Chapter 54 With so many eyes watching, Wu Chen...
With so many eyes watching, Wu Chen could only console himself with whatever thoughts he had.
The two moved to the next corpse.
Needless to say, the spirit pouch had already been "gathered" by Lu Qing, and the longsword fell to the side of that person.
Wu Chen glanced at it; the longsword wasn't exactly a spiritual weapon, only possessing a slight spiritual quality. Lu Qing picked it up and held it in her hand. This time, only a barely perceptible flash of blue light disappeared, and it still vanished into Lu Qing's hand.
Then, with a crack, the longsword broke in two.
Lu Qing casually tossed it on the ground and spontaneously ran to the next one.
The two thoroughly inspected the battlefield before returning to their original spot.
When Qi Ying saw the two of them turn back, he quickly went to greet them, "Sir, have you found anything?"
Lu Qing had quite a "harvest," while Wu Chen found almost nothing. These people deliberately wore clothes that concealed their identities, and their weapons were not famous or powerful weapons. In addition, they were already dead, making it virtually impossible to trace their origins.
However, not finding it is also a kind of discovery.
A short while later, Yu Jitang also returned, dragging two people with him. But judging from the way they were walking along the ground, it was clear they weren't alive.
Sure enough, when they got close, Yu Jitang threw the two men to the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "When I was about to catch up with them, one of them stabbed the other's wounded sword, and then he just slit his own throat without even giving me a chance to ask him a question."
Lu Qing looked at the two corpses on the ground in confusion. "Since they dared to surround and kill even the disciples of the Divine Palace, they must have been quite powerful. But how come they died so easily? Were they afraid that you would find out their identities and origins?"
The disciple who had been left behind while talking to Wu Chen stepped forward and said, “When I sparred with them, I always felt that their moves were somewhat familiar. Although they deliberately concealed it, I could still sense that it was similar to the style of the Flame-Slaying Platform.”
At this moment, a female disciple stepped forward. "My lords," she said, "I was once captured. They kept interrogating me about the Fruit of Spirit Communication. My senior sisters arrived in time and rescued me."
Qi Ying was taken aback, "The Fruit of Spiritual Communication?"
The woman nodded. "When we set off from the Divine Palace, we all traveled with our close fellow disciples. After arriving at the Ice Plains, although the snow and ice made travel difficult, everyone felt that splitting up would make it easier to find rare herbs, so we went our separate ways in twos and threes. Logically speaking, the snow-covered plains are a vast expanse of white, making it easy to set up ambushes. But in reality, we only encountered some demons that roamed the snow plains; no one attacked us. On the contrary, after leaving the snow plains, we encountered more people lying in ambush than demons, and they became increasingly ruthless. As long as we were left alive and able to speak, that was enough. When I was captured, they even prepared to cripple my cultivation."
Wu Chen didn't comment on this after hearing it, but simply comforted them, "Everyone is injured. Let's rest for now. The bodies of our fallen comrades are difficult to bring back to the Divine Palace, and burying them on the spot will inevitably make them food for demons. Let's prepare to send them off with fire, so they can return to the world in peace."
Overwhelmed with grief, everyone burst into tears.
Originally, everyone thought they were just coming to the Western Wilderness for training, to obtain some rare herbs, and to impress their teachers. The fellow disciples who were fighting side-by-side and laughing together just the day before are now becoming a mere shadow on the Western Wilderness. They will never again hear their lively discussions and dreams of the future, never again suddenly jump out to startle them, then hook their arms around their necks and laugh heartily. Those mischievous or gentle figures will forever remain in the Western Wilderness; even their souls will likely find it difficult to cross the vast snowfields and return home.
How could anyone not be heartbroken by such a scene?
Wu Chen patted the disciple on the shoulder, "The people are already gone. Help them to make their way in peace and let them leave with dignity. Don't let any other people or demons disturb their peace."
The disciple's eyes were bloodshot and his face was streaked with tears. "Disciple understands."
Wu Chen glanced back at Yu Jitang. Yu Jitang understood and followed him to the side to talk. Little Lu Qing naturally followed along.
