The heavy rain stopped in the latter half of the night, and as a lone man and a single woman together in a mountain cave with the firewood ablaze, Dong Ran was sowhat uneasy.
However, Tang Xian really had no interest in pondering humanity's highest mission; he was a down-to-earth person. Once he said he would sleep, he could sleep, and the regular rhythm of his breathing indicated that he was sleeping soundly.
Few dare to spend the night in the Soul Crystal Mine.
Even in places like newbie villages, few dare to linger at night, as there are too many creatures hunting after dark.
Tang Xian seed to have none of these concerns.
The first night, he pitched a tent in a forest full of redline grass; the second night, he outright slept in the den of the three-headed hellhound, which was sowhat reckless, akin to that of a fugitive.
But he remained alive and well.
Without causing any trouble in the lower levels for six years, and after spending a day and two nights in the mine, he took down a boss creature. With such an achievent, Dong Ran could naturally have left if it were just about earning a formal employnt qualification.
But she wanted to see whether Tang Xian could actually capture the three-tailed fox.
Once could be luck, but a second ti would definitely an there's a connection.
However, thinking about how Tang's strongest offensive equipnt was a kitchen knife, and his strongest defensive gear was an iron pot, while others ca to the mine fully stocked with ammo and supplies, but he brought soy sauce and salt instead, Dong Ran still felt a bit nervous.
But if there really was soone capable of effortlessly taking down the creatures of the mine, it naturally had its advantages to be on good terms with such a person.
For instance... the silver fox hotpot that she had never tasted but sounded delicious.
...
...
By noon, the ground slowly dried, and although walking still got one's shoes covered in mud, Tang Xian didn't care about maintaining an elegant deanor.
Coming to the Soul Crystal Mine was about eating things, consuming various strange creatures; when you're about to eat them, why care about manners?
So, he disdainfully watched Dong Ran as she carefully walked, unwilling to let the mud touch her ankles, and couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Trying to keep up with Tang Xian, Dong Ran had to accelerate, and as she took a heavier step, mud splashed, staining her skirt—which might not be very expensive, but girls tend to like cleanliness after all.
"The forest sea is a marshland, the favored place of the three-tailed fox; the soil there is even softer. If you can't stand it, then hurry back, don't follow ."
"Tang, you just want to get rid of ."
"Won are such a hassle," Tang Xian said disdainfully.
Dong Ran was taken aback. Was she not attractive? Throughout their journey, Tang Xian had looked at her with a gaze that seed to imply she was an idiot more than once.
"In ancient tis, the 21st century to be precise, there was this mud bath where your entire body would be covered in mud; it's actually very good for the skin. The red clay from the red soil forests here is even richer in nutrients, better than the skincare products used by wealthy won in the third level, though it does sll a bit."
Tang Xian knew why Dong Ran was following him, even if it ant facing the three-tailed spirit fox that's more of a hassle than the three-headed hellhound—this girl would follow him like she was marching to her death.
Of course, it wasn't because she liked him. Everyone has their little secrets, but few could keep them in front of Tang Xian.
Tang Xian didn't expose her secrets; to him, it really didn't matter.
After all, he was just a gourt; he was just there to eat. He didn't mind sharing good food with another person. Deep down, he was not a stingy person.
Just like during his school days, even though back then he was quite conceited, he still got along with many people.
Everyone likes the kind of top student who's willing to let others copy their exam papers.
Even after it was later proved that he had no talent, and those people never contacted Tang Xian again, he wasn't lonely.
The road is long, with knowledge as his companion.
The six years as a bottom-tier temporary worker weren't hard for him to endure. If it weren't for the fact that good food ingredients simply couldn't be exchanged for in the newbie village, he wouldn't even have wanted to beco a regular.
After walking for two hours, Tang would occasionally look back.
Dong Ran noticed Tang's action and asked, "Tang, did you drop sothing?"
Tang shook his head, slightly furrowing his brows, which Dong Ran rembered was the first ti she saw Tang frown.
"It's the footprints. The soil is soft like snow and leaves footprints. Although most animals won't track based on footprints, it's not good if people see them."
After a heavy rainfall, when the ground was saturated with water, was a good ti for hunters to hunt Hellhounds.
Dong Ran said, "Although this is a blue zone, hunting Hellhounds is ultimately very rare. Not many people dare to provoke boss-level creatures."
Tang didn't quite agree with that statent.
The reason he furrowed his brows was that he sensed soone approaching.
However, Tang wasn't overly concerned. He said, "Let's go. We should continue on our way."
Tang was confident that his sense of sll had indeed enhanced.
From the ti he woke up, he could sense that the scents in the air had beco much stronger. At the mont, walking on the earth after rain, the mixture of odors made the slls in his breath even more diverse.
But unlike before, a person with extraordinary hearing could differentiate which person said what amidst many talking, and a chef with extraordinary taste could discern what ingredients and their proportions were used in a dish.
Tang's sense of sll was now extrely powerful. He didn't know just how strong it had beco, but he could tell where the slls in the air ca from, what poisonous insects or snakes lurked nearby, which plants were present, and even that a group of people was rushing towards them from miles away, following their footprints, all just by sll.
This strong sense of sll did not bring Tang any troubles. On the contrary, he found it quite useful.
"There's a stream not too far ahead. It'll be good for washing our feet, and we can rest there for a while," Tang said.
Dong Ran naturally agreed but was curious as to why Tang suddenly wanted to rest.
It appeared that Tang was not tired at all.
It took a little while to reach the stream. Dong Ran was no longer surprised how Tang knew there was a river at such a distance.
Tang was just like a native who had lived in the Miner's area for many years.
Tang didn't explain. He had gathered so fruits, unlike the blue banana fruits and red-tail tree fruits from before, these were of a different variety, and their shapes looked sowhat shy. Dong Ran initially didn't dare to eat them, but she saw Tang wash them and eat directly, and before long, she couldn't help herself either.
However, this ti, she didn't feel like there was much to eat, and it tasted sowhat astringent.
"These are Bogen Fruits. According to Zhang Houshi's 'Miner's Shennong Record,' they taste like sour persimmons but can replenish more nutrients than at. They're called Bogen because they're elongated, the skin is smooth and elastic, and they're moderately long. Honestly, whether it's the appearance, taste, or even the touch, they're better than cucumbers."
Though picky about gourt food, when it ca down to survival, Tang didn't care about eating unpleasant things. He needed to replenish his energy. His description and explanation, however, really made Dong Ran more reluctant to eat the fruit.
Dong Ran curiously said, "Don't we still have dog at? It's stored in the bag."
"In the Hellhound's den after the rain, with the addition of Redline Grass, we won't attract other animals. But here, slls spread easily, and riversides are usually where creatures gather. Don't think there's nothing now, but the aroma of at will attract many predators.
You need to think more when doing things, or you'll get rusty," Tang said with a calm tone, quite patient with the girl who didn't like to use her head much.
Dong Ran couldn't co up with anything to say.
Tang took out the Hellhound's Soul Crystal.
It looked like a pearl. If graded, it was worth twenty-nine tis that of the rarest purple ore he had mined.
This was a treasure, so that's why he was frowning.
"What are you going to do with that?" Dong Ran asked, not knowing why Tang was suddenly playing with the Soul Crystal.
"Soone will co to rob it soon. I'm taking it out now, so it's easier for them to take it when the ti cos," Tang said, still with that nonchalant deanor.
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