Everyone froze.
Zhu Zhongye's brows knotted together. His lips moved, but it was a long while before he let out a sigh.
"What a shame. A real shame."
He shook his head, regret written all over his face.
"The Sun-Day Red Gold Sand was the rarest of the three Earth Treasures, yet it slipped right through your fingers."
"Wang Xiao and Zhou Zelin—one an Inner Gang expert from the Flowing Wind Sect, the other an elder of the Pill Hall. The two of them joined forces to rob someone who'd only just entered Gang Force..."
The more Zhu Zhongye spoke, the angrier he grew. Even his beard bristled.
Li Jingci said solemnly:
"Junior Brother Li, don't take this to heart. One of them has spent years at Early Gang Force, and the other is someone the Flowing Wind Sect has devoted its resources to cultivating."
"How long has it been since you broke through to Gang Force? Coming away from the two of them unscathed was already an extraordinary feat."
Wan Ling nodded in agreement, sympathy in her eyes.
"Junior Brother Li, you can search for another Earth Treasure. What matters is that you're safe."
"Between a Demon Sect protector and Heart-Eating Insects, you were lucky just to make it back alive."
Cheng Xiuge sat in a corner.
He had been sulking because no one had responded to his theory about "coming into his own later."
But at Li Chuan's account, he immediately perked up.
He walked over to Li Chuan and spoke with the air of someone who had been there.
"Junior Brother Li, I understand."
Every gaze swung toward him.
Cheng Xiuge noticed nothing and continued gravely:
"That feeling when something is almost yours, only for someone to barge in and snatch it away—I know it all too