The Misty Forest was vast, and Shi Yunxuan had to count her steps carefully as she walked. It took them two hours to reach the other side of the Misty Forest. The moment they took that step, the view opened up dramatically. The forest inside was even denser, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, like a paradise on earth.
Xu Zifan released his divine sense and roughly scanned the area. This forest was ten times richer in resources than the outside world, but it also had three times more demonic beasts, mostly high-level ones. Even for a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, encountering three or five seventh or eighth-level demonic beasts would be fatal. He couldn't help but wonder, Shi Yunxuan and her senior sister were both at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and only her senior brother, though slightly more powerful, was only at the mid-stage of Golden Core. What were they doing here? Could there be some treasure hidden here?
Shi Yunxuan untied the handkerchief binding their wrists, smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her voice was weak, but she spoke as if she were pleading, "Brother Xu, shall we rest for a while before we go on? I'm so tired, my legs are about to break from walking so long."
Xu Zifan casually shifted his gaze, took a few steps forward to look around, then found a large tree and sat down in its shade. He said indifferently, "Are all the women of the Hehuan Sect like this? Fawning over strange men?"
This sweeping generalization would infuriate most people. Xu Zifan deliberately wanted to see Shi Yunxuan's reaction, but she just tilted her head as if thinking, and said playfully, "You guessed wrong! Women of the Hehuan Sect never fawn over each other. We only show 'goodwill' to those we like. If the other person responds, isn't that perfect? If the other person doesn't respond, then there's no need to waste time. After all, life is short, and we in the Hehuan Sect always value enjoying our time."
Shi Yunxuan sat opposite Xu Zifan, waved her hand and took out a small wooden table from her storage ring, placed it between the two of them, covered it with a beautifully patterned tablecloth, and quickly set out several plates of various kinds of spiritual fruits. She looked at Xu Zifan with a sweet smile, "Brother Xu, these are all my private stashes. They are very delicious. Try them and replenish your strength."
"Cultivation can replenish energy."
"How boring is that? Brother Xu, you mustn't be like those cultivation fanatics. What's the point? Even if you become an immortal, so what? Do you think the immortal realm is any different from ours? If you go to the immortal realm, you'll still have to cultivate like this." Shi Yunxuan showed a disgusted expression. "I can't stand the thought of having to cultivate for thousands or tens of thousands of years. It's too boring."
Xu Zifan picked up a spiritual fruit thoughtfully. He wasn't a hedonist and always cherished the opportunity to learn. But Shi Yunxuan was right; his life was endless. Could he just keep going like this for thousands or tens of thousands of years? Actually, it's important to learn different things in each world, but it's equally important to experience the joys of life in different worlds. Hedonism and learning shouldn't conflict. It's just that I was too stressed before.
Xu Zifan leaned back against the tree trunk, biting into a spiritual fruit and looking around. The scenery was delightful, and with beautiful women by his side, his current life was something countless people would envy.
Shi Yunxuan disliked quiet, and while eating spiritual fruits, she told Xu Zifan about the demonic beasts and dangers she had encountered. The two seemed less like they were searching for a medicinal herb field and more like they were on a picnic to relax, which indeed made them feel much more at ease.
After eating the spiritual fruit, they continued their journey. Without the fog, they traveled faster and finally found the medicinal field before nightfall. This medicinal field wasn't planted by humans; it was because the soil there contained abundant spiritual energy, making it easier to nourish medicinal herbs than elsewhere. Over millions of years, it gradually formed a medicinal field, about an acre in size, covered with various high-grade herbs. Unfortunately, due to neglect, some had succumbed to the wind and rain and withered.
Xu Zifan glanced at the surrounding terrain. This medicinal field was nestled in a corner, with mountains on two sides and water on two sides. Trees grew along the banks, making it completely invisible from the outside. The river was deep, the current was swift, and the river was wide, preventing demonic beasts from reaching the medicinal field. This was probably why this medicinal field had been preserved and had not yet been discovered.
Xu Zifan squatted down in the medicinal herb field, touched the leaves of the herbs, and asked, "How did you find this place?"
Shi Yunxuan sat down against the mountain wall and gave a bitter smile. "I fell into the river when I was seriously injured," she said, pointing to the tree at the far end. "Luckily, I managed to grab onto that tree and save my life. Otherwise, I would have been abandoned by my fellow disciples."
Her voice sounded a little disappointed, but she quickly perked up and said with a smile, "Brother Xu, you should pick all these herbs quickly. My senior brothers and sisters have also seen the herb field. Maybe they'll go back and call some people to come and pick them."
Xu Zifan nodded, glanced at her, and began to quickly and carefully dig out each herb, placing it into a jade box in his spatial storage. Shi Yunxuan swallowed a pill, sat cross-legged, and began to heal herself, making the surroundings much quieter.
Xu Zifan asked Shao Hua in his mind, "[Shao Hua, what kind of personality did you create for Shi Yunxuan?]"
[Shaohua: Her personality is currently unknown.]
Xu Zifan smiled knowingly. [This isn't called "unclear," it's called "ever-changing." I was just expressing my dislike for that frivolous attitude from women, and she not only described ancient frivolity as straightforwardness, but also immediately changed her tune, acting like a sweet little sister next door. Cute, harmless, and capable of arousing a strong man's protective instincts—can't you say she's worthy of being trained by the leader of the Hehuan Sect?]
