Chapter 30: Am I holding back?

But since they had finally found a lead, they couldn’t just give up like that.

So, under the watchful eyes of other onlooking cultivators, they bravely blocked Linglong as she tried to leave.

“What’s the matter?” Linglong was somewhat displeased, feeling that she hadn’t performed well today. A low-pressure aura surrounded her, making the atmosphere tense.

This made the Fishing Cultivator who was about to rebuke her with righteous indignation hesitate. He was a little afraid that if he said something wrong, this lady might strike him with lightning and banish him from the Secret Realm.

“Fellow Daoist, do you remember a few days ago…” Under Linglong’s intense gaze, he nervously wiped the cold sweat from his brow and asked respectfully.

After hearing his question, Linglong finally recognized him. So this was the poor soul who had been harmed by Miss Hua Jian.

“I remember. Back then, I wasn’t in cahoots with her, but you all treated me as her accomplice and chased me down together.”

Linglong’s answer made the cultivator’s face stiffen. So you’re not actually on her side? Then why were you running with that little thief?

He wanted to doubt Linglong’s words, but her expressionless face was too convincing to question.

“Then why were you fleeing from the spirit beasts with her?”

“Well… that’s a long story.” Linglong sighed softly and began to recount her first meeting with Hua Jian. “It was a dark, windy night. I was wandering through the forest when I suddenly felt dizzy…”

She recounted her encounter with Hua Jian without any embellishment, leaving the two cultivators looking even more awkward.

Goodness, not only are you not an accomplice of that little thief, you’re victims just like us?

“But if that’s the case, why did you escape together with her from the spirit beasts?”

“She had my things. If I didn’t keep an eye on her, she might have fled in the chaos.”

“Where is she now?”

“She returned my things and apologized, so I let it go.”

The question-and-answer session ended, and Linglong said she needed to return and adjust her state. Whether or not these two cultivators believed her, she took off into the distance.

The two cultivators left standing looked at each other, and finally the Fishing Cultivator spoke first, “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“Doesn’t seem like a lie. I think she might be a genius sent down from the sect. Why would she lie to protect that little thief?”

His companion agreed that Linglong was probably honest. The story about being ambushed by Hua Jian was too realistic to be fabricated.

Besides, this genius cultivator from the sect had a decent temperament. She didn’t insult them for blocking her path but answered several of their questions.

With a cultivator like that, if the little thief knew her place, returned the stolen items, said a few good words, and shed a few tears to appear pitiful, maybe she could really get away with it.

“Speaking of which, that little thief didn’t have any accomplices? Then why does the alliance insist she did?”

“Maybe it’s an imitator. Who knows what’s really going on? Besides…” The cultivator traveling with the Fishing Cultivator lowered his voice, “Don’t you think the thieves they encountered aren’t the same as the ones we faced?”

They faced a pesky little female thief, but those who formed the alliance faced two bandits who blocked the road and robbed them.

The number and gender don’t match, so it’s hard to say if the people on both sides are from the same group.

Still, joining forces reduces the chance of being ambushed again, so whether it’s the same person isn’t the key point. As long as this method effectively lowers the chance of another ambush, that’s what matters.

If luck is on their side… maybe they could even take back their stolen Storage Pouches!

Miss Hua Jian returned late today.

Long after the sky over the Secret Realm had turned pitch black, Hua Jian finally entered the cave, dust-covered and weary. She tossed her dark green robe aside, slipped off her shoes, and lay down on a straw mat to rub her feet.

Her slightly reddened, fair toes resembled pearls, radiating an alluring luster. But Linglong wasn’t into feet, so her attention wasn’t on that.

“Tired?”

“After walking all day, how could I not be? This Spirit Beast Territory is really vast, but it’s possible to walk back and forth in a day.”

Setting aside the soreness, Hua Jian pulled out paper and brush, sketching out the general layout of the Spirit Beast Territory from memory.

Today, she had only explored the area near the Lake and stopped in front of the Spirit Beast Lair.

“Like this, like this, and like this, and you’ll be able to reach the Spirit Beast’s Lair in the fastest way.” Hua Jian marked out shortcuts in this region for Linglong and continued, “In the next few days, I’ll check other places and prepare a Fishing Array to deal with the spirit beasts.”

Mentioning the Array of Bewilderment, Linglong recalled the two cultivators they’d met today.

After telling Hua Jian the news, Linglong asked if she had made any mistakes in her approach.

She was worried that her choice might bring unnecessary trouble to Hua Jian.

“No trouble at all. You answered very well, distancing yourself from me. That way, when I lead them away, you’ll face less resistance.” Hua Jian thought Linglong was worrying needlessly. This was a perfect answer from the Saintess Daren.

Not only did it hide her whereabouts, but it also cleared their relationship, laying a solid foundation for a successful retreat later—a win-win situation.

“If my Fishing Array is successful, I’ll strip those guys one by one! I want to see how much extra profit I can make off this bunch.”

Over these days, Hua Jian’s Mirage Qi energy had recovered more than half. The terrifying illusions that even the Saintess could fall victim to, combined with Hua Jian’s skilled use of arrays, were a deadly net for these Spirit Masters. Once caught inside, there was no escape.

Remember, she was using this formation to hold back the spirit beasts and give Linglong enough time to act. This was an array fit to deal with Ling Kings. And casually, it would wipe out any Spirit Masters who dared to come cause trouble.

Seeing Hua Jian so confident, Linglong’s anxiety eased. This strange feeling of possibly being a burden was something she had never experienced before.

“I’ll need about five to six days to set up the array. After it’s complete, I’ll need a day to rest and recover. Meanwhile, can you continue to distract those cultivators?”

Hua Jian finished rubbing one foot and began on the other.

“No problem… do you want me to massage your legs?”

“Huh?”

“If I help you like this, I’d feel a little bad about it.” Linglong didn’t hide her thoughts and said openly.