Little Li looked puzzled, tilting its head at Lu Qing with a look of confusion in its eyes, clearly not understanding his point.
Seeing this, Lu Qing pondered for a moment and continued, "I mean, is there any place nearby that feels different to you, perhaps more dangerous, or somewhere that feels particularly comfortable?"
This time, Little Li seemed to grasp some understanding.
It tilted its head, thought for a moment, then bit the corner of Lu Qing's robe and pointed in a certain direction.
Was there really such a place?
Continue your journey with empire
Lu Qing was startled.
He looked at Little Li's actions and asked, "Do you mean you want me to follow you there?"
The black little beast nodded.
"Is that place dangerous?"
If it was dangerous, he had no intention of going there.
It wouldn't be worth jeopardizing his own safety out of mere curiosity.
The black little beast shook its head.
Lu Qing thought it over and decided to trust Little Li's intuition.
"Alright, let's go then. Walk slowly; otherwise, I won't be able to keep up."
With that, Little Li hopped and skipped ahead, leading the way, while Lu Qing followed behind, channeling his Qi-Blood.
Although they were in the mountains, they moved at a decent speed, neither too fast nor too slow.
Soon, Lu Qing, following Little Li, arrived at a valley.
Seeing Little Li stop, Lu Qing asked.
Little Li nodded and gestured with its paw, indicating that this was the special place it had mentioned.
Lu Qing observed the surroundings and felt no apparent danger.
On the contrary, upon arriving here, he felt an overwhelming sense of relaxation and mental clarity, as if even his brain had become significantly clearer.
He was invigorated, realizing that they had indeed come to the right place.
Not to mention anything else, just the quality of the air that made his mind clearer and relaxed his body spoke volumes about the extraordinariness of this place.
Seeing Lu Qing standing motionless, Little Li, somewhat puzzled, tugged at his robe and then took the lead towards the valley.
Lu Qing hastened to follow.
As they entered the valley, Lu Qing was stunned.
He saw a valley vibrant with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers, with water bubbling through, a place bustling with life.
Inside and outside the valley seemed almost like two different worlds.
Little Li seemed quite familiar with this valley; as soon as they entered, it took Lu Qing straight through to the deeper part.
Upon reaching the end of the valley, there was a waterfall hanging in the middle of the valley, under which was a clear blue pond. The falling water splashed endlessly into the pond.
Little Li stood on a large rock in front of the waterfall, pointing at the waterfall and calling out to Lu Qing.
"You're saying there's something inside?"
Lu Qing looked at the waterfall in surprise.
The waterfall wasn't very big, and the curtain of water was thin. He soon noticed something peculiar.
Behind the water curtain, there indeed seemed to be a cave entrance.
"Aw—" Little Li called out again.
"Are you saying I should go in?" Lu Qing asked.
Lu Qing fell into deep thought.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Little Li, but blindly exploring a cave without knowing anything about it carried significant risk.
Not to mention, this valley already looked quite odd; who knew what could be inside the cave.
What if there was some strange creature inside, and he was just walking into a trap?
"Little Li, how about we go in together?" Lu Qing suggested after some thought.
Little Li, being a Red Light Spiritual Beast, was far stronger than him; having it by his side would greatly increase his sense of security.
Little Li immediately shook its head, looking at the water curtain with disdain.
Lu Qing then remembered that this creature naturally detested water. Apart from drinking, it absolutely refused to touch water any more than necessary.
Last time Little Li and Little Yan were playing at home, rolling around and getting covered in dust, Lu Qing wanted to give it a bath, but it almost tore the house down in protest.
He finally wiped it down hastily with a wet cloth.
Just like that, the little creature threw a tantrum and ignored Lu Qing for quite some time.
"It's okay, I'll carry you inside, and I won't let you get wet at all," Lu Qing said with a smile. "Besides, you want to know what's inside, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, Little Li showed a hesitant expression.
Seeing this, Lu Qing immediately laughed.
