79: Chapter 79 The Secret Realm of Thick Earth

The sky was growing dark.

In the room, Chen Qing sat on a chair, expressionless, staring at the cartoon-patterned bedding and pillow neatly laid out on the bed.

This was the most childish-styled bedding she would be using, yet strangely... she didn't hate it.

This strange feeling made her somewhat agitated.

Knock, knock, knock~

"Who is it?" Chen Qing said coldly.

"It's me, Li Yu. Are you hungry? I cooked a bowl of noodles for you too. Food outside isn't healthy; cooking it yourself is cleaner."

Shing— Her longsword left its scabbard, and a flash of killing intent crossed Chen Qing's eyes.

This was a good opportunity. There was no one else nearby, his sister wasn't here, and there were no surveillance cameras. No one would know if she killed him.

She could chop him up, put the pieces into sealed bags, stuff them into a suitcase, and take them outside the city to bury them. No one would ever find out.

She stood up and walked slowly to the door, stopping just over a meter away from Li Yu, separated by a somewhat rotten wooden door.

Clang! The longsword returned to its scabbard.

Chen Qing shouted coldly: "Not hungry! Not eating!"

It was quiet at the doorway for a moment.

Just as Chen Qing thought Li Yu had left, she heard him say: "Oh, leaving it at the door? Alright."

Chen Qing was stunned. When she looked through the peephole, Li Yu had already left. On a red plastic stool at the doorway sat a large bowl—no, a small basin—of noodles.

Was this person's brain blocked by something?

Could he not understand what she meant?!

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Chen Qing's heart for no reason. She took a deep breath and said one word: "Eat!"

She opened the door, glanced at the door across the hall, and snatched the bowl of noodles inside like a thief. Her speed was incredibly fast, yet not a single drop of the broth, which was filled to eight-tenths capacity, spilled out.

Only the steam from the noodles remained in the hallway. Separated by a door, the slurping sound of eating noodles could be heard.

...

Saturday.

Early in the morning, Li Yu knocked on Chen Qing's door.

"What is it?" Chen Qing asked.

Looking at the faint dark circles under her eyes, Li Yu asked with concern: "Did you not sleep well last night? Is it because you aren't used to the new bed?"

"No, it was fine," Chen Qing said.

For her, she could sleep in the harshest environments and the worst places, because only by resting well would she have the strength to survive.

The only time she suffered from insomnia was after killing bad people, but she hadn't killed Li Yu yesterday, so why was she suffering from insomnia?

Chen Qing couldn't figure it out and ultimately blamed the basin of noodles.

What kind of decent person eats noodles out of a basin!

It almost stuffed her to death!

"I'm going to the Thick Earth Mystic Realm today. Accompany me, and I'll treat you to a meal when we get back," Li Yu invited.

Thick Earth Mystic Realm?

A strange look flashed in Chen Qing's eyes.

Mystic Realms were typical lawless zones. Once outside the camp, no one would care who was killed.

She had been worrying about how difficult it was to clean up after killing someone in the bustling city, and Li Yu had gone and chosen his own burial ground.

Thinking of this, Chen Qing said: "Forget the meal. I am a Guardian; protecting you is my duty."

"It's settled then. Remember to tell me what you want to eat tonight." After saying this, Li Yu turned back to his room. "I'll pack up, and we can leave soon."

The door closed, leaving Chen Qing standing in the hallway, dazed.

Wait...

Is this guy hard of hearing?

I said he didn't need to treat me to a meal!

I really said it!

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Chen Qing moved a bit faster. In less than 3 minutes, she had washed up, changed her clothes, grabbed her sword, and knocked on the door on the other side.

Well, Li Yu was still struggling with his backpack, trying to stuff everything into it: floral water, mosquito coils, a lighter, self-heating meals... he even had a tent!

Beside him was a strange pangolin, also carrying a mini-sized backpack.

Chen Qing: "..."

After a while, she sighed and said: "There are camps in the Mystic Realm. They have everything you need; just bring yourself."

"Ah? Is that so? I haven't been there before. What about the mosquito coils and floral water?"

