Chapter 57 Yu Jitang, whose sincerity was met with disdain, exploded. Waiting...
Yu Jitang, feeling scorned, snapped.
As dawn broke the next day, he stood sternly on a high platform. "You've all gathered your numbers for today, and you've all discussed how to proceed. If you still can't protect yourselves, you might as well find a place to end it all. Don't call yourselves disciples of the Divine Palace! The Divine Palace can't afford to lose face like that. And don't tell me you can't let go of this or that. Before you came here, you should have known that this Western Wilderness is teeming with demons. This is a place to test your mettle, not a stage for sentimental drama. Each person must bear their own fate. If you want to find someone, go find them yourself. Don't use this as an excuse. You don't mind your pretentious talk, but it's embarrassing to hear. Now, all of you, get back here!"
Lin Xiao's face turned bright red, but she was still unwilling to give up and kept looking for an opportunity to talk to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing sat with a smile, her Taiyi sword moving up and down, left and right, running towards wherever it was farthest from her.
The female disciples cast meaningful glances at Lin Xiao, making her uneasy. She had no choice but to follow the others and set off on her return journey.
After they all left, Lu Qing felt the air was fresher.
"Hey, shouldn't we catch up on our progress? We've been busy looking for people these past few days. Zou Buming and Luo Heqing, those two cousins, have probably already found the Spirit Fruit," Yu Jitang shouted.
Wu Chen reached out and summoned the Taiyi Sword back. "Don't worry, it won't be too late."
They had their breakfast at a leisurely pace before setting off, while some of them had indeed traveled day and night to reach the front.
Ever since Qi Zhi was exposed by Wu Chen that night, she cried alone for a long time. Before dawn, she set off on her journey on her sword. She carried a talisman for guidance, with very clear directions. After traveling for more than ten days, she finally found the person she was looking for.
It was a rather large camp, with tall flagpoles bearing the banners of the Divine Palace. Even in broad daylight, many skilled warriors patrolled the area around the camp.
Upon detecting her presence, the experts surrounded her. Before Qi Zhi could speak, a woman in red parted the crowd and said with a smile, "Isn't this Senior Sister Qi Zhi from Nukun Peak? Why aren't you by the side of the Witch God Servant? Why are you here with interest?"
Qi Zhi glared at her. "I want to see the Divine Servant."
The woman in red smiled strangely, "Divine Attendant? Which Divine Attendant? This isn't Nukun Peak, it's not a place where you can do whatever you want."
"I want to see Attendant Zou," Qi Zhi said impatiently.
The woman in red slowly sized her up. "I've heard that the Witch God's attendant is a gentleman who observes proper etiquette, so how come his esteemed disciple shows no manners at all? With your status, you should be asking for an audience! Asking for an audience, how can you expect to see someone without asking?"
Qi Zhi was already on the verge of going crazy from frustration on the way here. Seeing that the woman in red was deliberately making things difficult for her, she reached into her spirit pouch, took out a talisman, and shoved it in front of her. "I'm here to report to the Divine Servant Zou."
The woman in red glanced at the talisman and was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that the chief female disciple of Nukun Peak was actually one of Zou Buming's people.
Her smile remained on her face, but her tone immediately changed, "It's truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple. Miss Qizhi, please come with me."
From the camp entrance to the main tent in the middle, there was an embroidered carpet. Every three steps there was a guard, and every five steps there was a sentry. Skilled guards in uniform stood on both sides of the carpet, creating a very solemn scene.
Qi Zhi had no interest in observing and followed the woman in red to the front of the main tent. Only after being summoned from inside did he enter the main tent.
Incense smoke filled the main tent, and maids dressed in plain clothes knelt in two rows. Although they were all alive, they all bowed their heads and remained motionless, like two rows of jade sculptures.
Zou Buming, dressed in fine clothes, sat on the brocade couch with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. He heard light footsteps, but did not react at all.
Qi Zhi slowly knelt down before the seat, "Greetings, Your Excellency."
After a while, Zou Buming coldly said, "Did you mess things up?"
Qi Zhi buried her forehead deep in the lichen, "This servant is incompetent."
Zou Buming finally opened his eyes and looked at Qi Zhi. "When you pledged your loyalty to me, you swore you would be at my service. How could you mess up something so simple?"
Qi Zhi whispered, "When I left the Divine Palace, I was spotted by Qi Ying. His skills were on par with mine, and I couldn't escape. Later, we encountered people from Zhan Yan Tai. They detained a woman named Lu Qing, and we heard she had clues about the Spirit Fruit. That girl was extremely cunning and had a difficult childbirth. Although she wasn't very skilled, she had a knack for poisoning people, and even the people from Zhan Yan Tai fell into her hands. After Qi Ying took us out, the Witch God Servant appeared. He even found the tracking talisman I had hidden next to him. He drove me out of Nu Kun Peak."
Zou Buming didn't care why Wu Chen hadn't made things difficult for Qi Zhi. "Who is that Lu Qing? Why does she have information about the Spirit Fruit?"
