Bai Xuan picked up the wooden bowl, filled it halfway with warm meat broth, and handed it to her.
Phoebe reached out to take it, holding the rim steadily with both hands. She first leaned down to sniff the rich aroma before taking small, slow sips.
Bai Xuan had discovered as early as two months ago that Phoebe was an excellent cook.
Since then, the two often took turns cooking, occasionally preparing meals together, each having their own specialties.
Phoebe was best at slow-simmered stews and open-fire roasted meats, while Bai Xuan excelled at curing beast meat and slow-boiling fresh, rich, and flavorful broths.
Tonight's broth was made by Bai Xuan. Aside from the fresh Wolf King tenderloin, he had specially added a bit of plastron gelatin from a Rock-Shell Turtle.
Phoebe had discovered this by chance. She said that adding a bit of turtle shell gelatin when stewing meat broth would make the soup thicker, more flavorful, and smoother to the taste, while also nourishing the body and restoring stamina lost in battle.
That day, she had spoken a rare, long paragraph. Her tone had been cool yet earnest, leaving a deep impression on Bai Xuan and making him remember the method.
After adjusting the seasoning, Bai Xuan ladled out two bowls of hot soup. The two sat side by side on the stone steps in front of the door, leaning against the warm wooden door.
Holding the warm wooden bowls in their hands, the rising steam wafted over their faces, just enough to dispel the chill of the evening breeze.
Phoebe drank her soup quietly. Halfway through, she suddenly stopped, looking down at the reflection rippling in her bowl, a faint trace of gentleness hidden deep in her eyes.
“What is it?” Bai Xuan asked softly.
Phoebe shook her head gently, then lowered her head to finish the remaining broth in her bowl.
In the night sky of the Secret Realm, specks of starlight lit up one after another, blanketing the dark canopy.
Bai Xuan set down his empty bowl, leaned against the doorframe, and quietly gazed at the “starry sky” that uniquely belonged to this place.
The sound of splashing water came from behind him; Phoebe had cleared the bowls and utensils and gone to wash them by the creek.
Bai Xuan watched her slender figure. These past two months of fighting side by side and keeping each other company day and night felt simple yet real, far more grounded and genuine than all the years of his past decade or so.
Before long, Phoebe returned. She placed the clean wooden bowls and bone spoons back in their original spots on the wooden rack, then walked to the door and sat down quietly right next to Bai Xuan.
She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them as her soft silver hair cascaded down her shoulders.
Bai Xuan raised his hand and gently stroked the soft crown of her head. Phoebe squinted her eyes slightly, letting down all her guard.
The next morning, Bai Xuan stood up from the stone steps in front of the stone house, stretching his back and shoulders, which had grown stiff from sitting all night.
The sky overhead faded from the dark blue and gray of late night into a soft, bright white. A brand-new day had officially arrived.
“Let's go.”
Bai Xuan gripped his staff tightly and looked up at Phoebe, who was leaning against the doorframe.
She had already changed into clean clothes, her long silver hair tied into a neat ponytail.
Her exclusive battleaxe, 【Rock-Crushing Mountain】, was slung securely over her shoulder, its cold blade gleaming faintly in the morning light.
Phoebe nodded gently and stepped forward to follow him.
The two passed through the barrier and entered the familiar forest.
But today's route was completely different from before. Instead of walking along the edge of the barrier, Bai Xuan headed straight toward an area they had only observed from a distance.
The forbidden zone where two Level 12 magical beasts had once fought.
This area, occupied by high-level magical beasts, was a dangerous zone they had deliberately avoided before.
Now that the Wolf King was dead, that matter which had been shelved for so long could finally be addressed.
After passing through a dense stretch of woodland, Bai Xuan suddenly stopped.
A deep trench lay across the ground. It was not a naturally formed fissure, but rather a trail left by some giant creature dragging and crushing the earth.
Tree roots on both sides of the trench were completely snapped, and the overturned soil was in disarray, leaving a clearly discernible trail.
He bent down to touch the edge of the trench. The soil was packed tight; the trail was not brand new, but it was by no means old either. It was clearly left by one of the two Level 12 magical beasts passing through not too long ago.
Phoebe also came to a halt, looking down at the tracks. She lowered the battleaxe from her shoulder and gripped it firmly.
“They are no longer here,” Bai Xuan said, straightening up and holding his staff horizontally in front of him.
He felt a bit of regret. He had been eyeing that Dragon-Armored Lizard for a long time. This magical beast was suspected of having dragon blood, and its appearance was incredibly powerful and imposing.
Mighty and domineering, its name suggested it possessed dragon blood. If he could tame it as a mount, it would be incredibly prestigious to ride it around.
But for now, their main business took priority. He could only set it aside temporarily; it wouldn't be too late to return and search for it once they finished the task at hand.
“Let's keep moving forward,” he said softly.
The two continued deep into the forest, encountering mostly Level 8 magical beasts along the way.
Phoebe took the lead. Whenever a magical beast suddenly lunged out from the underbrush to attack, her battleaxe was always faster than the enemy's movements.
With a single clean strike, she split open a Shadowmane Wolf's skull, then forced back an attacking beast from the side with a backhand cleave. Her movements were clean and swift, having long shed the clumsiness of two months ago. She no longer needed Bai Xuan to guard her from behind and cover for her.
Even when facing a siege of four or five magical beasts at once, she handled it calmly, her axe blade dancing to draw silver arcs of light that blocked all attacks.
Bai Xuan followed quietly from behind, not intervening once.
After walking for about half an hour, the surrounding magical beasts disappeared.
The air in the forest suddenly grew stagnant, and even the noisy chirping of insects fell completely silent.
Bai Xuan slowed his pace, fully extending his mental energy to scan the surroundings. He couldn't find a single life signal from any low-level magical beasts in the entire area.
Low-level magical beasts were intimidated by the terrifying pressure here and dared not approach at all.
Even high-level magical beasts would deliberately avoid the territory of these two Level 12 powerhouses.
After walking a bit further, Bai Xuan stopped in front of a giant boulder that had split down the middle.
The boulder was completely fractured from top to bottom. Dark red stains remained along the crack, looking like dried blood or perhaps a layer of mineral that had solidified after being scorched by high temperatures.
He reached out to touch it. The stone's texture was extremely hard, making it impossible to scrape off even a tiny mark.
Standing behind him, Phoebe's golden pupils contracted slightly as she stared intently at the abnormal boulder.
“They had a fierce battle here,” Bai Xuan said.
Phoebe nodded firmly, agreeing with his assessment.
The trees in the forest grew increasingly dense and lush, with the canopy of branches overhead overlapping to block out most of the daylight, making the woods darker and darker.
Bai Xuan raised his staff, and the Holy Light Crystal at its tip lit up with a soft golden glow, illuminating the path ahead.
He then retrieved a 【Simple Lighting Orb】 from his Space Ring and infused it with a trace of mana.
A clear white light burst forth instantly, its brightness and coverage far exceeding that of his staff. The two halos of light intertwined, illuminating the dim forest as if it were broad daylight.
Nowadays, he no longer cared about such a minor expenditure of mana.
After walking another short distance, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
What met their eyes was a massive rift in the ground.
This was no ordinary mountain fissure, but a giant wound violently torn open from the depths of the earth.
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