When she dawdled through her bath and came out in clean clothes, she looked just like a shrimp freshly pulled from a steamer, red from her cheeks to her earlobes.
Liu Yuan was sitting cross-legged on the floor, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing the movement, he opened his eyes and saw her appearance, muttering to himself: "Is the water in the bathroom that hot? Her face is flushed red."
He was completely unaware of Tang Ya's girlish thoughts; he just stood up calmly and said, "You should rest early. I'm going to wash up."
After speaking, he walked straight into the bathroom, which was still filled with faint water vapor and the girl's scent.
When Liu Yuan came out after his shower, he saw Tang Ya already lying on the inner side of the bed, wrapped tightly in the quilt, with only her pair of bright, large eyes exposed, watching him with vigilance and curiosity.
Liu Yuan found it somewhat amusing and didn't say anything more. He directly picked up the spare thin quilt the waiter had sent, lay down in the corner furthest from the bed, and closed his eyes.
The night passed without incident.
When the morning sunlight spilled into the room the next day, Liu Yuan got up, feeling refreshed.
Tang Ya had also slept well; last night's worries were completely unnecessary. Liu Yuan had been as well-behaved as a block of wood.
The two finished breakfast in the lobby downstairs, and finally, it was time to part ways.
Their destinations were not in the same direction.
Tang Ya was going to the old site of the Tang Sect; while Liu Yuan's goal was to go deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to find the Spirit Beast the System required him to hunt.
At the fork in the road of the small town, the two stood facing each other.
"Liu Yuan, thank you for last night and for the advice you gave me." Tang Ya's expression was unprecedentedly serious. "If I really decide to go to the Sun Moon Royal Academy, I will come to find you."
"You are always welcome." Liu Yuan smiled nonchalantly. "Take care on the road, and keep your wits about you in everything."
"Got it, you're so naggy!"
After a simple farewell, the two parted ways in different directions.
Liu Yuan didn't look back, striding straight toward the entrance of the Star Dou Great Forest.
But after walking a few steps, Tang Ya couldn't help but stop and look back at Liu Yuan's retreating figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
In her mind, Liu Yuan's words from yesterday kept echoing.
"Sun Moon Royal Academy, huh..." She murmured softly, clenching her small fist. "Perhaps... I really should consider it carefully..."
...
On the other side, after parting with Tang Ya, Liu Yuan didn't delay any further and hurried full speed toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Once he entered this vast, boundless primeval forest, the rich breath of life in the air rushed toward him, making him feel refreshed.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately unleashed his mental force, searching with all his might for the target of the System's mission for this trip.
The Wind Hunting Demon Ape, a type of ape-like Spirit Beast that is extremely adept at speed and wind element manipulation. It has a lithe figure, a volatile temperament, and is highly aggressive.
They have a strong sense of territory and usually live alone among the high tree canopies, known for their speed and elusive movement, making them extremely difficult to capture.
However, after truly starting his search, Liu Yuan discovered that this mission was even more difficult than he had imagined.
First, the Wind Hunting Demon Ape species itself is a relatively rare Spirit Beast, not like those common Wind Baboons or Three-Eyed Demon Apes that can be seen everywhere.
Second, the System also strictly limited the cultivation to fifty thousand years, which greatly increased the difficulty of the search.
In the blink of an eye, three or four days had passed, and Liu Yuan still hadn't even caught a glimpse of his mission target, which made him feel a bit of a headache.
"What the hell, fifty-thousand-year cultivation Spirit Beasts are everywhere, so why is this Wind Hunting Demon Ape so hard to find?"
He sat on a thick tree branch, unscrewed his water skin to take a sip, and frowned deeply.
"If I keep searching like looking for a needle in a haystack, when will I find it? One month is not a lot of time."
Just when Liu Yuan was feeling irritable and contemplating whether to change areas to continue his search, suddenly, his keen mental force caught a trace of movement!
Liu Yuan perked up, instantly stood up from the tree branch, and his gaze shot forward like lightning!
It's here!
The next second, accompanied by the "crack" of breaking branches, a huge shadow suddenly burst out from the tree canopy in front, landing with a crash!
It was an exceptionally sturdy giant ape, covered in long, dark green fur, with a pair of eyes as scarlet as blood, filled with bloodlust and madness! It was the Wind Hunting Demon Ape!
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