Chapter 42: A Young Girl’s First Love

Lying on the beast skin cushion, he enjoyed a rare sense of spiritual relief. After a long while, seeing that Zuo Qianqian showed no signs of waking up, Lei Qing finally forced himself to get up. He took some refreshing herbal medicine to wake her up, pressed her philtrum, and massaged the vital acupoints all over her body.

Lei Qing had already seen that Zuo Qianqian was not seriously injured; she had just been stunned by the explosive roar of the Black-backed Giant Bear when she was caught off guard. After his treatment, Zuo Qianqian slowly woke up. Seeming to think of something, her face instantly turned pale with fright, and she waved her hands wildly, looking extremely terrified. “Brother Lei, don’t mind me, run quickly.”

“Don’t be afraid, it’s over.” Lei Qing hurriedly hugged the panicked her tightly into his arms. He stroked her hair to give her some sense of security, and kept comforting her in a low and gentle voice, “Qianqian be good, we have already escaped that bear.”

After repeating this several times, Zuo Qianqian gradually came back to her senses from the shock. She snuggled into Lei Qing’s arms with lingering fear and sobbed, “Brother Lei, I thought we were both going to die this time. That Gold-rank Black-backed Giant Bear was too power ful, too terrifying.”

Demonic Beasts were indeed very powerful, and that black bear was especially good at using strength. That kind of imposing manner was truly terrifying to the extreme. Perhaps, purely in terms of strength, even Leng Yuewu would be much weaker than it. Of course, Leng Yuewu was a Holy Rank powerhouse. If she fought that Black-backed Giant Bear in her normal state, although one couldn’t say she would win for sure, her chances were at least ninety percent.

“Brother Lei, how exactly did you get rid of that giant bear’s pursuit?” The paleness on Zuo Qianqian’s face gradually faded, and she regained some spirit. “I remember that although bears aren’t known for speed, a Gold-rank one definitely wouldn’t be too slow, right? And its nose is very sensitive, it can smell prey from very far away.”

When Lei Qing talked about this, he was a little proud. He described the process vividly, making Zuo Qianqian feel as if she were personally experiencing it. Indeed, carrying a person and getting rid of a Gold-rank giant bear’s pursuit was indeed something to be proud of.

She tightly held Lei Qing’s hand, listening while her petite body trembled slightly. Until the end, she seemed to have worried for nothing and let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Brother Lei, at that time, you should have thrown away this burden, me. You shouldn’t have chosen such a risky way. That way, even if someone died, only one would die. And I was unconscious, so I wouldn’t have felt pain if I died.”

“You’re right, why didn’t I think of that at the time?” Lei Qing laughed in annoyance and flicked her nose, saying, “That stupid bear definitely has unique taste and took a fancy to our Qianqian, wanting to catch you back to be its wife. If I had known earlier, I would have thrown you to it, and that would have solved everything.”

“Aw.” Zuo Qianqian angrily bit his finger, spat twice, and said, “Brother Lei, you speak so badly. You always bully Qianqian. Is Qianqian really that ugly? Not as good as that Yu whoever, and not as good as that Leng Yuewu?” As she spoke, a hint of sadness appeared on her small face.

“Haha, I was teasing you.” Lei Qing smiled and pinched her pink cheek. “Who told you to talk nonsense just now? If I was in danger, would you really want to leave me behind and run for your life alone?”

“Of course not, I would protect Brother Lei with my life. If we live, we live together; if we die, we die together.” Zuo Qianqian hurriedly defended herself anxiously, “I didn’t mean…”

“Okay, I understand.” Lei Qing covered her small mouth to stop her from continuing, and his expression gradually became serious. “Regardless of anything else, Qianqian, you are a comrade-in-arms with me, and a comrade-in-arms I recognize. Although my recognition might not be a big deal, at least I, Lei Qing, will never abandon you. I will never sell out your life to save myself at any critical moment. Don’t think about such things in the future, and don’t mention them.”

