Chapter 107: The Forest of Fireflies
Seeing the three Heliannuo looking at him in confusion, Mo Fei Bai stood up, brushed off the fine sand on his hand, and repeated what he had just said: "You three have already decided to take collective action, right? Can you bring me along? Although some of your strengths are not impressive to me, but acting alone is indeed a bit dull and boring. Don't worry, with me around, you will all pass the test safely!"
"This kid is still so arrogant...", Lan You thought to herself, turning her head to ask for the opinions of the other two people.
"Hey, can't you tone it down a bit? You know I could have beaten you in the second round of testing! As for the task in the third round, the three of us are enough. I don't want some hoodlum ruining the atmosphere in my team!", Helianuo naturally knew that Mo Feibai's "certain people" referred to none other than himself. He had never had a good impression of this smooth-talking pretty boy, and this time he bluntly rejected Mo Feibai's suggestion to join their team.
It seems like he had expected to be rejected, Mo Fei Bai shrugged indifferently and sat back down on the ground, saying in a spoiled tone: "Fine, since you're rejecting me, I'll just have to act alone! Sigh, what a pity. I was originally going to share some intel about this island with you guys, but forget it, you can all figure it out yourselves!"
"What? You said... you have intelligence on this island?", Lanyu, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask. This island was completely unfamiliar to the three of them, and if they could get a relatively detailed piece of information, they would be able to skip the tedious process of exploration. Most importantly, they could also avoid many dangerous areas. If Mo Fei Bai really had intelligence on this island as he claimed, then it would be extremely necessary to add him to their team!
He raised his eyelids and glanced at Lan You Ruo, Mo Fei Bai lay on the beach, casually flipping out a shell from the sand and playing with it, answering absent-mindedly: "Even if there is, what's the big deal? Anyway, you've already rejected me, this intelligence, I won't share it with anyone outside of my teammates!"
"If what you're saying is true, we can let you join our team!" He Liancheng stopped He Liansuo, who was about to rush forward and make a scene, and made a solemn promise. Although he knew that his younger brother and Mo Feibai didn't get along, He Liancheng was very clear that one piece of intelligence about this strange island could have enough significance to change the situation for them.
"Really? I could have sworn I just heard someone say that your team wouldn't accept a rogue like me!", Mo Fei Bai saw that he had the upper hand, so he decided to drag things out.
He Lian Chu furrowed his brow, signaling He Lian Nu to shut up. Then he walked over to Mo Fei Bai and sat down slowly beside him, saying in a low voice: "What he said doesn't count. For this team, I'm the boss, and everything can only be decided by me. Honestly, I don't particularly appreciate your character either. However, as they say, there are no eternal enemies in this world. We need the intel you have, and you need our help to hunt down the Soul Beasts. Right now, it's not that I'm seeking something from you, but rather we're just taking what we need from each other. If I'm not mistaken, you probably proposed forming a team with us because you're worried you can't handle Soul Beasts above level 5 on your own, right?"
Mo Fei smiled awkwardly and then spoke candidly, "What you said is true. Although I performed well in the first two rounds of testing, when I think about facing soul beasts above level 5, I still feel a bit uncertain. Since you're being so honest, I'll tell you everything I know! To be honest, due to various reasons, I once lived on this island for over a year. At that time, I had two powerful soul masters by my side, so I wasn't afraid of danger. From what I know, this island is an unnamed island in a separate space independent of the Youyue Continent. There are no humans here, but rather a paradise for soul beasts. Although there aren't any high-level soul beasts above level 8, soul beasts below level 6 can be found everywhere, and level 7 soul beasts occasionally appear. However, they mostly stay in the depths of the island, so they don't pose too much of a threat to us."
He Lianchu nodded slightly, although he was extremely curious about the young man's background, but the steady him did not choose to ask further. After a moment of contemplation, he asked again: "According to your understanding, are there some relatively safe hunting spots on this island? We must first ensure our own safety, and then wait for an opportunity to hunt down fifth-tier or higher soul beasts. If we can find an ideal hunting spot, it will have the effect of doubling our efforts!"
Mo Fei Bai bowed his head in contemplation for a moment, then raised it and said solemnly: "I've thought about it carefully, and the only place on the entire island that meets your requirements is the Firefly Forest! The location of that place is very secretive, ordinary people should find it difficult to find, and there are not many fifth-grade soul beasts there, and they are relatively scattered, making it suitable for us to take them down one by one. It should meet our needs... However, according to my elders, there has always been a mysterious power in the Firefly Forest that, although it doesn't have any attacking properties on ordinary days, will suddenly erupt every now and then. Although it won't actively attack humans, it will affect the soul power of soul masters. Although the possibility of us encountering such an eruption is not great, it's still a potential threat that we must be prepared for!"
