Chapter 18: I Think We Will Meet Again!
"Hey, that snake is dead. Are you okay?"
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er finally came back to her senses, nodded quickly, still looking a bit scared, and said, "I… I'm fine, thank you."
Tang Chuan waved his hand, said no more, and casually slung his spear over his back, his gaze falling towards the deeper part of the forest, his eyes sharp as lightning:
"It's getting dark. We need to leave this area as soon as possible… That last attack made too much noise, plus there's the smell of blood. It would be troublesome if it attracted other Spirit Beasts."
After speaking, he set off towards the outside of the forest.
After a few seconds of being stunned, Shui Yue'er also quickly nodded, clutching her chest to calm her rapid breathing, then quickly followed Tang Chuan's footsteps.
The two walked side by side on the damp forest path, sunlight dappling through the branches and leaves, beneath their feet was a moist and soft layer of fallen leaves, and the air still carried the scent of Spirit Beast blood.
Tang Chuan asked without looking back, "I've seen you in town. You should be from Tianshui Academy, right? I remember you had teachers leading the team, didn't you? Why are you alone now?"
"Also, aren't all of your Spirits at Tianshui Academy water or ice attribute? Why did you come to the Star Dou Great Forest? Shouldn't you be going to Ji Bei Zhi Di (The Far North) to acquire a spirit ring?"
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er paused, then spoke softly with a hint of apology, "Um… I am a student of Tianshui Academy. This time, my sister Shui Bing'er is leading our team, and there are three teachers accompanying us. The original plan was to split into teams and enter the outer regions to search for suitable Spirit Beast targets."
"As for why we didn't go to Ji Bei Zhi Di (The Far North), that's because there are also lakes in the Star Dou Great Forest, so naturally there are water-attribute Spirit Beasts. Plus, Ji Bei Zhi Di (The Far North) is too far from our Academy, making travel inconvenient. Teachers only take us to Ji Bei Zhi Di (The Far North) when we need to acquire a ten-thousand-year spirit ring!"
Speaking of this, she paused, her eyes slightly lowered, biting her lip as she continued:
"This time, I was mainly looking for a water-attribute Spirit Beast for my second spirit ring. After the team entered the forest, we split into three groups. I was with one of the teachers, searching along the northern swamp. But I didn't expect that the teacher suddenly received a signal halfway, saying that one of the groups was attacked, and he needed to rush over as quickly as possible."
"So, he took me to the edge of the forest and told me to wait outside first."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan frowned slightly: "And you didn't listen?"
Shui Yue'er lowered her head somewhat awkwardly:
"I just wanted to look a little further in, so I secretly ran back into the forest. I saw a small stream over there, where there might be water-attribute Spirit Beasts active. As a result, a nearly thousand-year-old Nether Scale Spotted Snake suddenly sprang out of the swamp, and I was no match for it at all."
Tang Chuan snorted lightly, noncommittally saying, "You're not very old, but you're quite brave, daring to wander alone in the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Aren't you alone too?" Shui Yue'er pouted, retorting, "From your appearance, you should be even younger than me, right?"
After absorbing his first spirit ring, Tang Chuan's height had grown a few more inches, and his physique had also become more robust. Although he didn't look old, he exuded a heroic spirit.
Tang Chuan glanced at Shui Yue'er. Still talking back? If he hadn't absorbed his first spirit ring and happened to be nearby, she probably would have been swallowed by that Nether Scale Spotted Snake.
After a moment of thought, Tang Chuan continued to ask, "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Shui Yue'er." She looked up, her watery eyes gazing at Tang Chuan with an infatuated expression.
A hint of surprise flashed in Tang Chuan's eyes, and he thought to himself:
"So, she's Shui Bing'er's younger sister."
As they walked, a faint cry of surprise suddenly came.
"Ah!" Shui Yue'er stopped, looked down, and realized that her right arm was stained with blood.
Hearing the commotion, Tang Chuan immediately turned around, frowned, and quickly came to her side.
"What happened? Were you bitten by that snake just now?" Narrowing his eyes, his voice carried a hint of seriousness as he spoke in a deep tone.
Shui Yue'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered her head to check, then shook her head, her expression a bit unnatural: "No. It should be that I got scratched by a tree branch when I was running away. I didn't notice it until now."
"Tree branch?"
Tang Chuan's eyes slightly chilled, he remained silent for half a second, then said nothing more, instead extending his right hand and slowly placing it near Shui Yue'er's wound.
Shui Yue'er was stunned: "What are you doing?"
"Don't move."
As soon as his words fell, a faint blue-gold light emanated from Tang Chuan's palm, soft and not dazzling like a spring breeze, as if a gentle life force was pulsating.
Wildfire cannot be burned out, it springs up again with the spring breeze!
The healing Soul Skill brought by the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone was quietly activated at this moment.
The next second, the blue-gold light from Tang Chuan's palm quietly surged out, like tiny streams, slowly flowing over Shui Yue'er's arm.
The wound, which had been bleeding profusely, healed rapidly at a visible rate under the illumination of the blue-gold light. The bleeding stopped, the cracked skin slowly closed, leaving no scar whatsoever.
In less than ten seconds, Shui Yue'er's arm was restored to its original state, without even a trace of redness.
"It's done."
Tang Chuan withdrew his hand and said faintly.
Shui Yue'er stared blankly at her smooth, new arm, her expression tinged with disbelief: "You… what kind of Soul Skill is this? It can actually heal injuries? Are you a support-type Spirit Master?"
"My Spirit is Blue Silver Grass."
Tang Chuan replied calmly, his expression serene: "It possesses a certain healing ability."
As his words fell, he continued to walk forward.
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er stood stunned in place, her eyes rippling with emotion.
Blue Silver Grass? Can Blue Silver Grass, this waste Spirit, also Cultivate? But she clearly felt an extremely rich life aura just now, which was definitely not something an ordinary Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master could possess.
"Blue Silver Grass… How is this possible…"
But at this moment, Tang Chuan didn't pay attention to her astonishment; instead, he silently began to calculate in his mind:
"Now that I have absorbed the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor's Right Leg Bone, it has not only granted me the ability to fly but also given me a healing Soul Skill. All I need to do next is to continue strengthening my vitality, and I can, by relying on Blue Silver Grass, carve out a path completely different from Tang San's."
"Furthermore, my subsequent spirit ring choices no longer need to be limited to the recovery-type plant Spirit Beasts traditionally chosen by healing Spirit Masters. Because I have the healing Soul Skill brought by the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, I only need to continuously absorb the spirit rings of plant-type Spirit Beasts with strong vitality, nourishing the Blue Silver Grass with the power of life, making it an immortal existence."
"After all, as long as the life force is strong enough, the healing ability will naturally improve."
Half an hour later, Tang Chuan led Shui Yue'er out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
At this moment, dusk was approaching, and the evening glow spread across the sky, reddening large swathes of the treetops.
The roofs of the inns in the distant town were faintly visible, and occasionally a few returning birds glided across the sky, bringing a sense of peace to the world.
Tang Chuan stopped and looked into the distance, saying, "The town is up ahead. You wait for your teachers here; don't run off again."
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er looked at Tang Chuan's stern face and nodded gently:
"I understand… Thank you."
Tang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and set off towards the town.
Just then, Shui Yue'er finally couldn't help but ask softly, "You still haven't told me… your name."
"Tang Chuan."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan's figure paused slightly, his silhouette, stretched long by the setting sun, stood there. He didn't turn back, merely raised one hand and waved it twice.
"I think we'll meet again!"
[end of the chapter]