429: Chapter 42

When he woke up again, a fist-sized silkworm was crawling beside him. The silkworm was pure white all over, with faint blue and red patterns appearing, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

Jiang Ping vaguely sensed a connection from it.

He knew it must be because of his eyes.

As if by instinct, he raised his palm. One hand radiated a chill; when he pressed it against the rocks, they were quickly covered in ice, even cracking slightly under the low temperature.

A ball of fire appeared in his other hand, and as it landed on the bones scattered on the cave floor, they instantly turned to ash.

"Is this my ability?"

"Is this really the ability that should come from an eye mutation?"

Jiang Ping whispered to himself. In his impression, abilities brought about by mutations were usually physical enhancements, the strengthening of certain organs, or the growth of something, such as scales, tentacles, or wings.

Even if they were more bizarre, they were just methods to control sound, light, or mental contamination.

But his...

Pure ice and fire.

He had never heard of such a thing.

"This mutated ability must never be spoken of to anyone."

He stood up from the ground, looked at the insect clinging to his clothes, and finally decided to take it back with him.

Outside the cave, the familiar trees remained. He felt much more relieved, realizing that he was likely still in the Gray Forest, so finding Luangang City shouldn't be difficult.

However, after stepping out of the cave and looking at the gloomy forest, he hesitated. Ultimately, he gritted his teeth and entered the depths of the forest; he could not stay here any longer and had to find the way back as soon as possible.

To Jiang Ping's relief, he didn't seem to be too far from the Rock Ridge. He could faintly see the sky in the distance, where billowing black smoke rose.

It was the iron smelting blast furnace.

With the direction confirmed, he entered the Gray Forest and headed towards Luangang City.

What he found strange on the way, however, was that he didn't encounter any Pollution Beasts or Deviants.

He touched the insect inside his pocket.

"Is it you?"

He did not know what relationship this insect had with the Great King Moth that had caused the entire Luangang City to sound an alarm.

He had a certain guess in his heart, but still found it hard to believe.

How could that massive monster turn into a worm three fingers wide and only the size of a fist when curled up?

He pinched the insect in his pocket. It seemed somewhat dissatisfied, wiggling its body a few times before finding a comfortable spot to continue curling up.

It seemed to love sleeping.

Jiang Ping didn't bother with it anymore. Regardless of the relationship between the little insect and that giant beast, he only knew now that the closeness, which seemed to stem from instinct, and the little insect's reliance on him were not fake.

He could even perceive the little insect's emotions.

Moreover, this little insect was truly extraordinary, and naturally, Jiang Ping couldn't bear to throw it away.

"You look so chubby and white, let's call you Fatty."

Fatty conveyed feelings of dissatisfaction, but Jiang Ping ignored it. He needed to think about how to return in a reasonable manner.

Furthermore, how much time had passed since he left?

The trees in the Gray Forest became increasingly sparse, and more bare rocks were exposed. He finally emerged from the Gray Forest and entered the Rock Ridge.

At this moment, he desperately wanted to go home.

Outside the city gate, people were still coming and going, though most of them were experienced Demon Hunters who specialized in hunting those monsters.

The people of Luangang City were very cold. Some gazes fell on him, but no one was in the mood to ask anything, assuming he was just another guy looking to try his luck in the Gray Forest and courting death.

Jiang Ping's nervous heart calmed down a little; it seemed no one cared about the life or death of an ordinary person.

After entering the city gate, he ran wildly towards the road home.

"Dad, Mom, Little Sister, I'm back!"

"Who is it? What are you shouting for!"

The voice was unfamiliar, and the person who opened the door was also a stranger. Jiang Ping stared at the unfamiliar man with stubble, his mind going blank.

"Who are you!"

"What do you mean, who am I? I am the owner of this house. Where did you come from, brat? Get lost, get lost, get lost."

The burly man with stubble was impatient and slammed the door shut.

Bang! Behind him came the sound of an iron basin hitting the ground, along with water splashing on the floor.

Jiang Ping turned his head and was stunned. Looking at the woman's weathered appearance, he felt a sense of familiarity.

"Brother Xiao Ping... Jiang Ping!"