He knew that this guy hated water so much, he definitely hadn't been inside before.
And judging by its demeanor, there was clearly something inside that was attracting it.
Whatever could make water-hating Little Li so fixated must be extraordinary.
You should know, Little Li wouldn't even spare a glance at something like Century-old Ginseng.
"Don't worry, I'll wrap you with my clothes so your fur won't get wet at all," Lu Qing said.
Seeing Lu Qing's assurance, and coupled with the fact that things inside the cave really attracted it, Little Li struggled for a bit but eventually nodded reluctantly.
Seeing that the little guy finally agreed, Lu Qing immediately took off the Medicine Basket from his back and placed it on the nearby Da Shi.
Then he took off his outer garment and folded it into a nest shape.
Upon seeing this, Little Li immediately burrowed inside.
It didn't mind that the clothes carried Lu Qing's scent.
After all, at home, it slept in the same room with Little Yan and Lu Qing.
Its nest was even made from Lu Qing's old clothes, so it was already used to it.
Seeing Little Li burrow into the clothes, Lu Qing slung the War Saber on his back.
Yes, this time he had brought the War Saber with him into the mountains.
After all, aside from venomous insects and snakes, there might also be jackals and other ferocious animals, he couldn't possibly leave his handy weapon behind.
After securing the War Saber, and attaching the medicine hoe at his waist, Lu Qing then picked up Little Li, stepped back a few feet, and with an eruption of Qi and Blood Power, he sprinted and jumped towards the waterfall.
The moment his body touched the water curtain, Lu Qing bent his waist, curled up entirely, protecting Little Li within his arms, and rolled steadily to land behind the water curtain, into the cave entrance.
Upon entering the cave entrance, Lu Qing immediately drew the medicine hoe at his waist, ready for anything that might leap out.
However, luckily, it was only his over-imagination, nothing emerged from inside.
Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
Inevitably, he had seen too many movies in his past life where dangers burst out upon opening such secluded portals.
He definitely didn't want to experience that himself.
Feeling Lu Qing stop, Little Li poked its head out from his embrace.
"See, I told you I wouldn't get you wet."
Lu Qing checked and found that apart from his outer garment that got a little wet, Little Li wasn't damp at all.
On the contrary, it was he who now looked quite drenched.
However, Lu Qing didn't mind these; if he wanted, by stimulating the Qi and Blood within his body, he could dry the clothes in no time.
But currently, with the situation in the cave still unclear, he didn't want to waste his Qi and Blood Power on such trifles.
Little Li, realizing it indeed hadn't gotten wet, was very happy.
"Let's go, let's head in."
Lu Qing looked into the cave, couldn't make out anything, and sensing no danger, decided to go in.
After all, now that they were here, how could they not take a look?
He took out a fire lighter, lit it, and then carrying Little Li, walked slowly inside.
However, Lu Qing soon realized this was superfluous.
Within a few steps and after turning a bend, he found that the cave was gradually lighting up.
The cave walls on both sides, resembling stalactites, sparkled with an enchanting glow.
Looking at the fire lighter in his hand, Lu Qing chuckled, extinguished and tucked it away, and continued walking forward with Little Li.
Interestingly, although the cave entrance was located behind the waterfall, the cave itself wasn't damp at all but rather very dry.
This very much pleased Little Li, who climbed out from Lu Qing's embrace and resumed its position on his shoulder.
The cave was quite deep but not dark; the further they went, the brighter the phosphorescent glow from the cave walls.
Lu Qing also specifically used his Superpower to investigate and discovered that these were a unique type of luminescent mineral, harmless to the human body, before reassuredly continuing forward.
As they ventured deeper into the cave, Lu Qing also felt the continued clarity of mind he had been experiencing since entering the valley was getting stronger.
Even without Little Li's reminder, he vaguely sensed that something deep within the cave was mysteriously drawing him in.
Finally, after several twists and turns and a considerable walk, both man and beast felt the space ahead suddenly open up...
When Lu Qing saw the scene before him, he was stunned.