Above the Galaxy

Tang Fei carried a bucket and ran ahead, while Phoenix chased after him with her bucket.

As they ran, a dense shower of raindrops began to fall.

Tang Fei stopped in his tracks and took off the large, "ugly" bamboo hat he had been wearing on his head, which Phoenix had been secretly mocking, and placed it on Phoenix's head.

Phoenix was about to refuse when Tang Fei pressed down on her head, "Don't move."

With a gentle tug on the bamboo hat, it expanded outwards with a whoosh, like a large umbrella, perfectly covering Phoenix's entire upper body.

"This is made of iron sheets, covered with a layer of century-old python skin; it can block acid rain...."

As Tang Fei spoke, he had already tied the fastening strap under her neck and picked up the water buckets to sprint forward once more.

Moreover, this time he picked up four buckets.

He knew Phoenix was injured and not fully healed, and carrying the buckets would be inconvenient for her.

Although her strength was decent, her ability to carry water buckets was inferior even to Little Fatty's. She had stumbled around just carrying two empty buckets earlier, and Tang Fei saw no need to trouble her over such matters.

Undoubtedly devoted as a dog.

Phoenix hesitated for a moment, then quickly caught up with Tang Fei's pace.

Tang Fei had a wealth of experience in avoiding acid rain, and he found a sheltering cave with practiced ease, like an old hand, quite swiftly.

He dived into the cave, dropped the four water buckets on the ground, and leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

No matter how skilled you are, you still fear the kitchen knife.

And even the sharpest knife can be corroded by acid rain.

Only at that moment did Phoenix catch up, also standing there, heavily gasping for breath.

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix's red and black blushed face and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You can take off the bamboo hat, it's strangely heavy on the head.... and it looks a bit.... ridiculous on you."

Actually, he wanted to say "cute," but he couldn't quite bring himself to utter those words. He feared it would make him appear too fawning, so he chose a different term.

Phoenix wasn't angry, though. She obediently untied the strap from around her neck and was about to reach out to remove the bamboo hat when Tang Fei warned her, "Don't touch the surface of the hat with your hands, it still has acid rain residue on it.... it'll burn your hands...."

Tang Fei knew Phoenix wouldn't know how to handle it, so he walked over and pulled on a rope, and the bamboo hat swiftly shrunk back into its previous hat appearance, much smaller in size.

Tang Fei removed the hat from the inside and placed it to the side, saying, "The outer layer has been exposed to acid rain and needs to be washed and disinfected before it can be touched."

Phoenix nodded, standing there thoughtfully looking at Tang Fei.

"What are you looking at?" Tang Fei touched his own face and asked, "Has my handsomeness become too hard to hide?"

Pfft!

Phoenix chuckled and said to Tang Fei, "This acid rain won't stop for a while, will it?"

"It won't stop. It might be as short as ten minutes or as long as a few hours."

"Sit down and rest; it's actually quite tiring." Phoenix found a smooth spot in the cave and noticed some dry grass and leaves next to it. She grabbed a handful to spread on the ground and then sat down with a thump. "Did you prepare these leaves too?"

"Yes." Tang Fei nodded, saying with a proud face, "Am I impressive? I've prepared several shelters along this route. When the acid rain comes, I can find shelter immediately.... and others don't know about it, nor can I let them find out. If they did, the cave would be filled with people, and I'd be out of luck."

Phoenix nodded; she understood the survival rules of the Old Land and couldn't blame Tang Fei for being selfish in this regard.

Everyone was struggling to live. If you don't strive, if you're not striving enough, or if your abilities aren't sufficient, then your right to live might be taken from you.

Seeing that Tang Fei was still standing and talking, Phoenix asked, "Aren't you going to sit down and rest?"

So Tang Fei went across to find a spot facing her; he was a shy and reticent boy....

Phoenix patted the space next to her, saying, "I've already prepared the straw for you."

Tang Fei graciously accepted and sat down next to Phoenix.

Just as he sat down, a charming fragrance wafted over.

The scent was pleasant, and Tang Fei couldn't help but take a sniff...

