Yun Shi frowned as she looked at Yao Ling. It wasnât that she had any suspicions, but she just felt something was off.
Someone patted her shoulder. She turned her head to see her brother. After some hesitation, she said in a quiet voice, âI still think itâs dangerous.â
Yun Che said, âIt could be that the mystic realm itself is causing your perception ability to become more sensitive. Donât worry too much about it. After thinking about it, he continued, âStay by my side, itâs better to be careful.â
Yu Shi nodded.
A moment later, the mountain valley appeared in front of them. When they entered they saw the golden fruit tree that Zhou Cheng and Zhang Ying spoke of.
It grew tall and its crown covered a large area. The branches and leaves seemed as if they were forged from pure gold, a dazzling sight to the eyes.
Round and plump fruits hung down from the branches and leaves. They were an even brighter gold, shining like little golden suns.
They really were fragrant!
Just by taking a deep breath, one could feel their heartbeat accelerate and their mind clear up.
The eyes of the people who stepped into the valley brightened.
Zhou Huan licked his lips, âWhat are we all waiting for?â
At this time, there was a loud noise from outside the valley. Although it was far away, everyone could clearly hear it.
The members of the two troops changed their expressions. They thought that someone else was coming.
A few eyes immediately showed dissatisfaction as they looked at Yun Che. If he hadnât been so wary and hadnât ordered someone to investigate first, this matter would have already been concluded.
Now someone was rushing over before they had time to make their move.
Yun Che had an ugly complexion. He could feel the helpless and frustrated eyes that fell on him.
Zhou Cheng said, âBrother Yun isnât to blame for thisâ¦â
Yun Che lifted a hand, interrupting him, âIt is my mistake for being too careful. But in this situation, we can only wait.â
If the other party was only passing by, that would be for the best. But if they came for this mountain valley too, then it would be time to argue.
The leader of the other team calmly nodded, not saying much else. Yun Cheâs proposition was indeed the best choice right now.
Whoosh â
The sound of piercing air rang out. This time it was much closer. The faces of the people in the valley darkened.
The other party had already arrived. The chances of them passing by were miniscule.
But what confused them was that listening to this sound, there only seemed to be one personâ¦was it a scout, or were their companions hiding somewhere else?
Before they could think further, a calm voice came from outside the valley. âYun Che, Yun Shi, if you are in the valley, please show yourselves.â
âAh!â Yun Shiâs eyes widened and she subconsciously ran out.
Yun Che didnât hold back and immediately followed her.
Then, he saw his little sister jumping and smiling, grabbing hold of Qin Yu and asking him, âHow did you know we are here?â
Qin Yu relaxed. He smiled and said, âI just happened to be in the area and felt your auras, so I decided to take a look.â
Yun Cheâs eyes widened. There was an invisible suppression of strength within this mystic realm, and oneâs divine sense and perception were extremely limited.
But Qin Yu said he had sensed their aurasâ¦so either his soul intensity was far greater than theirs, or he was lying.
Although Yun Che hadnât seen Qin Yu fight much since they got to know each other, he believed he had an understanding of Qin Yuâs approximate cultivation level.
To say that his soul cultivation was so powerful, Yun Che didnât believe that. In other words, there was a high probability that Qin Yu was lying.
With this thought in mind, Yun Che stiffened. He smiled and said, âBrother Qin, you and I really are predestined friends to unexpectedly meet here.â
As he spoke he glared at Yun Shi, âYou are already grown up, so why are you acting like a crazy little girl? Hurry up and let go of fellow daoist Qin Yu!â
Yun Shi didnât seem to have sensed the change in her big brotherâs attitude. She grabbed at Qin Yu with even more strength and humphed, âThis fellow ate so much delicious food from me but then he left right after. This time Iâm not going to let him go so easily.â
Qin Yu forced a smile. If this girl didnât have such a careful and meticulous big brother protecting her, she would have been sold off already.
He looked at Yun Che and took back his hands, âFellow daoist Yun Che is right. This really is destiny.â
Then, Qin Yu smiled and looked at the others who came out of the mountain valley, âBut it seems youâre not the only one who was predestined to meet me here today.â
The complexions of the two women changed.
Because it was obvious that Qin Yu was looking at them when he spoke.
Yun Che frowned, âWhat does fellow daoist Qin Yu mean by this?â
Qin Yu lightly said, âNot long ago, I accidentally bumped into these two women. They were fighting each other over a treasure. Now that I see them again, I canât tell if they lost their memory or something, but they donât seem to recognize each other.â
He paused and said, âFellow daoist Yun Che, what do you think is going on?â As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Yao Ling and Zhang Ying.
