◎Traveling Together◎
After emerging from the cave, Yan Lan sat down on a large rock. Beside her, a weak and listless little white furry ball was curled up.
【Health: 65 (Hungry, Injured).】
She ate a meat bun and watched her health slowly rise, but it stopped at 80. The “Hungry” negative status had disappeared, but “Injured” remained.
She deduced another rule: negative statuses affect the maximum health cap, and to completely remove a negative status, medication was required.
She opened the trading center in the game panel and tried to find some medicine for her injuries.
After scrolling through, she didn’t see what she was looking for. She guessed that most players were busy exploring the dungeon.
She could also buy from the system mall. Having mined so many crystals, her personal balance had reached 50,000.
But the items in the mall were extremely expensive, buying a small bottle of medicine would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Left with no choice, she sent a help message in the group chat: “Does anyone have medicine for injuries?”
Soon, someone replied.
“Oh no, even the big shot got injured?”
“Did you run into some kind of danger?”
“I don’t have any. Does anyone else?”
Yan Lan stared at the panel, waiting. After a while, a friend sent her a message.
She thought it would be Shi Yuanyuan, the chatterbox, but to her surprise, it was Luo Wen, the girl who had wanted to die but had been invited to spend the night in Yan Lan’s RV.
“I have some homemade herbal medicine. If you don’t mind, you can apply it.”
Yan Lan’s eyes lit up. She confirmed the transfer, and the herbal medicine appeared in her hand.
Although she didn’t know much about pharmacology, it was clear that effort had gone into this medicine. It had a bitter, sweetish smell, and had been specially mashed and wrapped in cloth.
She applied the herbal medicine to her wound. Her burning skin immediately felt a cooling sensation, and the pain gradually subsided.
She checked her personal attributes. The negative status was slowly disappearing, and her health was steadily rising.
After confirming it was safe, she also applied the medicine to Xueqiu.
“Thank you. You’re really skilled. This herbal medicine works great.”
Luo Wen read the reply, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. “No, no, this level would only be considered low-grade in our hospital.”
Yan Lan was a bit surprised. “You’re studying medicine?”
“Yes, traditional Chinese medicine.”
“Traditional Chinese medicine is amazing.”
When she was little, she had loved reading novels about female doctors and healers.
Luo Wen felt a little shy at the compliment.
“Not at all. Western medicine is the most popular now. Our department is at the bottom of the performance rankings every year.”
“But today, it was Traditional Chinese medicine that saved me, not Western medicine.”
Luo Wen suddenly felt enlightened and got an idea. At the same time, she felt grateful that Yan Lan had reached out to her that day.
“Thank you for giving me inspiration!” she said.
“Is that so? Then congratulations in advance~”
“I’m going to go look for more herbs now. Talk later.”
“Good luck!”
After resting for a while, the negative status disappeared completely, and her health returned to full.
Yan Lan stood up, brushed the non-existent dust off her pants, picked up Xueqiu, and continued forward.
The dungeon mission would end at 5:00 PM. Only half the time had passed, there was still time to gather more supplies.
On the way back, Xueqiu lay listlessly on her shoulder, silent. He wasn’t chirping excitedly or leading the way like he had when they arrived. He seemed to feel guilty for leading Yan Lan to the cave where the mountain monster attacked her, he was a little down in the dumps.
Yan Lan glanced at him with a smile and gently rubbed his little belly.
She had taken one path to get here, but on the way back, she decided to take another.
Still holding her iron rod, she walked and explored as she went.
Half an hour later.
“WOOO-OOO-OOO!”
A loud crowing rang out as a plump creature flew overhead.
She looked up and immediately broke into a grin, wasn’t that a wild pheasant?
Instead of trying to catch it right away, she followed closely behind. This was an adult rooster, which likely meant there was also a hen waiting somewhere nearby, and possibly even a brood of chicks.
