“What the?!” Mo Yi heard the noise, turned his head to look, and immediately jumped in fright. He lunged forward, leaping over the campfire and straight towards Mo Luo Xue.
Mo Luo Xue was caught off guard and Mo Yi fell upon her. A rare blush appeared on her face as he pinned her down, but it was quickly replaced by anger. She reprimanded him with a fierce tone, "Get off!"
Only then did Mo Yi realize he had "pushed" his own sister. Coughing twice, he quickly climbed up. Mo Luo Xue's hand was already on the hilt of her sword. If Mo Yi stayed any longer, he would have been truly cut down.
The two quickly recovered from their awkwardness and tension, both turning their gazes towards the opposite side of the campfire. There, a blood-red hand emerged from the bushes. As time passed, the person inside continued to struggle, attempting to climb out.
“…” Mo Yi was dumbfounded. In this day and age, someone would actually crawl into the bushes? Could it be some friend with unique tastes who enjoys being a masochist and came to the wilderness for a thrill?
Vaguely, Mo Yi seemed to hear a murmur from the bushes. He couldn't help but perk up his ears to listen carefully.
“Can… can you lend a hand?” the fellow in the bushes whimpered, asking for help.
Mo Yi was stunned. After a moment, he jogged toward the bushes and said hurriedly, "Coming! Coming! Brother, hold on.”
When Mo Yi pulled the supposed "masochist" brother out of the thorny thicket, he finally had time to examine him.
He was a middle-aged man with an appearance that suggested he was in his late thirties or early forties. He had a slender figure, simple short hair, wore a light blue shirt stained with blood, and a pair of old but well-maintained black cloth shoes. Added to that was the tattered bag on his back—a traveler in distress.
Mo Yi stared at the man with an uncanny gaze. Neither of them spoke. Mo Luo Xue gripped her sword hilt in the shadows. If the man made any strange moves, she could guarantee to kill him instantly.
“Sir… what is your name?” Mo Yi asked hesitantly.
The middle-aged man scratched the back of his head, his face earnest. He lowered his head to tidy his clothes, “My family is a farming family. I came here three days ago to hunt. I chased a wild rabbit too far, accidentally got lost, and was about to starve to death when I smelled a delicious scent. But I seem to have rushed too quickly, and accidentally bumped into these bushes."
When mentioning the scent, the middle-aged man took a deep breath. A grumbling sound came from his stomach, and he stared with hungry eyes at the roasted bacon... which was skewered by the fire behind Mo Yi.
“…” Mo Yi coughed twice, but found he wasn’t attracting the man’s attention. Finally, he sighed helplessly, turned around, bent over, and pulled out the roasted bacon, handing it to the middle-aged man.
“Haha! Thank you, thank you. You saved my life.” The middle-aged man sat down by the fire, unconcerned about any potential issues with the bacon, and started gobbling it down. His rustic, simple nature was evident. The blood-sweating horse tied to the banana tree cast a glance at the man, snorted, and then returned to its silence.
Mo Yi sat down beside Mo Luo Xue, making sure to keep a comfortable distance. They watched the man opposite them, who kept shouting “Hot, hot, hot”, yet his eating speed remained unchanged.
Mo Luo Xue frowned at Mo Yi beside her, but didn’t move. Compared to the unknown rustic man, she would still choose to sit with her foolish but physically inferior brother.
Mo Yi sneezed involuntarily, and instinctively cursed the three unidentified troublemakers.
“So… what’s your name?” Mo Yi rubbed his hands and tried to reach for the last string of roasted bacon, but his hand landed on empty air.
The rustic man stuffed the last string of roasted bacon into his mouth. After gobbling it down, he burped and said, “I’ve come back to life. Just call me Xiao Yan, little brother.”
“Xiao Yan?” Mo Yi was speechless. This rough-looking man actually had such a delicate name. That weather-beaten face couldn't show even a hint of a swallow’s grace.
“Yes, if you don’t mind, you can also call me Xiao Yanzi.” The man laughed out loud, his accent full of the flavor of Yu Jia village. Mo Yi immediately recognized it.
“Brother Yan is from Yu Jia village?” Mo Yi cleverly used a not-so-offensive term.
The man named Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, “How did you know? I didn’t tell you my hometown.”
Mo Yi shook his head without explanation. He scanned Xiao Yan and said, “It’s getting late. If you’ve finished eating, Brother Yan, leave as soon as possible. My wife and I need to rest. You can go straight northwest from here, don’t turn, and you’ll be able to leave this forest after about three hours. You’re already at the edge of the forest.”
Mo Luo Xue almost drew her sword upon hearing Mo Yi’s words, but she turned to look at Mo Yi, her pupils filled with… gentle affection!
“Damn it, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” Mo Yi’s cold sweat poured down like rain. Mo Luo Xue’s acting was great. The tenderness in her eyes was as real as it could be, making him think that the one sitting beside him was a beautiful wife, not a female tyrant sister. Despite this, Mo Yi, with his maxed-out psychology skills, could still see a trace of anger in the depths of her pupils, and a blue vein emerging on her delicate jade-like skin.
“Little brother, you’re so lucky!” Xiao Yan looked at Mo Luo Xue beside Mo Yi in surprise. “Your wife is even prettier than Xiaofang from my village!”
Mo Yi had no interest in knowing who this Xiaofang was. He only knew that his luck was about to run out. Mo Luo Xue wrapped her right arm around Mo Yi’s waist, and pinched his soft flesh in a place that Xiao Yan couldn’t see.
The firelight illuminated a couple, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. The man smiled broadly, his eyes twitching. The woman lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
“By the way, little brother, what are you doing in this godforsaken place? There are quite a few wolves, jackals, and tigers around here lately!” Xiao Yan looked at Mo Yi and Mo Luo Xue in astonishment. “Are you on your honeymoon?”
Mo Yi smiled wryly, thinking, “Brother, your imagination is as vast as a black hole. A honeymoon in this place? I’m not Bear Grylls. A honeymoon should be in the “Heaven and Earth” resort, 300 miles to the east of the capital city towards the center of the map of Yi Guo. There are beautiful women everywhere, there are hot springs, and you can have wine with your wife, then listen to a song. That’s a real honeymoon!”
Mo Luo Xue, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. She looked up at Xiao Yan, her voice slightly cold, “If you have nothing else to do, please leave. My humble wife and I need to go to sleep. It’s already late, and we haven’t even set up our tent. Brother Yan, you can walk straight northwest from here, don’t turn, and you’ll be able to leave this forest after about three hours. You’re already at the edge of the forest.”
Xiao Yan glanced at Mo Luo Xue, a strange glimmer in his eyes, then nodded, stood up, and turned to leave. “Then I won’t bother you anymore. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Mo Yi watched as the man plunged into the forest. As the footsteps grew fainter, the entire forest became quiet again.
Mo Luo Xue was about to draw her sword to attack when she suddenly noticed that Mo Yi beside her was smiling silently. A black as ink dagger fell out of his sleeve. Mo Yi remained vigilant the entire time.
“Two down, one to go.” Mo Yi looked in the direction Xiao Yan left, and said flatly. He stuck the dagger into the ground. A feeling that Mo Luo Xue found unfamiliar emanated from Mo Yi.
Mo Luo Xue wasn’t unfamiliar with that feeling. She had felt it from Mo Tian Jiao as well... It was called fighting spirit!
Xiao Yan, already gone, looked back at Mo Yi and Mo Luo Xue’s location. A strange curve formed on his lips.