Chapter 210: Chapter 209: How to Probe

The world was so big. Who could possibly resist the urge to travel and explore its delicious foods and beautiful sights?

’Besides, I can teleport to his side anytime, anywhere. There’s simply no reason to refuse!’

“Well, Ji Liang, be safe. I… I’ll come visit you often…” Si Shuo gave up resisting and obediently fell into the Snake Beast’s trap.

Ji Liang smiled and ruffled her hair, “Okay, I’ll be waiting. Alright, Little Shushu, you know I’d rather make things difficult for myself than make you uncomfortable.

I’m heading home first to tell Kouba what we need to buy tomorrow. You and Wei Ce should come back early. It’s still quite dangerous in the outskirts.”

He was worried that Wei Ce, having been overprotected by his family, lacked survival experience in the wild.

Si Shuo nodded. She took out a level sixteen attributeless crystal stone and a twenty-square-meter Storage Ring, then said in a low voice,

“Ji Liang, you’ll be teaming up with Kouba to do business in the future. His increase in strength will be a great help to you. Besides, aren’t you going to organize a Traveling Merchant Team later on?

He will become your capable assistant… As for this Crystal Stone, just let the two of us, Kouba, and Yimei know…”

Ji Liang sighed softly and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Little Shushu, you truly are the greatest blessing the Beast God has ever sent me!”

It was a male’s greatest fortune to meet a female who was completely devoted to him.

Si Shuo chuckled lightly. “My Rongxing! But you’re a blessing sent to me by the Beast God too, Ji Liang. Without you, who knows which female cave I’d be in…”

Before she could finish, Ji Liang leaned down and silenced her with a kiss. He refused to even entertain that possibility.

Their meeting had been perfectly timed.

Ji Liang was in a good mood as he teleported from point to point on his way back. When he got home, he couldn’t help but pat his head. ’Have I been coaxed into a daze by that little female again?’ His initial minor grievances had vanished without a trace.

Realizing he was once again left alone with the little female, Wei Ce’s towering figure stood there like a statue, not daring to move an inch. His ears were so crimson they looked as if they might start bleeding.

Si Shuo turned to see his dazed expression, pursed her lips into a smile, and stepped forward on her tiptoes to tug his ear.

Wei Ce bent down to accommodate her. His ears were quite sensitive. The slightest touch sent a pleasant, tingly jolt through his body. He found the sensation almost torturous—he wanted to pull away but couldn’t bear to, so he could only look at her with a helpless, pleading gaze.

Si Shuo’s heart softened at the sight. She threw herself into his arms, leaned close to his ear, and whispered with a chuckle, “Brother Ce, turn into your Beast Form and take me for a spin, okay?”

Wei Ce nodded and immediately transformed into an Iron-eating Beast, lying on the ground for her to climb onto his back.

Seeing the big, black-and-white bear, Si Shuo couldn’t contain her excitement. She pounced on him for a good, thorough petting before climbing onto his back, completely satisfied.

Before they had followed Ji Liang to the teleportation points, they had activated a skill to hide their auras. This was a skill she had requested from the Beast God back when they were rescuing the city’s Female Saints from the clutches of the Winged Dragon Clan to facilitate their movements.

Wei Ce carried her as he ran through the forest. The woods here were rather sparse, but they made up for it with their vast area and numerous rolling hills. It was a popular spot for Beastmen from inside and outside the Beast City to hunt for a feast.

Aside from the spring hunt, Wei Ce had rarely even left the North City District, let alone the city itself. They tended to avoid any non-essential activities that consumed a lot of stamina.

However, he had heard from the Beastmen in the Beast Soldier ranks that there was a huge, magnificent waterfall in this area. The fish and shrimp in the water below were said to be sweet and not the least bit fishy.

After a mad dash, he relied on his decent sense of direction to bring Si Shuo to the waterfall just before sunset.

The orange-yellow afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm hue over the waterfall. The rushing water crashed onto the river’s surface, creating a mist that formed a rainbow-colored arch.

The surrounding green mountains stood serene and majestic. All over the cliff faces, tall pines with coiling branches reached for the clouds in a myriad of poses. The area was lush with grass and trees, dotted with wildflowers. The breathtaking beauty struck one to the core, creating the urge to spend the rest of one’s life piously guarding the place.

“Brother Ce, it’s so beautiful here!” Si Shuo exclaimed happily, grabbing Wei Ce’s ears. Turning her head, she spotted fish and shrimp swimming in the crystal-clear river water. Delighted, she immediately patted his head. “Brother Ce, catch some fish for me to eat!”

