Gu Tiantian felt like crying, but no tears would come. What had happened while she was unconscious? How had everyone’s attitude shifted so drastically in such a short time?
"You... you all, why are you bullying me? Waaah!" Gu Tiantian burst into tears, looking utterly aggrieved.
Only "Puppy Dog No. 2" hurried forward with a handkerchief to wipe her face.
"Eldest Senior Brother, is there really no way to stop? I have an urgent matter, I really do," Gu Tiantian continued, trying to sway Fei Qingsu’s decision.
"There is no way, Junior Sister. Are you trying to gamble with the lives of the entire team?" Fei Qingsu’s voice was icy.
"Exactly. We need to leave this secret realm safely. If you really have an urgent matter, Junior Sister, why not go on your own? Eldest Senior Brother could just drop you off," chimed in one of the previously eager sycophants. His gaze was now cold, and he even offered this terrible suggestion.
Gu Tiantian naturally didn't want that. The spirit beasts in this secret realm were incredibly powerful, and with her current strength, she could never survive alone in this vast, dangerous wilderness.
But her mind was filled with an urgent need to find Feng Hanye. The thought was so intense it felt like her brain was about to explode.
*Must find Feng Hanye.*
*Must find Feng Hanye.*
*Must find Feng Hanye.*
"Junior Sister, have you ever lied to us?" one of the sycophants standing further away asked, looking at her with a desperate need for a final answer.
Gu Tiantian was panicked, so she instinctively refuted anything that put her at a disadvantage: "I have never lied."
This answer made the gazes of the other sycophants turn cold once more.
"I’m sorry, what did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this?" Gu Tiantian countered.
"You deceived our feelings."
"What exactly is your attitude toward us?"
"I didn't deceive your feelings! I think of you all as equals. You’ve all been very good to me, and I like you all," Gu Tiantian said. The thought in her brain felt like it was about to detonate; she was desperate to stabilize this group of followers. She still needed them to protect her from the dangers of the secret realm.
However, Gu Tiantian’s answer sat in their hearts like a lump of excrement—difficult to swallow and nauseatingly foul.
"Eldest Senior Brother, please, I beg you, stop the airship. I really have an urgent matter."
Fei Qingsu asked, "What kind of urgent matter?"
Gu Tiantian’s mind raced, but unable to find a suitable excuse, she could only stammer, "Um... it’s... uh..."
"Junior Sister, I’ll go with you," Puppy Dog No. 2 said, unable to watch any longer. He chose to stand firmly by her side.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yan. You’re so kind."
"Eldest Senior Brother, can you come with us?"
Fei Qingsu replied, "Junior Sister, if something is wrong with your brain, you should go see the sect’s physician."
The other, clear-headed sycophants saw Gu Tiantian for who she was and began to pile on: "Are you kidding me, Gu Tiantian? You’re brainless and weak."
"Eldest Senior Brother, don't pay any attention to this ignorant, foolish woman."
Another added with a sarcastic sneer, "You’re a real fraud, Gu Tiantian. Go on then, and make sure you come back safely, if you can."
Gu Tiantian clenched her fists, ready to defend herself, but the thought in her mind drove her to leave immediately.
"Junior Sister, let's go. Don't listen to these people. I will stay by your side," Yan Hao said tenderly.
"Okay."
As the two were about to leave the airship, a voice called out to them.
"Wait, don’t leave yet."
Gu Tiantian recognized the voice. Had he changed his mind?
"Yes, don't leave yet," two of the sycophants looked at each other and smiled.
"Right."
Gu Tiantian felt a small sense of triumph. They still loved her after all; they were just throwing a tantrum, and a little coaxing would fix it.
"Senior Brother, I—"
"Junior Sister, return the defensive magic artifact I gave you."
"Give me back the [item] I gave you."
"Return the [item] to me."
"Return the [item]..." One sycophant had given the most, and the others looked at him with admiration. *Brother, you’ve got guts.*
Hearing this, Gu Tiantian was so angry she nearly vomited blood.
"How can you be so petty? Who asks for gifts back once they’ve been given?" Yan Hao challenged them.
