However, he still missed it; after all, no one could have imagined that someone could ride on a strange bird and fly over their heads...
Ji Yueyao nimbly leaped down from the back of the swan-like exotic bird, glanced back at the bird that had tilted its head, then wrapped one arm around Ruan Ruan in her arms and gently patted the bird's head with the other, saying, "Thank you for bringing us out of the Forbidden Forest."
The swan-like exotic bird's bulging eyes darted around slightly, seemingly unsure how to respond to Ji Yueyao's gratitude. It flapped its wings twice, as if sensing some kind of joy, then stirred up a gust of wind and flew away again towards the Forbidden Forest.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Ji Yueyao did not perceive the language of the magpie-like bird, but the joy clearly flowed into her mind.
Do birds of prey, such as sparrows, also experience joy?
"Sister..." Ruan Ruan rubbed her eyes, yawned, and her reddened eyes glistened with tears.
"What's wrong?" Ji Yueyao carried Ruan Ruan and walked towards what looked like a town. Although Ruan Ruan looked to be five or six years old, she weighed only as much as a baby.
How could it be so light? Ji Yueyao was very puzzled.
"Sleepy." Ruan Ruan pouted.
"Then I'll hold you, and you can sleep well for a while." Ji Yueyao looked up and said, "Ruan Ruan, can your hair color and eye color be changed?" Ruan Ruan's hair color and eye color were very eye-catching. Just by looking at her appearance, it was almost impossible to tell that she was not human.
"It can't be changed," Ruan Ruan shook her head.
"Alright then." Seeing that Ruan Ruan looked too sleepy to talk, Ji Yueyao nodded helplessly, then draped her cloak over Ruan Ruan's head, which would at least cover her up a little.
Ji Yueyao carried Ruanruan and walked forward step by step through the mud. Beyond the Forbidden Forest lay the desolate land, which was just as muddy and filthy as when she first arrived.
She took out two fruits that Hai had given her from the pocket she had brought with her, and the moment she bit into them, she questioned the meaning of life.
It's sour, astringent, and bitter...
"Is this thing really edible?" Ji Yueyao looked down at the wild fruit in her hand that had been bitten, and sighed silently. She thought back to when Hai gave her the fruit, he said it was very delicious. It seems that there is a certain difference between the sense of taste of humans and otherworldly beings.
Having tossed the uneaten wild fruit back into his pocket, Ji Yueyao could only continue walking forward.
The area ahead, which appeared to be a town, was deserted and looked quite desolate, but the faint wisps of smoke rising from chimneys indicated that people still lived there.
"Where is this place?" Ji Yueyao frowned, took out a map from her pocket, shook it, and unfolded it. She leaned against a shady spot and carefully examined the map. She should be in the eastern part of the entire C country. The only town she arrived at right after leaving the Forbidden Forest was—Kagan City.
Kagan City used to be a fairly famous city, named after its leader, Kagan. However, after the rise of the four major bases, Nanxiao, Beihuang, Donglin, and Xiyu, Kagan City declined and is now basically an unmanaged and chaotic area.
Since it's unmanaged, it's very troublesome. Ji Yueyao quickly put away the map again, looked at the sleepy Ruan Ruan in her arms, and walked forward again. "I should leave as soon as possible."
"Leave where?" Ruan Ruan seemed to open half her eyes, yawned slightly, and asked softly.
The voice was soft and gentle, and even Ji Yueyao seemed to be captivated by it.
“Let’s leave this city.” Ji Yueyao looked up. “But before we leave, we need to find a way to get a means of transportation.”
The Donglin base is quite far from them; it might take more than a month to walk there.
"Who goes there!" Just as Ji Yueyao was thinking, several teenagers suddenly jumped out and blocked her way. "Unfamiliar face, who are you!"
"Just passing by." Ji Yueyao frowned. She couldn't help but frown at the way these fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys looked like they were guarding against thieves. Did this small, dilapidated town have anything valuable worth coveting? Just seeing them acting like they were guarding against thieves was enough to annoy her.
"Boss, she's just a woman with a child."
A young man looked up and whispered to the man standing at the front, seemingly not very familiar with Ji Yueyao.
Take it to heart.
"Junhua, what do you know!" The boy, who was called the leader, turned around and glared at the person who spoke. "Grandpa said that anyone, regardless of gender or age, could be a bad person. Have you forgotten?"
"No..." Junhua lowered his head, looking ashamed and embarrassed, not daring to lift his head.
"Tell me quickly, who exactly are you!" the "boss" asked fiercely, glaring at him.
How dare they speak to their master like that… A cold glint flashed in her soft, blood-red eyes. Fortunately, her cloak concealed her face in shadow, otherwise, those eyes alone would have been enough to terrify those boys.
“I already told you I was just passing by…” Ji Yueyao sighed helplessly. Looking at the disbelieving looks on the faces of the boys, she hesitated for a moment, then her mind suddenly went blank. A glint flashed in her dark eyes, and she lowered her eyes and said softly, “I escaped from the Beihuang Base… I’m going to the Donglin Base because I have relatives there.”
This old, tired excuse always works, and although the boys were still glaring at her, they were clearly starting to believe it.
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