Not far ahead, several pieces of driftwood and a few scraps of cloth were floating on the water.

Their boat slowly came to a stop near the driftwood. The people on board stood in front, looked at what was in the water, and then looked at each other.

No one spoke, but everyone had their own guesses.

A strange smell wafted through the air. Lu Zhaozhao sniffed and detected the stench of blood.

Give me a paddle.

Xun Hua spoke to Ji Li, who nodded quickly and took a paddle from behind and handed it to him.

Xun Hua took the oar, held one end and slowly inserted it into the water. When it reached a certain depth, he used the muscles in his arm to stir the oar at a certain angle, disturbing the calm surface of the water.

The oars rose and fell, carrying everything in the water aboard.

Shards of wood, pieces of cloth, and... human bones.

When Xun Hua brought up the severed leg bone, Ji Li couldn't help but cry out. Xun Ye, being timid, immediately closed his eyes, and the others also frowned deeply.

"Is this... one of our companions?"

Xun Yin asked in a low voice.

It's impossible to draw a conclusion right now; no one can give him a definite answer. They all don't want someone they just saw not long ago to end up like this. But what Xun Hua pulled up with the oars in the next round completely extinguished that thought.

A small piece of cloth embroidered with the unique pattern of Wenyuan Academy was retrieved. Although it was only a small piece, the pattern was incomplete, and it was even torn and deformed by something, Bai Yuanshi recognized it at a glance.

Lu Zhaozhao stared at the pattern, lost in thought. She felt it looked familiar but couldn't quite place it until she inadvertently noticed Bai Yuanshi's face darken instantly. Only then did she realize what it meant.

These are the robes of the disciples of Wenyuan Academy! It's just that Master Bai Yuan rarely wears them, which is why no one makes that connection.

With a grim face, he took another oar, plunged it forcefully into the water, and disappeared from the spot. The next second, he appeared at the top of the oar, used the oar to propel himself, and bent down to scoop up the piece of cloth.

The water monsters seemed to sense his presence and ambushed him the moment he reached out, intending to leap out of the water in an instant to catch him off guard. However, they did not expect Bai Yuanshi to be so fast. At the same time as they leaped out of the water, he had already used the momentum to return to the ship.

The other four people, apart from Lu Zhaozhao, stared wide-eyed at the scene. Things happened too fast, and they didn't even know why Bai Yuanshi's emotions had suddenly changed.

Lu Zhaozhao's expression was also not optimistic at this moment. She only hoped that Master Bai Yuan would tell her that it was just similar and not really the uniform of Wenyuan Academy.

Wenyuan Academy and Emperor Huizong were in cahoots, and Yun Xian was also on that boat. Lu Zhaozhao dared not imagine what terrifying being could kill at Yun Xian's hands. If such a thing truly existed, then what difference would there be between them continuing on their journey and sending themselves to their deaths?

Bai Yuanshi's hands trembled violently as he held the scraps of cloth, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.

Lu Zhaozhao bit her lower lip and closed her eyes resignedly.

Seeing the appearance of the two of them, the other four people could roughly guess what was going on. At this moment, everyone's expression was different.

Unlike Lu Zhaozhao and Bai Yuanshi, they were filled with extreme terror. From the moment the disciple who fell into the water was forced to have his limbs amputated, to the monster that was impervious to water and fire they later encountered, and now to the clear realization that the disciples of Wenyuan Academy, whom they considered high and mighty, had met with misfortune, their fear could no longer be suppressed.

"Go back! Go back now! I'm not going anywhere! I'm not going anywhere! Let me go back!"

Xun Ye collapsed to the ground, crying out, and tried to snatch the oar from Xun Hua's hand to sail back.

"no!"

Bai Yuanshi spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with ruthlessness, which made Xun Ye tremble.

"Keep moving forward, no matter what lies ahead, I will break through it! I must see Yue Cong!"

By the end, his voice was hoarse, as if he was trying to suppress his emotions.

"Even with Sect Leader Yun on board, he couldn't protect anyone. What are you going to do to break through this!"

Xun Ye was emotionally devastated and no longer respected Bai Yuanshi, who had graduated from Wenyuan Academy and achieved fame at a young age. He was now tightly enveloped by fear, and the deepest emotions in his heart were amplified infinitely.

Ji Li also mustered his courage and said softly, "To be fair, if you lose your life, you lose everything. As long as you're alive, you can always make a comeback..."

Bai Yuanshi gave him a look, and he immediately stopped, swallowing his words.

The atmosphere between the two sides was extremely tense. Lu Zhaozhao couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in between them, trying to ease the tension.

"Calm down, everyone. Right now, all we have are these scraps of cloth and bones. There's no concrete evidence that anyone from Wenyuan Academy has actually been killed. Besides, Wenyuan Academy and Emperor Huizong's ship are at the very front. If something had really happened to them, why would the people behind them continue?"

Lu Zhaozhao stared at Bai Yuanshi, and seeing that his emotions had calmed down, she turned to the others, who were still somewhat shaken. Lu Zhaozhao then revealed her last trump card: "You may not believe anything else, but you should at least believe in the strength of True Master Yunxian. There is nothing in the entire cultivation world that he cannot handle."

Yun Xian's name was too famous in the cultivation world. When Lu Zhaozhao brought him up, even though the others were still worried, they could only suppress their unspoken feelings.

Seeing the situation improve, Lu Zhaozhao pressed her advantage, continuing, "Since the current situation is unclear, why don't we continue forward? Even if we encounter something, a desperate fight might allow us to escape unscathed. If we don't encounter anything, once we reach the end, you can choose whether to continue or turn back by boat. What do you all think?"

Xun Ye and Xun Yin looked at Xun Hua, waiting for him to make a decision, while Ji Li was the first to nod.

After a long while, Xun Hua nodded with difficulty, and the other two followed his lead and agreed to Lu Zhaozhao's suggestion.

Bai Yuanshi gripped the tattered cloth tightly, sitting silently at the bow of the boat, holding the bamboo flute in his other hand, exuding an aura of unapproachability.

Lu Zhaozhao sighed and sat down at the bow of the boat.

Honestly, she wasn't a kind-hearted person who would step forward to help her companions when they were in trouble. It was simply because the future was uncertain, and people on the same boat were all in the same boat. She didn't want to ruin everything before they even reached the shore because of internal strife.

So she sat down next to Bai Yuanshi.

It's funny, but in the beginning, Bai Yuanshi was the one who suspected her and kept trying to get information out of her, which annoyed her. Now, she's the one taking the initiative to talk to him.

"Do you regret it? Because of your doubts, you chose to follow my path instead of your fellow disciples. If you had been together, you wouldn't be so anxious now."

Lu Zhaozhao lowered her voice and said that Bai Yuanshi did not turn his head, but Lu Zhaozhao knew that he had heard her because the position of his fingers pressing the bamboo tube had changed slightly.