Chapter 96: One more passenger after another joins the cargo ship...
"Mingran!" A delicate shout followed a pink shadow.
Ji Mingran recognized the person as Shi Jinle. Seeing her hurried appearance, he stopped and asked, "What brings you here?"
Aren't we supposed to kill the siren?
Shi Jinle was about to approach Ji Mingran when her eyes suddenly became wary. She glanced to the side and stopped in her tracks.
The tall, black-robed cultivator stood quietly to Ji Mingran's left.
She clearly felt that the instant she flashed into her house, a chilling, murderous aura emanated from there.
The murderous intent subsided slightly only after Mingran spoke to him.
Perhaps he initially thought it was an enemy attack.
“Many of the sea monsters have retreated; the remaining battle can be handled by my fellow disciples.” Only after confirming that the black-robed cultivator made no move did Shi Jinle begin to explain, then asked, “Where are you going?”
Ji Mingran smiled and glanced back at Yu Tianxing, replying kindly, "I'll take him back to his room, and they'll board our boat."
"Him?" Shi Jinle's voice rose in pitch.
She clearly remembered that this man was called "Dad" by that blond-haired kid! How come he's showing up again?
Shi Jinle had just broken free from a wave of sea monsters when he saw a man in black robes standing next to Ji Mingran on the cargo ship's deck. Alarm bells immediately went off in his mind, and he rushed over without thinking.
Ji Mingran then surprisingly offered to take him aboard the ship. Didn't she mind other sects traveling by boat?
A thought immediately popped into Shi Jinle's mind.
Since the Dingsheng Sect does not refuse to allow disciples from other sects to board the ship, she will also give it a try.
Shi Jinle glanced at the cold, black-robed cultivator again, took a few quick breaths to bolster his courage, and shouted, "Then I want to get on your ship too!"
"You want one too?" Ji Mingran was taken aback. Why had their Dingsheng Sect's cargo ships suddenly become so popular?
"Hey, what brings you here again?" Ji Xingyang finished tidying up the disintegrated raft planks and saw Yu Tianxing and Ji Mingran stopped at the cabin entrance. He hurriedly followed them and immediately saw the eyesore Shi Jinle.
The last time the two met was when Ji Mingran interrogated them at the Starry Sky Challenge, forcing them to flee in panic. They were subsequently kicked out of the Starry Sky Challenge and punished.
Now that his father has returned to the competition, if his mother has any doubts, she will ask him directly; it's not her place to ask.
With Yu Tianxing standing in front of him, Ji Xingyang didn't need to rack his brains to cover for him, so he dared to appear in front of Ji Mingran with a clear conscience.
Compared to this, Ji Xingyang thought Shi Jinle was shameless. How could she act like nothing had happened, running off to her mother like that? Had she forgotten being exposed by her mother?
Coincidentally, Shi Jinle thought the same thing.
"Hey! You're here too. What a coincidence! Let's ride on the Dingsheng Sect's ship together!" This blond kid was so timid back then, but he dares to show up now, which means Ji Mingran doesn't take this matter to heart. So why shouldn't she dare to do the same?
Moreover, she had obtained her master's permission to come and explain things to Mingran.
The fact that three or four people blocked the cabin entrance also caught the attention of three people who were squatting in a corner discussing something.
Shen Qingluo stood up, placed her hands on the hilt of her sword, and looked at the crowd surrounding Ji Mingran with a warning in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Shibai asked.
Ji Mingran pointed at Shi Jinle: "She said she also wants to ride on our ship."
"The Hehuan Sect?" Guan Wangzhen hadn't forgotten the person who was so eager to get close to Ji Mingran. He suddenly stood up, put his hands on his hips, and questioned, "Don't you have your own ship? What kind of schemes are you planning to pull now?"
"I didn't! Our spirit boat is damaged and can't move for a while. My fellow disciples and I have decided to find our own way out!" Shi Jinle pointed to the spirit boat inlaid with pearls and gems.
The spirit boat was riddled with leaks, and Shi Jinle's fellow disciples, a seductive woman and a masculine man, were still clearing out the remaining sea monsters ambushing the spirit boat.
Seeing Shi Jinle pointing at them, the two waved to the people on the small cargo ship in a friendly manner, then pointed at Shi Jinle again, shook their heads and waved their hands, indicating that she did not need to return to the spirit boat.
It seems that what Shi Jinle said is true, but as everyone knows, the cooperation between the members of the Hehuan Sect is so skillful and seamless that Shi Jinle's words cannot be completely trusted.
