Fei Lezhi, who was waiting anxiously outside, saw that the tent shook violently with a bang, and there was a big ball protruding under the cloth of the tent as if it had been pushed in the middle by something. The whole tent almost fell down. Duoduo barked, but the sound was unlike an ordinary dog barking, and more like a sharp whimper. The dog was shivering with its tail between its legs, which showed its fear.
No, it couldnât be a venomous snake. It might be a big beast. Fei Lezhi almost stopped breathing. He trembled and called out âBrother Weiâ twice, but didnât get a response. He grew even more flustered. What was it in the tent? How was Wei Xun now?
âYou take Xu Yang and inch backwardsââIf the situation is really bad, look for Big Brother Ji.â
âIâll help Brother Wei!â
Fei Lezhi gritted his teeth, picked up a stone, and walked to the tent step by step. At the moment, he was very clear-minded. When he had been shouting just now, Fei Lezhi had also hoped that the veteran tourists who heard him would provide them assistance. However, Fei Lezhi saw the tents that were close to them were initially lit up, but after hearing his shouts, the people inside turned the lights off right away. The surroundings became dark and silent.
Only Lin Qiming, who was at the tour guideâs tent and was dressed disorderly, peeked half of his naked body out and asked him impatiently why he was shouting at night. Fei Lezhi ignored his shout right away. He was not stupid. Knowing IV-1âs disgusting intentions towards Wei Xun, heâd never thought of asking the tour guide for help. He only felt that this situation made his heart feel extraordinarily cold.
It was at this moment that he clearly realized that no one would mutually help each other on tours. There was no enthusiasm and kindness in this tour, and people only cared about themselves. Wei Xun couldnât die and he couldnât meet with an accident, because no one else would care about them, the newcomers. Fei Lezhi was very deeply aware that they, the newcomers, could only stick together and save themselves.
No one would help them. Without Wei Xun, their group would fall apart and they would be slaughtered by the others.
As Fei Lezhi drew closer to the tent, he found that a corner of the originally built tent had completely collapsed. The surroundings around the tent were quiet. There were no sounds of fighting, the roaring of beasts, or the biting of flesh and blood. This might be good news. Fei Lezhi had a flashlight, but he didnât dare to turn it on. He was afraid of disturbing the beast in the tent and causing Wei Xun to get hurt because of his actions.
âBrother Wei?â
He walked around the tent carefully, making his footsteps as light as possible as he held his breath. He quietly called out to Wei Xun, trying to judge the locations of Wei Xun and the beast. Just then, a vague murmur came from the tentââIt was Brother Wei! At this moment, Fei Lezhi was both surprised and delighted. Brother Wei was still alive! The sound came from a corner of the collapsed tent. Fei Lezhi clenched the stone in his hand and approached carefully.
âBrother Wei, let me help you. Hold on!â
Wei Xun has just struggled out from underneath the snow leopard. Animals in the highlands had thick and soft fur to keep out the cold. Of course, the snow leopard was no exception. Wei Xun seemed to be wrapped in a big plush blanket. It was so airtight that heâd almost suffocated. If normal people were âattackedâ in this way, they might be scared and stab the snow leopard with a knife reflexively, but Wei Xun thoughtââ
This is a good chance to steal blood!
Although the snow leopard didnât seem to feel very hostile towards him throughout the time they had interacted, it was obviously vicious and hard to approach. Wei Xun finally had the chance to have close contact with the leopard. Wei Xun would not be âWei Xunâ if he missed this chance to steal blood. However, although the idea was very good, it was very difficult to execute. In particular, the snow leopard kept making trouble for himâas seen when it tried to hide Wei Xun under its stomach. That flexible big tail seemed to be alive, and it straightforwardly circled around Wei Xunâs waist and pulled him down.
Wei Xun felt that it was funny as he struggled free. He even thought of something unimaginableââwas the snow leopard treating him as its cub? Wild animals would only share food with family members, and the action of the snow leopard hiding him under its stomach after being frightened was evidently a protective action.
