Chapter 16 Lighting Up Three Little Stars
Although it's called a cave, it's actually just a small cave for monsters.
It's probably because this place is too small that it has been abandoned by wild animals.
Huali placed Lianzhuo on a dry pile of grass, cleaned his wounds with a water-type card, carefully bandaged them, and tied a perfect bow.
She nodded in satisfaction, then took out a blanket from her storage bag and covered him with it, even thoughtfully lifting the Buddha's head and placing a pillow on it.
This Qiankun bag was a deposit given to her by Tang Wanwan.
It has to be said that it is a really good treasure. Once it recognizes its owner, it can be opened regardless of whether there is spiritual power or not. It is just as powerful as a communication stone.
The interior was very spacious, and Huali put all her belongings inside.
After tinkering with the Buddha statue, she started tinkering with the surroundings. First, she hung a green curtain at the entrance of the cave as a cover, and then she found a pile of pots and pans and placed them aside.
After doing all this, Huali took out a small stool and prepared to start a fire.
Although it is April, the mountains are damp and cold, so we need to warm up our bodies as soon as possible.
Ao Bai had already brought back some branches from outside, and Hua Li took out a fire card, about to light it, but hesitated.
"No. These cards that haven't been upgraded with stars can only be used once a day. If there's any danger, wouldn't I be missing a layer of protection?"
Ao Bai thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "The host is very thoughtful. But how do we start a fire without a fire card?"
Huali: "That's easy, just watch me."
*
Lian Zhuo was awakened by a burst of smoke.
His butterfly-like wings trembled as he opened them and turned to look into the thick smoke.
A person and a cat were seen squatting in front, fiddling with something, and exchanging words back and forth.
Huali rubbed the wooden stick vigorously with her hands, learning from her mistake: "I still lack experience in wilderness survival. I actually forgot something as important as a tinderbox."
Ao Bai: "Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow." Host, push harder, I can see sparks.
Huali's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace, igniting a spark that quickly extinguished itself in the next second, leaving only a choking cloud of smoke.
"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough."
Disappointment flashed in Karin's eyes. Undeterred, she wiped Akabane, which was drooping to the side of her face, with the back of her hand and sniffed.
Lian Zhuo watched quietly for a while, a smile appearing in his eyes that even he himself hadn't noticed. Only then did he realize that he was lying in a soft pile of grass, covered with a blanket.
The sweet scent of pear blossoms wafted over him, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face when he realized whose personal item it was.
"Rosewood".
"Hmm?" Huali, who was still fiddling with rubbing sticks together to start a fire, subconsciously responded, then paused for a second before realizing that she had almost thought she was hallucinating.
Huali suddenly turned her head and saw the Buddha sitting upright on the hay, his gaze calm and gentle. "I'll do it."
"Lian Zhuo, you're awake?" Hua Li exclaimed with delight, tossing the wooden stick in her hand to Ao Bai and running over. "Are you alright? Does your body still hurt?"
Lian Zhuo's gaze swept over the soot on the tip of her nose, and her fingers twitched slightly.
Seeing that Huali's gaze was filled with suppressed laughter, Lianzhuo looked down and first noticed the bow on her shoulder, then looked at the women's clothing that was obviously a size too small.
Lian Zhuo: "......"
He remained silent for a moment, then swiftly took out a brand-new kasaya from his waist pouch. In the blink of an eye, Lian Zhuo was already dressed, even wearing a string of cypress wood on his wrist.
"It's alright, thank you for saving me."
"I should thank you properly. If it weren't for you, I would have been smashed to pieces long ago." Huali waved her hand shyly. "You should lie down and rest first."
Lian Zhuo's gaze swept over the pinch marks on Hua Li's neck. Even after a night, the marks were still clearly visible.
Last night's events resurfaced.
The girl's soft kiss, with a sweet and slightly fishy taste.
Forcing himself to look away, Lian Zhuo closed his eyes and sensed his body's meridians. The outbreak of the Gu poison had severely damaged his meridians, and his body automatically activated a protective mode, making it impossible to use spiritual energy for a short period of time.
"Are you alright? Has the poison flared up again, and you need to drink blood?" Hua Li understood when he didn't speak, so she immediately removed the bandage from her wrist and said generously, "Come on, don't be shy."
Just now, she completed her second task.
Now the Earth-type cards have three little stars, shining brightly.
With her health bar doubling again, Huali couldn't be happier.
If she lights up just one more star, she can unlock SSR and reach a new level of strength.
The girl's skin was soft and fair, but a deep wound marred its beauty. Lian Zhuo pursed her lips slightly, her tone unusually questioning: "Why?"
Even Buddhist disciples who have spent years preaching and resolving doubts for others have encountered perplexing questions at this moment, questions that are thousands of times more difficult to understand than the obscure and difficult-to-understand Buddhist scriptures.
"Huh?" Huali paused, sniffed, and muttered, "What else could it be..."
