Chapter 73

Lu Buqi was no stranger to beautiful women. In his previous life, with the abundance of information, real and fake beauties vied for attention, leaving one dazzled. Even Wang Shuangqiao, who was just coming of age, was a one-in-a-million beauty. However, seeing the boldly dressed beauty before him, Lu Buqi was momentarily lost in thought.

"Hey... Is your wound okay?" The red-clad woman put away the rope in her hand, and to Lu Buqi's surprise, he had no idea where it went.

"I won't die just yet!" Lu Buqi noticed that the woman had no luggage and the peculiar double-bladed dagger she originally used was nowhere to be seen. He frowned slightly and asked, "Who are you? Why are you alone in such a desolate place?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Although Da Hong Mountain isn't as terrifying as Li Nan Mountain, it's rare for someone to venture here alone." The red-clad woman's eyes twinkled mischievously. "When I first ran into you, I was quite startled, thinking I had encountered a wild man!"

Lu Buqi looked himself over. Apart from his relatively clean hands and face, he did look a bit like a wild man. "I'm also curious. Why do you look like you're on a picnic?"

"Oh, look at you, so wary, as if I'm some mountain spirit or monster." The red-clad woman laughed lightly. "Are we going to stand here staring at the corpse forever?"

As she spoke, she flicked her wrist, and an object flew toward Lu Buqi. He caught it in one hand—it was a small ceramic jar. "What's this?"

"It's Ice Jade Ointment, a top-quality healing salve with remarkable effects for regenerating tissue and stopping bleeding." The red-clad woman replied, "Don't worry, you saved me from a near-death situation. Even if a woman's heart is venomous, she wouldn't poison you so quickly, right?"

Seeing her speak so frankly, Lu Buqi felt his wariness was a bit excessive. He opened the ceramic jar, and a fragrant aroma wafted up. Seeing the clear, jelly-like ointment, Lu Buqi immediately realized that even the crude iron plasters used by villagers and the ointments used by military leaders were inferior to this.

"You can't apply it yourself... Let me help you!" The red-clad woman, without any sense of boundaries, approached Lu Buqi with a fragrant breeze. The scent was strong but not unpleasant, a subtle floral aroma. Lu Buqi looked at the woman, who was only a head shorter than him and even taller than Wang Shuangqiao, and nodded.

The woman's hands were very beautiful, long and smooth, with slender fingers. In his previous life, she would have been a top model, and her entire person would have driven a crowd of people wild.

"This damned teenage phenomenon!" Lu Buqi's thoughts were a bit indulgent, and he quickly calmed himself, not admiring the beautiful scene of the woman using her fingers to apply the Ice Jade Ointment, nor feeling the cool, slightly itchy comfort on his back.

At the same time, Lu Buqi didn't notice the woman's charming yet meaningful smile. "At least you're my benefactor, and I don't even know your name?"

"Don't treat me as your benefactor; I can't bear it. I didn't intend to help you in the first place!" Despite his wariness, Lu Buqi wouldn't refuse this normal interaction.

"Whether you are or not, what's your name?" She gently touched the skin around Lu Buqi's wound, her eyes slightly dazed.

"Buqi!" Lu Buqi replied.

"Wow..." The red-clad woman seemed quite surprised. "Your name is Buqi?"

Lu Buqi tilted his neck. "You seem very surprised."

"Because my name is Buli!" The mischievous glint in Buli's eyes disappeared. "Buli Buqi... See, you're surprised too, right?"

Lu Buqi suddenly felt like he was falling into a trap, but it could also be her real name. Besides, if she didn't want to use her real name, there was no need for her to give him such an ambiguous name, right?

Lu Buqi's lips curled slightly. "You don't have a surname either, do you?"

"Don't you have a surname?" Buli's eyelids drooped. "I do have a surname, but probably no one would acknowledge it!"

Lu Buqi was taken aback. He suddenly felt that this was a bit strange. "Then you're not surnamed Lu?"

"Why should I be surnamed Lu?" Buli countered, then smiled coyly. "I'm not surnamed Lu; I'm surnamed Long. My name is Long Buli. Doesn't it sound nice?"

