Chapter 062

Chapter 62: Not Necessarily a Loss

After hearing Yun Xi’s explanation, Hua Xuan Zi and Senior Brother Zhao felt their eyelids twitching simultaneously. Somehow, the smile on Junior Sister Wei’s face appeared strangely wicked.

Unable to hold back, Wei Zong Hao asked incredulously, “Yun Xi, how did you even think to stuff a talisman there?”

Yun Xi answered casually, “The second-order sand gerbil’s skin was incredibly tough. Even after being bombarded with talismans for so long, it only suffered superficial wounds. I refused to believe its insides could be as sturdy as its outside. So, when it swung its tail at me, exposing its tiny backside, I suddenly had an idea and seized the moment.”

At this, Senior Brother Zhao’s lips twitched into a faint smile as he commented, “Thankfully, Junior Sister Wei was quick-witted. Otherwise, we’d still be locked in a bitter fight right now, and who knows who would have benefited in the end?”

Hua Xuan Zi sighed and added, “Senior Brother Zhao is right. Junior Sister Wei deserves the greatest credit this time. Without your timely action, even if we had managed to defeat the second-order sand gerbil after Zhang and the others betrayed us, it would have come at a great cost. Fighting both our traitorous teammates and then the sand gerbils left us little chance of victory. Truly, thank you, Junior Sister Wei.”

She bowed solemnly to both Yun Xi and Zong Hao, sincerely acknowledging their life-saving help.

Yun Xi returned the bow politely, quietly accepting her gratitude. After all, they had indeed paid a price. Had Yun Xi not sensed the betrayal early, they would have become victims themselves.

“Senior Sister Hua, aside from Senior Sister Zhang, the other three teammates are dead. We should decide carefully what to report, or the mission hall may ask difficult questions,” Yun Xi said, bringing up the issue of their report.

Senior Brother Zhao exchanged a glance with Hua Xuan Zi before responding calmly, “We’ll say that we accidentally disturbed the second-order sand gerbil while gathering the golden sand grass, and during the ensuing battle, our three teammates were swallowed whole by the beast.”

The explanation was straightforward, direct, and convincing enough. Yun Xi nodded in agreement. After all, they had the corpse of the second-order sand gerbil as proof, and none of them would reveal otherwise.

Once their story was decided, it was time to discuss their rewards. Senior Brother Zhao spoke again, “The golden sand grass and first-order sand gerbils will be turned in for sect contribution points, evenly divided among us four. As for the second-order sand gerbil, we can sell it directly to the mission hall. Its teeth are intact, so we can probably get around six mid-grade spirit stones. Hua Xuan Zi and I will take one each, and you siblings can each have two.”

Yun Xi immediately waved her hand to object, “Senior Brother Zhao, that’s unfair. After all, my brother and I didn’t actually kill the beast—”

Before she could finish, Senior Brother Zhao firmly interrupted, “The matter is settled. Without your timely intervention, both of us would have suffered greatly. Your actions may have been for self-preservation, but for us, it was nothing short of lifesaving. It also proves Hua Xuan Zi was right to trust you two.”

He continued earnestly, “Besides, without your array disk, we might have fallen prey to the sand gerbil swarm right after dealing with our betrayers, which would have spelled certain death. You fully deserve these two mid-grade spirit stones. The single stone Hua Xuan Zi and I will take is just a small contribution toward saving for our Foundation Establishment pills, so please don’t refuse.”

Upon hearing his reasoning, Yun Xi graciously smiled and accepted, “Since Senior Brother Zhao insists, we siblings will humbly accept your generosity.”

The storage bags from their defeated foes, however, were individually obtained loot, and each would naturally keep their own spoils. This was an unspoken rule.

After settling distribution, all four began meditating to recover their spiritual energy.

Yun Xi, having previously taken a supreme-grade Nourishing Spirit Pill, still had some lingering energy within her meridians. After absorbing it through meditation, her dantian quickly became replenished.

They passed the night quietly in meditation instead of rest. At sunrise, Hua Xuan Zi removed the array disk sealing the cave’s entrance and suggested returning immediately.

Everyone agreed readily. With their numbers reduced significantly, they feared potential traps left by their dead teammates. Better safe than sorry.

However, Yun Xi and Zong Hao remained alert during their journey back, occasionally gathering a few low-grade spirit plants, thus saving spirit stones later.

Their pace was steady, stopping occasionally to slay a few Snow Ear rabbits and red chicks—mostly due to Zong Hao craving Yun Xi’s delicious soup.

By sunset, they finally reached the entrance. In mutual understanding, the four adjusted their appearances to look disheveled and battle-worn, as though they’d narrowly escaped death.

The disciples guarding the entrance inspected their identity tokens briefly, then waved them through without questioning.

The four immediately went to the mission hall, turned in their assignment, and divided their contribution points. They stepped aside while Senior Brother Zhao sold the second-order sand gerbil.

Shortly afterward, Senior Brother Zhao emerged, distributed the spirit stones, and parted ways amicably.

Yun Xi and Zong Hao walked together back to their outer peak courtyard, quietly remarking on how dangerous the mission had been.

“It was indeed dangerous, but also incredibly rewarding. I feel my spiritual energy has become even more stable,” Yun Xi remarked.

Zong Hao nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, “Yes, my recently broken-through cultivation has also solidified.”

Yun Xi thoughtfully added, “It seems we should take more missions like this occasionally. Sect assignments are safe but earn too few points, limiting our growth.”

“You’re right,” Zong Hao agreed seriously. “But we must be extremely careful when choosing our team. Without your quick thinking this time, we might have ended up as collateral damage during the internal conflict. Otherwise, why would they have been so generous to us?”

Yun Xi smiled knowingly, “Actually, I wouldn’t call it generosity. Everything we took was earned fairly. Have you forgotten? Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Sister Hua collected the storage bags of those traitors. Who knows exactly how many mid-grade spirit stones they found? I’m sure they made no losses.”

This was something Yun Xi had realized clearly on their return journey. Although they’d pooled mid-grade stones earlier for the array disk, nobody fully disclosed the actual number of stones they retrieved from their enemies. Yun Xi herself hadn’t revealed all her spoils, either.

She’d initially refused out of politeness to leave a good impression. But if Senior Brother Zhao or Hua Xuan Zi had tried anything treacherous afterward, she would have gladly emptied their pockets as well.

Fortunately, Senior Brother Zhao wasn’t greedy and understood their situation. With his internal injuries from controlling the talisman weapon, he knew better than to risk losing their support, fearing further ambushes.

Wei Zong Hao eagerly nodded upon hearing this, secretly whispering, “You’re right, Yun Xi. I’ll tell you something—I found two extra mid-grade spirit stones in my storage bag too, but I didn’t mention it!”

His eyes sparkled expectantly.

Yun Xi giggled, dimples forming sweetly on her cheeks, “Brother Zong Hao, you’re truly amazing.”

Satisfied, Zong Hao grinned so widely his eyes disappeared into crescents.

Just as the two prepared to enter their respective courtyards, someone called out to them from behind.