"What is 'Miasma Grass'?"
Shen Qingqing, tired of squatting, found a clean spot to sit. The moment her backside touched the ground, her wrist was suddenly grabbed and gently pulled upwards.
She remained seated, unwilling to get up. "I'm tired, let me sit for a bit."
Fu Jingshu frowned. "The ground is cold."
"It's fine, just for a moment." Not only did she sit herself, but she also pulled Shen Qingqing down with her. "Miasma Grass is a poisonous herb that even poisonous insects try their best to avoid upon smelling it. It's harmless to humans, but a complete bane to these insects."
Fu Jingshu nodded, still wanting to pull her up. "The ground is cold, it's bad for your health."
Shen Qingqing didn't move. "It's fine."
Fu Jingshu pursed his lips and glanced at the poisonous insect she was fiddling with, which was remarkably docile in her grasp. Frankly, it was an ugly creature.
Yet, in her hands, it was obedient, unmoving.
If it weren't for the occasional twitch of its antennae and tail, one might have thought it was dead.
"Aren't you afraid?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Afraid of what? These aren't scary, they're just ugly."
Shen Qingqing was indifferent.
Since she wouldn't get up, Fu Jingshu had no choice but to pull her into his arms. "Why aren't you afraid?"
Most girls would scream in terror at the sight of such a creature, but she was an exception.
However, in his eyes now, this exception wasn't a good thing; it only made him feel a pang of heartache.
"I was scared at first."
Shen Qingqing was not stingy about sharing her past. The first time she encountered insects was when she went to see the old man.
The old man was mischievous and deliberately used insects to scare her.
She was so frightened that her face turned ashen.
The old man was delighted, laughing heartily, and mocking her, "You little girl, you're too timid. With such a tiny bit of courage, you dare to come to me to learn about poisons?"
Shen Qingqing was stunned at that moment.
She had been brought by King and had no prior mention of learning about poisons. She waited for King, and he merely rubbed his nose without an explanation.
Shen Qingqing was furious then and retorted to the old man, "I won't learn from you!"
The old man was displeased. "You don't want to learn, but I insist on teaching you!"
Shen Qingqing was almost driven mad by anger at that time.
But the old man, true to his word, began to teach. Coupled with King's presence, she had no room to resist.
As they spent more time together, she came to understand that the old man's temperament was unpredictable, and despite being called an elder, he was like a child.
She later realized that her mistake was saying "I won't learn" at that moment.
Fu Jingshu listened as she recounted experiences he had never been a part of. "Tell me about how you got along with them."
Shen Qingqing suddenly fell silent.
"It's nothing important, no need to talk about it."
As soon as the words left her lips, the arm holding her tightened slightly, and the warmth on her back seemed to send electric currents through her skin.
The corner of her mouth curved upwards. "That's all in the past. I never look back."
Because she couldn't go back, looking back was meaningless.
Fu Jingshu hadn't expected her to be so unburdened, but it made him even more curious about her past. "Just tell me. You don't look back, but I want to."
"What's the use of looking back..."
Shen Qingqing said softly.
A large hand cupped the back of her head, and he lowered his head to kiss her forehead lightly. "I imagine it wasn't a pleasant experience."
"It was just learning." Shen Qingqing tried to gloss over it with a few words. "Learning is always hard."
Fu Jingshu didn't press further.
But he knew in his heart that learning about poisons was different from learning other things, especially with the old man's temperament; his eyes would turn green at the sight of poisonous insects.
He must have had many poisonous insects in his possession. For a young girl, facing such things...
How long would it take for her to become so composed?
Fu Jingshu tightened his grip, unable to think further. If he continued, he would lose control of the rage within him. Even though he knew it was in the past, he was still angry.
Angry at himself for not being able to help her, to protect her.
Just as everyone was observing their surroundings, Shen Qingqing gathered a pile of poisonous insects and, with them, returned to the camp with the others.
Mr. Z was overjoyed to hear that the place was habitable and immediately called Pei Ji to discuss.
Shen Qingqing had no interest in this and handed a handful of poisonous insects to the old man. The old man was so happy he almost jumped for joy upon seeing them.
"They're all alive!"
A single dead bloodworm before was enough for him to study for a long time. Finding a live one back then was like finding a treasure.
Now, with so many different kinds of poisonous insects, he was overjoyed.
Shen Qingqing smiled. "I knew you'd like them. If I see any others, I'll catch them for you. You study them well; the insects here are even more venomous than those in the city."
"Naturally. Otherwise, I wouldn't treasure them so much."
The old man truly loved these things. With these insects, he was content and cared for nothing else. He held the insects and quietly went off to study them alone.
She shook her head and turned away.
On the way back with Fu Jingshu, whether it was an illusion or not, everyone's gaze seemed even stranger.
She asked Fu Jingshu, "Is there something strange on my face?"
"No."
His gaze swept around. Wherever his eyes landed, no one dared to meet his gaze; everyone averted their eyes.
Shen Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle.
Only he could leave such a deep impression on people, making everyone behave with just a single look.
The next day, everyone woke up early. Today, they were migrating. Before leaving, everyone took stock of their existing food.
Mushrooms, bread, sausage, and the like.
Not much, but enough to last one day.
"On the way to the river, we'll pass through an orchard. We can pick more fruit then."
No one was worried about this. Even if they couldn't find meat for now, fruit could sustain them temporarily.
Everyone was filled with anticipation as they set off.
After all, there was a clean water source!
This was something they had dreamed of since landing.
After a two-hour journey, they finally reached the riverbank.
Everyone was quite exhausted. They cooked the remaining mushrooms, ate their fill, and then prepared to rest on a mountainside not far from the river.
After resting for a while, Mr. Z stood up. "Everyone has rested enough. Gather up. We still need to find food, or we won't have anything for breakfast tomorrow."
"During my previous reconnaissance, I discovered some animal tracks nearby," Fu Jingshu said calmly.
"Could it be some wild beasts?"
"Large wild beasts, yes." Fu Jingshu remembered the massive deer tracks.
Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.
Fu Jingshu added calmly, "However, based on the tracks, they seem to only inhabit the southeast area and haven't come here."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Aisen mumbled, "I told you it would be fine. You made it sound so scary..."
Shen Qingqing glanced at him, and he immediately fell silent.
This time, Shen Qingqing followed behind Pei Ji, who was leading the expedition. Fu Jingshu initially wanted to go along, but Shen Qingqing disagreed.
She insisted he rest.
Fu Jingshu could never refuse her and had to agree, watching her leave.
For some reason, as he watched her graceful retreating figure, an unsettling feeling lingered in his heart, a feeling he couldn't quite describe.
He took a step forward. "Qingqing."
Shen Qingqing stopped and turned back, looking at him with clear, bright eyes. "Yes?"
"It's nothing. Be careful."
Fu Jingshu's eyes were deep, as if filled with unspoken, complex thoughts. Shen Qingqing tilted her head slightly.
"Okay, wait for me to come back."