Chapter 239: Sleepless Night

Seeing Ei enter the water first, the other two fox ladies were also unwilling to fall behind. They quickly took off their shoes and socks, each holding a simple fishing fork as they waded into the stream.

The sound of the flowing water was soothing, and the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting golden spots of light on the ground and in the water.

"Be careful of the sharp rocks in the water," Yu Xie reminded them, as he too stepped into the water.

The three ladies responded softly, happily and focused on their task of fishing.

The water here was clear and pristine, allowing them to see the fish swimming in slightly deeper areas.

Ei paid attention to the ground beneath her feet, making an effort to reduce her movements and carefully approached a fish that seemed to be gliding through the water like air.

The naginata was thrust straight down, piercing the surface of the water with pinpoint precision.

Even without using elemental power, and despite never having fished like this before, for Ei, the naginata felt like an extension of her own body. So no matter what she used it for, it was never a difficult task for her.

In less than a minute, the three ladies had already made their catches, while Yu Xie still hadn't caught anything with his fishing fork.

"Yu Xie, do you need some help?" Kitsune Saiguu, having placed her catch in the fish basket on the shore, walked over to Yu Xie.

"No need..."

Before Yu Xie could finish his sentence, Kitsune Saiguu had come up behind him, taking hold of his hand, and softly said:

"You need to maintain your balance like this, keep your eyes on the prey, and also consider the refraction of light in the water."

Kitsune Saiguu stood closely behind Yu Xie, undoubtedly guiding him with hands-on instruction, but also possibly taking the opportunity to get closer to him.

Seeing this, Yae Miko became a bit unsettled.

She cleared her throat twice, "Ahem... Lord Kitsune Saiguu, Yu Xie can manage on his own, there's no need to teach him like that. It's putting pressure on him."

"Oh, is that so?" Kitsune Saiguu smiled, taking a few steps back. "Then good luck, Mr. Yu Xie!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ei quietly observed this scene, her purple eyes holding a complex emotion, though she said nothing.

About half an hour later, the group returned to the campsite.

The harvest was plentiful.

After the fish were properly prepared, they were placed over the fire to roast. This time, Yu Xie had brought plenty of seasonings, and he was confident about the outcome of the grilled fish.

As expected, everyone enjoyed the dinner.

Nightfall arrived, and the moonlight bathed the area.

It was getting late, and everyone headed into their tents to rest, leaving only Yu Xie sitting by the campfire.

The firelight illuminated Yu Xie's face, and his shadow stretched long behind him.

At this moment, a faint sound came from one of the tents.

Makoto walked out of her tent and slowly approached, sitting down beside Yu Xie.

"Can't sleep?" Yu Xie glanced at Makoto and asked.

"A bit," Makoto smiled slightly, resting her hand on her cheek as she looked at Yu Xie.

Her gaze was very gentle, giving Yu Xie the feeling of being surrounded by warmth.

However, being looked at like this for so long made Yu Xie feel a little embarrassed.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked, touching his cheek.

"No," Makoto answered with a smile.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"I'm afraid there won't be such an opportunity again."

Her words carried a subtle hint of regret, leaving Yu Xie unsure of how to respond.

Makoto smiled again, and then softly said, "By the way, what do you think of Ei?"

"You mean..."

"In Ei's heart, you are very important," Makoto smiled, a hint of helplessness mixed with a touch of warmth in her expression. "She may not even realize it yet. The same goes for me. In my heart, you are also incredibly important, irreplaceable. To be honest, I never imagined things would turn out like this, but now that they have, I don't mind at all."

"Makoto..."

"Do you mind?" Makoto suddenly began to slowly move closer to Yu Xie.

In the glow of the fire and moonlight, Makoto's beautiful face seemed to draw closer in Yu Xie's eyes.

Her flawless, exquisite beauty, even at such a close distance, showed no imperfections.

It was as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Their eyes met, and Makoto paused her movement.

The night breeze gently brushed by, and her hair swayed in the wind as the firelight flickered.

At that moment, a noise came from one of the tents.

Kitsune Saiguu emerged from her tent.

Soon after, several other tents also made sounds as everyone came out.

Makoto sat back down, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"So, it seems like no one is asleep yet..." Yu Xie felt an odd sense of awkwardness and decided to break the silence.

"...Since no one is sleepy, how about we play a game?" Kitsune Saiguu suggested at that moment.

"What game?" Chiyo asked curiously.

"A courage test!" Kitsune Saiguu answered with a smile.

"Test of Courage?" Yae Miko asked in confusion. "But a test of courage requires some preparation, right? If we start preparing now, we won't be able to do it tonight. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night."

"Don't worry, my youkai friends have already prepared everything," Kitsune Saiguu replied. "I originally planned to do it tomorrow night, but since everyone is still awake tonight, we can go ahead and do it now."

"I see..." Yae Miko seemed to ponder for a moment. "What do you think, Yu Xie?"

"Since no one is able to sleep, it sounds like a good activity," Yu Xie smiled.

However, what slightly puzzled Yu Xie was that although he was the only male in the group, everyone else were not ordinary people.

There were gods, fox spirits, and oni, and even Shenhe, who seemed more normal, was a disciple of the adeptus.

Even if they encountered some "evil things," it would be a miracle if they could be sent away with physical means, let alone anything spiritual.

Would such a group of people be scared by the Test of Courage?

If they're not scared, then the test would lose its meaning, right?

However... since no one can sleep anyway, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Without hesitation, Kitsune Saiguu cast a spell to contact her youkai friends. After finishing the communication, she turned back to face everyone.

"Alright, my youkai friends said everything is ready, and it's in the depths of the forest. So... how should we divide into teams?"

That was a good question, but also a difficult one.

Everyone looked at each other, falling into silence.

Clearly, each person had their own ulterior motives and wanted to team up with Yu Xie. But everyone also knew that if they didn't have a solid enough reason, it would be hard to form a group with him in a legitimate way.

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