Chapter 50: I Am Willing to Do Anything

Seeing that Xu Minghui’s expression was as calm as usual and didn’t look like she was lying, Shen Xing didn’t say anything more.

He glanced at his watch and muttered, "It’s already the second day."

At Shen Xing’s firm insistence, Xu Minghui obediently lay down to the side to sleep.

However, as she drifted off, she inched closer and grabbed hold of the hem of Shen Xing’s trousers.

Looking at her curled-up sleeping posture, Shen Xing couldn't help but shake his head.

"No matter how strong you try to act, you’re still just a child in the end. I hope that if we survive this, you won’t be left with any psychological trauma."

Four hours later, the goblin army finally staged a comeback.

However, this attack was no different from the previous one.

With the experience from last time, the two of them appeared much more composed.

An hour later, the goblins fled once again.

Shen Xing heard them shouting something angrily as they left, but he didn't understand the meaning of their words.

After taking a short break, the two fell silent as they looked at the mountain of corpses piled up nearby.

By this point in the battles, thousands of goblins had already been killed.

Even though the cavern was quite spacious, the piles of corpses were starting to restrict their moving space.

Most importantly, the corpses that had died earliest were beginning to rot, and the stench was growing increasingly unbearable.

"We need to change locations. Let’s head to another branch tunnel," Shen Xing suggested.

"Mm-hm! I'll listen to you."

Xu Minghui was very obedient. She immediately packed up all their belongings and set off with Shen Xing.

Along the way, the two walked at a moderate pace.

Breaking the silence, Shen Xing said, "Is it just my imagination? I feel like you seem a bit different today."

Xu Minghui touched her face in puzzlement. "Eh? Really? Is it because my makeup has worn off and I don't look good anymore?"

"No, it's not your appearance. It's the vibe. Yesterday, I could still sense fear in you, but now I can't feel it at all. Your adaptability is even stronger than mine."

"Hehe. I didn't expect it either. But I owe it all to you. If you hadn't been protecting me all this time, I probably wouldn't have lasted until my mindset shifted."

Chatting casually, the two managed to slightly dilute the fatigue of battle and the boredom of walking.

When they reached the spot where they had previously killed the three-headed beast, its carcass was still lying there.

Perhaps due to the lower temperature in this section, its body showed no signs of rotting yet.

Shen Xing had originally intended to move it further away, but after inspecting it, he changed his mind.

"I've been eating compressed biscuits all this time, and my mouth feels completely tasteless. Now that we have ready-made ingredients, let's have a proper barbecue for a change!"

Xu Minghui’s eyes lit up as she looked at him, raising both hands in immediate agreement:

"Yay! I love barbecue!"

Preparing the ingredients was simple; the only problem was the lack of firewood.

The two smiled at each other helplessly, sharing the exact same thought: If only they had thought to collect some of the goblins' wooden clubs before leaving that place.

There was no help for it; one of them would have to make a trip back.

Shen Xing naturally stood up to go himself, but Xu Minghui stopped him.

"Let me handle such a small task. You'll be the one doing the grilling when I get back, so if I don't even do this, wouldn't I be completely useless?"

"But your stamina..."

"It's fine. You see, I'm much more resilient than I look."

Under Xu Minghui's strong insistence, Shen Xing finally agreed.

Left alone, Shen Xing couldn't help but start pondering a question:

What on earth were they doing on the outside? Why weren't they rescuing them yet?

Although they could barely manage the current situation, ever since the goblins left last time, Shen Xing had harbored a lingering sense of unease.

Goblins were not known for their intelligence, but they weren't complete fools either.

When faced with insurmountable difficulties, they would use their brains.

Would the remaining time pass by this peacefully?

Shen Xing wasn't very confident.

Therefore, rather than satisfying their appetite, this barbecue was more about finding something to do to soothe his inner anxiety.

The feeling of not knowing how much longer they had to wait was a severe test of mental endurance.

If the bowstring was pulled too tight, it would snap.

If it was too lax, it was easy to give up.

Knowing how to strike the right balance was a profound wisdom.

"Is this the price of cheating? Not even allowing me a period to properly develop and grow. But then again, I thought Xu Minghui would definitely be curious about my ability and start asking questions. Yet, after all this time, she hasn't mentioned a single word of it. What is this supposed to be? Is she extremely clever, or is it a silent form of intimidation?"

Mechanically slicing the meat off the three-headed beast, Shen Xing continued to turn various current problems over in his mind.

Half an hour later, Xu Minghui hurried back with a large bundle of firewood.

...

After starting the fire and grilling the meat, the aroma of roasting meat soon filled the air.

Although there were no seasonings, it still tasted infinitely better than compressed biscuits.

Moreover, the meat tasted surprisingly good—neither sour nor astringent, possessing a flavor reminiscent of a mix between dog meat and beef.

"So comfortable. I haven't eaten this full in ages."

After eating three pieces of meat in a row, Xu Minghui rubbed her belly, lay down on the ground, and let out a contented sigh.

"Heh, you're really enjoying it. Was your appetite bad before?"

"Not really. I was just trying to lose weight."

"Your figure is very well-proportioned right now. There's no need to force yourself to be particularly thin, is there?"

"Well, that's true, but... don't you think my breasts are a bit too big?"

"...... So?"

"So I wanted to starve them smaller. Otherwise, having to endure those lewd gazes all the time is really annoying."

"I see."

Shen Xing didn't say anything more. Even though their relationship was quite good now, this was her privacy, and it wasn't his place to interfere.

"Uhm, by the way... are you a fan of flat chests or large breasts?"

After a brief silence, Xu Minghui suddenly asked again.

"......"

Startled, Shen Xing gave a vague reply:

"I'm not that extreme. Compared to those, personality is much more important in my opinion."

"Oh."

Xu Minghui didn't seem particularly satisfied with this answer.

After acknowledging it with a soft grunt, she abruptly dropped the subject.

After a while, Shen Xing also suddenly spoke up:

"Minghui, don't you have any questions you want to ask me?"

"Eh? Which aspect do you mean?"

"The most important aspect, of course."

"Oh, that. Yes, I do. What do you think of my personality?"

Shen Xing was momentarily stunned and reminded her:

"I mean, don't you have any questions about those firearms?"

Xu Minghui finally understood, a look of sudden realization dawning on her face.

"Oh! I almost forgot. How did you do that? Being able to carry so many weapons on you at all times—is this one of those notoriously astronomical space-type items?

And you're so low-key. Storing that many weapons must have cost a fortune. Shouldn't I cover half the cost? After all, I survived thanks to them.

But my family background is quite ordinary; if I ask my parents to pay, they'll be put in a difficult position. So... could you let me shoulder this debt alone and pay you back slowly? I'll do anything for you."

The more Shen Xing listened, the weirder it sounded, and by the end, he was simply dumbfounded.

"Eh?"