After being reborn, the cannon fodder junior sister quickly left the sect.

Chapter 169 Holding Hands

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, and volcanoes with constantly churning lava were scattered across the desert. The air was thick with suffocating heat, making it almost unbearable.

Su Luo and the others all covered their heads with robes to block the sun, but even so, they were still sweating profusely and their heads were spinning. Only Lin Ji was slightly better off, since his body was made of stone, which naturally kept his temperature low, so he wasn't as disheveled as Su Luo and the others.

Because it was too hot, Zhu Zhu crawled directly into Su Luo's storage bag to escape the heat and went into a temporary hibernation state.

This made Chu Wenqing extremely envious, and she even said that she wished she could crawl into the storage bag too. Such nonsensical remarks would normally have earned her eye-rolls from everyone, but now everyone was too hot to bother with a response.

Even just standing still, Chu Wenqing felt dizzy and lightheaded from the heat. "I can't take it anymore, I... I'm going to get heatstroke..."

Song Qiao's face and lips were also frighteningly pale.

Seeing this, Feng Xiyue wiped her sweat and said to Su Luo, "Everyone is suffering from this temperature. It seems we need to use Ice Heart Grass and bamboo leaves to cool things down..."

Su Luo nodded listlessly, indicating her agreement.

Feng Xiyue immediately took out a bottle of pills and distributed one to each person, while instructing, "There isn't much Ice Heart Grass, and only thirty Ice Heart Pills can be made, so each of us can only get six. These six pills are all in the pill bottle, so please use them sparingly."

Because the Ice Heart Grass cannot be ingested directly, Feng Xiyue quickly refined it into a pill, the Ice Heart Pill, on the very first night she obtained it. This pill can lower the body temperature by more than ten degrees Celsius, with remarkable effects, but unfortunately, the effect is short-lived.

After receiving their respective Ice Heart Pills, the five of them each took one. Lin Ji didn't want to take one, but Su Luo kept watching him, so he had no choice but to take one as well.

The Ice Heart Pill tasted a bit strange, with a particularly pungent toothpaste smell, but it was very effective. After swallowing one pill, the group could instantly feel their body temperature drop, and they were no longer as hot as before.

Chu Wenqing wiped away his sweat and sighed, "Ah, he's alive again..."

Su Luo nodded in agreement, carefully put away the medicine bottle, and then said, "Feng Xiyue and I have discussed it. Since the Ice Heart Pills are scarce, we'll use them sparingly. While traveling, we can use bamboo leaf popsicles to cool down. If it gets too hot or uncomfortable, then we can take an Ice Heart Pill. What do you all think?"

The rest of the people naturally had no objection.

After taking a Bingxin Pill, everyone felt revived and, after a quick rest, began their journey. As they traveled, the temperature rose considerably because they were passing a volcano, so everyone immediately took out bamboo leaves from the Lingyu Bamboo and popped them into their mouths.

After taking a bite, everyone's eyes widened slightly, filled with amazement.

These bamboo leaf brand popsicles are not only icy and refreshing, but also have a subtle salty taste, which is perfect for replenishing the water lost from their bodies. What's even better is that even in temperatures of 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, the popsicles melt very slowly, making them perfect for cooling down whether you're holding them in your mouth or sticking them to your body!

Su Luo simply wrapped an ice pop in a cloth and held it to her face to cool herself down. Except for Lin Ji, the other three followed Su Luo's example.

Chu Wenqing stuck an ice pop to one hand and held another in the other, munching on it. After finishing one, he quickly took out another. His speed in slurping ice attracted the attention of Feng Xiyue and Song Qiao.

Feng Xiyue couldn't stand it any longer. "Junior brother, you're eating too fast! You've already eaten four in such a short time!"

Song Qiao also spoke up: "Yes, senior brother, you... eat slowly... eating too much of this cold food will cause the coldness to enter your body, which is not good."

Chu Wenqing took a bite, crunching as she chewed, her mouth and body feeling icy cold, which was quite uncomfortable.

