Chapter 5 School Beauty, Can I Use Your Thighs as a Pillow?

Su Qingyue looked at the Iron Wire Python lying motionless on the ground, its vital point clearly struck. She then glanced at the lazy-looking Jiang Chen in the distance, a trace of confusion appearing in her cold eyes.

Was it a coincidence?

It must have been a coincidence.

How could a Trash at the second level of the Qi and Blood Realm (as she thought) break the defense of a Peak Rank One Demonic Beast by just throwing a stone? Those were scales that even her Azure Frost Sword couldn't cut through!

"Good luck."

Su Qingyue took a deep breath to calm her emotions.

She stepped forward and efficiently cut out the snake's gall and teeth as proof for her trophy points. "But don't be so reckless next time. If you had provoked it, you would have lost your life."

"Yes, yes, yes, Su, the Campus Belle is right to lecture me." Jiang Chen nodded perfunctorily, but in his mind, he was calculating the experience points gained from that strike.

[Kill Assist (Even though you crippled it, the System counts it as an assist), Battle Experience +50.]

[Mental Energy Lock-on Accuracy: 100%.]

[Current Qi and Blood Value: 1.25 (Third level of the Qi and Blood Realm).]

Jiang Chen was secretly delighted.

That strike just now wasn't a simple throw; it was infused with a trace of Mental Energy.

With the System's assistance, the snake's movements looked like they were playing at 0.5x slow motion in his eyes. It would have been harder to miss than to hit.

The two continued deeper. As the sky grew dark, the light in the forest became even dimmer, and the roars of beasts grew more frequent. The air was filled with the scent of decaying leaves and blood.

"It's getting dark. Traveling at night is too dangerous; we need to find a place to camp." Su Qingyue stopped and looked around, finally choosing a relatively open high ground backed by a giant rock.

Without a word, Jiang Chen set down his massive hiking pack and pulled the zipper.

Clatter.

A moisture-proof mat, a velvet inflatable mattress, a down duvet, two memory foam pillows... there was even a portable aromatherapy machine.

Su Qingyue stared dumbfounded, the dry rations in her hand nearly falling to the ground. "Are you... are you here for a picnic?"

Other Martial Artists wouldn't even dare to bring more than two compressed biscuits and some water. Even she had only brought a simple sleeping bag.

This guy had practically moved his entire bedroom here!

"Life needs a sense of ritual." Jiang Chen skillfully laid out the bed and even patted the pillow. "Look, how great this environment is. A natural oxygen bar. It's just that there are a few too many mosquitoes."

Su Qingyue's mouth twitched as she silently took out her own simple tent that could only fit one person.

In comparison, Jiang Chen's side was practically a five-star presidential suite.

"How should we arrange the night watch?" Su Qingyue asked. In the wilderness, a night watch was mandatory; otherwise, you wouldn't even know if a Demonic Beast snatched you away in your sleep.

"I'll take the first half of the night, and you take the second?" Su Qingyue suggested.

"No, no, no." Jiang Chen wagged his finger. "Like I said, I'm a professional. Tonight, you just sleep. The night watch is all on me."

"You?" Su Qingyue looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure you can stay awake all night?"

"Who says a night watch requires keeping your eyes open?" Jiang Chen gave a mysterious smile. "I have unique perception techniques. Go ahead and sleep. As long as danger approaches within ten meters, I guarantee I'll wake you up immediately."

In truth, Jiang Chen's mental calculator was clicking away.

Make him stay on watch?

Are you kidding? How would he go AFK then?

His plan was to have Su Qingyue sleep in the tent while he slept at the entrance (acting as both a guardian and leeching off the phoenix blood buff within a 5-meter range). Then, he would activate the System's [Sentry Mode].

Under the System's Sentry Mode, once a hostile target approached, the System would automatically wake him, or even directly initiate [Dream State Managed Combat]. This was safer and more accurate than any human night watch.

"Alright..." Su Qingyue was hesitant, but the day's battles had indeed left her exhausted.

Furthermore, that nerve-wracking insomnia was hitting her again, making her head throb. As soon as she closed her eyes, she would hear the rustling of wind and grass, as if danger was everywhere.

Strangely enough, when she stood near Jiang Chen, that sense of anxiety would inexplicably vanish.

"If you dare to fall asleep, I'll tie you to a tree to feed the wolves," Su Qingyue threatened before crawling into her small tent.

Jiang Chen chuckled and laid his luxurious bedding right at the entrance of Su Qingyue's tent, like a loyal watchdog... no, a flower-protecting envoy.

"System, activate Deep Sleep Mode. Set the alert range to 20 meters."

[Command confirmed.]

[Detected high-quality sleep companion (Su Qingyue) within a 1-meter range.]

[phoenix blood Resonance initiated!]

[Gained special status: Bloodline Baptism. The host's bone density is significantly increasing...]

Jiang Chen lay down happily and fell asleep in seconds.

...

The night grew deep. The Mist Forest became exceptionally terrifying, with tree shadows swaying like ghosts.

Lying in the tent, Su Qingyue had expected to toss and turn as usual.

But strangely, the steady, rhythmic breathing coming from outside the tent was like a bizarre lullaby.

Driven by that breathing, the restless Qi and blood in her body slowly calmed down.

An unprecedented sense of security enveloped her.

"Is this guy... really keeping watch?"

Su Qingyue thought dizzily, her eyelids growing heavier until she finally fell into a deep sleep.

This was the most peaceful sleep she had had in six months.

Outside the tent.

Though Jiang Chen was snoring away, his "consciousness," with the System's help, transformed into an invisible net covering a twenty-meter radius.

