After Transmigrating, I and the Female Lead Both Found It 'Really Fragrant' (GL) - Chapter 47
An hour later, on the barren mountain.
While Liu Shuang was pondering what to do, Shen Qiqi and the other two had already stepped onto the winding mountain path. The barren mountain, as its name suggested, was covered in scorched, barren soil and strangely shaped dead trees. It was truly a place where no birds sang and no dogs barked, and not a single living creature could be seen halfway up the mountain. It was utterly barren.
“Junior Sister, this mountain is so big, it will be difficult to find people. Do you have a specific route in mind?” Zhao Ke asked.
Shen Qiqi said, “Senior Brother Zhao, don’t worry, let’s go up the mountain first.”
The Pagoda Cave was located on a cliff face on the shady side. They had to reach the summit and then find a way to climb down the cliff. The three of them didn’t dare to delay and climbed towards the summit non-stop, but the higher they went, the steeper the mountain path became, and the sun overhead became hotter and hotter.
When they finally reached the summit, Shen Qiqi was sweating profusely, and the other two were not much better, all panting heavily. She stood up straight and looked into the distance. The scenery at the top of the mountain stretched out, a vast expanse of desolate wilderness, like a long, dull painting.
This side faced the sun, and the sunlight was scorching hot, with sparse vegetation. But as they crossed the mountain pass, the temperature quickly dropped, and it even became a bit chilly. Large patches of green moss and vines grew on the rock walls, adding a touch of green to the dull scenery.
Shen Qiqi squatted down, found an especially strong vine, and turned around, saying, “We can climb down these vines.”
Ji Zhihua also squatted down and pulled at the vine in her hand. Zhao Ke looked down from the side and saw that the bottom of the cliff was bottomless, shrouded in mist, and visibly dangerous. He couldn’t help but worry, “This place is too dangerous. If we slip, we’ll fall thousands of feet… Why don’t we find a relatively safer route?”
“I don’t want to take risks either, but the cave entrance is on the cliff face, and there’s really only this way to go.” Shen Qiqi sighed, “Senior Brother, if you’re not at ease, you can stay here and keep watch. After I go down, I’ll bring Senior Sister up.”
She was determined to go, and no matter what others said, she wouldn’t change her mind. Ji Zhihua volunteered, “Don’t worry, I’ll go with you.”
The two looked at each other and then turned to Zhao Ke together.
Seeing this, Zhao Ke sighed helplessly, “Since you two are both determined, how can I not go.”
The three of them reached a consensus and each chose a vine, carefully climbing down.
Shen Qiqi looked down and saw that it was indeed a bottomless abyss below. She gripped the green vine tightly, and after climbing a few steps, she felt a dull pain in her arms.
Upon closer inspection, she found that there were many unknown small leaves growing on the vine, which were constantly scraping against her tender palms, and soon cut several wounds. In addition, there were many protruding rocks on the cliff, which were extremely sharp. If she accidentally rubbed against the exposed skin, it would add a few more fine scratches, which was both painful and itchy.
Ignoring the pain, she gritted her teeth and slowly descended along the vine. Her left foot had just landed firmly, and her right foot was still searching for protruding stones on the cliff. After descending several zhang, all three of them were safe and sound.
Shen Qiqi glanced down inadvertently and suddenly realized that she could vaguely see the stone platform in front of the Pagoda Cave. Her heart was filled with joy, and she shouted, “Can you see it? It’s only a dozen zhang away from the cave!”
Ji Zhihua’s voice came from her right, “I can see it!”
Zhao Ke, who was farther away, echoed, “Be careful, both of you!”
Seeing that victory was within sight, Shen Qiqi focused on stability and slowed down her climbing speed, being more careful to prevent herself from accidentally falling. However, no matter how careful and prepared one is, sometimes bad luck can strike.
Just then, a bird of prey swooped down above her. It was a demonic beast with a narrow beak and red feathers. The pattern on its back resembled a terrified human face, which was particularly frightening. The man-faced bird flapped its wings and hovered around her, then suddenly released the stone it was holding in its beak. The stone left its mouth and fell rapidly, directly towards her!
