He flushed slightly, but upon thinking about the kiss they shared just moments before, he suddenly did not feel so embarrassed anymore.
They were already so close, and he was aware that he had been wounded by the snake. It was clear that Jiang Yao had changed his clothes to help him, so why would he become ashamed of this?
He shook his head with a slight smile on his face and slowly rose from the bed. His body felt much more relaxed now, and he could feel that the fight with the snake had allowed his cultivation realm to have a breakthrough.
He was feeling lighter than before, and the energy was rushing through his meridians.
He clenched his fist and felt much more powerful than ever before; a smile spread on his lips. Clearly, the decision to fight had proven to be right.
Jiang Yao, who was standing forgotten by the side, saw the happiness and pride in Luo Xiao's eyes, and a tender smile crept upon his lips.
Luo Xiao stretched his body slightly, but even then, he could not feel the slightest discomfort from the wounds; it was as if they had never been there. Instead, his body was bursting with energy. It felt as if he was unstoppable.
An eagerness appeared on his face. He had felt the success of advancing due to the fight with the beasts, and he wanted to continue, but just as he was about to rush out of the cave, Jiang Yao reached out and held his waist, bringing him into his embrace.
"Not so fast," Jiang Yao chuckled as he held Luo Xiao to his chest. "We have indeed come here to train, but don't forget why we picked this place."
Luo Xiao looked confused for a moment, but then clarity struck. "The Moon Anise!" he exclaimed. He had utterly forgotten about the herb that they came here to find, but upon thinking about it again, he understood that finding this herb was the priority, not to mention they could always train later.
Seeing that Luo Xiao had accepted reality, and was no longer drunk on the feeling of advancing, Jiang Yao heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He understood Luo Xiao's urge for strength, but he also knew that things had to be taken step by step. Rushing would not help him; in fact, it would cause him even more problems in the future, and his wishes might never be achieved.
He wanted to ensure that Luo Xiao understood it on his own, but he did not know how to hint at it. As such, he could only block him for now, and allow him to get familiar with his new cultivation stage before he could attack the next realm.
Together, Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao walked forward, hand in hand, as they observed the forest.
Jiang Yao had stopped hiding his aura, and the overwhelming coercion that was released from his body caused every beast to take a big detour around them.
Initially, Jiang Yao had planned to let Luo Xiao fight a few beasts on the way, but after realizing that he still had to stabilize his new cultivation realm, he decided against it.
Luo Xiao was aware that Jiang Yao was scaring away the beasts. He was somewhat puzzled. Jiang Yao had understood his words and respected his wishes, but he still did not let him fight? Was there something he was unaware of?
Although he was an Astral Soul, Luo Xiao had no previous experience with cultivating. He did not know that advancing too fast was detrimental to his cultivation base, so he was a little perplexed.
He was holding Jiang Yao's hand and remained in deep thought. He knew that Jiang Yao was hinting something to him, but he could not understand precisely what it was.
As they continued through the forest, they reached a valley between two mountains. This valley did not have a deep forest, but instead a long and beautiful meadow that stretched on as far as the eye could see.
"This is the location of the Moon Anise," Jiang Yao said with a sigh. The meadow was large, and finding the Moon Anise would be like searching for a specific drop of water in the sea, but he did not give up.
He had brought his wonderful detection tool with him, Luo Xiao would be able to locate it by relying on his spiritual energy.
Luo Xiao remembered the previous time they had been searching for a Moon Anise, and he closed his eyes as he released his spiritual energy.
The meadow and everything around them were painted as an image in his mind. He could see anything, from a crawling bug, to a crouching leopard.
He began moving deeper into the meadow. Although he kept his eyes closed in order not to become confused, he was not scared. Jiang Yao was right by his side, and he managed to see everything through the images that were created by the spiritual energy in his mind.
They slowly moved further and further into the meadow, but Luo Xiao began to frown, his brows furrowed, and he felt that something was weird.
He could feel a strange emotion that was calling out to him. It was as if it wanted him to follow this emotion in a specific direction, but he thought that it was merely his imagination, as he continued to focus on the meadow.
However, the further into the meadow he came, the more prominent this weird feeling became. Something was calling for him, and he did not know what it was.
Opening his eyes, there was a bit of unpleasantness within the deep sensual eyes that showed his annoyance. He did not know where this emotion came from, but it interfered with his search of the Moon Anise.