Looking at the disciples who were burying their faces in their hands and weeping, Wu Chenyao said in a deep voice, "No other force has ever been willing to get involved in the Divine Palace's winter hunt. It's because the losses don't outweigh the gains. But this time, the High Priest has sent so many disciples. It's practically throwing all of the Divine Palace's younger generation into the Western Wilderness. With such a large-scale operation, if I were anyone else, I would have followed along to find out what's going on. Now, with the rumors about the Spirit Communication Fruit, I'm afraid these people will be desperately trying to get information from the lone Divine Palace disciples. Even if they say they don't know, no one will believe them."
He didn't blame Qi Wu for spreading the news of the Spirit Fruit. Even if she hadn't said anything, forces like Zhan Yantai had already suspected that this winter hunt was for the Spirit Fruit and were secretly following them.
Yu Jitang was furious. "Even I don't know the exact details about the Spirit Fruit, so how could these ordinary disciples know?"
Wu Chen shook his head. "It's no use. Even without the rumors of the Spirit Fruit, they will stick to the disciples of the Divine Palace like maggots, constantly looking for opportunities to find out the truth."
Yu Jitang frowned. "Otherwise, we can spread the word and gather all the disciples of the Divine Palace. With a large number of people, we won't be afraid of them."
Wu Chen frowned. "The High Priest is a man of profound wisdom and foresight. Did he not foresee this situation? If he did foresee this situation, why did he do this?"
Yu Jitang was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he asked, somewhat uncertainly, "Could it be that the old man is getting senile?"
"What about the elders?" Wu Chen asked in return.
Yu Jitang chuckled, "You know what, my father seems to have objected. But the High Priest never even met with my father."
Wu Chen stared silently at Yu Jitang.
Yu Jitang's eyebrows furrowed. "Alright, this is the look you always give me when you try to trick me. Now I'm on your pirate ship too. Just say what you're thinking. There's no need to beat around the bush. Also, stop making me guess and assume. Just tell me your opinion. If I think it's okay, let's do it together. If anything goes wrong, we'll share the responsibility."
Lu Qing, wrapped in a cloak, squatted to one side, tilting her head back and staring with her round eyes at the two people gazing at each other. Suddenly, she felt an urge to chuckle.
You only have eyes for me!
This scene felt familiar, almost like something I'd seen before. It was so much like those destined couples who, after many trials and tribulations, would ultimately walk hand in hand.
Lu Qing bit her lip and chuckled to herself, imagining a good show, except that the main character was a bit strange.
How could Wu Chen not notice her seemingly discreet little action?
Wu Chen looked at her, and Lu Qing immediately straightened up. Her attempt to cover up her obvious thoughts earned her a slap on the forehead, "What nonsense are you thinking about now!"
I'm incredibly happy to see you two finally become a couple (allies).
Lu Qing wiped her face. "I was thinking..." (What was she thinking about? Oh, no, where were they?) "Oh, no matter who it is or what their plans are, only those who want to take the bait will fall for it. Right now, all these people are following the Divine Palace disciples. Otherwise, you can withdraw all the Divine Palace disciples. Anyway, it's a trap, let whoever wants to jump in jump in."
Wu Chen actually meant the same thing. Although some disciples of the Divine Palace were inevitably involved in this matter, those disciples who were unaware of it were truly innocent.
He looked at Yu Jitang, who nodded. "That's a good idea. The winter hunt is just to train them, not to send them to their deaths. Let's be upfront with them. With our approval, disciples who don't want to get involved can leave to ensure their safety. If they want to take advantage of the chaos, we don't need to stop them. What do you say?"
Wu Chen nodded.
The disciples over there had almost finished packing. This was the Western Wilderness, teeming with demons and monsters, not the ethereal Divine Palace. There was simply no way to accommodate those elaborate rituals, no resources or time available. The Divine Palace disciples could only give their fallen comrades a simple makeover, ensuring they were at least properly dressed and could complete their final journey in this world with dignity.
