Chapter 32: Disguising the Scene
He took a bite, and a fresh, tender, and sweet flavor immediately swept over his taste buds—he polished off half a Snow Lotus Fruit in just a few mouthfuls.
After he finished eating, he picked two more Snow Lotus Fruits from the hole and took them to the stream to wash.
The two of them sat by the stream and ate heartily until they were finally full.
Hu Feng put away his dagger, only then remembering that he still hadn’t asked what this thing was.
As if she knew what he was about to ask, Bai Zhi spoke first. "This tuber is also called a Snow Lotus Fruit. It’s edible, just like a sweet potato, so don’t worry."
Hu Feng nodded. He glanced back at the few Snow Lotus Fruits left in the hole and said, "I’ll dig up some more to take back with us."
"Don’t dig them up now," Bai Zhi said quickly. "Let’s get them on our way down. It’ll save us the trouble of carrying them up the mountain. That would be exhausting."
Hu Feng thought that made sense. "Then let’s just take these few," he said. "I’ll wash them. We can eat them later if we get hungry on the mountain." He dug out the last few Snow Lotus Fruits from the hole. After washing them, he replanted the tuber he had just uprooted and smoothed the disturbed soil back over it. He was making it look like nothing had ever happened, so no one else would find the spot and dig up the rest.
Bai Zhi gave him a thumbs-up. "Wow, you even know how to cover your tracks."
Hu Feng didn’t say anything, but his face turned slightly red, and the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
After finishing up, the two started up the mountain. The path from the foot of the mountain was overgrown with weeds, without so much as a single dry twig in sight. It was clear they would have to venture deeper into the forest if they wanted to hunt or find any quality medicinal herbs.
This wasn’t Hu Feng’s first time here, and he confidently led her along a familiar path halfway up the mountain. From the mountainside onward, the scenery began to change completely.
The trees grew closer and closer together, and dead branches were scattered everywhere. A thick carpet of fallen leaves covered the ground, and the light grew progressively dimmer. It felt as though they had stepped out of an ordinary wood and into a dark, terrifying, primeval forest.
She instinctively drew closer to Hu Feng, her small hand tightly gripping the hem of his robe. Her eyes darted around warily.
Hu Feng had never liked people getting close to him, let alone touching him. He raised a hand to push Bai Zhi away, but when he saw her eyes—a mixture of fear and excitement—he slowly lowered it again. ’At that moment, he suddenly felt that having this little girl clinging to him... actually felt pretty good.’
"Afraid?" he asked in a low voice.
She shook her head stubbornly. "I’m not afraid. What’s there to be afraid of?"
The words had barely left her lips when a whirlwind suddenly tore through the forest. It kicked up a vortex of leaves and debris that filled the air. The chilling, unnatural gust stung their eyes.
To Hu Feng, it was just an ordinary gust of wind blowing through the trees. But to Bai Zhi, who had never been in such a deep, ancient forest, it was a demonic gale. Terrified, she threw herself against Hu Feng’s chest, squeezing her eyes shut and grabbing his lapels with both hands. ’Her mind was filled with images of fox demons and tree spirits she had seen on TV.’
’Hu Feng looked at the little girl huddled in his arms. One second she was saying she wasn’t afraid, and the next she was this terrified. It was just a gust of wind. He really couldn’t understand what she was so afraid of.’
"Zhi—didn’t you say you weren’t afraid?"
Bai Zhi opened her eyes. Her large, clear eyes darted around the now-silent surroundings. Apart from the steady beat of Hu Feng’s heart right in front of her, there seemed to be no other sound.
She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and lifted her chin. "Who... who said I was afraid? I’m not! I was just... just worried about getting dust in my eyes, so I ducked for a second."