A few days later, near Lingju Pass.
"Flaming Slash!"
A fiery blade light flashed and disappeared.
A Frostarm Lawachurl fell to the ground, dissolving into energy light particles and vanishing into the world.
Only a pool of Luminaula Milk remained on the ground.
Besides this pool, there were three or four more around, all killed by Ling Feng.
After dealing with the enemies on his side, Ling Feng looked towards the other two areas.
"Xiao Wu! Rotate, be careful of its spinning attack."
"Tian Ming, attack its eyes!"
On one side, ten Millelith soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with two Geovishap Hatchlings, wielding their White Tassel Spears.
The combat power of the Geovishap Hatchlings was no weaker than a Rockbreaker's Axe Hilichurl Brute, and perhaps even stronger.
Compared to Hilichurl Brutes, Geovishap Hatchlings possessed both offense and defense, were naturally resilient with thick hides, and moved with great agility, making them very troublesome.
Out of ten people, not a single one possessed a Vision. Relying on team coordination, they forced the Geovishap Hatchlings to retreat.
On the other side, Keqing was fighting a Geovishap.
Keqing was not using her Elemental Burst. Merely her Elemental Skill and exceptional swordsmanship kept the Geovishap under pressure.
Unlike her in the game, Keqing in reality was incredibly powerful.
Endowed with the piercing power and speed buff of Electro, coupled with the swift attacks of the Yunlai Sword Style.
Although the Geovishap possessed four elemental attacks and its combat prowess rivaled that of a Geovishap Lord, it was still no match for Keqing's display of skill.
The enemy lacked elemental shields, which significantly eased the pressure for Vision holders.
Seeing that neither side was under any strain, Ling Feng turned around and collected all the Luminaula Milk.
He now had four or five bottles of Luminaula Milk in his spatial inventory, all obtained from defeating Elite Lawachurls.
As for the dozen or so bottles of Luminaula Milk, they were dropped by ordinary Lawachurls.
The Lawachurl nectar was extracted from the stamen of Sweet Flowers.
At noon, the sun blazed fiercely.
Ling Feng and his companions were resting by a small stream, with over a dozen fish roasting on a bonfire.
Ling Feng chatted with the Millelith soldiers as they grilled the fish.
"Kunshan, Yu Hai, you two are so pathetic, shouting so much just from applying some medicine, truly pathetic."
"So you're saying you're very brave, Wei Jie?"
"You jest, I'm incredibly brave!"
"Then why don't you single-handedly take on Hilichurl Brutes and Geovishap Lords like Lady Keqing and Lord Ling Feng?"
"Exactly, exactly."
"..."
Two severely injured soldiers lay nearby, moaning in pain. An older soldier helping them with their wounds kept taunting the two, who were annoyed by his words and started arguing back.
Ling Feng watched the three of them bicker, their laughter filling the air. He would occasionally chime in to playfully tease one of them.
Ling Feng found himself enjoying the moment.
This scene reminded him of playing Honor of Kings with friends.
When they lost a game, friends would blame each other and argue, but it was all in good fun.
Even though they lost the game, they still had a good time.
It was far more enjoyable than playing alone.
However, he found their conversation strangely familiar.
"Hmm? Where's Keqing?"
Ling Feng casually scanned the surroundings and noticed Keqing was nowhere to be seen.
He stood up from the log on the ground and looked around.
He spotted Keqing sitting alone by the stream bank, her head down, doing something he couldn't quite tell.
He was sure she wasn't eating, as all the caught fish were roasting here.
Casually picking up two roasted fish, Ling Feng slowly walked towards Keqing.
As he got closer, he realized.
Keqing was holding a statistical chart, frowning as she pondered something.
Ling Feng spoke gently, "Keqing, don't work too hard. During your rest time, relax and unwind after such a long battle this morning."
"No, this isn't geological survey data. I'm compiling the number, types, and timing of monsters we've encountered."
"Is there a problem?"
Hearing that it wasn't work-related but about monsters, Ling Feng felt a flicker of confusion.
"I don't know, it just feels... strange."
Keqing shook her head and put the papers into her Vision.
"Alright, don't think about it for now. Here, have a roasted fish and relax."
"Thank you."
Keqing accepted the roasted fish Ling Feng offered and took a bite, slowly savoring it.
Suddenly, splashes of water erupted from the stream.
Ling Feng's attention shifted, and he was slightly startled.
At some point, Keqing had removed the black stockings she was wearing.
A pair of fair, slender legs swayed in the stream, causing water to splash and ripples to spread.
Hiss!
Those legs!
So white, so slender, so long...
