Qingluan lifted her chin and said, "If you think this place isn't good, I'll give you another chance to choose a different spot."

Song Xiaodong grinned and said, "You're right, we should find a nice place where we can talk about love, and you can find a good spot to kill me."

Qingluan snorted and said, "Then let's go!"

Song Xiaodong looked around and said, "These mountains are endless, let's just wander around. You're not in a hurry, are you?"

"Hmph, I'm warning you, don't even think about running away again. I won't give you another chance."

"Come on." Song Xiaodong beckoned and began running down the mountain.

Qingluan immediately followed behind Song Xiaodong, with less than two meters between them.

Song Xiaodong didn't look back and said, "If I knew we were going out into the wilderness again, I should have brought some salt, otherwise whatever we cook will be tasteless, and you won't like it."

Qingluan said, "You still think about food at a time like this?"

"Of course, even if you kill me, you still need to eat, right? Before you kill me, I should let you taste some wild game. There are quite a few wolves and bears here, which are protected animals, so we shouldn't kill them randomly. But there are plenty of wild rabbits and mountain chickens; secretly eating a couple shouldn't be a big problem."

Qingluan said, "Aren't you a man of principle? Can you really do such a thing as killing wild animals?"

"Haha, people need to learn to be adaptable." Song Xiaodong laughed heartily and continued walking forward calmly.

Qingluan looked at Song Xiaodong's back; if she suddenly attacked, he would definitely not escape. Yet he willingly left his back exposed to her without any defense.

This made Qingluan's heart feel conflicted; was he giving up or confident she wouldn't kill him?

"Aren't you afraid I'll suddenly kill you?" Qingluan couldn't resist her curiosity and asked directly.

"Do whatever you want. You're going to kill me anyway. I don't have the skill to save my life, so instead of worrying, I'd rather not think about it. If you slap me to death from behind, I won't feel anything; that's actually more comfortable."

"Hmph, if you want to die so easily, it's not going to happen. I will definitely kill you face-to-face." Qingluan snorted, feeling a bit sad.

They continued downward, soon reaching the valley floor, but Song Xiaodong didn't stop and continued deeper into the mountains.

Qingluan followed Song Xiaodong, not stopping him, walking through ridge after ridge into the deeper mountains.

The mountains were equally desolate, hardly any tall trees, mostly shrubs due to the poor soil, only a thin layer of earth, making it difficult for tall trees to grow.

There were no signs of humans at all, no paths walked by people, but there were trails made by wild animals.

Finally, Song Xiaodong stopped in a valley and said, "Let's rest here, you relax while I get us something to eat."

"You're not up to something again, are you?" Qingluan looked at Song Xiaodong warily.

"Are you afraid of me?" Song Xiaodong asked with a smile.

"Hmph, afraid of you?" Qingluan raised an eyebrow, found a large rock, swept her sleeve across to clear away the dust, and sat right down.

Song Xiaodong said, "Wait for me, today we're going to eat well."

Qingluan watched Song Xiaodong dive into the shrubbery, saying, "You better not try to run, or next time I might go after one of your wives."

"No problem." Song Xiaodong called back before disappearing.

In less than half an hour, Song Xiaodong returned with some wild game in hand, saying, "You gather some dry wood while I gut and clean these; such tasks aren't suited for a girl like you."

"You want me to gather dry wood?" Qingluan frowned slightly.

"Of course, unless you want to handle this." Song Xiaodong waved the wild game he held.

"Fine, I'll gather the dry wood." Qingluan gave Song Xiaodong a sidelong look and stood up.

Qingluan had never done such tasks; after gathering a bit, she muttered to herself, "That scoundrel actually called me a girl — hmph, I am the Princess of the Night Sect."

But she had to admit, being called a girl by Song Xiaodong gave her a sweet feeling inside.

They started a fire, and while Song Xiaodong roasted the wild game, he said, "Keep an eye on it; when roasting wild game, it needs to be turned constantly so the meat heats evenly and tastes better. Otherwise, it'll be half raw, half cooked—one side burnt and bitter, the other bloody and gamey."

"Oh." Qingluan nodded seriously, then glared at Song Xiaodong, "Why do I need to learn this?"

"Of course, you need to learn! What if you end up living in the wilderness again someday? If you don't master basic survival skills, it'll be tough!"

"If it weren't for wanting to kill you, would I be here in the wild?" Qingluan rolled her eyes at Song Xiaodong.

"In life, you never know what you'll face, so learning more is definitely beneficial. Here, give it a try." Song Xiaodong handed the wild game to Qingluan.

Qingluan hesitated only briefly, then took it and started turning the wild game in a quite competent manner.

"Slow down, slow down, you're turning it too fast, the wild game won't get heated." Song Xiaodong quickly advised.

"Now it's too slow."

"Come here, let me show you."

"That's right, just like that."

After a while, Qingluan suddenly felt something was off, turning her head to glare angrily at Song Xiaodong, saying, "Get away from me."

Without realizing it, Song Xiaodong had moved behind her, with his hands reaching around her waist, holding her wrists to help rotate the wild game.

What made Qingluan most embarrassed was that this had been happening for several minutes before she noticed.

"Hey, I'm just helping you out, where else will you find such a dedicated teacher?" Song Xiaodong didn't immediately let go of Qingluan.

"Go away!" Qingluan flushed with anger and embarrassment, elbowing Song Xiaodong in the chest, sending him flying.

"Ouch!" Song Xiaodong fell to the ground, clutching his chest, looked aggrieved and said, "Hey, how could you hit me? I was just trying to help."

"Hmph, consider this a warning; next time, I won't be so gentle."

Though it looked like Song Xiaodong was sent flying, Qingluan had only used a pushing force. If she had hit him directly, his chest bones could have been broken.

Song Xiaodong got up, wobbly, and sat down next to Qingluan, saying, "Ah, Qingluan, you're really hard to please."

"Then stay away from me." Qingluan retorted but didn't actually make him leave.

After a silent pause, Qingluan asked, "Is it almost ready?"

"Just a little more; let me reduce the fire a bit to make it taste better when cooked." Song Xiaodong withdrew some wood from the fire.

A while later, the wild game was finally cooked. Qingluan tossed a skewer to Song Xiaodong, but watched him, not eating herself.

Despite her aloof demeanor, Qingluan felt like a little girl inside, worried her cooking might not be good, awaiting Song Xiaodong's verdict, even afraid to try it herself first.

As she watched Song Xiaodong tear a piece of meat to taste, Qingluan's heart unexpectedly raced with a bit of nervous anticipation.

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