Or did the snow leopard approach him because of the title âA Wild Beastâs Psycheâ? When the fox fairy possessed Wei Xun, things like pretending to turn into a ferret were just a disguise. In fact, he hadnât found any wild animals suitable for him to transform into. A Wild Beastâs Psyche could turn him into a wild animal, but it also needed Wei Xun to get close to the creature and master its habits.
Was it reasonable to say that the potential function of the title, A Wild Beastâs Psyche, should be to influence wild animals to be more willing to approach him and reduce their hostility?
âThe snow leopard may be a good animal form, with strong combat power, cold resistance, and high agility. The most important thing is that there happens to be a snow leopard on this tour,â Wei Xun thought as he tried to rid himself of the snow leopard.
When he broke away from the snow leopardâs furry belly, a worried shout from Fei Lezhi rang out near the tent.
âIâm fine. Donât come in!â Wei Xun immediately ordered.
He did not intend to let the others find out about the snow leopard. The reason why the snow leopard was friendly to him might be because of the title A Wild Beastâs Psyche, while other people might not have this luck. Now, the snow leopard was watching the outside of the tent with vigilance. It had locked onto the direction of Fei Lezhi using its very keen senses.
The leopardâs body was packed with raw power and its thick tail pulled at Wei Xunâs ankles, stroking them again and again. It was trying to ask Wei Xun to retreat and hide carefully.
Wei Xun straightforwardly took the opportunity to lift its tail and jab âa needleâ in its body. The instant when the demonic mosquito mouthpiece stabbed into the leopardâs tail, Wei Xunâs face flushed. He subconsciously opened his mouth to hiss and inhale the cold air, and the tip of his tongue slightly protruded from his lips.
The blood really burned! Wei Xun felt that his whole body was about to burn. He just stabbed the leopardâs tail for a moment before he pulled it out. One had to know that the demonic mosquito mouthpiece could suck the zombified flying fox king dry. Wei Xun just took some Yang Energy and didnât intend to really hurt the snow leopard. Then, Wei Xun felt the snow leopardâs consciousness carefullyââ
It was not human.
Purely wild animals had no complicated thoughts like what a human being would possess. They only possessed pure consciousness. They also used body language to communicate with their peers. After sucking its blood, Wei Xun felt that he had established a subtle connection with the snow leopard. He could more clearly feel that the snow leopard was not nervous, and its mood was even lazy and comfortable. It had the intention of killing Fei Lezhi outside, but it was not because it treated Fei Lezhi as its enemy. It was more like it was considering whether to hunt for Fei Lezhi for the âcubâ to eat.
The word âcubâ was supplemented by Wei Xun. In fact, it made sense to say that the leopard was treating Wei Xun as its âfamily,â âsubject to be reared,â âcub that was unable to survive independently,â or something along those lines. The snow leopard merely transmitted its desire to get close to Wei Xun.
The snow leopardâs tail moved, and the tail wanted to slip away from Wei Xunâs hand. It was so thick that Wei Xun couldnât use one hand to grab it. Wei Xun loosened his grip on the leopardâs tail and then exerted his will on the snow leopard, âLeave here and hide.â
The snow leopard gave him a sideways glance. Its posture that seemed like it was ready to attack changed and its half-round ears fanned out, as if it was confused. Wei Xun used the demonic mosquito mouthpiece for the second time, but instead of sucking out the essence of the other party, he just sucked some Yang Energy to establish a connection. He didnât know how deep this connection was, and whether he could make the snow leopard obey him. If he couldnât, he would have to think of other ways.
Fei Lezhi and the others would arrive very soon.
Fortunately, after Wei Xun repeated the words âhideâ and âleaveâ in its mind several times, the snow leopard seemed to understand his meaning, but it was still hesitant. It kept nudging Wei Xunâs waist with its head and tried to take Wei Xun away with it, but Wei Xun gently and firmly refused.
In the end, Wei Xun didnât know whether the snow leopard understood his meaning. It took a final look at Wei Xun, then left through the back of the tent without hesitation. It was like a silent assassin garbed in a silver-white cloak, and didnât make any noise when it left. At this moment, Wei Xun attracted Fei Lezhiâs attention from the other side of the tent.