Wu Chen added some of his secret fire-making medicine to the firewood. Those once passionate young men and women turned into ashes in the raging fire, disappearing into the world without any ties.
For some reason, Lu Qing thought of Fei Mu's last moments.
A sky ablaze with crimson clouds obscured the view. It turns out, no matter who we are, in the end, we all arrive at the same destination. She had only been in this world for a short time, yet she had witnessed countless deaths and deaths, but she could not express the profound emotions in her heart.
The disciples of the Divine Palace wept bitterly, filled with hatred and bewilderment.
Once the flames died down, the embers were carried away by the wind.
Wu Chen turned around and said to the disciples of the Palace of Gods, "This winter hunt is no longer suitable to continue. The current situation is complicated and difficult to discern, and I don't know if someone is behind this. But if you stay in the Western Wilderness, you will only become targets for those people."
One disciple, filled with grief and indignation, said, "Witch God Attendants, did you already know about the Fruit of Spirit Communication?"
Wu Chen pointed three fingers to the sky and said solemnly, "I have never heard of any news about the Fruit of Spiritual Communication from the High Priest. Nor did I ever expect anyone to involve you. No matter who planned this, neither Yu Shenshi nor I participated. If there is a single falsehood, Yu Shenshi and I will be forever barred from the path of cultivation and will never be able to make any progress."
Everyone couldn't help but recall that when they set off from Zhanghua Terrace, Wu Chen and Yu Jitang traveled alone, while Zou Buming and Luo Heqing were accompanied by a large entourage. If Wu Chen and Yu Jitang truly knew the inside story, they would never have left without their own men.
"The news of the Spirit Fruit is spreading like wildfire in the Western Wilderness. Most of the people entering the Western Wilderness now are here for the Spirit Fruit. As disciples of the Divine Palace, we have no way to defend ourselves. Every day you stay in the Western Wilderness, you face increasing danger."
One of the disciples shouted, "We are not afraid! We will find the mastermind behind this and avenge our fellow disciples!"
Yu Jitang sneered, showing him no respect whatsoever, "Could it be that you weren't among the people being chased earlier! If you want revenge, then you should come up with a plan."
The disciple was unconvinced. "Let's gather all the disciples in the Western Wilderness and see who dares to challenge us."
Wu Chen countered, "And then what? Are you going to capture and interrogate all the non-Divine Palace disciples one by one? Or are you prepared to storm the Spirit Fruit and fight to the death against all the demons of the Western Wilderness?"
Lu Qing muttered to himself: What did these demons in the Western Wilderness do to deserve this? They're just sitting at home, and trouble comes out of nowhere.
Yu Jitang and he played good cop and bad cop, saying, "Before you act, consider your own strength. The Western Wilderness is originally the territory of demons. If we sneak in to gather some herbs, they'll pretend they don't see us. But if you have thousands of people rampaging through demon territory, you should consider whether you're enough to be a meal for those powerful demons."
Wu Chen nodded. “What Divine Attendant Yu said is right. I agree with Divine Attendant Yu. The situation is unclear at the moment. We suggest that all the disciples of the Divine Palace temporarily withdraw from the Western Wilderness. If the Western Wilderness is indeed a trap set by someone for the disciples of the Divine Palace, as long as you do not step into it, they cannot do anything to you.”
One of the female disciples raised her voice and said, "Witch God Servant, we will listen to you."
Wu Chen nodded. “Many people are already eyeing the disciples of the Divine Palace. From now on, you will travel in groups of thirty. Search for any lone disciples of the Divine Palace in the Western Wilderness. Once you have fifty people, you can split into two groups to continue searching and then return. Whether you return to the Divine Palace or guard the entrance to the Western Wilderness, checking everyone leaving and uncovering the mastermind, is up to you. I'm not asking everyone to follow my plan, but I hope you won't act rashly. It's not worth sacrificing yourselves in the Western Wilderness for the elusive Fruit of Spiritual Communication.”
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Author's note: Yu Jitang: Sneaky into the village, don't fire your gun.
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