Xu Yuehuai didn't comment on their guess. Instead, she turned to look ahead and said to them, "Alright, the most important thing right now is to build a house nearby to stay in. Otherwise, we'll freeze when it gets dark."
It's a bit of a distance from here to the town, and going back and forth would be somewhat inconvenient. Luckily, there's a village down here, so instead of going all the way to the town, it's better to make do here. After all, they're out on a mission, not for leisure.
Without wasting time, the group quickly gathered wood from the surrounding area and built a simple house. Xu Yuehuai carried firewood, and everyone divided the work; this firewood would be used for the evening's fire. Xuan Chi, not seeing her return for a long time, came out from the village entrance to search for her. Seeing her gazing intently in the direction of the village, he slowly walked forward. "Senior Sister, is there something troubling you? Why not tell Xuan Chi? Perhaps I can help you resolve your worries."
Xu Yuehuai snapped out of her reverie, looked at Xuan Chi beside her, and smiled slightly. "No, it's just that I'm feeling a bit down because I'm amazed that there are still people in this village who have stayed and refused to leave after all these years."
“These past few days have probably been tiring for Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister, having to live with us men. If word gets out, it will inevitably cause gossip. Another day at dawn, I will bring a few senior brothers to rebuild a small house for you.” Xuan Chi walked beside Xu Yuehuai, and the two walked together down the mountain.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai interrupted, "It's nothing, just a small matter. Besides, we might not even be staying here..."
"What do you mean by that, Senior Sister?" Xuan Chi asked, puzzled.
Xu Yuehuai did not answer, but said, "Let's go, they must be getting impatient."
Back at the village entrance, Xu Yuehuai placed the firewood she had collected on the ground. Nangong Yu stepped forward to start a fire, while the others went about their tasks. Shangguan Xi walked to Xu Yuehuai's side, anxiously grabbing her arm with both hands. "Senior Sister, I feel like this village is eerily quiet. Since we arrived and made such a commotion, not a single person has come out to check. It's really strange. Could there be something wrong with this place?"
Shangguan Xi looked around, his eyes filled with fear and worry.
Xu Yuehuai patted her hand to comfort her, "Don't be afraid. I'll keep watch tonight. You all get some rest. If you want to go up the mountain tomorrow, it'll probably be a big battle."
“We came down the mountain because we have something to ask the villagers for. Why don’t we take this opportunity to go in and investigate?” Baili Xiuwen suggested from the side. He also felt that this place was particularly strange. Over the years, many people have wanted to enter Taiping Mountain. Surely they are not the only ones who have discovered the anomaly here, but no one has ever spoken of it. This matter is really very strange.
Xu Yuehuai shook his head. "We must not disturb the villagers' lives. Rushing in might bring trouble upon ourselves. If we set up camp here, the boy who was hauling firewood will definitely come back and pass through this area. When he does, we can just ask him about the situation in the mountains and the village."
Xu Yuehuai was a cautious person, and Baili Xiuwen, upon hearing this, felt that there was some truth to it. He then turned around and continued to decorate the temporary dwelling.
As darkness fell, only one hut was built for convenience. However, considering that there were two women in the group, it would be inconvenient. Therefore, when building the hut, a space was specially made in the middle with leaves to serve as a wall. This thing makes little difference whether it is there or not, but if others could see it, the difference would be huge.
Xu Yuehuai took out a few fruits from her pocket. Everyone had been busy all day and was starving. She asked, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"
Eight people sat around the fire, having cleaned themselves up, but few spoke; even Shangguan Xi was too tired to utter a word.
Fu Ziyi snorted and spoke first, "I think it's better not to bring any burdens when we go up the mountain tomorrow. People who do nothing but hide behind others are better off staying in a safe place, so as not to cause trouble."
Fu Ziyi's words were clearly directed at Yuan Shui, and everyone's eyes immediately shifted between the two, while also observing Xu Yuehuai's expression. Xuan Chi spoke up, "That's not quite right. Although Brother Yuan Shui didn't hit anyone, he helped in a crisis, saving everyone from some physical harm. That's a merit in itself, so how can we erase what Brother Yuan Shui did?"
Xuan Chi's words were neither too biased nor too fair. Nangong Yu chimed in, "Yes, yes, in my opinion, we should take Yuan Shui with us. After all, this place down the mountain doesn't look like a safe place at all. It's quite creepy, especially at night. Look, it's not even dark yet, and the wind is howling all around. Just listening to the sound gives me goosebumps. Leaving a child here alone is really inappropriate, really inappropriate."
Nangong Yu wanted to play peacemaker, but in front of Fu Ziyi, all considerations of face and human relationships were irrelevant. "If you're so afraid, you shouldn't have come in the first place. We told you from the beginning that this trip was dangerous, but after you came, you did nothing and even hid behind us, distracting us by taking care of you. Wouldn't it be better for someone like you to leave the team?"
Although not a single word was mentioned about Xu Yuehuai, every word was a accusation against him. She brought Yuan Shui out without prior consultation, and even used her younger brother's identity. Naturally, people would think he was too young and should be taken care of. But if she appeared as the spirit of the artifact, people would not have so many concerns. In the end, she was probably somewhat wary of the group of people in front of her, which is why she didn't tell the truth.
Yuan Shui seemed more like an outsider, remaining silent and indifferent, while eating the fruit given to him by Xu Yuehuai, truly exuding a carefree and elegant air.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Nangong Yu stood up and walked to Fu Ziyi's side. "Junior brother, although it may not sound nice, I didn't care about Yuan Shui's safety during the battle, let alone help him. I can't accept your words. Besides, if it weren't for Yuan Shui's timely help, I'm afraid that ferocious spirit beast would have torn a piece of my flesh off."
Nangong Yu defended him so much precisely because he was showing more favoritism towards Yuan Shui at this moment. He simply believed that Fu Ziyi was not usually such an impulsive person and would not do such a reckless thing, so he left some room for maneuver in his words at the beginning, hoping that he would stop there.
The atmosphere became tense after Nangong Yu said those words. Shangguan Xi didn't understand how these people started arguing, or where Fu Ziyi's inexplicable malice towards Yuan Shui came from.
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