Chapter Forty-Seven: Ten Thousand Great Mountains (Part 6)

“Miss Meng, you should try some; ring-shaped avocados are very nutritious! I’ve picked almost enough, so we can head back now.” Zhang Ning leapt down from the tree and spoke gently.

Meng Meng’s face nearly twisted in mortification, but in the end she only managed a shy, gentle smile. “Thank you for your trouble, Master Zhang!” She picked up the avocados and followed closely behind Zhang Ning, step by step.

With perfect ease, Zhang Ning reached into the folds of her skirt, took out an avocado, wiped it clean, and ate it with relish, utterly unaware that his actions had brought a crimson flush to Meng Meng’s cheeks.

Meng Meng shot a furtive glare at Zhang Ning. He had just leaped from the tree; beads of sweat dotted his brow, and a few scattered leaves still drifted around him. Some even clung to his tousled hair, lending him a wild, unrestrained air. Though his face was still youthful, one could already glimpse the handsomeness to come... Except, apparently, he was a rogue—someone who would shamelessly take things from a girl’s skirt!

Outrageous! Meng Meng cursed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ning was thoroughly pleased with himself: these ring-shaped avocados might not be flavorful, but their nutritional content was unmatched—they were rich in both protein and fat, much like the avocados Zhang Ning had eaten on his previous life’s planet of Bluewater, except they were much larger and, astonishingly, completely seedless! To Zhang Ning, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Seeing that Zhang Ning paid her no mind, Meng Meng wiped an avocado herself and tried a bite, only to find it utterly tasteless. Her disdain for Zhang Ning deepened. So this is the disciple the Lord of All Wonders has just accepted—clearly someone who’s never seen the world! To eat such flavorless fruit with such delight... If he ever saw the delicacies my family’s chefs prepare, would he ever leave our table?

Wait, what am I thinking?! I would never invite him to my home!!!

Lost in these thoughts, Meng Meng failed to notice how quickly time was passing.

Out in the wilderness, Zhang Ning always kept track of time. He glanced at the sky and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s rest for the night.” With that, he licked his fingers and checked the humidity.

Meng Meng nearly lost her composure! She quickly covered her blushing face. Her original plan had been to wait at the lava field and, when Zhang Ning carried her down using the unique cloud visualization technique of the Grand Freedom Demon Sect, to ambush him, make him fall flat on his face, then give him a good beating—humiliating him in front of the countless viewers watching the live broadcast!

She hadn’t realized that, without even noticing, she’d spent the whole day following Zhang Ning. Night was falling—what now? A man and a woman alone together in the wild...

But Meng Meng hadn’t noticed that her desire to see Zhang Ning pay a price had faded; instead, shyness and hesitation now prevailed within her. As Zhang Ning approached her, she barely managed to hold her ground, forcing herself to ask, “Master Zhang, what should we do about sleeping arrangements tonight?”

Half an hour later.

Meng Meng lay on the bed Zhang Ning had made, grinding her teeth so hard she was nearly faint with rage. She never expected this little demon to do absolutely nothing... What a hypocrite!

Zhang Ning, drawing on his experience, had quickly found a cave, built a simple thorny locust fence at the entrance, and then skillfully prepared two beds inside. The process was the same as before: using his Free Spirit Hand to clear away the rotting leaves and debris, then laying down ferns and dry grass to make a passable bed. He even lit a mosquito-repelling fire at the entrance—by wilderness standards, it was quite comfortable.

The crackle of the fire brought a feeling of camping. Deep down, Zhang Ning was still a man from Bluewater, and with some lingering sense of gentlemanly conduct, he’d made an extra bed for Meng Meng as well.

In truth, Zhang Ning had almost decided not to help—preparing a bed outdoors was hard work! Meng Meng, not the least bit grateful, lay there grinding her teeth in silent fury, unaware that she’d very nearly been left to sleep directly on the ground.

As Zhang Ning lay comfortably on his bed, he heard Meng Meng’s teeth grinding and, without overthinking it, assumed she was already asleep. He glanced over at her—her silhouette flickered in the dim firelight, provoking all kinds of thoughts.

After watching for a moment, Zhang Ning couldn’t help himself and sighed softly, “Ah, such a pretty Miss Meng—how come she has such a terrible habit of grinding her teeth in her sleep?”

Meng Meng, who was most certainly not asleep, shuddered at his words.

With a girl sleeping beside him, Zhang Ning felt it inappropriate to keep streaming through the night, so after bidding his viewers goodnight, he went to sleep.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Zhang Ning, brimming with energy, greeted his viewers. When he glanced at the teasing comments in the chat, he finally noticed that the once radiant, elegant Meng Meng now looked thoroughly exhausted. Two dark circles hung beneath her eyes; though they didn’t mar her beauty, she clearly seemed out of sorts—which explained the endless stream of mischievous comments.

Given Zhang Ning’s status, most viewers would never dare to tease him so boldly, but as he was a man and the situation was more amusing than scandalous, the barrage of comments was relentless.

All Zhang Ning could do was ask politely, “Miss Meng, did you not sleep well?”

Meng Meng replied, “Thank you for your concern, Master Zhang. I slept quite well.” She even offered a courteous bow.

Of course, that was a flat-out lie. She had barely slept at all!

All night she’d agonized over whether to take advantage of the darkness to teach Zhang Ning a lesson now that the live stream was off, but then she’d reasoned that Zhang Ning couldn’t possibly sleep so soundly—surely he was just pretending, and no one would be that unwary around a stranger. Or was it that he was only unguarded around her...? Torn by these thoughts, she naturally got no rest.

What she didn’t know was that Zhang Ning had activated a host of hidden spirit treasures and magic talismans before sleeping; if Meng Meng really had attacked, she would most likely have ended up as nothing more than a bloody mess. So Zhang Ning truly slept well, which only fueled Meng Meng’s indignation.

That day, the sun shone brightly, and the grass on the plains through which they traveled grew increasingly tall. Suddenly, Zhang Ning cried out in excitement, his eyes shining: “Look, everyone!” He dashed forward, and Meng Meng, invigorated, hurried after.

There, sprawled on the ground, lay the massive corpse of a strange beast—it resembled a wild stallion, but stood twice as tall as an adult man, its jet-black fur sleek and glossy. It was clearly freshly dead, leaving Meng Meng thoroughly perplexed: what could possibly be so interesting about a dead beast?