The two knew that their earlier nonsensical talk had caused a bad impression. On the way to Snowman Peak, they hesitated several times, wanting to explain.
However, Zhang Qiling quickly showed he no longer cared, continuing to scout ahead as usual. Bringing up the matter now would only make them seem like they were dwelling on it.
Fatty (signaling with his eyes): Go on, fully utilize your innocent and pure personality. Now is your time to shine!
Wu Tianzhen (looking back): Why aren't you going? You started this. I just went along with you. You, Fatty, are the main culprit!
Fatty (eyes wide): Tianzhen, don't forget who helped you! Look at who was so anxious the moment Little Brother left!!
Wu Tianzhen (bravely staring back): Weren't you anxious? You weren't much better than me!
...
Ultimately, this intense "battle" without smoke or fire ended with Wu Tianzhen conceding.
It wasn't that he couldn't out-argue Fatty, but rather that his skin wasn't thick enough. Fatty had resorted to all sorts of tactics in the later stages of their silent war of glances.
Just then, Zhang Qiling stopped for some reason and began observing his surroundings. Encouraged by Fatty's animated expression, Wu Tianzhen shuffled forward hesitantly.
As he moved, he noticed Zhang Qiling seemed to be looking at some trees ahead with peculiar dark patterns on their trunks. Wu Tianzhen glanced quickly, saw nothing unusual, and was about to speak hesitantly.
"...Um, Little Brother—"
"Move!"
Before Wu Tianzhen could finish, Zhang Qiling's expression sharpened, and he violently pulled him aside!
The force was so great that Wu Tianzhen felt his feet leave the ground for a moment, being dragged horizontally through the air by Zhang Qiling!
And the instant he left his original position! He saw something large and black flash past in his peripheral vision!
Seeing its lunge miss, the thing twisted in mid-air, preparing to attack again. But Zhang Qiling kicked it directly into the opposite tree trunk!
The thick trunk vibrated violently under the impact, even showing a faint crack!
Only then did Wu Tianzhen get a clear look at the thing!
It was a giant centipede, its mandibles bared and legs splayed! Its body was extremely flat, almost as thin as a sheet of paper, with long, segmented limbs densely covering both sides. It was now writhing and contorting in pain!
This centipede—had it attacked from those trees with the strange patterns?
Wu Tianzhen looked back at the tree trunks, and the patterns had vanished!
The centipede had actually pressed its flat body tightly against the tree trunk, blending seamlessly with the rough bark, perfectly camouflaged as a natural pattern!
If that was the case...
He looked at the large patches of trees with those patterns ahead and couldn't help but gasp.
"Whoa..." The scene had happened so quickly. Fatty had only just realized what was going on and hurried to catch up.
"That's not right. Didn't we spray insect repellent? Why isn't this centipede bothered at all, charging up like it's on aphrodisiacs?"
"You're mistaken there," Wu Tianzhen corrected, despite his fright. "Centipedes are not insects. They are arthropods, a different class of creatures."
"It wasn't attracted by the repellent. It was probably just startled by our voices and instinctively hunting."
As he was speaking, the centipede, which had been lying motionless on the ground for a long time, suddenly lunged forward again, making a final desperate attempt!
Seeing this, Zhang Qiling instantly swung down the Black Gold Ancient Saber, which he had been holding while clearing grass, and cleaved the giant centipede in half!
The two severed halves fell to the ground. Even dead, a centipede is not to be trifled with; its numerous legs still twitched uncontrollably.
The forest ahead was vast. Taking a detour would introduce too many variables, and they might encounter something more troublesome than a centipede.
Zhang Qiling mused inwardly, flicking the green, sticky blood from his blade. He was about to use the Black Gold Ancient Saber to draw blood but paused.
...Although the Black Gold Ancient Saber was impervious to dirt and the poison blood was surely removed, he still felt a strange unease.
So, just as Wu Tianzhen was explaining the centipede's hundred-and-eighth distant relative to Fatty, he saw Zhang Qiling reach out directly towards him and say calmly:
"Dagger."
Zhang Qiling always drew blood with the Black Gold Ancient Saber without hesitation. This sudden request for a dagger caught Wu Tianzhen off guard, and he instinctively drew the dagger from his waist and handed it over.
"Little Brother, what do you need the dagger for—"
With a swift motion, Zhang Qiling, expressionless, brought his hand down, and the blood was drawn.
He pressed his blood-stained left hand onto both of them, then returned the dagger to Wu Tianzhen's waist before beginning to bandage the wound.
Wu Tianzhen: ?!!!!!!!
"No, how could you—"
"This is faster."
His half-formed question was cut off. Wu Tianzhen was caught between wanting to exhale and holding back his breath.
He understood that the changes in Cangshan were too rapid. Finding the Bronze Tree sooner would mean less danger. This path was unavoidable; without Zhang Qiling's blood, they couldn't move an inch...
But understanding and accepting were two different things.
What he found most unbearable wasn't having to use Zhang Qiling's blood, but Zhang Qiling's nonchalant attitude when drawing it.
"Relax!" Fatty was always optimistic, perhaps the most easygoing among them.
If the team consisted only of Wu Tianzhen and Zhang Qiling, their excessive concern for each other might lead to conflict. But with Fatty acting as a buffer, the two could coexist peacefully.
"It's already done, so don't waste Little Brother's good intentions!"
"When we get out, we'll get him ten or eight plates of liver to make up for it!"
...Fatty always knew what to say at the right time.
Feeling slightly comforted, Wu Tianzhen sighed and decided to put it aside for now, believing that this was something that needed to be addressed subtly.
Seeing that the tension between them had eased—or rather, that Wu Tianzhen's side of the tension had dissipated—Fatty also breathed a sigh of relief.
As he relaxed, he noticed something new.
From the centipede's severed body, something white was revealed!
It was about the size of an egg, lying amidst the green flesh and blood, faintly pulsing.
It looked as if a tiny heart was encased within it?
Fatty's curiosity was piqued. Seeing that the centipede was completely still and unlikely to cause any more trouble, he leaned forward slightly to get a closer look at the white "egg."
Zhang Qiling, having just inexplicably gone through a two-second argument and reconciliation, was in a state of complete bewilderment. He turned around and saw Fatty about to challenge a new object!
"Don't—" move.
As he spoke, the white egg instantly burst, and a tiny, milky-white object the size of a grain of rice shot out, directly into Fatty's mouth!
"Ah? What?!!"
Startled by Zhang Qiling's sudden exclamation, Fatty felt something in his mouth and instinctively swallowed—
He had already swallowed the thing.
Zhang Qiling: ...
He slowly lowered his outstretched hand.