Chapter 10: A New Storm Has Arrived

“A new storm has appeared.”

“How can we just stand still?”

The next day, just as the sky began to lighten, Lu Xin and Ailya set off.

Ailya looked at Lu Xin in front of her.

Though she didn’t understand what song he was singing or why he was singing it, she figured he must have had his reasons.

The Misty Forest had always been described as terrifying and eerie, and this time, Lu Xin was beginning to experience it firsthand.

The morning fog outside the forest hadn’t yet dissipated.

Logically, the fog inside the forest should have been thicker.

Yet, at the forest’s outer edge, there wasn’t a trace of mist. The fog hadn’t vanished, but was instead drifting deeper into the forest.

Still, this worked in their favor. Without the fog obscuring their view, they could search for the orange cat faster.

This time, besides bringing the wooden spear, Lu Xin had also prepared a small jar of honey.

If they ran into another Fluffball Monster, he could hire that guide to help lead the way again.

He had already returned the throwing knife to Ailya.

“How are you planning to find it?” Ailya asked curiously, following behind Lu Xin.

“Let’s check around the place we saw it yesterday.”

“But it’s been so long. It probably won’t be there anymore.”

“Don’t worry. Just stick with me.”

Hearing Lu Xin’s confident words, Ailya’s eyes sparkled.

She leaned in close, intrigued. “Do you have some special magic or something?”

“You could say that.”

When they reached the spot where they had seen the orange cat, Lu Xin crouched down and began searching for something carefully.

Ailya glanced at him and copied the motion, crouching down as well, though she quickly got distracted watching ants moving their nest.

A few minutes later, Lu Xin’s eyes lit up. Beside him were a few strands of orange cat fur.

“Found it.”

Ailya froze for a moment, then immediately dropped the stick she had been using to play with the ants and hopped over excitedly.

“Cat fur?”

“Exactly. This makes things much easier.”

Lu Xin grasped the cat fur and activated [Hair Grooming]. A faint sensation came from his fingertips. “Let’s go. It’s over there.”

Ailya raised an eyebrow, surprised by Lu Xin’s ability. But she said nothing, only quickening her pace to follow.

As they went further, they occasionally spotted shallow paw prints. Though they couldn’t be sure they were Xiaomi’s, they served as a reference.

While maintaining [Hair Grooming], Lu Xin also activated [Stain Penetration] to notice footprints hidden under fallen leaves.

They kept stopping and moving, going deeper and deeper.

“Lu Xin.” Ailya suddenly tugged at his sleeve and lowered her voice. “Don’t you think something’s off here?”

Lu Xin paused and concentrated, trying to sense his surroundings.

The fresh scent of trees and grass, the clean air, the quiet nature… Wait, what exactly was he sensing?

By now, the trees around them were much denser than at the forest’s edge. The light was dim, and it was incredibly silent.

There was no bird song, no insect chirping, not even the sound of wind.

Lu Xin instinctively thought a [Silence Barrier] had been activated, but then realized all his skills were active, not passive.

Something else must be absorbing the sounds.

Lu Xin reached back to grip the wooden spear on his back and asked casually, “Did we go too far?”

“You’re just figuring that out? If we keep going, we’ll enter the central area of the Misty Forest.”

Ailya gave Lu Xin a look of disbelief for the first time. She thought he knew his limits. Still, it didn’t matter. If danger really came, she could protect him.

Lu Xin looked at the cat fur in his hand, then at the dark forest ahead. He gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s search another hundred steps forward. If we still can’t find anything, we turn back.”

With that, Lu Xin stepped in front of Ailya, ready to block for her if danger came.

Ailya, on the other hand, casually spun her throwing knife, but she was pleased to see him shielding her.

Just as they were about to reach the hundredth step, Lu Xin stopped.

The bushes ahead were shaking.

Holding their breath, they crept closer.

There, lying on a pile of fallen leaves, was a round, plump orange cat. It was lying on its side, lifting one leg to lick its belly.

Around its neck was a small red bell. That had to be Xiaomi.

If Lina were there, she would have noticed that Xiaomi not only wasn’t injured, but had actually gotten chubbier.

Lu Xin tested the waters and called out, “Xiaomi?”

The orange cat looked up, lazily meowed once, then lowered its head to keep licking itself.

Ailya couldn’t help but laugh at the cat’s behavior. “This cat really doesn’t seem scared at all.”

Lu Xin moved to pick up the cat, but as soon as his hand touched it, its fur bristled, and it jumped aside, hissing at him.

Just as Lu Xin was wondering what was wrong, a sticky, clear liquid dripped onto his face.

He dabbed it with his finger. It wasn’t honey; it felt more like saliva.

Looking up, following the cat’s gaze, Lu Xin saw a massive lizard hanging upside down from a tree branch above him.

Its blood-red mouth was full of sharp fangs, and the dense venom sacs on its back bulged like green fruits.

“Lu Xin, don’t move.”

Ailya’s voice came from behind him, heavy with caution.

“That’s a Tree Crown Venom Lizard. It’s fast, and most importantly, highly venomous. Don’t let it bite you.”

The lizard’s tongue flickered out, its forked tip aimed at the cat. It seemed the Venom Lizard was targeting Xiaomi.

“I’ll draw its attention. You grab the cat,” Ailya said, gripping her throwing knife as she lowered her voice.

After receiving Lu Xin’s nod of confirmation, a throwing knife shot through the air, heading straight for the lizard’s head.

But the lizard dodged swiftly, and the knife scraped past its neck, embedding itself into a tree trunk, sending wood chips flying.

Lu Xin seized the chance to dash forward, scooping up the cat and shoving it into his arms.

The lizard was enraged. It swung its body using its tail as a lever and lunged at him.

Lu Xin had no time to dodge. With a flick of his intent, the honey in the jar condensed into a ball and shot out. The midair lizard couldn’t adjust its body, and the honey ball struck it squarely in the eyes.

The lizard let out a piercing hiss and crashed down beside Lu Xin.

Before it could counterattack, another throwing knife whistled through the air and buried itself in the lizard’s head.

Red blood seeped out as its body began to convulse.

Lu Xin hesitated for less than a second before yanking out his wooden spear and stabbing it into the lizard’s body.

If he waited any longer, he wouldn’t get to activate a skill.

As the lizard stopped struggling, a faint wave of heat flowed into Lu Xin, rushing straight to his mind.

[Killed Low-level Demon Beast: Tree Crown Venom Lizard. Beginning random extraction of its inherent abilities…]

[Extraction complete. Gained ability: Tree Body Sprint]

“Huh?”

Though it wasn’t a combat-oriented skill, this ability seemed pretty good. It significantly increased movement speed on trees. Like Tarzan, he guessed, though it would definitely be useful in the terrain of the Misty Forest.

Coming back to his senses, Ailya was already excitedly using her throwing knife to dissect the lizard.

The lizard’s meat wasn’t good—it would be dry and tough when cooked—but to her, all meat was the same.

Beyond that, the venom sacs on its back could be used to make poison or antidotes, and its skin was decent material for armor.

After finishing the dissection, Ailya hung the venom sacs and lizard skin on Lu Xin’s back. She only wanted the meat.

“Let’s go. Time to report back.”