"So fragrant." The sound of swallowing came from behind. Ye Lanshan turned to look and saw it was the middle-aged man's group—the so-called Invincible Mercenary Corps.
So it's them. Ye Lanshan coldly turned her head back, ignoring them.
The middle-aged man saw that the three hadn't paid him any attention and merely sighed softly. He set up camp not far from them, lit a fire, and roasted the prey he had caught that day.
"This mushroom wild rabbit soup is really quite good." Ye Lanshan squinted her eyes in enjoyment as she ate. It had been a long time since she'd had wild game like this. First, because people in this world didn't know mushrooms were edible, and second, because this truly was authentic wild game. Although the food in the capital had never been bad, it always lacked that mountain flavor.
"Mm, it's more than just good—it's absolutely divine. Ye Lanshan, I didn't know you had such culinary skills." Yun Di looked at Ye Lanshan with even more affection in his eyes.
But as Yun Di spoke, he felt a sharp gaze pierce him like an arrow. Glancing sideways, he saw the coldness in the Dark Lord's eyes, like shards of ice, fixed on him. He felt goosebumps rise all over his body—it was terrifying.
After they finished eating, one of them took an apple Ye Lanshan handed over and chewed on it.
"The stars are bright tonight, but there's no moon." Ye Lanshan instantly leaped into a tree, sprinkled some unknown powder onto the branches, and leaned back against the trunk, gazing at the sky.
The Dark Lord sat at the base of the tree Ye Lanshan was lying on, looking up. "Even without the moon, the countless stars are more pleasing to the eye, aren't they?"
"Perhaps. A sky full of stars is indeed livelier than the moon's solitary self-admiration." As Ye Lanshan stared at the starry sky, she unknowingly drifted into a deep sleep.
"Go to sleep. I'll keep watch." When Yun Di was nervously scanning the surroundings, the Dark Lord came over and called out to him.
"Ah, no, it's fine. I'll take the watch. I'm not sleepy anyway." Yun Di had been forcing himself to stay alert, but being called out jolted him wide awake. He didn't dare let the Dark Lord keep watch—what if the Dark Lord decided to kill them while he and Ye Lanshan were both asleep? They wouldn't even know how they died.
"If you're in bad shape on the road tomorrow, Ye Lanshan will definitely worry." Ye Yutian, the Dark Lord, though he strongly disliked Yun Di, considered Ye Lanshan's attitude toward him and sent him off to sleep elsewhere.
The night was deep, everything silent, not a sound to be heard. Whether it was the middle-aged man's group not far away or Ye Lanshan and Yun Di, all had fallen into a deep slumber.
Ye Yutian quietly flew up to the tree where Ye Lanshan lay, gently stroking her cheek, murmuring to himself, "What must I do to make you be with me?"
As if sensing something, Ye Lanshan threw a punch. Startled, Ye Yutian quickly jumped down from the tree to dodge it, thinking, *It's over—she's awake.*
But aside from that one punch, Ye Lanshan made no further move, still wearing that sweet, peaceful sleeping expression.
"So she didn't wake up?" Ye Yutian's tense heart relaxed. He leaned back against the tree, keeping watch over Ye Lanshan and, incidentally, protecting Yun Di.
By the time the middle-aged man and his group slowly stirred awake, Ye Lanshan and the other two had already left them behind, heading in an unknown direction.
"This Sunset Mountain Range is so vast. When will we ever find what we're looking for?" Yun Di had been walking for a long time but hadn't encountered a single spirit beast.
Ye Lanshan exchanged a grave look with Ye Yutian. Something was off here.
"Spirit beasts roam freely in the Sunset Mountain Range, yet we've walked this far without seeing a single one. It seems we've been targeted by a high-level spirit beast." Ye Lanshan calmly analyzed the situation.
Hearing her analysis, Yun Di speculated, "A high-level spirit beast wouldn't target us for no reason. Could it be the phoenix? I've heard that ever since the phoenix fell into this mountain range, anyone who entered never returned. Maybe the phoenix uses this method to make people let their guard down before killing them all."
Ye Lanshan immediately dismissed him. "Impossible. A divine beast's pride wouldn't stoop to such tricks. Besides, from the moment we entered the Sunset Mountain Range, everything has felt strange."
"True, the village at the foot of the mountain was desolate, but it shouldn't have been completely empty. Earlier, we saw a house with freshly chopped firewood outside, clearly inhabited, yet no one was inside. And since entering the Sunset Mountain Range, aside from that spirit rabbit you caught last night, have you encountered any other spirit beasts?"
"Maybe it really is because of the phoenix." Ye Yutian, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. "The Sunset Mountain Range wasn't just strange when we arrived today. Ever since the phoenix fell here, this place has been full of oddities."
Ye Lanshan lowered her head in thought for a moment. "Ah, so that's how it is."
If that were true, could such a vicious and cruel phoenix really be a divine beast? A flicker of worry crossed Ye Lanshan's mind. After all, every ancient text she'd read described the phoenix as the king of birds, soaring with all birds paying homage, extremely proud—nothing like a creature that would resort to underhanded tactics like humans.
"Better to be cautious. Ye Lanshan, if danger arises, stay behind me. I'll keep you safe." Ye Yutian's heart raced as he said this. Baili Wumou had taught him this line, claiming women liked feeling protected, so saying it in dangerous moments was foolproof. But looking at Ye Lanshan's expression, he found her even more wary of him.
Ye Lanshan never believed anyone would be kind to her for no reason. Someone as unfamiliar as the Dark Lord suddenly saying something like that to her must have ulterior motives. She didn't know what he was up to yet, but staying on guard was wise.
Little did she know, Ye Yutian simply liked her.
"That's not right. If that's the case, why would the Invincible Mercenary Corps risk coming up here, knowing they might never return? And judging by their steps, they seem extremely familiar with this place, as if they've been here many times." As they walked, Yun Di suddenly stopped, feeling something was off.
"The Invincible Mercenary Corps." No sooner had Ye Lanshan muttered these words than she sensed several familiar auras approaching from behind. Turning around, she saw it was indeed the Invincible Mercenary Corps, but they looked much worse for wear, as if they'd been through countless battles.