After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

After leveling up, Lin Da and his companions were all in peak condition, as though they had had a good meal and a proper warm-up.

In contrast, Hu Er—according to Lia, the fox wasn't lightly injured. It must be true, or it would have attacked already.

The reason Lin Da could be certain was due to his skill, the "Eye of Truth."

Above Hu Er's head, a red -1 appeared every few seconds.

Hu Er was indeed in an injured state.

The only uncertainty was whether, after half a month, Hu Er's injuries had grown worse or lessened since Lia saw it.

If it's the former, Lin Da and his group had the upper hand.

If it's the latter... the danger was on their side now.

Lin Da thought to himself that to kill a Moon rank adventurer, he was lacking a decisive trump card.

The Battle Qi Twin Wings that allowed Moon rank to soar were too big an advantage.

Once Hu Er realized it was losing and decided to flee, Lin Da could only watch it fly away.

Determining Hu Er's true physical condition was the top priority.

Lin Da moved closer to Hu Er, partially to bluff and partially to scout at close range.

Just as he was about to approach within a ten-meter radius.

"Ahaha, I just remembered I have rice cooking at home that I need to check on, so I won't stay and chat with you guys. Bye-bye, let's have hotpot together sometime. Eating hotpot in a "Cold wave" weather is the best."

Hu Er slapped its head as if remembering something urgent, waved at Lin Da with a laugh, and spread its Battle Qi Twin Wings to fly into the sky.

Lin Da called out, "If you want to eat hotpot, come to our side, the more the merrier."
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"Definitely next time!"

Hu Er called back.

Watching the figure disappear into the horizon, Lin Da's eyebrows furrowed bit by bit.

He didn't rashly conclude that "Hu Er must be seriously injured and we're sure to win" in case Hu Er was feigning weakness. Was it putting on a show? Perhaps it wasn't just him...

"Moon rank, Moon rank ah..."

Lin Da glanced at Tasya.

That fervent gaze made Tasya slightly embarrassed.

In fact, what Lin Da was considering was how to infuse Tasya with Diamonds.

But without a way out of the Great Mystery Continent, even a multitude of Diamonds was mere nonsense.

Others might lack rice for cooking, but Lin Da had a belly full of rice and no pot.

That was truly awkward.

"You're just going to let that bootlicker go? That's not okay!"

Lia pointed angrily at the fruit tree, which was now pockmarked and incomplete like crops gnawed by pests, and said, "Why should he take away so much without doing anything? It's not fair!"

Lin Da had already calmed down and shook his head, "Life is full of unfair things. I got used to it while I was with Snow Goose."

"Huh?"

Lia was astounded.

How did the blame end up on her?

Afterwards, the three of them harvested fruits together and counted their gains.

Fifty in the ring and forty-one new ones.

Less than expected, but barely sufficient.

Lin Da's concern was that Hu Er might have regained full Battle Qi after consuming the Dark Tree Fruit.

That would be very troublesome.

As Lin Da picked fruits, he pondered how to take down Hu Er with a startling and impressive move.

Could they rely on Lia's newly mastered Ultimate Skill, the Starfire Airstream Slash?

It probably wouldn't be enough. Moon rank adventurers were not so easy to defeat, even an injured one.

To ensure the slow-activating "Ultimate Move" could hit Hu Er, Lin Da also had to conceal the Forest Dragon's Rage Fang.

Once its binding effect was revealed, it would surely make Hu Er cautious.

The magic scroll "Super*Charge" seemed destined to be used by Lia, who had the highest burst potential.

Were these two cards enough?

Lin Da asked himself.

If it were a game, he felt they would suffice.

The rest was up to execution.

In this vivid reality, however, he believed they still needed one more decisive card!

Lin Da circled around Tasya and Lia with a tense brow.

Their scrutinizing look made them feel uneasy.

"Wind and fire could be worth a try..."

Lin Da murmured to himself.

