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KMCF Chapter 83

When Jing Li and Hu Feifei returned to the campsite, the sky was just beginning to darken. The other three guests had also returned and were gathered around the newly rekindled fire, chatting.

“Jing Li and Hu Feifei are back!”

Su Mengran, who had been worried about Jing Li’s safety since they parted ways that afternoon, was afraid he had encountered some unknown danger. After returning to the campsite, he chose a spot directly facing the direction Jing Li and Hu Feifei had gone, constantly keeping an eye on the movements in the forest.

When he saw Jing Li’s figure, he couldn’t help but joyfully rise from his seat, quickly walking towards them and smiling, “You…finally returned, it’s almost dark.”

Hearing that demons usually prefer to move at night, and seeing the sky growing darker, he felt anxious and fearful, worried that Jing Li might have encountered danger.

As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of Hu Feifei’s figure, and his smile immediately stiffened. He instinctively wanted to step back, but seeing that Hu Feifei no longer exuded the ominous black and red mist as before, he managed to stay put.

Noticing his sudden stiffness, Jing Li smiled and patted his shoulder, as if silently encouraging him. He also discreetly sent a bit of spiritual energy his way.

With Jing Li’s guidance, Su Mengran’s aura, which was previously disrupted by Hu Feifei’s demonic aura, quickly returned to normal. Likely, by the time he went to sleep tonight, the emotions that had nearly driven him to the brink of collapse would also be soothed.

“Yeah, if you hadn’t come back soon, Xiao Mengran here might have dragged us both back to look for you,” chuckled Hu Li, who had also approached with Ling Mei upon hearing Su Mengran’s voice.

While joking around, Hu Li carefully examined Jing Li and was relieved to see that he was unharmed. Although he had reassured Su Mengran that Jing Li knew what he was doing, he still worried.

Hu Feifei was obviously here with a purpose, and they were not clear about her strength. He even couldn’t smell any different aura on Hu Feifei, which inevitably made him feel more anxious and uneasy.

Thinking of Hu Feifei, Hu Li turned his gaze to the silent figure trailing behind Jing Li and was instantly taken aback.

The previously vibrant and spirited Hu Feifei now looked deathly pale, her entire demeanor completely deteriorated.

This scene felt strangely familiar to him.

Hu Li stared at her for a moment, then finally realized.

Ah, just like Zhang Guolin. After Jing Li had dealt with him, he had also been left in this near-death state.

It seemed their Mr. Koi had once again returned victorious?

“Huh? What happened to Feifei?” Ling Mei also noticed Hu Feifei’s unusual state and hurriedly walked over, taking her arm to provide support.

As one of the two female guests, Ling Mei had always been very attentive towards this seemingly delicate girl. Seeing her pale complexion, she asked worriedly, “Why does your face look so unwell?”

“Maybe I’m just tired.” Hu Feifei gave her a weak smile, not refusing her assistance, and in her current state, she indeed needed the support.

“Then let me help you over to sit down.” Ling Mei gave her a look, then started guiding her towards the campfire, calling out to the others, “You all come sit down too. We’ve been walking for so long, I’m sure you must be hungry. Let’s eat and chat.”

The others all responded with a laugh and followed to sit around the fire.

“It was still early when we came back, so we found some wild vegetables and mushrooms on the way back, so we’ve made a vegetable soup to go with the bread, so it won’t be too dry.”

After settling Hu Feifei next to the others, Ling Mei placed the small pots by the fire in front of the guests, smiling, “The pheasant Jing Li buried under the fire earlier should be ready soon too. I don’t eat meat, so you all can share it.”

“You don’t have to be so tough on yourself just to get us to eat more,” Hu Li chuckled, taking a small stick to poke at the soil covering the pheasant buried in the fire. “This delicious beggar’s chicken, how can we not try some? Here, let me serve you a chicken leg. We’ve been trekking all day, and we’ll need the energy to continue tomorrow.”

While speaking, Hu Li had already dug the soil to one side, revealing the beggar’s chicken wrapped in a layer of burnt black soil inside.

She had completely forgotten about that.

Previously, in order to deal with Hu Li, she had deliberately concentrated her foul odor into tiny pellets and hidden them in the right leg of the roast chicken, planning to have him ingest them and then activate her spiritual power to make him hallucinate, forcing him to surrender his spiritual energy and demonic power.

But now, having lost a large portion of her own demonic power, she could barely maintain her human form, let alone pull off such a scheme.

Without the support of her spiritual power, the stench that was previously hidden in the chicken leg would be exposed. It would be undetectable to ordinary humans but impossible to conceal from the keen senses of a demon, especially the fox clan, who were known for their exceptional sense of smell.

And…

Hu Feifei secretly glanced at Jing Li’s expression but saw him smiling warmly as he conversed with the other guests, not even sparing her a glance.

