leaving her to drift through the world alone for years. No one had ever treated her with such unreserved kindness or cared for her this way. In a daze, she even felt that Xia Kong's tenderness and attentiveness were purer and more sincere than the hazy parental affection in her memories.
That warm ache rose to her eyes. A few crystalline tears spilled out uncontrollably and slowly rolled down her fair cheeks.
Xia Kong glanced up and saw them. Unaware of the delicate twists and turns in the girl's heart, he merely assumed his cooking did not suit her tastes and felt a little guilty. "Sorry, sorry. You can't eat spicy food? It's even brought tears to your eyes. You should've told me. Next time, I'll make something a little milder."
As he spoke, he instinctively raised a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Embarrassment fluttered through Xiao Yi Xian's heart. She quickly tilted her head and deftly dodged his hand, then shot him an exasperated look. Banishing the ache in her heart, she forced herself to remain composed. "It's not that I can't eat spicy food. The steam just scalded me a little."
She did not want Xia Kong to discover the vulnerability behind her inexplicable tears, nor did she want him apologizing for no reason. He had done nothing wrong, so she could only hastily offer a flimsy excuse to conceal her feelings.
To Xia Kong, however, her explanation was full of holes. He had personally controlled the heat, and when he handed her the food, it had been pleasantly warm. There was no way it could have scalded her. He immediately realized that Xiao Yi Xian was deliberately hiding her emotions.
He did not expose her. His gaze merely grew more knowing as he quietly watched the girl before him, whose stubborn words concealed a soft heart.
By her second mouthful, Xiao Yi Xian herself realized just how terrible that excuse had been. Too self-conscious to meet Xia Kong's eyes, she felt the tips of her ears redden and inwardly berated herself for being so clumsy and losing her composure.
A cool breeze rustled through the forest. They sat facing each other in silence, the lingering warmth of the food mingling with the faint fragrance of grass and trees. The atmosphere was subtly intimate, and lunch quietly drew to a close amid that strange yet tender mood.
During their meal, Xia Kong had also judged Xiao Yi Xian's portions perfectly. The tier 3 rice contained vast amounts of pure dou qi. Though its medicinal properties were very gentle, it still placed a considerable burden on Xiao Yi Xian, who had yet to formally begin cultivating and whose meridians were frail. He had therefore given her only a little. Most of what she ate had been level-one potatoes, which nourished the body gently without strain and perfectly suited her cultivation level.
Yet those two whole level-one potatoes had brought tremendous benefits to Xiao Yi Xian's body and meridians.
After sitting quietly for a while following the meal, Xiao Yi Xian felt entirely renewed. The exhaustion from staying awake all night and the aching weakness from half a day's travel had vanished without a trace, as though she had broken free of every shackle. Her meridians were open and unobstructed, her body wrapped in a layer of soothing warmth. An endless stream of strength filled every limb and bone, leaving her light yet powerful. She even had the illusion that she could clash head-on with a magical beast.
Experiencing that transformation firsthand shook Xiao Yi Xian deeply. She understood ever more clearly how precious Xia Kong's resources were, and her guilt grew with that understanding. All along, she had never truly trusted him. She had guarded against him at every turn, speculating about his motives and scheming around him. She had truly measured a gentleman's heart with a petty person's yardstick.
Xia Kong had done so much for her without seeking anything in return. Feeling increasingly uneasy about it, she wanted to take the initiative and do something to repay him. Her gaze fell on the tableware nearby, and she immediately rose to take charge of washing and tidying up.
Xia Kong was happy to let her, smiling as he stood and stepped aside. With her nervous restraint gone, Xiao Yi Xian worked briskly, soon washing and drying all the tableware. Holding the bowls and chopsticks, she offered them to Xia Kong with a bright smile, indicating that he should put them into his Storage Ring.
Just then, however, Xia Kong's expression changed sharply!
Instead of taking the bowls and chopsticks, he thrust out an arm, caught Xiao Yi Xian's slender wrist with pinpoint accuracy, and pulled her forcefully into his embrace. At the same time, dou qi surged through his other palm. A green-orange Scorching Wood Palm blasted out, smashing into the spot where Xiao Yi Xian had just been standing!
