As dawn broke, birds began to chirp and sing in the woods, and the campfire was reduced to embers, emitting wisps of smoke.

Zhang Shaozhong practically stayed up until the wee hours of the night with dark circles under his eyes, feeling like he was about to ascend to heaven!

I'm sleepy.

Several hikers woke up one after another, stretching and yawning.

"Ah...it's dawn! Hurry up and find a way down the mountain. I'm going to have to sleep for a whole day and night when I get back!"

"Yes, one experience of sleeping outdoors is enough."

The two big shots also woke up.

It was clear they had slept terribly that night. Ling Qingxue's once meticulously styled long hair was now even more disheveled, with a few strands stubbornly sticking up. Combined with her dirty windbreaker and her cold, sleep-deprived eyes, it created a strangely endearing contrast.

Ye Meier had puffy eyes and a irritable expression that said, "I'm not happy, don't mess with me," as she kept moving her stiff and sore neck and shoulders.

"This mortal body is truly useless! My back and waist ache after just one night!"

While complaining, Ye Meier tried to comb her tangled long hair with her hands, but the more she did it, the worse it got, so angry that she wanted to burn her hair with demonic fire.

Although Ling Qingxue didn't say anything, she subconsciously rubbed her sore lower back and frowned deeply as she looked at her mud-covered hands and dirty sleeves.

She's a germaphobe!

This is absolutely killing her!

A fellow traveler kindly handed me a small bottle of mineral water and an individually wrapped wet wipe:

"Miss, would you like to use this to wipe your face? It'll make you feel better."

Ling Qingxue stared at the unfamiliar wet wipe packaging, her eyes filled with vigilance and suspicion, as if it were some new type of concealed weapon.

Zhang Shaozhong quickly took it, tore open the packaging, took out the damp tissue inside, and demonstrated by wiping his face with it:

"Look, this is for wiping your face. It's cooling and can remove dirt."

Ling Qingxue hesitated for a moment, but in the end, her desire for cleanliness overcame her vigilance.

She carefully pulled out a wet wipe, the icy touch making her shiver slightly.

She mimicked Zhang Shaozhong's movements, wiping her cheeks and fingers with extreme gentleness and care, her earnest expression as if she were handling a priceless work of art.

"Tsk, so fussy."

Ye Meier watched from the side, curling her lip in disdain, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at the wet wipe.

She also felt extremely uncomfortable with her face feeling oily.

Zhang Shaozhong, with great insight, tore open another package and handed it to her.

Ye Meier snatched the wet wipe away, roughly pulled it out, and haphazardly wiped her face a few times, with such force it looked like she was going to peel off her skin, all the while complaining:

"What is this thing? It's slippery and has a weird smell!"

But after wiping it off, she clearly felt much refreshed, and her expression softened slightly.

The group packed their belongings, extinguished the embers, and continued on their way.

The morning light filtered through the leaves, improving visibility and making the road easier to walk on.

But they hadn't gone far when a new problem arose—thirst.

The bottled water from last night was long gone.

The compressed biscuits were dry and hard; I got so thirsty after walking for only a short while that my throat felt like it was on fire.

"Hang in there! I remember there should be a mountain spring not far ahead, and the water quality is very good!"

The team leader encouraged everyone.

Sure enough, after walking for about half an hour, clear mountain spring water gushed out from a crevice in the rocks, forming a small puddle.

"Great! There's water!"

The hikers cheered and crowded around, cupping their hands to drink the water heartily; some even stuck their heads in to catch the water.

Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier stood to the side, watching this "wild" way of drinking water, and once again showed expressions of disgust.

"Although fresh water is good, drinking it in this way is...unseemly."

Ling Qingxue commented.

"Exactly, what's the difference between this and livestock drinking water?"

Ye Mei'er agreed, but licked her chapped lips, her eyes fixed on the clear spring water.

Zhang Shaozhong ignored them and rushed over to drink his fill. The cool and sweet spring water was incredibly refreshing.

"Wow! That feels good! You two, come and have a drink! It's really sweet!"

Thirst ultimately triumphed over restraint.

Ling Qingxue walked to the upper reaches of the spring, carefully observed the water quality, and only after confirming that it was clear enough did she squat down with great elegance.

They carefully scooped up a handful of water with their palms together, taking small sips, their movements as refined as if they were filming a movie.

Seeing her leisurely pace, Ye Meier grew impatient and simply walked to the other side, bent down, supported herself on the rock with her hands, and like a small animal, approached the spring and drank the flowing water droplets directly from her mouth.

"Rude!"

Ling Qingxue couldn't help but whisper something.

"Fake cleanliness!"

After Ye Meier finished drinking, she wiped her mouth and immediately returned the toast.

"Why are you being so fussy about drinking water! It's such a waste of time!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Zhang Shaozhong quickly interrupted:

"Alright, alright, now that you've had your fill, let's hurry up and get down the mountain so we can be free sooner!"

Once back on the road, perhaps having drunk some water and regained some strength, the bickering mode automatically switched back on.

I passed by a wild fruit grove, where the trees were laden with red and green wild fruits.

"Huh? This fruit looks edible?"

I know someone from a backpacking trip.

"It's wild hawthorn and fuzzy peach, but it's a bit sour."

Ling Qingxue glanced at the fruits, her eyes indifferent:

"The spiritual energy is thin, the flesh is sour and astringent; eating it is of no benefit and will only damage one's foundation in the Dao." (Translation: It has no nutritional value, tastes bad, and should not be eaten.)

Ye Meier was somewhat interested. She picked a bright red wild hawthorn, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!