Chapter 1358: Chapter 1267: Interstellar Life 38

Du Qiyue’s thoughts are quite simple. She just wants Chi Ruiqiu to take the initiative to keep a distance from Pei Shuangshuang. They can be polite but not close, and certainly not intimate.

However, Du Qiyue couldn’t say this herself, as saying it would put her at a disadvantage. She hopes that Chi Ruiqiu can spontaneously do this on his own.

But Chi Ruiqiu’s intentions are different from Du Qiyue’s. He simply cannot understand this little thought of hers, and besides, he feels there’s nothing ambiguous between him and Pei Shuangshuang, so naturally, he doesn’t think there’s any need to keep a distance.

After all, Pei Shuangshuang saved his big brother’s life. She saved someone dear to him, so how can he just keep a cold and distant relationship with his savior? What an absurdity.

As a result, Du Qiyue is discontent with Chi Ruiqiu for not keeping his distance from Pei Shuangshuang, while Chi Ruiqiu feels that Du Qiyue is not considerate enough to him, unreasonably wanting him to estrange himself from Pei Shuangshuang.

With multiple wounds on her body, leaving them untreated wasn’t an option. But Pei Shuangshuang, Chu Xinqiong, and Cheng Yunxi were already asleep, so Du Qiyue had to begrudgingly clean her wounds by herself.

Fortunately, Chi Ruiqiu didn’t completely ignore Du Qiyue. He soon came over to help her treat the wounds that were exposed and not in private areas.

As for bathing, being injured, she couldn’t manage it by herself, and she couldn’t let Chi Ruiqiu help her either, so she could only endure the discomfort and sleep that way.

Pei Shuangshuang was awakened by hunger. Exhausted before, she had bathed and applied medicine to her wounds and immediately went to sleep, as did the others. None of them had thought of eating.

When Pei Shuangshuang got up, her limbs felt a bit weak from hunger, primarily because of the previous day’s intense activities, which had exhausted her, and not having eaten made her stomach rebel.

When Pei Shuangshuang got up, Cheng Yunxi and Chu Xinqiong also followed suit. As soon as they got up, Cheng Yunxi clung to Pei Shuangshuang’s arm, crying out in hunger, "Sister Shuangshuang, I’m starving, I’m going to die of hunger."

Beside them, Chu Xinqiong felt embarrassed to cling to Pei Shuangshuang’s arm like Cheng Yunxi. She patted her stomach and rummaged through her Space Button, remembering there should be some food left inside.

Pei Shuangshuang took out the leftover roast meat from her Space Button and divided it among Cheng Yunxi and Chu Xinqiong, saying, "Eat some roast meat to tide over. I’ll make something hot to eat later."

The roast meat wasn’t much, and the three of them finished it quickly. Although it wasn’t much, at least they weren’t as hungry anymore. So, Pei Shuangshuang stepped out of the tent, found a pot, and took out a Scorpion-tailed Beast from her Space Button.

The Scorpion-tailed Beast was about the size of a tiger, covered in hard armor, and possessed a tail like a scorpion’s, thus the name Scorpion-tailed Beast.

The Scorpion-tailed Beast is a treasure; every part of it can be used medicinally, especially the poison sac at the end of its tail, which is an extremely rare medicinal material. Even the least useful meat is tender and delicate, delicious and tasty.

Pei Shuangshuang broke the hard shell of the Scorpion-tailed Beast, sliced off some meat, estimated that it was enough for them to eat, and put the rest of the Scorpion-tailed Beast back into the Space Button.

After that, Pei Shuangshuang used the Scorpion-tailed Beast’s meat mixed with previously harvested and dried mushrooms, chopped them together, and cooked a large pot of meat soup. The meat of the Scorpion-tailed Beast was excellent, and the aroma of the cooked soup was incredibly inviting.

The enticing aroma soon attracted Chi Ruiqiu, Liang Xuan, and others, who all sat in a row by the pot, eagerly waiting for the meat soup to cook.

Cheng Yunxi, entranced by the fragrance of the meat soup, felt her stomach, which had just eaten, grow hungry again.

Unable to resist, she exclaimed in delight, "Sister Shuangshuang, your cooking skills are amazing, this meat soup smells so good, oh... ew, where’s that rancid smell coming from!"

Originally entranced by the aroma, Cheng Yunxi was startled when a rancid smell suddenly emerged in the air. Frowning, Cheng Yunxi raised her head to look for the source of the smell.

As Cheng Yunxi looked up, she saw Du Qiyue, whose expression was quite unpleasant. Yesterday, Pei Shuangshuang, Cheng Yunxi, and Chu Xinqiong had helped each other wash up, so they felt quite refreshed at the moment.

Only Du Qiyue, reluctant to approach Pei Shuangshuang and annoyed with Cheng Yunxi and Chu Xinqiong, hadn’t washed up. She had sweated enormously during yesterday’s battle, and now there was quite a smell on her body.

Already sticky and uncomfortable, with her stomach growling in hunger, Du Qiyue was drawn over by the tantalizing aroma of the meat soup, only to be remarked upon by Cheng Yunxi about the smell on her.

For a moment, Du Qiyue was both embarrassed and angry, her expression involuntarily darkening, but she quickly forced it down.

Cheng Yunxi didn’t notice Du Qiyue’s anger. She was still feeling regretful and awkward about her earlier slip of the tongue, realizing she and Du Qiyue were in the same team. She felt she should compensate for her earlier mistake.

"Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean it. How about I help you clean up a bit? You must be uncomfortable like this."

Du Qiyue lowered her eyes, a soft smile appearing on her pale face due to her unhealed wounds: "Thank you, Yun Xi."

Cheng Yunxi didn’t notice anything wrong with Du Qiyue. Reluctantly, she cast a longing glance at the pot of meat soup, then stood up and led Du Qiyue into the tent.

As Du Qiyue left, her eyes swept over Chi Ruiqiu, who sat by the campfire with his head down, not looking at her, lost in his own thoughts. Du Qiyue gritted her teeth, turned away, and walked off.

After Du Qiyue left, Chi Ruiqiu sighed, rubbing his forehead wearily. He had no idea what was up with Du Qiyue recently, always putting him in a dilemma that he couldn’t seem to resolve.

Chi Ruiqiu didn’t really know how to interact with girls. All he could do was keep his distance from those he didn’t like and be gentle with those he was fond of—nothing more.

............

Though they had just gone through the intense battle with the Killing Mouse, everyone merely took a brief rest before setting out again.

Four days later, they crossed the prairie and entered a jungle of towering ancient trees. The lush canopy blocked out the sky, leaving the jungle dimly lit, with occasional rays of sun filtering through sparse leaves, albeit with a lack of warmth.

In this jungle, something was unnervingly amiss. There were no insect sounds, no bird calls, and not even the slightest sign of small animals—just a dead, eerie silence.

"Everyone, be careful. Something is off here," Du Qiyue cautioned the group, scrutinizing the surroundings.

"It’s definitely off. The place is eerily quiet, no trace of life. There’s surely something strange here; just don’t know exactly what it is," someone noted uneasily.

Cheng Yunxi stuck close to Pei Shuangshuang, glancing around nervously, and whispered, "Sister Shuangshuang, do you think there might be something unusual here? Like ghosts!" At the mention of ghosts, Cheng Yunxi shivered.

Pei Shuangshuang shook her head, her expression grim, "This forest is undoubtedly strange, but it’s not ghosts. Everyone should be cautious, for the most dangerous things in the jungle might not be beasts."