In the afternoon, Jiang Xia and Xingxing continued walking through the jungle, one person and one cat.
Jiang Xia would run from time to time. Although the paths in the forest were difficult to walk, her boundless energy made her want to reach her destination all the sooner.
Yet as time slowly passed, Jiang Xia gradually began to feel that something was amiss.
"Xingxing, are you sure this is 'soon'? May I ask when we will actually arrive? I've already crossed an entire mountain, so why aren't we there yet?"
Jiang Xia now seriously doubted what kind of "soon" Xingxing had in mind, since there was still not even a shadow of their destination in sight.
[The Host must be patient. This is Immortals' Valley, after all, so it naturally has to be deep in the remote mountains. How could it possibly be on the outskirts? Am I right? Persistence is victory. Meow~]
"Your comforting chicken soup is really something else."
Jiang Xia felt as though she had overlooked something. No, wait: "What did you say? The outskirts? I'm still on the outskirts?! You'd better give me a reasonable explanation right now."
[Uh, well, Host, please don't be angry. Let me explain slowly. Meow~] Oh no, she let it slip.
With that, Xingxing quietly backed away from Jiang Xia step by step.
"Fine, I'm listening to your explanation. What are you running for? Get over here."
Seeing the little cat slowly distancing itself from her, Jiang Xia's tone turned cold.
Had she actually been tricked by this creature?
[Actually, I didn't mean to deceive the Host.]
[It's just that, given the Host's personality, if you knew the exact location, you definitely wouldn't have chosen to come here.]
[You would have certainly waited until you learned how to fly before flying over. But the spiritual energy outside is relatively low, and for you to learn how to fly would take a very, very long time. Meow~]
As Xingxing spoke, she inched closer to Jiang Xia again, her tone thoroughly cowed.
Jiang Xia remained silent, signaling the System to continue, though inwardly she had to admit to herself that Xingxing was right—she totally would have done that.
Seeing Jiang Xia's gesture, Xingxing carried on.
[Immortals' Valley has many things, but compared to the outside, its spiritual energy is extremely abundant. If you want to learn to fly here, it will be at least ten times faster than outside. That's why I chose to hide it from you. Meow~]
[I also wanted to recover my strength a little sooner so that I could better assist the Host, you see. Meow~]
[Please don't be mad. Meow~]
Xingxing said this in a somewhat ingratiating manner, lest the Host get angry and cut off her meals.
"Fine, I'm not angry anymore. I'll forgive you this time, but there must not be a next time. As punishment, your dinner for today is canceled."
Jiang Xia knew the System's reasoning was sound; since she was embarking on Cultivation, she naturally had to choose a place rich in spiritual energy.
[Definitely, I promise! Meow~] Xingxing even stood up on her hind legs with very human-like gestures to seal the promise.
*What a pity, my dinner is gone. Sigh, this hurts.*
That straight-up made Jiang Xia burst out laughing.
"Then when on earth will I get to Immortals' Valley?"
Things had already come this far, so Jiang Xia couldn't very well turn back—otherwise, wouldn't a whole day of walking have gone to waste?
Now that she clearly knew the truth, she still needed to know the exact distance so she could have a mental estimate.
[At the Host's current pace, we'll arrive in two more days of travel. Meow~]
Since the Host wasn't going to turn back anyway, she might as well spill the beans.
"Doesn't that mean I'll have to spend the night out here? How terrifying!" Jiang Xia had never spent a night in the wilderness in all her life.
[Rest assured, Host, there won't be any problems at all. It's completely safe.]
[Haven't you noticed that we've been walking for so long without encountering a single animal? Meow~]
"Oh right, that's true! There isn't even a single mosquito!" Jiang Xia only just realized it.
Ever since they entered this place, she hadn't been bitten by mosquitoes once, nor had she been startled by any small creatures in the jungle.
[Yes, yes! So the Host doesn't need to worry about safety at all.]