"There are no mosquitoes in the Thick Earth Mystic Realm."

"What about the tent?"

"The Mystic Realm is very small; a day trip is enough."

"Oh..."

Li Yu scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile: "You're the professional after all."

"Let's go."

"Alrighty~"

The two of them and the beast left the house and headed straight for the Thick Earth Mystic Realm. On the way, Chen Qing looked at the Spirit Probing Armor and asked: "You're bringing a monster beast?"

"It's a Beast, just not contracted yet," Li Yu said, holding the Spirit Probing Armor with a smile. "It's going to be the main force for this trip to the Mystic Realm."

Chen Qing didn't understand, but she didn't pay it much mind.

Soon, they arrived outside the portal to the Thick Earth Mystic Realm and encountered their first problem.

"Due to the high number of Beast Tamers exploring recently, in order to ensure the recovery of the Thick Earth Mystic Realm's natural ecology, Beast Tamers are requested to stagger their visits. An appointment registration system is now open; please scan the code to reserve a suitable time slot."

Li Yu squeezed into the crowd in front of the teleportation array, staring at the huge promotional board in front of him, and fell into a strange silence.

A strong sense of dissonance welled up in his heart.

Before transmigrating, it was understandable to stagger travel during Golden Week holidays; after all, it wasn't fun if there were too many people.

But what the hell is staggering participation for a Mystic Realm?

If a Beast Tamer dies in the Mystic Realm, does that count as occupying a spot forever, or is it automatically removed?

At this moment, the crowd surged. Li Yu took the opportunity to squeeze closer and saw a more detailed announcement.

There was one exception.

"Veterans, Senior Cultivators, and Honorary Beast Tamers are given priority by law. Please bring relevant documents and proceed to the front desk for processing."

Oh... never mind then.

Li Yu walked in front, leading Chen Qing and carrying the Spirit Probing Armor, and marched valiantly to the information desk of the teleportation array.

Slap!

He placed his Senior Cultivator qualification certificate down and grinned: "Excuse me, two people. Please register us."

The staff at the information desk saw the certificate and looked at Li Yu in surprise. The look in their eyes seemed to say, "You're a Breeder?"

However, they were professionals and didn't mock him or show disbelief. They opened the certificate to look at it and then scanned it with a machine.

After confirming the information was correct, they looked at Li Yu in shock, their eyes changing to say, "You really are a Breeder!"

Li Yu smiled, but soon, a new problem arose.

"Uncontracted monster beasts count as two spots. Including the two of you, the total is 4,000 yuan. Please scan the code."

"That's... so expensive." Li Yu picked up his phone and scanned the code skillfully. He was glad his income was higher now; if it were back when he first transmigrated, 4,000 yuan could have cost him half his life.

After scanning and getting their passes, following the priority principle, Li Yu, the two of them, and the beast entered the teleportation array and disappeared amidst the envious and awestruck gazes of others.

...

Thick Earth Mystic Realm.

Li Yu opened his eyes and found himself at the entrance of a camp. All around were vast stretches of yellow sand, mottled red rocks, and a grayish-yellow sky. In the distance, things like sand tornadoes were rising into the sky.

The thick scent of sand and soil rushed toward him, mixed with waves of heat, as if it wanted to evaporate all the moisture in the human body.

With a deep breath, his throat felt somewhat scorched, but Li Yu didn't care and exclaimed: "What a spectacular sight!"

The Spirit Probing Armor opened its pitch-black eyes, looking around curiously. The dependence on soil deep within its soul made it feel a sense of intimacy here.

Li Yu looked toward the camp again and saw people coming and going inside, bustling and lively. Many earthen houses stood scattered about, and there were people setting up stalls, chattering away.

"It's so lively," Li Yu said impatiently. "Let's go in and take a look."

For a modern soul, what could make him more impatient than this spectacular sight?

"Wait!" Chen Qing's voice rang out.

Li Yu turned back to look and saw Chen Qing holding a set of earth-yellow protective clothing, looking at him with a helpless expression.

"A Beast Tamer's body cannot withstand the energy of the Mystic Realm. Put this on."

"Oh..."