novellaaa Chapter 18 The Strange Girl
Chapter 18 The Strange Girl
Wild Beast Forest
Outside the cave, the rain fell like a waterfall, and only the continuous sound of rain could be heard between heaven and earth.
Inside the cave, orange flames illuminated the rough rock walls.
A small, thin figure suddenly burst through the rain and stumbled in.
She was a little girl with messy hair, her wet strands clinging to her pale cheeks.
He was wrapped in a worn-out animal hide and clutched a bundle of half-dried firewood tightly in his arms.
The straw sandals were worn out, and his feet were covered in mud and tiny bloodstains.
She was oblivious, or perhaps numb, and walked straight toward the fire.
"Eek, big brother, you're awake."
The girl's eyes suddenly lit up, and her voice was as clear and crisp as the first melting snow in a mountain stream.
He crouched down, carefully placed the firewood near the fire to dry, shook off the rainwater from his clothes, then took out a greenish-red wild fruit from the inner layer of the animal skin, carefully wiped the water droplets off the surface with his sleeve, and handed it to Lu Heng without hesitation.
"for you."
Lu Heng sat against the rock wall, his body still sore and weak from just waking up.
He didn't reach out to take it, but simply used the firelight to examine the girl in front of him.
She was very thin, with slightly protruding cheekbones, and her figure was so frail that she looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Only those eyes were exceptionally clear.
"I'm not hungry, you eat it." Lu Heng wasn't disgusted by the fruit, but looking at the girl's appearance, he couldn't bear to accept this meager but sincere kindness.
"You'll regret it if you don't eat it." The girl didn't pull her hand back, but instead held it out further, her little face serious: "It's raining heavily today, and I walked a long way to pick this one."
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach emitted a series of clear rumbling sounds, which were particularly noticeable in the empty cave.
The girl's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still stubbornly held up the wild fruit, her eyes full of worry, afraid that Lu Heng, who had just woken up, would not have enough nutrition and would not be able to regain his strength.
He was starving, yet he was still thinking about a stranger.
Lu Heng felt a slight stirring in his heart. In the cultivation world, he had seen countless scheming and plotting for profit. People with such pure hearts were one in a million.
With a slight thought, a faint light flashed from the storage ring on his fingertip, and several items appeared out of thin air beside him.
Bottled water, compressed biscuits, and several packets of brightly colored spicy strips.
These were local specialties he brought from Blue Star before heading to the Immortal Gate. He had originally intended to keep them to enjoy occasionally, but they came in handy now.
"What are these?" The girl's eyes widened suddenly. She curiously leaned over and poked the mineral water bottle with her thin fingers. Then she picked up the compressed biscuits and examined them from all angles, just like when Lu Heng first encountered the novel things in the cultivation world.
"They're all delicious." Lu Heng said earnestly, with even a hint of barely perceptible pride: "Once you've tasted them, you'll never forget them."
"Delicious!" The girl's eyes lit up instantly, and she couldn't wait to stuff the compressed biscuit, packaging and all, into her mouth and take a crunchy bite.
The next second, her little face scrunched up, she spat twice, and looked at him with a wronged expression: "Big brother lied to me, it doesn't taste good at all."
Lu Heng was amused by her and smiled slightly. He took the cookie, tore open the packaging, and handed the cookie back to her.
The girl took a small bite with some skepticism, her expression suddenly freezing, then she chewed it vigorously and finished it off in a few bites.
She choked because she ate too fast, her face turning bright red. Lu Heng quickly opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her lips. She gulped it down and finally caught her breath.
"Phew~ Hehe, I almost choked. Try this."
She bit open the spicy snack packaging with her teeth, and the strong, spicy aroma instantly filled the cave.
The girl tentatively took a bite, and it was as if a whole new world had opened up for her.
Immediately afterwards, she swallowed large gulps, and even though her eyes were red from the spiciness and she was constantly gasping for breath, she couldn't bear to stop.
Lu Heng watched her wolf down her food in silence for a moment before asking, "Where is this place?"
"The Wild Beast Forest." The girl answered indistinctly, her mouth full of spicy snacks, but her voice gradually lowered: "We're here for a two-year survival rite of passage. It ends early tomorrow morning. Many of the friends who came in with us have died in the forest."
Lu Heng's brows furrowed sharply, his tone revealing surprise: "How old are you? Why would we throw you into such a dangerous place?"
"I'm already eighteen years old." The girl puffed out her thin chest and earnestly explained, "I just haven't grown up, and my cultivation is stuck at the first level of Qi Refining. I can't break through. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to drag you out of your coma."
