They had been walking for two and a half shichen straight.
Everyone was so exhausted they could barely lift their feet. The dense forest blocked out the sun, making it hard to tell the time, they only knew they’d been walking a very long while, and their stomachs were starting to growl.
Shen Yanqing called a halt to the group. “Rest for two quarters of an hour!”
Qi Yanxuan and the other two took out their water skins and sat down to drink. Qi Yanxuan was a superpower user, so this level of exertion meant nothing to him, and the Shen father and son, whose constitutions improved daily thanks to the spirit spring water Qi Yanxuan kept giving them, didn’t feel tired either.
The others weren’t so lucky. They collapsed to the ground, supporting each other. They had walked too long on such rough terrain, and for a moment their legs could barely bend. No one was in any state to eat, some rubbed their legs, some kneaded their backs, and a chorus of hissing gasps filled the air.
“Uncle Brother Shen, have something to eat.”
Qi Yanxuan pulled meat buns from his pack and handed them to the two. All the cooked food was stored in his pack, he always put it into his space first, so it came out fresh every time.
No matter how long the food had been stored, it always tasted as if it had just been made. Shen Yanshan had of course noticed this, but he said nothing and asked nothing. If it was offered, he ate.
As the three were eating, a hissing sound suddenly came from overhead. They looked up a bamboo pit viper dropped down.
Shen Yanqing instantly drew the short blade at his waist and slashed at the snake. The green body fell to the ground in two pieces, and as it writhed, another strike pinned its head.
The sudden fall of the venomous snake startled everyone. They all looked up, terrified that one might drop on their own heads next.
Shen Yanshan quickly got up to check the surroundings.
While no one was looking their way, Qi Yanxuan leaned close to Shen Yanqing’s ear and whispered, “Brother Shen, the way you killed that snake was so cool!”
Shen Yanqing looked puzzled and asked quietly, “Cool? What does that mean?”
“It means dashing, valiant, and handsome.” As he finished, he blew a soft breath against Shen Yanqing’s ear.
Shen Yanqing’s ears instantly turned red, and he no longer dared to look at Qi Yanxuan.
Seeing this, Qi Yanxuan found it amusing inside. People from ancient times were so innocent, just that and he was already embarrassed.
Just when Qi Yanxuan thought he wouldn’t respond, Shen Yanqing leaned over again and asked in a low voice, “Then… do you like it?”
Qi Yanxuan secretly squeezed his hand. “I do! I like you however you are!”
Hearing that answer, Shen Yanqing felt so happy he could burst.
When Shen Yanshan returned and sat down, the two of them went back to eating their buns with perfectly innocent expressions.
When roughly two quarters had passed, Shen Yanqing rose and called everyone to set out. The others wolfed down their food in a few bites and hurriedly packed up to follow.
…
The sky grew darker and darker. Everyone gathered dry wood from the surroundings and built fires, sitting around the fires of their respective groups.
That night, the moon hid itself away. The clusters of flames couldn’t drive off the deep darkness instead, against the firelight, the mottled tree shadows twisted and swayed, looking terrifyingly sinister.
After dinner, except for those keeping watch, everyone slept around the fires. The night was too frightening; no one dared to stray from the group.
Qi Yanxuan pitched his tent not far from the fire as well. Before entering it, he released the Bloodthirsty Vine, letting it hide in the shadows and keep watch through the night.
The Bloodthirsty Vine coiled itself around a nearby ancient tree and dutifully stood guard for its master. Even if someone walked right up to it, they would surely take it for nothing more than an ordinary vine.
Inside the tent.
Shen Yanqing pinned Qi Yanxuan down on the bedding and, aiming at the red lips he had been thinking about for so long, kissed him.
The sudden kiss hit like a storm, catching Qi Yanxuan completely off guard. His hands climbed up the other man’s firm back as he responded with all his might…
When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing slightly ragged.
Qi Yanxuan looked at the barely suppressed desire in Shen Yanqing’s eyes and slightly turned his head away. He was afraid that if he kept looking, he wouldn’t be able to control himself and not here, there were too many people around.
Seeing the person beneath him turn his head away, Shen Yanqing assumed he was a little shy. He leaned close to his ear and murmured, “A-Xuan, I’ve been holding back ever since what you said this afternoon. Won’t you kiss me on your own initiative?”
Qi Yanxuan turned his head, puzzled. “Which thing I said?”
“When… when you said I was handsome, and that you liked me no matter what I was like!” As he finished speaking, his ears turned red again, and he looked away.
Seeing him like this, Qi Yanxuan couldn’t help wanting to laugh. The one who’d been so bold just now was him, and now the one feeling embarrassed was also him. How was that not adorably contradictory!
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Shen Yanqing assumed he was unwilling, and gazed at him with an aggrieved look.
Seeing that expression, Qi Yanxuan decided to stop teasing him. He wrapped his arms around his neck and offered up his own lips…
One night passed.
When everyone woke, they found that fog had settled in. Everything in the distance was shrouded in heavy mist. Beyond ten meters, nothing could be seen clearly.
In foggy weather, especially in mountain forests, it was extremely easy to lose one’s way, and travel was impossible, they could only stay where they were and wait for the fog to lift.
Around the camp, the women sat in small groups, mending clothes and shoes, occasionally putting their heads together to gossip. The men sat together bragging and telling dirty jokes, while some of the elders told stories to the children.
For a while, the forest was filled with laughter and chatter.
…
Qi Yanxuan looked around, and not finding Shen Yanqing anywhere, returned to the tent.
He slipped into his space and began cultivating his ability. His wood-type ability was just one step away from advancing to level seven. He took out some wood-type crystal cores and began absorbing them.
An hour later, the green light around his body faded back into him, his wood-type ability had finally reached level seven. Qi Yanxuan opened his eyes, joy flashing through them.
He looked up and saw that the space had changed too. The original five mu of land had expanded tenfold, and mountain ranges had appeared in the distance.
So this ability upgrade expanded the land instead of adding space storage? That was fine too, the space storage had no limits anyway; more warehouses just meant more categories, merely making things easier to find.
With a thought, he planted all the open land, deliberately setting aside a plot for strawberries in the past, the land had been too scarce for him to bear using it on strawberries.
Once everything was settled, he took a box out of the space and waited in the tent for Shen Yanqing to return.
Shen Yanqing came back just as everyone was eating lunch. Seeing that Qi Yanxuan wasn’t outside, he went straight to the tent.
When Qi Yanxuan saw Shen Yanqing return with his hand hidden behind his back, he guessed he must have something for him. So he said nothing, just watched him with smiling eyes.
Shen Yanqing took out a peach-wood hairpin, polished smooth and carved in the shape of intertwined branches, and handed it to Qi Yanxuan. “A-Xuan! This is for you!”
Qi Yanxuan took it and, holding it in his hand, discovered that a character had been carved on it: Xuan.
Shen Yanqing watched him a little nervously. “Do you like it? Even though you have no use for it now, I hope that one day you’ll be able to wear the hairpin I gave you.”
“I love it! This is the best gift I’ve ever received!” Qi Yanxuan hugged Shen Yanqing and kissed him on the cheek.
Then he pulled a box out of his coat and handed it over. “I have a gift for you too open it and see!”
Shen Yanqing’s eyes lit up with surprise as he took the box and opened it. “Is this a ring? What’s engraved inside?”