Chapter 162
Chapter 162: “No Danger”
After the examination, Ban Xia looked up at her senior brother and said, “It only looks frightening, but there’s nothing to worry about.”
Ji Yan nodded, his gaze flickering towards Shi Zi Chu for a moment.
This cultivation method is so powerful!
Once the diagnosis was finished, Ban Xia and Liu Jue handed Fang Wei An and Meng Yun Jiao a spirit pill to replenish their Qi and blood.
When Fang Wei An and Meng Yun Jiao had recovered, Meng Xi Yu’s cold voice rang out with an unspoken authority: “You all know the dangers of Blue Rain Marsh. I do not wish to see any more internal conflicts from now on.”
The other disciples responded with a unified tone.
Fang Wei An, who had suffered the consequences, fell silent for the time being.
Meng Yun Jiao, still looking a little disheveled, glared at Shi Zi Chu, but Shi Zi Chu ignored her completely.
Meng Xi Yu’s voice was still cold: “I will lead the way with Shi Zi Chu, while Qu Ru and Mu Fei will bring up the rear.”
No one objected to this arrangement.
Shi Zi Chu walked ahead, passing the group of disciples. Noticing that Fu Qi Xiu stood still, she raised her hand and beckoned him over.
Fu Qi Xiu’s lips pressed into a thin line, and an aura of danger surrounded him, warning all that he was not to be trifled with.
“A’Xiu,” Shi Zi Chu’s gentle voice carried a clear, undeniable threat.
Reluctantly, Fu Qi Xiu stepped forward.
With Meng Xi Yu and Shi Zi Chu clearing the path, the group of disciples, equipped with defensive magic artifacts, ventured into the marsh.
The magic artifacts shielded them from the blue rain and the toxic mist.
After walking a few steps, Shi Zi Chu suddenly grabbed Meng Xi Yu’s arm, her gaze focused on what appeared to be solid ground ahead. “That’s the marsh.”
Meng Xi Yu glanced at Shi Zi Chu and began to move towards another direction.
“That area is the same,” Shi Zi Chu added.
Meng Xi Yu looked down at her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Shi Zi Chu smiled faintly, then kicked a stone across the ground.
With a “plop,” the stone was quickly devoured by what seemed like solid land, which had turned out to be another deadly marsh.
At some point, Chu Zhi Rou had appeared behind Shi Zi Chu. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but admire, “Second Senior Sister is so impressive!”
Shi Zi Chu chuckled softly.
So fake. So hypocritical.
Ji Yan walked over to Meng Xi Yu, furrowing his brows. “It seems like this whole area is marsh.”
The mist in Blue Rain Marsh was thick and the visibility shockingly low!
From what they could see, the green grounds looked harmless, but in reality, they could very well be deadly marshes capable of swallowing them whole.
Shi Zi Chu nodded. “Senior Brother Ji is right. Prepare for battle.”
Before the disciples could even fully respond, countless blood moon eels suddenly shot out from the marsh.
“Water shield!”
With elegant, swift hand gestures, Shi Zi Chu summoned a barrier from the surrounding mist.
The blood moon eels crashed into the shield.
Before they could fully react, the spirit beasts had already rushed in, and the disciples quickly pulled out their magic artifacts to attack.
Shi Zi Chu, however, glanced over at Liang Wei Sheng.
Liang Wei Sheng was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, but his soul-contract spirit beast was at the Nascent Soul stage.
A large, blue-feathered Luan bird flapped its wings, creating a violent storm that immediately tore apart several blood moon eels.
Looking at the giant Luan bird, Shi Zi Chu couldn’t help but smile.
The spirit beast egg at the Cloud Auction should have been Chu Zhi Rou’s opportunity.
That spirit beast’s bloodline had shown signs of regression. While it couldn’t compare to a true Azure Luan, it was very close in power.
Shi Zi Chu’s gaze was too obvious, and Liang Wei Sheng took a step forward. “Senior Sister.”
Shi Zi Chu responded with a soft hum and then looked at the Luan bird. “Do you like it?”
Liang Wei Sheng followed her gaze, watching the bird battle in mid-air. He replied earnestly, “I like it very much.”
It was a gift from his master when he became a disciple, but he knew well that if it hadn’t been for Senior Sister’s intervention, this rare and powerful spirit beast wouldn’t have been his.
The group, made up mostly of inner sect disciples or personal disciples, all had Golden Core-level cultivation, so a group of blood moon eels was hardly a challenge.
With that, Shi Zi Chu, clearly unperturbed, casually asked, “How is your beast mastery coming along?”
