Chapter 83: The Ancestor’s Belated Rebellion (10)
Luo Xingluo searched the ground for a withered branch to use as a cane, then rose and moved toward the direction from which the sound had come.
The firelight gradually faded behind him, leaving only darkness all around.
A damp, cold wind drifted through the forest, carrying with it the scent of decaying leaves.
The warmth on his body was slowly stripped away.
He hadn’t gone far before he glimpsed a vague figure standing in the grass ahead.
And opposite her...
“Don’t!”
The moment Luo Xingluo’s voice rang out, the black serpent reared up and lunged at the figure, jaws agape.
That shout of “Don’t” was directed at the serpent.
Whether startled or for some other reason, the serpent pulled back its force as it charged, veering away from its original path and slamming into a nearby tree.
A shower of wild fruits cascaded from the branches into the grass.
The serpent’s head struck the ground, leaving it momentarily dizzy, its body wavering.
The serpent moved swiftly, and in response to its attack, the human instinctively raised a hand and struck back.
The blow was feathery light, little more than swatting at a mosquito.
The serpent didn’t even bother dodging.
And so, under the serpent’s contemptuous gaze, the petite human smacked it to the ground with a single slap.
The serpent: “...”
The serpent: “???”
Its head hit the earth, creating a deep pit, and a whirl of stars spun before its eyes.
“I told you not to come over,” Ling Qiong said, shaking her wrist in the air, her voice gentle and soft. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
The serpent: “...”
Luo Xingluo: “...”
After speaking, Ling Qiong turned her head toward Luo Xingluo.
The youth stood amid the grass, his slender silhouette etched by the faint light, ghostly as a spirit in the darkness.
“You’re awake,” Ling Qiong’s eyes brightened.
Behind her, the serpent began to stir, but without even looking back, Ling Qiong casually pressed her foot atop it and said in a soft, childish tone, “I thought you wouldn’t wake up for a while. Oh, don’t be afraid. I’m a good person.”
Luo Xingluo: “...”
If only you weren’t pinning down a massive serpent as you said that, you’d be much more convincing.
“Don’t hurt it!” This time, he spoke to Ling Qiong. “It’s mine.”
Ling Qiong lowered her gaze to the serpent, then lifted her head, blinking. “Yours?”
Luo Xingluo nodded. “It’s my contract beast.”
Ling Qiong’s eyes flicked between the serpent and Luo Xingluo, then she slowly took her foot away.
A second later, she stepped on it again.
The serpent’s head crashed into the ground once more, nearly making it cough up blood.
She might have seemed gentle, but only the serpent knew how thoroughly it was being suppressed.
“Is it really yours?”
This snake seemed so wild—hardly domesticated.
On this continent, Jianghe, she had no idea what distinguished contract beasts from wild ones.
Once Luo Xingluo confirmed it, Ling Qiong finally moved her foot away entirely.
“I was going to make you a snake soup to help you recover,” she said with a note of disappointment, glancing at the serpent as if lamenting the loss of a fine meal.
Luo Xingluo: “...”
The serpent: “...”
That’s hardly necessary!
The serpent shrank its massive body to the size of a thumb and coiled around Luo Xingluo’s finger, glowering at Ling Qiong with a mixture of grievance and fury.
Ling Qiong found the tiny serpent rather cute, ignoring its glare completely. “Where did you catch this one? Are there more?”
How could a player not have a pet in a dungeon like this? Pets were standard equipment for players—they were a must! She had to get one!
Luo Xingluo: “...”
The serpent: “...”
Does she think I’m a loach you can just scoop up off the street?
Luo Xingluo gave a vague reply: “I came upon it by chance.”
“Oh,” Ling Qiong’s eyes darted away, and she didn’t press further. Hugging her arms, she rubbed them for warmth. “Let’s go back. It’s terribly cold here.”
“What sort of person are you?” Luo Xingluo remained still, a hint of wariness in his tone.
A strange girl who could easily defeat his serpent and claimed to be a good person—who could believe that?
“Me?” Ling Qiong blinked innocently. “Just passing by.”
“You didn’t come to kill me?”
“Why would I kill you?” If you die, I lose the game! Would I dare kill you? I’m not that bold!
The person before him seemed harmless enough, and quite young—not at all like...
Sensing Luo Xingluo’s lingering suspicion, Ling Qiong huffed, a little annoyed. “I saved you out of kindness, and you still doubt me?”
He fell silent for a few seconds, then lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry. I just wanted to be sure.”
Ling Qiong pouted but didn’t fuss further. “Forget it, I won’t argue with a patient.”
That’s just how magnanimous I am!
They started back. Luo Xingluo’s injured leg made him slow.
He watched the girl’s back, pondering why she, alone, would be in such a desolate place. Still very suspicious.
Suddenly, the girl stopped, doubled back, and took his arm. “I forgot you’re hurt. Let me help you.”
Luo Xingluo looked away, resisting. “I can walk by myself. You needn’t trouble yourself.”
She replied with a cheerful smile, “It’s no trouble at all. Come on.”
In the end, Luo Xingluo’s politeness was futile. Ling Qiong ‘helped’ him back to the fire.
“Was it you who brought me here?” he asked, setting the withered branch he’d used as a crutch beside him.
He remembered that, before losing consciousness, he wasn’t in this place.
The only explanation was that she’d brought him here.
“Yes,” Ling Qiong replied, idly turning the roasting meat.
“Where did you find me?”
She waved vaguely in a random direction. “Over there, I think.”
Luo Xingluo glanced that way, but the dense forest made it impossible to tell.
Ling Qiong sat down nearby. “You seemed to have been poisoned, but I’ve already treated your wound. You should be fine for now.”
Luo Xingluo looked down at his bandaged leg. His body felt fine, not at all uncomfortable. His pale lips moved slightly. “Thank you, miss.”
“You’re welcome.” Ling Qiong asked, “Are you hungry?”
Luo Xingluo: “...Yes.”
He’d felt hungry upon waking, and now, surrounded by the aroma of roasting meat, his hunger was even stronger.
Ling Qiong pulled out a dagger, cleaned it, and began slicing the meat.
There was something set into the hilt, which glinted in the firelight.
Luo Xingluo’s gaze lingered briefly on the dagger before he lowered his eyes.
Ling Qiong divided the meat and handed some to Luo Xingluo. He first fed a piece to the serpent.
The serpent was reluctant, twisting its head away.
Luo Xingluo pinched its head and forced it to eat.
He did this discreetly, and his sleeve concealed the action, so Ling Qiong didn’t notice.
The serpent glared at Luo Xingluo.
He looked back at it calmly.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked.
“It’s a bit hot. I’ll wait a bit,” he replied.
“It won’t taste good if it cools,” Ling Qiong said. “It’s best eaten hot.”
Most of the spices were with Jianghe, so she’d had to make do with whatever she could find nearby. Once the meat cooled, it would taste gamey.
“All right.”
Though he said so, Luo Xingluo still didn’t eat.
Ling Qiong glanced at him but said nothing more, eating her own portion.
Only when Ling Qiong had almost finished did Luo Xingluo finally begin to eat.