Hearing this, he didn't seem to care. "It's alright! We have so many popsicles, we can't possibly eat them all. Besides, we're already Foundation Establishment cultivators, our bodies are strong and we won't get sick easily. A few popsicles won't hurt me!"

After hearing this answer, Feng Xiyue and Song Qiao said nothing more, but they still did not agree with Chu Wenqing's words.

They are Foundation Establishment cultivators, that's true, but these bamboo leaves are also spiritual plants full of spiritual energy. If they eat too much, not only will they be too cold, but they will also have too much spiritual energy.

Su Luo thought the same thing, but she didn't try to dissuade her.

Chu Wenqing only learns from his mistakes; trying to persuade him otherwise is useless!

As Su Luo was thinking, a drop of sweat suddenly rolled down her forehead and into her eye. She quickly raised her sleeve to wipe her eye and then began wiping the sweat rolling down her forehead.

Just then, a slender hand suddenly reached out to Su Luo, and the other person handed her a handkerchief.

"This is……?"

Su Luo didn't take it immediately, but followed the hand and met Lin Ji's calm gaze.

Lin Ji said, "Use it to wipe your sweat, it will make you feel much more refreshed."

Although Lin Ji really wanted to help Su Luo wipe her face, the two hadn't yet crossed the line, and if he acted too intimately, it might scare Su Luo away. Therefore, Lin Ji could only reluctantly hold back.

Su Luo hadn't expected Lin Ji to have a handkerchief ready. She smiled and accepted it, but as she took it, her hand accidentally touched Lin Ji's hand. She was slightly taken aback. "Why are your hands so cold..."

Inside this volcano, everyone was sweltering in the heat, sweating profusely even with ice grass and popsicles. But Lin Ji looked perfectly fine, and his hands… were ice-cold! His body temperature had been normal before, so what was wrong?

Noticing Su Luo's expression, Lin Ji knew something was wrong. His body was already at a low temperature, like stone, and the Ice Heart Pill had lowered it even further. But no matter what, he couldn't let Su Luo know the real reason!

Lin Ji quickly explained, "It's like this... When I went back and practiced the secret technique, I was seriously injured. The aftereffect of that technique is that it lowers body temperature."

Su Luo immediately asked worriedly, "What should we do? Are the aftereffects serious? Is there any solution?"

"It's not a big problem, it's just that my body temperature is low. I've been actively receiving treatment before I came here, and the aftereffects will disappear after a while."

Su Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Seeing how much Su Luo cared about him, Lin Ji felt a sweet warmth in his heart, and his gaze became even more intense.

Su Luo felt her face burning even hotter under his direct gaze. She awkwardly wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and casually made a joke to try and distract him.

"Haha... Lin Ji, this aftereffect of your actions has turned out to be a happy accident. We're all so hot, but you haven't broken a sweat at all. We're really envious!"

Lin Ji's gaze at Su Luo suddenly became unfathomable. He curled his lips and asked jokingly, "Then... do you want to try? My body temperature is very low right now, which can help you cool down."

Su Luo was stunned.

"Try...try? How do we try?"

"For example... holding hands..."

Lin Ji tentatively reached out to take Su Luo's hand, his tone seductive, "My hands are very cold, which will help cool you down, won't it?"

Su Luo twitched her fingers slightly, feeling the coolness emanating from Lin Ji's hand, but ultimately did not refuse.

After all, Lin Ji's hands were indeed very cool, and besides, they were currently in a period of ambiguity, so a little intimacy wasn't a bad thing...

After thinking it through, Su Luo grasped Lin Ji's hand in return and smiled at the boy's somewhat surprised gaze.

At that moment, Lin Ji's heart stopped, but it quickly surged in his chest again, and you could almost hear its roaring echo.

Actually, he was prepared for Su Luo to shake him off when he held her hand, since they weren't officially dating yet. But to his surprise, Su Luo didn't refuse! She even took his hand in return!

Lin Ji became happier and happier as he thought about it, and the smile on his lips became more and more obvious. At this moment, he looked like an ordinary young man who was happy because of love.

At that moment, he seemed to be the happiest person in the world!