Leaving Winter City and heading all the way south, after passing through four or five kilometers of relatively open terrain, the vegetation on both sides of the road gradually grew denser, and the morning mist became increasingly thick.
Not far ahead lay a vast forest.
In the wild, dense forests are frequently haunted by monsters.
Although Anta was eager to speed up the convoy, the path ahead was far less navigable than the open terrain, forcing them to slow down. As a result, the probability of encountering monsters increased significantly.
Fortunately, there were two Junior Mages in the caravan. If Luo Xiaoxue was included, that made a total of three Junior Mages—a "luxury lineup" by ordinary caravan standards, more than enough to handle a small number of Primary Monsters.
Inside the carriage, Luo Xiaoxue could distinctly feel the swaying of the vehicle intensifying. Looking outside, she could only faintly make out the outline of the forest through the mist.
Lina explained in a low voice, "We are about to enter the Grand Forest. Various monsters roam inside, primarily Goblins, Minotaurs, White Wolves, and Tusked Boars. Adventurers often come here to hunt monsters and acquire various resources."
Luo Xiaoxue nodded. Having left Winter City to venture deep into an unknown place for the first time, she wasn't really worried about danger; instead, she found herself looking forward to the journey ahead.
Traveling through a monster-infested zone made her feel as though she had become a brave adventurer herself. No one could tell what dangers and opportunities the next second would bring; this unknown was both terrifying and alluring.
Only Shen Xuan still wore a listless expression, completely devoid of the excitement one should have when setting out.
Although she really wanted to bother the lazy youth, there were other people present after all. To maintain the "mature" image she had worked so hard to build, Luo Xiaoxue had to force herself to hold back.
Soon, the last carriage also vanished into the woods, leaving two shallow ruts that extended along the muddy road into the unknown world.
Ten minutes, an hour...
Along the way, they neither encountered monsters nor ran into anything interesting.
Well, reality proved to Luo Xiaoxue that there was still a huge difference between "trading" and "adventuring."
After spending three boring hours this way, the novelty of departure had been completely worn off. Combined with the bumping of the carriage, the little girl finally abandoned her "mature" image, completely wilting and becoming just like Shen Xuan.
Noticing Luo Xiaoxue's change, Lina could only offer a few words of comfort:
"Big Sis Xiaoxue, boredom is the norm."
"No accidents is better than anything else."
...
Lina returned to the front to drive the carriage.
Luo Xiaoxue shifted closer to Shen Xuan and complained to him, "It's so boring! The next few days won't all be like this, right?"
"Wouldn't that be rather nice? We can lie down and rest comfortably for a few days," Shen Xuan said half-heartedly, wearing a leisurely look.
"Big lazy pig, you think everyone is like you?" Luo Xiaoxue shot him a glare, but still found a spot to sit down beside the youth.
"Who was the one sleeping all day from morning until—ow! What are you pinching me for?"
A wave of pain came from his waist, so sharp that it made Shen Xuan's eyelids twitch.
"Brother Shen Xuan, I didn't hear you clearly. Would you mind repeating that?" The little girl flashed an angelically sweet smile.
Shen Xuan's mouth twitched.
*Violent little girl, whoever marries you in the future is doomed!*
Muttering inwardly, and adhering to the principle that a good man does not fight with women, he surrendered and said, "I didn't say anything."
"Hmph!" Luo Xiaoxue proudly raised her fair chin. No help for it—it was another landslide victory for her all morning, and even her mood improved considerably.
With that, she quickly fell asleep in the bouncing carriage.
Shen Xuan's shoulder suddenly grew heavy. He turned his head to look at the girl beside him; unawares, she had quietly leaned over against him, her breathing soft and regular.
A faint, gentle fragrance of hair wafted out, making her look just like she was right now, fast asleep—so serene and lovely.
Gazing at the girl, Shen Xuan's eyes gradually lost their focus...
Time ticked away second by second. A violent jolt seemed to lift the entire carriage off the ground.
Her bottom made intimate contact with the wooden planks, and Luo Xiaoxue, still deep in dreams, snapped awake. But the moment she opened her eyes, she discovered to her horror that she had fallen asleep leaning against Shen Xuan, and had even wrapped her arms around one of his arms as a "body pillow"!
Her face turned crimson in a flash. She hurriedly let go and straightened her posture, though her heart refused to return to its normal rhythm no matter what.
*Why did I fall asleep hugging him? Will he misunderstand?*
Luo Xiaoxue was so anxious her palms broke out in a sweat. She secretly glanced at Shen Xuan, but he still had his legs crossed, half-squinting as he inspected the scenery on both sides of the road, as if he didn't care about the intimate posture they had just shared at all.
This discovery left Luo Xiaoxue somewhat disappointed.
This guy was simply an absolute blockhead who didn't understand a girl's heart at all!
At that moment, Uncle Anta's robust voice rang out from the front of the road:
"Everyone, pay attention! We'll rest here for a while and continue our journey in half an hour!"
Lina had already jumped down from the carriage, walked around to the back, and said to Shen Xuan and Luo Xiaoxue, who were still inside, "Big Sis Xiaoxue, Big Brother Shen, it's twelve noon. You must be hungry, I'll take you to get something to eat."
"Lina, sorry to trouble you," Luo Xiaoxue said with a smile.
A layer of blush immediately flooded Lina's cheeks as she hurriedly waved her hands and said, "It's no trouble at all~"
The little girl got down from the carriage, then turned back to make a funny face at Shen Xuan before leaving with Lina.
Watching their retreating figures, Shen Xuan smiled helplessly and unconsciously rubbed his ear.
If one looked closely enough, they might have noticed that his earlobes still retained a faint trace of a blush that hadn't completely faded...
The caravan members' lunch was transported by a dedicated carriage.
Because some carnivorous monsters possessed an extremely sharp sense of smell, everyone could only eat dry rations to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Taking her food back to her own carriage, Luo Xiaoxue was eating a dry flatbread with water when a strange and harsh sound entered her ears without warning.
The little girl immediately grew alert. "Did any of you hear a sound just now?"
Lina looked at her blankly and shook her head.
"Strange, did I hear wrong?" Luo Xiaoxue muttered to herself.
At that moment, however, Shen Xuan jumped down from the carriage and then walked toward the woods.
"Shen Xuan, where are you going?" Luo Xiaoxue called out from behind.
"Nature calls, don't worry, I'll be right back."