While Su Luo was still pondering her next countermeasure, the other two were having none of it.
They had been thoroughly bewildered when dragged away, and once they finally collected their wits and heard Su Luo's words, they expected her to explain herself. Instead, Su Luo had pulled them along for so long without saying a word.
Now Wan Lingyue refused to walk another step, abruptly tossing aside Su Luo's hand and knitting her delicate brows together.
"Junior Sister Su, what on earth is your purpose in dragging the two of us away?"
Yu Linlang also yanked her hand back in tandem, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Su Luo with an utterly hostile expression.
Only then did Su Luo snap out of her reverie, offering a dry smile. "I'm looking for the two Senior Sisters with some good news, of course."
Yu Linlang looked thoroughly unconvinced. "Good news? We've never been close to you. Whatever good news there is, it should never fall to our turn."
Wan Lingyue nodded, taking the opportunity to step up beside Yu Linlang as the two of them stared coldly and defensively at Su Luo.
Su Luo sighed.
She understood why the two of them held zero trust in her.
The sect Su Luo belonged to was called Tianyiji Sect, one of the foremost factions among the Four Great Sects. What Tianyiji Sect relied on most was a Nascent Soul (late) ancestor, a rarity in this world. Even though this ancestor had been in closed-door cultivation for a century without showing their face, the sect still had four elders and the sect leader holding down the fort. Among them, Second Elder Qingyazi was a talent of legendary caliber on the verge of claiming the Nascent Soul realm. In the Cultivation World where strength reigned supreme, these figures gave Tianyiji Sect a vaguely preeminent standing among the Four Great Sects.
In truth, the internal harmony within Tianyiji Sect left much to be desired.
Second Elder Qingyazi had risen to fame at a young age, boasting terrifying cultivation and an overshadowing brilliance that directly eclipsed the First Elder of Law Enforcement. Everyone in Tianyiji Sect implicitly looked to him as their head, so the relationship between the two elders could hardly be called amicable, and naturally, the relations among their respective disciples were far from stellar.
As it happened, Su Luo's master was Second Elder Qingyazi, while Wan and Yu's master was the First Elder, making it only natural that these two did not trust her.
Su Luo gazed at the two heavily guarded women before her, drew a deep breath, and forced a smile, trying her utmost to look entirely innocent and harmless.
No matter what, she would play the friendship card first and see how it went.
"Senior Sisters, aren't you being a bit too distant with your words? We're fellow disciples after all, and the bond of growing up together is still there. When there's good news, of course we should share it together."
Yu Linlang: "Heh."
Wan Lingyue: "..."
The two of them clearly didn't buy it, wearing expressions that practically shouted, *Do you take me for an idiot?*
Su Luo's smile stiffened.
Fine, the friendship card was useless; she might as well lay her cards on the table.
Su Luo coughed, instantly dropping the smile, turned to glance around her surroundings, and then leaned in closer, lowering her voice slightly.
"I heard the two Senior Sisters are looking for top-tier materials for forging Spirit Tools. I know where to find a solitary Gold-Eating Ant, so I wanted to ask the two Senior Sisters for help."
"A Gold-Eating Ant?!"
At those words, Yu Linlang instantly lost her composure, her voice pitching up considerably.
Wan Lingyue also widened her eyes slightly in excitement.
A Gold-Eating Ant, as the name suggested, fed on metals, possessing immensely powerful destructive and devouring capabilities. It was a precious material for refining Spirit Tools. Yet this kind of Spirit Beast usually appeared in packs; with their massive numbers and extreme coordination, they were practically impossible to hunt easily.
If there really was a solitary Gold-Eating Ant, that would simply be wonderful!
Only...
Yu Linlang regained her composure. "Is this news true? Are you really willing to take us to find it?"
Su Luo nodded.
Wan Lingyue maintained a measure of caution, narrowing her eyes as she sized up Su Luo. "Since there's such a great stroke of luck, why didn't you keep it for yourself?"
Su Luo offered a bitter smile and spread her hands. "Senior Sisters can probably tell my cultivation level, right? I'm only at Foundation Establishment (early)—how could I possibly fight a Tier-2 upper-grade Spirit Beast like a Gold-Eating Ant?"
The two of them finally registered this fact.
Yu Linlang nodded. "That's true."
Yet Wan Lingyue was not immediately convinced, continuing her interrogation: "Then why didn't you ask your fellow sect brothers and sisters for help just now, instead of coming to us two strangers?"
"Senior Sisters saw it just now, too. It was clearly me who found the Spirit-Boosting Grass first, but just because Junior Sister Ning needed it, my senior and junior brothers completely disregarded me and forced me to hand the Spirit-Boosting Grass over to her. It left my heart utterly chilled..."
As she spoke, Su Luo lowered her head with a sorrowful tone and smiled bitterly.
"Though my talent isn't high and I'm not outstanding, no matter what, I grew up right alongside them, and I truly believed I treated them with sincerity. But what about them? They look down on me, and their eyes and hearts only have room for Junior Sister Ning. If I were to reveal the news about the Gold-Eating Ant, not only would those people fail to appreciate my kindness, they'd blame me for not speaking up sooner, and they wouldn't lift a finger to save me if I ran into danger. Under circumstances like that, how could I possibly ask them for help?"
Su Luo said all this quite deliberately.
She knew all too well how obnoxious the original owner had been, but by presenting the original owner's plight with three parts falsehood and seven parts truth, and laying on a bit of self-pity, these two should believe her.
Su Luo guessed correctly.
