Chapter 76: I Want to Roll in the Wheat

Chapter 76: I Want to Roll in the Wheat

At noon, they reached the mountaintop and then descended on the other side. The descent was much quicker, taking only half a day to reach the foot of the mountain.

This was the other side of Keke Mountain, but ahead lay more mountains. Chu Ya pointed to another large mountain straight ahead: "There's an underground river that runs through this mountain. With this weather, the river will be frozen, so we can cross it directly."

After walking for about ten minutes, they saw a cave at the foot of the mountain, with an ice river extending into it, like a long, silver-white ribbon embedded in the rock.

Before entering the cave, Liu Sijin noticed a symbol on one side of the mountain wall, a charcoal-drawn arrow.

"This is left by Uncle Chen, telling us they have already passed through the cave and are ahead."

Shen Juanjuan examined the arrow: "So many characters."

Lin Duozhi also leaned in to look: "That's not many characters, just one."

Shen Juanjuan pointed with her finger: "—They have already passed through the cave and are ahead."

"That's not a character, it's a drawing. Big Brother Chu Ya, looking at this drawing, knows what Chief Administrator Chen wants to say," Liu Sijin said.

Chu Ya erased the mark on the mountain wall. Everyone tied anti-slip ropes to their shoes and took out torches made from rags soaked in mutant fat, lighting them once inside the cave.

"Wow, wow, it's so big in here."

"It's as big as our cafeteria."

"Bigger than our cafeteria, and it's very long."

The three children looked up at the cave entrance and down at the frozen ice river. The light reflected off the ice river, illuminating the ceiling and making this section bright. They ran inside, and Chu Ya and the others followed closely behind.

The Black Wolf never liked to lag behind Shen Juanjuan and immediately sped up. But without the fine rope tied to its paws, it couldn't grip the smooth ice surface. Despite its claws scrabbling desperately, it kept slipping and eventually fell, sliding several meters on the ice.

The Black Wolf got up silently and quickly checked around. Shen Juanjuan had already run ahead, Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen couldn't see it, and Chu Ya was looking down at his feet, unaware of its predicament.

The Black Wolf relaxed but didn't dare run again, carefully lifting its paws and moving slowly forward.

Chu Ya finally looked up and saw its silhouette, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

The deeper they went into the cave, the darker it became. The three children, afraid to go further, turned back.

"Ah, there's a ghost in there, ah!"

"Ooh... listen, what's oohing?"

Chu Ya lit the torch, and the surroundings brightened again. The children wanted to run back into the cave but were stopped by Wang Chengcai.

"Come here, why are you running? Be careful, you might sweat and irritate your wounds, which will hurt later." Wang Chengcai pulled Lin Duozhi close and carefully examined his bandaged hand.

The cave was warm, like spring or autumn, unlike the cold outside. Shen Juanjuan broke out in a sweat, so Chu Ya helped him and Liu Sijin take off their outer cotton coats, leaving them in T-shirts and jackets. Seeing this, Wang Chengcai also removed Lin Duozhi's cotton coat.

Shen Juanjuan, used to wearing heavy cotton coats, felt much lighter and more agile, kicking and waving his arms: "Big Brother, look at me, look at me, am I different now?"

Chu Ya draped the cotton coat over his arm: "Yes, different, like a monkey."

With the reduced load, the children continued to charge forward, looking up in surprise: "Hey, look, those lights are moving."

The temperature in the cave was high, and beneath the thick ice layer, water flowed, reflecting the torchlight and creating rippling patterns on the walls.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

"Hey, the water under our feet is moving."

"Let me see, it really is moving."

The welfare team had left marks as they passed through the cave, such as scratches from the cart on the ice and a piece of string that had fallen from a shoe. Whenever Chu Ya saw a scratch, he would use a dagger to flatten it and pick up the string to carry with them.

During a rest stop, the three children discovered a large hole in the lower part of the cave wall and peered into the flowing water below.

"Ah! Something, something in the water! It's moving!"

Lin Duozhi stepped back in alarm, but Liu Sijin said, "Don't be scared, it's a fish, a fish. Haven't you seen cartoons? It's a fish."