A colorful venomous spider quietly lowered itself from a tree, trying to approach the tent.

Swish!

The fast-asleep Jiang Chen flicked his finger slightly. A small pebble shot through the air, pinning the venomous spider directly to the tree trunk.

Ten minutes later.

A Wind Wolf responsible for scouting crept over silently, its green eyes staring at the tent.

Jiang Chen rolled over and suddenly exerted force with his leg, kicking a dead branch near his foot.

Puchi!

The dead branch pierced the Wind Wolf's throat like a sharp arrow. The Wind Wolf died on the spot without even letting out a whimper.

[Killed Rank One Demonic Beast Wind Wolf, Experience +20.]

[Did not disturb the sleep companion. Evaluation: Perfect Guardian. Extra Reward: Mental Energy +1.]

That night, for the Demonic Beasts in the forest, that seemingly defenseless camp was practically a forbidden zone.

Any creature that attempted to approach would be met with an inexplicably precise strike.

In a distant tree canopy.

The man in black sent by the Zhao family was staring intently at the scene. He held a red bottle, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes.

"No movement? This kid is a bit weird." The man in black frowned. "In that case, let me add some spice for you."

He opened the bottle cap and scattered the "Beast-Attracting Powder" into the air.

The wind blew the powder toward the camp.

...

3:00 AM.

[Warning! Warning!]

[Detected a large number of hostile targets approaching!]

[Quantity: 15.]

[Rank: Late Stage Rank One ~ Early Stage Rank Two.]

[Species: Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf Pack.]

[Danger Coefficient: High!]

The System's piercing alarm exploded directly in Jiang Chen's mind.

Jiang Chen didn't wake up immediately; instead, he entered a peculiar "half-awake, half-asleep" state.

This was the System's [Lucid Dream Combat Mode].

In this mode, he could maintain the recovery speed of sleep while controlling his body to fight. Moreover, because he lacked pain and fear, his combat power was even more terrifying.

"Awoo—!!!"

A shrill wolf howl pierced the night sky.

Over a dozen pairs of green eyes emerged from the surrounding bushes, instantly surrounding the camp.

Su Qingyue woke up with a start inside the tent, grabbed her long sword, and rushed out.

"Jiang Chen! Wake up! It's a wolf pack!"

Su Qingyue's face was pale.

Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves were pack-dwelling Demonic Beasts, cruel and cunning by nature. Once surrounded, even a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Qi and Blood Realm would likely die on the spot.

However, when she rushed out of the tent, she saw a scene she would never forget.

Jiang Chen was still lying on that inflatable mattress, even covered by his duvet.

But around him, three or four wolf corpses already lay on the ground.

A massive Rank Two Demon Wolf King was opening its bloody maw, lunging for Jiang Chen's throat.

"Watch out!!" Su Qingyue cried out, but it was too late to save him.

Just as the wolf's fangs were about to touch Jiang Chen's skin.

[Detected host's Mental Energy is abundant (under phoenix blood nourishment).]

[Activating "Dream State Managed · Violent Mode".]

Jiang Chen's eyes remained closed, but his right hand shot out like lightning. His arm seemed covered in a faint, transparent current of air as he grabbed the Wolf King's throat.

Crack!

There were no fancy moves, just pure power crushing down.

The Rank Two Demon Wolf King's cervical vertebrae shattered instantly.

Jiang Chen casually tossed the several-hundred-pound wolf corpse away like Trash, knocking down two other wolves pouncing from behind.

Then, he smacked his lips, rolled over, tucked his duvet tighter, and mumbled incoherently:

"So noisy... can't a person get some sleep..."

Su Qingyue's hand holding the sword froze in mid-air, her entire being feeling as if struck by lightning.

This... this was the "night watch" he talked about?

This wasn't a night watch; this was practically killing in his sleep!

The man in black in the tree was so terrified he nearly fell off, his night-vision goggles trembling in his hands. "What... what kind of monster is this? Killing a Wolf King while sleeping? The intel was wrong! This is definitely not the second level of the Qi and Blood Realm!"

The remaining Demon Wolves were clearly terrified by this scene. Their King had been casually crushed to death by a sleeping human?

Animal instinct told them that this seemingly harmless "sleeping beauty" was actually a prehistoric beast in human skin.

Whimper...

The remaining Demon Wolves tucked their tails between their legs and fled in all directions with mournful cries.

The crisis was resolved.

Su Qingyue stared blankly at Jiang Chen, who had fallen back into a deep sleep (his Mental Energy exhausted). Listening to that familiar snoring, an incredibly absurd feeling welled up in her heart.

Just how much strength was this school-wide recognized Trash hiding?

She carefully walked to Jiang Chen's side and, by the moonlight, looked at his peaceful sleeping face. For some reason, the lazy image she had once despised now seemed... somewhat pleasing to the eye, even mysterious and unfathomable.

"Who exactly are you?" Su Qingyue murmured softly.

Just then, Jiang Chen's brow furrowed. Seemingly feeling a bit cold, he subconsciously reached out his hand.

As luck would have it, he grabbed Su Qingyue's slender ankle, then pulled it toward him, using it as a body pillow and hugging it to his chest.

"Mmm... this body pillow... a bit hard... but quite warm..."

Su Qingyue: "!!!"

In that instant, an electric current seemed to travel from her ankle through her entire body. Su Qingyue's face turned red to the roots of her ears, and the sword in her hand almost dropped.

"Jiang Chen!!"

An indignant and humiliated scream echoed through the forest, startling countless birds into flight.