Ever since entering the dungeon, she had already picked a large pile of fresh mushrooms. Paired with a wild, free-range chicken, the combination would be absolutely delicious.
Just thinking about the savory chicken soup and the firm, tender drumsticks made Yan Lan swallow her saliva.
Wild pheasants couldn’t fly continuously like other birds. After a short display of flight, the rooster landed on the ground and strutted forward with its large comb held high, looking proud and mighty.
Yan Lan tiptoed quietly, sneaking along behind it.
The rooster crossed a patch of thorny bushes and arrived at a dense thicket. It looked left and right, scouting for danger. Once it deemed the area safe, it ducked its head and slipped inside.
Yan Lan lay down on the ground and peered through the gaps in the bushes to see what was inside.
Holy crap!
In addition to the rooster she had been following, there were also two plump hens. Under each hen’s bottom was a neat row of round eggs.
She was about to hit the jackpot!
Yan Lan couldn’t suppress her grin. She pulled out her bow, ready to catch them.
Just then, a large net dropped from above, covering all three fat chickens tightly.
Holy crap!
Someone was cutting in line!
Yan Lan’s face instantly darkened. She looked up to see who this audacious thief was.
The moment she did, her whole body froze.
He was an exceptionally handsome man, tall and lean, with a clear, handsome face. His eyes were dark and deep, his lips pressed together. When he looked back at her, there was an ascetic, captivating quality about him.
Yan Lan only stared for a few seconds before quickly scrambling to her feet, eyeing the man warily. “Who are you?”
Ji Zhou blinked. He noticed her fair cheeks and the tips of her ears flushing slightly. He gave a light cough and said, “Survival game, Zone H-39.”
Yan Lan’s eyebrows shot up. He was also from the game, from the zone right next to hers!
That made sense. With so many players, it was inevitable that some would end up in the same dungeon.
After a few more questions about his background, Yan Lan felt a sense of kinship, two wanderers in the same harsh world. But the thought of those chickens forced her excitement down.
She planted her hands on her hips and said indignantly, “Even if you’re a fellow player, you can’t just claim all the supplies. At the very least, the rooster was discovered by me!”
Ji Zhou paused, momentarily not sure how to respond. He had originally planned to give her half.
Then, as if something occurred to him, the young man let out a soft laugh and said, “No problem.”
Yan Lan looked at him suspiciously. He’s being this agreeable? She had been prepared for a fight!
“WOOO-OOO-OOO!”
The rooster, taking advantage of Ji Zhou’s distraction, suddenly flew up and rammed into the net, letting out a sharp, piercing crow.
Ji Zhou quickly tightened his grip on the net’s handle. Yan Lan immediately rushed over to help, this was a fat prize within reach, and she wasn’t about to let it fly away.
Ji Zhou moved swiftly. He reached into the net and pulled out a hen.
Holding it by its two claws, he handed it over. “Here!”
Yan Lan had actually wanted the hen as well, it was the top choice for making soup. But she had blurted out “rooster” without thinking, and by the time she realized it, she was too embarrassed to bring it up. She didn’t expect this guy to be so perceptive. Hehe~
Her face remained neutral, but inwardly she was overjoyed. She quickly took the hen and stored it in her backpack.
Ji Zhou put the remaining rooster and the other hen into his own backpack, then packed away the large net.
All that was left in the nest were two rows of round, gleaming eggs, pristine white and utterly tempting.
Yan Lan turned her back and took a deep breath.
Ji Zhou glanced at her and said casually, “I’m not very fond of eggs. How about one nest each?”
Yan Lan immediately spun around, beaming. “Sounds great! I can help take care of them.”
Ji Zhou lowered his head and smiled at her words.
Yan Lan looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
These two hens were highly prolific, one nest held over a dozen eggs.
Yan Lan happily stored away the eggs and, in her good mood, blurted out an invitation. “Oh, by the way, if you don’t mind, we could stick together for the rest of the trip.”
