It seemed that taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Yue and a few others were preparing the food, the man finally asked what he wanted from the start.
The others around did not say anything, though Yueshi could swear he saw their ears twitch. Yueshi could only roll his eyes at them, complaining inwardly that those guys were too laid-back and carefree.
"We are friends, and that is all there is to it." After saying so, he turned to look toward the door that led to the kitchen and sighed with a troubled look.
He wasn't sure if he could define their relationship as 'friends' anymore.
Seeing his expression the bunch exchanged glances. "Is it some kind of unrequited love?" One of the women asked, curious. Yueshi could see her eyes shining, but decided to ignore that.
"There is no need for that boy! I know pursuing such a beautiful lady, being as ugly as you, is hard!" The man from before said, patting his shoulder – he was the most loose-tongued from the group, always saying whatever he wanted.
Yueshi wondered for a moment. He had thought about their situation over and over again during the past month, however, he could not find an answer to his conflicted feelings.
For one, he knew he loved Xuehua, and wanted to be by her side; however, his emotions toward Yuan Yue were complex.
He did not hate or dislike her; she had a pleasant personality and he felt comfortable with her.
Yueshi was sure that dating her would be incredible and wonderful, and she had many qualities he was fond of. Honestly, if it was before he met with Xuehua, he would not be as troubled as he was now.
Unfortunately, ifs are meaningless, although they were also a reason for him to feel this burdened by everything.
Yua Yue was a good and amazing girl, and such half-hearted liking seemed disrespectful toward her feelings – and also a betrayal to his feelings of love.
Was he so fickle as to like someone when he swore to stand at Xuehua's side as a man one day?
Breathing in, and making sure to lower his voice, he finally decided to confide.
Maybe it was because he was tired of seeking an answer without reaching any result, or because this bunch of people seemed trustworthy and experienced.
Whatever it was, he decided to speak – though he omitted the part Xuehua was his sister.
As the words flowed out of his mouth, everyone stood in silence, listening attentively.
"Buahahaha, look at this guy! I don't know if I should hate him or feel jealous!" The guy to his side then suddenly burst into laughter when he finished, even slapping his tight several times.
Soon, everyone else was also laughing and giggling, and even the ladies seemed to think it was funny.
Yueshi's expression darkened as he cursed inwardly, thinking that he should never have let their maturity deceive him. It was only after the entire laugh subdued that someone spoke something serious.
"Little brother, there is nothing much we can say", one of the ladies spoke, smiling. "There is only a single piece of advice we can give: you must follow your heart." And all the expectations he had disappeared at her words.
If it was that easy, wouldn't he have solved it by now? The problem was that he did not understand what he felt and what his heart wanted.
Seeing his reaction, the lady softly smiled – being young was really nice, and annoying at the same time, she thought.
"Little brother, sometimes things seem to be quite complex and hard to understand, but that is because we complicate them." The others nodded at her words. "Our emotions are pretty simple, is just that we tend to dwell on too much and end blowing them out of proportion."
Her words came from experience – the experience of having gone through that stage of life where everything looks so messy and strange, where life and emotions look like an impossible puzzle to be solved.
Hearing them, Yueshi could only nod, immediately falling into a state of deep thoughts. Seeing how seriously he was wondering, the group smiled in answer.
They thought he was a good boy – a bit naive and foolish, but really good-hearted. Still, they could not answer it for him, and he had to come to terms with his own heart on his own.
— - -
While the group was merrily chatting and bonding, relaxing before entering the wasteland, in the depths of the dangerous zone certain events and changes were taking place.
The events soon to take place could turn out to be a calamity, but also an opportunity for those that had enough luck.
At the top of a snowy mountain, a giant creature was resting. Its body was like a heavens-reaching mountain and it emitted a pressure that would make even the most courageous creature bow and tremble in fear.
Yet, as it laid there, its eyes seemed murky and foggy, dimming at each passing second.
Observing the snowy fields that expanded toward the horizon, it released a soft and low roar, and if any human was present they would be able to hear melancholy, pain, and sorrow in its tone.
However, as it echoed into the distances, resonating across the land, there was no one to answer it.
This calm would soon be torn away as all sorts of beasts made their way here, and this piece of paradise would soon be consumed by chaos and conflict.
At the thought of it, the beast's eyes seemed to glow in a furious light; however, it was too tired to move and even to release its anger.
It could only wait, wait for the moment they came and then do its best to make it so they would never leave!
As it closed its eyes to rest, the snowfall seemed to become heavier and the cold more intense.
The last struggles of a dying beast always bring out its greatest power, making it its most dangerous moment. Soon, many great powers and creatures would be reminded of that.
