Listening to my third brothers chatter, Ah Jun was combing her hair while looking at her little dimples—— Why wasnt she paying attention to me? Was she asleep or because of what just happened?
——Hmm... Maybe she thought shed made a mistake, thats why... Oh no, I dont want that. As long as shes okay, its not a big deal... Oh! So this isnt a dream. Ive been asleep all day... Wait, no, theres only today left for the training period. But theres still a long way to go. What should I do? If yesterday...
After learning that he had delayed so much time, Ah Jun began to feel anxious again, his eyes filled with confusion——and Xiao Xi and Ning Er exchanged a look of helplessness, they did not know what he was thinking.
"—— With the help of Lord Shengxi, we can reach the city of the North before evening!"
However, fortunately, there is still a clear-minded person here—— At this moment, Yuwen Lu, while looking at the book, calmly administered a sedative to Ah Jun and then continued to remind him: "Ive arranged for you to meet this afternoon—— Yesterday, if you had gone with Lady Shengxi, she might not have helped you either!"
"Hey, you man, you dont even look at people when you talk!"
"Xiao Xi —— Hmm, ok, thank you!"
"Um! In an hour, action!"
Although Yuwen Lu was short of words and looked cold, he seemed to have no reason to complain about Ah Jun, but he expressed himself in a timely manner, concise and precise, unlike Xiao Xis chatter.
At crucial moments, hes surprisingly reliable—— Still, Xiao Xi couldnt stand him. This guy was giving orders again with his head held high... "Oh hey," he muttered, walking away as if nothing happened. "Who do you think you are? Youre the center of the universe!"
"O, right, Ah Jun—— you just said about the Moonlight Hot Spring... whats that?"
"Um! It was a girls figure with cat ears..."
The strange encounter at the hot spring was truly bizarre, even to Ah Jun himself who was completely confused. Thus, when Xiao Xi raised the question, he strained to recall and search for clues. At that moment, Xiao Jiuwo seemed to awaken, lifting his head to glance at Ah Jun—apparently trying to lend him a hand—but...
"Yay, brother, nosebleed!"
Suddenly, after hearing Xiao Xis shout, everyones eyes focused on Ah Juns nose—— At this time, the stupid boy also felt his face a little hot, and something was flowing in his nose.
"Ooh... Maybe its dry..."
"But I have never seen you like this before, and your face is so red. You must not have caught cold from the rain yesterday."
" I ..."
"—— Its okay. Hes just too tired..."
"—— Ah Jun, you have to rest a little longer?"
"Ah? Brother, you... sure? No, its an illusion..."
For a long time, everyone was concerned about each other... And Ah Jun was stuffing hemostatic cotton into his nose while recalling again...
But I felt something was wrong, so I had to stop quickly, because the hemostatic cotton could stop the nosebleed, but it could not stop the young mans agitation—— I... I dont know, I dont know, I dont know!
However, in this dormitory, apart from Ah Juns strange behavior, there was also the little dimple in the saints arms. After hearing this topic, her eyes suddenly panicked, and then she pushed her head hard again and fell asleep——Meow... Not heard, not heard, not heard!
——Hmm? Theyre both so weird! But Im glad it was just a scare...
"Small dimples... dont run away again!"
" mew～"
"No, I... and everyone else would be worried..."
" mew!"
"Its my fault that I just scared you—— I was so happy that I neglected..."
" mew ..."
"Oh, just in time. Lets go, little dimple!"
" mew!"
"Hey, Ah Jun, why are you two there?"
"Go to the prairie to see the sunrise..."
"Ajun... you just woke up, you have to leave in a little while, you should rest a little!"
"Well... Im fine. You see—— I promised you before that little dimple couldnt say anything, right?"
" mew～"
"Go to the lookout tower!"
"Ouch... I see!"
"Ah, so beautiful! And the smell of the morning. Its so nice, isnt it?"
" mew!"
"Hey, little dimple, you said... if that person wasnt a bounty hunter, who could it be? ——Hmm, looks like hes taking a shower. This guy seems pretty odd, doesnt he? Its..." midnight,
" mew ..."
"Um? You think so, but why would she run away... I was gonna explain..."
—— Ah Jun has a bad habit of keeping unresolved problems in his mind and pondering them over time. When he cant find solutions now, he just puts them aside and keeps thinking about them repeatedly until he uncovers the truth. Honestly, its pretty exhausting to watch him go through this...
"—— mew!"
"Hey, whats up, little dimple... Hmm? Where are you going... Oh, dont go too far, Ill be right back... Hey, whys she acting so weird today? Still blaming me... Looks like we need to get her that snack ASAP!"
"Look, this is it—— Hey? Why is the hot spring foggy in the daytime? Cant see it... Oh, wait for me!"
"Hey... what are you doing there, brother?"
"I want to see if theres..."
