A Young Woman's Heart

She glanced back at the entrance to the path, which was already quite far away, and subconsciously swallowed.

"Hmm... what is it? It should just be the wind, right...?"

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a black thing darted out, startling her so much that she grabbed onto a tree trunk for support. Although she held the branch that could be used as a weapon in her hand, she had no time to prepare to fight back.

Fortunately, what emerged was not a venomous snake or a wild boar, but Qiu Yi's pet dog, Black Emperor.

The big black dog clearly recognized Mo Xueyao. Look how fast it wagged its tail and even came close to her, rubbing its wet nose against her smooth thigh.

"Eek—" Mo Xueyao subconsciously slapped its head away. "Black Emperor, what are you doing here?"

Black King naturally wouldn't answer her, but he still barked twice as a symbolic gesture to show that he understood she was calling him.

However, having a big dog accompany me into the forest definitely made me feel much safer.

Mo Xueyao was no longer as cautious as when she first came in, but instead strode forward.

Black King, on the other hand, habitually walked at the front, sniffing the grass and bushes from time to time, just like a bodyguard dressed in black.

The vast forest wasn't as interesting as I'd imagined. It was full of spider webs and insects, and many of the insects were hanging directly on the leaves, forming small patches. It was disgusting to look at.

Not long after, the bushes rustled again, and Milk Candy darted out from behind, leaping onto Black Emperor's back and settling down comfortably.

It seems that if no one plays with them, this cat and dog will come to explore the forest on their own.

Black King would urinate on a tree trunk every now and then to mark his path, ensuring he would never get lost.

"Meow—" Milk Candy, lying lazily on Black Emperor's back, glanced at Mo Xueyao and meowed softly, as if to greet her.

"Good morning." Mo Xueyao greeted it in a serious tone and picked it up.

The latter did not resist, and let Mo Xueyao hold her in her arms, or rather, she sat in Mo Xueyao's arms, with her hind legs dangling like a person sitting on a chair, revealing two pink and tender paw pads.

When Mo Xueyao turned around again, she could no longer see the entrance behind her.

The villa is no longer visible; even without obstruction, all that can be seen is probably a small outline.

The further you go into the forest, the quieter it becomes.

Mo Xueyao couldn't help but slow her pace a little, while Hei Huang walked faster and faster.

In the quiet forest, there were no extra sounds, but she always felt that some wild beast was lurking nearby, waiting for its chance to strike.

I was extra careful every time I stepped down, afraid that some poisonous snake might be hiding in the grass.

Fortunately, Black King is paving the way ahead, so there's not much to worry about in this regard.

"Woof, woof!" As they were walking, Black King suddenly started barking and stopped in his tracks, refusing to go any further.

"What's wrong... Did something happen?" Mo Xueyao rubbed its head and asked in a low voice.

"Woof woof!" Black Emperor continued to bark in one direction, and Mo Xueyao also cautiously looked in that direction.

However, there seemed to be nothing in that direction.

However, the candy in her arms broke free from her embrace, jumped down suddenly, and then ran off in the direction the Black Emperor was looking.

Black Emperor followed closely behind.

They had already strayed off the road, but Mo Xueyao gritted her teeth and followed anyway.

After walking for about a minute, Mo Xueyao saw a boy wearing jeans standing under a tree. It turned out to be Duanmu Ji.

At that moment, a snake as thick as a primary school student's arm was blocking his way. He didn't know if it was poisonous or not, but it kept flicking its tongue and staring intently at him.

How did Duanmu Ji end up here?

Mo Xueyao thought she was the first one to get up!

She wanted to scream, but she was afraid of startling the snake and causing it to attack.

At such close range, even if Duanmu Ji had been prepared, it would have been difficult for him to avoid it.

Moreover, his current state makes it hard to tell whether he's frozen in fear or tense up, preparing to attack.

Just as the situation was at a stalemate, Milk Candy rushed over like an arrow and slapped the snake on the head, making the latter dizzy for a moment and not realizing what had happened.

"Hiss—!" Whether it was the lighting or not, from Mo Xueyao's angle, it appeared to be a bluish-black snake with a streamlined shape and a very long body. Its head was somewhat sharp and looked aggressive.

It twisted its body, seemingly still intending to attack the largest creature in front of it.

So Milk Candy slapped it down again.

This time, the latter was on guard and turned around very quickly to take a big bite.

Mo Xueyao felt her heart leap into her throat, but it seemed that Naitang had dodged the bullet...

