Bai Maomao caught up from behind.
“Run! Why are you just standing there?”
“Hurry up!”
Yan Miao tugged at Mo Qin, who was still dry-heaving.
The fire behind them continued to spread.
Flames followed the decaying leaves, burning rapidly, and the stench of rot was carried by the wind.
The six of them couldn’t spare time to cover their noses as they bolted forward.
The swarm of insects showed no fear and surged into the flames like a tide.
Their high-protein bodies ignited immediately.
One wave of flesh bugs after another crawled over their scorched companions, surging forward, forming a writhing sea of fire in no time.
They all sprinted desperately and soon escaped the forest’s edge.
Beyond the trees was a wide river, fast-flowing and turbulent.
The roar of wild beasts could be faintly heard from across the water.
The river wasn’t especially wide to them.
The group exchanged glances, each summoning their own unique skills to cross.
Bai Maomao threw out a green leaf that grew into a boat upon catching the wind.
He and Lang Junxian boarded it, and the others also prepared to cross.
Only Yan Miao stood hopelessly behind, his face pale as he looked at everyone ready to leave.
The fire was closing in, with blackened meat-bugs and foul odor rushing toward the river.
“Get on!”
Bai Maomao frowned.
Yan Miao looked at him nervously, then back at the approaching swarm, taking a hesitant step forward.
Bai Maomao, growing impatient, simply grabbed him and pulled him aboard.
Lang Junxian controlled the leaf-boat with a low command,
“Go.”
The boat sped toward the opposite bank.
Mo Qin and the other two roommates followed, activating their own protective artifacts.
The river wasn’t very wide, but operating the artifacts required a lot of spiritual power.
As soon as they landed, the trio collapsed, gasping for breath.
The insect army on the opposite shore stopped abruptly at the tree line, as if encountering something terrifying, then frantically retreated.
“What luck—ran into these disgusting things as soon as we got here,”
Mo Qin muttered, goosebumps still rising from the memory.
Bai Maomao, also grossed out, focused instead on staring at Lang Junxian’s face.
“What are you staring at?”
Lang Junxian raised an eyebrow.
“Cleansing my eyes,”
Bai Maomao pouted.
Damn.
“Let’s go,”
Lang Junxian rubbed his messy hair and led him forward.
“We still have to look for clue tokens.”
Having just escaped danger, the group pressed on again.
On the other side of the river was a flat grassland with the occasional twisted tree.
The whole landscape looked yellow-green, stretching endlessly under the dimming western sun.
They had been walking for most of the day and were exhausted from the escape.
They settled under a crooked tree.
Bai Maomao scouted the area and, finding no threats, returned to sit quietly under the tree.
Lang Junxian, a bit further away, had hunted three wild chickens.
He gave one to Mo Qin’s group and kept two for himself and Bai Maomao.
Bai Maomao waited obediently under the tree, drooling from hunger.
He was really hungry.
Yan Miao timidly approached and handed him a sandwich.
“Thank you…for earlier. This is for you.”
He snuck glances at Bai Maomao, awkward and shy, clearly wanting to say more but only managing a soft “thanks.”
“What is this?”
Bai Maomao looked at the sandwich.
“S-Sandwich,”
Yan Miao bit his lip and answered softly.
Bai Maomao’s eyes sparkled.
He took a bite, cheeks puffed,
“Delicious.”
Yan Miao smiled faintly.
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
Bai Maomao nodded with a full mouth, chewing happily.
Yan Miao’s pale face gained some color.
He quietly enjoyed the moment, but when he saw Lang Junxian approaching, he quickly stepped back to his spot.
“What were you talking about?”
Lang Junxian asked while seasoning the chicken over the fire.
“That bunny gave me this,”
Bai Maomao licked his fingers, finishing the last bite of sandwich.
“You like… him?”
Lang Junxian asked casually.
“Mhm,”
Bai Maomao smiled sweetly.
“It’s rare to meet someone of the same race. And he’s pretty cute.”
Lang Junxian paused, drawing a puzzled look from Bai Maomao, then turned back to the chicken.
“It’s almost done.”
Bai Maomao drooled again, his stomach growling, completely forgetting about the “cute bunny.”
Lang Junxian handed him a chicken leg and smiled meaningfully.
After eating, night fell.
They decided to camp there and rest.
They arranged night watches in pairs.
Bai Maomao and Yan Miao were grouped together, Lang Junxian with the quiet roommate Meng Qu.
The night quickly grew pitch dark.
The others meditated silently while Bai Maomao and Yan Miao kept watch from a small hill.
The sky was pitch-black, no stars.
Crickets chirped from the distant grass.
Yan Miao stared at Bai Maomao in a daze.
“Am I good-looking?”
Bai Maomao suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him blankly.
Yan Miao was startled, eyes wide in panic.
“Are all you rabbits this timid?”
Bai Maomao tilted his head, confused.
Yan Miao looked even more panicked.
He knows I’m a demon…he knows…
Seeing his teary, terrified face, Bai Maomao patted his head.
“Don’t be scared.”
Then added awkwardly,
“Your hair is really soft.”
Yan Miao’s expression turned complicated.
He looked down, unsure how to react.
Touch.
Bai Maomao tried to lift the mood.
“Rabbits are cute… and tasty…”
Yan Miao looked at him in horror.
“…”
Bai Maomao realized what he just said.
He waved his hands, flustered.
“I didn’t mean I want to eat you!”
Yan Miao watched him with guarded eyes, ready to bolt at any moment.
The air turned awkwardly silent.
Bai Maomao fiddled with his fingers, regretting his words.
The bunny really is cute…
After a long pause, Yan Miao asked,
“How did you know…my true form?”
“Huh?”
Bai Maomao blinked.
“I just saw it.”
“Oh.”
Conversation ended.
Silence again.
Suddenly, lights flickered in the distance.
Bai Maomao looked alert, unsure if they were friend or foe.
He quickly woke the others.
“They’re from the school,”
Lang Junxian confirmed.
With his excellent night vision, he could see them clearly.
Everyone relaxed slightly and waited.
The approaching group became clearer.
Lang Junxian frowned.
“Looks like they’re from the Martial Arts Institute.”
Yan Miao instinctively moved closer to Bai Maomao.
The other three also grew wary.
While school rules forbade fighting, Martial Arts students were notoriously aggressive.
The groups soon met face to face.
The leader on the other side raised a brow.
“Lang Junxian?”
Lang Junxian crossed his arms and said nothing.
“I knew it.”
Gong Shaotian glanced at Bai Maomao, then at the others.
“Bringing all this deadweight, aren’t you tired?”
Bai Maomao flexed his fingers, tempted to punch him.
Gong Shaotian’s eyes lingered on Bai Maomao’s face.
He smirked lewdly.
“That little beauty by your side isn’t bad. Why don’t you hand him over? I’ll let you join us.”
Lang Junxian’s gaze turned deadly.
In a flash, he grabbed Gong Shaotian by the throat and lifted him.
“Take that back,”
Lang Junxian growled.
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