Chapter 29 They're not as important as you. "This time the secret realm will open..."

"This secret realm will be open for twenty days. After twenty days, the entrance and exit of the secret realm will be closed, and we will need to leave at that time."

As Jiang Zhihe walked, he talked to Gu Xiaozhu about the secret realm.

"And do you know, Xiaozhu, that there are rumors that a secret treasure will appear in the Lingyao Secret Realm this time? So many sects and sects have sent their disciples here. Not only that, but also some rogue cultivators have come to join in the fun."

“So,” Jiang Zhihe said earnestly, “Xiaozhu, you have to stick close to me. There are all sorts of people here, and it will be very dangerous for you to be alone.”

Gu Xiaozhu nodded.

That makes a lot of sense, absolutely a lot of sense.

They barely survived the clutches of those demonic cultivators; it would be too dramatic if they were to perish at the hands of these "righteous sects."

"Didn't you come with your fellow disciples?" Gu Xiaozhu asked, somewhat puzzled. After all, in the original story, Jiang Zhihe entered the secret realm with his fellow disciples, but she hadn't seen any other members of the Hehuan Sect from the beginning.

Jiang Zhihe tilted his head and laughed, "Of course it's because I ran away first."

Gu Xiaozhu: "???"

Jiang Zhihe: "I just came in and you were in danger. Of course I have to save you first, not them!"

Gu Xiaozhu: "So now...aren't you going to go find them?"

If I remember correctly, when a sect sends disciples in, they usually choose a leader to guide and command the others. This leader is either of high status or strong strength.

Jiang Zhihe meets both of these criteria, so he is most likely the leader of the Hehuan Sect disciples.

Jiang Zhihe said righteously, "Why look for them? Can't they survive without a leader? If you ask me, they should get more experience."

What a joke! I finally have some time alone with my partner, how can I let those guys ruin it for me?

Although Gu Xiaozhu felt that something was not quite right after hearing this, the words did make a lot of sense, so she fell silent again.

But things never go as planned.

After leaving the forest, the two turned a corner and came face to face with a group of brightly dressed and outstanding-looking cultivators.

After a moment of silence, one of the people from the opposite group rushed forward and grabbed Jiang Zhihe's leg with lightning speed:

"Senior brother!!!"

Jiang Zhihe's expression suddenly changed, and he desperately kicked his legs, trying to leave.

Gu Xiaozhu, who was standing to the side, was also startled and instinctively took two steps back.

These two steps caused Jiang Zhihe, who was standing to the side, to feel a pang of pain in his heart.

The male disciple clinging to his leg was still crying, "Senior brother! Where have you been? We've suffered so much while you were gone!"

Jiang Zhihe looked disgusted: "It's only been less than two hours since I left you."

He forcefully pulled the disciple away, then lifted him up and made him stand up.

The disciple was still feigning tears, saying, "Senior brother, you don't understand. You know how many people have entered the secret realm this time."

"The more people there are, the more trouble we, the Hehuan Sect members..."

"It's getting more dangerous!"

The disciple, with a serious expression, gestured towards the other disciples behind him. They immediately understood and echoed, "Yes, yes, senior brother, you have no idea how many people are outside..."

At this moment, the disciple also saw a strange girl behind Jiang Zhihe. She had no spiritual energy fluctuations and looked like an ordinary person.

"Senior brother, who is this...?"

Jiang Zhihe suddenly realized, and the look of disgust on his face instantly turned into a bright smile: "Ah, this is Gu Xiaozhu."

The disciple suddenly realized: "Oh! This is the person you like, senior brother!"

Jiang Zhihe readily admitted it.

The other disciples of the Hehuan Sect also curiously gathered around, five or six pairs of eyes staring blankly at the girl.

Wow, this is the person from the rumors!

"She's so beautiful, especially her eyes!"

"Miss Gu, Miss Gu, what do you think of Senior Brother Jiang?"

This was the first time Gu Xiaozhu had been surrounded by so many enthusiastic strangers, and she felt a little timid for a moment.

Upon noticing this, Jiang Zhihe waved his hand and pushed them all away, his expression helpless: "You scared her. Be mindful of your boundaries and distance!"

The disciples all looked embarrassed.

Jiang Zhihe: "Let's get down to business first." He rubbed his temples, looking somewhat troubled, and said with a helpless tone, "Just how many people have you guys messed with this time?"

The disciple immediately protested, "What do you mean by 'provoked'? We didn't provoke anyone!"

Another person immediately added:

"That's right! Those people always try to pin the blame on us. They've ruined the reputation of our Hehuan Sect!"

Upon hearing this, the other disciples also began to echo his words.

Jiang Zhihe covered his face and raised his voice, "Tell the truth, what exactly did you do?"

Those people immediately fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances. Finally, it was the disciple who had rushed out to fawn over Jiang Zhihe who spoke up:

"Um...we just ran into people from the First Sword Sect. Senior brother, you know, we're dealing with people from the First Sword Sect..."

Jiang Zhihe remained silent for a moment before speaking, "They didn't follow, did they?"

The disciple: "..."

"They probably...didn't catch up, right?"

