The three of them didn't dare to delay, so they casually picked up some branches, restacked the firewood, and returned to the camp. After lighting the bonfire and setting up a barrier, they finally felt safe enough to rest for the night.
Ye Tiancheng, though he didn't say it, got up several times during the night to stand guard.
However, he didn't dare to overdo it and become too exhausted, so as dawn approached, even Ye Tiancheng had fallen into a deep sleep.
Long Miaomiao, as usual, had harassed him once during the night.
Ye Tiancheng, as usual, refused to engage. He didn't want to bring such trouble to himself, so he simply played dumb and brushed her off.
After driving Long Miaomiao away once more, Ye Tiancheng woke up from his dream, not naturally, but because he suddenly felt some unusual movement coming from the barrier he had set up.
It seemed something was attacking his barrier.
Ye Tiancheng immediately became alert. He got out of the tent and saw vines flying all over the sky, attacking his barrier. He reacted almost instantly, realizing that whatever had attacked the little fox yesterday must have found them today.
However, with Ye Tiancheng's strength, how could the barrier he set up be broken by mere vines?
Even Gui Hu A Zi couldn't have done such a thing.
If the other party wanted to scheme against Ye Tiancheng, they could only hide in the dark and launch sneak attacks.
If it were a direct confrontation, very few people could truly make Ye Tiancheng suffer a loss.
Counting them, you wouldn't even need one hand.
Ye Tiancheng calmly reinforced his barrier a little more and watched the vines dance outside with little reaction.
He then returned to the tent and saw that Ye Wuji had already woken up.
Ye Wuji asked Ye Tiancheng what was happening outside. Ye Tiancheng briefly explained, but he also told Ye Wuji not to be too afraid, as he could handle these matters and the vines outside posed no threat to them.
After hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, Ye Wuji felt relieved.
After speaking with Ye Wuji and reassuring him, Ye Tiancheng suddenly felt that something was not quite right.
He immediately looked towards where the little fox was resting.
The commotion outside was not small, and even Ye Wuji had heard it. He and Ye Wuji were here together, and they hadn't been particularly quiet when talking. How could it be that the little fox showed no reaction at all?
Ye Tiancheng glanced over and saw that the little fox was still lying in his sleeping bag with his eyes closed.
However, the little fox's complexion looked abnormal.
The little fox's face was pale and ashen, clearly not a normal condition, but very abnormal.
After a moment of surprise, Ye Tiancheng crouched down to check on the little fox's condition while thinking in his mind about when the little fox might have gotten into trouble.
Then, he remembered that it was likely related to the little fox being attacked by the vines last night.
Noticing Ye Tiancheng's actions, Ye Wuji finally paid attention to the little fox's abnormal state and couldn't help but worry a little. He quickly asked Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother, what exactly is going on?"
"What happened to Brother Fox? Why did he suddenly become like this... wasn't he fine yesterday?"
Ye Tiancheng frowned tightly, but he still answered Ye Wuji's question, "It's probably because the little fox went out to gather firewood yesterday and was attacked by those vines, which caused this condition."
Ye Wuji was surprised for a moment and asked anxiously, "What should we do? Can we find a doctor now?"
Ye Tiancheng channeled his cultivation into the little fox's body and after a brief examination, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
He said, "It's likely that the vines were poisonous and got onto the little fox, but neither of us noticed... There's no place to see a doctor here, but fortunately, the poison isn't too difficult to deal with. I can handle it."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Ye Wuji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."
Although Ye Tiancheng could completely deal with the toxicity, he didn't dare to delay, fearing that if the poison remained in the little fox's body for too long, it would cause damage to his body. If he suffered irreversible injuries, it would be troublesome.
It was also his fault for not being careful enough. Knowing that the little fox had been attacked yesterday, he hadn't thoroughly checked the little fox's injuries.
He didn't know when the little fox's poison had taken effect last night, nor how long he had been tormented by the poison.
Ye Tiancheng calmed himself and meticulously removed all the residual toxins from the little fox's body. Only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief. After the toxins were cleared, the little fox gradually regained consciousness and slowly woke up.
As soon as the little fox woke up, he felt a splitting headache and discomfort all over his body. He vaguely saw Ye Tiancheng by his side and instinctively asked Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother? What happened to me... My head hurts so much, and my body feels unwell."
His voice was extremely weak, and it was clear that the little fox was indeed very uncomfortable.
Hearing the little fox's question and seeing him wake up, Ye Tiancheng's worried heart finally settled.
Ye Tiancheng explained to the little fox, "There was a lot of commotion earlier, but you didn't wake up. I realized your condition was abnormal and after checking, I found out you were poisoned, likely by the vines that attacked you yesterday."
