Chapter 279

unedited

Lin An didn’t sleep all night and was paying attention to Xi Ning’s state all the time. He found that Xi Ning probably had some resistance to the spell. He woke up in a daze, but was not fully awake.

He didn’t increase the amount of spiritual energy, Xi Ning was very quiet in his arms, and he even turned over and lay on top of him and slept soundly in the middle of the night.

When it was near dawn, Lin An was about to get up and Xi Ning hadn’t woken up yet. He was worried that Xi Ning would be cold if he slept alone on the ground, so he carried Xi Ning back to the bed.

He got out of the carriage, the convoy had stopped to change shifts at this time. The head of the mercenary group passed by, he saw Lin An come out and walked in his direction.

“We are almost there,” the head of the mercenary group looked around and lowered his voice, “When are you leaving the mercenary group, do you want me to help you cover?”

Lin An replied, “No need.”

The head of the mercenary group nodded and turned to leave, but Lin An stopped him again, took out a dusty cloth bag from his storage bag and handed it to him.

“What is this?” The head of the mercenary group untied the bag and saw that it was full of gold coins.

He was shocked. He had promised to let Lin An enter the mercenary group and go to the forest with him, but Lin An had already paid the price, but now this is……

Lin An said lightly, “For the two people that I killed.”

After he finished talking, he went to the front to get breakfast. The head of the mercenary group understood it and silently kept the gold coins and left.

When Lin An returned to the carriage, Xi Ning just got up.

When Xi Ning woke up in the morning, he always had to sit for a while. He looked at Lin An who came in with a confused expression.

Xi Ning remembered that he had a dream in which Lin An confessed to him and he hugged him and refused to let go, but he didn’t reveal his true identity. He kept wearing the mask and refused to take it off.

As for whether Lin An ever kissed him, Xi Ning couldn’t remember, but only remembered that Lin An’s embrace feels very real.

When Xi Ning woke up, the system greeted him with a tired tone, “Good morning, master……”

“Morning.” Xi Ning yawned and got out of bed to wash up, not noticing that Lin An’s eyes were always on him.

Xi Ning didn’t mention anything about asking him to hug him to sleep last night, maybe he forgot, or maybe he didn’t want to. Lin An also wouldn’t take the initiative to talk about it.

They almost reach the ghost forest. Until then, it is good for them to maintain such a relationship. If Xi Ning is frightened and alienates himself, it will be bad. After entering the forest, he has to find a chance to take Xi Ning out of the mercenary group.

Xi Ning found an opportunity and asked Lin An tentatively, “After we get the flower, you will go back with me, right?”

Lin An was his servant on the surface, so he didn’t need to go back to the mercenary group.

Lin An neither agreed nor refused, but said, “Your Highness, you are an elf.”

His words implies that it is not suitable for him, an ordinary human, to return to the Cliff Valley Forest with Xi Ning. Xi Ning’s other clan people will not welcome him.

“I don’t care,” Xi Ning held his hand tightly, “you must be by my side.”

Lin An looked down at Xi Ning’s fingertips with a soft expression, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Three days later, they finally reached the ghost forest.

The forest is so huge that it seems endless from the side at a glance. There are trees of unknown species planted on the periphery. The trunks and leaves are covered with a layer of ash, and the inside and the outside seem to be two worlds.

Xi Ning always has a sense of intimacy with plants and trees. In the past, when he was in the Cliff Valley Forest, he could often feel the state of the entire forest, but now he feels that the trees in front of him are dead.

The trees in the forest are very dense, and the carriage can’t get in. Some people in the mercenary group have to stay to guard. Ferro and the head of the mercenary group are discussing the allocation of people. Xi Ning gets closer to the woods and wants to reach out and touch it.

This forest is very dangerous. At the request of His Majesty Ferro, the head guard brought several people to protect Xi Ning. Seeing this, he tried to stop him, “Your Highness, please don’t touch it.”

The head guard explained, “The outer area of the forest was surrounded by silver ring trees. It will produce a toxin that causes hallucinations for those who approach and touch it. Even high-level magicians can easily be affected if they are not prepared.”

“Before entering, we will arrange wind magicians to disperse the toxin. Your Highness, do you want to go back to the carriage and rest for a while?”

Lin An silently watched them speak, thinking about the possibility of attacking these guards and taking Xi Ning away.

Xi Ning nodded and stopped walking around. When he returned to the carriage and waited for their arrangement, a dozen strangers riding horses came from another direction. They stopped far away when they saw the convoy.