Chapter 27

The Divine Beast's Selection (27)

"It's not that he's a dog, but that he's better than a dog..."

Fan Jiawei, who had been about to flare up, flinched.

It was due to a sharp killing intent that had flown from somewhere. Turning his head, he saw that Hansuelhua had been staring at him intently, having arrived at some point.

At that moment, Danaksun's exclamation was heard.

"It really is delicious!"

Turning his head, Fan Jiawei saw that Danaksun was chewing on the carrot leaves in his hand.

"Really like a dog..."

Fan Jiawei, who had spoken without thinking, hastily swallowed his words.

Hansuelhua and Chaoakliang's gazes had become even more menacing.

In contrast, Danaksun seemed to be enjoying something and started tearing the carrot leaves with enthusiasm.

After watching this for a while, Fan Jiawei suddenly spoke.

"But, Brother Chao, is it really okay for us to be like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't we be able to cover a day's journey in a day? If we keep dawdling like this, we might end up being slower than that woman carrying a child."

"What does it matter? Isn't this nice in its own way?"

"True."

Nodding, Fan Jiawei took in the sight of Danaksun, who was running around everywhere.

"It's quiet and leisurely, but... strangely, I'm not bored."

Agreeing with Fan Jiawei, Chaoakliang and Hansuelhua silently watched Danaksun.

At that moment, Danaksun flattened himself on the ground.

He began to sniff and search through the bushes, apparently having caught the scent of some other herb.

"Really like a dog..."

Chaoakliang, who had spoken without thinking, hastily closed his mouth. However, Fan Jiawei, who was nearby, smiled meaningfully.

Fan Jiawei turned his head to look at Hansuelhua.

"Come on, why don't you say it's not true?"

"..."

Hansuelhua remained silent, unable to deny it.

"Come over here!"

Danaksun's voice came from a distance, deep in the bushes.

The three of them pushed through the dense undergrowth and moved forward. Soon, they found Danaksun.

He was beside a small, sunken spring, the kind you might see in a mountain painting.

Despite being not far from the main road, there were no signs of human activity.

Moreover, the spring water was clear and clean, a pristine water source that was hard to find in the Central Plains.

"Let's have dinner here."

Nodding at Danaksun's words, the three of them settled down by the spring.

Seeing Danaksun washing the carrot leaves in the flowing spring, Fan Jiawei suddenly stood up.

"Since this is a journey, we can't just eat vegetables, right?"

Meeting Danaksun's gaze, Fan Jiawei asked for permission.

"Don't you need strength for a long journey? We should eat some meat to gain strength."

"Going to catch another rabbit?"

At Chaoakliang's words, Danaksun flinched.

"W-What are you talking about! I've vowed never to eat rabbits for the rest of my life!"

Fan Jiawei observed Danaksun.

"Don't worry. Not a rabbit, but something else. Something tasty and solid."

With those words, Fan Jiawei darted into the mountains.

Then, Hansuelhua also stood up.

"Where are you going?"

In response to Danaksun's question, Hansuelhua nodded silently.

She then picked up a basket and darted in the opposite direction from where Fan Jiawei had gone.

"Should we start preparing?"

Chaoakliang gathered dry grass and branches from around and neatly stacked them.

He then took out a fire starter from his sleeve.

Blowing into it a few times, the paper at the end of the bamboo tube quickly caught fire.

Chaoakliang tilted the fire starter over the dry grass.

As the embers spread to the branches, a bonfire was complete.

Soon, Fan Jiawei returned, carrying a large wild boar.

"Ha-ha! How about it? It's a really solid one, isn't it?"

"Wow!"

It was so solid that it could have been mistaken for a bear.

Thud!

Fan Jiawei threw the wild boar to the ground and puffed out his chest.

"Meat is definitely pork!"

Hansuelhua, who had returned, also placed a basket full of fruits and mushrooms on the ground.

Her expression and eyes clearly showed her pride.

However, this didn't last long.

Danaksun suddenly shouted in surprise.

"Auntie! That's a poisonous mushroom!"

Hansuelhua, who had been about to pick up the mushroom, hesitated.

Seeing this, Fan Jiawei burst out laughing.