Shen Qiqi’s face changed, and she quickly grabbed the vine, dodging sideways just in time. The black eagle on her shoulder immediately opened its eyes wide and let out a sharp cry, confronting the destructive bird.
Ji Zhihua shouted, “Be careful! It’s a man-faced vulture!”
The man-faced vultures are a very annoying type of demonic beast. They usually dwell on cliffs and cliffs, and they love to harm creatures passing by the cliffs. They use all sorts of tricks to interfere with them, and when those creatures accidentally fall to their death, they fly to the bottom of the cliff to pick up their corpses to eat.
This demonic beast was not very powerful, and it was at the Foundation Establishment stage just like them. But Shen Qiqi, due to the limitations of the terrain, dared not free up her hands, and she was right in the beast’s clutches.
The black eagle and the man-faced vulture immediately engaged in battle. With one blow of the eagle soaring through the sky and the other pecking like a chick, the man-faced vulture was soon at a disadvantage. As it flapped its wings, countless sand and stones fell down, drenching Shen Qiqi’s head.
She looked up and roared, “Don’t fight here! If you want to fight, go to the practice room and fight!”
The black eagle took the man-faced vulture to the side, but unexpectedly, before it died, it let out a long cry, and several more man-faced vultures appeared above, flying towards them in unison!
Shen Qiqi was shocked: It’s over, it can actually call for help!
These man-faced vultures were quite intelligent and knew how to divide their forces. One group entangled the black eagle, while the other group picked up various stones nearby and harassed her relentlessly. Rocks and dust fell down like rain, densely covering her.
Ji Zhihua’s face changed drastically, and she waved her magic energy to help knock away the falling rocks above her head. Zhao Ke was too far away and could only watch anxiously, shouting, “Junior Sister, left, left side—watch out on the right!”
Shen Qiqi dodged left and right, but she couldn’t keep up. She looked again, and she didn’t know which beast it was, but it was actually carrying a watermelon-sized stone and smashing it down. It was about to fall.
At the critical moment, she grabbed the vine tightly with one hand and freed the other. With a flash of spiritual light in her hand, the stone shattered into pieces, and the shattered stones grazed her cheek, leaving a long, narrow cut.
Shen Qiqi hissed and pinched a few more talismans, trying to shoot down the man-faced vultures above her head. Those beasts were very cunning, and unlike her, they were not restricted by the terrain, so they naturally dodged very easily. After dodging a wave of attacks, they actually swooped down towards her!
There was really no way to avoid it this time, so she could only brace herself and meet them head-on. The group of birds stopped above her head and aimed at the vine in her hand. They pecked at it fiercely with their sharp beaks, and the thick vine gradually broke, with fibrous tissue splitting apart!
Shen Qiqi was dumbfounded, “…Fvck, it’s a waste of talent to make you a bird!”
Several birds pecked at the vine continuously, and the vine could no longer bear the weight and soon broke completely. Shen Qiqi only felt her hand loosen, and her whole body fell towards the abyss at an extremely fast speed!
Ji Zhihua’s face turned pale, and she muttered, “It’s over, it’s over, the young master will definitely kill me!”
Zhao Ke’s pupils constricted, and he shouted in shock, “Junior Sister—”
At this moment, the black eagle above her head didn’t hesitate and plunged downward, its speed several times faster than Shen Qiqi’s falling speed.
Shen Qiqi’s mind went blank, and she closed her eyes tightly. Everything was retreating past her, and all she could hear was the howling wind. Suddenly, she heard a chirping sound beside her ear. She opened her eyes and saw that the black eagle’s eyes were determined, and it was flapping its wings with all its might, even faster than the wind. It seemed to be leaping across mountains and seas as it rushed towards her. Seeing it was so close, it suddenly folded its wings, and the entire bird transformed into a giant hand, grabbing Shen Qiqi’s collar and lifting her into the air.
Shen Qiqi looked at the ground only a few feet away, her breath quickened, and her heart pounded. “I was so close to becoming meat paste…”
The hand lifted her up and held her steadily in its palm, slowly floating upwards.
Shen Qiqi felt like she was sitting on a balloon, it was quite strange.
