Chapter 127: Blushing

These purple-black tentacle monsters are, in fact, quite common in the swamp.

The surface of these tentacle monsters is generally covered in sharp barbs, granting them high attack power and impressive durability. Their only weakness is that they cannot move. Therefore, when encountering these tentacles in the swamp, one can usually just carefully skirt around them.

However, Qin Fei and Xie Nainai were being closely pursued by a Treeguard at that very moment. While this giant tree-man was not particularly fast, if Qin Fei and the others were to stop and take a detour because of these tentacles, they would inevitably be caught by the Treeguard behind them.

Thinking of this, Qin Fei immediately took a wooden staff from his backpack and gripped it. Embedded at the top of the staff was a purplish-red gemstone.

[Teleportation Staff: Can teleport the target to a random location within a one-kilometer radius. Remaining charges: 5/5. Restriction: Cannot be used in special terrains such as caves, mid-air, or the ocean.]

After retrieving the staff, Qin Fei immediately broke away from the group and ran toward the position of the pursuing Treeguard. He decided to act as bait, risking his life alone to draw the Treeguard's attention and buy time for Xie Nainai to escape. In the swamp, the use of the Teleportation Staff was not restricted; if Qin Fei found himself unable to dodge the Treeguard’s attack, he could simply use the staff in time. Compared to the lives of his teammates, the charges of the staff were not worth much.

The Treeguard’s attack method was simple: it swung its two branch-like arms to strike its enemies. As Qin Fei ran, his eyes remained fixed on the Treeguard’s every move. Seeing Qin Fei charging toward it, the Treeguard swung its two branches, swatting toward him.

The moment the branches descended, four tentacles erupted from Qin Fei's chest and back, bracing against the ground. He then slightly bent his legs. With his four tentacles and legs pushing off the ground simultaneously, he vaulted high into the air. Leveraging the effect of the "Cloud in a Bottle" item, a gust of mist erupted beneath his feet, pushing him even higher into the sky.

"Cloud in a Bottle" is a magical item from the Terraria world. Since it is not made of metal, it was not disabled in the Don't Starve world. While Qin Fei successfully evaded the Treeguard’s strike, Xie Nainai, Big Nose, and Caesar the Pig had already bypassed the tentacles and escaped to a safe zone.

But Qin Fei, soaring in the air, was in trouble.

Because the Don't Starve world does not allow the use of gliders made of metallic materials, Qin Fei, stranded high in the air, could not use a glider to fly away. Seizing the opportunity, the Treeguard swiped at him. Like swatting a fly buzzing near its head, the blow connected, sending Qin Fei flying dozens of meters away to the ground.

"Pfft!"

Qin Fei slumped on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. However, because the swamp ground was soft and his physique was already far superior to that of an ordinary person, the blow did not kill him instantly.

*My speed... I still couldn't dodge its attack after all...* Qin Fei felt a bit dejected.

In truth, besides helping his teammates escape, he had taken such a risky move to test his own strength. He hadn't expected the gap between himself and the Treeguard to be so vast. Severely injured, Qin Fei felt aches all over, as if his entire body had fallen apart. His legs had taken the worst of the impact; his right knee was bleeding incessantly, staining his pant leg crimson. Qin Fei estimated that he would be unable to continue fighting for some time.

Enduring the pain from his injuries, he raised the Teleportation Staff, aiming the purple gem at the Treeguard. If the creature charged at him, he would immediately use the staff to teleport it elsewhere. To his surprise, however, the Treeguard did not pursue him or attempt to attack again. It seemed to have started fighting the tentacle monsters in the swamp instead.

Bosses have detection ranges; once a target moves beyond their attack radius, they switch to attacking the nearest creature. Qin Fei speculated that the Treeguard had switched targets because he had been knocked too far away by that last strike.

In the world of Don't Starve, monsters of different species do not belong to the same faction. If different types of creatures happen to run into each other in the wild, they will almost certainly start fighting at the slightest provocation. If gregarious creatures clash, their kin nearby will inevitably join in, turning the skirmish into a brawl or even a war between species. Therefore, Qin Fei was not particularly surprised that the situation had devolved into a battle between the Treeguard and a group of tentacles. After all, when he played the game himself, he had often used such tactics to shift trouble onto others and watch the chaos from a safe distance.

As the Treeguard and the tentacles brawled, Xie Nainai, Big Nose, and Caesar the Pig immediately rushed to Qin Fei’s side. Seeing him injured, Xie Nainai hurriedly took a dark, gooey substance from her bag and smeared it onto the wound on his right leg.

"What is this stuff? It smells so fishy..."

"It's ointment. You'll just have to bear the smell."

In reality, the substance Xie Nainai was applying to Qin Fei’s wound was a medical salve made from ground-up spider glands from the Don't Starve world. It was only natural for spider glands to have a fishy odor. The effect, however, was surprisingly good; after applying the ointment, the bleeding on Qin Fei’s right leg stopped almost immediately. After a minute, he could move his leg slightly, though he still couldn't stand. Thus, he remained seated, watching the battle between the Treeguard and the tentacles in the distance.

"How did you grow so many tentacles just now?" Xie Nainai suddenly asked.

"The tentacles? Ah..." Hearing the question, Qin Fei looked smug. He released the four tentacles from his chest and back, waving them in the air, and said proudly, "Not bad, right?" He clearly intended to show off his new ability to Xie Nainai.

Upon seeing the tentacles, Xie Nainai’s cheeks suddenly turned bright red, and she turned her gaze toward the Treeguard...

Qin Fei was speechless. Seeing her blush, he immediately understood what she was thinking.

*I mean, fine, you don't have to envy my new ability, but why are you blushing like a teapot!*