When everyone was busy running around, who paid attention to this?

Gu Xiaozhu also perked up her ears with curiosity, because the First Sword Sect was originally supposed to be the sect where Jiang Zhihe was, but now everything has changed.

Moreover, according to what that disciple said, their Hehuan Sect seems to have some... conflict with the First Sword Sect?

She really didn't know that, since in the original story, the two sects were completely unrelated, let alone had any conflicts.

"Yo~ Isn't this our famous young master of the Hehuan Sect?" A sarcastic male voice came from not far away.

Upon hearing this voice, the disciples of the Hehuan Sect froze, and they all simultaneously hid behind Jiang Zhihe.

Jiang Zhihe, forced to stand at the very front: "..."

Soon, a group of white-robed cultivators approached from not far away.

The one who just spoke was the man in the lead.

The man had his long hair tied up high. Although he wore white robes like the other disciples, he had many more flamboyant decorations on his clothes, making him look quite ostentatious.

[Host, that person is Ling Qiu, the Holy Son of the Hehuan Sect in the original storyline.]

Gu Xiaozhu suddenly realized.

In the original storyline, Ling Qiuyou, the holy son of the Hehuan Sect, loved flashy clothes, and because of his handsome appearance, he often attracted many women.

Jiang Zhihe looked at Ling Qiu across from him, crossed his arms and said with a grin, "Fellow Daoist Ling is too kind. I know I am quite famous. No matter how much I admire you, there is no need to mention it, is there?"

Ling Qiu's face darkened, and he immediately retorted, "Who admires you? Don't talk nonsense."

Jiang Zhihe shrugged: "I wonder what brings you here this time, fellow Daoist?"

Ling Qiu slightly raised his chin, and the flashy accessories on his body shone brightly in the sunlight, making him look like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Behind him, out of sight, the other disciples of the First Sword Sect took a step back in unison, their eyes filled with a subtle hint of disdain.

"Heh," Ling Qiu said, "What else could it be?"

He stepped forward, his clothes jingling: "I challenge you to a duel!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples on both sides, including Jiang Zhihe, all wore expressions of "I knew it," while Gu Xiaozhu looked completely bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

The disciple closest to Gu Xiaozhu, seeing this, kindly explained to her: "The chief disciple of the First Sword Sect, the one who's like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, he's always going against his senior brother."

"It's because in the latest version of the 'Most Popular with Women' list in the cultivation world, his ranking is lower than that of his senior brother."

Gu Xiaozhu: ...Huh?

The disciple looked speechless: "Ever since then, he's always trying to compete with his senior brother to prove that he's the most popular person."

"Seriously, this is so childish."

These words expressed Gu Xiaozhu's true feelings.

Yeah, that's so childish!

After exchanging a few words, Gu Xiaozhu asked curiously, "What does this have to do with you?"

The disciple immediately looked resentful: "He wants to find his senior brother, but when he can't find him, he comes to other disciples of our Hehuan Sect and pesters us to ask where his senior brother is."

"It's really, really annoying."

"Oh right, haven't I introduced myself yet?" The disciple slapped his forehead and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "Hello, Miss Gu, my name is Zhang Yuanming."

"Hello, hello," Gu Xiaozhu said quickly.

The science popularization session here is over, but the standoff continues over there.

Ling Qiu: "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared?"

Jiang Zhihe was speechless: "I've told you so many times, I never wanted to be on that list, and I don't even know how I got on it. If you really want that ranking, I'll just give it to you!"

Ling Qiu's face showed indignation: "Give it to me?! Do you know that this is an insult to me!"

He placed a hand on his forehead, his face filled with righteous indignation: "I, Ling Qiu, will definitely defeat you fair and square!"

"Become number one on the 'Most Popular Women' list!"

Jiang Zhihe said expressionlessly, "If you want to be number one on this list, you'll have to go find my mother."

"She is actually ranked number one on this list."

At this moment, the system also spoke up: "I checked this list on the Spirit Network. According to the public vote, the number one ranked person is Jiang Hanyan, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect, who is also Jiang Zhihe's mother."

Gu Xiaozhu: Wow.

She suddenly became a little curious.

Who exactly is this sect leader, that he is so popular?

Meanwhile, Ling Qiu remained serious, saying, "You don't understand. You are just my first step!"

"I will climb step by step to reclaim everything that belongs to me! And finally, I will reach the summit in the spotlight of thousands!"

The last sentence made Qiu's voice extremely loud, even quite childish.

Behind him, the other disciples of the First Sword Sect had already retreated quite a distance; anyone who didn't know better would have thought they weren't on the same side.

Jiang Zhihe shuddered at those words. He shivered and tried to back away, but the group of Hehuan Sect disciples were right behind him, so he had no choice but to stand still.

"So how do you want to duel?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Qiu was overjoyed and immediately coughed dramatically: "I've already thought it through. Isn't it said that a secret treasure will appear in this secret realm? We'll have a competition to see who gets the treasure first. The one who gets it first will surely shine brightly in the secret realm and naturally become the center of attention!"

"So, whoever gets the treasure first wins, how about it?"

Jiang Zhihe replied without hesitation, "No."