But she immediately took out a luminous pearl from a storage ring.
"This is our sect's guiding artifact, capable of showing the holder the correct direction. If you allow me to board the ship, we can use it together." It was thanks to this bead that Shi Jinle was able to lead his fellow disciples to forcibly pass the previous level of the Qiankun Maze competition.
"Oh?" Zhu Shibai said with a standard smile that he always wore, which was both distant and polite but revealed a hint of sincerity. "Fellow Daoist Shi is being too kind, but since Fellow Daoist Shi has been so hospitable, we cannot refuse."
He took the initiative and extended an invitation: "Fellow Daoist Shi, please accompany us. If you don't mind, this bead can be placed at the helm of the ship, so that you can always keep track of the direction."
Guan Wangzhen put away the thorn, and Shen Qinglu lowered her hand.
Finding treasure was of utmost importance, and the members of the Dingsheng Sect had no reason to refuse.
Shi Jinle instantly became an invaluable ally of the Dingsheng Sect in the eyes of everyone, enjoying the best treatment on the cargo ship.
No one objected, and Ji Mingran said, "Okay, you come too. Come in with me, and I'll assign you rooms."
At this moment, sailboats flying triangular flags also stopped beside the cargo ship, casting shadows that covered half of the cargo ship's deck.
"Hey, Mingran!" Fu Daolan called out from the ship, "Those sea monsters lost their courage after Meng Yingyang killed their leader, and they all ran away in a swarm. Now we're safe. Why don't we travel together for a while and take this opportunity to get together! It's really fate that we've met you two again! If you need any help, just ask, and we'll definitely help!"
The Sea Demon King was actually killed instantly by Ji Mingran. However, no one else saw what happened inside the hole in the White Rhino Spirit Boat. They only saw the Sea Demon King's corpse fall from the hole, and then Meng Yingyang flew out on his sword.
The remaining sea monsters, having lost their will to fight, scattered and fled. The other cultivators seized the opportunity, quickly regained control of the situation, and now, each in their respective positions, returned to their ships and set sail again.
Xu Wuzong and the others had restarted the sailboat. Seeing that the small cargo ship had set off, Fu Daolan told everyone to hurry up and catch up.
Shao Qingshang, standing shoulder to shoulder with Fu Daolan, heard his words and said awkwardly, "Don't be so arrogant. Dingsheng Sect has three Golden Core cultivators and Fellow Daoist Ji here. Why would we need you?" He bowed deeply and said, "I hope you will not mind and give us a ride. If we need anything, we will do our best."
The rest of the Dingsheng Sect shrugged, indicating they didn't care. After all, there were quite a few spirit boats and ships that had silently followed their cargo ship without saying a word.
However, the other ships in the Spirit Sect fleet that were following their cargo ship also sensed the intense fluctuations of spiritual energy in the direction they were heading, so they stopped following and dispersed to other places.
The Void Sect was the first sect to openly inquire and extend an invitation to travel together, showing a friendly attitude, and they were more inclined to cooperate with such a team.
“Okay, let’s go together,” Ji Mingran replied with a smile.
As they spoke, the other half of the cargo ship was also covered by the massive shadow of the spirit boat, which even swallowed up the shadow of the sailboat.
Meng Yingyang's cold gaze swept across the sailboat opposite, then over the people on the cargo ship. His gaze paused imperceptibly as it passed over the black-robed cultivator standing silently with his head bowed, before finally settling on Ji Mingran.
"Great! Qin Danniang, I've finally found you."
A pretty female cultivator on the cargo ship looked up, her eyes filled with excitement: "Senior brother, senior sister!"
"Where's your storage bag? Have you kept it safe?" a disciple of Liuhuan Valley asked anxiously.
"Huh?" Qin Danniang was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took a small bag from her waist, picked it up and showed it to everyone, saying, "Here, I've put it away carefully."
"Quick! Give it to us!" another disciple of Liuhuan Valley urged.
"Okay, okay." Qin Danniang obediently tossed the storage bag toward the spirit boat. A spell lit up, and the storage bag, which was flying close to the spirit boat and about to fall, immediately appeared in the hands of the Liuhuan Valley disciple.
The three disciples of Liuhuan Valley took a closer look and their faces lit up with joy. One of them put the storage bag away and hurriedly went back into the spirit boat.
The other two followed in unison.
