The sunlight and shadows in the forest, like scattered gold, danced on the man's noble and aloof face, but did nothing to brighten his dark, deep eyes.
Those eyes held a deep, unyielding darkness, a suppressed heaviness that Ruan Tang couldn't comprehend, and... panic.
Ruan Tang's heart clenched suddenly.
What's wrong with him?
We just talked about forming a bond yesterday, why are you asking about it again today?
And with that look in your eyes...
He seemed afraid.
The thought flashed through Ruan Tang's mind, but before she could think about it deeply, her body had already reacted.
She let go of his hand, then stood on tiptoe and threw herself into his arms.
Her soft body pressed tightly against the man's cold body, her small hands encircling his strong waist.
She tilted her head back and gently rubbed her soft cheek against his taut jaw, her voice both soft and earnest.
"We'll have to wait a bit."
"We're still missing two items for the contract, but don't worry, we're already looking for them, and maybe we'll have them when we get back."
The girl's warm body temperature and sweet fragrance in his arms were so familiar, yet they could not soothe the turmoil in Yan Yu's heart.
Yan Yu didn't know whether the little girl was telling the truth or just trying to coax him.
At this moment, he was not even sure.
Yan Yu could clearly feel that she was in his arms, warm and soft, within reach.
But the unease that made him feel like he was suffocating still tightly bound his heart.
He felt as if he had returned to the apocalypse.
Surrounded by zombies and betrayal, the little girl in his arms was the only light he had dug out from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
He could tear everything apart for her, yet he was also morbidly afraid that this light would disappear at any moment.
He wanted to ask her what she was lacking, and what those things he couldn't understand were.
But he didn't dare.
He feared that if he asked the question, the beautiful scene before him would vanish like a bubble, easily shattered.
Yan Yu's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He couldn't suppress the obsession that was about to devour him, and asked in a trembling voice, "What are you missing?"
Tell me, and I'll help you look for it.
Ruan Tang felt a sharp pain as the man suddenly tightened his arms around her, but she didn't struggle. She simply patted his back gently and nuzzled against him reassuringly.
She answered honestly, "I'm missing elemental stones, specifically metal and fire ones."
Five Elements Stones?
Yan Yu's dark pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
He had never heard of this word before.
But in the apocalypse, he had seen zombie crystal cores with different attributes. Were these two the same thing?
This thought slightly eased the tension in his heart.
Just as Yan Yu was about to ask further questions, a shout suddenly came from the foot of the mountain, growing louder as it approached.
"Yan Zhiqing—! Is Yan Zhiqing on the mountain—?!"
It was the captain's voice.
The two turned around and soon saw Chen Fengshan running up the path, panting and covered in sweat.
"Yan Zhiqing, I've finally found you! Quick, come with me to see that dryer and thresher that the Red Flag Brigade just returned—damn it, it's not working again!"
Yan Yu's brows furrowed instantly, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
It's that same old broken machine again.
There was no other way but to let go of the person in his arms, take the basket off his back and hand it to Ruan Tang, giving her some serious instructions.
"Stay nearby, don't go any further in, just wait for me where you are."
"I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he followed the hurried Chen Fengshan and strode down the mountain.
As soon as Yan Yu left, the mountains and forests fell silent.
Ruan Tang found a clean, large rock to sit on, and with a thought, released Little White, who had been holding back all the way in her spirit beast pouch.
She found a place with lush vegetation and relatively high humidity, sat down cross-legged, and quickly entered a meditative state.
When she opened her eyes again, she had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
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