Chapter 351

Chapter 351: She’s Dramatic and Fake

In the end, they all followed Yu Zhi Yi into the wasteland.

The brothers were right: there had been a formation here, and now that it was broken, a powerful expert might be hiding nearby. It might even be the backer of the Demonic Cultivator she had been tracking. Demonic Cultivators used any means. Staying by her side carried risk, but staying away did too. [If they wait outside and a Demonic Cultivator strikes, I won’t be able to reach them in time-and they could be used to threaten me.]

Yu Zhi Yi walked while carefully observing the area. All around was bare earth. The ground was so barren that there wasn’t even dead grass, let alone weeds, which meant plants hadn’t been able to grow here for a long time.

Her master had said that a Spirit-Gathering Formation cycles energy and feeds a little back to support ordinary plants and animals outside it. But there was an exception: a very domineering array called a Spirit-Draining Formation. It only absorbed and never gave back. Wherever it stood, dozens or even hundreds of miles around became lifeless.

This wasteland looked like the ruin left behind by a Spirit-Draining Formation. She couldn’t tell whether the person who set it had destroyed it, or whether Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and the others had done it.

Because they were searching for people, the group didn’t move fast. After a few miles, footsteps and shouts sounded from behind: “Yi’er, Jin’er, Yun’er, wait!”

Jiang Liu Ting, Chen Ruo Lan, Miss Wei, and a crowd of Martial World people came quickly and soon reached Yu Zhi Yi and the others.

Jiang Liu Ting first cupped his hands to the two Song young masters, then asked Jiang Liu Yi straight out: “The Earthly Ranking Conference is about to begin. What are you planning to do?”

This was clearly aimed at Jiang Liu Yi, showing it was an internal Martial Alliance matter and the Song brothers shouldn’t interfere.

Jiang Liu Yi answered mildly: “We came out to take care of something. We’ll go back when it’s done.”

“What thing?” asked Jiang Liu Ting.

Jiang Liu Yi frowned: “Since when do we have to report even small matters?”

Jiang Liu Ting’s frown was even deeper: “Small? You want to take the two Song young masters into danger. How can I not stop you? And Second Sister just came back. Even if her Lightness Skill is impressive and she has ways to stay alive, she still lacks Martial World experience.”

The Martial World folk chimed in one after another: “Second Young Master Jiang, listen to Young Master Jiang and go back. I heard Juxian Manor is really creepy-yesterday someone was mysteriously struck by lightning and died.” “The young manor lord fell off a cliff not long ago. No one knows if he’s alive.” “And this place-yesterday it was a forest, but this morning it turned into a wasteland!” “Someone got curious this morning and went in to check it out. He never came back. The people who went after him vanished too.” “It’s super eerie. Don’t go looking for death.”

Jiang Liu Yi froze, clearly unaware of these events. He looked in surprise at Yu Zhi Yi.

Yu Zhi Yi didn’t know either. She had only gotten up at noon, washed, eaten, and come out to search. There’d been no chance to hear gossip.

The Song brothers felt a chill and turned to Yu Zhi Yi: “Second Miss, are we still going?”

Yu Zhi Yi thought for a moment, took out two Defensive Jade Pendants, and handed one to each Song brother: “You two should head back.”

She hadn’t known others had gone missing too. Now it seemed things were worse than she had expected.

Seeing how serious she was, everyone understood the gravity. Even the youngest, Jiang Liu Yun, knew this wasn’t the time to mess around. He swallowed his reluctance and said: “Then be careful, sister. We’ll wait for you at home.”

Jiang Liu Ting’s brow jumped hard: “Second Sister isn’t coming back?”

Yu Zhi Yi said firmly: “I’m going in to save people.”

Jiang Liu Ting frowned: “Don’t be reckless! This place has been marked as a danger zone. Even if we need to rescue people, we should gather experienced experts first. You should return home and wait for news.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked him in the eyes: “For you all, the danger here started today. But for me, this area has been dangerous for about ten days. I must go in.”

“Second Sister, don’t be willful,” Jiang Liu Ting said, feeling she was being inconsiderate. “If something happens to you, Second Uncle will lose his cool. This is a key time for the Earthly Ranking Conference. People from the Demonic Cult might already be hiding in the dark. If Second Uncle slips up because of you, the consequences will be terrible.”

Chen Ruo Lan sighed softly: “Second Miss, why are you so eager to enter?”

Miss Wei remembered what she had seen a few days ago and sneered: “So who exactly is inside?”

Reminded by their words, Jiang Liu Ting realized he hadn’t seen Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and the others these last few days. His frown deepened: “You insist on going in because your bodyguard went in?”

Yu Zhi Yi didn’t hide it: “Yes.”

Jiang Liu Ting went from annoyed to furious: “For a man, you’d ignore your own safety?”

Chen Ruo Lan also showed disapproval: “Second Miss, we aren’t trying to make things hard for you, but what you’re doing is improper. We don’t know what’s inside. You might run into danger the moment you step in, and then the whole Martial Alliance will have to rescue you.”

“I know you just came back and don’t feel close to the Martial Alliance yet, but you still care about your parents, right? If something happens to you, your parents will stop at nothing to save you. If it ends well, fine. But I’m afraid the danger inside might be beyond even them to handle…”

Jiang Liu Yun shot back at once: “Big Brother, Aunt Chen, don’t blow this up. My sister is amazing. Nothing will happen to her, and she won’t be a burden to my parents.”

Jiang Liu Ting nearly exploded: “You can’t just say ‘nothing will happen’ and make it true. What if something really does happen?”

Not only Jiang Liu Ting and the others, but even the Martial World people nearby looked at Yu Zhi Yi with disapproval: “This Second Miss is so dramatic.” “I heard she’s not only dramatic but also puts on a show. She went to Juxian Manor to watch a horse race and even brought fruit, snacks, and tea. And when she got out of the carriage, there was a footstool!”

Their looks toward Yu Zhi Yi grew stranger still. Chen Ruo Lan kept trying to persuade her: “Second Miss, he’s only a bodyguard. When your father hired them, he must have told them that protecting you could mean getting hurt or even dying. Since they chose this line of work, they’re ready to face those risks.”