Chapter 55 Each with their own thoughts, the disciples discussed their options, although…
The disciples discussed the matter amongst themselves. Although Wu Chen did not force them to comply, most were willing to listen to him and leave the Western Wilderness together.
Wu Chen arranged for everyone to continue their journey, and took advantage of the daytime to search for other disciples of the Divine Palace. After a busy day, darkness fell again. The group could only find a sheltered spot on a hill to rest.
Yu Jitang reached out to the crowd, "Where are the fireworks that were supposed to be for help?"
Everyone looked ashamed. Since the beginning of the snowfield, they had been constantly surrounded and attacked by demons and monsters. "We've already used them all up."
Yu Jitang wanted to mock him. "You think you can stay in the Western Wilderness like this? You really think everyone will buy your services just because you're dressed as a disciple of the Divine Palace? Even I, a Divine Servant, wouldn't dare think that way."
Lu Qing asked curiously, "Don't you have any?"
Yu Jitang said proudly, "How could I possibly need that!"
"You have to plan ahead for everything. Now you want to use it but you don't have it. What's there to be proud of?" Lu Qing mocked him.
Wu Chen smiled and said, "Stop joking. Qi Ying should have it. Go ask him for it."
Yu Jitang went to Qiying to ask for the firework for sending messages. Wu Chen took Lu Qing's hand and went to the mountaintop.
The disciples behind them, especially the female disciples, couldn't help but look at their backs.
This young lady, Lu Qing, was young, her cultivation level was not high, and she wasn't particularly beautiful, yet somehow she caught the eye of the Witch God's attendant. All day long, the attendant provided her with food and drink. When she got tired, the attendant even helped her walk. While the actions weren't excessive, their intimacy was completely unashamed of being in the presence of others.
The female disciples wanted to gossip, but firstly, they had received help from Lu Qing in healing their wounds, and secondly, many of their fellow disciples had just suffered tragic events, so it was indeed not a good time to gossip.
Lu Qing, draped in Wu Chen's cloak, stood beside him on the mountaintop, looking up at the fireworks that roared into the sky. The fireworks exploded into a huge burst of silver blossoms in the night, forming a distinct auspicious pattern. The effect lingered for a long time, a truly beautiful sight.
"Didn't you say you were going to deal with some hidden dangers? Why did you end up in the Western Wilderness?" Lu Qing asked quietly.
Wu Chen gazed at the night sky and replied softly, "Now is not the time to talk about this."
Lu Qing glanced at him but didn't press the matter.
After Yu Jitang finished setting off the fireworks with Qi Ying and Luo Sen, he came up to find them. Not long after, people began to approach.
The disciples of the shrine lit a bonfire at the foot of the mountain, and the newcomers naturally found their way there.
Most of the visitors were disciples of the Divine Palace, and they all knew each other. After exchanging a few words, many of them burst into tears. Others whispered among themselves before looking up at the mountaintop.
Wu Chen and Yu Jitang remained motionless, standing with their hands behind their backs, looking down at the scene below. Qi Ying, overwhelmed by their aura, unconsciously took a step back.
This was the first time Lu Qing had ever seen Wu Chen with such an aloof and condescending demeanor. She thought to herself, "No wonder people respectfully call him a divine palace, a divine official, or a divine servant. Such an appearance..." Well, she proudly boasted, "He is indeed unparalleled in the world."
Someone below shouted excitedly, "Sir!"
Wu Chen glanced at him and said, "Heal and rest first." There was no intention of exchanging pleasantries.
The disciples below, however, calmed down after hearing his words. They helped each other heal their wounds, and some, exhausted, fell asleep immediately.
Overnight, nearly a hundred people gathered here.
Wu Chen and Yu Jitang repeated what they had said earlier.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Witch God Attendant, it's your decision to withdraw from the Western Wilderness at this time. But what if the High Priest has other motives for ordering us to come? If we withdraw now, will it affect the High Priest's original plan?"
