Chapter 024

Chapter 24: A Wild Flight

The crowded team quickly thinned out. With the group splitting up, even the spirit weasels hesitated for a moment in confusion. Soon, a part of the weasels continued chasing after Wei Yun Ting’s group, while another set pursued a team of mortal children. The remaining few weasels trailed behind the other small groups, their threat greatly reduced.

Wei Yun Xi swept her divine sense over the group of mortal children being relentlessly chased, and among them, she clearly saw the girl who had accompanied Wei Yun Qing to the woods earlier.

Seeing the determined pursuit of the spirit weasels behind them, Yun Xi was certain her suspicion was correct—Wei Yun Qing really brought calamity to them all.

Little Fatty had already reached his limit. Waving toward Yun Xi, he panted, “Yun Xi, don’t hold onto me. I can’t keep up anymore, you run ahead.”

Wei Yun Xi, full of loyalty, quickly said, “Brother Zong Hao, I can’t leave you behind!”

Then, seizing the right moment, she dragged Little Fatty into a patch of thorny vines. She quickly activated her isolation array disk and pulled Wei Zong Hao into the protective barrier.

Once inside, Wei Zong Hao collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. Wei Yun Xi herself was not much better, but during their escape, she had instinctively channeled her spiritual energy into her legs, using wind-attribute qi. This was the only reason she managed to drag the chubby boy along without being overtaken.

Choosing to split from the team was deliberate. Wei Yun Xi had no intention of being dragged down by Wei Yun Qing. Who knew what treasure she had taken from the spirit weasels?

After Wei Zong Hao caught his breath, he sat up and stared at the weasels lingering outside the formation. “Little Sister Yun Xi, does this mean we’ve been separated from the team?”

“Yes. We had no choice. Most of the weasels were chasing after us, and since you couldn’t run anymore, I decided to hide with you.”

Wei Zong Hao felt moved. Generously, he said, “Thank you, Little Sister Yun Xi. Here, have some dried meat. All that running nearly killed me; we should eat to regain our strength.”

Wei Zong Hao rarely acted so generously. He felt that this younger cousin was truly dependable. Even in danger, she hadn’t abandoned him and had even protected him with a precious array disk. Indeed, she was exactly the kind of sibling his mother encouraged him to befriend.

Wei Yun Xi didn’t hesitate to accept the meat, chewing through two pieces before looking around and saying, “The spirit weasels outside have left. Let’s rest a bit longer, then catch up to Big Sister Yun Ting.”

“Alright, let’s wait a little more,” Wei Zong Hao agreed with a nod.

“Brother Zong Hao, why do you think the spirit weasels pursued us so stubbornly?” Yun Xi asked curiously.

“Yun Xi, you saw clearly? Were most of them really chasing after our group?” Little Fatty had been too busy running to notice.

Yun Xi immediately nodded. “I saw it clearly, especially when Big Sister Yun Ting told us to split up. Most of the weasels chased our group, and some others pursued the mortal children. The remaining groups only had two or three weasels following them.”

Wei Zong Hao knitted his brows. “Earlier, I saw Wei Yun Qing go with a mortal girl into the woods. Do you think they took something?”

Yun Xi raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that someone else had noticed Wei Yun Qing’s actions. These little fellows were sharper than she’d assumed. Still, she readily agreed, “I saw it too, but I didn’t dare mention it at the time.”

Wei Zong Hao, relieved he wasn’t imagining things, revealed a mischievous grin. “Let’s hurry and catch up to them. We’ll see if she caused all this trouble!”

Wei Yun Xi immediately nodded. Once they had fully recovered their strength, she took down the array disk, reluctantly. Every use consumed precious spirit stones; she couldn’t afford to waste them.

Holding hands, the pair slowly followed their previous path forward.

At this moment, Wei Yun Ting was furious at her troublesome younger clan sister and shouted angrily, “Wei Yun Qing! If you don’t want to be eliminated, return whatever you took to the spirit weasels! Otherwise, I won’t help you anymore!”

Though Wei Yun Qing felt unwilling, she finally took the little spirit weasel cub hidden in her sleeve and placed it gently onto the ground. She quickly retreated from the spot.

Among the chasing weasels were some at Qi Refining Level Three. Wei Yun Qing knew she was no match. If Wei Yun Ting abandoned her, elimination was inevitable.

Once she placed the cub down, the relentless spirit weasels finally stopped. The largest among them cautiously sniffed the baby weasel, confirming it was unharmed, before gently picking it up and retreating along the original path. They chose not to chase further since they’d already left their territory. Remaining away for too long would provoke other beasts whose territory they entered.

Wei Yun Ting breathed a sigh of relief at this, but her expression toward Wei Yun Qing was no longer pleasant. She thought this younger cousin of hers was too shortsighted. The spirit weasels were merely First-Order beasts, and even at their strongest, they wouldn’t surpass Third-Order. Besides being good at running away, they had no special abilities. What was the point of capturing their cub?

If Wei Yun Xi had been there, she could’ve guessed why. Wei Yun Qing had lost her greatest cheat—her wooden-space token. Her storage bag was empty. With Concubine Du secluded and unable to supply her promised cultivation resources, Yun Qing had grown desperate. Seeing the adorable spirit weasel cub, she’d thought to capture and sell it for spirit stones. She knew her aunt adored cute little pets.

Unfortunately, it ended badly. Not only had she failed, but she also scattered the entire team. Wei Yun Qing internally grumbled bitterly. However, seeing Wei Yun Xi nowhere to be found behind her, her mood quickly improved.

“Let’s rest here for now,” Wei Yun Ting said after seeing the weasels give up.

The remaining six finally halted. After catching his breath, Wei Zong Han sharply confronted Wei Yun Qing. “Yun Qing, do you even remember why you’re here? Are you trying to get all of us Wei family disciples eliminated and make our Emerald Jade City family a laughingstock?”

Wei Zong Han was among the first batch of five disciples accepted into the sect. He was the same age and cultivation level as Wei Yun Ting, but as a member of a branch family, he deferred to Yun Ting as leader. Yet, as the vice-captain, he spoke frankly.

Wei Yun Qing’s face flushed, eyes rimmed red with tears. “Big Brother Zong Han, I didn’t know it would attract all those weasels. When I went to relieve myself, the little weasel suddenly dropped onto my head. Its eyes weren’t even open yet, so I thought it was abandoned. I just wanted to raise it. I know I was wrong!”

Her tears made Wei Zong Han feel like he’d punched cotton, so he turned toward Wei Yun Ting instead.

Wei Yun Ting also felt unhappy with her cousin, but Yun Qing had excellent talent and was progressing quickly, making her a key family investment. She couldn’t reprimand her too severely, so she said sternly, “Yun Qing, you’re a cultivator now; you can’t act on a whim. Luckily, there was no serious harm this time, but you must remember this lesson.”

“Yes, Big Sister Yun Ting, I understand,” Wei Yun Qing answered pitifully.

At this moment, Wei Zong Jin suddenly frowned and exclaimed, “Yun Xi and Zong Hao are missing!”