"Hey! Any tree will do, why run so far? It's not like I'm going to peek!"
Hearing Luo Xiaoxue's shout, Shen Xuan stumbled.
When did this girl get so thick-skinned?
Shen Xuan shook his head and continued walking. His figure was quickly blocked by the trees and eventually disappeared from sight.
The little girl was both angry and worried. Although Lina said the vicinity was relatively safe, there was no guarantee that no monsters would appear.
Encountering unranked servant monsters would be fine, but if they ran into a Primary Monster, that was something only a Junior Mage could handle!
"There should still be more than ten minutes before we leave. Lina, I'll go follow him and take a look. You wait here for us to come back."
"Huh? Why don't I go call Lord Father over?"
"There's no need to trouble Mr. Anta. Don't worry, I'm actually a Junior Mage myself."
With that, Luo Xiaoxue hopped down from the carriage, stepping in a pair of small black round-heeled shoes that were hardly convenient for walking in the mountains, and hurried after him.
On the carriage, Lina still hadn't fully recovered her wits.
She never imagined that Luo Xiaoxue, who was around her own age, was actually a Junior Mage just like Lord Father and Uncle Bagel?!
...
Luo Xiaoxue was starting to regret dressing up so prettily.
Neither her shoes nor her skirt were suitable for trekking through the woods.
Most importantly, the guy hadn't praised her even once.
Even if he had just said, "This skirt really suits you," that would have been nice—especially since she cared so much about his safety.
Hmph!
"Honestly, where on earth did that idiot Shen Xuan run off to?"
After walking several dozen meters, Luo Xiaoxue still didn't see Shen Xuan's figure.
But this was definitely the direction he had left in, and the weeds underfoot showed traces of someone having trampled them.
Luo Xiaoxue could only call out in a low voice; if she spoke too loudly, she might attract some monsters.
At that moment, she suddenly noticed that even though it was midday, a faint mist was beginning to form around her, reducing visibility significantly.
She grew slightly alert and cast a small, continuous fire-type magic spell to disperse the surrounding mist, but immediately afterward, the eerie sound she had heard earlier in the carriage exploded in her mind once again!
"Why is it this sound again!" Luo Xiaoxue clutched her head with one hand and shook it from side to side. But unlike last time, this buzzing-like sound continued to echo, and she couldn't even concentrate enough to maintain the magic. The spellcasting was interrupted right then and there, and the mist closed in around her once more.
Luo Xiaoxue tried to cast the magic spell again, but due to her lack of concentration, it failed, as expected.
Before she knew it, she had walked under a thick, ancient tree.
Here, the buzzing sound grew even more intense, gradually blurring whether the sound was entering through her ears or exploding directly inside her head.
Suddenly, a sound resembling rustling vegetation came from not far behind her.
The girl's heartbeat skipped a beat. She turned around, poked her head out from behind a tree trunk, and looked in the direction of the commotion. The thick white mist made it hard to see what was ahead, but she could vaguely make out a human figure.
Relieved, she whispered, "Idiot Shen Xuan, did you really need to run this far just to use the bathroom? Let's head back quickly, it feels a bit weird here."
That figure presumably heard Luo Xiaoxue's shout as well, and slowly turned its head...
"Ah!!!"
When the other person turned around, Luo Xiaoxue let out a sudden scream!
Its eyes were actually like two red lanterns; even through the thick mist, she could clearly see the blood-red light within them!
A monster-like low roar came from the creature's mouth, and the buzzing in her head grew even more intense than before!
Goosebumps broke out all over Luo Xiaoxue's body. "What kind of monster is this?!"
She turned and ran, desperately trying to chant a spell.
Failed!
Failed!
Still failed...
Attempt after attempt failed, just as expected.
The little girl could only dart continuously among the tree trunks, hoping this might slightly obstruct the monster pursuing her from behind.
Yet the monster ignored all physical obstacles, passing effortlessly through the tree trunks like a phantom.
As she ran, Luo Xiaoxue felt her legs growing heavier and heavier.
Seeing that she was about to be caught and knowing escape was impossible, she gritted her teeth, abruptly stopped, and raised her staff, preparing to fight this monster to the death!
At that critical juncture, however, Luo Xiaoxue felt her waist suddenly tightly encircled, and then her entire body was pulled into a warm embrace.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out almost simultaneously!
Luo Xiaoxue didn't know what had happened, but she caught a whiff of a unique, delicate floral scent and instantly realized who was holding her.
"Brother Shen Xuan!"
A slightly helpless, soft male voice replied, "Why did you follow me here..."
After a brief exchange of blows, Shen Xuan pulled back a few steps while holding the little girl in his arms, and the humanoid monster that could ignore physical obstacles was actually forced back repeatedly by the countershock!
"I was just worried about you~~" the little girl complained somewhat aggrievedly.
Shen Xuan hadn't intended to blame her in the first place, and hearing this pitiful explanation made his heart soften even further. He asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, but what is that thing?" The girl shrank into Shen Xuan's warm, broad embrace, pointing fearfully at the humanoid monster not far away.
"That thing... is an Undead."