"I hate your face. I hate being near you!"
"Ah...this shidi is sorry..."
Qiu Yunru knew it was pitiful, but he thought it would be better to capitulate in this situation than to argue. He would rather kowtow and be sneered at then pull a sword and get kicked in the face!
Lei Ruolan, however, only seemed more irritated by his apology.
"Stop doing that! You're always apologizing, always polite and respectful. Are you made of flowers? Why don't you act like a normal person?!"
"This is how I normally act..." Qiu Yunru said weakly.
Lei Ruolan stewed in anger for a few moments, then turned away, pulling out another pork bun. Her voice was sharp.
"No matter how much I insult you, you never insult me back. No matter how well I do, you do better somewhere else. No matter how much I beat you up, you don't get angry. I don't understand it!"
Qiu Yunru didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This was really just how he was! He had learned a long time ago that insulting people and fighting tooth and nail usually got him hurt in the end because of his weak body, so he'd learned to put on an amicable face and make do with politeness. So, it really was that she just hated his personality!
"If it's my personality Lei-shijie can't stand, there's not much I can do about that..."
Lei Ruolan huffed, stuffing the second wrapper into her bag and standing.
"It's not...I don't know. Whatever. I don't know what I'm talking to you for! Let's go!"
So, they went up the mountain to find the last beast.
The cavern where the Giant Burrowing Groundworm had been residing was damp and dripping, the air cool and chilling to one's skin. Since the mountain was already covered in snow, Qiu Yunru shivered, allowing himself a small moment of self-pity. Cold outside, cold inside, cold glares from Lei Ruolan--cold, cold, and more cold!
As they started down into the long darkness with a torch, Qiu Yunru spoke up. He figured it was best to propose his plans early. Maybe she wouldn't jump in alone this time if he made them sound attractive.
"Lei-shijie, I have a proposal. Burrowing Groundworms are averse to light and fire. It's too big to not kill, so there's no hope for catching it alive, but they are still difficult to kill. If I create fire talismans to crowd the worm against a wall, Lei-shijie will have a much easier time of slicing its neck."
"You really like to do anything besides use a sword, huh?" She muttered back grumpily.
However, rather than argue, this time, she sighed.
"Fine. You do the incantations, and I'll do the fighting."
She had--agreed?!
When had she ever agreed to anything he'd ever said?
Qiu Yunru wanted to weep with joy. Truly, this invisible Character Friendship Level Up Quest was doing wonders! He hadn't even done much of anything, had he?
Seeing the flash of relief and joy on Qiu Yunru's face, Lei Ruolan's face reddened. She grimaced, glaring at him suddenly.
"What's up with you? Don't get too excited. You're still a coward," She snapped. "I'm just a little--"
From her face, it was clear that she was about to say, "tired", but she quickly switched her words.
"--I just want to get this over with. It's almost sunset anyways. Hurry up, you're lagging behind!"
As they walked through the caves, the dirt beneath their feet began to shake and rumble like during an earthquake. Qiu Yunru wobbled this way and that, doing his best to appear as though he wasn't struggling at all. He certainly didn't want to lose face in front of Lei Ruolan after they'd made some progress!
She looked at him and scoffed over the sound of the shaking earth. "You look stupid. You're trying so hard!"
Qiu Yunru couldn't help but be offended and protested half-heartedly, "I'm not!"
Suddenly, out of the earth burst an enormous head.
It was as thick as three men's torsos side by side. Slime and dirt dripped off its wrinkly skin Its mouth gaped down at them, filled with a thousand pointed silver teeth and giving off the stench of musty earth and rotten corpses.
Qiu Yunru nearly fell over at the smell.
He'd never smelled something so bad!
Lei Ruolan was also incapacitated for a moment, staggering at the stench.
The worm, which couldn't see, swayed over them, saliva dripping from its gums. Though it couldn't see, it could detect the light and hot temperature of two living creatures in front of it.
Fresh food, and such a big size, too!
So, the groundworm lunged.
Qiu Yunru and Lei Ruolan scattered, covering their noses and mouths as the worm smashed into the opposite wall. Rather than staggering backward like a person would when hitting a wall, it dove straight into the dirt and stone like it was clay, its long, wrinkly body slithering across the cavern rapidly.
"You, idiot! Hurry up!" Lei Ruolan retched from the other side of the cave.
Qiu Yunru nodded quickly, embarrassed at his own reaction to that smell. He could keep a calm face in most situations, but when something smelled truly abominable, there really wasn't much he could do! He had always had a sensitive sense of smell!
Nimbly, he hopped over rocks and to the wall, slapping a row of fire talismans up. He continued to run around the cavern even as that great worm's horrifying, stinking head burst out of the wall again, this time at a different spot. Dirt rained down, and some got in Qiu Yunru's eye.
He wept quietly in his heart. Did he always have to get the most embarrassing injuries?
As he ran around placing talismans, Lei Ruolan brandished her sword, which glowed with a faint silver light in the darkness of the cavern.
"Over here!"
A shiny thing! The worm's huge head reared, shooting towards Lei Ruolan. She gripped her sword, sweat dripping down her neck as the ground shook beneath her feet.
"Hurry up, idiot!"
Qiu Yunru slapped one more talisman onto the side of the worm's body, praying its attention wouldn't turn to him. Thankfully, it didn't sense his hand, its skin around its middle being too thick to sense such a small touch.
He snapped his fingers.
All at once every paper talisman burst into flame. It was like watching a room explode in a series of small bursts of fire, peppering the darkness with a blinding red light. Qiu Yunru's eyes were stung by the searing images of flame, and the air grew hot, the humidity of the cave suddenly suffocating.
There was a squelching noise and a loud shout.
Something thick and black sprayed everywhere, extinguishing all of the flames in a great cloud of sizzling smoke.
Naturally, Qiu Yunru was splattered all over. He sighed, crying a little more in his heart.
His robes were going to be so difficult to wash!
"Lei-shijie, are you all right?"