228 “My talent is to flee”
Luo Xiao quite liked flowers and plants, but his like was limited to those that were either without sentinent minds, or fearful of humans. He did not like the kind of plants that viewed human lifeforms like any other pray, and thus he could not help but curse below his breath, as he ignored the black dots in his vision and slowly rose to his feet.
Knowing that he had landed in the middle of a predatorial forest, filled with meat-eating plants, he did not try to rush away at the first moment possible.
The plants were slowly creeping towards him, but none of them had been rushing yet, so he was safe for at least a few more minutes. If he were to suddenly turn around and try to run away, then these few minutes might no longer be available.
Taking a deep breath, Luo Xiao calmed his mind and surveyed his surroundings. He noticed that the majority of the plants that surrounded him were acting slowly, but with a certain decisiveness.
All in all, it was as if they were set on capturing him as food, but needed to keep a certain low presense, as if wishing to avoid or hide from something else.
Knowing this did not make Luo Xiao less worried. If there was something that could make these plants hesitant, then it had to be much worse than them, and such a situation was not what he wanted.
However, since these plants did not wish to alert whatever they were hiding from, then he could use it to his advantage.
Looking at the various plants surrounding him, he located the thicket with the least plants and slowly moved his feet in that direction. He did not move quickly, just a little bit quicker than the vines and petals of the plants, but still with as much caution as he could bring.
None of his steps caused any sounds, and even though the plants appeared riled up by his actions, none of them dared to increase their speed, nor did they try to make any sounds on their own. Seeing this, Luo Xiao felt that he had found the right way to act.
One step after another, and Luo Xiao was moving further and further away from his original position, but the plants were equally stubborn and while the flowers relying on their pistil and petals to eat had to give up, the vines were still following him as he moved.
Luo Xiao took a look behind, only to see that the forest was seemingly endless, and he could not help but wonder if there was some other solution to the current problem. Unfortunately, none of the treasures he had in hand were suitable to sacrifice for enough peace to move on.
“Hey, where is this?” Just as Luo Xiao thought he was about to struggle with the many plants, another voice suddenly reverberated between the old trees, shattering the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere that both the plants and Luo Xiao had tried to uphold.
Hearing the voice, Luo Xiao clearly noticed the jolt that went through the many plants, and how the many vines rapidly retracted again, even ignoring his presence, and the new people that had arrived.
Knowing that even the plants were quick to retreat, Luo Xiao no longer hesitated and quickened his pace. He chose to run in the direction of the voice, as these people had managed to reach this far into the forest, but were still alive, so the path they had taken before was likely to be secure.
It only took Luo Xiao a few steps before he reached the origin of the voice. A duo of two young men were moving in his direction, both of which were somewhat alert, but not more than ordinary, and completely unaware of the area they were about to enter.
The reason for the outburst was the teeth that had been spotted on the pistil of one of the flowers, but he did not feel the danger or threat by these smaller plants, so he had been unable to help exclaiming.
Their wake was filled with broken branches and bent twigs, so it was not hard for Luo Xiao to guess the path they had taken, and he rushed in this specific direction.
“Turn around. Danger ahead.” There was no time to give a detailed explanation, and Luo Xiao was not a Qi cultivator, so his physical strength and stamina was less than those cultivators. To him, he needed to focus his energy on fleeing, so mentioning the danger ahead was merely his repayment for them helping him out of a sticky situation. As for whether or not they wanted to listen to him, that was none of his concern.
However, the two seemed to believe him without any doubt. Both of them turned around on the sole of their feet, and each of them took one of his arms under their own and suddenly sped up. The speed with which they were fleeing was suddenly doubled many times over.
Luo Xiao, who no longer had to run on his own, but was being hoisted up in the arms by two strangers, was completely lost for words. So, he had fled the carnivorous plants, but had been kidnapped by his rescuers instead? He was somewhat intrigued and confused, but the rapid retreat was much better for him, so he happily accepted their goodwill.
pAnDa (nov)e1 It was not before the trio had left the forest behind that the two strange young men stopped their retreat and placed Luo Xiao on the ground.
“Thank you for your warning. We have encountered lots of dangers already, so your willingness to warn us was a great change. Our only skill is fleeing and running, so we wanted to repay you by taking you alongside.”