"Why is it so cold?" Ning Yiyi muttered as she settled by the fire, stretching her small hands toward the flames to warm up.
The ones pursuing her had finally been dealt with, and she could now relax.
Lin Moyu, observing the scene, knew the chill in the air was due to the presence of his skeleton warriors. Without hesitation, he ordered them to disperse, allowing the temperature to rise.
Ning Yiyi, already familiar with Lin Moyu's quiet nature, continued talking, more to herself than to him.
"I found a treasure chest of chance in the camp of the Kamen Orc Legion near Shaohai City." She smiled, recalling the discovery. "You know how rare these chests are, right? They appear randomly, and I happened to be the lucky one to find it."
She grinned mischievously. "Inside, I got this intermediate skill scroll. But guess what? Some nosy people saw me and decided they wanted it for themselves."
Her smile faded slightly as she continued, "Those jerks chased me all the way from Shaohai City to Xihai City. Two whole days! Can you believe that? Like a bunch of pesky bedbugs."
Lin Moyu listened, piecing together her story. The intermediate skill scroll, worth a staggering 10 million gold coins, was clearly nothing in her eyes. He began to wonder what kind of wealthy family she came from. One thing was certain—this girl had wealth beyond imagination.
After a moment of silence, he spoke softly, "You almost died back there."
Ning Yiyi brushed off the seriousness of the comment with a wave of her hand. "Oh, don't worry! I've got safeguards. If I'm ever about to die, I'll be teleported to safety."
She paused, her tone softening, "But still, I should thank you. Without your help, I might not have died, but I would've been seriously injured. And you know what? Getting hurt really sucks. Yiyi hates pain."
Lin Moyu simply nodded. It seemed there was no need for him to worry after all—this girl had more tricks up her sleeve than he initially thought.
"Anyway," she said, holding out her hand, "I gave you the intermediate skill scroll. Now... do you have anything to eat? I'm still starving."
Lin Moyu rummaged through his belongings and handed her a few steamed buns—the spoils from their recent battle. Ning Yiyi wrinkled her nose at them.
"Buns? No thanks. I want sweet potatoes."
Lin Moyu raised an eyebrow but obliged, swapping the buns for sweet potatoes.
Ning Yiyi took one and bit into it eagerly. "Now that's more like it! Miss Yiyi doesn't eat things taken from corpses." She ate the sweet potato with an almost childlike joy, making it look like the most delicious thing in the world.
Watching her, Lin Moyu couldn't help but smile. "Is it really that good?"
Without missing a beat, she glanced at him. "Lin the Nerd, are you here to level up? Judging by your level, you haven't entered any higher education yet, have you?"
Lin Moyu shook his head. "No."
"Which institution are you planning to attend?" she asked between bites.
"Xiajing Academy," he answered quietly.
Ning Yiyi's eyes sparkled. "Xiajing Academy is top-tier. I'm not surprised you'd aim for it."
She nodded approvingly. "You know, when you get there, you should challenge Shata, the god of the Academy. If you win on your first try, you get double the rewards. And the more floors you clear, the better. Points are everything there—they're even more valuable than gold."
She leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. "There's also the School of Creative Theology. If you have the chance, you have to get in. It's one of the best places to hone your skills."
Ning Yiyi spoke about Xiajing Academy with such familiarity that Lin Moyu began to form a clear picture of what the future might hold there. As usual, she carried most of the conversation, while Lin Moyu listened intently, occasionally offering a word or two.
After talking for a while, Ning Yiyi's voice trailed off. She had worn herself out.
Lin Moyu took off his cloak and draped it over her. Then, as she drifted to sleep, he sat down to meditate.
By the time the first light of dawn filtered through the trees, Lin Moyu was fully awake, refreshed from his meditation. He opened his eyes to see Ning Yiyi already awake, blinking at him with a cheeky grin.
"Is there any more sweet potato?" she asked, holding out her hand expectantly.
Lin Moyu pulled out a piece and handed it to her.
"More," she demanded with a mischievous smile.
He gave her another, but she kept pressing. "Come on, Lin, don't be so stingy. They're just sweet potatoes! You can afford to give me more."
With a sigh, Lin Moyu handed over almost his entire stash of sweet potatoes—twenty pieces in total—leaving none for himself.
"Really, that's all you have?" she teased, eyeing him as if she didn't believe it.
Lin Moyu nodded solemnly. "It's really all gone."
Ning Yiyi finally relented. "Alright, alright, I believe you."
Standing up, she dusted off her clothes and smiled brightly. "Miss Yiyi is off now! I have some leveling to do. But don't slack off, okay? Get stronger, so you can help me level up later!"
With a final wave and a playful wink, she skipped off into the forest, taking all the sweet potatoes and even the cloak Lin Moyu had lent her.
As she disappeared from view, Lin Moyu muttered under his breath, "Take you to level up later, huh?"
The forest had grown quiet after the night's chaos, but there was still a faint scent of blood in the air. Lin Moyu glanced at the three bodies lying on the ground. He decided it was time to test his new skill.
He cast Corpse Burst.
With a thunderous bang, the nearby trees were blown apart, reduced to pulp. A deep crater, twenty meters wide and over ten meters deep, scarred the earth.
Lin Moyu smirked, impressed with the power. The explosion had a 360-degree effect. He wondered how much stronger the attack could get.
Commanding his skeleton warriors to hurl another corpse into the air, he detonated it mid-flight. The ensuing explosion was even more devastating than the first.
Yes, airborne detonation was definitely the way to go.
The only downside? Accidental injuries. While neither he nor his skeleton warriors could be hurt, any human teammate might not be so lucky.
He'd have to be careful when using it in a group.