However, she dared not let her guard down. After the previous incident at sea, she had deeply experienced Jing Li’s ruthlessness.

Seeing Hu Li about to tear into the roast chicken, she shuddered, no longer hesitating, and quickly coughed to draw everyone’s attention. In a weak voice, she timidly requested, “…Can I have a chicken leg first? I’m so hungry I can’t bear it anymore.”

With that, she struggled to extend her hand, pointing at the right leg of the beggar’s chicken.

The others paused for a moment, then quickly regained their composure.

“Of course, you can have that one.” Ling Mei immediately smiled generously, “Then let’s give my chicken leg to Feifei first. she does seem quite exhausted today.”

However, Hu Li narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing across them.

Based on the recent events alone, he did not believe Hu Feifei’s request was as simple as it appeared.

When he remembered that she had volunteered to kill the pheasant, an unpleasant suspicion crossed his mind.

Nevertheless, he didn’t say anything. He just chuckled in agreement as he forcefully tore off the chicken leg she had pointed to and handed it to her.

Jing Li also briefly glanced at Hu Feifei, causing her to shrink back slightly when their eyes met. However, she steeled herself and reached out to take the chicken leg from Hu Li.

However, as she looked at the chicken leg in her hand, her expression immediately twisted again.

Even from this distance, she could not help but detect the subtle scent concealed within.

This immediately reminded her of the painful experience in the sea, when she had released her foul odor, only to have it trapped inside a water ball by Jing Li, nearly suffocating her.

With this association, Hu Feifei’s hand holding the chicken leg began to tremble, and she could not bring herself to take a bite.

Hu Li, whose sense of smell was equally keen, had detected the indescribable aroma the moment he tore open the chicken leg. Seeing Hu Feifei’s stiff expression, he understood immediately.

He was instantly filled with a sense of nausea.

However, he did not let it show on his face, instead turning to Hu Feifei with a bright smile, “Why aren’t you eating? Go on, eat up. If this isn’t enough, there’s more for you.”

He deliberately emphasized the last four words and was rewarded with seeing Hu Feifei’s complexion turn even paler.

Hearing Hu Li’s words, the others also looked at Hu Feifei, thinking she was just feeling shy, and quickly echoed his encouragement.

“Feifei, go ahead and eat. We’re all part of the same team, there’s no need to feel self-conscious.”

“If you’re worried it’s not enough, we can save the other chicken leg for you.”

“What’s wrong, is my cooking not good?” Jing Li also looked at Hu Feifei, his gentle smile intact. “Although I haven’t made beggar’s chicken very often, the technique is pretty much the same. I’m sure it’s not too difficult to swallow down, is it?”

“Of course not!” Facing Jing Li’s smile, the previously struggling Hu Feifei suddenly jolted, quickly shoving the chicken leg into her mouth and taking a large bite. After chewing and swallowing it down with difficulty, she forced a faint smile, saying, “I just felt a little guilty, since there are only two chicken legs in total…”

As she spoke, she immediately lowered her head, appearing to be feeling guilty and shy about her previous behavior, when in reality, she was using this to mask the expression of distress caused by her own foul odor once again.

And as soon as she opened her mouth, the lingering scent Hu Li had detected earlier now seemed to envelop him, causing his complexion to turn pale.

He hastily held his breath and hurriedly stood up from his seat, making an excuse to go get some more bread before quickly fleeing the scene.

Once inside the tent, he immediately erected a barrier to isolate himself, then began to retch uncontrollably, bracing himself against the wall.

Damn it! What kind of new toxic gas is this? It’s so suffocating!

Just the faint whiff of it earlier had been unbearable, let alone such a pungent concentration.

Thinking that Hu Feifei had eaten all of this stuff into her stomach without changing her face and that if it weren’t for Jing Li, he might have fallen for her trick, Hu Li’s face instantly turned white, and he retched even more violently.

Back at the campfire, Su Mengran and Ling Mei both looked at Hu Li, who had hurriedly run into the tent, with a look of confusion. They thought he did this on purpose because he was afraid that Hu Feifei would feel guilty, so they immediately followed suit and comforted her with a smile, “What’s wrong with a chicken leg? Anyone can have it, Feifei, you don’t have to feel bad about it.”

“Hu Li has already gone to get some bread, go ahead and eat up. This chicken is big enough for all of us to share.”

Jing Li turned his head, his gaze darkening as he looked in the direction Hu Li had fled. But when he turned back, his lips curled up into an even gentler smile.

“Don’t worry, as long as it doesn’t go to waste, we won’t mind if you finish the whole chicken yourself.”

Catching the underlying meaning in Jing Li’s words, Hu Feifei, despite keeping her head down, could still sense the ruthlessness behind his kindness, causing her to shudder once again.

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