"Oh, right, trees are most afraid of fire. How did I not think of that?"
Leng Ruo Li was instantly enlightened by Ming Jiu Xiao. She then took out two bottles of alcohol from her sleeve pocket, poured them at the roots of the giant tree on the other side, and lit them with a lighter. The towering tree immediately erupted in fierce flames.
The vines that had entangled Xing'er and Ye Er gradually loosened, and then, as if startled, the vines quickly retreated. Xing'er and Ye Er were also rescued by Leng Ruo Li and the others.
Next, the Cold King and his consort covered their rear, while the others, supporting the unconscious Xing'er and Ye Er, quickly left the arboreal forest.
After everyone had run far ahead, the Cold King and his consort, to avoid starting a forest fire, found a way to extinguish the fire at the base of the large tree. However, the roots of the man-eating vine had been severely damaged, and it was estimated that after this ordeal, it would take a long time for it to recover its strength, and it would not be able to harm anyone for a while.
After extinguishing the fire, the Cold King and his consort quickly caught up with the main group and left the arboreal forest.
After escaping the arboreal forest, they stepped onto a large grassland, covered with densely packed, colorful wildflowers, which made the lush green grassland even more beautiful.
The next moment, Leng Ruo Li instructed Ye Ying and Yin Chen to lay the still unconscious Xing'er and Ye Er flat on the ground. Leng Ruo Li squatted down and carefully examined their bodies. After her careful pulse-taking, she discovered that Xing'er and Ye Er were not only affected by the soporific liquid from the vines but had also lost a lot of blood. However, she couldn't find any large bloodstains on their clothes, which made Leng Ruo Li feel a little strange.
However, after Leng Ruo Li's careful observation, she noticed many small holes in the clothes of Xing'er and Ye Er. Leng Ruo Li speculated that the small holes in their clothes were caused by thin vines.
To check if they were injured under their clothes, Leng Ruo Li first examined Xing'er. She asked the men to turn their backs and then asked Ling'er to help her remove Xing'er's top.
As soon as Xing'er's top was removed, Leng Ruo Li and Ling'er saw many small red holes on Xing'er's chest and back. Leng Ruo Li guessed that the holes on Xing'er's body were caused when she was entangled by the vines. The man-eating vine must have wanted to absorb Xing'er and Ye Er's blood, which was why it entangled them instead of killing them directly.
Fortunately, the soporific liquid from the man-eating vine was not a poison, and could only render people unconscious. This was truly fortunate for Xing'er and Ye Er.
Next, Leng Ruo Li took out some simple medical supplies from her sleeve pocket, treated Xing'er's wounds, applied medicine, and bandaged her injuries. Afterward, Leng Ruo Li took out a clean set of clothes from her personal space and, with Ling'er's help, dressed Xing'er neatly.
Then, Leng Ruo Li treated Ye Er's wounds. His condition was the same as Xing'er's; he also had many small blood holes. However, with her previous experience in handling such situations, Leng Ruo Li found it much easier to treat Ye Er's small blood holes the second time.
After Leng Ruo Li finished treating Xing'er and Ling'er's wounds, she took out two pills to replenish blood and energy and fed them to the two injured individuals. She then asked several men to take turns supporting Xing'er and Ye Er as they walked.
After walking for a while, they found a river near the grassland.
So, Leng Ruo Li and her group followed the river upstream, and eventually, they heard the sound of a waterfall in the distance.
The group excitedly ran towards the source of the waterfall's sound.
Not long after they ran, they saw a majestic waterfall, as if descending from the heavens, rushing down like a swooping eagle. The immense sound was like the roar of a furious lion, deafening.
"Your Highness, Your Consort, we've finally found the waterfall!"
The group shouted joyfully beneath the waterfall.
However, Leng Ruo Li was not very happy. They had found the waterfall, but there was no sign of the small thatched hut depicted on the map drawn by Master Shui and Master Xie.
Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li asked everyone to search separately near the waterfall for the small thatched hut. They searched for a long time but found nothing. To their surprise, Ling'er spotted it in a thicket behind a large banyan tree.
"Your Consort, quickly come and see. Is this the thatched hut we're looking for?"
Ling'er pointed excitedly at the thicket.
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li rushed to Ling'er's side. The others, hearing Ling'er's words, also hurried towards her. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the thicket. A small thatched hut, slightly taller than a person, was hidden within the thicket. However, the area around the hut was very clean, with no moss or overgrown weeds.
"Li'er, let me go in first to check if this small thatched hut is safe, then you can lead everyone in," Jun Mo Han, standing beside Leng Ruo Li, suddenly said.
"No, if you're going in, we're going in together."
As Leng Ruo Li finished speaking, she was about to step into the small thatched hut, but Leng Ruo Rui and Ming Jiu Xiao had already stepped inside.
After they entered, there was no sound from them. The Cold King and his consort did not wait outside; they also entered the small thatched hut one after another.
After they entered the small thatched hut, they saw a shocking sight: the interior of the hut was a very spacious cave. Two luminous pearls were placed in the grooves on both sides of the cave wall for illumination. At the end of the cave was a round opening, with the waterfall acting as a curtain.
"Li'er, this should be the cave that Master Shui drew. I guess the area outside this round opening with the waterfall curtain is the sea," Leng Ruo Rui said after a moment of thought.
"If the area outside this waterfall curtain is indeed the sea, then we need to check the situation outside before letting everyone follow," Leng Ruo Li said seriously.
"Then, let me scout ahead this time," Leng Ruo Rui said with determination, glancing at Leng Jin Yu and Shui Yi, who had just entered the cave.
Leng Ruo Li was about to refuse Leng Ruo Rui when Ming Jiu Xiao interrupted her.
"No, no, no, Brother Leng, let me, Ming Jiu Xiao, go. My water skills are good, and my martial arts are also top-notch among everyone here."
"You? Your bright red clothes are too conspicuous. If there's someone outside..."
Leng Ruo Rui immediately gave two reasons to refuse him.
"Brother, neither of you should argue. I will go with the King because I have two treasures that will allow us to stay in the seawater for a long time without danger. So, let me go with the King this time," Leng Ruo Li said calmly.
"Rui'er, you should let Li'er and the King go and scout ahead. They have things to protect them, which can put our minds at ease," Leng Jin Yu said this not because he favored men over women and therefore didn't worry about Leng Ruo Li's safety, but because he understood his daughter's heaven-defying abilities.
Although Leng Ruo Rui initially wanted to say something more, he saw Leng Jin Yu nod to him repeatedly. After that, he agreed to let the Cold King and his consort scout ahead.