Xu Yuehuai's eyes were deep as he pondered Shi Zhiyu's true intentions. She had no objection to the group traveling together, as it would not harm her. But what benefit would it bring to Shi Zhiyu?
She didn't even need to ask the question herself. Yu Erxian, who was standing to the side, said, "Senior Brother! I disagree. Why should we bring her along? Master sent you here to protect us. With one more person, we'll become a bigger target. Besides, she'll have to share our rations. That means we won't be able to get through the Ghost Realm properly!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Zhiyu glanced at her and said, "She's eating my food. If you don't agree, I can naturally leave the group with her."
Yu Er was speechless for a moment, not expecting Shi Zhiyu to treat them this way.
The three of them were the most capable young people in their sect. Their destination was Qingcheng, where they were going to participate in the academy selection competition. That academy was the most powerful in Qingcheng and the most powerful in the entire third level. If someone from their sect could join, they would never have to worry about not having children to enter the sect for enlightenment in the future.
As for Shi Zhiyu, the three of them didn't know him well. When their master brought him back, he was very quiet and never cultivated with them. They rarely saw him on ordinary days.
He joined the sect later than Jin Nan, but the master made them call him the senior brother, which made several of them unhappy. They even quarreled about it for a while.
Later, during a training expedition, the group was in grave danger, facing an attack from a ferocious beast and nearly dying. It was Shi Zhiyu who saved them. After this incident, the group gained a basic understanding of Shi Zhiyu's strength, and no one questioned his title of "Senior Brother" anymore.
Instead, they began to wonder why someone stronger than their master would stay in such a small sect.
This trip will surely be dangerous. The master was worried about his young apprentices, so he asked Shi Zhiyu to come along. Only Jin Nan knew about this, but he didn't tell the group.
That's why Ding He and Yu Er were so excited when they saw Shi Zhiyu.
Yu Er was even more surprised that Xu Yuehuai and Shi Zhiyu had only known each other for less than a day, yet their relationship was already so good, which made her very jealous.
When she first saw how capable Shi Zhiyu was, she tried her best to build a good relationship with him. After several months of trying to win him over, Shi Zhiyu finally showed her a little kindness.
“Senior brother, Yu Er didn’t mean that. She…” Jin Nan paused, “What is this young lady’s name?”
"Xu Yuehuai".
"It's just a little misunderstanding between her and Miss Xu. Senior brother, you said Miss Xu ate your food, so naturally we have no objection." Jin Nan once again stepped in to smooth things over for his junior brother and sister.
He has done this kind of thing many times over the years.
Shi Zhiyu simply nodded and said nothing.
After walking for a while, the group saw houses ahead, row upon row. If it weren't for the fact that the houses inside looked much darker and more eerie than the outside, the village would have been no different from the houses outside.
"The Ghost Market is just ahead. You can buy things and find lodging there," Shi Zhiyu explained to Xu Yuehuai, bowing slightly.
Xu Yuehuai was puzzled, "But when we came in, didn't they say there was nothing to eat in this ghost market and that it was very dangerous?"
The "they" that Xu Yuehuai was referring to were clearly Jin Nan and his group.
Ding He was worried that Xu Yuehuai would think they were lying, so he stepped forward to explain: "It's like this, there are indeed things for sale here, but the sellers are very capricious. For us outsiders, it's all about liking them. If we don't like each other, they won't sell you anything you offer."
"And...the things here are a little strange..." Ding He's expression was indescribable.
Xu Yuehuai didn't quite understand, but Shi Zhiyu, who was next to her, said, "He's right. You'll find out what's so strange about it in a moment."
As the group entered the street, it became noticeably more lively.
Xu Yuehuai looked around and finally understood what they meant by "strange".
Most of the food sold at the stalls consisted of things like insects and grasshoppers.
Xu Yuehuai seemed to accept these things quite well, her expression remaining calm.
The group found an inn and decided to stay there. It was getting dark, and traveling in the Ghost Realm at night was a dangerous and reckless act.
After dark, in the ghostly forest area, a lot of resentment and ghostly energy will emerge and devour people. If you are not careful, you will be eaten and die without a burial place.
Xu Yuehuai had no objection to their arrangements.
As for the portion of spiritual energy she was supposed to pay, Shi Zhiyu didn't stand on ceremony and paid it for her directly.
Back in her inn room, Xu Yuehuai finally came to her senses and observed the atmosphere of the room and its surroundings. There was no spiritual energy at all, and the air was stuffy.
Xu Yuehuai had only been sitting down for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door. She walked to the door and looked through the crack. She saw that it was Shi Zhiyu and opened the door without hesitation.
"Shall we have dinner together tonight?" Shi Zhiyu asked, holding a lunchbox in his hand.
Xu Yuehuai stepped aside to let him in, "Where did you buy it?"
Before even opening the package, Xu Yuehuai could already smell the aroma of the food. She hadn't smelled this aroma for many days, and suddenly, even though she wasn't hungry, her stomach started to protest.
“I have a spatial ring. The food will look exactly the same when I take it out as it did when I put it in,” Shi Zhiyu said.
Xu Yuehuai paused in her eating, suddenly remembering something, "Have we known each other before?"
Xu Yuehuai felt that she couldn't mistake the familiar aura emanating from him. She was always very wary of strangers, but it was Shi Zhiyu who found herself involuntarily following him when she got close to him.
"Who knows? Maybe we really did know each other in a past life." Shi Zhiyu did not directly answer the question.
Shi Zhiyu was very handsome, even comparable to Qi Guze.
Therefore, she felt that if she had really seen someone so good-looking, it was impossible for her to have no impression of them at all.
After finishing the meal, Shi Zhiyu diligently cleared away the dishes and chopsticks. "Go to bed early after you've finished eating. You'll be walking a long way tomorrow and it will be tiring."
After saying that, he left, and thoughtfully closed the door for Xu Yuehuai when he left the room.
When Yu Er went to find Jin Nan, she happened to see this scene and wanted to know what the two of them had been doing.
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