Chapter 00235: The Sorrow of Social Anxiety
# The Sorrow of Social Anxiety
Chapter 235
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 235: The Sorrow of Social Anxiety
The clamor of the day had dissipated, and the vast Thunder Mountain re-entered its nighttime mode.
Worried that someone might harbor ill intentions, everyone would gather together to fight over treasures when they appeared.
But when night fell, they would pair up and find safe places to rest, waiting until dawn to continue exploring this Thunder Mountain, a land filled with divine techniques and secret arts.
This time, Yang Yiyi didn't find a cave as good as the one on the first night, but she did find a concave rock wall.
After lighting a bonfire and setting up a magic alarm, it was a decent enough place to spend the night.
Far away from Yang Yiyi, atop a tree, Ning Xian'er sat on a branch, leaning against the trunk, looking over from time to time.
Today, the scent wafting from that direction was still spicy and savory, but it also carried the aroma of beef.
Just one sniff was enough to whet her appetite.
Yang Yiyi herself was cutting a plucked wild pheasant into small pieces and putting them into a pot.
Next to her was a block of square ham (Ning Xian'er did not recognize luncheon meat).
She didn't look like she was camping at all; it was more like eating at a restaurant.
Yesterday she had Mala Tang.
Today, Li Chengxi had given her a beef tallow hot pot base, still the best-selling one in the shop.
The moment the pot started to boil, the fragrance was simply overwhelming.
Ning Xian'er was very surprised where Yang Yiyi found all this delicious food.
But then she looked at the wild pheasant in Yang Yiyi's hands, which was gradually turning into chicken pieces, and then at the wild pheasant in her own hands.
Its feathers were only half-plucked, looking like it had a center part, yet it was still alive and kicking.
She instantly felt that people were truly different.
She casually tossed the half-plucked wild pheasant she didn't know how to prepare down from the tree.
Ning Xian'er decided to eat something plain again.
Cooking was a piece of cake for Yang Yiyi.
She had been responsible for cooking and laundry in the Green Robe Sect since she was a child.
Besides, it was just killing a chicken, which she could handle in minutes.
The result was that Yang Yiyi hadn't learned much martial arts, but her life skills were maxed out.
From cooking to needlework, there was nothing she couldn't do.
But Ning Xian'er was different.
Ning Xian'er lived in an opera troupe when she was young.
Her main job was to learn singing from her mother.
Meals were always prepared by the hired hands.
After entering the Heavenly Absolute Palace, there was even less need for her to do anything.
All these chores were handled by the outer sect disciples.
If her clothes tore, she didn't need to mend them herself.
She would just get a new one and throw the old one away.
Meals were cooked and delivered to her room, so she didn't even have to go to the sect's dining hall like many other disciples.
When a person like this was out in the wild, even if she could catch game with her superior martial arts, she wouldn't have a clue how to prepare it.
The dry rations in her backpack could last a few more days.
When they ran out, she would just go and snatch food that others had already cooked.
It was normal to have such thoughts.
The Heavenly Absolute Palace was a sect that straddled the line between righteous and evil.
They were the type to definitely step up when major events occurred, but also the type who, if they wanted something they didn't have, would just go and take it, feeling it was perfectly justified.
Smelling the increasingly rich spicy and savory aroma, she gnawed on a hard, tasteless flatbread, treating it as a side dish.
However, none of this was important in Ning Xian'er's eyes.
She kept her gaze fixed on Yang Yiyi, her mind pondering how to get close to her.
Originally, when Ning Xian'er saw that Yang Yiyi was interested in the Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow, she had planned to snatch it from whoever got it and give it to Yang Yiyi.
Wouldn't that be a way to get acquainted?
In fact, that was exactly what she did.
She found the person who had taken the Dragon Mallow, secretly gave them a beating, took the item and ran, then came back to find Yang Yiyi.
But she didn't reveal herself, because it was only then that Ning Xian'er noticed something was wrong with the Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow.
Rubbing her fingers, which still had a faint blue tint like paint even after washing, Ning Xian'er couldn't figure out why Yang Yiyi had acted so quickly.
The Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow that Ning Xian'er had snatched back was just a fake, painted with blue pigment.
It was just that things were chaotic at the time, and there was no obvious difference in appearance between a Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow and a regular one, so everyone, including Ning Xian'er, was fooled.
And the person who took the Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow had been thoroughly beaten, confirming that he wasn't lying.
Recalling the situation carefully, it seemed that the only opportunity to switch the plant was when Yang Yiyi stuffed the Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow into her robes.
But that was way too fast.
The only visual difference between a Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow and a regular one was that one had specks of blue-green, while the other was pure green.
Using blue paint as a disguise was indeed hard to spot in an environment where everyone was so worked up.
But there was no time to do that.
Ning Xian'er carefully examined the fake Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow.
The blue color on it looked more like it had been dipped in prepared paint a few times and then air-dried to ensure the color wouldn't fade for a short while.
But looking at the situation back then, where would Yang Yiyi have found the time?
Besides, swapping out a Dragon Mallow that was nearly a meter tall under the watchful eyes of everyone... even if the most skilled thief from the Sixteen Fortresses came, he would have to say, 'Elder Sister, I can't do this.'
If it were something palm-sized that could be carried away in one's robes, that would be one thing.
But for something as big as a Dragon Mallow, where would you hide it after the swap?
Ning Xian'er had been paying close attention to Yang Yiyi the whole time, and there was absolutely nothing unnatural about her.
She felt this was no longer a matter of skill; it was more like a magic trick.
The more she thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.
And the more she followed Yang Yiyi, the more she felt that this seemingly foolish girl must be hiding many secrets.
Ning Xian'er pounded her chest to help the hard, dry flatbread go down.
At that moment, her eyes suddenly widened.
Because she saw that Yang Yiyi, who was waiting by the pot for the hot pot to boil, seemed to be talking.
But there was clearly no one around.
Who on earth was she talking to?
Because she was too far away, Ning Xian'er couldn't hear what Yang Yiyi was saying.
But judging from the expression on her face, she seemed quite happy, even showing a hint of a maiden's first blush of love.
Having followed Yang Yiyi all this way, Ning Xian'er had noticed that she would occasionally talk to the air.
At first, Ning Xian'er thought there was something wrong with Yang Yiyi's mind, perhaps she was hallucinating or had a split personality.
But now, connecting this to the vanished Heart-Purifying Dragon Mallow, Ning Xian'er suddenly had a bold idea.
Could it be that Yang Yiyi was conversing with the profound master guiding her from behind the scenes?
This was not impossible.
Some of the greatest masters in the world could perform Secret Voice Transmission.
For example, the Palace Master of the Heavenly Absolute Palace could do it with ease.
This was a sign that one's internal energy cultivation had entered the Transformation Realm, not something any cat or dog could do.
So, that great master was nearby?
Ning Xian'er wanted to get close to Yang Yiyi in order to have her introduce her to the master behind her, so that they could guide her past the Ruthless Dao.
However, if that person was nearby, it was highly likely that her actions of following Yang Yiyi had been seen by them.
Suddenly, Ning Xian'er felt extremely terrified, as her behavior looked like she had ill intentions.
But under the effect of the Mayfly Divine Art, the feeling of terror was instantly suppressed, and Ning Xian'er immediately regained her composure.
Her act of following Yang Yiyi had been discovered, but the other party had neither shown themselves nor given any warning.
It might be out of respect for the Heavenly Absolute Palace, or because Ning Xian'er had not made any untoward moves.
If this senior issued a warning not to follow, Ning Xian'er would obediently give up.
If this senior appeared directly, that would be even better; that was what Ning Xian'er was waiting for.
In other words, being able to follow Yang Yiyi was probably a form of tacit permission.
As long as Ning Xian'er acted friendly, she should be fine.
With this thought, Ning Xian'er instantly relaxed.
So, was the next step to make direct contact with Yang Yiyi?
The moment this thought popped into her head, Ning Xian'er chickened out.
She had social anxiety...
(End of this chapter)