Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Wang Xiao turned around and strode away.

He returned shortly afterward.

He was holding a large pile of things in his arms—fresh spiritual herbs, plump spiritual fruits, and some unknown, elegant wildflowers.

He arranged these items neatly on the rocks by the hot spring, then gazed longingly at the deer, gesturing for it to come and taste them.

The leaves of those spiritual herbs were thick and gave off a faint, refreshing fragrance; the spiritual fruits were bright in color and full of juice, making them look exceptionally tempting.

Lu Shu glanced at it indifferently, and then...

Continue to dedicate yourself to cultivation.

Undeterred, Wang Xiao picked up a bright red spiritual fruit, took a big bite, and the juice overflowed, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

He deliberately chewed loudly, winking at Lu Shu as he chewed: Look, it's super delicious!

Lu Shu didn't even lift his eyelids.

Wang Xiao: "..."

He picked up a succulent herb with thick leaves, put it in his mouth and chewed it. A slightly bitter taste instantly filled his mouth.

He forced himself to swallow it, suppressing the discomfort, and forced a look of "delicious" on his face.

The deer finally reacted—its ears twitched slightly.

Wang Xiao was overjoyed, feeling that there was hope, and quickly took a few steps closer with the spirit herb in his hands.

Lu Shu looked at him, her eyes...

The same look he gave to the mentally challenged.

Wang Xiao was completely discouraged. He threw the spiritual herb onto the rock and slumped to the ground in despair.

"Does it not eat vegetables?"

He scratched his head, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck him.

"By the way, although the Deer-Shu is an auspicious beast, it is still ultimately a strange beast!"

He stood up abruptly, a glimmer of hope rekindling in his eyes.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get some roasted pheasant!"

Half an hour later, Wang Xiao returned carrying a string of cleaned pheasants.

He found a flat rock by the hot spring, quickly started a fire, skewered the pheasants on dry branches, and roasted them over the fire.

His technique was skillful, and he controlled the heat perfectly.

Before long, the oil dripped into the fire and sizzled, releasing a rich aroma of meat that even diluted the surrounding steam.

While flipping the skewers, Wang Xiao stole glances at Lu Shu's movements.

Lu Shu remained motionless with her eyes closed.

But Wang Xiao clearly saw that its ears trembled slightly.

There is a play!

Wang Xiao was overjoyed and quickly took down the most fragrant chicken leg, blew on it to cool it down, and eagerly handed it to Lu Shu.

"Try it? Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, seasoned with salt!"

Lu Shu finally opened his eyes.

It glanced at the roasted chicken leg in front of it, then at Wang Xiao, its eyes...

The same look he gave to the mentally challenged.

Then, it lowered its head and continued to absorb the spiritual energy of the Jianmu Flower, ignoring the fragrant roasted chicken leg.

Wang Xiao's hand, holding the roasted chicken leg, froze in mid-air, and the smile on her face gradually solidified and dissipated.

"You...you don't eat meat or vegetables, so what do you want to eat?"

Lu Shu completely ignored it.

Wang Xiao tried various ways to curry favor, even showing off a few martial arts moves on the spot.

Lu Shu remained unmoved throughout.

It stands quietly in the hot spring, with the splendor of the Jianmu tree hanging overhead, absorbing the purest essence of heaven and earth at sunrise.

Wang Xiao's heartfelt attentiveness and attempts to please were seen as sincere by Lu Shu, but to Lu Shu, it was nothing more than a boring one-man show.

The sun gradually rose higher.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone directly onto the surface of the hot spring, Lu Shu finally made a move.

It raised its head, and the light of the Jianmu Flower suddenly subsided, transforming into a stream of emerald light that went straight into its brow, condensing into a light green mark.

The cultivation is over.

With a slight movement, Lu Shu rose into the air, stepping on the mist of the hot spring. A flash of green light and shadow, and he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest in an instant, leaving only a graceful afterimage.

