Chapter 28: Bai Shasha’s Affection

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Bai Shasha’s Affection

If they kept going forward, they would very likely lose their way, maybe even be unable to find the path back to the gathering point. Their only choice then would be to tear up a Teleportation Talisman and leave the Secret Realm.

Their vision was severely obscured by the freezing rain and light snow. As it was, they could only rely on the firelight from the gathering point to faintly make it out. If the snow and rain got any heavier, they would likely lose their bearings completely.

"Let’s head back and explore along the way," Li Heng decided quickly. "It’s our first day. There’s no need to go too far." He didn’t want to be too reckless, either.

Pushing forward really could get them lost. This area wasn’t suitable for further exploration. Farming the Secret Realm Creatures around the gathering point was actually a pretty good option.

Bai Shasha supported Li Heng’s decision. They had just entered the Falling Flood Dragon Secret Realm; neither of them wanted to be forced to leave on the very first day.

Having come to an agreement, the two headed back, deciding to stay within sight of the gathering point. As for the Snow Leopard on the ground, it hadn’t dropped any Soul Energy Items, so they left it alone.

After that, in the Icefield Area, Li Heng and Bai Shasha mostly encountered hungry Snow Leopards. They didn’t see a single Frost Spider, nor did they come across any other soul beasts.

Li Heng was naturally relieved by this. After all, the fewer soul beasts there were, the easier it would be for him to advance toward the Ice Lake District.

Along the way, they obtained two Soul Energy Items: one Snow Leopard Fang and one Snow Leopard hide. Combined with the Frost Spider from before, this was more than enough to pay for a rest at the gathering point.

Now that she had proven herself, Bai Shasha returned to her previous agreement with Li Heng—to only injure Secret Realm Creatures, not kill them.

Although Snow Leopards were stronger and faster than the wild wolves, they acted alone. For a team of two, they were basically freebies.

By the end of their excursion, Li Heng’s soul energy points had increased from 1060 to 1166.

For various reasons, after his soul energy points surpassed 1100, Li Heng didn’t rush to use them for an upgrade. He decided to save them for a rainy day instead.

Carrying the two Soul Energy Items and the Frost Spider’s corpse, Li Heng and Bai Shasha arrived before the gathering point.

This time, the person stationed in front of the gathering point wasn’t Lin Jiangang. Instead, there were two staff members in City Combat Hall uniforms. They could also see that dozens of students were already inside.

"Are you two students looking to enter the gathering point?" one of the staff members asked.

"Yes, that’s right! Here’s what we’re turning in."

Li Heng and Bai Shasha must have agreed on this beforehand: they would keep the Snow Leopard hide and turn in the Snow Leopard Fang and the Frost Spider’s corpse.

The Snow Leopard hide could at least provide some warmth in this frigid environment, the Frost Spider’s corpse couldn’t be taken out of the Secret Realm anyway, and the Snow Leopard Fang didn’t have much use.

"Hm? Is this... a Frost Spider?! You two killed it? No... *you* killed it?"

The staff member showed little reaction when he took the Snow Leopard Fang; it simply vanished in his hand. He must have had a spatial item or piece of equipment.

But when the staff member saw Bai Shasha slowly unwrapping the Frost Spider from her leg, the tone of his voice shifted.

The single wound on the Frost Spider was the main source of the staffer’s astonishment. The clean cut made it obvious that it was a one-hit kill. It couldn’t possibly have been killed by two people using tactics to whittle down its health.

The staff member knew that the Frost Spider was one of the three most difficult types of soul beasts that had escaped from the Wind Snow Area.

Fast movement speed!

Unpredictable combat style!

And it’s poisonous!

Even Soul Apprentices had to deal with them carefully. Weaker ones even had to be prepared to flee. But this wound... it was just too clean!

At this thought, the staff member couldn’t help but size up Li Heng and Bai Shasha again. His gaze finally landed on Li Heng. ’This sword-wielding boy... he’s a Soul Apprentice!’

In the staff member’s eyes, the short girl, who wasn’t even a Soul Apprentice, clearly couldn’t have been the one to slay the Frost Spider. That left only Li Heng.

"Yeah! Just got lucky. This spider is a soul beast, right?"

Li Heng was feigning ignorance by asking if the Frost Spider was a soul beast, but he didn’t deny being the one who killed it.

"It is a soul beast! This spider’s full name is the Frost Spider, and it fully meets the conditions for submission. By the way, student, would you mind telling us your school and name?" the staff member asked.

"Thirteenth Middle School. Li Heng."

After Li Heng replied, the two staff members smiled and gestured for him and Bai Shasha to enter the gathering point.

Once inside the gathering point, Li Heng and Bai Shasha found an unoccupied campfire and sat down, giving no further thought to the staff members’ questions.

Huddled near the campfire, the warmth of the flames allowed them both to relax. They took out the rations they had acquired earlier and slowly regained their strength, washing the food down with water from their canteens.

"It’s cold. You should use the Snow Leopard hide to cover yourself tonight when you rest."

Huh?!

Li Heng was surprised to hear Bai Shasha say that. ’What’s with that tone?’ he thought, startled. ’She sounds like a girlfriend worrying about her boyfriend.’

’This Sister Sha is way too smooth for her own good!’

"You don’t have to. You’re a girl—" As a guy, especially inside the gathering point, Li Heng genuinely didn’t feel cold. He felt he should be a gentleman about it.

’Besides,’ Li Heng thought, ’I still have that Wild Wolf Hide in my Space Stone. If I really get cold, I can just sneak it under my uniform tonight while she’s sleeping.’

But before Li Heng could finish, Bai Shasha cut him off.

"Yes, I’m a girl, but more importantly, I’m your teammate! Li Heng, you haven’t told me, but I know you must be a Soul Apprentice now! There’s no way you could have solo-killed that Frost Spider otherwise! That makes you the team’s main damage dealer. Our safety depends on you being in top condition. So don’t give me that ’you’re a girl’ nonsense. Being a girl isn’t an excuse for being weak or a reason for me to drag you down. I don’t want to be a burden!"

!!!

Li Heng was stunned into silence.

He had known Bai Shasha for more than two years, and in all that time, he’d never heard her say so much at once, let alone with such emotion in her voice.

Li Heng didn’t realize the psychological impact his slaying of the Frost Spider had on Bai Shasha, but he could tell that the pride of this small-framed girl had just erupted.

A less perceptive guy, seeing Bai Shasha looking like a ruffled cat, would probably just have said, "Alright, fine, I’ll take the Snow Leopard hide."

But Li Heng had dated a few girls back on Earth. He wouldn’t go so far as to call himself a "warm-hearted guy," but he certainly wasn’t as straight and unbending as the sword he carried.

It wasn’t that he was trying to flirt with Bai Shasha. He genuinely wasn’t cold.

He remembered the look of grim determination on her face as she pushed through the Icefield. He also recalled her slender build—she didn’t have much body fat and couldn’t possibly handle the cold well.

"If you don’t want to be a burden, then you’ll take the Snow Leopard hide tonight! You’re very strong, and what I need is a teammate who is in top condition with sharp reflexes. Besides, I’m a Soul Apprentice. A little cold like this is really nothing to me!"

After Li Heng spoke, it was Bai Shasha’s turn to fall silent. She stared at the Snow Leopard hide nearby, her heart in turmoil for a long time.