Even more dog-like.

"What are you doing?" Phoenix looked at Tang Fei warily.

A lone man and a single woman, in a desolate cave, if he harbored any ill intentions towards her....

Oh, she was a Cultivator; no worries then.

It was only when Tang Fei's eyes met Phoenix's squarely that he realized what scent he had just smelled.

Body scent!

The body scent of a young girl!

That light, sweet fragrance, tinged with the tartness of green lemons, an exclusive hallmark and reward of youthful girls.

Of course, Tang Fei couldn't tell the truth. That would make him look like a pervert, wouldn't it?

"Do you smell anything foul?" Tang Fei asked in return.

Phoenix took a sniff and shook her head, "No, I don't smell anything foul. Why can't I detect it?"

"Your nose isn't sensitive... I smelled the stench of rat droppings. There are loads of rats in the cave; surely one must have defecated in a corner."

Phoenix, utterly convinced, admired him greatly and said, "You're amazing to have even noticed that."

"Of course, if I didn't have a wealth of survival experience, I would've been eaten by the wild beasts long ago." Tang Fei thought these girls from New Star were so easy to deceive. Fooling them was a piece of cake. If only he could go to New Star...

Forget it. It's impossible.

Hearing Tang Fei's words, Phoenix felt an inexplicable sadness.

She turned to look at Tang Fei's gaunt profile and asked, "Tang Fei, are you happy?"

"What did you say?" Tang Fei's eyes widened as he looked at Phoenix.

"I'm asking you if you're happy... I mean, are you happy with your daily life?"

Tang Fei was stunned for a while before looking at Phoenix with disbelief and said, "How can you talk to me about such a... heavy topic? Can't you see if I'm happy? Isn't it as obvious as the wrinkles on an old man's face?"

"..."

Phoenix felt quite guilty and said, "I'm sorry, I just thought I wanted to know more about you... to hear about your past and present life, and what kind of life you want to live in the future."

"Just ask what you want to know, don't ask whether I'm happy or not," Tang Fei said. "Just being alive is hard enough; talking about anything else is a luxury."

"Okay, I understand." Phoenix's heart ached even more. She felt that every casual word Tang Fei spoke could evoke sympathy and pity, revealing a profound sadness.

The more indifferent he seemed, the more it proved how accustomed he had become to his hardships.

"Understood what?"

"Understood that life for you all is very tough."

"Yes, it is. So when you go back to New Star, you must not forget your promise to us. I'm not speaking for myself, but as you can see, Little Fatty is growing... He has to smash so many rocks every day, the poor kid..."

Tang Fei knew Phoenix liked Little Fatty's honesty and simplicity, their "friendship" was much deeper than his.

He could feel that Phoenix was always guarding against him.

There was nothing he could do about that, who made him a dangerous man?

"..." Phoenix was utterly speechless.

Was this shameless guy really setting a trap here for her?

"Don't worry, I'll keep my word, and I'll do more rather than less," Phoenix assured him, as if she was almost ready to swear on her chest.

"Hmm." Tang Fei nodded affirmatively and said, "I trust your character."

"..."

As if he trusted her.

If he trusted her, he wouldn't keep reminding her.

Phoenix stayed silent, and Tang Fei didn't know what else to say.

Thus, the cave fell into a deadly silence once more.

Only the sound of the wind outside and the pitter-patter of acid rain on the leaves and ground were audible.

No one knew why, but these trees had adapted to the intensity of acid rain. Not only did they thrive, but they also absorbed the rain and grew wildly as if nourished by it.

Of course, those that hadn't adapted were already dead.

"Why do I smell sulfuric acid?" Phoenix asked.

Hearing this, Tang Fei's expression turned bizarre, and he quickly jumped up from the ground, began to take off his coat, and then started to take off his pants...

Phoenix was shocked and cried out, "Tang Fei, what are you doing?"

(p.s.: Thank you to the young lady Sunny Ranran for becoming our Galaxy Master. It's not just Lao Liu boasting to you all, this young lady has also grown up before my eyes.)