Chapter 201: Escape!

201. Chapter 198: Escape!

After Li Xuan entered the Star Dou Great Forest, he turned into a curious baby, curious about this and that, and asked about every kind of soul beast he had never seen.

Bang Chui, on the other hand, turned into a great explainer, carefully elucidating these soul‑beast knowledge for Li Xuan; for each kind of soul beast, Bang Chui could introduce it to Li Xuan as if reciting familiar tales.

As a hundred‑thousand‑year soul beast, Bang Chui's thinking has become childish, but his memory and knowledge remain, and he is extraordinarily familiar with every kind of soul beast.

"Xiao Yan, aren't you a soul cultivator of a dozen‑plus levels? Haven't you ever entered the Soul Beast Forest? How does it seem you've never seen anything?" Han Shu suddenly asked irritably.

"Of course I have; the Soul Beast Forest I entered had few kinds of soul beasts, I hadn't seen so many such wondrous soul beasts." Li Xuan, though lacking confidence, still lifted his head and said to Han Shu, and as an old hand Li Xuan could lie without any embarrassment.

Han Shu, after hearing Li Xuan's words, turned his head away from Li Xuan; with Zhu Zhuqing present, these two kids shouldn't get lost, and whether Li Xuan has experience is none of his business.

As the party kept moving deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest, the cultivation levels of the surrounding soul beasts grew higher; Han Shu could not afford to be careless, watching the surroundings warily, and Li Xuan also heightened his vigilance, following the group and watching the environment cautiously.

But with Bang Chui by his side, who knows soul‑beast habits intimately, like a tiny radar, he is familiar with every soul beast.

They set out in the morning; when the setting sun fell, Han Shu finally stopped and began to set up camp.

"Brother, I smell the Purple Luminous Scorpion, is this guy an idiot? A few hundred meters east is the edge of the Purple Luminous Scorpion territory, that spot is very safe, why set up camp here!" Bang Chui whispered to Li Xuan.

"I don't get it, but it's fine; the three‑thousand‑year‑old Purple Luminous Scorpion is still no match for your brother, just stay here, as long as we don't reveal our strength." Li Xuan smiled at Bang Chui and nodded.

Bang Chui nodded vigorously, then stayed by Li Xuan's side.

"By the way, kid, don't you have Fasting Pills? Take them out for dinner; we can't make fire here." Han Shu said to Li Xuan while erecting the tent.

"Alright, here it is." Li Xuan, after speaking, thought quickly, took from the Small Cave Heaven a porcelain bottle filled with Fasting Pills, took out two pills and handed them to Han Shu, then took out another two, gave one to Bang Chui, and ate one himself.

After taking the pill, Han Shu also finished setting up two tents.

"Miss Second, the two tents are connected; if anything happens, just call us immediately." Han Shu bowed to Zhu Zhuqing and said seriously.

"We two live with you?" Li Xuan blinked, his tone full of disdain toward Han Shu.

"What? You still want to live with Miss Second? What dream are you having!" Han Shu's voice was cold as he said to Li Xuan.

"Hehe… fine, fine, I'll set up my own tent." Li Xuan said irritably, then took a tent from his own Small Cave Heaven and quickly erected it.

After the tent was set up, Li Xuan took the ghost viper's ash from the Soul Guide Device and scattered it near his camp.

The ghost viper, aside from everything else, is also a mutated ten‑thousand‑year soul beast; although turned into ash, its emitted scent hasn't changed much and still poses a great threat to other soul beasts.

After doing this, Li Xuan and Bang Chui returned to their own tent.

Seeing Li Xuan's skillful actions, Han Shu also nodded, thinking it's good that this time the one he brought wasn't a rookie; he'll have fewer troubles.

"Han Shu, after eating that pill, I'm really not hungry anymore," Zhu Zhuqing suddenly said to Han Shu.

"Later I'll ask if he can sell more; if what he says is true and this thing can be preserved for three years, its value will be great," Han Shu nodded at Zhu Zhuqing and said.

"Han Shu, rest first; be careful tonight, the Purple Luminous Scorpion could appear at any moment," Zhu Zhuqing earnestly reminded Han Shu.

"Miss Second, don't worry, I understand," Han Shu nodded at Zhu Zhuqing.

Then Han Shu took out a cage containing a small bird and hung the cage at the edge of Zhu Zhuqing's tent.

Han Shu returned to his own tent, sat cross‑legged, using cultivation practice in place of sleep to maintain vigilance, ready to move at any change.