He Lian Chuo turned his head upon hearing the words, exchanging a glance with He Lian Nuo and Lan You Ruo. He could tell that neither of them took Mo Fei Bai's mysterious power seriously. After all, such power only erupted once in a very long time; their luck wouldn't be so bad as to encounter it just this once.
He Lianxiao weighed the pros and cons in his heart, and also felt that it was worth taking this risk to complete the task. He stood up, patted the sand off his body, and said softly: "Since that's the case, let's set off towards Sprites' Forest. Mo Feibai, you're responsible for leading the way forward. Remember to avoid dangerous areas, and before we officially start hunting, we must try our best to avoid getting involved in any battles so as to maintain our best state. Lao San and You Ruo will walk in the middle, I'll bring up the rear. Alright, let's get going!"
Mo Fei Bai heard the words and jumped up, running to the front to lead the way. He Lian Nu was still extremely disdainful of him, but since his second brother had already approved Mo Fei Bai's entry into the team, he couldn't say anything else. Along the way, He Lian Nu tightly blocked Mo Fei Bai and Lan You Ruo, cautiously guarding against him suddenly making any rogue moves. He Lian Shuo, walking at the back, could only watch with a bitter smile and shake his head silently.
Putting aside the potential dangers, the scenery on this island was still extremely enchanting. The gentle sea breeze blowing against one's face felt soft and comfortable. Various fruit trees lined the coast, and Helianuo even spotted coconuts that he had eaten in his past life. This discovery filled him with joy, and suppressing the excitement in his heart, he borrowed Helianshuo's long sword, climbed up a tree with a few swift movements, chopped down seven or eight coconuts, then cracked open a small hole in each one, allowing every member of the group to take one. Mo Fei also shamelessly came over and grabbed one, but Helianuo didn't object, an unprecedented occurrence.
Four people drank sweet coconut juice in their mouths, unhurriedly rushing on the road, and it was quite comfortable. Because this island is extremely large, the four of them didn't see any other test-takers along the way, presumably they had all dispersed in different directions. This was also out of safety considerations, after all, no one wanted to kill the soul beast with their lives only for someone to come and take advantage of the situation.
They walked until the sky was completely dark, and Mo Fei Bai finally stopped his footsteps. He pointed to a distance and said in a low voice, "Let's stop for now, after walking for another half an hour, we can enter the Firefly Forest!"
Before, He Lian had only been focusing on rushing along the road. At this moment, following Mo Fei's pointing direction, he saw that in the dark night sky, a large piece of endless star-like light points gathered together, slowly moving and fluttering, looking like a sea of stars, filled with beautiful dreamy colors.
"How is it? Does it look like the stars? Hehe, those twinkling lights are tens of thousands of fireflies. I don't know why, but every night in this forest, countless fireflies dance around. The name 'Firefly Forest' was derived from this phenomenon. When I first came here, I thought those fireflies were starlight, hehe, it's really interesting! Mo Fei Bai had a nostalgic expression, obviously, the surprise that this forest brought to him is still fresh in his memory."
He Lianchu smiled and gazed at the fireflies for a long time, before finally coming back to his senses. He swung his sword to cut down the surrounding weeds and said to the other three: "Alright, it's already completely dark outside, traveling in this environment is too dangerous, let's rest here for tonight. You Ru, go collect some dry branches around us, but don't go too far, if you encounter anything, just shout loudly. Lao San, you and Mo Feibai clean up this place a bit, be sure to observe the surroundings for any wild beast dens. He Lian, keep an eye on You Ru as well. I'll go find some food, you three remember not to stray too far apart!" Seeing the other three nod in agreement, He Lianchu picked up his long sword and walked into the darkness, while Lan You Ru began collecting dry branches around them.
"What bad luck, I'm actually assigned to work with you, a little white! ", He Lian Nu muttered in a bad mood, taking out an axe from the Heavenly Gift Space and quickly clearing the weeds and gravel around him. Mo Fei Bai didn't argue back this time, but instead quietly got to work.
Before long, He Lian Shuo dragged a huge wild boar back, and the three people who were stationed on the spot had already set up a bonfire. He Lian Shuo washed and cleaned the wild boar by the creek nearby, and then roasted it over the fire. He Lian Nuo sprinkled some seasonings he brought with him onto the boar, and soon, a strong aroma wafted through the air!
