"Furthermore, you were full of deception when you formed a pact with me, but now you're so polite to him. Why? You've never said such sweet words to me."

Tu Longjian grabbed the incessantly chattering Mingying with one hand. Her beautiful pupils suddenly enlarged in front of him, and Mingying was speechless.

He then realized that no matter how glorious he had been in the past, he was now just a small, young beast. Even when dealing with Yun Mo, whose cultivation level was suppressed, he had to cut off one of his own heads to escape.

"No matter how many come after you, you'll always be the first. Be good, go back to the contract space." Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain how she suddenly contracted a proud snake demon.

Tu Longjian's casual dismissal pleased Mingying greatly. He looked up at Mingze with disdain and actually obediently returned to the space.

He just didn't realize that once he went back, it wouldn't be so easy for him to get out.

Meanwhile, Mingze, clutching the hem of her clothes, looked at Tu Longjian with bright eyes, her voice slightly hesitant, "Is it really okay? I'm willing."

However, as if suddenly remembering something, his face paled, and he looked down at his frail body, "But now I am just a cripple, unable to help you..."

His self-deprecating words were cut off by Tu Longjian, who said as she began preparing to form the bond, "It's alright, I'm also curious about what happened back then."

“Mingying is unruly and I’m worried he’ll cause trouble in the future. You just need to keep an eye on him for me.”

But thinking about how Mingze, that naive and innocent girl, was almost killed by Mingying, she paused and added, "Take care of your own safety. If anything seems amiss, just let me know."

"Thank you, Master." Mingze stared blankly at Tu Longjian's serious profile, thinking to himself, "She's so kind."

And so, Tu Longjian successively contracted with the Hydra Demon Lord and the Ancient Divine Dragon, but their abilities were awkwardly greatly reduced, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to take advantage of this opportunity.

After taking the two incompatible brothers into the contract space, she left the abyss with Wen Yeci and returned to her original location.

His teammates came to greet him, but Tu Longjian only made excuses, saying that he had been captured by the fighting vulture and met Wen Yeci (Lin Fengmian) on the way. The two of them worked together to escape back.

No one suspected anything. Wen Yeci was even warmly invited by others to travel together because she saved Tu Longjian.

However, as the one who was rescued, Tu Longjian seemed to have a deep grudge against Wen Yeci. The two always kept their distance and did not communicate at all. Even the carefree Dai Qing noticed the cold atmosphere between the two.

Wen Yeci wanted to continue to persuade Tu Longjian, but Tu Longjian pretended not to hear and turned to find Gan Xiuming, which made him feel angry, heartbroken and bitter.

So along the way, Wen Yeci (Lin Fengmian) had to change his strategy, frequently glancing at Gan Xiuming as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find an opportunity to speak to him alone.

Gan Xiuming was initially jealous when he saw Wen Yeci following Tu Longjian, and considering that the two had spent several days alone together, but he was too preoccupied with a splitting headache to think about it.

Above his head, the lotus of destiny lost its luster, leaving only a lone petal, swaying precariously, foreshadowing that the halo of being the chosen one of destiny would soon disappear.

He felt that something very important in his life had been lost, but he couldn't figure out why.

After resting for a while, he felt much better and caught up with the others again.

With his favorability rating at 90%, Gan Xiuming was deeply moved and devoted to her. Tu Longjian, too, stopped pretending and simply maintained a superficial politeness.

----------------

The group was currently fighting several Green Bone Bears, and the battle was fierce and evenly matched.

Gan Xiuming was covered in bruises, and for some reason, he felt that he was not in good condition and no longer had the feeling of being full of spiritual energy as before.

He used to have an open mind, feeling that he was firmly standing on a high mountain and would surely achieve great things in the future; that was the confidence of a genius.

However, he now felt mediocre, his ambition had vanished, and he made repeated mistakes in battle, being driven back to the rear by the increasingly valiant Tu Longjian.

Looking at Tu Longjian, who had clearly become the core of the team, he was filled with confusion. How did Chunxiang become so powerful?

Because of his weak constitution, Wen Yeci was also setting up the defenses from the rear. Seeing that Tu Longjian was too exhausted to be in two places at once, he coughed and crept over somewhat furtively.

"Fellow Daoist Gan, Fellow Daoist Gan—"

He gently woke Gan Xiuming from his existential crisis, glanced at Tu Longjian, and then, still harboring ulterior motives, asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Gan Xiuming looked at him blankly and nodded.

Because Tu Longjian had given him a gag order, Wen Yeci couldn't speak directly, so he could only subtly remind Gan Xiuming that he still hadn't given up his principles as a righteous cultivator.

"Don't you think Fellow Daoist Chun has changed a lot?"

"You noticed too?" Gan Xiuming nodded in agreement, then suddenly felt something was off, squinting at him. "Do you often secretly observe my Chunxiang?"

"No, no." Wen Yeci didn't know how Gan Xiuming had brought up this topic. It was like a strange arrow that hit the bullseye, making him shake his head in a panic.

"I can't go into the specifics, but I can only remind you to stay away from her from now on."

Wen Yeci looked at Gan Xiuming with some pity, as if she could see his bleak life through his body.

It's a pity he discovered it too late; most of Gan Xiuming's luck had already been plundered. Now he has no choice but to wait until he returns to ask his master for help.

Thinking of this, he clenched his fist, looking extremely righteous and awe-inspiring. "Fellow Daoist Gan, don't be afraid. I can find a way to help you with what you've lost."

Gan Xiuming scratched the back of his head, completely bewildered, and spat, "Fellow Daoist Lin is really strange. Chunxiang is my future Daoist partner, so why are you telling me to stay away from her?"

“She has never abandoned me, and just a few days ago she even risked her life to save me. How could I doubt her sincerity?”

Seeing that he wouldn't listen to her advice, Wen Yeci became somewhat annoyed: "Aren't you curious about why her strength has improved so rapidly?"

"You believe everything she says, even things that are just to fool a child?"

Gan Xiuming became even more suspicious of him, staring at Wen Yeci and saying, "Perhaps she has had some extraordinary encounter. I was fond of her when she was weak, and now that she is strong, I am only happy for her."

With such a high level of goodwill towards him, he had completely trusted Tu Longjian.

"Why didn't you say anything back then, Fellow Daoist Lin? You didn't deny Chunxiang's story. Now you've come here in secret. Are you trying to sow discord between us?"

"Oh, I understand." Gan Xiuming immediately recalled the time when he confronted Yan Ying, when this scholar in front of him kept staring at Chunxiang, and he coldly sized up Wen Yeci without any politeness.