“Woo~” Zuo Qianqian’s small face was filled with emotion. Her weak, watery eyes were already a little moist as she stared blankly at Lei Qing. After a long time, she spoke with a sob in her voice, “Brother Lei, I’m not good-looking, why are you so good to me? Risking your life to protect me?”

“I told you, we are partners, teammates. If you can’t entrust your back to your teammate, how can you exert your combat power?” Lei Qing said solemnly, but then he smiled and flicked her nose. “Also, who said you’re not good-looking? You’re quite cute. You look a bit like our family’s Thirteen.”

“Thirteen?” Zuo Qianqian widened her watery eyes, looking curious.

“She is my cousin. She is ranked thirteenth in our generation, so we call her Thirteen.” When Lei Qing mentioned Thirteen, his face showed a gentle emotion. “That Thirteen of ours, although she looks as cute as Qianqian, she is far from being as well-behaved as you. That little girl is very mischievous. She even dared to pester me to go visit a brothel together, hehe. I was young and ignorant at that time, and I really took her there. As a result, when we came back, we all got punished by the family rules, ha. That little girl has gotten me in trouble countless times from childhood to adulthood.”

“Really? Then I want Brother Lei to take me to the brothel too.” Zuo Qianqian was also quite curious about that Thirteen. She pestered Lei Qing, who had a black line on his face, and said, “Brother Lei, tell me more about Thirteen.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you about that little rascal in detail. But you can’t learn from her, otherwise I will spank you too.” Lei Qing treated Zuo Qianqian like a little sister. He pitifully hugged her, who had suffered so much recently, into his arms and started telling some stories in a low voice.

Zuo Qianqian blinked her eyes, listening with fascination and curiosity. She twisted her head slightly to make her snuggling posture more comfortable. Smelling the faint masculine scent on Lei Qing’s body, her pretty face turned slightly red, and her small heart kept beating wildly. Some random thoughts arose uncontrollably. She was a bit envious of that Thirteen, who could grow up with Brother Lei and have so many interesting stories.

Thinking about those embarrassing things, surrounded by a sense of safety and comfort, her tightly strung mind gradually relaxed. Then, snuggled in Lei Qing’s arms, she fell into a deep sleep. Since her grandfather died, Zuo Qianqian had never slept so soundly every night. Her small and delicate nose actually made a slight snoring sound.

Lei Qing waited until she was deeply asleep before stopping his speech. He looked at her sleeping face with some pity. This child, although well-behaved, had a hard life and a tragic background. Fortunately, at Wan Family Fort, there seemed to be a grandmother she had never met. He should send her there sooner. Such a little girl, following him wandering in the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range filled with Demonic Beasts.

…

The next day, the cool morning sunlight shone through the cracks in the cave, speckled on the faces of the two.

The light of the early morning was very clean, with a slight hint of gold, making people feel refreshed when smelling it. After experiencing yesterday’s events, the two didn’t dare to stay in the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range any longer. Danger lurked here; every extra day meant much more danger of dying.

Everyone had a strong fear of death from the bottom of their hearts. Taking advantage of the sunny day and open view, the two washed up, ate something in a hurry, and set off. Looking back, they first carefully found the hound Da Hei by the mountain stream, which was truly a good sign.

Although Da Hei didn’t have much combat power, he was commendable in terms of smell and avoiding danger. With him, the journey could be less arduous and dangerous. But even so, by the time they walked out of the Heavenly Ridge Mountain Range, the two looked like beggars.

Lei Qing didn’t have the slightest bit of a dashing and handsome look of a dandy, and Zuo Qianqian became a dirty girl covered in dust.

“Brother Lei, look quickly, it’s a team.” Although she was dirty, there were a few more traces of sharpness in Zuo Qianqian’s still childish eyes. Having walked all the way and participated in frequent fights, she gradually showed her demeanor amidst the difficult training.

Lei Qing looked from a distance and saw that it was a small team consisting of more than ten horses and a carriage. They were moving slowly along the bumpy and rugged road.

…