Chapter 34: Two Beautiful People
Zhang Lexuan and Lin Qinghan were both heading deep into the Xingdou Great Forest. With the help of Lin Qinghan's spiritual detection, their journey was mostly smooth.
However, since they had set out early in the morning, it took more than half a day of flying. Flying in the Xingdou Great Forest was too dangerous, so by the time night began to fall, they had not yet reached their destination.
Although Lin Qinghan's spiritual position didn't affect his vision, even at night, it was inconvenient to travel in the dark. Moreover, while his spiritual position consumed little energy, he couldn't maintain it day and night. He needed to keep his soul power and mental strength intact in case of emergencies.
The two decided to set up camp in an open area and set up a tent for the night.
"You've been maintaining spiritual detection for almost a whole day. You rest. I'll keep watch," Zhang Lexuan offered. She felt that although Lin Qinghan's domain soul skill consumed less energy, it had been in use all day. His condition might not be great now.
She had only used a little soul power and physical strength while flying with Lin Qinghan's assistance, so she was in better condition.
"You should rest during the first half of the night, and I'll take the second half. When we hunt spirit beasts, you'll be the main force," Lin Qinghan replied, shaking his head. Since absorbing the gold of living beings, his spirit power, mental power, and physical strength had recovered quickly.
He hadn't slept much since obtaining his fourth spirit ring. Although he'd maintained his mental state for the whole day, he hadn't exerted his full strength, so his consumption had been minimal. He was confident he could recover quickly.
Besides, since Zhang Lexuan helped him hunt spirit rings this time, it wouldn't be right to let her guard alone.
Zhang Lexuan was persuaded by his reasoning, and the two didn't argue further. They stood side by side in silence, and for a moment, the atmosphere felt intimate.
This was the first time Zhang Lexuan really looked at Lin Qinghan. It had been almost half a year since they last parted, and she herself hadn't changed much.
But in her eyes, Lin Qinghan had clearly changed.
While his facial features hadn't changed much, the transformation was obvious in his physical appearance. After absorbing the Ice Emperor's trunk bone, his height had increased significantly—he was now nearly 1.8 meters tall. Moreover, after months of soul compression training and learning about soul guides, his temperament had become more refined.
Compared to the Lin Qinghan she remembered, he was much calmer now and exuded a confidence that was uncommon for someone his age.
What a big change. He looks like a grown man now.
The thought lingered in her mind. For some reason, a slight blush appeared on her face.
"Ahem, Sister Lexuan, I'm going to meditate in the tent for a while. You can get the food ready first."
Just as the atmosphere became more charged, Lin Qinghan suddenly took out a pile of special dry firewood from his soul guide. With his spiritual stance, he arranged it into a perfect bonfire pile.
The flames quickly lit, sparked by a flash of lightning from his hand.
"Oh, go and rest first," Zhang Lexuan responded, shaking herself out of her thoughts. Her face flushed even redder, but the firelight hid it well.
Lin Qinghan, oblivious to her inner turmoil, took out the prepared food from his lunchbox and entered the tent to meditate.
Seeing him retreat into the tent as if nothing unusual had happened, Zhang Lexuan sighed in relief. She shook off her distracting thoughts and focused on heating the food, as Lin Qinghan had shown her the previous day.
But the blush on her face didn't fade. Under the firelight, it became even more apparent.
Zhang Lexuan felt strange—this feeling was different from anything she had experienced before. It was nothing like the feeling she had when taking care of Beibei all those years ago.
Zhang Lexuan had suffered much in her childhood, and after coming to Shrek Academy, she'd lived a life of cultivation, often resembling an ascetic. She rarely interacted with others, especially not with the opposite sex.
The only close interaction with a man had been with Beibei, when they had lived together as children ten years ago.
She didn't know much about relationships, but Lin Qinghan's presence made her feel a strange attraction—something she had never felt before. It made her want to be closer to him.
This was different from how she had felt when they first met six months ago.
While her thoughts were all over the place, Zhang Lexuan was, after all, a Soul Douluo. She didn't neglect her task and continued to heat the food.
When she saw steam rising from the lunchbox, she took it off the fire in time.
The food inside had been pre-made by Lin Qinghan. The lunchbox itself was a special device, with a trace of ultimate ice soul power added to extend the food's shelf life. Since the amount of soul power was minimal, it dissipated quickly under the fire, ensuring the food could be heated without issue.
The lunchbox, though barely a soul guide, was similar to a self-heating lunchbox, a rare convenience in Douluo Continent.
"This thing is really amazing. Just heating it makes the meal ready."
As a true Douluo Continent native, Zhang Lexuan had never seen anything like this. She marveled at its convenience.
When she used to go on missions for the Shrek Procuratorate, she had eaten dry food specially prepared by the academy. Not only was it difficult to describe the taste, but it also barely satisfied her hunger and didn't provide much nutritional value.
Just as Zhang Lexuan was about to call Lin Qinghan, she realized he had come out of the tent at some point. He was sitting beside her, as if he hadn't come out recently.
Having meditated briefly, Lin Qinghan had regained some mental strength. His soul power hadn't been drained much, and thanks to the gold of living beings, his recovery was fast. He came out after just a short quarter of an hour.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan staring at the lunchbox, he smiled and said, "Since it's ready, let's eat first."
Zhang Lexuan snapped out of her daze, feeling embarrassed once again, but she couldn't help but feel slightly amused.
Lin Qinghan noticed her contrasting expressions and teased, "Sister Lexuan, I see you've been lost in thought a few times. What's on your mind? Did something bother you earlier?"
He couldn't resist the urge to tease her, his smile playing at the corners of his lips.
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(End of this chapter)