Ji Zhou glanced down at the girl in front of him, then quickly looked away. “Sure.”
And so, a man and a woman walked side by side as they continued on.
“Jii jii~” Xueqiu let out an untimely chirp.
Ji Zhou looked in his direction, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “Oh? What’s this little ball?”
“Jii jii!” Xueqiu fluttered his wings, his black eyes wide. He even extended a little paw as if to swipe at him.
Yan Lan immediately grabbed him and stuffed him back onto her shoulder, smiling. “He’s a snow spirit. I found him out in the snowy wilderness.”
Ji Zhou gave an “oh” and didn’t seem to take Xueqiu’s provocation or displeasure to heart.
For the next while, neither of them spoke. The silence between them grew awkward.
Yan Lan glanced at the man who had deliberately quickened his pace to clear the path for her, a conflicted look flashing in her eyes.
Ji Zhou was focused on dealing with the thorny brambles that had sprung up in their way and didn’t notice the change in the woman’s expression behind him.
Just as he chopped through a branch in front of them, a soft, coquettish exclamation came from behind: “Ah~ big brother, slow down.”
Ji Zhou stiffly turned around and looked at the woman sitting on the ground. A strong sense of incongruity washed over him.
The moment the words left her mouth, Yan Lan felt a wave of heat rush to her face. Jiang Tiantian’s style was clearly not for everyone.
Even Xueqiu stared at her in shock, his tiny black eyes frozen, as if he had been frightened.
“[1]“big brother” (Gege) is not a sincere term of address but rather an awkward, playful, and slightly ironic performance. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2183818_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2183818_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Big brother, aren’t you going to help me up?” Her head was lowered, her expression hidden, but her voice carried a hint of tears.
A conflicted look crossed Ji Zhou’s face, but in the end, he walked over and extended his hand.
Yan Lan slowly looked up, reached out, and took hold of the iron pickaxe.
With a firm pull, the pickaxe lifted Yan Lan to her feet.
The corner of Yan Lan’s mouth twitched. She didn’t expect him to be so “virtuous” around women. Her mind was preoccupied, and the flicker of familiarity she felt about the pickaxe didn’t have time to register.
“Big brother~ which zone are you in?” She pressed on, slowly moving closer to Ji Zhou, coyly twisting her fingers.
“I’m in Zone H-39. I think I just mentioned that?”
Yan Lan’s smile froze under his gaze. She quickly covered for herself: “Oh~ I meant I’m in Zone H-38. What a coincidence, big brother, we’re neighbors~”
Ji Zhou’s dark pupils gazed at her. Yan Lan quickly looked away, there was something about meeting his eyes that made her feel like she was being seen right through.
She walked on ahead, but her questions kept coming.
“Oh, by the way, big brother, what level is your vehicle now?”
“How many people are left in your zone, big brother?”
“Do you have any family in the game?”
“How old are you, big brother? Do you have a girlfriend?”
Xueqiu stood frozen the entire time, obediently shrinking on Yan Lan’s shoulder. Occasionally, upon hearing the words “big brother,” his little body would shudder as if shaking off goosebumps.
Ji Zhou tried his best to cooperate at first, but eventually resorted to responding with “Mm,” “Ah,” and “Oh.”
Just when he thought the awkwardness would never end, the chatter behind him suddenly fell silent.
He glanced back quickly. The girl’s tense shoulders had relaxed, she even seemed to let out a small sigh of relief.
Ji Zhou frowned slightly, finding it a bit strange, but politeness kept him from asking anything.
After walking in silence for a while, Ji Zhou suddenly spoke.
“Do you like durian?”
“What?”
Yan Lan looked at him in confusion. Why was he suddenly bringing up durian?
Ji Zhou pointed toward a durian tree in the distance. “There’s a durian tree over there.”
Yan Lan followed his gaze. In the dense forest far ahead, a peculiar tree stood out.
References[+]