Volume 3 Chapter 26: That Peculiar Quarrel

Even this exceptional beauty whose face didn't have a single flaw, after being tormented by hunger for three days, when faced with this plump hare which collapsed in front of her eyes, her first reaction was to forcefully swallow her saliva, and then she stared into the forest where the arrows were fired from, looking at the one who walked out.

"It's you?" The moment she saw who the one holding a simple and crude bow, walking out from the forest was, her chest clearly began to rise and fall intensely.

This was someone she wasn't wishing to see, as well as the one she never expected to see.

When he saw the clearly a bit thin and pallid Qin Xiyue, Lin Xi's expression remained extremely calm. He only nodded. "En, it really is a coincidence, it's me."

"I never expected your archery to be this good." Qin Xiyue avoided Lin Xi's gaze, looking at the body of the hare penetrated by the two arrows, slowly saying.

Lin Xi smiled. "You just caught me at a good time, just a bit lucky."

"Good is good, bad is bad." Qin Xiyue's brows furrowed, and then she said, "To hit a running hare with an improvised bow like this, of all of the new students, there might not be many who can do this. You do not need to be overly modest here."

Lin Xi shrugged his shoulders. He could understand what Qin Xiyue was implying, but he was never someone fond of wasting energy to convince others. Moreover, right now, he was also extremely hungry, urgently needing to clean up this hare, and then eat his fill. As such, he only walked up to the hare that he had shot down, not arguing with Qin Xiyue at all.

When she saw how Lin Xi wasn't willing to say too much to her, Qin Xiyue couldn't help but feel a bit vexed. She didn't want to look at Lin Xi again either, stubbornly heading towards a low depression to her right.

"I already headed in that direction, there's nothing there. Also, there were already people who went there, even the edible moss on the rocks swept clean. However, the woods behind me still have some hills, similar to this place, the chances of finding food might be a bit higher."

When Lin Xi held the pump hare in his hand, his mind immediately became much more at ease. He looked at this beautiful girl's rear figure, feeling like this girl really was a bit unreasonable. However, he still felt that someone like Qin Xiyue who didn't hide her love or hate for others was much cuter than Liu Ziyu, so he couldn't hold himself back from warning Qin Xiyue.

"Thanks." Qin Xiyue's body went rigid. She didn't persist with her original intention either, turning around and walking towards the woods Lin Xi was originally in. Unknown as to what kind of mood prompted this, when she arrived at the edge of these woods, she couldn't help but turn around, giving Lin Xi a look, saying, "Your archery is so good, I reckon you should have some talent. If you worked a bit harder, your cultivation would not be that much inferior to others, you might also have great achievements in the future. Your arrangement with Liu Ziyu began because of me, so as long as you promise me to work hard, I can advise Liu Ziyu to cancel the agreement."

Lin Xi originally smiled indifferently, not wishing to say anymore, because for him, he didn't need much time to prove himself, at that time, Qin Xiyue will naturally understand. However, since Qin Xiyue was saying this with good intentions, he also looked at Qin Xiyue, calmly saying, "Even if I promise you this time, would you believe me? I told you before, that regardless of whether it is you or Liu Ziyu, your opinions towards me is something you've all decided, yet you are imposing it on me. If you believe what I say, then right now, you shouldn't have this type of opinion towards me."

Qin Xiyue's brows furrowed deeply together. She couldn't help but give the carefree and calm Lin Xi a look, looking at his current expression, and then thinking about his excellent archery, all of this made her couldn't help but feel a bit of hesitation inside. Could it be that she really did wrongly blame him?

If it really was as she thought, then the words she spoke previously outside Poisonous Medicine Valley were indeed a bit too disrespectful.

Qin Xiyue looked at Lin Xi again.

At this time, Lin Xi was currently wiping the hare's body clean with a piece of dried grass, removing the arrows. His stamina was clearly somewhat overdrafted, complexion a bit overly pale, but his expression was calm, eyes carrying indescribable confidence.

Qin Xiyue's heart trembled for no reason. She took a deep breath, and then with some hesitation, looked at Lin Xi, saying, "If I apologize for the words I said before... can you prove to me that you aren't the type of person I thought you were?"

Lin Xi was a bit distracted. Just now, he was thinking that she really was a bit unreasonable, but he never expected her attitude to undergo this type of change. When he thought about how he didn't have Xu Shengmo to bother him, proving himself was also as easy as lifting his head, after a slight pause, Lin Xi nodded, and said, "Sure, but I really am too hungry right now. How about you let me finish roasting this hare and eat it first?"

"Also... if you are willing to listen to my advice, feeling like watching me eat isn't that annoying, I advise you to stay here. It is because based on my observations, this region should also be the foraging ground of some foxes and badgers, the smell of blood and roasted meat might very well attract them. You can use some of the internal organs and hair I don't need to set up a trap and bait them in, I believe this doesn't violate the rules."