Li Xuan and Bang Chui naturally also used cultivation in lieu of sleep; after all, this is the Star Dou Great Forest, Li Xuan could not afford to sleep soundly, lest he become a soul beast's take‑out.

Time passed second by second.

In the blink of an eye it was deep night.

"Brother! Something's happened, there's a sound around!" Bang Chui suddenly opened his eyes, lowered his voice and said to Li Xuan,

Li Xuan immediately opened his eyes.

"A three‑thousand‑year Purple Luminous Scorpion?" Li Xuan whispered to Bang Chui.

"Exactly, over three thousand years of cultivation, its toxicity is quite domineering, the scent is like that of a Purple Luminous Scorpion." Bang Chui also exited cultivation mode and said seriously to Li Xuan.

"Bang Chui, it's dangerous outside; go into the Palm Sky Vessel for a while first," Li Xuan said without hesitation.

"No, brother, let's go together!" Bang Chui shook his head firmly, his little head wobbling like a rattle.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm a strong‑attack type soul cultivator, rest assured there'll be no problem." Li Xuan, after speaking, did not allow Bang Chui to doubt, grabbed Bang Chui's shoulder and sent him into the Palm Sky Vessel's space.

Seeing Bang Chui enter the Palm Sky Vessel, Li Xuan immediately ran out of the tent.

At this moment the ground was covered with sparkling purple, densely spread all over.

"Xiao Yan, be careful, they're all Purple Luminous Scorpions!" Zhu Zhuqing whispered to Li Xuan.

Boom!

A heavy thud of something falling reached from afar, and Li Xuan quickly turned his head to glance.

It turned out to be a massive purple scorpion two meters tall and three to four meters long; its body was dark purple, its carapace emitted a violet glow, and it was clear the shell was extremely hard.

A curved hook hung upside down on its back, and fist‑sized hooks glimmered with a cold light, clearly indicating their extremely potent toxicity.

"A three‑thousand‑year soul beast is that domineering?" Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, saying in surprise.

Han Shu also ran out of the tent, came to the opposite side of the three‑thousand‑year Purple Luminous Scorpion, and faced it.

"Xiao Yan, Han Shu can handle these Purple Luminous Scorpions, let's leave quickly!" Zhu Zhuqing turned and left without hesitation.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's decisive, fierce demeanor, Li Xuan nodded.

Thinking of the previous life's TV dramas where the incompetent heroines who liked to join the bustle were basically brain‑dead.

"Mm!" Li Xuan also nodded, then packed up the tent and prepared to leave with Zhu Zhuqing.

The two sped away through the Soul Beast Forest.

"Keep heading north; three kilometers should get us out of the Purple Luminous Scorpion's territory," Zhu Zhuqing shouted while sprinting, speaking at a rapid pace to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan said nothing, turned his head and glanced at Han Shu.

Two yellow, two purple, one black soul rings; Han Shu turned out to be only a five‑ring Soul King, and the soul‑ring configuration was the optimal one. "A five‑ring Soul King should have no problem against a three‑thousand‑year Purple Luminous Scorpion," Li Xuan nodded, and no longer thought of taking action.

Just now Li Xuan wanted to act not because of Zhu Zhuqing's beauty, but to survive; after all, with Han Shu dead, Li Xuan couldn't rely on Zhu Zhuqing, a level‑20 agile‑attack soul cultivator, to protect him.

So if Han Shu got into trouble, he would step in and kill the Purple Luminous Scorpion.

Li Xuan followed Zhu Zhuqing, sprinting quickly toward the distance, and also heightened his vigilance, watching the surroundings warily.

Using the moonlight, the two figures sprinted toward the distance; although both of their cultivation levels were low, their speed was extremely fast.

Two hours later, the two arrived at the foot of a mountain, and Zhu Zhuqing led Li Xuan to the entrance of a cave.

"It's safe inside; let's rest here for a while tonight. Han Shu should be able to find us soon," Zhu Zhuqing said, nodding at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan took out a Starfire Fruit, infused it with soul power, and tossed it into the cave.

The cave was small and indeed had no danger; Li Xuan led the way, entered, and surveyed the surroundings.

"By the way, Xiao Yan, where's your younger brother?" Zhu Zhuqing asked suddenly.

"I left a marker; he'll be able to find us soon. His survivability is far greater than ours," Li Xuan spread his hands, shrugged, and said with a smile.

Next, Li Xuan took out some simple bedding and gave a set to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Thank you," Zhu Zhuqing whispered.

