Chapter 053

Chapter 53: Dragging Each Other Down

Tang Ru naturally didn’t want to bear the blame for destroying the spirit fields. She could only claim she spent spirit stones to hire people because she was looking for an old friend. Though she spoke sweetly, anyone with eyes could see she was seeking her former lover.

Chen Feng had always been like an invisible shadow among the Outer Sect disciples. The only time he gained any attention was when Tang Ru left him to become a concubine. For a brief moment, he was a topic of ridicule among the disciples, but after a year, everyone had forgotten about him.

However, Tang Ru’s words suddenly brought Chen Feng back into the spotlight. Now, though, he had mysteriously vanished, and nobody knew exactly when he’d left.

Because Tang Ru had revealed that Chen Feng’s last known location was in the spirit fields of Area B on Outer Peak Five, the Enforcement Hall became suspicious of him.

Coincidentally, aside from Yun Xi and Zong Hao—those two timid novices who had hastened their spirit rice’s maturity early—everyone else’s fields were severely damaged. In fact, Area B suffered the worst losses of all the Outer Five Peaks, making Chen Feng the prime suspect.

When Yun Xi heard the news, the corners of her mouth curled slightly. [Heaven truly helps me,] she thought, [now there’s no proof left. Chen Feng has even been marked as a criminal, dragging Tang Ru down along with him.]

Wei Zong Hao stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, “Little Sister Yun Xi, I think Chen Feng was probably targeting us.”

Yun Xi nodded, following his logic and adding, “I think so too. Chen Feng must’ve wanted us to fail our sect task. Then, when we faced punishment, he could strike at us easily! But luckily we were quick-witted. Even though we had to spend extra spirit stones to ripen the rice early, we completed our task without delay. His plan was ruined, and by the time he acted, our fields were already harvested. Those honeybugs ended up attacking the other fields instead. Once things got out of control, he must’ve panicked and fled. It serves him right!”

Zong Hao thought his younger sister made perfect sense and echoed her thoughts, saying, “His plan to harm us was definitely a secret. He wouldn’t have told anyone. But Tang Ru exposed him accidentally—she really is a perfect example of a terrible teammate.”

“Exactly. It’s best if just the two of us know about this. Don’t tell Zong Yu. Little Uncle hasn’t returned from his training mission yet, so let’s keep a low profile,” Yun Xi reminded him.

“I know,” Zong Hao agreed. “We avoided trouble by relying on our own wits, so let’s not worry everyone else. But in the future, we need to be more cautious with the tasks we take on.”

Yun Xi nodded, replying, “Right. Anyway, we’ve already completed our task for this month, and with this incident at Outer Peak Five, it’s best we rest for a while and wait to see how things go.”

Zong Hao suggested eagerly, “How about we go to the Outer Sect market tomorrow? We can sell the spirit rice we harvested.”

After thinking briefly, Yun Xi shook her head. “Brother Zong Hao, let’s not rush. Since most of the Outer Peak Five’s harvest was ruined, spirit rice prices should rise in the next few days. We should wait and sell later, even if we only get a couple more spirit stones.”

“Oh, you’re right. I forgot about that! Then let’s use these two days to train at the Cultivation Hall and make up for the time we missed,” Zong Hao proposed, now fully focused on raising his cultivation.

From the next day onward, the two siblings hurried straight to the Cultivation Hall, choosing adjacent training rooms without caring too much about their positions.

Yun Xi activated the isolation formation, sat cross-legged on her meditation mat, and carefully reviewed everything that had happened in the past three months. Once satisfied nothing was overlooked, she entered the space of the group chat.

The space remained unchanged, except four of the five wicker baskets that had once held milk fruit were empty. Only one basket remained full. She decided to contact Tribe Warrior to trade for fresh milk fruit.

As usual, the screen immediately showed a notification of her arrival. She saw a distress message from Tribe Warrior that had been left during her absence. Apparently, their tribe had encountered a severe cold season not seen in a thousand years.

The snow had fallen continuously for three months. Their food storage ran low, and many cubs and females fell ill. Wild beasts, driven mad by hunger, attacked frequently. Thanks to the shield Tribe Warrior had obtained in advance, the tribe survived—but food shortage was still a major crisis.

The tribe’s males had been forced to hunt outside in the dangerous wilderness, often becoming targets of frenzied beasts. Every hunting trip brought new injuries or even deaths.

Survival is Truth generously sent medicines, helping sick cubs and females endure. Star Trek contributed nutritional solutions—poor-tasting but effective—that kept the beastmen warriors energized for battles.

Ox Head and Horse Face and Drifting with Immortal Grace had no means to assist, one being a ghost and the other needing no sustenance. They could only stay silent helplessly.

Seeing this, Yun Xi immediately reached out to Tribe Warrior.

Passing Clouds: “Warrior, how is your situation now? Has the cold season passed?”

After a short moment, Tribe Warrior responded: “The cold season has finally ended. But the melting snow has flooded our homes, forcing us to move. The wild beasts are incredibly fierce from hunger, and we’re lacking food.”

Passing Clouds replied quickly: “I’ll send you ten bottles of fasting pills first. Each pill can satisfy hunger for a day. Try them out first. I’ll also send you a hundred catties of spirit rice, grown by myself. It contains plenty of energy and should help sustain your tribe’s warriors. Cook a batch first and see how it goes.”

These fasting pills were Yun Xi’s reserves accumulated over the past year. Though she outwardly maintained her cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining, she hadn’t formally begun alchemy practice yet.

Tribe Warrior replied gratefully: “Little Yun Yan, thank you very much. I’ll convert these goods into milk fruits for you during the hot season when they ripen. I’ll send them to you then.”

Clearly unwilling to accept charity, Tribe Warrior insisted on trading fairly. Yun Xi readily agreed, transferring the supplies via the chat system.

Afterward, Yun Xi checked the group again. The mysterious member called Deity was still offline, and with nothing more useful to exchange, she logged out.

Opening her eyes, Yun Xi resumed today’s cultivation, eager to quickly break through to Qi Refining level nine and begin learning alchemy.

At the same time, Wei Yun Qing, who had just encountered Wei Yun Xi, felt deeply frustrated. Yun Xi was practically her nemesis, always one step ahead in cultivation. Gripping the bottle of pills given by Senior Brother Ye, Yun Qing made up her mind to swallow them immediately. She refused to keep losing to that annoying little sister with triple-element roots.

Acting immediately, Yun Qing rented a high-quality cultivation chamber, swallowed the pill, and began cultivating.

The pill dissolved instantly, sending pure spiritual energy flowing through her body and filling her with warmth. Almost immediately, she felt soreness and swelling in her meridians—a sign they were expanding. Yun Qing quickly guided the unruly spiritual energy to circulate within her body.