Wang Xiao stood frozen in place, gazing at the empty hot spring beach, then at the untouched spiritual herbs and wild fruits scattered on the ground, and at the pheasant he had painstakingly roasted, feeling utterly helpless.

He sighed deeply, slumped to the ground, and took a big bite of the roasted chicken leg in his hand.

"After working so hard all day, I haven't gotten anything out of it. This auspicious beast is so hard to please!"

"Where exactly did things go wrong? How can I make this friend and borrow the beauty of the Jianmu tree?"

Wang Xiao felt increasingly frustrated, so he casually threw the chicken bones on the ground and sighed deeply.

"Language! Language is humanity's greatest achievement! If we could communicate by language, why would we have to go through all this trouble!"

He gazed at the misty hot spring, at the direction where the deer had disappeared, his eyes filled with resentment.

The blossoms of the Jianmu tree are right before my eyes, yet I cannot touch them, nor can I borrow them.

"No. With enough effort, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle!"

Wang Xiao stood up, dusted himself off, and a hint of stubbornness flashed in his eyes.

"If once doesn't work, try twice; if twice doesn't work, try three times. It needs to train eventually, right? It needs to come to this hot spring eventually, right? I don't believe that if I come every day, it can ignore me every single day!"

He took a deep breath and shouted into the depths of the mist, "Brother Lu Shu! I'll be back tomorrow! You wait!"

There was no response from within the fog.

Only the hot spring gurgled and steamed, as if mocking the wishful thinking of the boy.

Wang Xiao was not discouraged. He packed his belongings and left the hot spring valley.

He had only taken a few steps when he stopped and looked back.

"Oh, and bring something fresh tomorrow—there's bound to be one you like!"

After he finished speaking, he strode away and disappeared into the misty fog.

The hot springs are still steaming, and the mist is still swirling.

Behind the rocks at the edge of the dense forest, a verdant figure stood silently, watching the boy's departing figure, its beastly eyes filled with...

It still carried a hint of looking down on someone as an idiot.

But deep within his eyes, a different emotion quietly emerged.

Curiosity?

Is it confusion?

Or something else? Nobody knows.

The deer turned around, took off with all four hooves, and disappeared silently into the depths of the forest.

As Wang Xiao walked out of the misty hot spring valley, the morning breeze dispelled the remaining moisture on his body. He was still pondering as he walked—Lu Shu Su doesn't eat any meat, should I bring a spirit stone over tomorrow to try it?

Just as I was inwardly complaining about the frustration of not being able to speak the language, I turned into a dense forest and was greeted by the rich aroma of roasted meat mixed with the crisp scent of wine.

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

Who has such leisure and refined tastes in this desolate wilderness?

Following the aroma, one could see a campfire burning on a flat rock at the foot of a cliff not far ahead, with meat skewers being grilled.

A burly figure sat cross-legged, roasting a sizzling, oily animal leg in his hands. On a stone table beside him were two jars of old wine that had just been unsealed.

That figure, that posture, that... butcher's knife.

It was a perfectly round, empty space.

Wang Xiao's eyelids twitched, then she couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead, "What day is it today? A reunion of old friends? We just saw one off, and another one is here!"

Looking at the smooth, round head, Wang Xiao felt a little itchy. Last time, this guy had tricked and coaxed him into facing the furious demon general. Now he wanted to go up and punch him a couple of times.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he secretly wondered: if they really fought, he might not be a match for this unfathomable monk.

Furthermore, although he was tricked last time, in the end he not only didn't lose anything, but also inexplicably gained an adopted son. When it comes to this messy account, it's hard to say whether he gained an advantage or suffered a loss.

More importantly, she was also planning how to get him to help her deal with Lin Shisan. This monk seemed unreliable, but his mysterious aura was no less than that of Yan Zixi.

Wang Xiao could see clearly that the campfire, roasted meat, and old wine were all laid out in a very obvious way. This was not a chance encounter at all; Yuan Kong had deliberately waited for him here.