Lu Buqi couldn't help but smile. "It's very nice. It seems your parents have a good relationship and love you a lot!"

Long Buli suddenly fell silent, but her hands didn't stop, still applying the ointment to Lu Buqi's wound. After a moment, she said, "Right, Buqi, I came to Da Hong Mountain to seek treasure. What about you?"

Lu Buqi answered straightforwardly, "To escape."

"That explains it..." Long Buli's lips curled. "Where do you plan to go, to Hongshan County?"

Lu Buqi glanced at her. "For now, yes. But if Hongshan County can't accommodate me, I'll have to keep moving, with no destination."

"Alright..." Her fingertips glided over the end of the wound, and she gently shook her head. "Why don't you come with me to seek treasure?"

"Seek treasure?" Lu Buqi turned around. After this brief interaction, his wariness toward Long Buli had diminished, but he was still somewhat surprised. "I've never heard anyone be so generous about sharing treasure."

Long Buli smiled coyly. "I've never heard anyone talk about escaping with such confidence. Since you have nowhere to go, we'll split the treasure equally when we find it!"

Seeking treasure was indeed a very attractive prospect. Thinking of the exquisite ointment that could almost make one feel the growth of tissue and the rope that could disappear in an instant, Lu Buqi was somewhat tempted. He raised an eyebrow. "You seem very sure that there's treasure in Da Hong Mountain?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I come here?" Long Buli said confidently. "But treasure sites usually have traps or guardian mystical beasts, so it's a bit dangerous. If you're not brave enough, we can forget it."

Is she trying to provoke me? But the effect of a beautiful woman's provocation is indeed much greater. Even knowing it was a provocation, it didn't matter. Lu Buqi pinched his nose. "Alright... let's take a look. As you said, I have no destination anyway."

Seeing Lu Buqi agree, Long Buli was clearly very happy. "That's the spirit! My combat skills aren't bad either, so I won't be a burden to you if there's danger."

"Let's not talk about that for now. Let's deal with this black tiger. Its heart core and such a large tiger skin are quite valuable!" Lu Buqi said, walking toward the black-jawed ghost tiger. For someone on the run, animal hides were a very useful resource.

Long Buli laughed lightly. "Actually, its flesh is also quite good..."

"Have you eaten it before?" Lu Buqi glanced back thoughtfully, but his movements were still swift. The skin and flesh of the black-jawed ghost tiger were much stronger than those of violent bears and other refined beasts. Without the Yu Chang sword, even skinning it would be a hassle.

Long Buli smiled calmly. "Don't underestimate me. As a treasure hunter, I've seen not just refined beasts but also mystical beasts. Eating the flesh of a black-jawed ghost tiger is nothing."

"Mystical beasts?" Lu Buqi frowned. "They seem to be even more powerful than refined beasts?"

"That's common knowledge. Refined beasts develop intelligence and become mystical. Mystical beasts not only have much greater strength than refined beasts but also possess human-like intelligence. Some pure-blooded mystical beasts can even transform into human form." Long Buli's face glowed with pride, as if she knew more than Lu Buqi. "Even a first-stage mystical beast can match a tenth-stage refined beast in combat. What's even more enviable is that mystical beasts have ten times the lifespan of humans."

"I thought I heard wrong. If you say there might be mystical beasts at the treasure site, aren't we just asking for death?" Lu Buqi was shocked, and his heart was screaming. Could he really have come to a world of immortals and magic?

But Lu Buqi didn't show it. Although Wang Lishou had mentioned the power of tenth-stage refined beasts, thinking about the mysterious and unfathomable Xuantong experts above the Blood Boil Realm, he was already mentally prepared for other strange things.

Long Buli flicked her bangs with her jade-like fingers and laughed. "Buqi, I was just trying to provoke you because you didn't want to come with me. Mystical beasts aren't that easy to encounter... Who knew you didn't even know what mystical beasts were."

Lu Buqi didn't feel belittled; instead, he sensed a bit of honesty from Long Buli. He replied, "So, the possibility of there being a mystical beast near the treasure you're seeking is low?"