116 Here and There, Whats the Difference? 3 (2/2)

Turning away from the grumpy Zhang Yuewen, An Fei returned to observing the forest surrounding them on all sides.

Compared to the limited scenery she could observe during the nighttime incident directly after the transference array that had flung them away from Jiang'an, the sea of trees and plantlife before her was suffused with a powerful vitality.

Some of the herbs and trees nearby radiated a soft, colored light; most were shades of green.

…these herbs would certainly be beneficial to everyone in the convoy, all except for her…

A sea of wild grass swaying with the wind's breath in a gentle tempo under her feet, and unbreachable walls of deciduous trees that stood tall in the spring atmosphere that prevented her vision from traveling farther than a few dozen meters.

The trees were several dozen meters high at the minimum, and An Fei could faintly spot one surging towards the sky in the background.

Unfortunately, she couldn't approximate its position within the complex maze of plantlife, nor did she dare to.

Regarding this forest, the empress had uttered one statement before deigning not to speak about the topic any further.

”Dangerous, teeming with creatures that can eliminate cultivators of the Core Formation Realm with ease…” the young girl repeated to herself.

The forest was quiet except for the soft chirping of birds, where were the creatures that the empress spoke of?

Not to mention, the carriage drivers thoroughly explored the forest each day to obtain wild game for dinner… they couldn't be Nascent Soul Realm cultivators either, no?

”Sister Fei, are you still thinking about what the empress spoke about earlier?”

Luo Xi's voice suddenly rang from behind, causing the young girl to jolt and whirl around. After a brief moment, An Fei dipped her head into a nod, the twin scarlet irises glinting with an irrefutable interest.

”The Empress naturally regards to creatures that similarly cultivate the atmospheric spiritual qi and roam the forest. Although these creatures are predominately superior to human cultivators regarding innate strength and agility, their presence is thoroughly limited due to the vast scale of the forest.”

”As long as we remain by the outskirts… there wouldn't be many opportunities to encounter such a creature…?” the young girl asked in a quiet voice.

”Of course,” Luo Xi nodded with an encouraging smile.

”Creatures that cultivate the atmospheric spiritual qi tend to roam around the inner depths of the forest, thus we should be safe -”

”…where are we in the forest, then?” An Fei suddenly mused, her words halting the young maiden's speech.

Luo Xi could only quieten, her gaze gradually becoming solemn at the young girl's question.

It was probable that only the empress was aware of their exact location, yet she didn't instruct the carriage drivers regarding their path through the forest.

Her hand drifting around her chest in a sudden burst of anxiety, the young maiden stepped towards the cabin to ask the empress a vital –

”Ah! They're back!”

A young girl from a nearby carriage cried out in happiness. Leaping up in delight, the Young Miss gestured towards her companions, each looking towards the western fringe of the gathering in expectation.

Returning with deer and rabbits strung onto wooden sticks and branches, were ten middle-aged men dressed in working clothes.

The carriage drivers strode directly towards the center of the gathering, more specifically towards the fire cheerfully lapping at the wooden offerings.

”Your Imperial Highness, we have returned!”

Settling the secured deer and rabbits onto a carefully constructed cooking rack, the carriage driver responsible for the imperial carriage rushed forward to respectfully bow to the carriage.

After a moment of calm silence, the cabin door slid open to reveal a yawning Feng Yu Xin who stepped down onto the ground.

”Deer and rabbit for tonight?” the empress remarked in a dry tone.

”Do you have the necessary condiments to make an appealing dish? Bengong remembers that on this trip, olive oil was not one of the prepared supplies?”

”Your Imperial Highness, do not worry!” A middle-aged man smiled with a simple bow.

”Although olive oil would work best with venison, the extract of mulberry and lemon will suffice as an alternate solution. Additionally, the stock of mutton soup can serve as an effective ingredient in roasting the deer.”

”Then let us have a scrupulous feast,” Feng Yu Xin clapped in praise.

As the carriage drivers began to work on preparing the feast with several of the Young Misses knowledgeable in the field of cooking, the empress sank into a sitting position besides An Fei.

The young girl blinked in surprise, not knowing how to respond.

However, she did admit that with the roasted venison speared on a stick was indeed succulent and delicious, even though the olive oil had been forgotten.