Little Squirrel closed its eyes.
It felt as if its body was being torn apart.
Burning sensations, blistering, cutting, suffocation…
All sorts of pain appeared at once.
It made it twitch uncontrollably.
Little Squirrel didn't know how long this pain lasted.
It seemed like a day, it seemed like ten years.
At a certain moment.
It suddenly felt a wave of relief.
As if by magic.
All the pain suddenly disappeared, replaced by complete ease and comfort.
Little Squirrel opened its eyes.
Sure enough, it saw another grinning face.
But what surprised it was.
Before, it thought this smiling face was very hateful.
This time, it felt the Human Race's smile was a bit… warm?
What's going on?
While it was thinking.
The Human Race spoke: "Oh, not only has its resistance improved, but its favorability has also increased quite a bit~"
Little Squirrel didn't understand the Human Race's words, and then it realized it was lying in the Human Race's hand.
It quickly struggled, jumping back to the ground.
Li Zhuo looked at Little Squirrel with a smile and said, "How do you feel?"
"Feel?"
Little Squirrel shook its arms, then wagged its tail, and said with a frown, "My body is very healthy and strong, what's wrong… Eh? Good stuff!"
Before it finished speaking, this little thing saw the berry clusters on the hundred-poison bramble ball again.
It lightly leaped, reaching out to pluck a berry.
Li Zhuo was quick-eyed and quick-handed, kicking Little Squirrel hard.
At the same time, he cursed, "You really are one to remember food but not pain!"
Slap!
"Ouch!"
Two sounds rang out simultaneously.
Little Squirrel scrambled up from the ground, rubbed its kicked butt, and shouted with a red face, "What are you doing!"
"Those berries are poisonous, didn't you just get poisoned?"
Li Zhuo was furious.
Although Little Squirrel's body possessed poison resistance, it still couldn't withstand the full poison of the berries.
Not to mention.
The hundred-poison bramble ball's racial talent could directly poison living beings below Rank 30.
If Little Squirrel had really eaten it, Li Zhuo wouldn't even have had a chance to use the All Things Modifier.
It would have died instantly!
"Poison?" Only then did Little Squirrel look at the hundred-poison bramble ball with a slightly serious expression.
Its gaze was puzzled, clearly still not having discovered anything unusual.
Li Zhuo asked grumpily, "How did you even survive this long looking like that? Where are the other Squirrels of your race?"
The Song Ling Rat was a one-star Spirit Beast; logically speaking, it should be considered a dominant force here.
It shouldn't be the only one left.
Hearing Li Zhuo's words, Little Squirrel's voice became a little dim.
"They died. My dad and brother were poisoned to death, my mom went to the mountain top to fight and was killed, and another went to the bottom of the lake to snatch a spiritual power pool, and as a result…"
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Li Zhuo's mouth twitched, thinking, no wonder you're so reckless.
It turns out the entire Song Ling Rat race is like this!
He cleared his throat.
Li Zhuo began his Cultivation mini-lesson.
"From all your experiences, what do you think is the reason for the Song Ling Rat race's current decline?"
"Our fists aren't hard enough!" Little Squirrel's tone was very firm!
"Nonsense! It's because you're too reckless, not cautious enough!"
"What does… cautious mean?" Little Squirrel's voice was puzzled.
"Always make survival your top priority! Don't cause trouble, don't show off! If you encounter a strong opponent, evade if you can; if you encounter danger, avoid it if you can!"
"…"
After a moment of silence, Little Squirrel asked a Soul-searching question, "Then what's the point of living?"
"To live."
…
One Human Race and one Squirrel stared at each other for a while.
Neither could convince the other.
Seeing that Li Zhuo was about to speak again, Little Squirrel quickly interjected, "You've helped me a lot and saved my life; I'll give you those nuts. If you want to go down the mountain, I can also lead the way."
"Now that sounds more like a Human Race." Li Zhuo nodded.
"I'm not Human Race, I'm a Squirrel."
"…" Being choked by a remark, Li Zhuo wasn't angry, but simply instructed, "I do need you to lead me down the mountain, but we need to agree on three rules for the journey."
The Squirrel's tiny head was full of big questions: "What does 'agree on three rules' mean?"
"You have to promise me three things."
Little Squirrel thought for a moment and said, "Tell me."
"First, you are not allowed to speak without my permission."
"Second, you are not allowed to move without my permission."
"Third, this descent down the mountain must take the safest route."
"Note, by 'safe' I mean avoiding powerful living beings."
Little Squirrel frowned: "How is that possible? Do you want to suffocate me?"
"Heh." Li Zhuo showed a contemptuous expression and raised the stick of gratitude.
"So the Song Ling Rat race is so ungrateful, huh."
"You?!" Little Squirrel pouted, stomped its foot angrily, "I promise you then!"
Heh.
Indeed.
A race as straightforward and reckless as this is the easiest to manipulate.
"Good~" Li Zhuo stroked the Squirrel's tiny head.
Little Squirrel protested with a flurry of punches.
But Li Zhuo paid no mind.
As he packed his snakeskin bag, he asked, "I want to find a market for a Cultivation School or Cultivation Family, taking the safest route. How long will it take?"
"If we travel day and night, at my pace, it will take five days."
Li Zhuo nodded: "Then take all the nuts with us, and also three pieces of refined iron with a trace of Impurities."
—Li Zhuo didn't want to attract attention, so when adding points, he deliberately left a trace of Impurities.
Before long.
Li Zhuo finished packing.
He thought for a moment.
He then took off his tiger skin skirt and put on a robe that represented a Cultivator.
The robe was a bit dirty, which perfectly suited his identity as a "wild Loose Cultivator."
Turning to look at the Daosheng Qingwen Banyan, Li Zhuo instructed, "Hide yourself, don't expose your Rank~"
The breeze rustled the branches and leaves, bringing a gentle voice: "Yes, I eagerly await the return of the great Immortal~"
Then.
Li Zhuo looked at Little Red: "Hide, don't let the Chi She Clan Leader or other powerful living beings discover your existence."
Little Red naturally nodded in agreement.
Then.
Li Zhuo touched the hundred-poison bramble ball, the calming spirit rose, and the land extension spirit grass, feeling a little reluctant.
To prevent these Spiritual Plants from attracting other powerful living beings.
Ever since he decided to go down the mountain, Li Zhuo had modified the attributes of these Spiritual Plants.
Significantly increasing their 【Camouflage】.
At this moment.
Even powerful living beings and high-level Cultivators would only consider them ordinary plants.
They wouldn't pay them any attention at all.
After giving his instructions, Li Zhuo smiled at the Daosheng Qingwen Banyan and said, "I'll be back soon~"
The breeze carried the fresh scent of the trees, seeing Li Zhuo off.
With two bags of nuts and refined iron on his back, Li Zhuo again extended his hand towards Little Squirrel.
Little Squirrel reluctantly jumped onto it, scrambling up his arm with a whoosh.
Squatting on Li Zhuo's shoulder, its tiny paw pointed in a certain direction.
Li Zhuo chuckled: "Let's go."
"Go down the mountain smoothly, and return home safely~"