Emily used a dagger to sever the rootstock of the Takizawa flowers, and reverently cupped it in her hands before placing it in her bag.
【Task completed, Emily's favorability increased.】
She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at Lin Feng, noticing he had a silly grin on his face.
"What are you smiling about?"
Lin Feng stifled his laughter and waved his hand, "Oh, nothing. Let's look around here some more."
"One is enough. Steeping the flower petals in water and drinking it two or three times will cure the illness." Emily scratched her cheek, "Besides, this flower is sacred. We can only pick one, or else it would be disrespectful to our ancestors."
Lin Feng helplessly complained, "What kind of bizarre custom is this? I'm not one of your people, so I don't have to follow these rules, right?"
Emily didn't say anything. She just pursed her lips as she looked at Lin Feng, blinking her eyes twice.
Silence speaks louder than words here. Lin Feng immediately understood what she meant.
"Alright, alright. Since your tribe has a rule that one person can only pick one, and there's two of us, I can pick one too. That works, right?"
Emily thought for a moment, then nodded, "I suppose that's fine. But what do you want the flower for?"
"I want to plant it at home, to have on hand just in case."
"Huh?"
"Your people are prone to that illness, right? If you ever get sick, I'll have it ready to steep and give you the water to drink." As Lin Feng spoke, he lowered his head and started looking around again. "And isn't this your tribe's sacred flower? I'll take it back with me to remind you of home."
Emily was stunned into silence. It took her a good while to recover before she squeezed out, "I see, then let's look for another one."
Without even noticing herself, her cheeks had turned red.
Though she didn't say much aloud, her heart was pounding loudly.
She couldn't resist the urge to stand on her tiptoes and plant a fluttering kiss on Lin Feng's lips.
"Oh? What's this about, suddenly bestowing a sweet kiss?"
"Nothing really, I just suddenly wanted to try it out." Emily licked her lips, still savoring the feeling.
"And what's your conclusion?"
Smacking her lips, she shook her head. "Doesn't seem to be anything special about it."
"That's because you don't know what you're doing." Lin Feng playfully smacked her bottom, then whispered in her ear, "I'll teach you when we get back."
Emily scratched her head in puzzlement. "What's there to teach? It's just mouth to mouth, right?"
Wow, it looks like she has some idea, but still doesn't know much.
When they get back this time, he'd definitely have to show her a whole new world.
The two continued searching for Takizawa flowers. Lin Feng had to admit, the flowers really were rare.
By the time dusk fell, they still hadn't found a second plant.
"Why don't we head back for now? Dragging this on too long isn't good either. I'm hale and healthy right now, so there's no rush." Emily clung to Lin Feng's arm and leaned on his shoulder.
"Let's search one more day tomorrow. If we still can't find any, then we'll go back."
"Mm."
The two didn't sleep that night. They leaned against a tree talking until dawn.
As time went by, their conversation grew more open, from liking certain foods, to playing with themselves...
Despite the absurd topics, Emily really enjoyed chatting with Lin Feng.
"Really, it's so heavy. Sometimes I wish they were smaller." Emily hefted up her two bunnies and jiggled them around. "I wrap them so tight already, but they still hurt when I move around too much."
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Lin Feng eyed them from the side.
The two mounds bouncing up and down seemed to have some power to attract his gaze. He couldn't tear his eyes away for even a moment.
"Try holding them up with your hands. They're super duper heavy. Sometimes it's hard to even breathe." Emily complained endlessly to Lin Feng with a grieved look on her face.
"But I've groped them before. I think the texture is great, and the skin is smooth and firm. The shape is especially beautiful too." Lin Feng reached out to inspect them once more.
"Yeah, you might like them, but I actually hate them being so big." Emily tilted her head in thought. "Like Yuna's... no, even smaller than Yuna's. That could probably achieve a good balance of aesthetics and comfort."
Lin Feng offered his opinion, "Generally speaking, the bigger the better."
"Fine, fine. Since you like them, I won't complain." Emily spread her hands helplessly.
Lin Feng stood up and brushed the dirt off his bottom. He grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her up too.
No more chatting. The sun had already risen over the horizon. It was time to look for Takizawa flowers.
"Let's head back and continue this slowly." Though they had come to the forest to look for medicine, it had really turned into a honeymoon with Emily.
Lin Feng's shoulder was tapped. He turned back to see Emily there.
"I found it." She lowered her voice to a whisper and gently tugged his sleeve, bringing him to a clearing.
Emily pointed at the Takizawa flower in the clearing, whispering into Lin Feng's ear, "Look how pretty it is."
She spoke as if the flower would run away if she was any louder.
Her cute antics made Lin Feng suddenly want to tease her badly.
"It is beautiful."
Recalling Yuna's state yesterday, Lin Feng took out his trowel and outlined a circle around the Takizawa flower before digging out the entire clump of soil and putting it in his backpack.
"Wait, don't tie up the bag." Emily undid the drawstring, leaving a large opening. "This flower is very delicate. Let it breathe some fresh air and soak up the sunlight."
Though Lin Feng found it silly, he didn't mind indulging Emily.
After all, she was his wife. What was wrong with pampering her a little?
"Alright, let's head back."
"Yay, come back and propose to me!"
Emily nodded. They had found the flower and completed the task. It was time for the two to head back.
From the unseen shadows, a pair of green eyes watched the two leave...
On the way back, Lin Feng didn't let Emily keep battling monsters. Nor did they chat idly. He pushed their pace to return as quickly as possible.
In just one day, they reached the outer edges of the Great Forest.
Emily suddenly grabbed Lin Feng's hand, a smile on her face. "Master, the tribe is just ahead. Come back with me."
Seeing the darkening sky, Lin Feng decided against it.
Moreover, he was an outsider. Barging into someone else's tribe would be troublesome.
Even if he had Emily's scent on him and his clothes disguised him, it didn't mean he couldn't be discovered.
Most importantly, his hands were empty except for the one Takizawa flower.
He couldn't just take away someone's daughter like that.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Who said it wasn't good?"
"Would it be possible for you to go back first tonight, and let me get prepared? I'll come get you tomorrow." Lin Feng felt oddly nervous at the thought of meeting his mother-in-law and little brother-in-law soon.
"It'll be fine. Let's go tonight." Emily gently pushed Lin Feng's waist and whispered in his ear.
Unable to dissuade her, Lin Feng could only reluctantly follow along.