Did they actually manage to escape?

She wasn't quite sure either, because the movement was small in range but too fast for the naked eye to track.

It felt like we just barely missed it.

"Woof woof!" Black King also came over, but didn't dare to get too close, looking like he was just cheering.

Duanmu Ji finally moved slightly. He took a few steps back, then dodged the snake and ran quickly toward Mo Xueyao.

"Huff... huff..." When she got closer, she realized that his face was covered in cold sweat and his back was soaked.

It seems that he wasn't just tense up, but rather terrified.

Seriously, how did this guy deviate from the planned path and go somewhere else?

Was he here to explore as well?

Mo Xueyao took a few steps back and watched from afar as Naitang was battling the green snake.

"Are you OK?"

"Uh...it's...okay." Duanmu Ji took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, not wanting to lose face in front of the girl.

She didn't ask any more questions, because her attention was completely focused on the candy.

A fight between a snake and a cat, both very fast animals, who would win?

As things stand, Milk Candy seems to be doing quite well.

No matter how the snake attacks, it can skillfully deflect the attack, and when the snake is coiled up and motionless, it will deliberately provoke it a few times.

Cold-blooded animals have far less endurance than warm-blooded animals.

This is basic knowledge that we learned in junior high school.

Milk Candy used this kind of endurance to constantly wear down its opponent, and the snake's speed slowed down at a visible rate.

After Milk Candy slammed the snake's head to the ground several times, making it dizzy, Black King, who had been crouching nearby, immediately rushed up, opened its big mouth, and bit down.

"Snap." Mo Xueyao clearly heard a tooth-grinding sound, and then the entire snake head drooped down.

Red blood gushed from the severed body, and the snake's head could still move, as if in a final burst of energy, it suddenly lunged forward a short distance, about to bite Black King, but was lazily slapped away by Milk Candy and flew into the grass.

Now it was unable to move.

"Amazing..." Mo Xueyao exclaimed.

Judging by their skill level, they must have practiced together a lot. No wonder they dared to swagger into this undeveloped forest.

Black Emperor returned carrying the snake's body in its mouth, showed it off to Mo Xueyao, and then continued on its way with the snake in its mouth.

It seems it plans to take it home and enjoy it slowly?

Naitang glanced at Mo Xueyao, then suddenly jumped onto Duanmu Ji's shoulder, startling him so much that he trembled.

They probably haven't recovered from the trauma of encountering the snake.

Even men are afraid of snakes, which is normal, since they are not professionals.

Even when encountering a wild boar, an ordinary man might dare to fight it for a few rounds, but if he encounters a snake, he would definitely think about running away as soon as possible.

Even if you kill the other person, if you get bitten and can't get to the hospital in time, you could very well die.

……

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Clearing in the Forest

"Xiao Ji, what are you doing in the forest?"

"..."

Why not just follow the path?

Duanmu Ji was silent for more than ten seconds, then looked at the leaves above his head and said, "Catch cicadas."

"Seriously? Is it really necessary to come all the way in here to catch cicadas?"

"And what about you?" Duanmu Ji decided to change the subject.

"Me? I just came in to explore. I followed the path, and I had two bodyguards with me. What time did you get up? You're even earlier than me?"

"Four-thirty," Duanmu Ji said, yawning. "What time is it now?"

"It should be almost seven o'clock, right?" Mo Xueyao touched her cheek. "So, you actually came here to explore too, right? This kind of forest is really the best place for exploration. Maybe you'll find some relics."

"It doesn't seem like it will happen."

"I'm referring to ordinary ruins like hunter's huts. I guess no one lives in hunter's huts anymore, right? Hmm... who knows, there might be one or two temporary ones."

"Oh..." Duanmu Ji nodded, and took out a hazelnut chocolate from his pocket. "Want some?"

"No need, I just had breakfast and I'm not hungry yet."

"Oh." Duanmu Ji nodded indifferently, appearing indifferent to everything.

However, Mo Xueyao still noticed the slight embarrassment on his face.

"Speaking of which, it's all thanks to me for coming over just now, how are you going to thank me?" Mo Xueyao patted his shoulder and joked.

"...This has nothing to do with you, right?"

"What? If I hadn't come this way, they probably wouldn't have come this way either. Besides, I came here carrying milk candy. If I had gone in another direction while carrying milk candy, wouldn't you be in trouble?" Mo Xueyao argued.

Duanmu Ji raised an eyebrow: "How are you going to thank me?"