Two hours later, Ah Jun and his group set off on the second half of their journey—— They enjoyed the boundless beauty of nature on the vast grassland, had a meal of camping food prepared by Xiao Xi, and walked a short distance along the crowded path where cattle and sheep gathered. Finally, at 2 PM, they arrived at the outskirts of the forest.
And now before them lay the Moonlight Hot Springs. The soldiers had mentioned a shortcut that could cut their journey in half, but it required passing through the ancient city—a path that demanded special permission from the royal family—— so Ah Jun and his companions had to give up the idea.
" mew?"
"Ajun, lets go on our way. Isnt it too late?"
"Its still early—— right? Who knows, we might find something..."
At this point, the knot in his heart began to call upon Ah Juns memory—— He wanted to use the limited time to find clues. Xiao Xi understood, so she did not stop him.
The kitten looked at the holy woman nearby and shouted a word, which seemed to be reminding something——At this time, it seemed that Ninger could read minds and helped the little dimple to remind Ah Jun.
"Um, yes, its still early—— But, Lord Shengxi, he might not wait... the time has passed..."
This time, however, Ah Jun seemed more determined. He paid no heed to the girls kindness, merely glanced at Yuwen Lu, and then began to slip away on his own—— But Yuwen Lus cool response made him pause again, forcing him to obediently follow the group deeper into the forest. He deliberately slowed his pace, looking back and forth with lingering reluctance, lost in some inner struggle.
"Small dimples, you ask, will she think Im a... bad person?"
" mew?"
"I didnt mean to watch her shower..."
" mew ..."
"Strange, whats wrong with me? Just thinking about it makes me hot —— Hmm? Good thing its not... Didnt I never have a nosebleed before?"
" mew!"
"Hey, little dimple, why are you covering my eyes... I cant see ——, but you still laugh, do you think its my fault... Well, I dont know when well meet again, I have to apologize properly!"
Fantle Forest is one of the ancient and primitive autonomous regions that remain in the Sylvestris continent. It is clean, pure and natural, with almost no human interference. Therefore, it is difficult to find all kinds of disposable products here, and there are no traces of "I was here".
The forest boasts lush vegetation and an extraordinary variety of rare species, each displaying unique growth patterns—— Take trees as an example: while we all recognize familiar varieties, those here defy convention—some grow crookedly, others burst into vibrant colors. Legend even speaks of walking trees in the northern woods, mystical beings skilled in yoga and fond of chattering. Of course, such wonders remain elusive, for the area is shrouded in miasma that keeps ordinary travelers at bay.
This forest boasts a remarkable geographical feature that perfectly illustrates the idiom "clear demarcation" —— As previously noted, the forest is divided into northern and southern sections. The boundary at Qiankun Valley creates a stark contrast: the northern area is shrouded in dense miasma, while the southern zone offers crisp air with even oxygen-rich conditions. Moreover, the forests circular shape and the slightly curved boundary line create a striking resemblance to a Taiji symbol when viewed from an aerial perspective. Notably, there are two distinct points at each northern and southern extremity – a design so ingeniously crafted that it defies description!
Yet the strangest thing was how few creatures inhabited the forest—except for the horned beasts. Legend has it these sacred creatures guard the land, keeping all others at bay. Others whisper of a cataclysmic event that drove off all animals, leaving only surviving plants clinging to life through the earths sustenance. The most bizarre theory claims rare creatures feast on animals, thus dominating the forest... Oh, rumors—let the wise judge them.
So, the question is, where exactly is the unicorn?
In theory, children should have met them after so long in the grasslands and forests, but no, not even a shadow!
"Hey, what a wildebeest grassland, so far, nothing —— Will you lead the way!"
For this reason, Xiao Xi had strong objections, it was a misnomer—— So, he seized the evidence and pressured Yuwen Lu. Of course, there was, definitely there was, but when the opportunity arose, wouldnt you give him a little trick up his sleeve...
"Hmph... too much to blame!"
"Who do you mean..."
" sh ..."
However, Yuwen Lu was too lazy to care about it and even stabbed him once, opening Xiao Xis eyes which were in a hurry—— But Ah Jun was a sensible man. After comforting his second brother, he explained the truth.
Originally, the wildebeests habitat was not here, but in the central forest area, a point of the Taiji symbol, and beyond the northeastern grasslands, which was their exclusive territory—— The central area was also the domain of their leader, the divine beast Xi and Ye, and was revered as the Sixth Sacred Domain.
Between the forest and the northeastern grasslands lies a body of water—the Great Abyss Stream that Ah Jun had previously encountered. This colossal fissure, its depths unfathomable with hidden currents undulating beneath the surface, gives it its name. From a safety perspective, this abyss is extremely perilous, requiring only guardians with extraordinary lightness skills to traverse. Thus, the wildebeest herd can live in peace and prosperity here.
Of course, they can leap over that peril, but only after successfully transforming into —— horned beasts. Their original form is like a soup dumpling, just like ordinary horses, except they have horns on their heads... and tails at the back... Who knows what shape they will become?