Lu Heng frowned even more deeply as he recalled the changes that occurred when he crossed the Immortal Gate.
The immortal gate was supposed to take him directly to the immortal realm, but he encountered a spatial storm along the way. The violent turbulence nearly tore his body apart, and he eventually fell into a coma.
It must have been a spatial storm that interfered with the teleportation, which is why he ended up in this remote place.
"Does the Wild Beast Forest belong to the Immortal Realm?" Lu Heng asked.
"It belongs to the immortal realm, but unfortunately, no one wants to come." After the little girl finished speaking, a look of longing appeared in her eyes, and her voice softened a bit: "I really want to go back to see the prosperous cities of the immortal realm, and I also want to join an immortal sect to cultivate, but unfortunately my cultivation level is too low and I don't have any spirit stones, so I can't go at all."
A deep sense of loss was evident.
Lu Heng fell silent.
He didn't want to take a burden like this, but the girl kindly rescued him, braved the rain to gather firewood, and gave him her only wild fruit while hungry. All these actions were quite touching.
This kindness must be repaid.
Lu Heng had a plan in mind: he would take her for a while, settle her in a bustling area, and then they could part ways.
"If you know the way to the prosperous lands of the Immortal Realm," Lu Heng said, his tone calm yet carrying a solemn promise, "I'll pay for you to go and have a look around, what do you say?"
The girl paused for a moment, then jumped up suddenly, almost dropping the spicy snack she was holding into the fire.
His voice rose a few decibels, his eyes filled with surprise and anticipation: "Is this really true?"
"I never break my word," Lu Heng smiled slightly.
He needs a mentor right now.
The rain fell all night and only gradually stopped when the sky began to lighten.
At dawn, the wild beast forest was shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and decaying leaves.
After a night's rest, Lu Heng's physical strength and immortal power had mostly recovered, and he was able to continue his journey without any problems.
The little girl led the way, her steps light as she stepped through the puddles, occasionally glancing back to see if Lu Heng was keeping up.
The exit of the Beast Forest was a bridge made of several giant trees and vines. At this moment, the other side was filled with tribesmen who had come to meet them, their faces filled with trepidation and anxiety.
A middle-aged couple stood out at the front of the crowd.
Their animal skin clothes were patched in many places, the man's face was weathered, the woman's eyes were sunken, and her hands were constantly twisting together.
It was Xiaoman's adoptive parents, anxiously looking into the depths of the forest.
"Don't bother waiting, it's a waste of time." A rough, mocking voice rang out.
The speaker was a burly man, as strong as a bear, with his arms crossed and an arrogant expression; it was none other than Man Xiong.
He glanced at Xiaoman's adoptive parents with a mocking tone: "If your Xiaoman is at the first level of Qi Refining, and she manages to come out alive, I'll change my mind."
Several clansmen nearby echoed his sentiments, letting out low, mocking laughs.
The bear grew increasingly smug, pointing his thumb to his chest: "My son is quite big, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and is the most likely among these children to come back alive. Blame it on you for not handing over the treasure around her neck back then."
Xiaoman's adoptive father clenched his fists.
The adoptive mother's eyes reddened, and she struggled to hold back her tears.
Just then, a boy stumbled out of the fog, his face full of panic.
The bear, with its sharpest eyes, grabbed his shoulder and demanded sternly, "Where's my son?"
The boy was out of breath, his lips trembling as he managed to squeeze out a sentence, his voice high-pitched and shaking: "A year ago, Man... Man Da... was drained of his life force and died."
The gathering place fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
The smug look on the bear's face froze, then turned into incredulous horror. Unable to believe it, he grabbed the bear by the collar and roared, "Say that again?"
"It's Xiaoman!" The boy finally broke down, his shrill voice echoing throughout the gathering place: "It's Xiaoman, a Qi Refining Stage 1 cultivator! She's been drained of a lot of her life force; her death was horrific!"
Everyone froze in place as if they had been frozen in place.
He was at the first level of Qi Refining, and he drained all the Qi and blood from those at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
This mind-blowing news left the entire room speechless.
On a muddy path extending from the depths of the beast forest, a thin, small figure was hopping and skipping through puddles.
Behind her, a tall, slender young man followed with unhurried steps, his expression as calm as if he had just taken a walk.
When Xiaoman saw her adoptive parents in the distance, she immediately raised her hand and waved vigorously, her smile as bright as the warm sun after a rain. Her clear voice pierced through the thin mist and echoed throughout the cliff face.
"Father, Mother, I'm home!"