“Ugh, thanks to you again,” she patted the palm of the giant hand and said softly, “I’m always causing you trouble, sorry.”
The giant hand bent its index finger and gently stroked her head, as if saying it was okay.
Shen Qiqi looked around, and soon, the black hand carried her and stopped on the small platform in front of the cave. Zhao Ke and Ji Zhihua were already standing on the platform, preparing to jump down. When they saw Shen Qiqi floating up on her own, they widened their eyes in shock.
Ji Zhihua patted her chest and said, “Good thing, good thing, I won’t be fired.”
Zhao Ke said happily, “Junior Sister, are you alright?!”
Shen Qiqi jumped off the giant hand, looking dazed. “I’m fine.”
Zhao Ke saw that she looked weak and said worriedly, “Do you want to rest for a while before going in?”
Behind them, a gust of cold wind came from the cave entrance, and it was pitch black inside, making people feel cold. Shen Qiqi shook her head and insisted, “Let’s find Senior Sister first!” The giant hand turned back into a black eagle and landed on her shoulder. The three of them did not stop and immediately ran towards the cave entrance. As soon as they entered the cave, they were hit by a strong smell of bl00d, which was simply appalling.
The three of them immediately changed their expressions. Shen Qiqi’s heart was filled with dread, and many bad images appeared in her mind.
The cave was not a straight path, and there were countless branches. When they turned at the first fork, they suddenly heard a voice from around the corner, followed by something blocking their way.
It was a clear and young boy’s voice: “Who’s there?”
Shen Qiqi lit a ball of light and shone it forward. The fire gradually illuminated Si Tuyun’s beautiful face. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the three of them coldly.
Ji Zhihua quickly said, “Young Master, it’s me!”
Si Tuyun’s face turned black when he saw her, “Damn it, you’re good for nothing! Who told you to bring them here!”
Ji Zhihua was extremely wronged, “I didn’t bring them here, they came by themselves!”
Si Tuyun angrily said, “Couldn’t you have stopped them?!”
Ji Zhihua replied matter-of-factly, “You only told me to follow them, not to stop them.”
Si Tuyun facepalmed. “……” The two demon generals behind him stepped forward with cold expressions, their weapons crossed, blocking Zhao Ke and Shen Qiqi.
Shen Qiqi looked at Si Tuyun and said through gritted teeth, “I’m here to find Liu Shuang.”
Si Tuyun narrowed his eyes and smiled mockingly. “Who are you? What’s your relationship with her?”
Shen Qiqi explained, “I’m Shen Qiqi, she’s my Senior Sister.”
Si Tuyun chuckled lightly, “Is that so? Your Senior Sister? Even if you were her mother, I wouldn’t let you see her.”
Shen Qiqi thought to herself: Cough, cough, actually, I’m kind of like her mother… This Si Tuyun is truly overbearing, so quickly treating the female lead as his possession, and not willing to let others see her!
She asked, “Fine, what do you want me to do to let me pass?”
“She’s busy now and doesn’t have time to deal with you,” Si Tuyun said, “If you know what’s good for you, just scram.”
Shen Qiqi frowned, “My Senior Sister wouldn’t ignore me.”
Si Tuyun suddenly lowered his head and leaned close to her, his deep purple eyes filled with a glassy glow, “Who do you think you are? Why do you think she would treat you differently?”
Zhao Ke grabbed his collar and angrily said, “Stay away from her!”
The demon generals behind him immediately surged forward and surrounded him.
Si Tuyun smiled and stood up straight, casually clapping his hands, “Stop.”
The demon generals obediently put away their weapons, but their eyes still glared warily at them.
Zhao Ke walked to Shen Qiqi’s side and whispered in her ear, “Junior Sister, this demon will probably not let us pass so easily.”
Shen Qiqi felt something was wrong. Si Tuyun was standing here, chatting nonsense with her, but he didn’t dare to touch her, as if he was deliberately trying to stall for time. Could something bad have happened inside the cave?!
Her lips trembled. Thinking of Liu Shuang suffering in the cave, she was so anxious that she felt like an ant on a hot pan. She pushed Si Tuyun aside and rushed inside!
Here it is, thank you all very much QVQ