— - -
become closer. Because cultivators had long lifespans, age was only a number for them, and friendship could easily cross the gap in years.
Thanks to that, despite Yu Hai being sixty this year, Yueshi and Yuan Yue did not feel uncomfortable calling him brother.
As they moved through the thick snow, Yueshi forgot a bit about the burdensome feeling that was weighing on his heart and focused on other things.
To him, this was a rare opportunity to learn with experienced people about how to survive on dangerous grounds.
He'd learned a lot in the past month about all sorts of things, like herbs, beasts, and so on, shedding the skin of the inexperienced young man from before.
Nevertheless, nothing could beat field experience, and even the way of thinking of experienced veterans was different.
Zhu Xiong, one of the ladies from the group, was an excellent scout and knew a lot about how to identify footprints, herbs, and beast marks.
She could perfectly identify which beast ruled a certain territory from small clues through logical thinking. That did not go to say she had more knowledge, though.
Yueshi knew about the same herbs and beasts and still could not do the same. It was a problem of how he thought and not of what he knew.
There was also Bai Yuanming, a man as old as Yu Hai.
The older man was fanatic for demon beasts and had dedicated his whole life to study them. For him, cultivating was only a way to enter more dangerous grounds and meet more beasts.
Yueshi could not help but note that he shared some similarities with Xiao Yao, whose one, true passion was poison.
No matter how many books Yueshi read, he would never understand those creatures like him. So every time the old man talked, Yueshi would pay a lot of attention – those small details could save his life one day.
In the end, Yuanming even gave him a few copies of all the material he had compiled over the years.
"I am giving you this, but do remember that it is not perfect." The old man had a serious look while speaking. "Just like humans have individuality so do beasts; knowing their racial characteristics does not mean you know everything about them."
At his advice, Yueshi nodded seriously, which made the older man pleased. The other never paid his rumblings any attention, so he was in cloud nine when Yueshi came to him to learn more.
"Pay attention, everyone. We are going through the Shadow Cats' territory." Zhu Xiong suddenly spoke, making everyone alert. Those guys were called cats, but they were fiercer than tigers.
Looking around, Yueshi wondered how she knew of that, and immediately made his way toward her. Since he had already learned a lot from Yuanming, he decided to change his target since scouting was just as important for survival.
And like that, their journey continued.
All the way to their destiny, Yueshi continued to learn more and more, preparing himself for whatever could happen in the future.
This world had many mysterious and dangerous grounds, and all the knowledge he learned from them could be of use in the future.
And he couldn't be more right about that, so much much that, he would be extremely grateful for this choice in a few years.
That aside, the group's aim in the expedition was the Frostbite Ape's territory, and those beasts were a fairly strong opponent.
They not only had a king but, also, lived in a group of a few hundred, their strength ranging from the first stage to the fourth, though only a few had achieved the latter. That wasn't the most troublesome thing, though.
Instead, it was their natural poison. If one did not take care, they would have their bodies completely frozen – from blood to flesh. That was why they were called Frostbite Apes.
Moreover, it was not just their claws or fangs that were filled with poison, but their blood too. If their blood came in contact with open wounds, look and behold, you got poisoned!
Right now, in a small mountain situated in the middle of a snowfield, the Frostbite Ape King was sitting beside a peach tree.
Its eyes stared toward the depths of the forests and a certain fire seemed to burn inside his heart – something screamed at him to go there. However, if he left, who would protect his kin?
Not all beasts had gone, and many humans appeared from time to time – if he was not here, what would happen then?
He was not willing to see his family and kin slaughtered because of his greed and desire for power.
Suddenly he heard a commotion. One of his comrades stood on his feet and started to furiously beat his chest, the thumping sound echoing loud and clear in the entire region.
It did not take long for all other apes to look in his direction – as if the thumps were a signal or message.
Then, the Ape King watched as a small group of humans appeared at the border of the snowfield.
The Frozen Wasteland was called so for its harsh living conditions, but it also had abundant flora – it was only when the group left the forested region that they were noticed.
Being a ruler and a fairly strong beast, the Frostbite Ape King had intelligence equal to that of humans. When it looked toward the newcomers, his eyes clearly showed fury and anger.
Those foolish humans came time after time, despite being slaughtered or pushed back every time. They always came for his treasure, wounding and killing his children and kin.
He and his family had never left the forest to do any harm, yet those guys always came to his territory, not leaving them alone. Just the thought of it was enough to make its eyes redden in fury.
Standing on its feet, the gorilla-like Frostbite Ape King roared toward the sky while thumping its chest.
His roar spread like a wave, making the world shake at its fury, and as the voice of their leader echoed, the weaker apes seemed to be inspired, also roaring madly.
However, there was no way that just that would be enough to scare and frighten the invaders.