Chapter 61: Urgency!!
The tree branches swayed in the wind as Tang Chun Xi and Lin Xu leaped from trunk to trunk, maintaining their distance from the Blood Armor Bear they were following.
The creature limped, but even wounded, its recovery was evident. With every passing second, its bloody aura diminished, but its body healed, and its speed increased.
As she jumped to another branch, Tang Chun Xi noticed something unusual the closer she got. The heat she felt emanating from Lin Xu didn't come from his aura but from his own body—a sign that piqued her curiosity while also stirring a faint unease.
'What kind of condition is this...?' — she thought, her eyes searching for answers in Lin Xu's expression.
During a brief pause, where the sound of footsteps and leaps mixed with the rustling of leaves, Lin Xu broke the silence with a more serious tone:
— "Here, fellow Peng, use this and clean yourself. You don't want to give away our presence!" — He tossed her a jade object that glowed softly in his hand.
Tang Chun Xi caught the object mid-air, feeling its smooth, cool surface. She examined it quickly, noting the intricate patterns engraved on it. Her curiosity was immediately piqued.
— "Is this a talisman? What kind of talisman is it?" — she asked, almost letting her guard down.
Lin Xu looked at her with a faint smile, though his voice remained serious.
— "It's a cleansing talisman. We don't have time for a break—use it and erase any traces that might reveal our presence."
Tang Chun Xi hesitated for a moment but activated the talisman after analyzing its patterns and sensing no danger. Instantly, all the dirt, blood, and sweat covering her body vanished. She felt clean and refreshed, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She took a deep breath, feeling renewed, even if only superficially.
Meanwhile, Lin Xu kept his attention on the bear, but his eyes occasionally flicked toward Tang Chun Xi. He seemed amused, as if her curiosity eased some of the anxiety growing in his chest. However, because of his divided attention, he didn't notice the feline trailing them from a distance, its silent paws gliding through the dense vegetation.
Tang Chun Xi seemed to notice and said: — "When we get there, how are you going to handle both bears?" — She was trying to divert his attention from her momentary distraction.
Lin Xu turned his head toward her, a curious look and a tone of disbelief in his voice.
— "From your tone, it sounds like you're planning to stand back and let me handle them, then just take the resource if it's evil. Is that what I'm hearing?"
Tang Chun Xi felt a little embarrassed that her plan had been exposed so clearly. She crossed her arms, trying to maintain her composure as she moved.
— "You can stand by and wait for the fight to end. I'll probably be exhausted, and if what I'm after is evil, just stop me then!" — he said, his tone mixing provocation and seriousness.
Tang Chun Xi rolled her eyes but didn't respond. She knew he was having fun at her expense, but she couldn't deny that her curiosity about him and the resource he sought kept her engaged in the situation.
— "I'll help as much as I can. I won't put myself at risk! After all, I'm here to deal with the bear and stop you from getting your hands on an evil resource!" — she said, trying to sound convincing.
In truth, she was there for three reasons: first, out of curiosity; second, to deal with the bears; and third, because Lin Xu was the first unknown cultivator she had interacted with, and she wanted to see how the experience would go. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that.
Lin Xu seemed about to say more but was interrupted as the bear finally reached its den. It was a cavernous opening, a rocky crevice that the bear entered, limping and disappearing into the darkness.
The two leaped to a nearby branch, and Lin Xu spoke:
— "We just need to wait for the wounded bear to eat the Blood Amber. Five minutes should be enough." — he explained, his expression turning serious. He felt that even if the Twilight Mist Clover didn't exist, he'd be fine as long as he didn't push himself too hard…
But what he didn't know was that plans don't always go as expected, and he couldn't rely solely on his luck to escape.
— "What exactly is the trick with the Blood Amber? And since we're here now, what resource are you after?" — Tang Chun Xi asked, sensing something strange about him.
Lin Xu looked at her, his eyes gleaming behind the mask.
— "It's made from animal blood mixed with a potent poison strong enough to kill the bear. As for the resource, it's a Twilight Mist Clover. Surprise, it grows in extremely Yin environments, so it should be deep inside the nest." — He had no reason to hide it now and told her the truth.
Tang Chun Xi was curious about why he needed the resource. Although the clover was a Level 2 resource, as far as she knew, it was only used as a main ingredient for some breakthrough pills.
'It might not seem like it, but the signs on his body—the sickly pallor, the abnormal heat, his search, and maybe even his anxiety—make me think he's poisoned or sick, and this item...' — Her curiosity about him was growing. But before they could delve deeper into the conversation, a deafening roar erupted from the cave, echoing through the forest and making the leaves tremble with its intensity.
Lin Xu instinctively prepared, his heavy sword already in hand:
— "It's time! Stay here." — With a quick movement, he leaped from the branch and positioned himself to face the Level Eight bear emerging from the cave.
Tang Chun Xi stayed put, watching how he would handle the bear. She was ready to help, but it seemed her assistance wasn't needed. The bear's bloody aura was stronger, thicker, and more malevolent. Each of its attacks was charged with power, and the ground shook and shattered under its force.