"Is this a fish? Yes, it is a fish."

Shen Juanjuan, excited and eager, reached out to catch it, but a black shadow plunged into the hole, splashing water all over his face.

"It's Shen Wangwang, always Shen Wangwang."

Just as Shen Juanjuan wiped the water from his face, the Black Wolf emerged from the water, a large, wriggling fish in its mouth. It shook its head, dropping the fish onto the ice.

The fish thrashed about, and the children quickly gathered around. The Black Wolf dove back into the ice hole.

"Is this a fish? Will it bite people?"

"No, fish don't bite people."

The fish moved too much, and Shen Juanjuan chased after it, bending over to grab it. Finally, he caught it with both hands and carried it to Chu Ya.

"Big Brother, look at the fish, quick, look at the fish."

The fish was over a foot long and struggled in Shen Juanjuan's arms, slapping his face with its tail. Shen Juanjuan's face and hair were drenched, but he didn't let go, laughing: "Quick, look at the fish, it doesn't have legs, really no legs."

Chu Ya quickly took the fish, holding it up for the children to see. Once they had their fill, he threw it to the ground to stun it.

Wang Chengcai found a rope to tie the fish securely, saying happily, "I heard fish taste good. We'll cook it when we get out."

"Shouldn't we make soup? On TV, they always make white soup," Liu Zhen swallowed.

"But do we have a pot to make soup?"

"Then let's roast them; roasted fish is also very fragrant."

The Black Wolf emerged from the hole again, this time not only with a fish in its mouth but also one in each of its paws. It threw the three fish, each over a foot long, onto the ice and watched as everyone gathered around, shouting and cheering. Only then did it leap out of the hole, shake its head, and walk to the side like a hero, surrounded by admirers.

"Fish! Hahaha, so many fish. Good job, Shen Wangwang. You caught so many fish." Shen Juanjuan reached out to hug it, but it quickly dodged to the side.

"Why are you running? Don't run! Be good!" Shen Juanjuan grabbed its neck fur and held onto one of its front legs, "You're so amazing, really amazing at catching fish."

The Black Wolf looked impatiently to the side but turned away with a grin, its furry face full of pride.

Chu Ya stunned the fish on the ice and then took them to the ice hole to gut and clean them.

When they came out of the cave, everyone was eager for the fish, walking quickly while discussing how to cook them. Unconsciously, they reached the end of the cave where light appeared. The ice river at the cave entrance had broken, with water and ice extending downward through the crack. On the other side of the crack, there were solid rocks, and several wide wooden planks bridged the gap between the rocks and the ice.

This must have been a temporary bridge built by the orphanage group for passage and left behind for them. After crossing the planks, Chu Ya removed them and threw them into the deep crevice.

The terrain on this side was lower, and the cave entrance was actually halfway up the mountain. Although separated by just one mountain, the other side felt like a different world—no more icy mountains or snowfields, the climate was warm, and the land was open, stretching out to an endless forest.

"The climate here is quite unique. This forest is in the center of a basin, not too cold, but there are snow-capped mountains ahead, which will make the temperature colder," Chu Ya pointed to the nearest edge of the forest, "The people from the orphanage should be waiting for us there."

It would take some time to reach the spot he indicated, and everyone was hungry, so they quickly gathered wood to start a fire and roast the fish, eating their fill before continuing on their journey.

Roasting fish was much simpler than roasting Mutants. Chu Ya placed four fish on the fire, and soon the air was filled with the aroma of grilled fish.

He handed two fish to Liu Zhen and Wang Chengcai, then without looking, slapped Shen Juanjuan's hand away from the other two fish on the fire.

He took one fish, tore off a piece of meat, and Shen Juanjuan eagerly opened his mouth.

"Wait, don't rush. Let me remove the bones for you."

Just as Chu Ya said this, he heard Lin Duozhi coughing loudly. He turned to see Lin Duozhi with a red face, mouth open, while Wang Chengcai looked anxiously at his throat.

"How did it get stuck? I didn't notice any bones when I fed him the fish."