Wei Ce placed her on a large rock by the bank and reverted to his human form. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to watch over her properly, he cleared away the surrounding vegetation, leaving no hiding spots for any potential intruders.

“Shuo, you sit here and wait. I’ll be back soon.” After ruffling her hair, Wei Ce waded into a slightly deeper part of the river and stood perfectly still, waiting for the fish to lower their guard and swim back.

Si Shuo manipulated the Si Teng vine on her wrist, commanding it to pick up some pebbles for her.

Just as the fish swam near Wei Ce, she mischievously tossed a pebble and scared the school away.

After she did this twice, Wei Ce looked at her with resignation. “Shuo, do you actually want to eat fish or not?”

Si Shuo chuckled lightly. “Wild fish and shrimp are too wary. Catching them one by one is a pain.” As she spoke, she took out a shrimp trap. “Brother Ce, try this!”

Following her instructions, Wei Ce put bait in the trap and placed it in a narrow section of the river.

“Alright, Brother Ce, we’ll come back to check on it later,” Si Shuo said. She took a bite of a Dust Cleaning Talisman and had Wei Ce take a bite as well.

Instantly, they both felt refreshed and clean, which made them even more cheerful.

She took out sandwiches she had made with steamed buns. They were filled with fried eggs, cucumber, lettuce, and meat patties, all slathered in sauce. A single bite revealed the chewy yet soft bun, the rich texture of the filling, and a delicious, savory flavor.

Wei Ce sat next to her, head down, devouring the sandwiches. He wolfed down half a basket in one go—about thirty or forty of them!

Finally about seventy or eighty percent full, he contentedly sipped chicken soup from a bamboo flask, thinking that life couldn’t get any better.

Si Shuo looked at the wide waterfall cascading down the mountain and was reminded of the Shuilian Cave from a travel story she had read. Unable to resist, she tugged on Wei Ce’s arm, pointed at the waterfall, and asked, “Brother Ce, do you think there might be a cave hidden behind it?”

Wei Ce paused for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know, but we can go investigate.”

Si Shuo asked curiously, “How?”

With a smile, Wei Ce transformed into his Beast Form and carried Si Shuo up the mountain, stopping about a third of the way up beside the waterfall.

He held Si Shuo’s hand tightly with one paw while forming a massive boulder with the other, which he then hurled fiercely at the waterfall.

The boulder was heavy, and he had thrown it with great force. It passed through the water and struck the cliff face with a crisp SMACK. “No cave here,” Wei Ce said with a smile, before throwing another boulder at a spot nearby. He was actually using this brute-force method to check section by section.

The method was tedious but surprisingly stress-relieving. The two of them were patient, childishly convinced there had to be a secret base behind the waterfall.

While enjoying the show, Si Shuo took out various fruits. She’d take a couple of bites herself and feed the rest to the big bear beside her. ’Watching him eat so happily is even sweeter than eating it myself,’ she thought.

Wei Ce’s attention was forcibly split three ways: he was focused on her, the taste of the fruit, and the sound of the boulders’ impact.

He threw another boulder. Wei Ce’s ears perked up. The boulder made a sound, but it wasn’t a single impact. It was a series of thuds—THUD, THUD, THUD—like it was rolling across the ground!

His body jolted. He hurriedly threw a second boulder at the same spot. This time, even Si Shuo could hear the string of impacts as the boulder rolled, followed by the faint echo from within a cave.

“Brother Ce!” Si Shuo cried, tugging at Wei Ce’s fur. “Quick, see how big the entrance is!”

Wei Ce nodded. Centering on that spot, he used more boulders to probe the area. The entrance was about one person high and two arm-spans wide. By varying the force of his throws, he also determined that the cave wasn’t very deep—the stones only rolled two or three times before coming to a stop.

Both of them were intrigued. Si Shuo immediately equipped Wei Ce with the Butterfly Wings, a system reward she’d received when she bonded with Yin Jiang. The wings condensed from the rootless flower were too flimsy and could only perform simple movements, unlike the sturdy Butterfly Wings that could move according to the user’s thoughts. She also placed a woven vine helmet on his head that covered his neck.

Wei Ce hugged Si Shuo tightly, protecting her head. Taking a deep breath, he aimed for the cave opening and flew straight in.

The mountain was very high, and the cave was located halfway up, right in the center of the waterfall. The force of the water crashing against Wei Ce’s thick hide caused a stinging discomfort. He arched his body even more to shield the little female in his arms.

They passed through the curtain of water in one go and found themselves standing in a stone cave. Outside, the waterfall roared—WHOOSH!—but inside the cave, the sound of dripping water was crisp and unhurried.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep