Chapter 42

After dinner, the night had grown deep, and Catherine stretched contentedly. Wenlong knew that this was the time Catherine wanted to take a bath.

"Since we're spending the night outdoors, don't take a bath. The forest at night, who knows what wild beasts might appear, meow!" Wenlong reminded her.

"Ah, Mr. Cat, but I sweated a lot today, and my whole body feels sticky and uncomfortable."

"I already said, the forest at night..."

Before Wenlong could finish his sentence, Catherine picked him up, and without giving him a chance to resist, she carried him out of the cave. Although Catherine usually followed Wenlong's advice, when it came to bathing, she was unwavering in her determination.

"Sigh, well, I haven't heard of any powerful monsters in the Valley of the Morning Breeze. I'll just let this woman have her way this time..." Wenlong thought.

The night in the Valley of the Morning Breeze was deep, and the bright moon hanging in the sky made it possible to see clearly even without other lighting.

Moreover, a clear river was not far from the cave where Wenlong and Catherine were staying, which was the perfect place for Catherine to bathe.

At the river, Catherine took off her wild boar leather armor and the undergarments beneath it, until she was completely naked, and then carefully stepped into the river. The cold water penetrated Catherine's entire body, making her shiver involuntarily.

"So cold..." Catherine thought to herself.

Catherine, who had always been pampered by her brother, had never bathed outdoors like this before. In the past, she enjoyed warm showers in her home's bathroom. But this time, it was her first time bathing in a river at night, and she didn't feel particularly afraid; instead, she found it refreshingly new.

Compared to the daytime, the forest at night was even more tranquil. Occasionally, fireflies could be seen flying along the shore, giving a mysterious and peaceful feeling.

Under the moonlight, Catherine's perfect body was revealed, and the silver moonlight scattered on her silver-white hair, making her look like a dreamlike work of art, almost making Wenlong unable to look away.

"Mr. Cat, come and take a bath with me!" While Catherine was immersed in the beauty of the night forest, she invited Wenlong to join her in the bathing experience.

"I'll pass on that. I'll wait for you to finish, and then I'll take a bath, meow!" Wenlong shook his head in refusal. Of course, it wasn't that Wenlong didn't want to bathe with Catherine, but he was concerned about what kind of wild beasts might appear in the forest at night.

Although the Valley of the Morning Breeze wasn't a place where powerful monsters gathered, most of the time, the monsters they encountered were relatively easy to deal with, especially for well-prepared hunters. However, if they were to bathe, they would have to take off their equipment and weapons and leave them on the shore. If they were suddenly attacked by a monster, they would be in a very passive situation.

Wenlong didn't want anyone to see him running around naked and being chased by a monster, even though, as an Ailu cat, it wouldn't be a problem to be naked. But as a former human, Wenlong still found it hard to accept such a situation.

So, while Catherine completely took off her equipment and bathed in the river, Wenlong chose to stand guard on the shore like a knight, always vigilant of any situation.

Fortunately, as an Ailu cat, Wenlong had the superior night vision of a feline, so even with only the moonlight, he could see the surroundings as clearly as in the daytime. Combined with his excellent hearing, Wenlong was confident he could ensure Catherine's safety.

"Regardless, it's necessary to stay alert in the forest at night..." Wenlong thought.

Although Catherine was a bit unhappy that Wenlong refused to bathe with her, she didn't say much more when she saw his firm attitude. She just carefully washed her body, enjoying the relaxing sensation of the gentle current.

"Wow, so comfortable. This is a completely different feeling from bathing in the bathroom. And the moonlight, the stars, and the cool night breeze... Hmm?"

Just as Catherine was immersed in the beauty of the night, she suddenly felt something strange happening in the water around her.

"Is there something?"

Catherine looked at the unusual water ripples and saw two bright blue gems glowing faintly at the bottom of the clear river.

"Mr. Cat, look what I found! There are blue gems at the bottom of the river!" Catherine exclaimed excitedly.

"Gems? Blue ones?" Wenlong was initially stunned, then he sprang up from the riverbank like a spring!

"Stupid woman! Run now, meow!"

"Eh?"

"Swish..."

The water churned, and a dark shadow emerged from the water, with a pair of blue eyes on its head. Catherine was terrified and hurriedly ran to the shore, but the shadow was faster and quickly caught up to her.

"Damn it, I was only alert to the surroundings and forgot to watch the river..." Wenlong blamed himself as he rushed to Catherine's side. But it seemed to be too late.

The shadow had already caught up to Catherine and pounced on her. Only then did Wenlong finally see the true identity of the shadow.

"Beaver Beast!"

When Wenlong had taken the advancement quest earlier, he had seen a task related to the Beaver Beast, which was of the same level as the Wild Boar King. He hadn't thought much of it then, but he hadn't expected to encounter it here.

Catherine was already pinned down in the water by the Beaver Beast. Seeing this, Wenlong immediately rushed into the water, ready to engage the creature in a life-or-death battle.

On land, Wenlong wouldn't have taken such a creature, which was on par with the Wild Boar King, seriously, but in the water, he wasn't sure if he could defeat it.

"The Beaver Beast is skilled in water combat, and in the game, the only scenes of fighting the Beaver Beast are on land... What the heck, how do you fight in the water?"

Despite his concerns, Wenlong didn't hesitate and charged forward, diving into the water and raising his dual blades to stab at the Beaver Beast!