[Shaohua: I've analyzed the personalities of female characters in countless cultivation novels, and my conclusion is that Shi Yunxuan is a "femme fatale." Such women are usually cannon fodder in cultivation novels.]
Xu Zifan almost burst out laughing. He was just chatting casually, but he didn't expect Shao Hua to analyze novels. He suppressed a laugh and said, "[That's right, the female protagonist is usually a saintly, innocent, and kind-hearted character. Even if she's wronged, she'll generously forgive the other person. If she really can't bear it anymore and attacks, it's only because someone close to her has been hurt, or because she has to do it for a greater cause.]"
I shook my head, almost getting goosebumps. [Compared to this, I should be thankful the woman next to me is a femme fatale; she's much more comfortable to be around.]
[Shaohua: According to statistics, enchantresses are generally disliked because they are too individualistic, too ruthless when seeking revenge, and prone to lying; they are both righteous and evil.]
Xu Zifan paused, "[Why do I feel like you're not talking about a vixen, but me? What's the difference between you and me?]"
[Shaohua: No, perhaps the most suitable identity for you is that of a demon king, not a righteous senior disciple.]
Xu Zifan smiled in surprise, "[You can joke now? I hope I can play a villain someday; some heroes are actually quite annoying. Hmm... maybe I can be a villain in this life, once my cultivation is high enough.]"
Xu Zifan dug until late at night before finishing digging up all the herbs. Shi Yunxuan, on the other hand, was very patient with healing; he guessed she was eager to recover and take revenge. She certainly couldn't let those two fellow disciples who had sent her into the lion's den get away with it. Standing at the edge of the herb field, Xu Zifan looked at the empty field and suddenly had a thought, "[Shaohua, do you think we can dig this soil into our space and plant herbs?]"
[Shaohua: Theoretically speaking—it won't work. Because there are no natural resources like sunlight, wind, or rain in the space. But perhaps we could try it like growing flowers indoors.]
Xu Zifan chimed in, "[When we have time, we move them out to sunbathe, and then put them back. It's just that we don't have enough space to create a whole medicinal herb garden.]" Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, "[If we don't have enough floor space, we can make more shelves and arrange the flowerpots on each shelf; that should be enough!"]
Xu Zifan acted immediately, chopping down a tree and using his spiritual power to carve it into a long, narrow flower trough, half a meter wide, two meters long, and half a meter deep. He filled the trough with soil from his medicinal garden, planted a few common herbs as experimental subjects, and then placed the trough in his spatial storage. As for the remaining soil, he would retrieve it after his experiment succeeded. If it failed, he could grow the herbs he needed here, turning it into his private medicinal garden, and then come back to harvest herbs later, since Shao Hua had already recorded the map through the Misty Forest.
Hearing some noise, Shi Yunxuan finished her full cultivation cycle and opened her eyes, only to find a bare medicinal field, fallen and broken tree trunks, and a pit beside it. She stood up and asked, "Brother Xu, what happened?"
Xu Zifan shook his head. "It's nothing. How about we spend the night here? There are plenty of monsters outside; it's not necessarily safer than here."
Shi Yunxuan glanced at the herb field again, smiled and nodded, "Okay, Brother Xu, you must be tired, right? I'll get you some food and drinks, you can rest for a while."
She took out a fur blanket and spread it out for Xu Zifan, then started a fire nearby. She then took out several pieces of meat from a level-five demon beast in her storage ring and began roasting it. It was clear she enjoyed it; she had even brought all the seasonings. Soon, the area was filled with the aroma of meat. Shi Yunxuan quickly said, "Brother Xu, could you help me set up a barrier? I'm afraid it will attract demon beasts."
Xu Zifan raised his hand to set up a barrier, and seeing that she had taken out a small pot, he asked, "What are you making?"
Shi Yunxuan smiled at him, "Make some vegetable soup, Brother Xu. I'm quite good at cooking, you must try it."
Shi Yunxuan not only prepared roasted meat and vegetable soup, but she also roasted monster eggs and made cold dishes. In total, the final dish on the table consisted of four dishes and a soup, all of which looked, smelled, and tasted delicious—a truly luxurious feast in the wild. Xu Zifan tasted a bite of each dish. The spiritual energy was abundant; Shi Yunxuan's cooking had not wasted any of the spiritual energy in the ingredients, and the taste was exceptionally good, even better than what he had eaten at the restaurant in that large city.
He glanced at Shi Yunxuan with surprise. Shi Yunxuan smiled and said, "What's wrong? Surprised that I cook so well? Brother Xu, do you think the women of the Hehuan Sect are all frivolous? Actually, no. The people of the Hehuan Sect are all very talented because we love ourselves very much. We know that only by improving ourselves can we live a better life and enjoy our time. Besides, if you're a good-for-nothing, how can you attract the opposite sex? Right? But in general, everything we do is to make ourselves happier. That's the Hehuan Sect's motto. My master often says, 'If you don't cherish yourself, who else will?' I think that makes a lot of sense. What do you think, Brother Xu?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "You're right, that's a good idea."
This time it was Shi Yunxuan's turn to be surprised. She looked Xu Zifan up and down, then smiled and said, "I thought Brother Xu would say I was selfish. It turns out Brother Xu is a kindred spirit." Her eyes became serious. "Brother Xu, actually I'm only selfish to outsiders. I'm very protective of the people I trust. You are my benefactor, and I will definitely help you with anything in the future."