The female insects that had laid eggs pounced on the males they had just mated with and devoured them. The male bugs seemed completely exhausted and had no strength left to escape. All they could do was struggle feebly and cry out in anguish as they were swallowed whole. After eating up the males, the female insects started bulging up once more and yet another batch of eggs entered the soil.
After two waves of egg-laying, there were no longer any male insects on the surface. The surviving female insects started attacking one another, and the survivors then began laying the third batch of eggs. This process was repeated until there was only one female bug left. Seeing no more food in sight, it also drilled into the ground.
In less than an hour, the swarm of insects had demonstrated their entire life cycle to Qianye.
Acting on a sudden idea, Qianye moved to where the last female insect had vanished and dug out a large clump of soil.
The ground was so hard that Qianye could feel slight pain from his fingertips; it was really no different from digging out a large piece of steel. Yet that bug had drilled through it as though it were tofu. That was somewhat terrifying now that he thought about it.
Having tested out the strength of the soil, Qianye no longer used his hands. He swiftly produced East Peak and began using it as a shovel. He had to dig for an entire three meters before he found that female insect.
The last insect had produced a shell on its back and curled up into an immobile ball. If it wasn’t for the faint origin power fluctuations coming from its body, Qianye would’ve thought it was already dead.
He picked up the bug but didn’t know what to do with it. After some thought, he dug out some soil with which to encase the bug, and then stowed it away in Andruil’s Space.
Qianye was drenched in sweat after digging that pit. Since he had started cultivating, this was the first time he had felt such fatigue multiple times in a single day. This gave him a new understanding of the cruelty and hardships of this world.
Additionally, there were no signs of those eggs even after digging so deep. Apparently, they had drilled even deeper in. But Qianye wasn’t quite interested in the tens of thousands of eggs, so he simply let them be.
Qianye jumped out of the pit and burned away the soil on him with a wave of sanguine flames. He then changed into a fresh set of clothes from Andruil’s space, immediately feeling more comfortable.
Up to this point, Qianye had seen no source of water apart from the distant lake. However, his instinctive senses were telling him not to approach that place no matter what.
A wave of darkness flickered across Qianye’s countenance. There wasn’t a lot of water left in Andruil’s space. The unconscious Li Kuanglan couldn’t eat, but she had to drink water. Food wasn’t that important for experts at their level, but water couldn’t be omitted.
Qianye walked out of the cave and jumped onto the hill to observe the surroundings.
In the distance was an uneven stretch of hills, covered in verdant grass and sparse trees. The sky was already bright at this moment, but there were no signs of birds or beasts, nor were there any traces of humans.
After observing for a while, Qianye decided to head toward the hilly region. The presence of grass and trees meant that there was an underground water source. With East Peak in hand and his ancient vampire constitution, he would surely be able to dig something out.
Although he might be able to dig out some water in the forest, the sense of danger there was too strong—it was only a bit less than the sea and even stronger than on the rocky beach. With Li Kuanglan injured, Qianye wasn’t keen on stirring up unnecessary trouble.
He returned to the cave, picked up Li Kuanglan, and made for the hills.
The moment he stepped into the hilly region, the formless pressure in his heart lessened significantly.
The landscape here was uneven with numerous scattered hills and ravines. Qianye soon found a natural cave, also a beast lair whose owners were nowhere to be found. After cleaning the place with sanguine fire, Qianye laid Li Kuanglan down gently and made ready to explore after a moment of rest.
Having experienced one day and night here, Qianye was clear that the nights were more dangerous.
At night, all creatures would find their bodily functions slowing down as though they were about to go into hibernation. Even Qianye’s fighting power would be greatly reduced in that state. It would be quite disastrous if he were to run into a nocturnal beast. That was why he would need to explore the surroundings clearly during the daytime and exterminate all potential dangers. Only then would he have a peaceful night.
Carefully placing Li Kuanglan on the ground, Qianye couldn’t help but feel an instinctive urge after seeing her face, neck, and largely exposed shoulders. He wanted to tear apart the internal armor and hold the white flesh within.
Fortunately, he was equipped with ample experience. He immediately activated his Venus Dawn origin power and suppressed the urge as soon as it arose.
He was just about to stand up after regaining clarity when a hand suddenly appeared and dragged him back by the collar. Li Kuanglan’s wooden countenance appeared before him. “What did you do?”
Qianye couldn’t figure out the situation immediately. He said joyfully, “You’re awake! This is wonderful!”
He was genuinely delighted. Li Kuanglan would be able to channel her own origin power to heal her injuries only after regaining consciousness. No matter how strong Qianye’s Venus Dawn was, it couldn’t be used for regeneration.
Li Kuanglan bit her lower lips. “Wonderful your ass! This young master… now that I’m awake, it’s time for you to die!”