Hansuelhua glared at Fan Jiawei, then picked out the mushrooms from the basket and threw them far away.

The loss of a few mushrooms was no big deal.

There were still many other things in the basket.

But Danaksun shook his head again.

"That fruit is not ripe yet..."

Swish.

Hansuelhua threw the fruit far away and picked up another one, looking at Danaksun.

Danaksun gave a troubled smile.

"That's a fruit that humans can't eat."

Hansuelhua, who had been quietly looking down at the basket, asked Danaksun.

"Is there anything edible in here?"

"Hmm... No."

Thump!

Feeling embarrassed, Hansuelhua kicked the basket nervously and turned towards the forest.

Danaksun stopped her.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"..."

"Come on, let's eat together."

As Danaksun pulled her by the sleeve, Hansuelhua reluctantly sat down. Meanwhile, Chaoakliang was preparing the wild boar Fan Jiawei had caught.

He skillfully drained the blood, removed the skin and entrails, and skewered the best parts on branches.

While Hansuelhua received the skewers and grilled the meat, Fan Jiawei carried their cart from the main road to this place.

After a while, when the meat was cooked, the four of them started eating.

The unique smoky aroma of the bonfire suppressed the gamey smell, and the addition of the carrot leaves made it a dish without equal.

After a satisfying meal, the darkness began to descend around them.

"Since it's late, we'll have to camp here tonight."

Chaoakliang set up a tent from the cart to protect them from the night dew.

At that moment, Hansuelhua grabbed Danaksun's hand and pulled him towards the bonfire.

Danaksun, puzzled by what was happening, was suddenly startled.

Whoosh.

A bone-chilling cold wave swept through the area.

"What's going on!"

Fan Jiawei shouted, glaring at Hansuelhua.

Chaoakliang felt the same way.

Suddenly enveloped by the intense cold, their heads and shoulders were covered in white frost.

Hansuelhua silently pointed to the ground.

"..."

For a moment, they were puzzled.

Then, Chaoakliang and Fan Jiawei noticed the frozen mosquitoes scattered on the ground.

Realizing the situation, Danaksun smiled at Hansuelhua.

"Thank you."

In contrast, the two who had suddenly been caught off guard had unkind looks in their eyes.

Chaoakliang, warming his frozen body by the bonfire, muttered.

"Can't you tell us before doing something like this?"

Fan Jiawei nodded, glaring at Hansuelhua.

"I mean, after all the trouble of fixing it, why didn't you say anything? Did you do it on purpose? To make us suffer?"

Chaoakliang, thinking it made sense, cast a doubtful glance at Hansuelhua.

Regardless,

Hansuelhua ignored them and prepared a place for Danaksun to sleep.

It was the best spot around the bonfire.

At this moment, Danaksun noticed something and focused on a spot.

"There seems to be someone else camping nearby."

In the distance, a faint, flickering light caught his eye.

The three of them turned their heads to where Danaksun was pointing. It was in the direction of the main road, far from their campsite.

Chaoakliang smiled.

"We've finished eating, and to aid digestion, why don't we take a night walk?"

Danaksun nodded at Chaoakliang's suggestion.

He was very curious about how others camped.

"Be careful in the dark. Follow me and watch your step."

Chaoakliang started walking, pushing through the undergrowth. Danaksun followed, relying on the moonlight.

How long had they walked?

As they got closer to the main road, a cart came into view.

It was a huge cart pulled by four horses, and about a dozen people in the same attire were guarding it vigilantly.

What Danaksun had thought was one bonfire turned out to be four.

However, what caught Danaksun's attention was something else.

It was the magnificent flag fluttering on top of the cart.

Seeing Danaksun staring at the flag for a while, Chaoakliang smiled and spoke.

"That's a convoy flag."

"A convoy flag?"

"It's the flag raised when a security company transports goods."

Danaksun looked at the flag and the guards with interest.

Suddenly, his gaze met that of one of the guards standing watch around the cart.

The guard's eyes changed instantly.

He seemed ready to blow the horn in his hand at any moment. Feeling the clear hostility, Danaksun was taken aback.

"They seem to dislike us."

"Uninvited guests during a convoy are never welcome."

"