The journey that followed turned out to be much easier than expected.
For two days straight, they hadn’t run into any real trouble.
Of course, there were still plenty of magic beasts blocking the road, but those clueless creatures all ended up as roasted meat between the two of them.
Another two days passed, and Sara gradually got used to following behind Li Xian, used to sleeping beside him at night, and even got used to pretending to be asleep in the quiet depths of night, sneaking into his warm embrace so she could finally fall asleep in the cold darkness.
Li Xian was also slowly getting used to having this little tagalong.
Though he was still not entirely comfortable with the fact that he now had a slave, no matter how he looked at it, Sara was very cute.
Having her always around was nice on the eyes—overall, it was a good thing.
He reached out again and, with practiced ease, ruffled Sara’s pale pink hair.
Sara narrowed her eyes in enjoyment, savoring the feeling of her hair being gently tousled.
They were already not far from the Imperial Capital—if all went well, they’d arrive today, right?
“Li Xian… Master, is something wrong?” She tugged at Li Xian’s sleeve like a small animal.
“It’s nothing.” Li Xian smiled at her and ruffled her hair even harder, then let go.
“Let’s keep going. If we hurry, we should get there today.”Â
“Mm.” Sara hopped after him, habitually grabbing onto the corner of Li Xian’s clothes.
“Move it, idiot, you’re in the way…”
A faint voice carried from a distance, making Li Xian pause.
He could soon hear the roars of a magic beast and the chaotic sound of footsteps.
“What did you say? You’re the one in the way! You keep darting around, I can’t even cast my spells properly. If you weren’t slowing me down, I’d have slaughtered that dumb wolf already!”
Although it sounded like they were bickering, their tone was anything but relaxed.
Clearly, they were locked in a tough fight.
Someone being attacked by a magic beast?
Li Xian wondered to himself.
They were already at the edge of the Northern Wildwood, a place where many rookie adventurers came to take on simple tasks, and occasionally, a Merchant Caravan might pass through here on their way to the Imperial Capital.
High-level magic beasts were rare on the outskirts of the Northern Wildwood—mid-level ones were hardly ever seen either.
But judging from the ferocity of that roar, it definitely didn’t sound like something a low-level magic beast could make…
Li Xian frowned.
Since he’d run into it anyway, he didn’t mind lending a hand.Â
He motioned for Sara to stay quiet and follow closely, then headed in the direction of the voices.
What greeted his eyes was a mid-level magic beast—a Gale Wolf.
Though uncommon on the forest’s outskirts, it wasn’t completely out of place.
With the beast’s appearance, the two people who had been shouting also came into view.
One of them wielded a finely crafted longsword, looking every bit the dashing young swordsman.
The other held a staff and wore mage robes, a refined and easygoing young man—though nothing about the words coming from his mouth was refined at all.
“Get lost, damn it! Stop jumping all over the place. If my magic hit, this stinking wolf would’ve been sliced into meat by my Wind Blade already!”
“Screw you! It’s your own fault for flinging spells everywhere. You almost hit me several times! If not for that, I’d have cut down this little wolf in two swings.”
Their mouths were running wild, but in reality, both looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, about the same age as Li Xian’s current body.
Their strength was only that of a beginner Warrior and beginner Mage.
Facing a mid-level Gale Wolf, they were completely outmatched—falling back step by step.
The Warrior was already wounded, a long gash on his left arm.
Their teamwork was truly terrible.
The Warrior knew to protect the Mage, but preferred to charge straight in and clash head-on with the Gale Wolf.
The Mage, meanwhile, cast spells from the rear, but with the melee chaos up front, he hesitated every time.
Combined with the time needed to chant, he basically couldn’t land a hit on the Gale Wolf.
Just as the Warrior said, the Mage nearly hit him several times instead.
Clearly, these two—though geniuses for reaching beginner Warrior and Mage at their age—lacked real combat experience.
Facing a mid-level magic beast stronger than themselves, they were completely at a loss.
Li Xian watched for a while and figured that in another minute or two, the Warrior would be dead meat, and the squishy Mage would be nothing more than a sitting duck in front of the speed-specialized Wind Element beast, the Gale Wolf.
The two seemed to realize this as well—their banter faded, replaced by cold sweat pouring down their faces.
Li Xian shrugged helplessly and prepared to step in, but just then, Sara suddenly tugged at his clothes.
Li Xian looked at her.
Sara clutched her sword tightly, her expression delicate and weak, but there was a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
After spending the past few days together, Li Xian quickly understood what she meant.