Opposing Ji Dantong was Ghost Face, who couldn't contain his excitement since getting the Five Element Crystal. His flushed cheeks were a stark contrast to the freezing environment, making it hard to tell if it was due to the cold or something else.

Xiao Tian watched Ghost Face step away from the crowd, cradling the Five Element Crystal, looking at it from every angle, occasionally shaking it by his ear to listen, or even bringing it close to his nose to sniff it, and sighed helplessly.

As he sprinkled seasoning on two boar hind legs on the grill, Lin Bingxuan casually asked, "The person who's been following us, do you know her?"

"Yes!"

Xiao Tian nodded, then told everyone, in detail, about Ji Dantong's plea for help and the reasons behind it.

Meanwhile, Yun You, who had heard that Xiao Tian really knew that woman, felt his anxiety increase sharply. The drowsiness he had felt vanished, leaving him fully alert.

...

After a hearty meal, everyone retired to rest. Celestial Punishment Daoist and the Lei Tong brothers occupied two opposite outer directions to ensure no danger would befall them.

Quite naturally, Ghost Face, who still seemed energized as if infused with adrenaline, continued his research and took on the task of vigil.

Given everyone's abilities, having a vigil or even not sleeping hardly mattered, but taking the opportunity to adjust their condition and recover some True Qi and mental energy was certainly advantageous.

After Lin Bingxuan and Melinda had entered their tents, the vast space was left with only five people either standing or sitting, and among them, only Ghost Face and Xiao Tian were awake.

Of course, Yun You was also lying down, eyes shut tightly, but still remained apprehensive, fearing he might not see the light of day again if he truly fell asleep.

"Come to think of it, can you discover anything without any instrument help?!" Xiao Tian asked casually while handing half a leftover boar leg to Ghost Face.

Ghost Face was stunned for a moment, then pushed Xiao Tian's hand away, showing evident impatience as he said, "I'm not hungry, you eat it yourself!"

Seeing Ghost Face's aloof demeanor, Xiao Tian reluctantly withdrew the fragrant, steaming boar leg.

Suddenly, Xiao Tian thought of Ji Dantong, who had been following them during the afternoon, and considered giving the boar leg to her.

However, when Xiao Tian turned his gaze to where Ji Dantong had been, he only saw a pile of nearly burnt-out firewood, and the person was nowhere to be found.

Xiao Tian frowned. Considering Ji Dantong's skill level, just going hunting shouldn't take this long.

From when she left as he started preparing dinner until now, it had been at least an hour and a half—could something have happened?

Although Ji Dantong always remained vigilant around him, her willingness to speak on his behalf earlier had indeed left Xiao Tian with a favorable impression.

Of course, this good impression wasn't romantic; rather, it was a form of vanity that people inherently possess!

After all, no one likes others speaking ill of them, and receiving praise always makes one feel good!

With this in mind, Xiao Tian decided to try his luck and search for her. If he couldn't find her, there would be nothing he could do; otherwise, without that nearly extinguished fire, he might have thought Ji Dantong had already left!

With that thought, Xiao Tian subtly signaled to Ghost Face, who understood his intention, and started searching along the direction Ji Dantong had left.

Ghost Face understood that Xiao Tian wanted to be informed of any developments, and since he was engrossed in studying the Five Element Crystal, he didn't ask much about the other's destination before agreeing.

...

Under the cover of night, Xiao Tian carefully observed his surroundings for any changes, walking slowly, almost at a pedestrian pace.

The path Ji Dantong had taken showed no forks, so there were no choices to be made, though she might have veered off in another direction while hunting.

Xiao Tian wasn't in a rush, meandering as if taking a digestive stroll after dinner, until he stopped about forty minutes later.

By Xiao Tian's reckoning, he'd traveled nearly ten miles. Going further would take him out of the Soul-Devouring Spider Silk's area, beyond which things could spiral out of control should something happen.

Granted, Celestial Punishment Daoist and the others' conduct had been fairly sincere, putting as much effort as needed, but it couldn't convince Xiao Tian that their actions weren't self-serving.

It's not that Xiao Tian was overly pessimistic, viewing people negatively; the incident with Liu Hanyan was a precedent he couldn't allow himself to regret over again!

And due to his past conflict with Celestial Punishment Daoist and Yun You, Xiao Tian wasn't about to trust them completely in such a short time. That was why he signaled Ghost Face before.

Finding no trace, he planned to return. But just as he was about to move, he saw a figure rushing from the side of the road into the middle, with a vast shadow trailing closely behind.

This scene left Xiao Tian puzzled and he swiftly moved towards it.

However, as he got closer, he realized that the running figure was the missing Ji Dantong. Yet, the vast shadow behind her still baffled Xiao Tian.

"Buzzing!"

A noise akin to flies amplified countless decibels entered Xiao Tian's ears, and only then did he realize what the shadow consisted of...

"Darn!"

Seeing what appeared like a menacing swarm of wasps, Xiao Tian couldn't help but be astonished at the site—completely defying logic!

Wasps here, of all places?!

Xiao Tian rubbed his eyes and quickly focused his gaze. Upon further inspection, he realized those buzzing creatures were indeed a type of bee but not the common wasps.

Instead, they were a kind known as Soul-Seeking Bees. These bees had distinctive slant flower patterns on their backs and slightly toxic tails. When they swarmed, an ordinary person would be dead on the spot.

Furthermore, Soul-Seeking Bees were incredibly fast and loved to gather in groups. Usually, finding one cluster meant that there were easily several hundred, if not thousands, more nearby.

This kind of bee generally didn't attack humans, being gentler to some extent than honeybees and wasps; unless you touched their core interests, they wouldn't become aggressive.

But once the Soul-Seeking Bees did attack, they'd sting relentlessly until death—highlighting just how fearsome they could be.

Even highly skilled individuals backed away from Soul-Seeking Bees, because you never knew just how many there were in total.