Chapter 8: Can't Understand And Can't Ask Either

Yaine placed the spellbook on a stone well-lit by sunlight.

Then, she summoned a plump little green bird. The little bird hopped to the edge of the spellbook and flapped its tiny wings, creating gentle breezes onto the spellbook.

"Really, Teacher, is this your way of reminding me?" Yaine muttered as she gazed at the book. "That magic shouldn't be half-heartedly taught? And every student should be given utmost care… or something like that?

"But then again," she glanced at Liu Ji who was wringing out his clothes nearby, "the incantation he recited just now was merely a basic fire release magic. For a beginner, just creating sparks on his fingertip would already be impressive…

"Genius… or perhaps, racial talent?

"Right, he's a person that can transform into a potato." Yaine turned back, continuing to mumble to the spellbook, "So, Teacher, are you trying to tell me that perhaps I should take teaching him a bit more seriously? Just like how you taught me?"

A breeze blew over the spellbook, making it flip to a new page.

Yaine shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and mustered a slight smile.

"Mm, very well. It will give me something to do," Yaine muttered softly. "If not, I'm really afraid I might end up wanting to find you right now…"

Yaine turned around, casually opening a spatial portal which she pulled a dry linen robe out from, and approached Liu Ji, who was drying his clothes by the fire.

Liu Ji was still feeling guilty. When he saw Yaine approach with a fresh robe, he felt too embarrassed to accept it and gestured that he could just dry his clothes.

Yaine ignored his refusal and pushed the new robe into Liu Ji's hands.

Liu Ji tried to refuse again. He pushed the robes back and waved his hands repeatedly.

To his surprise, Yaine's hand went to the current robe Liu Ji was wearing as if she intended to remove it.

This startled Liu Ji since he was only wearing that robe with nothing underneath. If she managed to lift it, everything would be exposed.

Quickly pressing down on his robe, he took the new one and darted behind a nearby tree to change.

Watching his awkward retreat, Yaine's lips curled into a slight smile.

Hmm… He really is peculiar, she mused to herself.

According to reports, the wilderness on this side has wild men, though they are all low-intelligence demi-human races. There shouldn't be anyone like him…

No matter how she looked at it, Liu Ji didn't seem to match the information provided.

Could the information reports be wrong? Or did this man have some unknown origin?

It was rather intriguing, but Yaine wasn't interested in dwelling on it.

Whatever his origin, race, or background—none of it mattered to her.

After a short while, Liu Ji finished changing and came out from behind the tree holding his wet clothes behind him.

Liu Ji might have changed his clothes, but his hair was still wet. To avoid soaking the fresh robe, he had to gather his hair into a bundle, bending forward to hold it in front of him in a rather comical fashion.

Seeing a smiling Yaine watching him, Liu Ji returned an awkward smile. As he walked over to the fire, intending to dry his lush green hair, he thought to himself that he should find a way to cut his hair short sometime.

As soon as he sat down, Yaine approached from behind and gently lifted his hair. Liu Ji wondered what she was doing until he felt a warm breeze at his back.

It seemed that Yaine was using magic to blow-dry his hair. This made Liu Ji feel both flattered and slightly embarrassed. He wanted to tell her it wasn't necessary, but Yaine began speaking before he could say anything.

"You know, when I first started learning fire magic, I accidentally set my own hair on fire. Just like you, I was doused by a ball of water and became soaking wet…"

Liu Ji didn't understand a single word, but he sensed it was best to remain quiet. So, he sat up straight and listened to Yaine's story while enjoying the gentle breeze.

"Back then, my teacher used a soft breeze just like this to dry my hair. It was warm and soothing. Back then, I thought to myself, if only I could be as skilled as my teacher one day. That way, I could blow-dry my own hair every day.

"Ah well, thinking back, I guess I did manage that.

"But… it's not enough, not nearly enough."

Yaine sniffled and felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Quickly, she rubbed them away with her hand.

Even though he was facing forward, Liu Ji could sense this going on behind him.

Why is she crying? Liu Ji wondered, worried that it was because he had drenched what seemed like an important book due to his carelessness.

That was the only explanation he could think of.

After all, once paper gets wet, even if blown dry, it would still become crinkly.

Realizing this made Liu Ji feel even worse, especially since Yaine didn't seem to blame him.

He glanced back at Yaine, but she had returned to her usual self, as if that subtle moment hadn't occurred at all. Seeing him turn around, she smiled at him.

This made Liu Ji feel utterly terrible. He wished that Yaine would just scold him right now; at least that would make him feel a tad better.

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In the dense forest, the young swordsman shot through the trees.

Thirty or so meters ahead, a massive horned bear was on the run. Standing over two meters high even when on all fours, the bear's thunderous gallop shook the ground, akin to a charging war chariot.

Unfortunately, this "chariot" was fleeing in panic.

Several deep wounds on its body oozed blood, staining the shrubs along the path with blotchy red streaks.

"You can't escape," the young man with the longsword said, flicking his wrist. A chain shot from his hand, latching onto a large tree ahead of the bear.

The giant bear was startled and intended to change directions, but it suddenly sensed a shadow looming over it.

"Got you," the young man's cold voice rang out like a death knell.

Before the bear could react, the sharp longsword pierced the back of its neck.

Its artery was severed, and blood sprayed everywhere.

With a final, desperate howl, the bear collapsed heavily to the ground, struggled for a moment, then lay lifeless.

"Huff, job done," the young man muttered, flicking the blood from his sword before sheathing it.

He approached the bear and, with one swift motion, hoisted the massive creature onto his shoulder.

"This should keep us fed for quite some time," he muttered, adjusting the bear's position on his shoulder before nimbly retracing his steps back.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read