ALL NOVEL Chapter 80: First I am Not Mute
The young girl did not refuse. She extended her fair, jade-like hands and took the bowl of meat porridge Su Luoheng handed over. She scooped up a spoonful and brought it to her lips, sipping a small mouthful.
Seeing this, he also served himself a bowl.
"Ouch, it's so hot!"
Su Luoheng put the meat porridge into his mouth and immediately sucked in a breath of air, his brows furrowing as he winced.
Watching the handsome boy grimacing, sweat beading on his forehead, a faint smile appeared on the girl's red lips, rippling like a dream in the bright, starry night.
But as soon as Su Luoheng turned back, her smile vanished instantly.
She continued sipping her porridge in small sips, expressionless, as if nothing had happened.
Su Luoheng turned back, still wincing. "Doesn't it burn for you?"
"…"
The girl glanced at him like he was a fool and continued sipping, demonstrating everything with her actions.
Looking at the steaming hot porridge, Su Luoheng fell silent.
Finally, his common sense kicked back in.
Then, he picked up the bowl again, but this time, he dared not drink it all in one gulp.
The two of them sat around the campfire like this, each holding a bowl of steaming meat porridge, eating slowly.
Although it wasn't some rare delicacy, it was enough to fill their stomachs.
With a beauty by his side, the bowl of porridge had a different flavor altogether.
"…"
After a moment, Su Luoheng looked up and noticed she had already put down her bowl and chopsticks, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames in front of her, her expression focused, as if lost in thought.
Noticing the gaze beside her, the girl's expression quickly returned to its cold and aloof state.
"Where is your home?" Su Luoheng was the first to speak.
Hearing this, the girl glanced at Su Luoheng, paused for a moment, and then raised her right hand, her slender white finger pointing to the northeast.
"Over there, huh? That's on the way," Su Luoheng muttered quietly, then took out a candied hawthorn stick. While eating, he said,
"It'll take about two more days to get out of the forest from here. I'm heading north as well. Do you want to come with me? If you agree, just nod."
"…"
The girl's gaze was cold like a deep pool as she looked at Su Luoheng. After a moment, she lightly nodded.
"Alright then, you should go rest."
As he spoke, Su Luoheng pointed with the candied hawthorn stick toward the tent not far away. "I'll take the first watch for the first half of the night, and you take the second half. No problem, right?"
"…"
The girl did not respond, but her eyes squinted slightly.
Following her gaze, it seemed to be… the candied hawthorn stick??
Su Luoheng tried waving the stick in his hand, and sure enough, her eyes followed its movement, with a hint of anticipation flashing in them.
Well, it's confirmed~
"Ahem…"
Seeing this, Su Luoheng coughed lightly and discreetly put the candied hawthorn stick into his storage soul guide, urging, "It's getting late. Go rest already!"
"…"
A rare trace of annoyance flashed in the girl's eyes, but she quickly regained her calm.
With light steps, she walked towards the tent behind her.
Only after she left did Su Luoheng take out the candied hawthorn stick again, savoring it with a satisfied smile.
Dinner could be shared.
But his precious candied hawthorn? No way~
He only brought seventy or so sticks with him this time, just enough to last him from Ming City back to Maple Leaf City. If she got hooked on them, there wouldn't be any left for him.
The night deepened.
In the camp, the bonfire crackled, casting a soft, warm glow.
Unknowingly.
The mysterious and beautiful figure of the girl left a deep impression in Su Luoheng's mind, lingering and impossible to shake off, even though he himself wasn't aware of it.
The night grew deeper, and the moon became rounder.
The girl inside the tent was also awake, her eyes glimmering.
It seemed like she was lost in thought.
...
...
Three days later, in the Fallen Soul Forest.
With the girl's companionship, Su Luoheng's journey felt much less lonely, even though she remained cold and silent. It was far better than traveling alone.
His luck had also seemed to improve over the past few days.
They hadn't encountered any powerful soul beasts along the way and smoothly made it out of the Fallen Soul Forest.
Ahead, not far away, was a town.
Su Luoheng and the mysterious girl were about to part ways.
"In the future, you'd better not enter the soul beast forest alone. It's dangerous for those who aren't soul masters, and with your looks… it's even more dangerous."
As long as she was careful after leaving the soul beast forest, she shouldn't encounter any danger.
Su Luoheng turned around, and the girl maintained her usual cold demeanor. He wasn't sure if she had heard his words.
"Here, take this."
He took out a candied hawthorn stick and handed it to the girl.
She was momentarily stunned, her eyes seeming to ask a question.
Seeing her hesitation, Su Luoheng smiled and explained, "I noticed you were staring at it before. Since we're parting ways, you can have one~"
"…"
Upon hearing this, she nodded slightly and reached out her slender, fair fingers to accept the candied hawthorn stick.
"Well then, goodbye."
Su Luoheng smiled brightly and walked toward the distant town.
Before he could step into the town, a cold voice called out from behind.
"Wait a moment."
Su Luoheng paused, standing still as he turned around to look.
"You... you can speak?!"
Su Luoheng was taken aback, staring at the girl in surprise.
"First, I'm not mute."
"Second, thank you for your help."
She maintained her cold and aloof demeanor, but when her icy blue eyes glanced at the storage soul guide on Su Luoheng's wrist, the corners of her lips curled into a barely noticeable smile.
"Third, the candied hawthorn tastes quite good. Thank you for the treat."
"You…"
Before Su Luoheng could respond.
The girl's lips bloomed into an unparalleled, breathtaking smile, vanishing in an instant.
In that fleeting moment, everything in the world seemed to pale in comparison to her.
"As a token of thanks for guiding me these past few days, here's a tip: the soul bone in your possession is not ordinary. Even though its level doesn't reach ten thousand years, its aura is quite special and is not weaker than those high-year, ten-thousand-year soul bones."
"If you can, I suggest you absorb it as soon as possible. It will bring unexpected benefits. Right now, its effects may not be apparent, but for your future, it will undoubtedly be advantageous."
"Alright, little one, until fate brings us together again."
"My name is Xue—"
Before she could finish, she leapt away like a butterfly, her figure disappearing in the blink of an eye, as if she had never been there.
Su Luoheng didn't catch the last syllable.
"Xue?"
"She's... not an ordinary person…"
He murmured softly, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes.
The mysterious girl was no ordinary person.
Her strength was undoubtedly far beyond his own.
So, the reason they hadn't encountered any powerful soul beasts wasn't because of his luck but because of her presence, deterring them the whole time.
"Heh…"
Thinking of this, he let out a bitter smile.
In retrospect, he must have made quite a fool of himself on this journey!
Su Luoheng rubbed his chin.
The few words she left behind were rather puzzling.
How did she know he had a soul bone?
And as for the candied hawthorn, though it was delicious, she hadn't tasted it, so how did she know it tasted good?
Wait!
At that moment, he recalled the look in her eyes as she left. It seemed… it seemed…
Su Luoheng shivered, lowered his head, and looked at his storage bracelet, a sense of unease rising within him.