Lian Zhuo's heart suddenly started racing.
For a fleeting moment, he even had the urge to cover his ears. He wanted to hear, yet he was also afraid to hear.
"Of course it's to save my life!" Huali rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't you say you were poisoned by Gu? You even developed an antisocial personality and wanted to drink blood, and you didn't even explain why you wanted to drink blood. If you had told me earlier that my blood could save you, I wouldn't have been stingy with it."
Lian Zhuo's fingertips twitched slightly. "Why did you save me? We met by chance."
“Naturally, it’s because we’re friends.” Huali’s gaze was clear, like the shimmering sea under the moonlight, looking straight into the dry well of the Buddha’s heart, one circle, two circles, rippling outwards. “We are very, very good friends.”
"Friends...?" The Buddhist monk murmured, concealing the expression in his eyes.
Huali nodded vigorously!
Yes! That's it! Treat me as your best friend! And let me be by your side! Let the little stars shine!
Huali was about to say something when Lianzhuo interrupted her, "Don't do that again."
“That won’t do.” Huali shook her head. “It’s just a little blood. I vomited it out last night after being beaten. It’s enough for you to drink for three months.”
"You'd better recover your strength as soon as possible. By the way, do your Buddhist disciples know about your poisoning?"
"Tan Chen?" The Buddhist disciple, who was not good at lying, was unusually at a loss. "I don't know."
Karin nodded without noticing anything amiss, "That's good, just don't let him know."
Now Lianzhuo was confused, "Why can't the Buddhist disciple know?"
"I've heard that the Buddhist disciples of your sect are detached from emotions and desires. What if they find out and mistakenly think you're a heretic, expelling you from the Buddhist sect, or even slaying demons and monsters? So it's best not to say anything," Huali cautioned.
Lian Zhuo stopped holding the cliff cypress beads. "You don't like the Buddha?"
"Isn't that obvious? I've never even seen him before." These people all have such a strong bias towards the Buddhist monk. Tang Wanwan's brainless fan is one thing, but even Lian Zhuo is like this. I wonder who Tan Chen really is.
The Divine Being himself sighed and conceded: "A little blood is enough."
At the end of his sentence, he reached out and took Huali's hand, then re-bandaged the bandage.
Huali was somewhat surprised. She shook her arm slightly. "It's just a minor injury..." Her words were interrupted by the sound of tearing silk. Lianzhu tore off half of the lining of her kasaya, and the soft, moon-white silk wrapped around her wrist.
Lian Zhuo's movements were very light, yet her hands were extremely steady.
“This place is filled with demonic energy, not suitable for wound healing.” Huali saw his Adam’s apple bob several times, as if he was swallowing more harsh words.
The silk cloth wrapped around the black Buddhist prayer beads strung on a red string on her wrist. Lian Zhuo's fingertips paused, and she sighed silently.
It's true that everyone has their own expertise; the wooden stick that was useless in her hands became exceptionally obedient in Lian Zhuo's hands.
Huali curled up by the fire and yawned contentedly.
"Do you know where we are? How do we get back?"
Lian Zhuo lifted the green curtain at the cave entrance, looked around, and frowned.
"There is probably a formation set up at the foot of Baiyun Mountain. This place is no longer Baiyun Mountain, but the border of the Demon Realm."
It must have been Bi Fang who did it.
"Huh? The demon realm?" Huali's drowsiness vanished instantly. How did she end up in the demon realm?
"It's alright. This place is located along the line between the Demon Realm and the Cultivation Realm. It's not far from Chenliu City, the nearest city. We can get there in three days."
bite--
Task triggered.
Huali, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly shuddered and stared intently at Ao Bai.
"Task 3: Help the Chosen One safely exit the Monster Forest and obtain ten level 5 or higher monster cores. The reward is half a star. Time limit: five days."
Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Huali thought the system had finally seen the light, as this was practically a free gift.
It wasn't until the ten demon beast pills appeared that Huali truly believed that capitalism could never genuinely care for the working people!
"But your injuries haven't healed yet, let's rest here for a day." Give her some time to kill a few monsters.
Lian Zhuo glanced at her face and asked calmly, "You're planning to kill a demonic beast?"
Huali: !!!
Ao Bai: !!!
Lian Zhuo looked at the two, one human and one cat, with wide eyes and amusement, and explained, "There are many monsters here. Although your cards have strong spiritual power, you don't know when to control them. This is a good opportunity to gain practical experience."
Does this mean...?
Huali stared intently at Lianzhuo, an invisible tail wagging wildly behind her. "You're going to teach me?"
A smile flashed in Lian Zhuo's eyes. "Right now, I have no spiritual power left, and there are many demonic beasts here, so this is only natural."
"That's great! Then you'll be my master!"
Lian Zhuo shook her head: "Buddhism has never accepted female disciples."
"I almost forgot." Huali slapped her forehead. "I can't live a carefree life in the mortal world, so could you teach me your blood-drawing talisman technique first?"
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