“You guys can just drop me off here. These two lunchboxes are for you—don’t fight over them, okay?”
When Su Qi followed the map and arrived at the Mysterious Cave Entrance on the western side of the Purple Snake Forest, which was covered with thorny brambles,
After sharing the two lunchboxes with the guardian Spirit Serpents, and while the little fellows were happily munching away, Su Qi followed the members of the Cangyou Wildcat Team into this newly revealed passage in the Saint Ruins.
Once inside the cave, unlike the outside where sunlight filled the Purple Snake Forest with a wide, clear view,
Inside, there was no light at all. Su Qi had only taken two steps into the cave before realizing that his vision was completely blocked, unable to see anything.
For a moment, all he could hear was the drip… drip… of water droplets echoing from afar, and the whistling of wind blowing from deep within the cave.
Fortunately, Big Mountain quickly took out several Torches from his Storage Ring and handed them to everyone.
The Torches, once lit, crackled softly with every flicker, providing not just warmth but also a faintly comforting aroma of charred wood.
Su Qi quite liked that smoky scent.
Relying on the light from the Torch, Su Qi looked at the new path that descended deeper within the Saint Ruins.
Unknown murals of a lost civilization were etched onto the walls, and here and there, bizarre scripts of unknown races appeared.
The open field of view, the unknown road ahead, Torches, caves, exploration and adventure…
All these elements together perfectly matched Su Qi’s impression of adventure as a boy.
Feeling a surge of excitement, Su Qi, while walking and gazing at the cave murals, failed to notice a bramble vine growing in the darkness, jutting out in his path.
His foot, clad in little leather shoes, wasn’t lifted high enough and tripped against it.
Luckily, he caught himself against the wall and didn’t fall over.
Lin Xue, who was beside Su Qi, saw his excited but careless look.
She gently reached out and pulled Su Qi to her side, explaining,
“Su Boss, when adventuring in the Saint Ruins, spirit beasts aren’t actually the most dangerous thing. When you spot a spirit beast, you become alert.”
“The most dangerous things are often the small, easily overlooked details—like that vine you just tripped over. It has a scientific name: Bloodthorn. Though it looks harmless, just a plant, if it senses you’re a living creature and wraps around you, it’s nearly impossible to break free. These plants are usually host to Blood Leech Bugs, and together, they’ve claimed many adventurers’ lives.”
Listening to Senior Lin Xue’s serious explanation, and feeling how she unconsciously shielded him by her side,
Su Qi couldn’t help but make a new discovery.
Wasn’t Senior Sister Lin usually so flippant? But once inside the Saint Ruins, she’s actually pretty reliable?
Favorability +5
While marveling at this, Su Qi gently shook his ankle. Was it just his imagination?
Why did his shoes feel a bit heavier… did he step in some mud?
Just as Su Qi was about to look down and check, the previously narrow stairway suddenly opened up.
By the flickering light of the Torch, Su Qi shifted his attention from his feet and let his big peach blossom eyes curiously scan the surroundings.
If the earlier passage was like a staircase,
Then this wide, open area was like a whole floor.
But this “floor” had more than twenty different passages branching off, just like the entrance they came through.
And besides these intricate passages, at the very center of the floor was a staircase descending even deeper.
Seeing this maze-like design reminiscent of a video game,
As a boy who loved adventure games,
Su Qi only felt even more excited.
However, since he was a “weakling” and a newbie support member,
Even though he was excited, Su Qi quickly suppressed that feeling and looked to the other members of the Cangyou Wildcat Team, wanting to know how they planned to explore this new path.
Would they explore the tunnels one by one, or head straight downstairs?
As his gaze swept from left to right—Brother Hao, Big Mountain, Wei Mian—and just as he was about to look at An Xiaoling,
Su Qi suddenly noticed something out of place.
Eh~
Did the ground just move a little? And was that a pair of round, red eyes glimmering faintly?
Perhaps noticing Su Qi’s unease, An Xiaoling’s gentle voice sounded,
“Su Su—mm, Su Su-jie, you noticed the Saint Ash Rabbit too, right? That little one has been following us since outside. Do you have any idea why?”
Hearing An Xiaoling mention the “Saint Ash Rabbit” and that the little fellow had been following them,
Su Qi suddenly remembered: last time, his own Su wife ability had leveled up after the Saint Ash Rabbit stole his lunch.
Could it be that this Saint Ash Rabbit was the very same one that had stolen his food?
Was the little guy specifically here to find him?
After all, just now the Purple Spirit Snake that had eaten his lunch increased its favorability by +15 and sought out his head pats.
And the Saint Ash Rabbit’s favorability was as high as 20. Logically, the little one shouldn’t be afraid of him!
As Su Qi curiously gazed at those pure, big eyes in the darkness,
It seemed the Saint Ash Rabbit had noticed Su Qi’s attention.
Originally hiding its body in the earth like a three-year-old bunny girl, the small Saint Ash Rabbit
Nerved itself and took a step toward Su Qi.
Splat~
Everyone who’d been watching the Saint Ash Rabbit stopped talking in unison, holding their breath as they fixed their eyes on the little creature, quietly gathering their powers in case they needed to act.
Perhaps sensing the subtle shift among the group, the highly vigilant Saint Ash Rabbit,
After just one step forward, immediately darted back ten paces in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the little fellow so wary, the Wildcat Team members, who’d already failed to catch it many times, gave up on trying to capture it and returned to discussing their plans.
But just then, the Saint Ash Rabbit, having just run away, once again cautiously crept back.
Truly, patience has its limits—Brother Hao, with his fiery temper, immediately picked up the drowsy Wei Mian and shouted,
“Stop freaking sleeping and hypnotize it for me!”
But although Brother Hao acted quickly, the Saint Ash Rabbit was even quicker. An absolute escape artist, it vanished down a freshly-dug hole in the ground.
Capture failed. Forced awake, Wei Mian could only complain helplessly,
“Brother Hao, stop it. The Saint Ash Rabbit has resistance to hypnosis. It’s way too alert—unless I can physically touch it, it won’t work. Haven’t we tried before?”
Hearing Wei Mian’s response, Zhang Hao scratched his head awkwardly.
“I forgot, okay? Hey, that lily girl, don’t you have Shortbow Talent? Can’t you just shoot the little brat’s leg?”
When Zhang Hao suggested shooting it, An Xiaoling’s twin ponytails swung vigorously to show her stance.
“The Saint Ash Rabbit is so cute—how could you be so cruel?”
Hearing An Xiaoling’s words, Su Qi completely agreed.
Under the Torch’s glow just now, he caught a glimpse of the Saint Ash Rabbit’s form.
It truly looked like a little beast-eared bunny girl.
If a sharp arrow were to strike the little one, just imagining that scene—even though Su Qi wasn’t particularly into lolis—it felt really wrong.
As Su Qi was thinking, the little creature that had just run off slowly crept closer once again.
Seeing the little one approach not once, not twice, but three times, Su Qi grew more curious.
Could it be that the little guy just wanted to play with them?
But he quickly dismissed that idea.
By the light of the Torch, Su Qi noticed the Saint Ash Rabbit’s little legs were trembling—it was obviously scared.
Looking at the ground, seeing how they’d unintentionally moved further from the cave entrance while trying to catch the little fellow twice,
Su Qi couldn’t help but have a new guess.
Could it be that the little one wants to lead us somewhere?!
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