Wu Chen looked at him and said, "Before we set off, Yu Shenshi and I only met the High Priest once on Zhanghua Terrace, and we didn't even exchange a single word. So even if the High Priest has any plans, we know nothing about them. If any of you know anything, please tell us."
Everyone remained silent, exchanging bewildered glances, even the disciple who had spoken earlier dared not utter a word.
Wu Chen continued, “All I know right now is that you entered the Western Wilderness for training, not to die. We don’t know if you have other missions. But right now, more and more cultivators who covet the Spirit Fruit are rushing to the Western Wilderness. As long as you are still there, they will assume that you are also here for the Spirit Fruit and that you must know clues about it. Many disciples have already lost their lives because of this. That’s why Yu Shenshi and I decided to have you withdraw from the Western Wilderness. If anyone holds us accountable after we return to the Divine Palace, we will take responsibility.”
He looked around and said, "I'll say it again: everyone has their own ambitions, and we won't force you. Those who wish to stay can leave together on their own."
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Witch God Servant, can you tell us if the rumors about the Fruit of Spirit Communication are true?"
Wu Chen didn't hesitate for a moment, "If it's the ripening time of the Spirit Fruit, then it should be true."
"What?!" The disciples of the Divine Palace were all in an uproar.
Even Yu Jitang couldn't help but glance at him sideways.
Wu Chen raised his hand in a gesture for silence. "I said it should be! Because I have nowhere to verify this information. I just made this conclusion based on some scattered records in the Mizha."
Many people couldn't help but be tempted.
Wu Chen glanced at it, "But you must know that the Spirit Fruit is just a legendary divine object. As for whether it can be eaten or whether it has any effect, the Divine Palace has not made any clear records to date. On the other hand, the records about the great demons of the Western Wilderness are very detailed. And none of you are a match for these great demons."
"We outnumber you and have the strength to fight back!" someone shouted.
Wu Chen laughed, "Even if you join forces and fight your way out to find the Fruit of Spirit Communication, who will it ultimately belong to?"
This is no longer a matter of too many monks and too little porridge. The legendary Fruit of Spiritual Communication only bears one fruit every thousand years. Does this mean that after they've killed all the demons, they'll have to fight amongst themselves? If they're destined to go down this path, who will genuinely support each other?
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Wu Chen nodded. "You all need to think carefully about where you're headed. I won't say anything more. Tomorrow morning, those disciples who decide to return should set off as I instructed, leaving messages along the way so that other disciples can see them. Those who don't want to go back, take care of yourselves."
Lu Qing remained smiling, watching the disciples of the Divine Palace below whispering amongst themselves, appearing completely unconcerned, as if the coveted Spirit Fruit had nothing to do with her. She whispered to Lawson, "Where did your parents run off to? We haven't gone that far. And they set off such a huge firework; I reckon everyone within dozens of miles should have seen it."
Before Lawson could speak, Wu Chen spoke first, saying in a low voice, "Luo Yuan's strength is no less than mine. Unless several powerful demons join forces, he can come and go freely in this Western Wilderness. You don't need to worry."
In other words, her stepsister and brother-in-law could easily have seen them with Wu Chen and then abandoned her to do other things.
That's outrageous! But since the person wasn't around, there was nowhere to vent her anger. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Lu Qing said, "I'll be right back."
Where to go? Naturally, to the place that's convenient.
Lu Qing descended the hillside and found a secluded spot. On her way back, she went to wash her hands by the stream, where several female disciples of the Divine Palace were deliberately waiting for her.
"Miss Lu Qing." The female disciples greeted her politely.
Upon closer inspection, Lu Qing noticed that all of them were quite good-looking, especially the one in the lead, who had an oval face, fair skin, a gentle and kind demeanor, and a pleasant voice.
"Miss Lu Qing, we have a favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to listen to us for a few words?"
