Small Team

Uncle Ding flicked his sleeve, and the group of youths was enveloped in colorful specks of light, lifting them up into the sky. For the first time, Cheng Buzheng felt an experience that the technological world could never have provided him.

Once the youths boarded the White Jade Boat, Cheng Buzheng hurried to the edge of the vessel. His actions immediately prompted the other youths to follow suit.

Before long, a row of little heads appeared along the edge of the White Jade Boat as it hovered in the air.

Uncle Ding lightly stomped on the stone floor and soared into the air like a Roc Spreading Wings, shooting toward the boat. The eight senior disciples followed, some utilizing Sword Flight, some Saber Flight, and others even using Ring Flight. It was a diverse display.

This scene left the youths filled with profound wonder.

Uncle Ding, dressed in a black robe, surveyed the group before walking to the bow of the boat and sitting cross-legged. The eight senior disciples followed suit, sitting behind him and closing their eyes to rest.

At this moment, the White Jade Boat, suspended in mid-air, shot off like an arrow released from a bow, flying away from the County Square. Simultaneously, an invisible film enveloped the boat, ensuring that the youths leaning against the edge felt not a single trace of cold wind or turbulence.

After a brief period of trepidation, the youths quickly grew accustomed to their surroundings and began whispering to one another. After all, with the Uncle and the senior disciples present, they dared not be too boisterous.

Cheng Buzheng noticed that, unless necessary, neither the Uncle nor the senior disciples spoke a word; they all sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation.

Is this because the senior disciples dare not act out of turn while the Uncle is present, or is it something else?

Cheng Buzheng glanced at the other youths again. Although they were still whispering quietly and their volume hadn't increased, the frequency of their conversations had risen significantly.

He did not join in the chatter with the other youths. Instead, he turned back to lean against the edge of the boat, quietly watching the scenery outside.

He gazed at the mountains and rivers on the ground below; the Jade Boat flew past them at high speed, and they vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of a month, batch after batch of youths boarded the White Jade Boat.

By now, there were eighty or ninety people on the boat. The smallest batch had only two or three people, while the largest, their own initial group, consisted of seventeen.

As the number of youths on the boat increased, they silently formed small cliques. Cheng Buzheng found it most interesting that youths from the same boarding batch were the most likely to form groups together.

At this moment, only a few people remained solitary. The youths from his own batch, who should have been the largest group, had split into three smaller cliques because they had their own familiar acquaintances.

The number of cliques on the White Jade Boat increased rapidly, and the smaller groups immediately prioritized recruiting those from their own batch who had not yet joined a team.

Because Cheng Buzheng kept to himself, he had not joined any group up to this point.

Having not joined a team, Cheng Buzheng immediately drew the attention of the three cliques formed by his fellow townsmen.

Before long, a thin youth walked over and smiled.

"My name is Nan Ye. You can call me Brother Ye. We are all fellow townsmen from Ping'an County. I've formed a team, and there are four of us now, including myself. In the future, we can help each other within the sect. If you go at it alone, there are bound to be things you can't handle on your own."

"What do you think?"

Cheng Buzheng took a look at the youth before him. This person's aptitude was the same as his own—Three Spiritual Roots.

He pondered for a moment, then muttered, "My name is Cheng Buzheng. You can just call me Buzheng. But I want to make one thing clear beforehand: regardless of what kind of group activity it is, members cannot be forced to participate."

"As long as you agree to this condition, I will join your team."

Nan Ye was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "That goes without saying. I formed this team so we could look out for one another. There are no mandatory requirements, and you are free to leave at any time!"

"Come on. Let's head over there; our teammates are waiting," he said, pointing toward a corner.

Following the direction of his finger, Cheng Buzheng took a look.

There were three people in that corner. One of them was somewhat familiar; he was the only other youth besides himself who hadn't said goodbye to his family at the plaza. At the time, Cheng Buzheng had wondered whether this person was simply cautious or if he truly had no family nearby.

The other two, a man and a woman, were people he had never spoken to—merely familiar strangers. He realized that he was the youngest in the group.

While Cheng Buzheng was sizing up his teammates, they had been quietly observing him ever since they decided to invite him to join.

In the blink of an eye.

Cheng Buzheng and Nan Ye arrived at the corner where the team was stationed.

Nan Ye said with a smile:

"This is little brother Buzheng. From now on, he is a member of our team! Why don't you all introduce yourselves to him?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

A petite girl with delicate features, looking to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, looked at Cheng Buzheng with a grin and spoke:

"My name is Wang Min. You can just call me sister Xiaomin from now on. If you run into any trouble in the future, little brother Buzheng, just come to me!"

Cheng Buzheng looked at the lively girl and nodded with a smile.

At this moment, a rather sturdy-looking youth with a simple and honest face scratched the back of his head and said in a thick, guileless voice:

"My name is Xu Shi, but everyone calls me Stone. I'm very good at roasting meat; you all should try it sometime when you have the chance."

Wang Min looked at Xu Shi with surprise and said:

"Brother Xu, are you really good at roasting meat? Teach me next time, would you? I've wanted to learn for a long time, but no one has ever taught me!"

Xu Shi smiled sheepishly:

"Sure, I'll teach you when you have time!"

"What's so good about roasted meat, Xiaomin? Just tell me whatever you want to eat!"

A rather handsome-looking youth, also appearing to be about fifteen or sixteen, glanced at Xu Shi with clear disdain.

"Gao Li, how can you say that! Brother Xu was only being kind."

Wang Min said with some indignation.

Xu Shi, who looked honest and simple, waved his hand and said:

"It's fine. Everyone, stop being angry!"

Seeing this, Nan Ye quickly advised:

"Alright. Stop arguing, Cheng Buzheng is still watching! Let me explain how our team should stick together for mutual support from now on!"

Immediately, the eyes of the team members fell on Nan Ye; they also wanted to know exactly how to go about it.

Seeing this, Nan Ye continued:

"Everyone has just joined the Immortal Sect. From now on, you are all my brothers and sisters. We are sticking together for mutual support so that we can all cultivate better in the future. Whether it is trading items or exchanging information, we should prioritize doing it within our team first!

Because we are all our own people, this not only makes things convenient for everyone but also prevents unexpected incidents.

What do you all think of this?"

Upon hearing this.

Cheng Buzheng couldn't help but think more highly of Nan Ye. At a moment when they knew nothing, he had come up with a method conducive to team unity. Although the method was crude and many details were not perfected, it was enough to show that he was a decent leader.

Seeing that no one had any objections, they began to discuss the specific details. The other two did not have any better suggestions.

In the end, Nan Ye and Gao Li perfected the method together. Both of them came from merchant families and had been trained in such matters since childhood.

Cheng Buzheng, meanwhile, remained low-key throughout. If it weren't for the fear of having no source of information within the sect, he wouldn't have even joined the team.

After all, they were currently completely in the dark, so it was good to make some preparations.

Seeing this, Cheng Buzheng, Wang Min, and Xu Shi quietly gathered together, chatting about strange anecdotes from the county and waiting for the two of them to finalize the plan.

PS: Setting out my bowl, asking for the polite three (please add to library, please recommend, please vote).