Her fellow disciples ignored her. Qin Danniang looked confused and called out, "Senior brother, senior sister, I'm still here! Don't forget about me!"
"Oh, you can just stay there then." The Liuhuan Valley disciple, holding a storage bag, turned around and said coldly.
"Wh-what?" Qin Danniang was taken aback.
"You Qin Danniang!" Another Liuhuan Valley disciple suddenly attacked, cursing, "Now that you've boarded the Dingsheng Sect's ship, how long are you going to pretend! Last time during the competition, you helped them, and this time you're still hanging around with them. You're clearly a spy for the Dingsheng Sect, and now you still have the nerve to say you're back in the group!"
"Senior brother, what are you saying?" The accusations were like a bucket of ice melting into Qin Danniang, chilling her to the bone. She explained helplessly, "They saw me drifting alone in the sea, so they rescued me. They had no other intentions, and I'm not a spy."
"You are of unyielding spirit, and would rather die than submit. If you truly considered yourself a disciple of Liuhuan Valley, you would never have boarded the Dingsheng Sect's ship! There's no need for further sophistry." The Liuhuan Valley disciple's eyes showed disgust.
Qin Danniang's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she was so shocked by the accusations that she couldn't speak for a moment.
Guan Wangzhen couldn't stand it any longer and sneered, "You guys are so tough, why are you holding that storage bag like it's a treasure? This bag has been on our ship before, shouldn't you just throw it away as trash?"
The Liuhuan Valley disciple holding the storage bag squeezed the bag between his fingers and said coldly, "What's it to you?"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" a disciple of the Hongqi Sect also spoke up, "You promised to increase our supply of pills once you found your junior sister! What's going on here? You're not going to go back on your word, are you? If you dare to deceive us, we won't let you live!"
"Don't worry," said the disciple of Liuhuan Valley. "Our Senior Brother Ya's pill bag has been retrieved. Once he recovers from taking the medicine, you will have more pills than you need."
"Alright." The other disciples of Hongqi Sect only wanted to get the medicine and did not want to get involved in the internal affairs of Liuhuan Valley disciples. They still had to follow Venerable Chongjue's instructions to find the Yunshi as soon as possible, and could not delay for even a moment.
"Let's set off quickly, we still have a long way to go."
The Hongqi Sect also has a guiding artifact. By following the guidance, they can find the direction of the hidden stone. However, the guidance is fleeting, and they need to set off as soon as possible.
"Senior Brother Ya!" Qin Danniang's eyes lit up as if she were a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood. She asked anxiously, "Where is Senior Brother Ya? He would never abandon me."
"Senior Brother Ya was just attacked by a sea monster and is currently recuperating. There's no one to protect you right now." The Liuhuan Valley disciple mocked, "If it weren't for Senior Brother Ya's protection all the way, do you really think you could have gotten this far? You're just a burden! Now that the three of us have made a decision, even if Senior Brother Ya and Master knew about it later, they wouldn't say anything."
"It was you who disobeyed your master's orders first and got involved with the Dingsheng Sect. You have only yourself to blame!"
After the disciple of Liuhuan Valley finished speaking, he didn't wait for the others to react. He hurriedly returned to the spirit boat without looking back.
Qin Danniang's figure was thin and helpless, her eyes filled with tears, her hands gripping the cargo ship's railing, looking at the white rhinoceros spirit boat in despair.
......
An absurd farce.
Meng Yingyang lowered his eyes and swallowed back what he was about to say.
The accusations from the disciples of Liuhuan Valley deprived him of the opportunity to speak first, and now he has no suitable chance to say anything.
He came to thank Ji Mingran for helping him, and also to have a few words with her.
He thought that since everyone was coming to her side to talk to her, it would be only natural for him to come over and say a few words as well.
The farce among the disciples of the Illusionary Valley caused the original plan to deviate.
Meng Yingyang stood still, silently waiting for the spirit boat to set sail.
Opposite the White Rhinoceros Spirit Boat, the Void Sect members looked at each other in astonishment, not understanding what was going on, and for a moment no one spoke.
Guan Wangzhen scratched his head and exchanged a glance with Shen Qingluo, unsure of how to speak to Qin Danniang.
Ji Mingran remained standing in front of the cabin, lightly tapping the people on the ship with his fingertips, carefully counting: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, enough rooms."
Meeting Qin Danniang's tearful eyes, filled with grievance and resentment, she smiled gently and said, "Let's set off together."
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