“The cultivation method is going well. My master didn’t want me to only practice theory, so he sent me here for practical experience.” Liang Wei Sheng replied truthfully.
Shi Zi Chu nodded.
Soon after, the battle ended.
The ground was littered with the corpses of the blood moon eels, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air.
The massive Luan bird flew over and then shrank down to the size of a palm, landing on Liang Wei Sheng’s shoulder.
“Qing Yu is great,” Liang Wei Sheng murmured, reaching up to stroke the bird’s head.
The Luan bird, named Qing Yu, nuzzled his finger in response.
Chu Zhi Rou, standing nearby, watched the beautiful bird with narrowed eyes.
Had it not been for Shi Zi Chu’s interference, this spirit beast would have been her soul contract!
Meng Xi Yu glanced around and, seeing that everyone seemed to be doing well, pulled her attention back to Shi Zi Chu. “Do you have the map?”
Shi Zi Chu nodded.
Ji Yan leaned in, his tone filled with surprise. “A map of Blue Rain Marsh was sold for two hundred thousand spirit stones! Senior Sister, did you buy it?”
Two hundred thousand spirit stones? With just a little more, one could buy a lower-tier Heaven Rank magic artifact!
Shi Zi Chu shook her head.
She wasn’t some fool with too much money.
Under Ji Yan’s curious gaze, Shi Zi Chu responded, “A friend gave it to me.”
Meng Xi Yu glanced at Shi Zi Chu, deep in thought.
Was it Clan Chief Jun? Or Clan Chief Ye? Or perhaps Jiang Wan Sheng?
Ji Yan nodded, no longer asking any more questions.
“We should decide on our next move,” Meng Xi Yu asked.
Shi Zi Chu looked at the dense mist and spoke softly, “We’ll cross the marsh and enter the outer region.”
As her words fell, she turned slightly to look at Fu Qi Xiu behind her. “A’Xiu, go scout ahead.”
Bound by their master-servant soul contract, Fu Qi Xiu leaped into the mist and disappeared.
A short while later, Fu Qi Xiu returned, his appearance pristine.
Shi Zi Chu, her eyes glimmering, asked, “Any danger?”
“No danger,” Fu Qi Xiu’s voice was deep and shadowed.
Shi Zi Chu’s lips curled into a smile.
Just as Fu Qi Xiu thought his words had reassured her, Shi Zi Chu cheerfully turned to Liang Wei Sheng and said, “Wei Sheng, have Qing Yu scout ahead.”
Fu Qi Xiu cursed under his breath.
Liang Wei Sheng didn’t ask any further questions and simply patted Qing Yu’s head.
The Luan bird flapped its wings and soared into the air, growing larger as it went.
Not long after, it returned, shrinking and landing back on Liang Wei Sheng’s shoulder.
Liang Wei Sheng gave Fu Qi Xiu a complicated glance, then turned to Shi Zi Chu and said, “Qing Yu says there are many blood moon eels in the marsh ahead. It’s dangerous.”
Meeting Shi Zi Chu’s smiling gaze, Fu Qi Xiu felt an ominous sense of dread. He steeled himself, preparing for the worst.
If she dared humiliate him in front of so many people, he would take her down with him.
Seeing the look in Fu Qi Xiu’s eyes, Shi Zi Chu’s smile grew even wider.
Training a dog requires skill. For one with such a strong and unyielding spirit, a balance of discipline and leniency was necessary. Otherwise, it would break too easily.
“I’ve been to Blue Rain Marsh before,” Ban Xia spoke up, furrowing her brows. “This route is indeed safe.”
Ji Yan turned to his junior sister and said, “That was five or six years ago.”
“It is indeed a relatively safe route,” Shi Zi Chu said softly.
Just then, the sound of footsteps and voices came from behind.
Turning around, they saw Yan Zhou Bai and Yao Ruo Ruo arriving with disciples from the Limitless Sect.
Yan Zhou Bai scanned the group before his gaze fell on Shi Zi Chu. “Have you encountered danger?”
Shi Zi Chu paused, then answered carefully, “Not exactly.”
Yan Zhou Bai nodded and was about to speak when Yao Ruo Ruo interjected. “Isn’t this route supposed to be safe?”
“It’s no longer safe,” Meng Xi Yu’s cold voice rang out. “There are blood moon eels ahead.”
At this, Yan Zhou Bai looked at Meng Xi Yu. “Sect Master Meng, shall we team up?”
Meng Xi Yu nodded. “Sure.”