"What are you looking at?"
Keqing, noticing Ling Feng staring intently in one direction, asked curiously.
"Nothing, I just noticed there were quite a few fish in the stream and was thinking of catching a few more. With so many people, and after working all morning, it doesn't seem like enough."
Keqing's sudden question startled Ling Feng. It felt like being caught by parents while looking at inappropriate material, and he quickly waved his hands.
As he spoke, he also sat down, but his gaze no longer lingered on Keqing's legs. He quietly ate his roasted fish.
Although he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and could subsist on spiritual energy, Ling Feng still maintained three meals a day.
Food was meant to be enjoyed, not just to fill one's stomach.
After finishing a roasted fish, Ling Feng stood up, his eyes narrowing.
Whoosh!
The wooden skewer in his hand was suddenly thrown out by Ling Feng, nailing a passing fish in the water with lightning speed.
Fish: You young man, you have no martial ethics! WAp.kanshuWu.net
Ling Feng's palm surged with true qi, drawing the skewered fish towards him. He turned and smiled at Keqing.
"Want another one?"
Seeing Ling Feng like this, Keqing suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Pfft, that fish died a meaningless death."
Ling Feng held up the skewer, grinning and scratching the back of his head.
"So, do you want another one?"
"Give me the fish, and I'll let you taste my unique culinary skill."
Keqing extended a hand, asking for it.
About ten seconds later.
"Here, try it."
Keqing handed the roasted fish to Ling Feng.
Ling Feng looked at the roasted fish in his hand, his eyebrows raising.
"Could this be Keqing's signature dish? A desperate survival roasted fish, cooked not with fire, but by finely manipulating Electro to thoroughly cook the fish from the inside."
"Has Keqing's mastery of Electro reached this level? Truly worthy of being the Jade Chamber Star."
As he spoke, Ling Feng took a bite, chewing slowly and savoring the taste.
After the fish went down, Ling Feng's eyes lit up.
"Delicious!"
The slightly charred skin enveloped the crispy, tender fish meat, cooked to perfection.
It was truly delicious.
"Of course, this is my unique skill."
Hearing Ling Feng's praise, Keqing crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.
Ling Feng quickly devoured the desperate survival roasted fish, still feeling a sense of longing for more.
This fish, roasted with Electro, had a unique flavor.
"Speaking of which, Keqing, there are really a lot of monsters around Lingju Pass. In just one morning, we encountered so many Lawachurls and Geovishap Hatchlings. I never encountered so many even in the mountains before."
After filling his stomach, Ling Feng recalled the morning's encounters.
The frequency of encountering monsters was a bit too high, and the numbers were significant, much more so than in the Jueyun Karst. He couldn't help but ask.
"It's normal for nearby monsters to increase in number for a short period during Ley Line energy surges."
Keqing said calmly, appearing accustomed to such phenomena.
"By the way, Keqing, do you remember the question I asked you earlier? After you said that, I do feel something is indeed strange."
"How so?"
"This morning, I noticed the probability of us encountering Hilichurls was very low, almost the same as Lawachurls and Geovishap Hatchlings."
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case."
Ling Feng's words caused Keqing's expression to change. Recalling something, she immediately took out the statistical chart she had compiled earlier to review it.
The more she looked, the darker Keqing's expression became, her brows furrowed as if something catastrophic had occurred.
Ling Feng subtly shifted, intending to sneak behind Keqing to peek at the statistical chart.
However, before he could reach her.
Keqing put down the chart, her expression extremely serious.
"Something is wrong."
"What problem have you discovered?"
Seeing Keqing's demeanor, Ling Feng knew the matter was not simple.
For the knowledgeable Jade Chamber Star to frown like this indicated the situation might be dire.
"Your earlier comment reminded me of something."
Saying this, Keqing showed the statistical chart to Ling Feng, pointing her finger at the monster encounter data from yesterday and today.
Looking at this data, Ling Feng also found the anomaly.
The number of Hilichurl-type monsters they encountered was actually on par with other types of monsters!
Hilichurls were the most common type of monster on the continent of Teyvat, with even Slimes being less numerous.
Logically.
The number of Hilichurls they should have encountered should have far surpassed that of Lawachurls and Geovishaps.
Yet, the number of Hilichurls recorded in the earlier data was surprisingly low, especially Geovishap Lords, with only two encountered.
And given Keqing's meticulous nature, it was unlikely she would miscalculate data.
Even someone not particularly intelligent could sense the problem now.
"The number of Hilichurl monsters we've encountered is ridiculously low."