Once Wan and Yu heard this, they fell silent for a moment, the way they looked at Su Luo inevitably tinged with a trace of sympathy.
They knew a thing or two about Su Luo's situation anyway.
Everyone knew the only reason Su Luo had managed to become a disciple under the Second Elder was due to a debt of gratitude from her mortal family. It was because the Second Elder had been injured in his early years and stranded in a remote village, where he was rescued by Su Luo's parents. To repay that debt and close the causal loop, the Second Elder had taken her on as a disciple and brought her back to Tianyiji Sect.
Yet Su Luo's innate talent was truly unimpressive. Being a disciple under the brilliantly talented Second Elder already made people green with envy, and after all these years, she remained the weakest in cultivation among the three disciples, which only stoked discontent and contempt among many outer sect disciples.
The Second Elder cared nothing at all for this tagalong disciple; after bringing her back, he left her largely to her own devices. Furthermore, her fellow apprentices Ye Danqing and Qin Xiu looked down on Su Luo, rarely interacting with her and maintaining an indifferent relationship.
There was truly no one in the world who cared about Su Luo.
Though people looked down on her, they didn't dare to openly bully her outright; instead, there was no shortage of pointing fingers behind her back, accompanied by occasional bouts of sour sarcasm from those who refused to accept her presence.
Meanwhile, Ning Wanshuang was the sole disciple of the Third Elder—brilliantly talented with an peerless aura, adored by everyone. Compared to Su Luo, it was quite literally heaven and earth.
However...
Sympathetic to Su Luo though they were, that was ultimately a matter within the Second Elder's faction, and they had no desire to meddle. Now that Su Luo's explanation was airtight, and coupled with her claim of knowing how to locate a Gold-Eating Ant, such an opportunity was not one to be passed up.
And so, Yu Linlang glanced at Wan Lingyue. The two exchanged looks and nodded at each other.
Wan Lingyue cleared her throat. "Ahem... Very well, Junior Sister Su, we understand your grievances. Don't dwell on it anymore."
Yu Linlang chimed in with a nod. "If you can genuinely lead us to a Gold-Eating Ant, we can cooperate and capture it together."
At these words, the corners of Su Luo's mouth curved upward in an unseen corner.
Then she raised her head, revealing a "resilient" smile. "Alright, many thanks to both Senior Sisters. If we really manage to catch the Gold-Eating Ant, the two Senior Sisters should take whatever you need first, and just leave the rest for me."
No matter how badly Yu Linlang wanted weapon-forging materials, she wouldn't act so overbearing, so she shook her head.
"The three of us will just split it evenly."
Wan Lingyue nodded as well. "Right, an even split will do."
Su Luo didn't press the matter further. "Alright."
With the terms agreed upon, the three of them immediately found an open patch of ground to sit down and began discussing how to hunt the Gold-Eating Ant.
Once the plan was set, Wan Lingyue produced a compass and began studying it, while Yu Linlang lowered her head, busily polishing her weapon.
Taking advantage of the other two preparing for battle, Su Luo pulled out sheets of Talisman paper from her Storage Bag and quickly sketched a few talismans.
She drew them so rapidly that the other two didn't notice a thing.
Unbeknownst to them, a yellow Cloud-Winged Bird was standing on a tree not far away.
This Cloud-Winged Bird was minuscule, roughly the size of a child's palm, and hidden deep among the dense foliage. Making not a single sound, it easily escaped detection.
The Cloud-Winged Bird stared at the three figures not far off for a long moment, before its head swiveled with an eerily spiritual motion, and its eyes flashed with a bizarre red light...
Preparation complete, Su Luo led the two women walking at random in a certain direction, all three of them gripping treasures in their hands, standing on high alert.
In truth, Su Luo had no idea which direction the Gold-Eating Ant would emerge from, but she knew the original owner's death trap was bound to manifest; even if she simply wandered aimlessly, that Gold-Eating Ant would unquestionably appear.
Sure enough, they hadn't walked long before the bushes behind them rustled with a *rustle, rustle, rustle*, accompanied by the distinctive sound of the Gold-Eating Ant.
Yu Linlang and Wan Lingyue started, whirling around instantly. "It's here!"
Su Luo turned as well, holding her sword in her right hand while concealing an Explosion Talisman beneath her left sleeve, ready for battle.
The next moment, the brush was flattened by a heavy mass, and a giant ant glowing with a metallic sheen charged out, shrieking.
And the direction it charged was precisely toward Su Luo!
Su Luo's pupils constricted.
It really was coming straight for her! Damn this Heavenly Dao!
Wan Lingyue shouted immediately, "Execute the plan! I'll set up the array and maintain it! Linlang, go deal with it, and Junior Sister Su will provide backup support for Linlang!"
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
With those words, Wan Lingyue swiftly whipped out an archaic compass, chanting incantations under her breath. The compass immediately erupted with light, expanding outward centered on the three of them to form a large defensive array.
Meanwhile, Yu Linlang's eyes narrowed as she lashed her whip forward and surged ahead. The next second, she locked in fierce combat with the Gold-Eating Ant, her crimson whip lashing against the creature's body time and time again.
The shell of the Gold-Eating Ant was exceedingly sturdy; every strike of the whip against its body produced a sharp *sizzle*.
Grabbing every opportunity, Su Luo brandished her sword to strike at the ant's eyes and the soft underbelly.
With one of its eyes pierced blind, the Gold-Eating Ant roared up to the heavens in agony, flailing its antennae wildly as fury surged in its heart.
This woman played dirty! She actually launched a sneak attack!