After picking the fruits, they took a long walk through the forest to make sure Hu Er wasn't following them before heading back to their dwelling.

...

Five days later, at noon.

In Lin Da's cave, lunch had just been prepared and the three of them sat down around a stone round table.

The main dish was a pot of pork stewed with cabbage, and each had a bowl of wild vegetable soup.

Unlike usual, Lin Da had hurriedly ground two extra stone bowls the night before, asked Tasya to serve the dishes properly, and prepared two additional seats.

Another stone bed was made, complete with bedding and tableware.

Apart from the common combat training the trio undertook, Lin Da spent the rest of the time on these preparations.

"Isn't this a waste of food?" Lia asked from across the table, not understanding the purpose.

Lin Da didn't respond but asked in return, "How well did you and Tasya get along in the practice?"

"It's, it's okay," Lia stopped talking.

Tasya wore a look of apology: "Master, I really can't get along with her."

"Even if you don't get along, you have to work on it. Didn't I tell you to hold hands and sleep together at night to build rapport and break barriers? Did you do it?"

Lin Da said, with a hint of a headache.

Tasya remained silent.

"We won't be able to develop a Fusion Finishing Skill at this rate," Lin Da sighed.

The last card missing to fight Hu Er was the Fusion Finishing Skill of wind and fire.

Fire augmented by wind would yield a force greater than the sum of its parts.

Combined with his magic scroll "Super*Charge," it would catch Hu Er off guard.

But the rapport between Tasya and Lia was too weak.

Forget about fusion, not causing a Battle Qi explosion that injures them internally would be good enough.

For this reason, Lin Da needed to launch an "ice-breaking operation" to break down the barriers between their hearts.

Sharing a bed, skin-to-skin contact, holding hands and falling asleep together...

But both of them were extremely resistant to the idea.

"Do you understand the seriousness of the situation?"

Lin Da put down his chopsticks and looked at Lia and Tasya with a serious face.

Lia said, "I really can't do that kind of thing, but I will train hard to merge our Battle Qi with Tasya as soon as possible."

"Me too," Tasya nodded.

"Sigh, let's eat first—"

No sooner had Lin Da finished speaking than he heard a soft, ambiguous laugh.

"Hehehe, so you're here. You've given me quite the runaround."

The camouflage curtain made of vines was lifted.

An orange fox, with a bamboo basket full of fruits in the crook of its arm, dressed in a loose-fitting adventurer outfit, strolled into the cave with a beaming smile as if visiting a neighbor.

The chatter abruptly stopped.

Tasya stood up.

Lia took out the Phoenix Feather Sword from her ring.

The casual mealtime was instantly shattered.

The air seemed to grow heavy.

At this moment, Lin Da held back the two and said calmly, "If I had known Mr. Hu Er was coming, I would have prepared an extra set of tableware."

Hu Er squinted his eyes, took a look around, and noticed the additional sets of tableware with wild vegetable soup, his heart skipping a beat.

Was Lin Da that day not just bluffing, did he really have backup?

"Captain Lin Da guessed that we'd have a guest today? The title of the Eye of True Knowledge is well-deserved."

"I'm not that capable; it's all rumors from the outside," Lin Da shook his head. "Lulu and Monica went to pick fruits and haven't come back yet."

"Lucky you, to be able to find all your scattered teammates in a closed Mystic Realm," Hu Er said with a half-smile, half-smirk, putting down the fruit basket. "Aren't you going to invite me to sit, Captain Lin Da?"

"Who do you think you are, don't push your luck, get lost!" Lia glared furiously. "You stole over a hundred Colored Tree Fruits from us and you're returning these ordinary fruits? Take your basket and scram!"

"But I also put in the effort," Hu Er replied with an aggrieved look.

With an expressionless face, Tasya pulled out a stone chair and served Hu Er some wild vegetable soup, her voice flat, "Please have a seat."

"Thanks." Hu Er casually sat down on the stone chair, rubbing his belly with emotion, "It's been a long time since I had food with warmth. Did Captain Lin Da make all this? If I were a girl, I'd definitely fall for you."

