Master of Kaidan
Chapter 39: Fetching Water

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Fetching Water

Excluding the years too young to remember, Xiyao was absolutely certain that this was her first time in her life having to silence her footsteps wherever she went, and what made her more despairing was that such days might continue for an unknown amount of time.

Water trickled through the forest, and although Xiyao was no possessor of "super hearing," at this moment, in this eerily silent forest that set her heart racing, she could distinctly hear Feng Xue’s breathing not far away.

Having quickly taken care of her personal needs, Xiyao glanced at the leaves beside her but couldn’t muster the resolve to use them, resorting instead to taking a napkin from her pocket. She carefully pulled one out and even considered tearing it in half to use.

This was the first time in Xiyao’s life that she considered conserving toilet paper, but the thought of having to use leaves or even sticks after running out sent shivers down her spine.

"Are you done?" Feng Xue’s voice came from outside the forest. Xiyao hurriedly straightened her clothes and then issued a confirming nasal sound as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

However, the wilderness of Infinite City was so quiet that even such a soft response was heard clearly by Feng Xue. He waited a moment, and when Xiyao came into view, he spoke softly, "Have you noticed the issue with the sounds?"

"Yes," Xiyao nodded. "I’ve read in novels that if the forest is too quiet, it means there’s an ambush..."

"That’s generally true, but not in Infinite City," Feng Xue shook his head, pulled out his phone, and planned the route to the riverbank before explaining, "In Infinite City, only two things make noise: humans and their tools, and the other is omens, you can think of them as monsters or such. The wilderness is the domain of those monsters; in other words, if you hear any strange noises later on, no matter what it is, be on high alert, hide if you can, and if there’s nowhere to hide, run straight to the walls."

"I’ll remember that," Xiyao nodded vigorously, casting away her earlier embarrassment.

Survival isn’t shameful!

The two walked for about three minutes when Feng Xue’s ears suddenly twitched. The Sharpness aspect had bestowed him extraordinary perception, allowing him to instantly notice the subtle changes in the air. Seeing him suddenly stop, Xiyao also halted, held her breath, and waited quietly for Feng Xue’s next move.

It was in this moment, as she followed Feng Xue’s gaze, that a small stream also appeared at the edge of her vision.

It was also at this moment that Xiyao finally realized why Feng Xue had said that in this world, only humans and monsters could make noise, because although there was clearly water flowing in the stream before her, it was as silent as a painting.

Yet, this silent confrontation lasted for about a minute and a bit, and a somewhat suffocated Xiyao cautiously opened her mouth to breathe.

Her motion was extremely slow, as if fearing that even this slight noise might bring mortal peril.

"I wonder if he’ll suddenly kiss me to breathe like in the novels?" Chen Xiyao wondered, her mind conjuring a bizarre yet classic image. However, Feng Xue clearly had no intention of doing that; he simply tilted his body slightly and pointed ahead. Chen Xiyao followed the direction he indicated and finally saw the target through the guidance, which wasn’t so obvious before.

It looked like a combination of the worst parts of a turtle, a frog, and a snake, lying quietly by the riverbank, with most of its head tucked into its armor. Its mossy backshell could easily be mistaken for a rock if not looked at closely.

Upon noticing this creature, Chen Xiyao’s first thought was of a crocodile lying in the river waiting for prey. However, this being was evidently more fierce and terrifying than a crocodile.

"What is this?" Chen Xiyao asked softly, staring at the monster that could give the faint-hearted nightmares just by its appearance. Feng Xue shook his head. In fact, had it not been for the "Golden Finger" element perception, he might have thought the sensations brought by "Sharpness" were merely an illusion.

In his field of vision, the constantly changing mosaic on the monster’s head was so conspicuous that, despite being dozens of meters away, he spotted it immediately.

In the mosaic, several vague and fluctuating elements appeared and disappeared intermittently, making it difficult for even Feng Xue, with his eyesight, to see clearly in the deep night.

Learning his lesson, Feng Xue didn’t turn off the Golden Finger panel. Although the various garbled codes popping up in his view somewhat obstructed his vision, it was still better than being ambushed by the ominous signs lurking nearby.

He shook his head at Chen Xiyao, pointed at the ground, and then at her. Chen Xiyao roughly understood Feng Xue’s meaning and nodded lightly, obediently leaning against a large tree, appearing as if she wouldn’t wander off.

Seeing her like this, Feng Xue let out a breath, glad he wasn’t dealing with a fool, and carefully adjusted his hood as he stealthily moved toward the downstream direction.

Chen Xiyao silently watched Feng Xue’s retreating figure from behind the tree, but soon, she realized she had lost sight of him!

Her gaze had been fixed on his white robe, but in just the blink of an eye, she could no longer locate him.

"Am I left behind? Did he abandon me?" A thought abruptly surfaced in Chen Xiyao’s mind, only to be immediately dismissed by her. Clenching her fists around the tree trunk, she forcefully suppressed her inner turmoil. At seventeen, having spent her limited lifetime between school and home, she finally realized how naive her past thoughts of running away from home had been.

"What am I spacing out for? It’s time to go!" Suddenly, a voice snapped Chen Xiyao back to reality amid her self-reproach, nearly causing her to scream. Fortunately, as a "high-end player" who had never been caught reading novels during evening self-study, her ability to remain calm even if the teacher appeared next to her helped her suppress the urge to scream.

"All done?" Chen Xiyao watched Feng Xue, who had appeared beside her at some unknown time, and forcefully patted her chest. Even with the shock absorbers, the pounding was still loud enough as though it was the only way to ease the fear inside her heart.

"Mm, it should be enough for you to drink for a while. After all, in Infinite City, there are neither germs nor viruses, and the water won’t go bad even if it’s left for a long time."

Feng Xue’s words seemed casual, but Chen Xiyao sharply noticed a hint of a blood scent on him.

Although this scent was fading quickly, it seemed to indicate just what Feng Xue had encountered during his disappearance.

"Could it be..." Chen Xiyao abruptly turned her head towards the direction of the creek, and where the monster had been lying, there was now nothing left.