"But don't worry, I've already cleared the toxins from your body. Nothing will happen. You'll be fine after resting for a while."
The little fox trusted Ye Tiancheng implicitly.
Therefore, since Ye Tiancheng said he would be fine after a while, the little fox believed his words and believed that he would no longer feel so uncomfortable after a while.
The little fox originally wanted to nod, but he had no strength in his body, so he could only open his mouth to reply to Ye Tiancheng, "I understand... It sounded very noisy outside. I didn't hear it before. What was making that noise?"
Ye Tiancheng replied to the little fox, "It's the vines that attacked you last night. I'm not sure if time has stopped repeating within a day after reaching this area, so the vines found us here for revenge."
"Or perhaps there's another reason. Maybe we stayed within its sensing range, and these vines cannot tolerate any other creatures within their territory, hence they attacked us."
The little fox suddenly became a little anxious and almost sat up. It was just that he had no strength in his body, so the little fox's attempt to sit up abruptly failed.
The little fox asked anxiously, "Then what should we do? Should we just let that vine attack outside?"
Ye Tiancheng comforted the little fox, saying, "Don't worry, apart from being noisy, it can't break the barrier. I didn't block the sound so I could monitor the situation. If you find it too noisy, I can temporarily block it."
Since Ye Tiancheng said so, the little fox believed that Ye Tiancheng could indeed handle it.
The little fox then settled down again.
He looked at Ye Tiancheng and reminded him, "Then you must take good precautions. Be careful of the ground too. The vines might have roots underground."
Ye Tiancheng replied to the little fox, "When I noticed the vines attacking, I thought of this. The barrier is a 360-degree sealed enclosure, so you don't need to worry."
The little fox was reassured.
He said to Ye Tiancheng, "That's good. Don't block the sound. It's necessary to listen to the movements outside. If it's blocked, it will be much more dangerous. I don't find it too noisy."
Ye Tiancheng then stroked the little fox's head.
Ye Tiancheng said to the little fox, "Alright, with Big Brother here, you just need to rest and recover your energy. Anyway, we're not afraid of the attack. Once you're recovered, we'll set off."
The little fox frowned.
He felt like he was holding them back.
The little fox said, "I'll recover as soon as possible. If time is still repeating, we should leave here before yesterday's camping time. If there are too many overlaps, it will lead to bad consequences, won't it?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "It's okay. If you can't walk, I'll carry you."
After all, with the little fox and Ye Wuji following, Ye Wuji could transform into a bird and perch on them. With Ye Tiancheng carrying the little fox, there shouldn't be any major problems, and they could escape.
The little fox didn't want Ye Tiancheng to work too hard.
However, the little fox himself wasn't sure when he would fully recover and be able to travel. If he was inconvenient then, forcing himself would be useless.
So, in the end, the little fox obediently agreed without saying much else.
By noon, the little fox's spirits had slightly recovered.
He asked Ye Tiancheng about the situation.
Ye Tiancheng had checked again in the morning and found that time was still repeating. Therefore, it was likely still because they had camped here and encroached on the vines' territory that such a thing had happened.
Later, when they arrived here, they were not attacked. Either they were not discovered by the other party, or the other party was somehow restricted, and in the later time periods, large-scale attacks would not be so easily launched.
This way, it would be convenient for Ye Tiancheng and the others to continue their journey.
They wouldn't have to worry about walking too slowly, causing time to overlap and leading to bad outcomes.
The little fox thought Ye Tiancheng's deduction was quite reasonable.
Moreover, even if the vines didn't retreat, they had a way to escape unharmed. However, if the vines didn't retreat, they would have to leave as soon as possible to avoid affecting the other "them" in the cycle.
Fortunately, around three o'clock in the afternoon.
The vines' offensive gradually weakened, and finally, they slowly became silent.
Ye Tiancheng estimated the time and dared not delay any further, as it would be too late. He immediately dismantled the camp and packed all their belongings.
The little fox was gradually recovering and could already stand and walk normally.
However, the little fox could not walk too fast yet.
Ye Tiancheng was worried that if they didn't leave this area quickly, it might cause other troubles. So, he simply carried the little fox on his back. Ye Wuji transformed into a bird and followed beside Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, landing on the little fox's shoulder.
This way, it would be easier for the little fox to hold onto Ye Tiancheng's neck, and Ye Tiancheng would be more relaxed carrying the little fox, without worrying about him falling off.
On Ye Tiancheng's back, the little fox held the map they had obtained earlier, helping Ye Tiancheng identify the direction and guide him.
To be honest, this mode of travel was much more efficient than the three of them walking slowly before. Ye Tiancheng could walk very fast alone, and now he didn't have to wait for anyone specifically.