Lin Da seemed to forget his hatred for Hu Er and said with a faint smile, "The native wild vegetables from the closed Mystic Realm would be worth dozens of Gold Coins outside. Come, give it a try."

"Then I shall not stand on ceremony."

While pretending to be relaxed, Hu Er kept a wary eye on Tasya and Lia to his sides, took a big gulp of the wild vegetable soup, took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and praised, "Excellent cooking, I like Captain Lin Da even more now."

"You're a fraud," Lia said with a cold laugh, hands on her hips. "The last time we met, you said your favorite was me, and now it's Lin Da?"

"If I may be so bold," Hu Er smiled. "Miss Lia's charm, indeed, doesn't compare to Lin Da's."

"You...!"

Lia's face instantly heated up in anger, and she raised her Great Sword to strike at Hu Er.

"Hold on, Mr. Hu Er is a guest," Lin Da said. "Although we had some grievances in the past, within the enclosed Great Mystery Continent, we should fight side by side and overcome difficulties together."

"Hehe, yes, I get along with Captain Lin Da," Hu Er replied with a light tone, but a drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he couldn't help but notice the two empty sets of utensils on the table.

If it had been just Lin Da and the other two, even if he had been injured by Witch Bai Mian, he would still be confident of gaining the upper hand, or at the very least, he could escape using Battle Qi Twin Wings.

But with the addition of two more Star Rank on Lin Da's side, Hu Er felt the pressure was quite intense.

Ordinary Star Rank was one thing, but as far as he knew, whether it was Lin Da, Tasya, or Lia, they were all exceptionally outstanding adventurers among their ranks.

Hu Er took a few sips of the wild vegetable soup, his mind growing increasingly restless.

"I still need to collect water; I won't bother you any longer. Lin Da, let's get in touch some other day," Hu Er said as he stood up.

"Is there anything more important than this meal? Hu Er, you're not trying to disrespect me, are you?"

Lin Da's face darkened, and with a smack, he slapped his chopsticks on the table.

Hu Er was taken aback, his feigned smile cracking as his eyes glared coldly at Lin Da.

This gave Lia quite a scare.

Hadn't Lin Da been quite polite and seemingly afraid of Hu Er just a moment ago? How had he turned hostile in the blink of an eye?

If they really started fighting, it would be her side that would suffer.

Lia, who not long ago had considered slashing Hu Er with her Great Sword, calmed down and thought so.

She secretly activated the Skills for Energy Charging, preparing for a possible instant confrontation.

But the scene that followed made Lia's head spin even more.

After a moment of standoff, a smile returned to the fox's face.

Hu Er rubbed his hands, his expression becoming somewhat ingratiating.

"Captain Lin Da, I truly don't mean to disrespect you; the next time I visit, I'll definitely hold a barrel of Wheat Beer as punishment! There is an injured adventurer at my home who needs my attention for treatment," Hu Er earnestly said.

"Today, I'll leave behind five Dark Tree Fruits to make my apologies to you," Hu Er continued with sincerity.

"Is my face worth only five tree fruits?" Lin Da said resoundingly.

He pressed Hu Er remorselessly, as if a superior punishing a subordinate who had erred.

'Why has Lin Da become so arrogant?' Lia wondered, scratching her head so hard in confusion that it hurt.

Why would Moon Rank Hu Er be scared of Lin Da?

Lin Da wasn't even wearing the Verdant Shield; what if Hu Er used a Finishing Skill at close range, wouldn't that be terrible?

And Tasya appeared even more arrogant, subtly blocking the cave's exit, as if intending to forcibly keep Hu Er.

So, what's going on with you two?

Did you acquire some kind of Ultimate Weapon unknown to this Miss?

That's what Lia thought...

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, and her eyes began to gleam.

That's it!

"Wahaha! Hu Er, today is your day of reckoning; kneel down and apologize to this Miss already!"