She hadn’t even finished speaking when five slender fingers reached for Qianye’s throat and a punch made for his abdomen.
A groan of pain echoed in the cave, but it wasn’t Qianye’s. It was from Li Kuanglan.
Her left hand was wracked with stabbing pain, and that powerful punch sent waves of pain throughout her body. Punching Qianye was no different from attacking a steel plate. He was completely fine, but her hand was now swollen.
Feeling completely powerless, Li Kuanglan collapsed once again. Despite that, the hand she had on Qianye’s neck didn’t loosen. This resulted in her dragging Qianye down on top of her.
Naturally, Qianye could exert some force and expel her fingers, but he gave up on the notion after seeing her resolute demeanor. He merely bent down accordingly to prevent her from overexerting. One had to remember that the bones throughout her body had just been reconnected. That punch from just now had probably jolted several fractures out of place, evidenced by the pain she was in.
Li Kuanglan struggled to stand up, but her grip on Qianye’s hand was quite strong. “Y-You, what did you do to me?”
“I treated your injuries.” Qianye was as calm as still water.
“Treatment my ass!” Furious, Li Kuanglan wanted to throw yet another lethal punch.
Qianye reached out and gently pressed her back to the ground. “If you make reckless movements again, you’ll break even more bones. We’ll have to reconnect them all over again!”
Li Kuanglan was hurting all over at the slightest movement, not to mention the lack of origin power. She had no power to resist and was duly pressed to the ground, grinding her teeth all the while.
She observed her situation and then said with a frown, “I was injured so badly? Did you reconnect all the fractures?”
Qianye said unceremoniously, “Who else? This place is fairly dangerous. I’ll advise you not to move around recklessly. It’ll be quite troublesome to reconnect your bones if they break again.”
There was something Qianye didn’t dare to say. Now that she was awake, it was more likely that she would slash him to death if he were to connect her bones again.
“How did you reconnect…” Her question trailed off into silence as she looked down at a certain place.
Qianye followed her eyes and found that his hand was on her chest. There was one hole each on the front and back of this internal armor, and Qianye’s hand happened to be on the defect and over half her left chest. The hole wasn’t that big, so it was fairly hard to believe Qianye wasn’t taking advantage of her deliberately.
Qianye cried out in his heart, once again losing control to his instincts. But Li Kuanglan had just woken up and thus had no idea—now, things were going to be hard to explain. If he were to withdraw his hands at the moment, it would look quite deliberate, and he might need to reconnect all her bones if Li Kuanglan were to flail about in anger.
Just as Qianye was in a dilemma, Li Kuanglan shifted her body, and that actually pushed her entire chest into his palm. She let out a sigh, as though she were parched and stifled.
Both of them were startled at this point.
“That, I, no… actually…” She couldn’t get the message across after a good while. Ultimately, she cried out, “Let go!”
Qianye pulled back his hand accordingly. She straightened her back at this moment and seemed like she would fall onto Qianye. Li Kuanglan immediately realized this situation and exerted some force from her back, making her fall back onto the ground. She turned pale from the sudden pain.
Qianye shook his head inwardly as he fished out a painkiller and injected it into her.
Feeling the effects of the painkiller, the tension on Li Kuanglan’s face lessened somewhat. However, her gaze toward Qianye remained extremely complicated, and the ripples in her eyes looked like they would spill out any moment. The force with which she was biting her lips showed how much she hated him at this moment. If Qianye were to stretch his hand toward her mouth, she might just bite him.
Fortunately, she merely stretched her hand out. “How many more injections do you have, give them to me.”
“That was the last one,” Qianye said in honesty.
Li Kuanglan was embarrassed and angry. “Who’d believe you! You… I don’t care, just give me all the sedatives you have!”
Qianye didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “I really don’t have any. Who’d carry that many?”
Sedatives were most useful for blunting pain. As an expert, who would pay attention to a bit of pain? Li Kuanglan merely frowned when the fractured bones rubbed against one another. Comparatively, stimulants, healing, and regenerative medicines were the main stockpiles. Even toxic drugs were more useful than sedatives.
It was just that the sedatives had a special use right now. Both of them knew of this, yet neither could say it out loud.
At this point, Li Kuanglan realized that he really had no more stock and couldn’t quite decide whether to be happy or disappointed. Reciting a mantra to channel origin power, she asked, “Do you have food?”
Qianye produced the food he had within Andruil’s space and supported Li Kuanglan to a sitting position. “That’s all I have. Don’t be picky and eat what’s left.”
Li Kuanglan nodded silently. She then blushed as she looked down at her body. “Help me… cover up properly.”
The movements just now had caused her entire left chest to bulge out of the gap in the armor, and that trembling spring plum-petal was exceptionally alluring.
