Crackle!
A light breeze blew past, and two sparks bursting from the campfire gave Liu Zijin, who had just lifted the tent flap and stepped out, quite a fright.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Jiang Beiran asked, turning back after setting down the Straw Hats in his hand.
Having already prepared her excuse inside, Liu Zijin replied, "I really couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come out and keep watch with Senior Brother for a while. I can treat it as practice for the future."
The moment Liu Zijin finished speaking, three options popped up before Jiang Beiran's eyes.
[Option One: "Mm, are you hungry? Want a piece of pastry?" Completion Reward: Yangming Divine Curse (Earth Grade Low Rank)] [Option Two: Take out a low stool and have Liu Zijin sit beside him. Completion Reward: Five Spirits Ghost Technique (Mystic Middle Grade)] [Option Three: "Since it's practice, start by learning to get used to loneliness. I happen to have a few things to take care of as well, so I'll have to trouble you." Completion Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1]
Without hesitation, Jiang Beiran chose the third option. He stored the Straw Hats in his Universe Ring, then stood and said to Liu Zijin, "Since it's practice, start by learning to get used to loneliness. I happen to have a few things to take care of as well, so I'll have to trouble you."
[Option mission completed. Reward: Constitution +1]
"Ah...?"
Before Liu Zijin could react, Jiang Beiran had already vanished into the night.
It seemed Senior Brother really did dislike me...
With a sigh, Liu Zijin sat down on the small chair Jiang Beiran had just occupied. Her heart was a jumble of flavors. She felt upset, yet she seemed to like this cold and distant side of Senior Brother a little too.
Before long, the tent flap was lifted again, and the Yu Family Three Sisters poked their heads out one after another to ask.
"Where's Senior Brother?"
"Did he go back to his own tent?"
"Sister Zi Jin, did you get scolded?"
Shaking her head, Liu Zijin turned back and said, "Senior Brother said he happened to have something to take care of, so he told me to keep watch alone."
"I see..." The Three Sisters sighed in disappointment at the same time. "Senior Brother really is mysterious."
Meanwhile, Jiang Beiran had already arrived in a patch of woods. When he had passed by earlier, he had spotted several decent Medicinal Herbs here. He had intended to come back for them, and now happened to have the chance.
Carefully picking a stalk of Pinellia and putting it away, Jiang Beiran could not help sighing inwardly as he rose to search for the next herb.
Back when he took newly inducted Junior Disciples out for training, he usually had to find opportunities every day to leave the group and trigger options. But bringing these five junior sisters along this time spared him that trouble entirely. Just a few sentences could trigger an option, and the rewards started at Earth Rank at the slightest provocation. It could truly be called "peril lurking at every step."
This only strengthened his resolve to stay far away from pretty Junior Sisters. He believed that if this team had included even a few male disciples, he would have already accepted several Yellow Grade, perhaps even Mystic Rank, missions.
An hour later, Liu Zijin, who had coaxed Fang Qiuyue and the others back into their tents, stared at the campfire and yawned. Keeping watch was really not an easy job. It was exhausting and boring.
"If you're sleepy, go back and sleep. I'll watch for the rest of the night."
Seeing Senior Brother suddenly appear before her, Liu Zijin blinked blankly for quite a while before saying, "Senior Brother, you're back? Have you finished what you needed to do?"
"Mm." Jiang Beiran nodded.
"Then I'll have to trouble Senior Brother." As Liu Zijin spoke, she stood and walked to the tent, lifting its flap. But just before entering, she could not help turning back and calling, "Senior Brother."
"Speak." Jiang Beiran answered without turning his head.
"Nothing... nothing. Good night, Senior Brother."
"Mm, good night."
At the third quarter of Chen Hour, Jiang Beiran put out the campfire and woke the Junior Sisters. Youth truly brimmed with vitality. Although all five Junior Sisters had gone to sleep late the night before, they got up at the first call, each of them bright-eyed and full of spirit.
After packing up the tents, the group of six set off once more on the road back to the sect.
Clang! Clang!
"Junior Sister, go first!"
"Hmph! None of you are getting away today!"
Just as they entered a stretch of woods, Jiang Beiran suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from nearby.
Liu Zijin and the others naturally heard it too, but none of them moved. They had encountered such a situation on their way to Gather Wealth Village before, yet Senior Brother had shown no intention of helping and simply gone around it.
Thus, this time they merely looked toward where the sound of fighting had come from.
"Come on, let's take a look."
"Ah!?" The five Junior Sisters all froze, staring at their Senior Brother with disbelief. Yet they found that he had already rushed toward the source of the sound of fighting.
The five exchanged glances. After all lamenting inwardly that the sun had risen in the west, they hurried after him.
The only reason Jiang Beiran had suddenly decided to meddle in such business was that two options had appeared before his eyes when he heard the sound of fighting.
[Option One: Leave immediately. Completion Reward: Three Yuan Miasma (Profound Grade Low Rank)] [Option Two: Follow the sound of fighting and go help. Completion Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1]
The sound of fighting was not far from Jiang Beiran's group. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the scene and saw two groups already locked in battle.
After sweeping the area with his Spiritual power, Jiang Beiran found that the strongest among both groups was only at Qi Refining Third Order. He then said to Liu Zijin and the others, "Go separate them. I'll cover you."
"Yes!"
After answering, Liu Zijin and the other four drew their treasured swords at the same time and charged into the crowd.
"Who are you!?" a brute dressed in gray-white short attire and wearing a blue headscarf roared.
"Liu Zijin of the Returning Heart Sect!"
As she answered, Liu Zijin knocked aside a Gold Thread Great Ringed Saber and stepped in front of an injured girl to protect her.
"This has nothing to do with your Returning Heart Sect, so quit meddling in other people's business!" The brute swept his staff at Liu Zijin as he spoke, only for Fang Qiuyue to casually knock it away with a Fleeting Shadows strike.
Seeing that the newcomers were no weaklings, the brute could only shout first, "Liu Zijin of the Returning Heart Sect, is it? Fine. We've forged this enmity now. Just you wait!" With a sweep of his long staff, he took a step back and called, "Brothers, retreat!"
"Yes." The others answered and withdrew from the battle as well, following the brute deeper into the woods.
Once the brute's group had completely disappeared, a man in green robes among those who had been rescued cupped his hands toward Liu Zijin and said, "I am Gu Qingyue of the Azure Cloud Sect. Thank you, Miss Liu, for lending us aid in our hour of peril. We will remember this kindness in the depths of our hearts."
The others then put away their weapons and cupped their hands toward Liu Zijin in thanks as well.
Just as Liu Zijin was about to return the gesture, she suddenly heard a clang ring out behind her. Startled, she quickly turned around.
"This is called a Backhand Dart. When you drive an enemy back in the future, keep an extra eye open. They may not have truly left." After saying this, Jiang Beiran lowered his sword, bent down, and picked up a Four-Edged Dart that was pointed at both ends and bulged in the middle, handing it to Liu Zijin. "It's a Nail Dart. Keep it as a memento."
PS: Stop scolding, stop scolding. Keep scolding and you'll make me stupid.
I've been working hard to update. There are simply too many things to consider... I can only put out one chapter after revising and deleting things all night. After all, the chapter comments are really strict now. (scared.jpg)
Before you continue