Seeing the large face suddenly looming in front of her, Chi Luan took two steps back in disgust.
Who are you?
The man who had just spoken stiffened, then smiled awkwardly, "Miss Chi, don't you recognize me? I'm Song Zicheng! Our two families are currently discussing a collaboration, and I even delivered some things to your residence a while ago!"
Even after all that, Chi Luan still shook her head and said arrogantly, "Sorry, I have too many people coming and going, I can't remember them all."
"It's alright, I was being presumptuous."
Song Zicheng stood there awkwardly, neither able to move forward nor backward, making Lu Yuan feel embarrassed for him.
Chi Luan, however, didn't care at all, or rather, he was used to it.
Don't let her constant setbacks in front of Lu Yuan fool you; despite her seemingly foolish nature, she is, after all, the next heir of the Crimson Cloud Merchant Alliance, a genuine heiress. Countless people want to curry favor with her, so why would they remember a name they haven't even partnered with?
"If there's nothing else, we'll be going now." Chi Luan waved to Song Zicheng and prepared to continue on her way.
"Wait a moment!"
Song Zicheng suddenly stopped her.
"Miss Akane, this fire was started by your Moltres, wasn't it? Can you tell us what happened?"
Chi Luan frowned slightly and patiently replied, "I encountered a bloodthirsty vine tree, and I set it on fire to extinguish it. What happened?"
Song Zicheng's eyes suddenly lit up.
"If I remember correctly, the Bloodthirsty Vine Tree is a Xuanzhen-level demonic beast. Is there any treasure around it?!"
Chi Luan was already somewhat impatient, and upon hearing these words, her face immediately darkened.
"Everything within a hundred meters has been burned to ashes. I didn't find any treasure! And even if there were treasure, what does it have to do with you?"
Song Zicheng quickly feigned ignorance and laughed, "I'm just curious..."
"Hmph! I bet you're not just curious, you want to steal it!"
Chi Luan snorted coldly, her tone icy.
Seeing that Chi Luan was truly angry, Song Zicheng was startled, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
“Miss Chi, Zicheng is just naturally unconventional. He’s only curious and doesn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t scare him.” Seeing that Song Zicheng was about to give in, a young man in a white tracksuit stepped forward from the opposing team.
"And who are you?" Chi Luan asked, frowning.
"I am Gao Hongsheng, the eldest grandson of the Gao family in the capital." Gao Hongsheng introduced himself with a smile. "The Gao family recently signed a cooperation agreement with your esteemed business alliance. I'm sure Miss Chi remembers that."
“I do remember,” Chi Luan nodded. “But this should be our first meeting, right?”
Gao Hongsheng smiled slightly, "I have long admired Miss Chi, so naturally I recognized you."
"Oh." Chi Luan waved her hand dismissively. "Then you can continue to admire me. I'm leaving now."
"puff!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan could no longer hold back.
Who would have thought that this seemingly silly girl would have such a cunning personality!
Chi Luan glared at him, her face slightly flushed, and turned to leave, but was stopped by Gao Hongsheng.
"Miss Akane, please wait a moment!"
"What are you doing now?!"
Chi Luan was now completely enraged.
These people are never going to stop, are they?
“Miss Chi, there’s something fishy about the entrance to the secret realm. I suppose you’ve been forced to separate from your teammates, right? The secret realm is too dangerous. It’s not safe for you to go alone. Why don’t you join our team? We happen to be heading in the same direction.”
After hearing Gao Hongsheng's words, Lu Yuan was full of questions.
What does it mean that Chi Luan is not safe alone?
Isn't he human?!
Gao Hongsheng ignored him completely, looking at Chi Luan expectantly with full confidence.
So what if she's the young lady of the Crimson Cloud Merchant Alliance? In the end, she's just a little girl. He's already lowered himself to invite her, so there's no reason for her to refuse.
However, he immediately heard Chi Luan speak.
"No need. I have teammates; I'm not alone. It's much safer for me than with you guys!"
Chi Luan spoke indifferently, her gaze toward Gao Hongsheng as if he were an idiot.
Are you kidding me?
They actually said she wasn't safe?
She and Lu Yuan had just killed a Profound Realm level Bloodthirsty Vine Tree. Although she was only coughing from the thick smoke, it was still much safer than being with these guys who didn't seem very smart!
And for some reason, she really disliked Gao Hongsheng's mannerisms, always feeling that he was somewhat pretentious.
