68: Chapter 68 Night Talk

The sky was faintly bright. As the morning sunlight filtered through the treetops and hit Bai Qi's face, a flash of purple light flickered in his eyes before he finally opened them.

He turned his head to look at Zhu Zhuqing, who was cultivating beside him.

During the latter half of the night, after Zhu Zhuqing had returned to the tent, she thought about her journey with Bai Qi and Xiao Wu, and how Bai Qi had saved her. She had tossed and turned on her blanket, unable to fall asleep.

After lying there for a while longer and still finding it impossible to sleep, she could only get up and slip out of the tent.

However, after Zhu Zhuqing stood up and left, Ning Rongrong opened her eyes. She watched Zhu Zhuqing's retreating figure, her eyes darting as she fell into deep thought.

On the other side, Bai Qi saw Zhu Zhuqing come out again, and her expression and mood seemed even lower than before.

So, after throwing the branch in his hand into the fire, Bai Qi looked at the approaching Zhu Zhuqing.

“Zhuqing, what's wrong? Why are you out again?”

Zhu Zhuqing didn't say a word; she just walked over silently, sat down beside Bai Qi, closed her eyes, and shook her head.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's lack of Spirit, Bai Qi opened the System mall and spent two gold coins to buy a bag of marshmallows and a bag of skewers.

He then took them out immediately, opened the marshmallows in front of Zhu Zhuqing, skewered one, and began roasting it by the fire.

Noticing Bai Qi's actions, Zhu Zhuqing looked at him in confusion.

“This... what is this?”

Bai Qi replied without turning his head.

“marshmallows, a very sweet food. They taste even better roasted.”

As he spoke, he reached out and turned the skewer so the marshmallow would heat evenly.

Under the heat of the flames, the marshmallow slowly expanded, its surface gradually turning golden brown, and a sweet caramel scent filled the air. Zhu Zhuqing stared curiously at the growing white mass.

Bai Qi handed the roasted marshmallow to her.

“Try it.”

Zhu Zhuqing took the skewer, hesitated for a moment, and took a light bite.

The roasted marshmallow had a crispy skin but was soft inside, melting the moment it touched her tongue. The sweetness slowly spread across her taste buds, as soft as a cloud.

Her eyes brightened slightly, but she maintained her current composure, her eyelashes trembling. Just as she was about to say thank you...

Bai Qi had already skewered another one and placed it over the fire, saying without looking up...

“You're welcome.”

Zhu Zhuqing was stunned, her words stuck in her throat. She lowered her head and took another bite of the marshmallow.

The two sat quietly like that for a while, the campfire crackling as the sweet scent of marshmallows drifted through the night.

Bai Qi roasted several more skewers in a row, and Zhu Zhuqing ate them in silence. Her previously low Spirits had clearly dissipated quite a bit. After finishing the last skewer, she gently set it aside, hugged her knees, and looked sideways at Bai Qi.

“Brother Xiao Qi.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you so good to me?”

Bai Qi threw the skewer in his hand into the fire and said with a smile.

“There's no reason, other than that I've taken a liking to you.”

Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, but her purple pupils suddenly constricted. She stared at Bai Qi's face for a long time, her lips trembling slightly as her eyes gradually turned red.

Having already looked away, Bai Qi sensed her abnormality and turned back.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't hide. She bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes, finally unable to hold them back as large droplets began to fall.

Zhu Zhuqing wanted to speak, but her throat felt blocked as if by something, and she couldn't utter a single word. She pursed her lips tightly, but the tears flowed even faster, impossible to stop.

Startled, Bai Qi quickly reached out to cup her face, his thumb gently wiping away the tears.

“Zhuqing, what's wrong?”

With her face cupped, Zhu Zhuqing cried for a while before shaking her head slightly and saying through her sobs.

“It's... it's nothing.”

Her voice was intermittent, unable to suppress the sound of her crying. After a moment, she suddenly lunged into Bai Qi's arms, hugging his waist tightly and burying her face in his chest.

Bai Qi's body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed and reached out to hold her.

Since being rescued by Bai Qi while being hunted, Zhu Zhuqing had never truly relaxed.

Spirit, Family—these two inescapable shackles weighed heavily on her alone.

Not until today did she finally find an outlet, and all those things she had bottled up for so long were finally vented in one go.

With one hand around her shoulder and the other gently patting her back, Bai Qi quietly comforted her like a child.

In the tent not far away, Ning Rongrong was lying on the ground with her rear in the air, peering through a small slit in the tent with sparkling eyes.

She had been lying there watching since Zhu Zhuqing left. Watching Zhu Zhuqing cry, seeing her throw herself into Bai Qi's arms, and seeing him patting her back. Her grin grew wider and wider, looking absolutely delighted.

However, Bai Qi had long since sensed her peeking. He didn't mind, continuing to pat Zhu Zhuqing's back steadily and unhurriedly.

After a good while, Zhu Zhuqing finally finished crying. She lifted her head from Bai Qi's arms, her eyes swollen and the tip of her nose red.

Seeing that a large patch of Bai Qi's chest was soaked with tears, her face turned bright red. She scrambled out of his arms in a fluster, lowering her head, not daring to look at him.

Bai Qi smiled and took a clean handkerchief from his storage ring to wipe Zhu Zhuqing's face.

“Honestly, you've cried yourself into a little tabby cat.”

She still didn't dare to look up, her ears as red as if they were about to bleed.

Inside the tent, seeing that things had settled, Ning Rongrong felt there was nothing left to see. She gently pulled the tent curtain shut, crawled back to her spot, and closed her eyes, a smirk remaining on her lips. She decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything.

By the campfire, Zhu Zhuqing took a long time to recover before squeezing out two words in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

“Stop looking.”

Bai Qi laughed, put away the unroasted marshmallows, stood up, and brushed the dust off himself. He looked toward the east as a ray of light pierced through the treetops and shone in.

“It's almost dawn. You should Cultivate first; I'm going to change my clothes.”

After speaking, Bai Qi got up and walked behind a nearby tree. This distance was just right, giving Zhu Zhuqing space to tidy herself up.

Zhu Zhuqing folded the handkerchief neatly into a small square and gripped it in her hand.

She took a deep breath and wiped away the remaining tear stains from the corners of her eyes. It was only after a long while that she began to Cultivate.

When Bai Qi returned after changing his clothes, he saw that Zhu Zhuqing had already begun to Cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

He slowed his pace, set a pot over the campfire, and took out rice and fresh water from his storage ring.

He began to simmer the porridge. After finishing everything, Bai Qi looked up at the sky; it was just the right time to Cultivate the Purple Demon Eye.

He then sat cross-legged and began to absorb the purple Qi.

After another while, Bai Qi opened his eyes, glanced at Zhu Zhuqing who was still cultivating, and stood up to stir the pot with a spoon.

Just then, a voice echoed in Bai Qi's mind.

“Kid, not bad. You've actually managed to win over such a beautiful girl.”

Hearing this, Bai Qi was slightly taken aback and then said.

“Seniors, you're awake.”

The Fire Dragon King spoke.

“No, the Ice Dragon King hasn't woken up. If it weren't for your high compatibility with fire, I probably wouldn't be awake either.”

Before Bai Qi could respond, it continued.

“Alright, don't bother with the pleasantries. I'm going back to sleep; you just carry on with what you're doing.”

After that, it spoke no more.

Bai Qi glanced at Zhuqing and gave the pot another stir.