"Exactly. During Ley Line energy surges, monster numbers generally only increase, not decrease, so there's definitely a problem."
As the two were discussing this.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.
"An earthquake?!"
Keqing hadn't expected the sudden tremor. She was standing in the stream and lost her balance, tipping over towards the water.
"Careful!"
Just as Keqing was about to fall into the stream, Ling Feng appeared in time, scooping her up by the waist before she could fall.
"Mmm~"
The situation was suddenly rather delicate.
At this moment, the two gazed into each other's eyes, their faces less than a centimeter apart, each able to feel the other's breath.
Ling Feng caught the faint scent emanating from Keqing, which made him feel dizzy and his heart pound.
This was the first time he had ever been so close to a girl.
In the past, let alone embracing a girl so closely, he had never even held one's hand.
When he encountered girls, he usually gave them a wide berth, afraid of some kind of "fiasco."
"Lady Keqing, Lord Ling Feng, there's...!"
Wei Jie, the Millelith soldier, suddenly rushed over, intending to report something.
What greeted his eyes was the scene of Ling Feng and Keqing embracing each other. He immediately froze in place.
What the heck?
What's going on?
Did I come at the wrong time?
Will Lord Ling Feng and Lady Keqing kill me to silence me?
"...Apologies, I'm interrupting."
Immediately, Wei Jie turned and left. This was no place to linger.
Ling Feng and Keqing were already feeling awkward.
Being seen by someone at that moment made it even more so.
"Ahem, could you let go? You're holding a bit too tightly."
Keqing's cheeks flushed red. Gone was her usual assertive demeanor; she sounded more like a young girl, her voice soft.
"Ah! Sorry, I was a bit nervous."
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng quickly released Keqing, allowing her to stand properly, and stepped aside.
As if to signal that nothing had happened.
"Ahem, Wei Jie rushed over to find us, there must be something urgent."
"And that tremor just now, it was probably the second Ley Line energy fluctuation. We should go and check it out quickly."
As if nothing had happened, Keqing reverted to her usual serious and stern demeanor, except for the faint blush on her cheeks.
"Okay."
Ling Feng quickly ran towards the bonfire. Wei Jie and the others were already standing, suggesting something had occurred.
The fact that they weren't holding weapons indicated it wasn't an enemy attack.
After running for a short distance, Ling Feng realized Keqing hadn't followed. He turned to look back.
Keqing was currently using a handkerchief to wipe the water from her legs.
As if sensing Ling Feng's gaze, Keqing looked up. Seeing him watching her, she called out in a sweet voice,
"What are you looking at? Hurry and go see what's happening!"
"Oh, oh, oh."
Seeing Keqing's slightly annoyed expression, Ling Feng didn't dare to linger and quickly ran back to the bonfire.
By the stream.
After Ling Feng had walked away, Keqing finally let out a sigh of relief.
She re-donned her black stockings, calmed her racing heart, and then hurried towards Ling Feng and the others.
Upon arriving at the bonfire, the Millelith soldier named Wei Jie was telling Ling Feng something.
Seeing Keqing arrive, Ling Feng quickly approached her and recounted what Wei Jie had just said.
"Just now, Xiao Wu and the others said they saw an Abyss Mage."
"An Abyss Mage?"
Hearing the words "Abyss Mage," Keqing's expression turned serious.
Abyss Mages were almost always involved in the attacks on their camps.
For instance, in the battle at Nantianmen last time, the mastermind was two Abyss Mages.
One was dealt with by Ling Feng.
The other, sensing the unfavorable situation, tried to escape. Fortunately, Keqing pursued with her Electro Sigil and apprehended him.
However, the Abyss Mage ultimately chose to end his own life, so they didn't manage to capture him alive.
"Xiao Wu, tell me about the situation at the time."
"Yes. After the earthquake, I suddenly saw an Abyss Mage passing through the forest on the southwest side. I don't know if I was mistaken."
Facing Keqing's inquiry, the young Millelith soldier named Xiao Wu did not hesitate to recount what he had seen.
"Southwest side?" Keqing's brows furrowed, her hand resting on her chin as she pondered.
Then, Keqing quickly looked up and commanded,
"Xiao Wu, you will immediately go to the nearest Millelith camp to find reinforcements."
"Ling Feng and I will pursue them first and leave markers along the way. The rest of you, follow closely, be mindful of your safety, and prioritize your lives if you encounter danger."
The other Millelith soldiers immediately saluted, "Yes, Lady Keqing."
In battle, a military order is like a mountain.
After speaking, Ling Feng and Keqing dashed out, heading towards the forest on the southwest side at their fastest speed.