"Teammate?" Gao Hongsheng frowned, turning his head to look at Lu Yuan standing not far away. "This kid?"
"No way!" the boy next to Gao Hongsheng sneered. "This guy doesn't even have any spiritual power. He's probably a useless piece of trash who hasn't even awakened his beast-taming talent. What use is he besides being good-looking?"
“I didn’t sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from him either.” Gao Hongsheng glanced at Lu Yuan, then looked back at Chi Luan and solemnly advised, “You chose someone who isn’t even a Beast Tamer as a teammate. You’re underestimating the dangers of the secret realm. Why don’t you team up with us?”
"I can team up with whomever I want, it's none of your business!"
Chi Luan's tone turned completely cold.
In fact, she couldn't detect the spiritual energy fluctuations on Lu Yuan's body, but she never underestimated Lu Yuan.
Whether it's sitting in the auction house intimidating everyone or using his exceptional abilities to kill the Bloodthirsty Vine Tree, everything Lu Yuan actually possesses is far more complex than it appears; it's very likely that he's hiding it using some kind of secret method.
And most importantly.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Lu Yuan, she unexpectedly felt very relaxed and happy.
Based on this alone, she would not abandon Lu Yuan, nor would she tolerate anyone else insulting him!
"Well then, I can let the two of you join the team, but I'll be in charge of distributing what we get in the secret realm," Gao Hongsheng said, feigning reluctance as if he were making a huge concession.
"I've already said I won't join your team!" Chi Luan completely lost her patience.
She refused to team up with them from the very beginning, right?
This person blocked her way and talked to himself for a long time, as if he couldn't understand human language!
Gao Hongsheng's face froze for a moment.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath and said, "Are you sure you want to reject me?"
"What? You're offering a gift for refusing me?" Chi Luan rolled her eyes and retorted irritably.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Gao Hong laughed angrily.
He boasted that he had lowered himself to invite Chi Luan, but was rejected time and time again, which completely enraged him, and he even disregarded Chi Luan's identity and background.
"I'd like to see how long you can survive in this secret realm with this piece of trash. You'll regret your decision now!"
After saying that, Gao Hongsheng glared fiercely at them, then left with his men.
Lu Yuan was scolded for no reason and was inexplicably dragged into the mess, which left him speechless.
Do you really think he has no temper?
When they meet again, he'll definitely teach this brat a lesson!
...
Gao Hongsheng and the others stopped after walking a certain distance.
Seeing that Gao Hongsheng still looked furious, Song Zicheng cautiously spoke up.
"Brother Gao, are we just going to leave like this? We haven't found the treasure yet!"
Gao Hongsheng glanced at him and said irritably, "Why are you leaving? Do you think the two of them can kill the Bloodthirsty Vine? There are definitely other experts around!"
Song Zicheng tentatively asked, "Then we..."
"Keep an eye on which direction they go, and when no one's around, make your move!"
"Don't worry, Brother Gao, even if it weren't for the treasure, I would still avenge you!"
Song Zicheng looked indignant. "That brat Chi Luan is simply too much! Relying on the Chiyun Merchant Alliance backing her up, she actually embarrassed you in public! And that pretty boy next to her, I could crush him with one finger!"
"Hmph!" Gao Hongsheng sneered, "He's nothing but a bully who relies on his master's power. Beat him to a pulp later! Whoever puts in the most effort will get a bigger share of the treasure!"
Upon hearing this, the other four people were overjoyed and no longer cared about the Crimson Cloud Merchant Alliance.
After all, everyone in the secret realm relies on their own abilities, and it's normal to get beaten up or even die. Even if the Crimson Cloud Merchant Alliance comes to settle scores later, they will be in the right!
"What treasure are you talking about?"
Just as Song Zicheng and the others were eager to try, a voice suddenly broke in.
Immediately afterwards, a young man with blond hair approached, followed by an elderly man with graying temples.
Gao Hongsheng quickly lowered his head and spoke respectfully.
"Young Master Lu! Third Elder!"
"Hmm." Lu Kuan waved his hand casually. "Tell me, what treasure did you find?"
Gao Hongsheng and the others were startled.
They never expected that their conversation had been overheard.
If we tell them what happened now, wouldn't that be like handing over a treasure?
However.
Just as Gao Hongsheng was thinking about how to lie and cover up the past, the old man next to Lu Kuan suddenly glared at him, and a strong aura emanated from him, which frightened Gao Hongsheng so much that he took a step back.