The complexions of the people outside the mountain valley changed.
If this was true, it indicated far too many things.
Zhang Yingâs pupils shrank. Her complexion changed as she looked at Qin Yu. There wasnât a need to say anything else. Just this change of expression alone proved that Qin Yu wasnât lying.
It was actually true!
Yun Cheâs face clouded over.
Qin Yuâs eyes flashed. He never thought these two women would expose their weakness so easily. But from what he saw before, he knew these two people had polished acting skills, so he felt this was a bit strange.
And reality proved Qin Yuâs thoughts were correct.
Zhang Ying apologetically said, âThatâs right, I am old acquaintances with Yao Ling, and we also have some enmity between us. Not long ago, we also brutally fought each other for a treasure.â
As she spoke to here, her face turned bitter, âBut in the end, you took that thing away right, fellow daoist Qin?â
Yao Lingâs complexion paled. She looked at Yun Che and earnestly said, âBig Brother Yun, I didnât do this on purposeâ¦I wanted to tell youâ¦but I was also afraid that you would be unhappy because of that. After all, Iâm weak and I joined in midway. I feared you would treat me as a burdenâ¦â
Zhang Ying said, âMy worries are similar to Yao Lingâs. Afterwards, both of us had a private discussion and decided not to expose each other to prevent any misunderstandings or suspicions from occurring.â She glanced at Yao Ling and then said, âI told fellow daoist Lian Feng about this already. He can testify for me.â
Lian Feng was the leader of the other team. As everyone looked at him, he nodded and said, âThatâs right, fellow daoist Zhang Ying explained this to me already. In order to avoid suspicion, I agreed with her.â
Yao Lingâs complexion paled even more. âBig Brother Yun, I really am sorry. I was planning to explain this to you after we parted ways.â
Qin Yu glanced at Yun Che whose expression had already changed and he frowned inwardly. It seemed that things were developing beyond his expectations, and these two women were circling the wagons around him.
He feared things were going to become troublesome.
Sure enough, Zhang Ying made her move. This womanâs words were exceptionally sharp.
âWhatever situation fellow daoist Qin Yu described, we have already explained. Although we might have been wrong, we had no other thoughts.â After a brief pause her tone became a little more serious, âFellow daoist Qin Yu, now that you have an explanation, perhaps itâs time for you to explain why you showed up here?â
Qin Yu lightly said, âI said before that I sensed Yun Che and Yun Shiâs auras, so I came here to warn them. But now that I take another look at the situation, it seems I was overthinking things.â
Zhang Ying said, âPerceive their auras? It seems that fellow daoist Qin Yuâs strength is far greater than what I imagined. After all, in this mystic realm, our range of perception is limited.â She took a breath and said, âBut there is another point I am curious about. When we passed by each other, did fellow daoist Qin Yu not remember mine and Yao Lingâs auras? Or did you discover the two of us and thatâs why you decided to show up with a warning?â
Qin Yu fell silent. After determining that he had been led in a circle, he knew that there was no way to explain things clearly. Butâ¦there was nothing to explain as well.
Ignoring Zhang Yingâs questioning, he looked at the mountain valley and said, âThis place is not good and it is best if you donât go in. Of course, this is just a warning. Whether or not you wish to follow my advice, you can all decide that yourselves.â
Yun Che said, âFellow daoist Qin Yu, you donât want to explain yourself?â
Qin Yu looked at him and shook his head, âYour emotions have affected your thinking and judgment. Thereâs no point in explaining anything. Then, I hope you all take care.â
He looked at Yun Shi and said, âBe careful. Iâm leaving.â
Without waiting for Yun Shi to say anything, Zhou Huan sneered, âYou come when you want to come and you leave when you want to leave. Qin Yu, do you really think we canât do anything to you?â
He took a step forward, his aura surging in his body. But then, Qin Yu looked at him.
With one glance, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over him, chilling him so much that his heart nearly stopped beating.
The complexions of the surrounding people changed.
Without stopping again, Qin Yu took a few steps out and vanished from sight.
A long time after he left, Zhou Huan violently exhaled and started gasping for breath. His face was pale and covered with embarrassment.
He had wanted to say a few words to regain face, but even though his lips moved he couldnât say anything. For some reason, Qin Yuâs gaze kept reappearing in his mind. When it did, he couldnât help but feel panic and awe.