49: Chapter 49 You've grown into a cute boy!

With a flap of his Four Wings, Su Mo soared into the sky, hovering high above to survey his surroundings.

The forest stretched as far as the eye could see, without a trace of human habitation.

“Looks like I'll have to sleep rough tonight.”

Su Mo chose a relatively flat and open clearing nearby to set up camp.

He lit a fire, took a small pot out of his Storage Pouch, and skillfully set it over the flames.

He mixed Instant Noodles into the white porridge, then sprinkled a handful of scallions he had brought from home; the aroma immediately spread out.

“To be able to eat such a delicious, visually appealing, and luxurious meal out here in the wild—what a wonderful thing!”

Su Mo held the small pot and wolfed down the contents, finishing it completely in just a few bites.

Satisfied, he rubbed his belly, then easily hollowed out a Tree Hole in a nearby trunk large enough for one person, and sat inside cross-legged.

His plan to Cultivate while traveling in the sky was going well, but Wang Shixian's interruption meant he hadn't completed much Cultivation today. His Dantian still contained only a lonely Spiritual Qi Speck.

He cursed inwardly, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began operating his Breathing Technique at full capacity to absorb Spiritual Qi.

The green specks in this Primeval Forest were extremely dense, giving Su Mo a feeling that his Cultivation was achieving twice the result with half the effort.

In just about an hour, a Spiritual Qi Speck was absorbed into his Dantian, a speed at least five times faster than before.

Su Mo rejoiced inwardly, intending to press on with his Cultivation, when suddenly—

Rustling footsteps came from not far away. The sound didn't seem like an animal's, but rather a person's.

“In this desolate wilderness, where are these people coming from?!”

Su Mo quietly slipped out of the Tree Hole, emitting an Ultrasonic Wave that ordinary people couldn't hear.

In less than a moment, a Stereoscopic Image of the area within a Hundred Zhang appeared in his mind.

The footsteps he heard were indeed human: ten people in total, nine men and one woman.

The woman was breathing rapidly and injured; a faint scent of blood wafted from her body.

The nine men seemed to be trained in martial arts; their steps were heavy and steady, and they were closing in on the woman in an encircling manner.

Su Mo didn't want to get involved, but those people were clearly heading toward his location.

Thus, Su Mo decided to go watch the fun. After all, it wasn't easy to run into people in this wilderness.

With a gentle flap of his Four Wings, Su Mo silently flew high into the sky. Using the moonlight, he clearly saw the scene in the woods.

“Princess, why don't you just come out...”

“We'll at least give you a quick death. If you're found by snakes, insects, tigers, or leopards, that would be a fate worse than death...”

The man leading them chuckled sinisterly, casually leveling a nearby bush.

A dozen meters away, a young girl was curled up in a pit behind a tree, one hand tightly gripping a dagger, the other clamped over her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“Princess? The Princess of which kingdom?”

Su Mo was puzzled. He had heard Old Man Song say that there was only one great nation nearby, the Qian Kingdom, and the rest were small kingdoms subservient to it.

“I wonder which kingdom's Princess this is, and if she's pretty?”

While he was thinking, the nine Martial Artists were already less than ten steps away from the girl's hiding spot!

“I found you!”

The leading man immediately spotted the corner of the girl's clothes exposed outside, grinning menacingly as he raised the knife in his hand.

Hearing this, the girl trembled violently, quickly stood up from the Tree Pit, took a step, but tripped over a root, falling heavily onto the ground.

“Hiss, that really hurts!”

Su Mo couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth upon seeing this.

Ignoring the pain, she scrambled up, only to see the man standing before her with his knife raised.

“Big Brother, are you really willing to be bullied so casually by Cultivators?!”

Hearing this, the man's expression froze.

“Princess, there's no need to say more. We are merely following orders.”

The knife flashed, and the girl closed her eyes in despair.

After waiting for a long time, the anticipated pain never arrived.

The girl tremblingly opened her eyes, only to see the nine Martial Artists lying neatly on the ground, blood spilling everywhere, motionless.

She was paralyzed with fear on the ground, looking around nervously, searching for the existence that could silently kill nine lifelong Martial Artists in an instant.

“What are you looking for?”

A detached voice suddenly came from above her head.

The girl suddenly looked up and saw a figure hanging upside down from the tree, bearing Four Wings on its back, covered in Black and Red Armor, its pair of demonic compound eyes staring straight at her!

“Ah—!!”

The scream stopped abruptly. The girl's eyes rolled back, and she fell straight backward.

She was actually scared unconscious!

Su Mo instantly swooped down from the treetop and grabbed the back collar of the girl's shirt.

“Tsk, scared so easily?”

He looked at the unconscious girl in his hand and sighed helplessly:

“Forget it, I'll take her with me for now!”

His Four Wings suddenly spread open. Su Mo, carrying the girl, turned into a black shadow and flew toward the campsite not far away... The night passed without incident.

A tempting aroma of food slowly roused the girl, who had been hungry all day.

“Mngh... Where am I?”

“Congratulations, you have become a cute boy.”

Hearing this, the girl's eyes instantly widened. She frantically sat up and looked down to check herself.

After checking, her face immediately flushed red, though it was covered in mud and ash, making it impossible to see.

She saw a half-naked man squatting by the fire, his back facing her.

Su Mo turned his head and handed her a bowl of white porridge:

“Eat.”

But the girl just stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at his face.

“What's wrong? Afraid I poisoned it?”

Seeing that she was slow to take the bowl, Su Mo said irritably.

Treating kindness as malice—is she really so wary of her savior? The world truly is declining!

“Su... Su Mo?!”

The girl suddenly cried out in surprise.

“Who are you?”

“I am Luo Qingxue—no, Miss Xue!”

“Miss Xue?!”

Su Mo scrutinized her. The woman was covered in mud and ash, her hair was messy, and only her teeth were white. There was no way to tell her original appearance; calling her a Mudball would be more fitting.

“Miss Xue, how did you end up in this state? Where are your Bodyguards?”

Hearing this, Luo Qingxue lowered her gaze.

“Uncle Li and the others... they all died protecting me...”

After a long silence, Su Mo pushed the bowl closer to her:

“My condolences.”

“Since things have come to this, let's eat first. After you finish, I'll take you to a nearby City...”

Before he finished speaking, Luo Qingxue suddenly looked up, her eyes glistening with tears:

“No! I'm not going back! I want to Seek Immortality!”

“Seek Immortality?”

Su Mo frowned.

“That's right! Thousands of miles to the south, Immortals stand like trees, and countless Sects exist. I want to join a Cultivator Sect...”

Her eyes flickered with the flames of hatred. She pulled out a blood-stained Jade Pendant from her bosom.

“Where did you get this information?”

Hearing this, Su Mo's expression became strange.

“It was recorded in an Ancient Text I happened to acquire.”

After speaking, she suddenly snapped back to attention.

“Young Master Su, why are you here?”