1355 Nothing But a Hindrance
Just as Tian Yang started walking away, Huang Xiao Li shouted in a scared voice, "Stop! Don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!"
"You're not going to be alone… I will still be nearby…" he said.
"No! I want you to be by my side—somewhere I can see you!"
Tian Yang found this a bit bothersome, but he didn't blame her.
'She's most likely traumatized by our journey here… not that I can blame her.'
Huang Xiao Li was not even twenty years old, and yet, she had already faced harrowing experiences that most individuals wouldn't even dream of encountering. No matter how much of a genius she was, it was only natural for her to be traumatized.
"Alright, I'll stay in your view."
Tian Yang proceeded to face away from her and even closed his eyes.
Of course, he could still peek using his divine sense, but he wasn't a degenerate who would do such shameful acts.
Huang Xiao Li immediately removed her dirty clothes and changed into Tian Yang's uniform.
"Okay, I am done. You can look now," she said a moment later.
Tian Yang turned around to see her new appearance. Unsurprisingly, she still looked charming even when wearing his clothes. In fact, it made her look even more unique.
Tian Yang avoided commenting on her new look fearing that it might offend her.
"Let's keep moving. I'd like to reach a city before it gets dark if possible."
The two of them picked up their pace and began speeding through the land while Tian Yang continuously scanned their vicinity for any presence.
Several minutes later, they encountered a magical beast that resembled a turtle.
"Third level Spirit King… We're either near the Southern Stronghold or the Central Stronghold."
"Surely, it's the Southern Stronghold. We've used multiple lifetimes of bad luck just to get here. Surely, there can't be any left, right?" Huang Xiao Li muttered to herself.
The sky began darkening several hours later, yet they had not arrived at the city.
"It'll be too dangerous to keep moving at night, especially when magical beasts are most active during this time. Let's find a place to camp the night."
"Okay."
After looking around, they found a small cave that was somewhat isolated. However, there was only enough room for a single person to lie down.
"You can sleep. I'll keep watch." Tian Yang said to her.
"Are you sure? I think we can both get some sleep if we squeeze together."
"I'll be fine if you're worried. Somebody has to keep watch just in case we're attacked. I also had plenty of sleep on the island," he shook his head.
"If you say so…"
After a brief pause, she continued, "Don't go too far, okay?"
Tian Yang smiled, "I won't go anywhere."
"Thank you…"
Huang Xiao Li laid down and closed her eyes, but not before holding onto Tian Yang's robes as insurance.
Within seconds, she fell into a deep sleep.
Tian Yang stared at her sleeping face and sighed inwardly, 'Our journey here may have been rough, but things probably won't get any easier from this point…'
Once he had his full with Huang Xiao Li's sleeping face, Tian Yang spent the rest of the night focused on their surroundings.
Sometime later, Huang Xiao Li slowly woke up from her sleep.
When she attempted to stretch, she found herself unable to do so, and the reality of her current situation quickly rushed back to her.
"Tian Yang?! Are you there?!" she started shouting for him even before she fully opened her eyes.
"Calm down, I am here." Tian Yang quickly responded.
Huang Xiao Li heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing his face.
He then gestured toward her hand, which still tightly clung to his robes.
"With such a strong grip on me, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere even if wanted to," he joked.
Huang Xiao Li immediately released his robe and became flustered.
"I-I didn't know…"
"Anyways, I hope you had a good sleep."
She nodded, "Yes, I feel very refreshed, almost as if I slept for ages."
"I mean, you did sleep for four days straight," he casually said, revealing this shocking information to her.
"I did what?!" Huang Xiao Li exclaimed in a shocked voice.
"Are you serious?! Or are you joking?! Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"I tried—honestly. But you just wouldn't wake up no matter how much I tried to wake you up, so I gave up."
"T-That can't be…" Huang Xiao Li was in disbelief.
"Forget it. You can think about it as we move."
They immediately resumed their journey.
'I hope they are okay…' Huang Xiao Li prayed inwardly for her family's safety.
Over the next several days, Tian Yang and Huang Xiao Li wandered the Desolate Continent in search of a city, but they only encountered magical beasts.
They avoided almost every magical beast they encountered, but some of their encounters were unavoidable, forcing them to confront the magical beast. Luckily for them, these magical beasts were manageable for Tian Yang to take down alone.
"I'm sorry…" Huang Xiao Li suddenly muttered after their latest fight.
"What for?"
"You don't need to pretend. I know that I am useless— that I am nothing but a hindrance for you. I don't even have a way to repay you for everything you've done for me. I won't blame you if you want to leave me behind."
Hearing her words, Tian Yang gave her a slap on the back of the head, startling her.
"W-What are you doing?" she stared at him with a dazed face.
"Are you really saying that now? I would've long abandoned you if I were that type of person, and I am not doing this with the expectation of some reward. If you keep thinking about such dumb things, I'll really leave you behind."
"I-I won't! I will stop thinking about it! I swear!" she swore.
"Then let's keep moving."
"Okay!"
Huang Xiao Li quickly followed behind him, adorned with a radiant smile, her heart fluttering with a newfound feeling that she was experiencing for the first time.