After a bit of hesitation, Qin Xiyue finally nodded in a rigid manner, agreeing.

...

Because he felt that letting Meng Bai and the others see him eat a hare he hunted was also a type of torment, Lin Xi previously already picked a roasting spot in the forest.

In an open space between some short trees, Lin Xi quickly started a fire with some kapok fiber and wood he prepared, proficiently propping the cleaned hare over the fire.

Some of the bloody fur and skin were cut off by Qin Xiyue with a stone, scattered about the slopes outside. Then, she also went into hiding in the surrounding woods.

Soon afterwards, an intoxicating fragrance wafted out from the roasted hare that was becoming more and more golden, drop after drop of oil also seeping out from the seemingly extremely plump hare meat.

This made Lin Xi's stomach roar even more crazily, his stomach having a type of unbearable twitching feeling.

Without waiting for the hare meat to be completely cooked, Lin Xi who didn't want to torment himself anymore used the stone slab he used to sharpen the arrows just now to cut off a long strip of hare meat from the surface. While completely ignoring the heat, he continuously huffed while chewing fiercely.

"This really is a delicacy..."

A wave of exceptional feeling of bliss entered his brain from the tip of his tongue.

In the past world, he hadn't eaten rabbit meat that many times either. However, maybe because this was a real wild hare, and the species different, he could still clearly tell the difference.

Even without any additional seasonings, the hare meat still released a strong grassy fragrance, and the meat also felt as if it immediately melted when it entered his mouth. No wonder the academy's lecturer had said that normally, even though rabbit meat is harder to digest than other meats, and the nutrients are much fewer, because the rabbit species in Heaven Ascension Mountain Range had to resist the cold, and their predators were comparatively fewer, fat layers extremely plump, they instead became rare treasures for replenishing strength.

This type of rabbit meat with alternating fat and lean layers was simply much more delicious, much more luxuriant than the finest marbled beef he was familiar with in his previous world.

Lin Xi cut off another large strip of rabbit meat. With the previous strip already in his stomach, he didn't eat in as much of a hurry this time. The taste was similarly astonishingly great, and his mind was even more so filled with an unspeakable feeling.

The heavens were unfair to him, making him descend into this completely unfamiliar world.

However, the heavens also gave him preferential treatment, giving him many loved ones, and then letting him experience this type of journey. If it wasn't for coming to this world, how could he experience so many beautiful sceneries, eat so many delicious things?

Lin Xi thought about the two different worlds as he ate the fragrant rabbit meat. He purposely controlled his own powerful hunger, eating slowly, letting the fragrance waft further into the distance.

Just as he expected, when a larger half of the rabbit already entered his belly, his stomach bulging a bit, already preparing to smoke the remaining meat into jerky, saving some for the return trip during the last two days, two small gray figures emerged from the slope behind him.

The eyes of Qin Xiyue who had long been tormented by the meat fragrance until her mind was in chaos also shone.

These were two gray foxes, one big, one small. The big one looked to be a dozen or so jin in weight, the smaller one seven or eight jin.

The instant he saw the two gray foxes, Lin Xi only covered the firewood that was still burning with earth, and then placed the remaining roasted rabbit meat on a piece of rock ten or so steps away from this fire. Then, he carefully withdrew into the distance, hiding in the underbrush.

This type of gray fox rarely encountered people in Heaven Ascension Mountain Range, so they didn't have too much vigilance. However, their natural disposition was also comparatively more timid, a single mistake would easily scare them away.

Qin Xiyue's figure in the forest also completely turned into an incredibly beautiful sculpture. These two gray foxes who would be much more beneficial to her recovery of stamina than the hare ate the hare innards she threw away before, slowly approaching the forest.

However, when these two gray foxes were already a hundred steps from this forest, closing in on a slope near the snow line, there were suddenly some explosion-like noises, extremely abrupt in this quiet mountain wilderness.

Shua!

These two gray foxes seemed to have immediately turned into a gust of wind, directly turning around and crazily running in the direction they came from.

Qin Xiyue and Lin Xi's expressions both completely changed. Qin Xiyue's feet continuously pressed against the ground, her entire body flying out from the forest, the makeshift spear flying out from her hands. Lin Xi also took large steps out from the forest, the bow in his hands releasing light noises, two arrows chasing out like a streak of lightning.

However, because there was no previous omen or preparation, together with the distance still being comparatively too far, the spear in Qin Xiyue's hands and the two arrows he fired out didn't hit anything.

The two gray foxes almost immediately made their way around a low mound, disappearing from their line of sight.

"Just who... what is going on?"

When Lin Xi and Qin Xiyue exchanged a look of extreme disappointment, they heard faint sounds of argument, coming from a place seemingly not that far from where they were.