"You rest first; I'll go fetch my brother," Li Xuan said, then went to the cave entrance and brought Bang Chui out from the space of the Palm Heaven Bottle.

"Brother, how's the situation?" Bang Chui asked anxiously, looking at Li Xuan.

"It's basically safe now; take a look—still safe?" Li Xuan asked Bang Chui.

"Yeah, brother, there are no powerful soul beasts nearby; this should be safe enough to serve as a temporary camp," Bang Chui sniffed the air and said to Li Xuan.

"Alright, since it's safe, let's go back and rest," Li Xuan led Bang Chui back into the cave.

Li Xuan let Bang Chui stay on his own bed.

It was already the late night, and Li Xuan no longer felt like sleeping, so he went to the cave entrance to get some fresh air.

Zhu Zhuqing lay on the makeshift bed, also without the mood to sleep, closed her eyes, and waited for news from Han Shu outside.

Bang Chui fell asleep quickly; his steady breathing helped Zhu Zhuqing relax as well.

…

Before long, dawn broke.

Li Xuan, seated at the cave entrance with his eyes closed, was cultivating when he suddenly heard sounds from the surrounding forest, so he slowly stepped back out of his cultivation state.

He kept the Three-Star Heavy Sword hidden in a spot within Small Cave Heaven where it could be drawn at any time, and cautiously approached the source of the movement.

"Xiao… Yan?" Han Shu's face turned bluish‑purple as he looked at Li Xuan, his voice trembling as he spoke, clearly severely poisoned.

When Han Shu saw Li Xuan, he seemed to let go of his lingering obsession, collapsed with a thud, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

"Good fellow!" Li Xuan was startled for a moment, but his reaction was lightning fast; he took out two Detox Pills and forced them into Han Shu's mouth.

As the Alchemy Pill took effect, the purple‑black toxin on Han Shu's body gradually faded; his luck was decent, the toxin hadn't reached a level beyond what the Detox Pill could handle.

He glanced at Han Shu's wounds, which were mostly puncture marks; it seemed he had been ambushed by a small violet‑glowing scorpion, leading to his defeat.

Zhu Zhuqing heard Li Xuan's voice and came to the outside of the cave.

"Han Shu!"

Zhu Zhuqing let out a startled cry, then rushed forward, tears instantly welling up as she threw herself onto Han Shu and began sobbing.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing was still only an eight‑ or nine‑year‑old girl and wasn't that strong.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I've already fed Han Shu the Detox Pills; the toxin isn't severe, so it should be fine," Li Xuan said to her.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Zhu Zhuqing, eyes watery, looked at Li Xuan and said.

Although Zhu Zhuqing's temperament is a bit cold, she is still a child, and her heart remains fragile.

"Bang Chui, give me a hand and lift him inside first," Li Xuan called to Bang Chui, then carried Han Shu into the cave.

After settling Han Shu, Li Xuan took out a bowl of rice porridge and handed it to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Give him something to eat," Li Xuan said to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Mm," Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then took the bowl and began feeding the rice porridge to Han Shu.

Li Xuan gave Bang Chui a look; Bang Chui nodded and followed behind Li Xuan as they left.

After leaving the cave, Li Xuan and Bang Chui stopped not far from the cave entrance.

"Bang Chui, are you sure there are no other soul beasts nearby?" Li Xuan asked.

"Brother, this should be the edge of a Ghost Smoke Willow with roughly fifty‑thousand‑year cultivation, relatively safe, but we must stay cautious; after all, a soul beast like Ghost Smoke Willow has a huge range and is poisonous," Bang Chui said seriously to Li Xuan.

"Plant‑type soul beasts are fine; they won't be triggered by the movement of a few of us," Li Xuan nodded.

"Alright, since it's safe, let's rest here until Han Shu wakes up, then continue our journey," Li Xuan nodded and said to Bang Chui.

"Mm‑mm, okay, brother," Bang Chui nodded.

After that, the two returned to the cave; Zhu Zhuqing had already fed Han Shu a bowl of rice porridge and curled up alone in a corner.

"Don't worry, this place is relatively safe; by early tomorrow, Han Shu should be able to wake up," Li Xuan said, feeling a protective surge as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

Li Xuan took out several Starfire Fruits, infused them with soul power, and hung them in the cave; the previously dim cave instantly brightened.

"Bang Chui, you also get some rest; I'll go out for a walk," Li Xuan said and left the cave, sitting at the entrance to begin cultivating.

(End of Chapter)