Qi Zhi didn't dare to lift her head. "She came to the Western Wilderness with her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, claiming to be a medical cultivator. When I met her, she and her nephew had gotten separated from her sister and brother-in-law. Putting all the clues together, the person who told us about the ripening of the Spirit Fruit was probably her sister."
Zou Buming thought for a moment, then said, "Go and bring her here."
“The Witch God’s attendant knows her and takes good care of her. I suspect they’ve known each other for a long time. Now that she’s separated from her elders, she’ll probably stay close to the Witch God’s attendant. It’s not a good time to make a move.” Qi Zhi only saw the two of them appear together in the cave. At that time, Lu Qing didn’t say anything, so she hadn’t thought about their relationship in any other way until now.
Zou Buming glanced at her. "What, Wu Chen doesn't want you anymore, but you still can't bring yourself to fight him?"
Qi Zhi knelt there motionless.
Zou Buming laughed, "My people are not allowed to have disloyal hearts. Qi Zhi, over the years you've taken so many elixirs and medicines from me, and received so much guidance from the High Priest and me to reach your current level of cultivation. I've invested heavily in you, not so you could be distracted by romantic love. If you've returned physically but your heart hasn't, there's no use keeping you around. I never make things difficult for people; you just need to find a way to pay back this debt yourself."
Qi Zhi was drenched in cold sweat as memories of the past flashed before his eyes.
At that time, she was just an unknown maid in the temple, who was constantly distracted by her love for Wu Chen. One day, she missed her errand because she secretly went to see Wu Chen and was punished by the head servant. Zou Buming happened to see her.
Zou Buming asked her what she would give in exchange for his help in getting to Wu Chen's side. Qi Zhi still remembered her answer from back then, "This servant would give everything."
Qi Zhi was never stupid. Beneath her icy exterior, she was not lacking in ambition and cunning. Her admiration for Wu Chen was genuine, and her willingness to sacrifice for him was also true. Otherwise, Wu Chen would not have taken her under his wing and promoted her to be his deputy in charge of internal affairs.
But she knew Zou Buming's methods all too well, and was acutely aware of his cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness. However, she believed that with the right strategy, even a seemingly impossible deal might be made. Therefore, she used Zou Buming's power to both enhance her own strength and eliminate those in her way, striving to quickly rise above her and reach Wu Chen's side. She knew that once she was by Wu Chen's side, Zou Buming would need her and wouldn't easily turn against her.
If Zou Buming hadn't ordered her to keep a close eye on Wu Chen's whereabouts, and she had no choice but to follow him under the pretext of being infatuated with love, she wouldn't have been exposed so quickly.
A long-held dream, shattered in an instant. Qi Zhi cried countless times along the way, and in her delirium, she couldn't distinguish between the Qi Zhi who was devoted to her love and willing to risk everything, and the senior sister who was self-disciplined, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, on Nukun Peak. Which one was the real her?
But now there's no turning back. If it were just Zou Buming, she might have dared to turn against him, relying on Wu Chen. But Zou Buming also has the High Priest behind him. Wu Chen can't protect her, and might not even be willing to. This is the only choice she has.
"It's not that I'm unwilling. I received your kindness first, so I'm your person. It's just that I'm worried that appearing in public will cause you trouble."
Zou Buming laughed, "When have I ever been afraid of Wu Chen? Even if he knows that you are someone I placed by his side, what can he do besides pretending to be profound and saying 'I see'?"
Qi Zhi thought of Wu Chen's words, "Everyone has their own ambitions...a bright future awaits," and her heart ached. Wu Chen wasn't helpless; he simply hadn't taken it to heart. She was truly unwilling to accept it. All these years, she hadn't left a single trace in his heart. If he didn't love her, or even hate her, it wouldn't matter; at least he still had her in his heart.
"As long as you have no concerns, I will obey. However, I cannot accomplish this alone, so please send more help," Qi Zhi said.
Zou Buming nodded. "That's more or less impressive. Don't worry, you're a talent I personally nurtured. Even if Wu Chen doesn't keep you, I can make you famous throughout the world. Wu Chen will regret it in the end."
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Qi Zhi kowtowed deeply.
Zou Buming nodded. "Yan Yu."
The woman in red immediately stepped forward and said, "Yes."
"Take more men with you and go with Qi Zhi. Make sure you bring Lu Qing back to me. If you find any news about her sister, bring her back as well."
Yan Yu didn't seem afraid of Zou Buming, and chuckled, "The Witch God's servant is elusive, where am I supposed to find him?"
Zou Buming nodded to Qi Zhi, "She naturally has a way to find Wu Chen."
Yan Yu feigned admiration, "Then we'll have to rely on Miss Qi Zhi."
Qi Zhi sensed a hint of sarcasm in her words, and nodded with a sullen face.
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Author's Note: Finally completed the ranking task. Thank goodness, let me take care of other things first. No update on Thursday. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-07-13 16:40:18 and 2020-07-15 01:44:35!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yuexia Weiya (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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