Just like that, Xia Zhuoyi carefully squeezed the monster beast’s egg under his armpit and trailed behind Ling Chuxi and Ling Yichen while bent in an awkward posture. Ling Yichen looked back at him and asked Ling Chuxi in a low voice. “Chuxi, are you sure this is a proper method? You’re not pulling his leg, are you?”
“Do I look like a person who’d do something like that?” retorted Ling Chuxi unkindly as she rolled her eyes at Ling Yichen.
“No, you don’t,” replied Ling Yichen as he nodded his head seriously. He paused before adding on, “But, you are.”
“Your skin is just itching isn’t it, Ling Yichen?!” Ling Chuxi had smiled when she heard the first bit of Ling Yichen’s words, but when she heard the second bit, she went mad.
Xia Zhuoyi caressed the monster beast’s egg as he held it under his armpit and muttered quietly, “Little wolf, little wolf, come out quickly. I feel like I’ve made friends really carelessly. Why is it that these two people don’t seem to be the least bit reliable at all?”
The three of them talked and laughed as they made their way into the inner parts of White Stone Canyon. Once they had, they no longer spoke loudly and joked around as they were fearful of disturbing any wild beasts or attracting any savage beasts.
This time, they did not go to a place as dangerous as Crouching Tiger Ridge, so things were fine. It was just that as they were in the middle of winter, there were not many herbs around to be found. However, Xia Zhuoyi thought of a place.
“Chuxi, I’ll bring you guys to a place where you can collect herbs. I have been there before. Although there were many herbs there, I wasn’t familiar with how to pick herbs or preserve them. If I had simply picked them, they would be rendered useless. Therefore, I decided not to pick any. But, now that you’re here, we can go there to pick herbs,” said Xia Zhuoyi excitedly as he suddenly recalled a place that wasn’t bad for herb picking.
“Where is it?” asked Ling Chuxi. Her interest was piqued.
“The east side. There are many hot springs there with moderate temperatures and even in winter, the area is still warm.” Xia Zhuoyi got even more excited when he mentioned the hot springs in that area. “We can even go and have a dip in the hot springs along the way.”
“That’s not bad at all. Let’s go!” When Ling Chuxi heard the words “hot spring”, she threw everything else to the back of her mind. Even picking herbs became secondary. Enjoying a dip in hot springs was the most comfortable and enjoyable thing. One should enjoy things first before discussing anything else.
Seeing Ling Chuxi’s reaction, Xia Zhuoyi immediately began leading them forward. Ling Yichen simply smiled helplessly and trailed after his friends in resignation of his fate as he carried a large bag on his back.
When Xia Zhuoyi brought Ling Chuxi and Ling Yichen to the entrance of smaller and more hidden canyon, a surge of hot air welcomed them. This allowed Ling Chuxi to know that the pools of hot springs were right up ahead! As they proceeded forward, they saw that the flora amidst this canyon were flourishing. There were even some small animals running about spiritedly.
“Just up ahead, just up ahead,” said Xia Zhuoyi enthusiastically.
Ling Chuxi quickened her footsteps. The plants by the pathway were indeed different. Even during winter, the fresh flowers did not wither. Indeed, there was also quite a variety of herbs here. The place was so green and vivid, it caused one to feel delighted.
“Let’s take a dip in the hot springs for a bit, then have our meal. We’ll stay here tonight,” announced Ling Chuxi decisively as she took her own small bundle from Ling Yichen’s hands. “I choose this hot spring here. The two of you should go further away and choose another over there. If the both of you dare to come over and peek, I’ll kill the two of you.”
“All right!” chimed Ling Yichen and Xia Zhuoyi with nods of acknowledgement, then they took their bags and went over to the other side.
After the two of them had walked quite a distance away, Ling Chuxi grinned and walked ahead in the opposite direction they went in while hugging her own buddle. There were indeed many hot springs here. There were over ten pools, both large and small. All of them had hot steam rising out of them, making this part of the canyon look like it was part of an immortal realm. Having so many layers of clothing on left Ling Chuxi feeling hot. She focused on her hearing and carefully listened to the surrounding sounds. After confirming there was no one around, she stripped off her clothes and waded into the hot spring.