âLezhi, give me a hand.â
âBrother Wei, how are you? Did you get injured somewhere?!â
Fei Lezhi hurriedly helped Wei Xun, pulling him out. However, Fei Lezhi didnât throw away the stone in his hand. He was still staring behind Wei Xun like there was a great enemy present, for fear that he would be pounced on by a beast.
âItâs alright. Everythingâs resolved.â
Wei Xun stood up, making use of Fei Lezhiâs strength. To support himself, Wei Xun put his hands on his waist. Just now, he had been knocked down by the snow leopard. Although it didnât hurt, based on Wei Xunâs rich experience in injuring himself, Wei Xun estimated that his waist should be blue and purple. And because his skin was too white, it might look more shocking.
And he could use it as an excuse.
âI slipped in the tent,â Wei Xun said.
He flashed the snake in his hand to Fei LezhiââIt was the snake that was half-dead, that was originally pressed under the snow leopardâs claws.
âThere was a venomous snake in the tent.â
âIt was really a snake!â
When Fei Lezhi saw the long poisonous snake in Wei Xunâs hand, he felt horrified. âBrother Wei, donât hold it. Cut off its head and bury it. Iâve heard that a venomous snake will still be able to bite something even if its head is chopped off.
âItâs definitely IV-1âs handiwork.â
When Yin Baitao saw that Wei Xun had appeared, she charged over with Xu Yang in tow. They couldnât recognize what type of snake Wei Xun was holding. After the initial panic, they were very angry.
Yin Baitao gnashed her teeth and told Wei Xun about how no one had responded to their calls for help just now, with the exception of Lin Qiming from the tour guideâs tent who asked about their predicament. âHe is just waiting for us to head over to find him. Heâs trying, trying toâââ
Trying to commit those perverted acts!
As a woman, Yin Baitao could empathize with what Wei Xun was going through better, and she also knew how disgusting it felt.
âBrother Wei, are you hurt?â
Yin Baitao had studied medicine and knew what a terrible situation it was to be injured in the highlands. Even if Wei Xun was not afraid of poison, he had to deal with his injuries as soon as possible if he was bitten by the snake or if he fell down. Her hands trembled with anger, but she still tried to stay calm and said, âThe tent has to be rebuilt. The medical kit is still inside.â
It was now late, and their faces were stiff because of the cold wind blowing on them. It was even more unsafe at night. On their way back, they passed through the spot where the tourists had vomited. They saw large dark-colored birds falling to the ground and scrambling for food. When people passed by the area from afar, the birds didnât fly up in fright. They just turned their heads together and stared at the tourists. It was really creepy.
Wei Xun said that they were the vultures who pecked at human corpses on the sky burial platform. They had been attracted by music played by the eagle flute and were eating the âlittle fishâ vomited by the tourists. Yin Baitao thought the sight was disgusting and creepy. Although there were no supernatural elements in these types of exploration tours, there were dangers brought by the folk legends. And compared to the dangers faced in supernatural tours, the thought of facing these dangers made the touristsâ hearts chill more.
No one knew what would happen at night. They needed the tents since they couldnât sleep in the wild.
âIâll set up the tent.â
Fei Lezhi wiped his face and stood up. After the crisis, this man underwent a metamorphosis. He looked calmer, and took the initiative to take responsibility.
âIâll help too.â
Yin Baitao wiped her face. The tent was big, and it was difficult for a single person to build it. It was pointless to distinguish what tasks a certain gender should do at this point in time. Everyone was trying their best to survive.
The woman worked carefully and vigilantly. Yin Baitao worried that there were more poisonous snakes hidden in the tent, so she asked Fei Lezhi to put up hood of the windbreaker, protect his face with a neck warmer, pull the sleeves over his wrists to cover his hands, and tuck the hems of his trousers into his shoes. After being fully equipped, they took branches and went to clean the tent up.
Only the âinjuredâ Wei Xun and the weak Xu Yang were left aside so that they could rest. Seeing that Xu Yang couldnât stand stably under the blowing of the cold wind, Wei Xun touched Xu Yangâs forehead and felt that it was soaked in cold sweat. Then, he pulled Xu Yang to sit down beside a stone, and took out a paper towel to wipe his sweat to stop him from catching a cold.