"Rooaar!"
A savage, agonized roar erupted, shaking leaves and twigs loose throughout the forest.
Xiao Yi Xian went rigid, her mind instantly blank. It took her a long moment to recover, and then a powerful wave of belated terror swept through her.
Dust billowed across the ground as a sleek black shape was blasted away. It was a tier 2 Tiger-Striped Leopard, combining a tiger's brutal strength with a cheetah's swift movements. Its fur was covered in vivid markings, and it was a ferocious forest beast capable of overwhelming an ordinary Dou Shi.
The rich aroma of their meal must have drifted on the wind and drawn this magical beast out of hiding.
He had been completely immersed in his tangled emotions, leaving his guard down. Added to that, this was his first time venturing deep into a forest of magical beasts and facing its dangers. His lapse in vigilance had allowed the Tiger-Striped Leopard to creep close to Xiao Yi Xian, nearly causing a disaster.
At that thought, Xia Kong was filled with self-reproach. Naturally, he had held nothing back when striking, unleashing his Scorching Wood Palm at full power. The Tiger-Striped Leopard had suffered grievous injuries on the spot. The bones of its forelegs were shattered inch by inch, and its skull was twisted out of shape. Having completely lost its mobility and ability to fight, it could only writhe on the ground and whimper in pain.
Xia Kong looked down at the shaken girl in his arms, his voice full of guilt. "Sorry. I was careless."
Meeting his sincerely remorseful eyes, Xiao Yi Xian felt no blame toward him, only a profound sense of reassurance. Held tightly in his warm, solid embrace, she felt distinctly safe. All her earlier apprehension and wariness melted away.
She gently pushed against Xia Kong's arm. They were hardly close, and embracing like this was far too intimate. Xia Kong readily released her, making no attempt to linger.
"It wasn't your fault. I should be thanking you." Xiao Yi Xian lowered her eyes, her soft voice carrying a faint tremor of lingering fear.
Xia Kong said no more. He turned and strode forward, condensing a sharp strand of Greenwood Sword Qi at his fingertip. It swept cleanly across the Tiger-Striped Leopard's neck, ending the savage beast's life once and for all.
He bent down to examine the carcass, then paused. To his surprise, he extracted a lustrous tier 2 magic core from the leopard's head, its radiance contained within.
Obtaining a tier 2 magic core on his first encounter with an enemy in the forest was truly heaven-defying luck. After all, a tier 2 magic core in perfect condition was worth several thousand gold coins, equivalent to months or even a full year of hard-earned income for an ordinary Mercenary. Beside him, Xiao Yi Xian could not help showing a little envy in her eyes.
Xia Kong, however, did not particularly care. He knew neither alchemy nor artifact refining and had no secondary profession, so the magic core was of little use to him. He casually put it away, then cut off several pieces of firm, delicious leopard meat and stored them in his backpack inventory as provisions for later.
Once everything was dealt with, Xia Kong looked at the slightly tense Xiao Yi Xian and warned gravely, "The smell of our food drew this Tiger-Striped Leopard here. With all the noise and strong scents, there's a good chance other magical beasts will come too. We have to leave immediately."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded repeatedly. Having grown up in Qingshan Town, she understood even better than Xia Kong just how keen the senses of magical beasts were. They were still at the outermost edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where even tier 1 magical beasts were rarely seen, yet a tier 2 magical beast had ambushed her. That was enough to show how perilous this place had become. Hidden magical beasts might already have surrounded them in layer upon layer. At that thought, her delicate face paled slightly, and anxiety filled her heart.
Noticing her fear, Xia Kong's lips curved faintly. He held out his hand and said gently, "Stay closer to me and hold my hand. That way, I can protect you as well as possible and lead you out of this encirclement."
Xiao Yi Xian looked up at the young man's tall, dependable figure, and all the panic in her heart gave way to reassurance.
Although they had known each other for less than a day, and despite the propriety that forbade casual contact between men and women, she ultimately did not refuse after a few moments of hesitation. Shyly, she lifted her slender, slightly cool hand and placed it securely in Xia Kong's broad, warm palm.
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