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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 18: Misunderstood Kindness
Ji Zichen's face was covered in dust, resembling a muddy mask. He got up from the ground and brushed off the White Lotus. On the surface, Kiko appeared calm, but inside he was secretly shocked; he had nearly died down there, an experience he had never encountered before.
Kiko stared at the collapsed cave, his expression unchanged as he thought to himself, "I won't forget your voice, or that mole of yours. Next time, don't let me run into you again."
Seeing Ji Zichen being dragged out by the Water Rope during such a life-and-death moment filled Lin Chuyu with both joy and fear. Tears suddenly sparkled in her eyes as she stepped forward to examine Kiko from head to toe. "Are you hurt?"
Kiko had not yet noticed Lin Chuyu was there. When he saw her appear, he was taken aback; he had thought she had been taken somewhere else and wouldn’t be at the exit. But there she was, which meant that the explosion of that sphere was limited by the range of their tools. This could be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Kiko gazed into Lin Chuyu's tear-filled eyes and sighed in relief. At least he didn’t have to exert himself to save anyone else. "I'm fine. Let's get out of here quickly. That woman brought you here, which means someone will come to pick us up."
Lin Chuyu nodded. "Okay, let's hurry."
Just as their conversation ended, a Slave Woman with cold eyes picked up a stone and threw it with all her might at Kiko's right cheek. Kiko winced in pain, his expression revealing his displeasure. He had saved them; how could this woman be so ungrateful? "What are you doing?!"
The woman suddenly broke into tears, accusing him sorrowfully, "Why did you save us? The villagers all died because of you!"
Kiko's face finally lost all expression. He had never expected that his kindness would be met with such a painful blow—a stone to the face. Staring at the woman's pained expression, he stood there in shock. "Yes, I shouldn't have saved you."
Lin Chuyu immediately defended Kiko! "Sister, how can you blame him? It was I who released you."
The woman's voice grew hoarse as tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. With tearful eyes, she looked at both Lin Chuyu and Ji Zichen and managed to speak through gritted teeth, "Yes, you should die too! Being a slave or dying is the choice you’ve given us. What did we do wrong?"
"The words 'Better to die than be a slave' struck Ji Zichen like a thunderclap, sinking his heart further down. Yet, his eyes rose to meet the woman’s gaze. 'You did nothing wrong; it was my mistake. I should have let you be slaves; at least then you would still be alive. This is the second and last time I save slaves without reward. I misjudged you, and you misjudged me. From now on, your lives are no longer my concern. If you insult me at the exit, I will kill you!'
Lin Chuyu's Vermilion Bird Pearl opened once more, and she sensed the murderous intent brewing within Ji Zichen. Shocked, she thought to herself, 'He... he is filled with killing intent again.'
The woman looked at Ji Zichen's lifeless expression, which was terrifyingly quiet. Suddenly, she felt a shiver run through her. Despairing, she wanted to cry but held back her tears. With no other choice, she turned to leave, and the other slaves watched Ji Zichen in fear before hurriedly following the woman away.
---
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu also departed. Kiko led the way in silence while Lin followed closely behind, trailing several paces behind him. They walked for half an hour until they arrived at a Banyan Grove. Each Banyan Tree here was enormous, with roots rising from the ground taller than a person. Some trunks even formed archways, but the branches and leaves of these Banyan Trees were completely bare, revealing many rotten holes in the trunks—unclear what had caused such decay.
Ji Zichen stopped when he noticed Lin Chuyu had fallen a bit behind him. 'Keep up; don’t stray too far from me. This Banyan Grove feels strange.'
Lin Chuyu hurried to catch up. 'Where are we going now?'
Kiko replied, 'Back to The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant first.'
Lin Chuyu asked in surprise, 'Aren't we supposed to be looking for the ruins?'
Kiko explained, 'This time we lost the artifact box; I need to report back and inquire about the Vermilion Bird from the leader. Although it’s nearby and my Vermilion Bird Pearl will react, this Vermilion Bird is a legendary beast with formidable power. It’s better to clarify things first. Plus, someone is trying to capture you; we must be extremely cautious before finding the ruins. There are many wandering around The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant who can help us gather information that will aid in locating the ruins.'
Lin Chuyu had no particular plan in mind but nodded as she saw Kiko's determination. 'Will this direction lead us out?'
Kiko replied, 'I’m not sure; I've never been to this part of the forest before.'"
"That tunnel has collapsed; there shouldn't be any Pursuers left, right? I wonder how Gu Diao and General Xiang are doing," Lin Chuyu said.
"I hope they can find another secret passage out. Digging through that collapsed tunnel will likely take months. Even if they come from another location, it will probably take them a while," Ji Zichen replied.
At that moment, a white rabbit with sharp claws was leaping among the high branches of the Banyan Tree. Its agility rivaled that of a monkey, and it moved silently, unaware that it had already jumped onto the tree trunk directly above Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu.
This rabbit had blue eyes, and aside from its blue eyes and sharp claws, it looked like an ordinary white rabbit. The Blue-Eyed Rabbit's eyes glimmered with an eerie blue light as Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu approached. When they entered its striking range, the Blue-Eyed Rabbit suddenly leaped down from above.
Ji Zichen was highly alert; upon seeing a shadow darting toward them, he gently pushed Lin Chuyu's shoulder, causing her to stumble back a few steps. In a swift motion, Ji Zichen bent at the waist and caught the rabbit. He smiled at it and said, "Just in time; I'm a bit hungry."
Lin Chuyu, standing several feet away, saw Ji Zichen holding the white rabbit and heard his words. She noticed the rabbit's legs flailing in mid-air, looking incredibly cute. A sense of pity washed over her. "Are you going to eat it? It's so adorable."
Ji Zichen brought the rabbit closer to her. "Adorable? This is a Blue-Eyed Rabbit; it eats meat, not carrots." He lifted the rabbit's lip to reveal its sharp teeth. "See? If it bites you, you'll lose a chunk of flesh."
Only then did Lin Chuyu notice its sharp claws and blue eyes. "A Blue-Eyed Rabbit? How come I've never seen one before?"
"You don't venture out of the city much. These tall city walls confine not just you but also your vision. There are many creatures in this world you've never encountered," Ji Zichen remarked.
He tossed the rabbit into the air, and as the Fire Pearl dimmed, a fire dragon emerged and swallowed the rabbit whole. Moments later, the fire dragon vanished, leaving only cooked rabbit meat falling down. Ji Zichen quickly reached out with both hands to catch it and exclaimed, "Hot... hot... quickly hand me your Vajra!"
Ji Zichen took the Vajra from Lin Chuyu and pierced it through the rabbit's body, tearing off a leg and opening his mouth to eat.
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