After drinking blood, Qian Yue was clearly in much better shape.
Not only did she no longer need Jiang Ke’er to carry her, but she could even hold a normal conversation with Jiang Ke’er.
“What are you planning to do?” Qian Yue asked.
“Find them, and kill them.” Jiang Ke’er answered calmly.
“There are a lot of them.” Qian Yue’s delicate brows knitted together.
“It doesn’t matter.” Jiang Ke’er smiled faintly.
“Why go so far for me?” Qian Yue sighed. “I’m not worth it…”
“I’m doing this for myself!” Jiang Ke’er cut her off.
“Just like you, I have my reasons for growing stronger, people I must kill. So, you don’t have to feel like you owe me anything.”
Qian Yue’s heart trembled. “Can you tell me… who is it?”
“There are many. Too many to name. Some, I don’t even know by name.”
Qian Yue inexplicably let out a breath of relief. She was about to speak, but Jiang Ke’er spoke again.
“One of them is called Qiao Xiaoxian.”
“Why?” Qian Yue’s voice trembled slightly.
“Because I can trust my judgment of anyone, but I can never trust any fondness I feel toward her.”
Jiang Ke’er couldn’t distinguish what feelings were born of the contract and which were truly her own.
After all, emotion was far too subjective… So, she chose to trust none of them.
“And what about her?” Qian Yue suddenly asked.
“What?” Jiang Ke’er was puzzled.
“Does she face the same dilemma as you?”
Jiang Ke’er was momentarily stunned.
“Did she make the same choice as you?”
Jiang Ke’er felt her breath grow a little shallow.
Her choice… seemed completely opposite to her own.
“No,” Jiang Ke’er suddenly gained clarity and shook her head, “it’s different. To her, I’m just a tool to improve her strength. In order to control this precious tool, it’s only natural for her to pretend to be a good person.”
“That’s true.” Qian Yue gave a bitter smile.
“Maybe she herself doesn’t even know what she really thinks… What a tragedy.”
Bound by the contract, ruined by the contract.
But this wouldn’t change what they had to do.
Just as Jiang Ke’er had her own obsessions, Qiao Xiaoxian was the same.
She wouldn’t be disheartened and stop because of Jiang Ke’er’s resistance.
“By the way, Senior Sister, why are you whitewashing my enemies?” Jiang Ke’er pouted in dissatisfaction, muttering.
“I just don’t want you to throw your life away,” Qian Yue said seriously.
“Those people have the Magic Treasure from the tower to strengthen them. Even if I weren’t injured and was at my peak, I wouldn’t dare provoke them lightly—let alone be a little lunatic like you, charging in with no regard for life or death.”
“Even if it’s for you, Senior Sister, I’d still choose the Gluttony Dagger,” Jiang Ke’er pursed her lips and said, “Of course, I’m mainly doing it for myself. Mm, don’t overthink it, I’m a very selfish person.”
Qian Yue smiled.
“Mm…”
Suddenly, Qian Yue’s body swayed.
Jiang Ke’er hurriedly steadied her.
“Is it acting up again?”
“It’s fine, not too bad…” Qian Yue said, but she was obviously showing signs of dazedness, barely able to stand.
A greater sense of urgency welled up in Jiang Ke’er’s heart.
She had to end this Trial as soon as possible.
With Qian Yue in tow, there was no way she could fight.
Besides, to prevent Qian Yue from losing her mind and wandering into danger in the forest, Jiang Ke’er had to regularly replenish her blood.
Judging from what she’d observed before, and the level of curse activity she sensed on Qian Yue with her Divine Sense, Jiang Ke’er roughly estimated the time.
If she left Qian Yue’s side, with her current condition, Qian Yue could probably stay lucid for six hours.
Although Qian Yue was close to Spiritual Powet exhaustion, with the boost in strength and speed from the Blood Spirit Curse, she could basically protect herself during those six hours.
So, she had six hours to act.
Every six hours, she just needed to return and replenish Qian Yue’s blood.
That would keep Qian Yue rational, and earn herself another six hours to operate.
Resolving herself, Jiang Ke’er began searching everywhere for a safe hiding place.
It wasn’t easy to find a secure spot in the forest, and clearly there wasn’t enough time to build a sturdy little hut.
So, she had to settle for the trees.
In the trees, most beasts could be avoided—she only needed to worry about venomous snakes and insects.
Jiang Ke’er spread out her Divine Sense, closed her eyes, and with her boundless Divine Sense of the Earth element, she clearly perceived the locations of every venomous snake and insect within several miles.
Her figure flashed through the forest, swiftly hunting down and crushing the poisonous creatures nearby, then turning them into poisonous paste.
Next, she smeared this poison paste in a huge circle covering several hundred meters, making sure Qian Yue would be protected inside, to drive off as many wild beasts as possible.
This would make things much safer.
“Wait here for me.”
Jiang Ke’er used branches and clothing to build a nest-like, cozy den in the trees, placed Qian Yue inside, and took off her clothes to cover her.
Qian Yue opened her mouth, weakly murmuring something.
Jiang Ke’er leaned in, and heard her say, “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Jiang Ke’er grinned, flashing a confident smile: “Relax, I’m actually super timid!”
With that, Jiang Ke’er turned and leapt from the treetop.
The moment she turned away, the smile vanished from her face.
Timid, but it wouldn’t get her through these seven days.
The moment she chose the Gluttony Dagger, she never planned for peace.
Before nightfall, all the other teams that had entered the second round of the Trial successfully gathered together.
“There are quite a few Ruins Realm Behemoths in this forest, as well as deadly poisonous snakes and insects. We must unite if we want to survive these seven days. I hope everyone can stand together and not turn on each other during this time.” Heaven’s Gate Team Captain Zhuo Feng said solemnly.
“I agree,” the Dan Sect Alliance captain chimed in, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “Let’s not act like certain arrogant trash who get a little clever and think they’re invincible. Now, not only do they have to face our joint assault, but also the dangers of the forest alone.”
“No need to mention them again. They’ll die without us even lifting a finger,” Zhuo Feng smiled.
“In a way, it’s better for us. Thanks to her arrogance, the reward for reaching the summit first has gone to waste, and that removes a major threat for us… I’m sure everyone here feels a bit more at ease now.”
Though they didn’t want to admit it, it was true.
They’d felt a little jealous, but after seeing the reward Jiang Ke’er chose, their feelings immediately turned into schadenfreude.
A healer and a half-dead, Spiritual Powet-exhausted cultivator, and they chose a path of total hostility against everyone.
Just when they needed help the most, they chose to isolate themselves as lone wolves.
Did they really think the second round would be as easy as the first? Did they think they could slip through with a little cunning?
Naive!
Serves them right!