Lu Qing hadn't really interacted with many girls before. Seeing their polite manner, he smiled and nodded, "Please go ahead."
The girl at the head stepped forward. "My name is Lin Xiao, and these are my junior sisters. We are disciples of Qixia Peak. Don't laugh at me, Miss Lu Qing, but all the disciples of Qixia Peak are female, and we mainly cultivate medicine and alchemy, so our combat strength is not high. If it weren't for the protection of our senior brothers from other peaks, we wouldn't have made it this far."
Lu Qing thought to herself, "Since you know you can't take a beating, why don't you hurry back?"
Seeing Lu Qing staring with wide, round eyes, blinking without saying a word, Lin Xiao had no choice but to continue, "We brought more than twenty people this time, but there are only six or seven people here. If we just leave like this, I really can't bear to leave the other junior sisters behind."
Seeing that she was just staring at her with her beautiful eyes, Lu Qing really didn't understand what she meant. "So?" You should just say what you want to say. What's the point of staring at me like that?
"So, could you please tell the Witch God Attendant that we'd like to leave one or two people behind to continue searching for the other junior sisters? It's not that we're disobeying the Witch God Attendant's wishes, but we're truly worried about those junior sisters whose whereabouts are unknown. Just thinking about them waiting for our help in some corner of this Western Wilderness makes us want to..."
Lu Qing laughed when she heard this, "So you're going to look for them, and then they'll come looking for you. A whole bunch of people are going around in circles in the Western Wilderness. This place is so big, there's going to be a long search."
Lin Xiao said, "We really can't rest easy. If we just leave like this, and something really happens to our junior sisters, I'll have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life."
Lu Qing nodded. "I understand. Didn't Wu Chen say he wouldn't force you? Just do whatever you're planning?"
“We left it behind because we were afraid the witch god's servant would misunderstand that we were greedy for the fruit of spiritual communication,” Lin Xiaorou added softly.
Lu Qing couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. "Hmm. You can go and talk to him directly. I'm not a disciple of the Divine Palace, so it would be inappropriate for me to interfere in the affairs of the Divine Palace."
Lin Xiao glanced at her junior sisters, "Then shall I go with Miss Lu Qing?"
The other women were eager to try, but Lin Xiao said seriously, "Even if the Divine Servant agrees, it's impossible for all of them to stay. The Divine Servant has his own matters to attend to; how could he possibly follow us around looking for people?"
Even if the women were unwilling, they had no other choice.
Lin Xiao followed Lu Qing to the mountaintop. Lu Qing said to Wu Chen, "This young lady has something to say to you."
Wu Chen looked over. Lin Xiao stood beside Lu Qing and politely greeted Wu Chen.
Lin Xiao is the senior disciple of Qixia Peak and is in charge of the daily affairs of Qixia Peak. Qi Ying has a lot of dealings with her, so she quickly introduced her to Wu Chen.
After listening to her finish speaking, Wu Chen said, "Although leaving directly would be the best course of action, I can understand your feelings. Very well, then you can stay and travel with us for a while longer. When you meet other fellow disciples, you can travel with them."
Lin Xiao's eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you for your understanding, sir. I will certainly not cause you any trouble." With that, she bowed and took her leave.
Lu Qing watched her retreating figure, blinking her eyes repeatedly.
Wu Chen pulled her hand, "What are you thinking about?"
Lu Qing asked, "Are you usually very strict in the Divine Palace?"
Wu Shen asked curiously, "Why do you ask that?"
Lu Qing frowned. "This isn't a bad thing. You could have just come to me directly. Why did you have to come to me first and ask me to pass on the message?"
Yu Jitang laughed from the side, "Who told our unshakeable witch servant to hold your hand and run around everywhere all day? Hey, Wu Chen, aren't you two going a bit too far? What am I supposed to say if people ask what your relationship is?"
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Author's Note: Sorry, I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days and have been resting in bed. I'm feeling much better now and have come back to update.
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