Liu Zhen held the fish in both hands, and Liu Sijin was about to bite into the fish belly. Hearing about the bones, Liu Zhen quickly pinched Liu Sijin's cheeks, "Don't bite! Don't bite!"

Only then did Chu Ya realize that they had never eaten fish before and didn't know to watch out for bones.

"Fish have bones; you can't eat them in big bites." Chu Ya walked over to Lin Duozhi and examined his mouth. Fortunately, the bone was stuck at the throat's entrance, and he was able to remove it easily.

"See, these are fish bones." Chu Ya showed the bone to the others, then discarded it and wiped his fingers with a handkerchief.

With Lin Duozhi's experience as a lesson, everyone ate the fish carefully, the older ones checking each piece of fish before feeding the younger ones.

After finishing the fish, they continued their journey and finally reached the edge of the forest and met up with the main group from the orphanage before nightfall.

Rong Chen and the others had set up tents on a clearing by the forest. Seeing Chu Ya and the group, they happily welcomed them, pulling them close and asking about their well-being. Chu Ya briefly recounted the events of getting separated but did not mention the two killed sentry guides.

"Shen Juanjuan, Lin Duozhi."

Tang Yuanyuan and the others rushed over, and Shen Juanjuan and Lin Duozhi went to meet them. They touched each other's faces, pinched each other's arms, and laughed foolishly.

"Weren't you lost? We were so afraid that the Mutants would eat you."

"Management always went back to look for you, but couldn't find you, scaring us to death."

"But Chief Administrator Chen said you were fine, saying your brother is a B+ Sentry."

Shen Juanjuan smiled proudly, "My brother is here, so the Mutants won't eat us."

Lin Duozhi nodded in agreement, "My brother is here too."

Tang Yuanyuan asked, "Who is your brother?"

"He's Wang Zhusheng's brother, and now he's Lin Duozhi's brother." Shen Juanjuan pointed to Wang Chengcai, who was talking to the management.

"What? Wang Zhusheng's brother is Lin Duozhi's brother?" The children were shocked.

"Yes, he is Wang Zhusheng's brother and Lin Duozhi's brother." Lin Duozhi smiled.

The children looked at each other, and Wang Xiaoxi cautiously asked, "Will he hit us? Will he take our things?"

"No, my brother won't hit you or take your things."

Wang Chengcai was always known as Wang Zhusheng's brother, but since Wang Zhusheng had gone to Cloud Peak, Wang Chengcai lacked a younger brother. Now that he was Lin Duozhi's brother, the children quickly accepted this new identity.

"With Lin Duozhi's brother here, no Mutant can eat you. He can capture and skewer them."

Hearing this, Shen Juanjuan became a bit unhappy, "My brother is the strongest."

"Uh-huh."

At night, several tents were set up outside the forest, and the children were asleep. Only a few managers sat by the fire, whispering. After Shen Juanjuan fell asleep, Chu Ya got up and left the tent. The Black Wolf lay at the tent entrance, looked up at him, and then lay back down.

"Xiaoya isn't asleep yet? Come, sit here."

Chu Ya walked to the fire, and Rong Chen moved over to make room. Once Chu Ya sat down, he said worriedly, "We're basically safe here. Even if someone comes after us, we can hide in the forest, and they won't find us. But the forest is full of Mutants. Can we bring so many children in there?"

Another manager said, "We have no choice but to move forward and head for Linya City. If we're going to risk it, we have to take the chance. With so many of us, so many guns, a B+ Sentry, and a Quantum Beast, even if there are Mutants, it won't be a problem."

"That's true. No matter how fierce the Mutants are, can they be fiercer than Cloud Peak or White Castle?" Rong Chen sighed heavily, "We'll enter the forest tomorrow. As long as we move quickly, we can get through in two or three days."

After the discussion, only two managers stayed to keep watch, while the rest returned to their tents to rest. Chu Ya stood by the tent for a moment and then slowly walked into the forest.

If his mental domain hadn't been damaged, escorting this group safely through the forest wouldn't be a big issue. But now, he could only hear the commotion Shen Juanjuan made in his mental domain, unable to perceive or control his mental energy.