Yet, Lin Xu seemed to be holding his own, his large golden sword gleaming.
She was mesmerized by the fight before her. Each sword strike was precise and powerful. Lin Xu's forearms bulged with the strength he exerted, and she could see he was fighting purely with physical strength, without using his aura. It was impressive but also concerning.
Just as she thought the battle would be one of attrition, something unexpected happened. Lin Xu froze, his body visibly trembling. Tang Chun Xi was about to rush to his aid when a wave of heat erupted from his body, spreading through the environment. The bear roared in rage, but Lin Xu seemed to be in agony.
— "Are you okay? Do you need medicine or help?" — she shouted, concern evident in her voice.
— "The only thing that can help me now is the clover! No other remedy, herb, or pill. I can handle the bear! I didn't want to ask this, but can you get the clover and bring it to me?" — he said through gritted teeth, forcing his voice to sound firm but laced with pain.
Tang Chun Xi hesitated for a moment but decided to help. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she thought she heard a plea hidden within Lin Xu's firm and controlled voice.
— "Hold on! I'll be back!" — she declared and, without wasting time, activated [Phoenix Wings] and rushed into the cave.
The bear saw her and tried to stop her but was interrupted by a brutal sword strike from Lin Xu. The impact forced the bear back, and Tang Chun Xi disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.
—--------------------------------------
As she entered the cave, the atmosphere changed. Beyond the oppressive darkness, the tunnel was damp and foul-smelling. Broken bones and rotting limbs scattered across the floor gave it an air of desolation.
Tang Chun Xi moved quickly, her heart pounding. The stench made her want to vomit, but she forced herself to press on.
'I need to find that clover fast…' — she thought with anxiety and determination.
After several forks, she found a wider chamber. In the center, surrounded by a thin, cold mist, was a small mound of soil where a three-leafed plant with white petals grew. Beside it lay the body of the bear, still breathing.
'That's the Twilight Mist Clover… and it's not an evil resource!' — she concluded, relieved. But seeing the bear, she grew worried: 'It hasn't been five minutes! So it's not dead yet! I need to finish it quickly!'
She considered using a talisman but feared the clover might be damaged. With the Lunar Umbrella closed and its blade wrapped in stellar metallic energy, she lunged headfirst—literally—to strike her target.
She didn't want any more accidents, but she sensed danger from behind and, without hesitation, released the fiery wave and dodged to the side.
But to make matters worse, the bear, which should have been poisoned and dying, was there, awake, though it seemed to be on its last legs.
It let out a roar full of pain and hatred: — "Rooooar!"
The situation couldn't be worse. Her adversaries: the Crimson-Spotted Feline and a dying bear that could explode into madness at any moment, all within a narrow cave that severely restricted her movements.
The feline attacking her must have been the one that had escaped her days ago.
'How vengeful! It must be the source of the gazes I've been feeling since the monkeys' territory.' — she concluded, frustrated and helpless. But she needed to hurry and be careful with the clover.
Without wasting time, Tang Chun Xi reacted to the feline's rapid attacks, countering with the Lunar Umbrella. But the problem was that the bear was also attacking her, and as she tried to dodge, she hit a wall, giving the feline an opening to leave claw marks on her back.
'Damn it! The space is too narrow.' — She was struggling to handle both enemies with all the obstacles around.
As time dragged on, her anxiety grew. She knew she needed to end the fight quickly, so she decided to take a risk.
But before she could implement her plan, the feline moved away from her and toward the area she had been avoiding—the spot where the clover grew.
— "Amplify weight," — she murmured upon seeing this and hurled the Lunar Umbrella like a spear at the feline.
Seeing that she was about to be bitten by the bear in a suicidal attack, she launched a Level 2 talisman, but the wound on her back caused her to miss the bear.
This put her in a deadly situation, and she knew she couldn't defend herself this time. It seemed like her end, and that moment stretched as thoughts flooded her mind: her words to her father, her goals, her life…
'Wait for me, father... I'll be back soon!'
'I must find my parents, discover my truth, and explore this world, its stories…'
The voices of her biological parents, the loving face of her father. Images of her life and those she knew flashed through her mind, ending with the image of Lin Xu in his dangerous fight and finally her choice that had brought her here.
She didn't regret trying to live the life she had always dreamed of or her choices… Only her inexperience and her mistake of letting the feline escape.
But that moment didn't last long, and the fetid mouth of the feline in its final attack seemed to close in on Tang Chun Xi.
Just then, her bracelet glowed, and the bear was repelled by a brutal attack that tore it to pieces. But the force of the impact sent her crashing into the wall at the back of the nest.
That same wall, covered in glowing symbols, absorbed the impact, and in the blink of an eye, Tang Chun Xi disappeared, leaving behind the Lunar Umbrella embedded in the rock, mixed with the remnants of the talisman and bracelet attacks amidst the devastated cave.