Fang Hao couldn't help but admire Wenxiu's pretty figure as she worked diligently to prepare the meal.
However, as she finished cooking, he couldn't shake off a slight fear that it might still be poisoned, though he realized he might be overreacting.
"It's done," Wenxiu muttered, watching the steam rise from the food, and feeling satisfied with her creation.
She brought the plate to the table and waited until she spotted Fang Hao emerging from the shadows, taking light steps as he sat down.
"Miss Wenxiu, if you don't mind, can you taste it first?" Fang Hao requested, and she responded with a quick nod, bringing the spoon to her lips and taking a big gulp. She let out a satisfied sound.
"It's good," she declared, giving her own dish a positive rating. Then, she cleared her throat, realizing she still held the spoon, and passed it back to Fang Hao, looking a bit embarrassed.
"You can go make one for yourself and join me; I will eat it slowly," Fang Hao suggested, savoring his meal.
"I will be right back," Wenxiu replied with a smile. She quickly dashed away, and the sounds of the kitchen could be heard as she began preparing a second dish.
"Her character is full of life," Fang Hao remarked as he continued to eat. He glanced toward the kitchen with a playful glare before resuming his meal.
Soon, Wenxiu joined him, taking a seat opposite him at the table. They both enjoyed their meal until they were fully satisfied.
The soup was exceptionally delicious; it was evident that she had poured all her energy into its preparation.
"Wine?" Wenxiu offered, getting up and returning with a bottle similar to the one they had shared a few hours ago.
"Why not?" Fang Hao chuckled, and they continued their conversation over wine, their words flowing until the break of a new day. She listened to him, and he listened to her.
Fang Hao experienced an unusual sense of tranquillity in her presence—a connection with someone who truly understood him. He had yearned for this feeling ever since he arrived in this world.
"Wenxiu, I will go outside to check the surroundings. I'll be back in the evening," Fang Hao announced as he stood up and walked outside, with Wenxiu nodding and watching his departure.
Once outside, Fang Hao made his way to the broken stone tower, inspecting it once more in search of the reward. However, he found nothing, which puzzled him.
"That's strange," he murmured under his breath. He left the village and entered the nearby forest.
Before long, he came upon a gruesome sight: two lifeless bodies, their heads missing. Upon closer inspection, he recognized them as the two individuals who had managed to escape earlier.
Fang Hao observed the headless bodies and contemplated their fate. "So this is as far as they could leave from the village," he murmured to himself.
As he looked around, he realized that this area was spacious enough to provide enough food through hunting and gathering.
The presence of traces from wild animals and fruits on the trees indicated that the region was rich in natural resources.
Continuing his exploration, Fang Hao eventually heard the soothing sound of running water.
Following the sound, he discovered a small river flowing through the forest.
To his surprise, this river was still within the range of the limitation, making it the water source for the village apart from rain.
Feeling that the area was peaceful, Fang Hao closed his eyes and began to meditate, listening to the soothing sound of the river.
His thoughts turned to the recent events—the trial, his combat experiences, but also his interactions with Wenxiu and the mysterious location of the reward if it existed.
As evening fell, Fang Hao opened his eyes, stretched, and made his way back to the village. He had one last location to check.
Carrying the lifeless corpse of the female he had defeated earlier, Fang Hao couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. He gently touched the necklace around her neck, sensing a strange energy emanating from it.
As he strolled through the village with the body in his arms, he muttered to himself, "If someone sees me like this, they'll probably think I'm a creep."
Fang Hao continued to follow the fluctuating energy of the necklace until he pinpointed the exact location beneath him.
With the reaction from the necklace as his guide, he carefully stored the lifeless body in his spatial ring.
He then knelt down, resolute in his mission to unearth whatever lay beneath. To expedite the process, he utilized his sword and Lotus Offensive technique, digging into the ground with focused intent.
"Ding," the sound of the stone hitting, made Fang Hao pause with excitement; it was the same testing stone pillar used at the entrance to the sect. He put more power into his sword strike, leaving a small cut mark on the stone.
Realizing it would take too long to break it with the sword, he decided to use his strongest attack.
Fang Hao created an array and unleashed a powerful beam of energy on the stone, resulting in a louder "Crack."
The stone now had visible cracks, and one more beam attack finally shattered it, revealing a small wooden token at its centre.
Picking up the wooden token, he examined it closely, finding it to be a seemingly ordinary object with no apparent value.
"This is the reward, but what does it do?" he wondered aloud, channeling some spiritual power into it.
To his surprise, the token began to glow and displayed the words, "Special Reward: With Brain Comes Power, Select any world portal and join as an Inspector using the advantage of time difference without the need to compete in the mission."
Fang Hao's eye twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh. "This is like those scams from Earth, promising all these bonuses and sweet rewards that turn out to be impossible to attain." He shook his head.
"With brain comes power? What a joke. Will I actually be able to take a vacation in a world under invasion?" His words dripped with sarcasm.