Chu Ya leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and listened to Shen Juanjuan's playful noises in his mind.

"Little wheat ears, I've planted so many little wheat ears!"

After Shen Juanjuan scattered another handful of golden threads, he looked around and saw the ground shimmering with golden light, like undulating wheat fields after the wind. The Black Wolf had also appeared in this wheat field at some point, galloping wildly and rolling around inside.

"Be careful, Shen Wangwang. You're so heavy, with such a big bottom. Don't crush the wheat ears that Brother Chu planted."

After the Black Wolf had its fill of fun, it stood solemnly again. The black substance attached to the outer wall of the mental domain began to flow through several long lines toward it, seeping into its body. The dark blackness on the outer wall of the mental domain became lighter, turning into a gray-black, and the beautiful snowflakes that were previously obscured reappeared.

As the Black Wolf disappeared from this space, Shen Juanjuan followed it out, flying to the tent entrance where a black shadow was already twitching. After the Black Wolf recovered under the caress of his mental tendrils, he hurried back to his own mental domain, letting the raccoon wash him clean.

Chu Ya still leaned against the tree with his eyes closed. He sensed that Shen Juanjuan had left his mental domain but knew he would return soon and play there until he woke up the next day. He could also hear sounds from the outside, the rustling of something moving in the jungle to his right.

Chu Ya's heart grew wary, and he immediately wanted to investigate. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt his vision penetrate deep into the jungle, sweeping over the grass and trees, moving swiftly forward.

He hovered high above the forest, seeing several mutant jackals advancing toward the campsite below. Without hesitation, he descended, several mental force swords piercing straight through their skulls, causing them to fall without a sound.

Chu Ya, still leaning against the tree, suddenly opened his eyes, filled with incredulous joy. He quickly checked his mental domain but was still blocked from entering, unable to know what was happening inside.

But he could finally mobilize his mental power, though not much, indicating a C-level Sentinel state. This meant his mental domain was improving.

Chu Ya clasped the back of his head with both hands, burying his face in his knees. A moment later, he lifted his head, leaning against the tree trunk and looking at the sky, his eyes glistening with moisture.

He could finally sense the Black Wolf, feeling the mental link with his quantum beast. The Black Wolf slowly walked to him, and Chu Ya gently hugged its head, touching foreheads with it.

After knowing Yun Tuo wouldn't appear, he no longer considered whether his mental domain could recover. It seemed that as long as he didn't think about it, he could shield himself from the pain and avoid sinking into despair.

But now his mental domain showed significant improvement, and he could even mobilize mental power again, something he had dared not hope for before.

It was Shen Juanjuan.

Only Shen Juanjuan.

Chu Ya raised his hand to cover his face, a sob escaping through his fingers. A moment later, he laughed softly.

Sure enough, Shen Juanjuan had returned to his mental domain, laughing wildly.

"I want to roll in the wheat ears, wow, ha-ha, come on, roll with me, the wheat ears rolling on the wheat ears, it's so funny, ha-ha-ha..."

Chu Ya leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes and listening quietly to Shen Juanjuan's voice, a faint smile playing on his lips.

When he returned to the tent late at night, all the children were sound asleep. He lay down quietly beside Shen Juanjuan, covering him with a blanket and watching his face in the darkness.

The child was lying on his side, his mouth slightly pouting. Chu Ya thought it was incredible that this six-year-old child could restore his mental domain.

In reality, he knew that even an A-level Guide might not be able to restore a mental domain damaged to this extent. His previous certainty that Yun Tuo's arrival would help was just a hope to keep him from succumbing to the immense pressure.

But Shen Juanjuan had managed it.

How did this pre-differentiation Guide manage it?

What level would he reach after breaking through?

"Take another bite... such a big fish, don't get stuck... delicious, so delicious..."

The child suddenly mumbled in his sleep, his mouth pouting as if it were hot. Chu Ya found it amusing that he could roll in the wheat ears in his mental domain while also eating fish. He pinched his nose until he raised his hand in protest, then released him, gently patting his back and closing his eyes to sleep.