The road from Fish Dive City to the Ailao Mountains was very smooth. There weren't many ups and downs along the way. So long as the person traveling had good physical capabilities, they would be able to reach the Ailao Mountains safely. But at that moment, Ye Hui felt like dying instead.
Was there anyone who could tell him why they had to weave their way through these dense and rugged woods when there was such a broad and level road instead?
It was only because Lu Jiu Que's face looked so murderous at that moment that he just couldn't bring himself to ask her anything.
And there was also another reason. Lu Jiu Que's physical fitness was simply too good!
When they set off, it was noon. Unknowingly, it was already time for the sun to set, and they had been walking continuously for more than three hours. Lu Jiu Que was still able to walk briskly, as though she was walking on flat ground, but he could hardly keep up with her, let alone talk to her.
Darn it! Was this Lu Jiu Que a lady or not?!
He didn't know if she had heard his inner voice speaking, but Lu Jiu Que, who was walking ahead of him, suddenly turned around. Her sharp eyes were cast upon Ye Hui, and the way she looked at him caused goosebumps to rise all over his body.
"I…"
Lu Jiu Que's lips curved into a smile as she lifted her hand and tossed out a streak of cold silver that brushed past Ye Hui's ear at lightning speed.
Thwack—
"Hiss—"
Was that the sound of a snake?!
Ye Hui quickly turned back, only to see a poisonous yellow snake. It had been nailed to the tree right where its vital points were, an extremely accurate hit!
But the "nail" wasn't a usual weapon, like a dagger, short blade, or the like that he would have expected. It was a silver needle that was as thin and fine as a strand of hair.
The snake was merely a step away from him. It had an inverted triangular head, and the look in its eyes was ferociously hideous. With a body of alternating yellow and gray, anyone could tell that it was extremely poisonous at one glance.
If not for Lu Jiu Que, he might have already been dead from the snake's venom at this time.
"Thank… Thank you…"
Ye Hui's voice was trembling slightly, which was obviously because he had been so scared that he went weak in the knees.
Lu Jiu Que's lips curved as she stepped forward to grab her silver needle. She squinted and said, "Do you have a knife on you?"
"Ah? Yes, yes…"
Ye Hui hurriedly took a knife out from his dimensional pocket and stuttered, "He-here."
Lu Jiu Que didn't say anything more. After taking the knife, she began handling the snake swiftly and skillfully. She broke its head off, cut it open from its chest all the way to its abdomen, sliced open its stomach, and skinned it to remove its gallbladder. Everything was done in one breath, and Ye Hui could feel his scalp tingle from all the fear and nervousness he was feeling.
"You… Lu Jiu Que, what are you doing with this snake?"
Lu Jiu Que didn't even lift her head.
"To eat it."
"Pssh… This can be eaten?"
"Yes. Not only can it be eaten, but it's quite tasty too."
Lu Jiu Que gave a very serious reply. Ye Hui almost went down on his knees before her.
According to what she had said, they were going to remain there, so leisurely and unhurriedly, to enjoy a sumptuous meal of snake meat before leaving?
Wait! They were still in the middle of the test! The test!
"Don't worry. My desire to land a place on the list and enter a sect that could beat anyone else is too strong to make a joke out of my future. Proper rest is more effective than blindly moving forward. Also, the others need to make good use of their time and hurry because they don't know the way. They could only advance by taking a roundabout route along the main road. In principle, the road that we are taking is shorter by as much as a quarter of the entire distance that they have to take."
Ye Hui looked at her with wide and round eyes, saying, "That... How did you know about this shortcut?" Shorter by a whole quarter?! That was simply amazing!
"By looking."
"Looking?" When had she taken a look?
"Yes. Just now, on the peak of the black steeple."
So, earlier on when she had climbed up the peak of the steeple for such a short time, she already surveyed everything that she laid eyes on and was even able to speedily determine where the shortcut was?
Well, they weren't going in the wrong direction, right?