HCB Chapter 97 Cloud and Mist Forest
Chapter 97 Cloud and Mist Forest
"Phew, that scared me to death! Lezhi, are you alright?" Leyou bent over and moved around with difficulty to check on Lezhi's condition.
Lezhi, who was safely sheltered by Lei Xiu, was holding a calm-looking fur ball in her arms. She was in much better condition than Leyou. "I'm fine. How are you all?"
"It's alright, everyone was woken up in time and is fine now." Leyou waved his hand easily, looking very relaxed. "We dealt with it very quickly this time. The last time we encountered a tidal storm, we were in a much worse situation."
Seeing that Le You's relaxed smile was genuine, Le Zhi nodded. Although he was surrounded by his clansmen and constantly protected by Lei Xiu, he had still been affected by the strong wind. If he felt such a strong wind from his position, one could imagine the pressure faced by the other clansmen who were not in his advantageous positions.
And this is the result of their prior preparations. If they were caught off guard by a tidal storm, even the tree spirits with wood-type energy would be in a very difficult situation, let alone other animals.
The howling wind overhead was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. Many of the people present had experienced tidal storms many times, and they all remained calm. Since they had nothing else to do, they started gossiping while listening to the wind.
Although the sound wasn't loud, if you listened carefully, Lezhi could still vaguely catch some clues.
"...How did you find out..."
"Leshan requires...the guard team..."
"...That's amazing... Did Le Mans notice something?"
Lezhi gleaned the general meaning from the few words he heard. As the center of the discussion, Lezhi instinctively shrank back. He didn't know that Leshan had deliberately omitted Lezhi's role when assigning tasks, precisely to avoid the clansmen paying too much inappropriate attention to the matter.
At this moment, Lezhi felt extremely uncomfortable and just wanted to dig a hole and bury himself. He missed the big white bird version of Maoqiu terribly.
The arm holding the furball tightened unconsciously. Noticing the change in the thoughts of the person in his arms, Lei Xiu glanced at the tribesmen around him who were talking amongst themselves. He was sure that they were not paying much attention to Lezhi. It was just that the little guy in his arms was too nervous to notice this.
Seeing that Lezhi was still shrinking into his arms, Lei Xiu, who secretly curled the corners of his lips, did not point out Lezhi's blind spot. Instead, he took the opportunity to close his arms, which were originally just placed behind Lezhi's back, and artificially created a small hiding place for the person in his arms.
Unaware of Lei Xiu's ulterior motives, Le Zhi was simply delighted to have a place to hide from everyone's gaze. So he nestled comfortably in Lei Xiu's arms, occasionally responding to Le You's words. The howling wind was now just background noise.
It was already quite late, and Lezhi, who was used to a regular schedule, soon started to feel sleepy, as did the other tribespeople around her.
Some were too excited to sleep, while others wanted to lie down right there. To accommodate the tribespeople who wanted to rest, the noise of the discussion gradually subsided, and Lezhi, amidst this faint background noise and Lei Xiu's occasional deliberate patting, fell into a deep sleep while hugging the fur ball.
Lezhi slept very soundly this time, and unlike before, he didn't have any strange dreams. Instead, he remained in a deep sleep until Lei Xiu woke him up.
"Zhizhi, Zhizhi, it's time to get up, we're about to leave." Lei Xiu gently patted Lezhi's shoulder and called out softly.
"Hmm..." As consciousness gradually returned, Lezhi subconsciously raised her hand to rub her still heavy eyelids before slowly opening her eyes. Her eyes gradually focused, and as soon as she woke up, she saw Lei Xiu's superior face, which was exactly Lezhi's aesthetic point.
Yawning, Lezhi unconsciously smiled and said, "Good morning, Lei Xiu."
"It's getting late, Lezhi." It wasn't Lei Xiu who responded, but Leyou, who was already waiting on the side.
The tidal storm had subsided by dawn. To ensure everything went smoothly, Leshan waited until the sun was fully up before removing the vines overhead. Those who had fallen asleep were woken up one by one to begin preparations for departure. Only Lezhi was still fast asleep in Leixiu's arms, completely unaware of his surroundings. It wasn't until now, just before they were about to set off, that Leixiu finally woke him up.
"Come and eat something, we're about to leave."
Lezhi blankly accepted the white juice fruit and roasted meat handed to him by Leyou, then found a place nearby where it wouldn't get in the way and sat down to eat and observe.
Qiyun Plain experienced a tidal storm, but the damage to the natural environment didn't seem to be too great. The plants' vitality and storm resistance were much stronger than expected. Lezhi only paid a little attention and found no fewer than ten kinds of plants. Although the traces of the storm were clearly visible, they still tenaciously took root in the soil and struggled to survive.
In comparison, the worst off was their campsite, which had been completely destroyed by the storm. However, they had already collected all the important supplies beforehand, so the losses should not be too great, which was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.
Chewing quickly, Lezhi realized the barbecue must have been prepared by Leyou; it tasted quite good. Although eating meat for breakfast wasn't Lezhi's usual habit, he wasn't picky—one can't be too fussy when traveling.
Lei Xiu, who also knew Lezhi's habits well, felt a surge of tenderness in his heart when he saw Lezhi eating obediently. Their Lezhi was always like this, so sensible, unlike a little cub.
Soon the team had finished resting, and with a loud call from Leshan, everyone took off and headed along the predetermined route.
The vanguard of the Spirit Feather Clan flew over the Qiyun Plain for another two days before finally catching a glimpse of the forest. Lezhi sat up straight and gazed at the distant forest, which was no less impressive than the Yunmeng Forest. From the outside, this forest didn't seem to be much different from the Yunmeng Forest.
Filled with anticipation, Lezhi and his companions reached the edge of the forest and stopped to rest. The members of the Leyou team quickly gathered together, sharing their food. Unable to participate in important team discussions, they could only follow orders whenever anything happened along the way, making their actions quite skillful.
Perhaps because of their shared experience of danger, the bond between their small group grew stronger. Leyou glanced furtively at Leshan, who was discussing something in the distance, and whispered gossip, "This is already within the Cloud Mist Forest, the territory of the Windwalker Clan. Uncle Leshan is probably considering the next route. Hmm, I wonder if we'll encounter the Longtail Clan along the way."
Blinking curiously, Lezhi asked, "Do the Longtail Clan also take this route?" After all, the Longtail Clan and their Spirit Feather Clan were on different routes.
"It's hard to say. There are actually several routes, it just depends on what the leader thinks. But it's okay if we don't meet, we can get to know each other when we get to the Windwalker Clan. Hehe~" Leyou suddenly laughed strangely, as if he had thought of something.
Knowing nothing, Lezhi looked blankly at the clansmen around him who were grinning mischievously alongside Leyou, somewhat confused.
"What are you laughing at? Is there anything I don't know?"
Upon hearing Lezhi's question, the others smiled faintly and remained silent. Seeing this, Leting wanted to explain to Lezhi, "It's the Long-Tailed Tribe... um..."
Before Le Ting could finish speaking, someone next to her covered her mouth. Le You, the mastermind, nodded in satisfaction, then smiled at Le Zhi, "Le Zhi, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. It's a surprise, hehe~"