"Fine, then you pay him back for her. If you can’t buy the original, pay me in spirit stones," one sycophant retorted.
Yan Hao was speechless. He couldn’t afford that many spirit stones.
"Senior Brother Yan, I’ll just give them back. Don’t make things difficult for yourself. Thank you, you’ve already helped me with so much."
Fei Qingsu added, "Junior Sister, returning what belongs to others is only right."
The aggressive sycophant chimed in, "The Eldest Senior Brother is right. You’ve got some nerve acting like we owe you something. How disgusting, you’re truly pathetic."
A few minutes later, the two left the airship. Fei Qingsu watched them go, his fingertips twitching slightly as an almost invisible white ball of light followed them into the distance.
"Junior Brother, what are you doing?" Fei Qingsu asked, seeing one of the sycophants sitting there, pen in hand, writing furiously.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I am going to expose Gu Tiantian’s deceitful face. There are still many senior brothers and sisters who have a good impression of her. As a fellow student, it is my duty to let them know what kind of person she is. I cannot let them be deceived by this lying woman."
*Excellent,* thought Fei Qingsu. *This lad has a bright future.*
On the other side, the white ball of light trailed Gu Tiantian closely. Yan Hao held her tightly, terrified that she might come to harm.
"Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. I’m here."
Just then, a ferocious spirit beast charged out. It was massive, and every movement caused the rocks to crumble. Yan Hao fought the beast, struggling to shield Gu Tiantian while facing a creature of equal power. Within moments, Yan Hao was covered in wounds.
Gu Tiantian looked at their position; they were still a long way from the person she was looking for. She couldn't abandon Yan Hao yet. She hid behind a boulder, curling her body as the ground shook violently.
Yan Hao managed to finish off the beast with great difficulty.
"Ah!" A bright green spirit snake suddenly crawled onto Gu Tiantian’s body. Its tongue flickered, touching her cheek.
"Junior Sister!"
Hearing her scream, Yan Hao rushed over and swung his sword at the snake on her shoulder, but the creature was lightning-fast. It leaped and bit him hard on the wrist. The poison spread instantly, and Yan Hao’s hand stiffened.
"Senior Brother, what should I do?" Gu Tiantian dared not approach him.
Seeing the poison spreading, Yan Hao gritted his teeth, pushed himself forward, and chopped off his own left hand.
"Junior Sister, don't be afraid. Let’s keep moving."
Fei Qingsu watched everything through the white ball of light. *You drank my water; how could you only encounter such minor dangers?* The combination of Mountain Spirit Elegant Water and Wugui Grass was devastatingly potent.
Yan Hao shielded Gu Tiantian as they struggled forward. Countless spirit beasts attacked them along the way. In just ten minutes, Yan Hao’s body was riddled with bloody holes.
Yet, they were still some distance from the person Gu Tiantian was looking for.
"Senior Brother, why are so many spirit beasts attacking us? Did you encounter something?" Gu Tiantian had only minor scratches; she was well-protected by Yan Hao.
Yan Hao was shaking, his body swaying, but Gu Tiantian’s words weren't comfort—they were suspicion. She suspected that Yan Hao had become tainted by something ominous, never once reflecting on her own role in their plight.
"Nothing..." Yan Hao replied, forcing himself to keep going.
"Senior Brother, can you go any faster?" Gu Tiantian urged.
Yan Hao tried to speed up, but his wounds burst open, and blood splattered onto Gu Tiantian.
"Ugh." A trace of disgust flickered in her eyes. *So dirty.*
The next second, a strange, deformed insect flew right in front of her. She waved her hand to swat it away, but the insect landed on Yan Hao’s neck.
"Junior Sister... it stung me."
As Yan Hao spoke, a small red dot on his neck began to expand, swelling into an unsightly mass, and a thick, putrid odor began to waft from it.
"This is... a Rhino-Five Beetle. The victim can recover if someone sucks the pus from the wound. Junior Sister, can you help me?"
Green pus covered the area, and the stench was overwhelming.
Gu Tiantian frowned. "Senior Brother, I’m afraid."