Such terrifying pressure instantly dispelled his worries, and he hurriedly described in detail the encounter he had just had with Lu Yuan.
...
"Let's go too."
After Gao Hongsheng and the others left, Lu Yuan turned to Chi Luan and urged her on.
The commotion caused by setting fire to the forest is too great. If we linger here any longer, someone else might come.
It's alright if people like Gao Hongsheng and his group don't have much strength, but if a master of the Heavenly Evolution level comes along, things will get complicated.
Chi Luan was well aware of the seriousness of her loss of composure, and quickly followed behind Lu Yuan.
The two walked in the opposite direction from where Gao Hongsheng and the others had left, but after walking for a short while, Chi Luan sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
"Lu Yuan, I'm so tired... Haven't we walked far enough? Let's take a break, okay?"
She hadn't stopped since entering the secret realm, and had just endured the torment in the center of the fire circle, and was now completely exhausted.
Lu Yuan looked up and glanced around.
The surrounding area is covered with dense bushes, and the devastated fire site is no longer visible.
"Okay, let's find a place to rest for a while."
To be honest, he's almost at his limit.
Ever since he opened his eyes in the secret realm, he has been fighting against all sorts of monsters, and even has to kill enemies of higher levels.
Such a high-intensity pace is really hard to keep up with.
"There's a small pond right ahead, with a wide view, and there shouldn't be any monsters like the bloodsucking vines around."
"Alright." Chi Luan nodded slightly. "Then let's go quickly!"
The two walked a distance and soon found the pool that Lu Yuan had mentioned.
The area around here is mostly shallow water with little vegetation, and occasionally you can see traces of monster activity.
"It seems there are quite a few monsters in this jungle. The reason we haven't encountered them before is probably because they were all captured by the Bloodthirsty Vine Tree."
"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's grab something to eat and rest before continuing our journey."
While analyzing the situation, Lu Yuan took out the corpse of the fire lizard he had killed earlier from his beast-taming space.
"This is a fire lizard?!" Chi Luan exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to have such good taste." Lu Yuan chuckled.
"Could it be that you killed him?!"
"Otherwise what?"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, pulled out a machete, and began to dismember the fire lizard.
He had anticipated that he would get hungry, so he didn't throw away the monster's corpse. He didn't expect it to actually come in handy.
Chi Luan, standing beside him, was stunned and clearly hadn't recovered from the shock.
You see, although she had never seen a fire salamander in person, she had heard many rumors about it.
It is said that the fire lizard is a Xuanzhen-level demon beast, and its actual combat ability can even reach the Earth Spirit level in high-temperature environments!
And Lu Yuan was actually able to kill the fire lizard?!
This is absolutely outrageous!
While she was still in a daze, Lu Yuan had already cut the fire lizard into pieces, casually built a fire, and put the two lizard legs he had picked out on it to roast.
Before long, the aroma wafted out.
The fragrance captivated Chi Luan, making her unconsciously swallow.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan handed her a freshly roasted lizard leg. "Here, eat it."
Chi Luan didn't stand on ceremony and immediately took it, then took a bite.
"Wow! This is so delicious! I never knew you had such cooking skills!"
Lu Yuan chuckled and said, "When I have nothing to do, I'll cook for myself. As long as it suits your taste, it's fine."
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"
Chi Luan's eyes immediately lit up with admiration as she looked at Lu Yuan.
She never expected that Lu Yuan was not only smart and good at fighting, but also had a knack for cooking!
Where can you find a man like this who is perfect in every way?
Why doesn't she just trick Lu Yuan into going home right now?
Chi Luan's gaze was so blatant that Lu Yuan couldn't help but get goosebumps from her stare.
After finally finishing his meal, he immediately got up.
"Let's keep going! Let's find a suitable place to camp for the night, and see if we can find our teammates."
As more and more people formed temporary teams around them, the two of them were ultimately outnumbered and outmatched.
After resting for about half an hour, Lu Yuan and his companion continued their journey.
Shortly after they left, Zhang Qiang arrived with a group of teammates.
“Brother Qiang, there are signs that someone has been here.” One of them stepped forward and wiped away the remaining dust on the ground, analyzing, “There’s still some warmth, so it seems they haven’t been gone for long.”
Zhang Qiang nodded upon hearing this and ordered, "Follow their lead! There was such a commotion in the jungle just now; something precious must have appeared. We must catch up with them and seize the treasure!"
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