Chapter 68: Anywhere you go I will follow.
Not long after they had a close encounter with the plant type Demonic beast, Guo Luo felt that they had traveled enough for the day. With night quickly approaching, they found a secluded and hidden spot before quickly entering Yao Jun's Demon God's Gate to wait out the night.
“Should we try to look for that plant type Demonic beast tomorrow? It seems like it would make a good addition to your gate.”
Guo Luo and Yao Jun sat next to a small fire that they had made up, grilling meat from various Demonic beasts on skewers. Yao Jun's three Demonic beasts were also lying there with them, with Yao Jun and Guo Luo resting their backs against Little Thunder.
“It's not impossible, it's just a bit difficult, it also doesn't really provide that much help.”
Yao Jun plucked some meat off the flames and threw a few pieces to his Demonic beasts before taking a few bites out off a fist sized piece of meat. This meat was the provisions they had bought in the city, so the meat was tough and tasteless. After taking a few bites, he handed the piece of meat to Guo Luo, who started gently nibbling the meat.
“Ignoring whether or not I can even absorb a plant type Demonic beast, let me explain it a bit more clearly. Killing a plant type Demonic beast can be both easier and harder than killing a normal Demonic beast.”
Seeing that Guo Luo looked at him with a slightly confused gaze, Yao Jun decided to explain to her exactly what he meant. This mostly just meant explaining how a plant type Demonic beast differed from a normal Demonic beast.
“Plant type Demonic beasts do not have Demon Cores, they instead have root systems. While you can kill most normal Demonic beasts by wounding them or exhausting them, a plant type Demonic beast can only be killed if you completely destroy it's root system.”
While he was talking, Yao Jun reached out with his hand and pulled out a flower from the ground, using it's roots to give Guo Luo a clearer picture.
“If you know where this root system is, it can be very easy to kill the plant type Demonic beast, as they rarely have root systems that can move around. If you don't know where this root system is, then it becomes much harder. You will have to resist it's attacks, while you simultaneously dig up the ground to find it's root system.”
“Assuming that we manage to destroy it's root system and that I am able to absorb it, how will I use it? Since it requires it's root system to be located within the ground, I cannot bring it out of the gate to fight, as it's root system will be laid bare. The best I can do with it, is have it act like a guardian inside the gate. Now while this idea does indeed sound tempting, it simply is not worth the trouble it would be to find it's root system.”
Yao Jun shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as he spoke. It really wasn't worth the hassle to hunt something like that. If he knew where it's root system was, or had a way of finding it, then it would be a different story of course. If he had more Demonic beasts inside this gate, he could bring his enemies into the gate when they fought, giving him a greater chance at victory.
“Of course, instead of hunting down and trying to find a plant type Demonic beast to absorb, I can just breed my own. As time goes on and I plant more herbs here, with the increase in natural Qi inside the gate, a plant type Demonic beast will be born here sooner or later, odds are more than one will be born even. So why would I go out off my way to try and hunt one?”
Yao Jun looked over at a small mountain in the distance as he spoke. The mountain was only around 400 meters in height, so it wasn't the tallest mountain inside his gate, but this mountain was where he planted all the herbs he had acquired since he awakened his gate.
“I see, then it really isn't worth bothering with it.”
Guo Luo nodded with a serious expression as she spoke, quickly memorizing everything Yao Jun had said. She had read a lot of books since she started following Yao Jun, but the books she had read were only about the continents that were nearby, she knew very little about Demonic beasts.
“Of course, if you do decide that you want us to hunt it, I will not go against your orders.”
No matter what Yao Jun said, it was still Guo Luo that was the leader during this trip, so he would follow any of her orders. After he finished speaking, he grabbed a waterskin and took a few swigs of water. After he had his fill of water, he handed the waterskin to Guo Luo and closed his eyes as he rested his body against Little Thunder. They would continue traveling in the morning, so getting some early rest would be a good idea.
Guo Luo continued to sit there, occasionally drinking some water and throwing pieces of meat to the Demonic beasts, as she watched Yao Jun fall asleep. She watched him for a few more minutes, making sure that he was soundly asleep. After she was certain that he was completely asleep, she quietly moved closer and leaned up against him, resting her cheek on his chest and listening to his heartbeat.
“Please Yao Jun, tell me anywhere I go, you will follow.”
Her voice was quiet as a whisper, barely leaving her lips, but it contained all her hopes. She had seen Yao Jun at his worst during the time he was tortured. But she had also seen him at what she considered his best during the time in Ash Barrens City, destroying all that stood between him and his peaceful world. The time she had spent with him was short, but to her it had felt like several years. She was certain that this was the man she wanted to follow, the man she wanted to see reach the top.
“Anywhere you go, I will follow.”
While Guo Luo closed her eyes to fall asleep, she felt Yao Jun's arm wrap around her shoulder and pull her even closer, his voice entering her ear like a soft whisper. The moment she heard his voice, her entire body stiffened for a short moment before she felt all the blood in her body rush to her head. She quickly buried her head even deeper into his chest in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
Yao Jun did not say anything else. He liked to put on a strong and determined front, but only he knew just how hard it was. He was constantly scared and worried. Worried that the choice he had made was the wrong one, scared that everything he wanted to protect was destroyed.
What he needed more than anything, was someone that could support him, someone that could hold him together when he felt like breaking. Guo Luo was just such a person, the kind of person that could ease Yao Jun's worried mind with just a single touch.