Chapter 6
Forcibly Kissing Chi Lin
When it came to making an iron pot, the most important thingâwas iron.
Li Qingqing got up extra early that morning. Using her earth-type ability, she searched the ground near her cave for ore veinsâbut came up empty-handed.
âSystem, whatâs going on? Why isnât there a single vein of ore around here?â
ăAll the worldâs resources are concentrated in the Xuanming Forest, Host. You can try looking there.ă
The Xuanming Forest was a shared hunting ground for all the beast tribes. It was perpetually shrouded in thick mist.
Inside grew a plant called the Mind-Confusing Grass. Any animal that inhaled its scent would go mad, which meant ferocious, crazed beasts often lurked there.
Usually, only the strongest males could venture inside and make it out alive.
Li Susu hesitated for a second, but the thought of spicy fire chicken noodles made her compromise immediately.
âItâs just the Xuanming Forest, right? Letâs go!â
ăRoar roar roar~ Portal, activated!ă
Li Qingqingâs eyes widened. âWaitâyou can do that too?â
Before she could react, her surroundings began to blur and shift. When her vision cleared, towering trees and rising white mist filled her sight.
The forest looked a lot like the primeval jungles she had seen in documentaries back on Earth.
Li Qingqing pressed her palm to the ground, and a warm golden light emerged from the soil, swirling upward in the air.
ăHost, the ore vein is inside. That little light is going to guide you!ă
Hearing that, Li Qingqing quickly followed the glowing light into the depths of Xuanming Forest.
The white fog seemed almost aliveâresponding to her presence. Some areas had been clear, yet the moment she stepped near, mist thickened and blocked her sight completely.
Luckily, she had the little glowing guide. Without it, she wouldâve been completely lost.
As she walked, she scanned her surroundings for other useful materialsâand found chili peppers and green onions!
Unfortunately, she didnât have a basket or a bag.
âSystem, make me a basket!â
ăDo I look like Doraemon to you? You only get rewards after completing a quest.ă
âFine, fine. Then give me a questâsomething easy!â she said, already plucking peppers and onions as she spoke.
ăSide Quest: Forcibly kiss Chi Lin. Reward: Backpack.ă
Li Qingqing froze. âWeâre in the middle of the forest! There isnât even another person hereâhow am I supposed to kiss anyone?!â
Realizing she was stuck with a dumb system, she grumbled and tossed the peppers and onions into her ability spaceâthough it was such a hassle, since she had to enter the space each time she stored something.
ăAww, what if I throw in a bottle of shower gel too?ă
That did tempt her. Since she transmigrated here, it had already been a whole day and she hadnât bathed yet. Who knew if the original host even washed properly? The offer was hard to resist.
StillââForget it. Iâll wash when I get back. Itâs not like thereâs a hot guy here anyway.â
âROARâ!â
Li Qingqing nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked up to see a Sharp-Tooth Beast glaring at her, its fangs glinting.
She immediately summoned her wood-type ability, latching a vine to a nearby tree and using the momentum to swing out of the beastâs jaws.
But the monster didnât give up. She hurled a fireball at itâbut the moment it hit, the flames fizzled out.
ăHost, your ability level is only L1! You canât fight itâRUN!ă
Li Qingqing was already sprinting so fast her straw sandals were sparking. âYou couldnât have said that earlier?!â
Her college 800-meter run had never been this intense.
She chased the glowing light franticallyâuntil she slammed right into a wall of muscle.
The impact sent her flying backward. She thought sheâd hit another beast. Greatâwolves in front, tigers behind. Was she destined to die miserably every time?
âCousin?â
That familiar voice made her lift her headâand there it was, that unmistakable flame-red hair.
âWhy are youââ
âWhy are youââ
They spoke at the same time.
Before either could answer, the Sharp-Tooth Beast lunged toward them.
Chi Lin immediately shifted into his beast formâa giant red foxâgrabbed Li Qingqing by her clothes, and bolted.
But with the fog so thick, he crashed into trees several times.
The beastâs fangs were nearly on her tail. Li Qingqing shouted, âSee that yellow light ahead? Follow it!â
âWhat yellow light?â
Soâonly she could see it?!
âThen just listen to me! Go rightâRIGHT!â
But Chi Lin didnât listen. He stubbornly went left.
Li Qingqing was furious, tugging at his fur. âWhy wonât you listen?! Are you trying to get us killed?!â
âYouâre the one trying to kill us! Is this really the time to argue?!â
To Chi Lin, this so-called cousin was never someone he could trust. Forced to marry her, he had never truly seen her as his female master.
To him, she was just a spoiled, vicious little sister.
Li Qingqing was about to snap back whenâsuddenlyâthe red fox skidded to a stop.
She nearly flew off his back.
âThereâs a cliff ahead.â
Li Qingqing couldâve strangled him. So thatâs why you didnât listen?! âThen why didnât you follow my lead?!â
âNowâs not the time for that,â he said, turning to face the beast behind them.
Chi Linâs fur bristled, body temperature rising as his fire-type ability flared to life.
Li Qingqing had been clutching his neck furâbut it suddenly grew so hot she had to let go.
âYou go first,â he said.
Li Qingqing leapt down and hid behind a massive tree, watching him turn into a living flame as he charged at the Sharp-Tooth Beast.
He wasnât skilled at close combat, and he was quickly being overpowered.
The beastâs jaws clamped down on his neck several times; flesh tore, blood sprayed, and the pain nearly made him faint.
Worseâit wasnât even afraid of fire.
Li Qingqing suddenly remembered the five elemental cycleâFire and Water oppose each other. Could this beast be a water-type?
Chi Lin, now badly wounded, noticed her still standing there.
His patience snapped. âWhy arenât you running? Waiting for it to eat you too?!â
Li Qingqing thoughtâwhatever else Chi Lin was, at least he made a decent cousin.
To confirm her theory, she gathered her earth-type power, slammed her palm to the groundâ
The earth trembled. The soil split open beneath the beast, swallowing it whole.
Moments later, the land sealed up again, smooth as if nothing had happened. Only a faint mist lingered in the airâproof the creature had ever been there.
Chi Lin collapsed, reverting back to human form.
Li Qingqing rushed to his side to check his wounds.
The gash at his shoulder and neck was the worst, still bleeding heavily.
There was blood at the corner of his lips, too. His red hair hung loose, blending with the dark stains on his skinâ
âand for a moment, the wild, dangerous beauty of him made her heart skip.
