Shaoling asked, "They are elders. Can you really just watch them beg you without being tempted?"

If her pleas and pleas are useless, then people will criticize her. The family raised her, and they will accuse her of not repaying the family, of being an ungrateful wretch, of failing them in raising her with such care over the years, of being unworthy of being a member of the Shao family, and of betraying her ancestors if she does not do as they say, of being expelled from the family and never being able to return.

Zhu Fanfan looked into Shaoling's eyes and said, "Being moved means you have expectations of them. What do you expect from them? To take meticulous care of you and use their family influence to help you climb the social ladder. Can they give you these things, or do you even need them?"

No one but her parents could possibly provide such meticulous care. She was still an infant, and even as a child, she was subjected to beatings and scoldings. Did she really want to find that same feeling from the people who bullied her? Using family resources to help her rise to prominence—if the family had that kind of resource, wouldn't they use it on a girl instead of on a male member?

As far as she knew, everything Shaoling had in the Dragon Group was earned through her own hard work. Her mental strength could improve exceptionally quickly, which was achieved through relentless, almost reckless, training. It's important to know that if mental strength training goes wrong, it can lead to mental breakdown and turning someone into a madman.

The shadows hidden in Shao Ling's heart, which were being watched by Zhu Fanfan, had nowhere to hide. She was born and raised in the Shao family and spent most of her life there. Even though the Shao family was harsh on her, even though the family favored boys over girls, even though if the group leader hadn't come, she would have been treated like a commodity and married off to another family, she still had a glimmer of hope for the family.

What did she long for? She wanted fair treatment for the injustices she had suffered over the years. That's why she worked so hard to make a name for herself in the Dragon Group, arranged for members of the Shao family to join, and received praise from the elders. Seeing everyone's admiration for her, did she really need it? Shao Ling was confused; it seemed she hadn't been satisfied.

She did so much for the Shao family just because they said a few nice words. They didn't give anything in return. She was the only one using her connections and abilities to get things done. The Shao family didn't treat her sincerely. Before she joined the Dragon Group, she was treated like a slave. They didn't treat her like family.

For a moment, her mind seemed to clear, and she figured out many things. After regaining her senses, she sincerely thanked Zhu Fanfan: "Thank you, I understand what I should do now."

She earned her current status herself. If the family wants to benefit from her, they should be the ones currying favor with her, not her having to compromise and contribute money and effort. She is Shaoling herself. She should take care of her exactly as they have taken care of her, not by their standards.

At the same time, I sincerely admire you: "Your mental strength is stronger than mine; you are the one who is more suitable to be the leader of the psychology team."

She could only manage to guide and vent, while Zhu Fanfan could unknowingly release the most secret parts of people's hearts without touching their privacy. She was completely outmatched.

Zhu Fanfan spoke frankly: "From Shao Xian's personality, I can tell that your Shao family is a mixed bag. Behind every bratty kid is a bratty parent, and bratty parents will suppress the rest of the family's children. If you stand up, they will suffer. That's what I want to see."

So she was just watching the show. Shaoling's inner conflict had been on the verge of being resolved for a long time. She was just too kind and couldn't let go of the education she had received since childhood about respecting and being filial to the elderly. She just added fuel to the fire by using her mental power to talk to Shaoling and guide her to bring out what she wanted to do most in her heart.

As for the praise, she accepted it. Her godfather was a professional at this; the spiritual power recorded in the Ming family's techniques was far superior to that of the Dragon Group. However, it was a family secret, and she would never share it.

An hour passed, and everyone gathered on time. Xi Yan said, "We're heading to that mountain. Fanfan, you try first. If your mental strength is insufficient, we'll retreat. There must be other ways. Don't fight to the death."

Zhu Fanfan said she understood. As soon as the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they felt the freshness of nature, which was refreshing and invigorating. They couldn't help but move forward and didn't feel any danger inside.

Xi Yan explained, "The miasma here is lighter during the day, which is more suitable for our exploration."

Zhu Fanfan unleashed her spiritual power, protecting the entire team. Everyone felt golden light falling on them, but they didn't feel any repulsion; they understood that she was protecting them.

A group of people walked inside. Zhu Fanfan looked at everything as if it were normal and was puzzled. There were indeed no supernatural fluctuations, no array fluctuations, and nothing unusual.

A group of people walked inside, and Xi Yan said, "According to what people see, the place ahead is where people disappeared."

Zhu Fanfan and his group went inside together. As soon as they entered, they felt a fluctuation. For a moment, they were in a daze. When they opened their eyes again, they saw birds singing and flowers blooming, peaceful and serene. Xi Yan reminded them, "Guard your mind. Something strange is happening here."

Then they saw the pheasant swagger over, and seeing a group of people curiously circling around and glancing at them, it spoke in human language: "What are you looking at?"

Xiang Fu exclaimed in surprise, "Squad leader, the animals here have become sentient, they can all talk!" He even spoke with a Northeastern accent.

Zhu Fanfan: ...Why are you talking nonsense if you haven't eaten any mushrooms?

Xi Yan asked, "Fanfan, what did you see?"

Looking at the tall trees in front of her, Zhu Fanfan said, "Judging from how we looked when we came in, what else could it be like?"

Xiang Fu said, "Squad leader, we see so many flowers blooming here, they smell amazing, and the birds chirping up there are quite noisy, didn't you hear them?"

The others echoed this sentiment, and they even claimed to have seen the trees talking, clearly indicating that they had come to life.

On the Dragon Group's side, Shao Ling said, "I feel like something is speaking in my ear, telling me not to resist and to enjoy life."

Even with Zhu Fanfan's spiritual power protecting her, she still felt someone invading her consciousness. She kept resisting, but the other person seemed to be whispering gently in her ear. She couldn't sense any malice, and she felt that her guard was about to be lowered.

The remaining group members also said, "We can smell the fragrance of the flowers and the lushness of the trees, but there are no birds chirping."

Zhu Fanfan asked Xi Yan, "How do you feel?"

Xi Yan replied, "I can't see anything different from before, but I suddenly have a feeling that I need to move forward."

It felt like someone was holding his hand and guiding him forward, but when the other person said there were gold and silver treasures ahead, he lost interest and suddenly didn't want to walk anymore. After that, he suddenly got goosebumps all over his body, and he was using his superpower to warm his body.