Those little animals were all trembling in terror back there.
They only knew there was something utterly terrifying in this direction, so they didn't dare approach. They were scared out of their wits.
"All right, then."
Just as System Xingxing thought the crisis had passed and let out a silent sigh of relief...
Who would have thought a single sentence from the Host would send its heart right back up to its throat?
"Wuu wuu wuu, Jinjin, I've been scammed! I still have such a long way to go, and I have to spend the night out here!"
Jiang Xia wailed to Jinjin, knowing from her experience over the past few days that Xingxing detested Jinjin yet couldn't win against him in a fight.
She had even witnessed Xingxing getting beaten up by Jinjin once before.
Jinjin flew over from the side and nuzzled Jiang Xia's cheek, seeming to comfort her.
"Good thing I have you to keep me company, unlike that deceitful fraud who only knows how to trick me." Jiang Xia genuinely felt comforted.
"Who knows if there are beasts lurking around? I don't know how to do anything yet, and I have no idea if I'd be able to escape." Jiang Xia put on a pitiful act.
Actually, she already knew there wouldn't be any problems, but she still wanted to give Xingxing a scare so she would remember the lesson.
Jinjin made a motion as if to fly over and beat up Xingxing.
Sensing his intent, Xingxing wanted to run, but she couldn't move.
It was as if she had been pinned in place, completely beyond her own control.
[Host, I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Meow~]
Having successfully heard what she wanted to hear, Jiang Xia told Xingxing to stop: "Alright, come back."
Jiang Xia felt that Xingxing was somewhat afraid of Jinjin, though she didn't know why; in any case, having Jinjin back her up felt great.
Jinjin flew up into the air and spun around in a circle, intending to convey:
*There won't be any problems, don't worry, I'm here.*
Although Jinjin merely spun in a circle, Jiang Xia somehow instinctively understood what he wanted to express.
"Mm-hmm, with you here, I can rest easy." Jiang Xia looked at Jinjin's antics and smiled.
[Rest assured, Host, there are no beasts nearby. Absolutely nothing. It's completely safe. Meow~]
"Hmph." Jiang Xia uttered a single syllable.
That was just about enough; the psychological effect had been achieved.
"Fine, but you are not allowed to trick me ever again."
[Rest assured, Host, there truly won't be a next time.]
"If you ever pull this again, I won't give you any food. Let's see if you're scared of that, humph." Jiang Xia knew Xingxing's fatal weakness and had her firmly under her thumb.
[I promise! Meow~]
Xingxing quieted down, not daring to speak another word.
Just as Xingxing had said, Jiang Xia managed to find a suitable place to spend the night.
She took out her bedding from before, and with Jinjin keeping her company, she wasn't scared at all and slept soundly.
Two days later, Jiang Xia finally reached the Immortals' Valley she had been longing for.
Only before entering the valley did she finally understand why it was so utterly devoid of human footprints.
On the outskirts of Immortals' Valley lay a thick layer of natural white fog, and this fog was poisonous.
She had been wondering earlier why all her previous check-in rewards had been spirit liquid, only for it to suddenly change today into a universal antidote pill.
It was precisely thanks to this universal antidote pill obtained from the System check-in that she was protected from the poison and able to enter the Immortals' Valley.
This completely squashed her idea of bringing her parents over right away.
She would have to wait until she was capable of clearing away all the surrounding natural barriers.
Over the course of three days, Jiang Xia climbed mountains and waded through rivers, finally arriving at the Immortals' Valley just before dark on the third day.
Stepping into the valley,
the scene before her eyes greatly astonished Jiang Xia.
This didn't look like an Immortals' Valley at all; where on earth was this a place where immortals lived?
As far as her eyes could see, there were only trees and weeds, with massive trees blocking out the sun.
Looking up, she couldn't even see the sky; the branches and leaves were lush and dense, thriving excessively well.
The weeds also grew tall—half her height, and some even towered above her head.