Dong Gua walked back from the distance with a grave expression, while Cui Hao behind her wore a bright, cheerful smile.
Ban Xi Gua leaned against a small tree, glancing sideways as the two approached through the scattered moonlight.
Dong Gua and Cui Hao walked one after the other without exchanging a word.
Upon reaching the camp, they parted ways.
Cui Hao headed toward Lin Luoyu, while Dong Gua walked toward Xi Gua.
Ban Xi Gua pursed his lips slightly, watching Dong Gua approach.
Only when she was close did he softly transmit his voice in inquiry:
"You just now… really went to sacrifice yourself?"
Dong Gua's eyes narrowed. She didn't hesitate to punch Xi Gua square on the head, while also roaring through voice transmission:
"Sacrifice my Ban Xi Gua! Why didn't they chop you in half instead?"
Ban Xi Gua's head took a punch that wasn't light.
It nearly drove his head into the tree.
Fortunately, Dong Gua seemed to have held back some strength, perhaps because he was an injured man.
Xi Gua gently shook his head. "Seeing your serious expression, I was just making a joke. Why so serious?"
"Is it funny?" Dong Gua's eyes narrowed.
Xi Gua tilted his head slightly and transmitted his voice: "Uh… if Yu Mi were still here, he'd probably laugh."
Dong Gua froze at the words.
In the end, she suppressed the urge to throw another punch and took a breath before transmitting:
"That Cui Hao probably isn't a true fool. Somehow he learned about my conversation with Lin Luoyu. He's very interested in what we have and plans to turn her senior sister against us to swallow this profit."
"I think that kid's appearance seems genuine enough. The situation is extremely unfavorable for us now. If we're delayed much longer, before anyone else discovers us, we'll likely be silently eliminated."
Xi Gua nodded in understanding upon hearing this.
Dong Gua waited for a long while but didn't hear Xi Gua ask for details.
She looked confused and transmitted: "Why don't you ask about the details and what we do next?"
Xi Gua couldn't shrug with both hands, so he chose to spread his face and replied:
"What I want to say, you may not want to hear."
Dong Gua heard these familiar words and nearly couldn't resist punching Xi Gua on the head again.
How was it that Cui Hao disgusted her, and now Xi Gua intended to do the same?
Having just suffered a loss, Dong Gua stared dangerously at Xi Gua for a moment.
But Ban Xi Gua was ultimately on her side after all.
She once again suppressed her irritation: "Using the humans' proverb, we're all grasshoppers on the same boat. Whether you want to hear it or not, it's better than messing things up."
Hearing the response, Xi Gua's expression turned serious. "Then I'll be direct. Although I have no direct evidence, I truly feel you can't outplay that Cui Hao. He's not truly foolish, which means he's truly cunning."
"I think rather than competing in scheming against someone of unknown depth, we should make other plans."
"If you ask me, you might as well give Cui Hao one, then we leave the team, distance ourselves from this mess."
"That Lin Luoyu has noble righteousness. She won't really sell us out when we have nothing left. My injuries have stopped worsening these past few days, and I can finally mobilize my origin energy."
"You continue following the plan ahead. I'll try to sneak back into Qulin. First, to draw fire away for you. Second, to confirm whether any of our people survived in Qulin."
Dong Gua's expression was calm, her gaze fixed on Ban Xi Gua's sincere face.
Ban Xi Gua's strategy was for him to go die.
What did he mean by sneaking back into Qulin City?
That was clearly offering his head for the taking.
Dong Gua thought about it.
The plan was indeed somewhat tempting.
If only Xi Gua died, but she could survive…
Dong Gua glanced at Cui Hao sitting below Lin Luoyu.
From the start, Cui Hao's gaze had been fixed on her direction.
Now seeing her look, Cui Hao smiled and even waved at her.
She transmitted back: "Just a mere Cui Hao. Even if he's pretending to be foolish, he can't be that clever. He looks relatively young and is only at Foundation Establishment. His age can't be that great."
"I've done more than he's read. He's just someone who relies on his good background to bully others."
The situation hadn't reached a crisis point yet.
At least Dong Gua truly didn't believe she could be controlled by Cui Hao.
Although Xi Gua was only half left, he still had his heart. He was also the final trump card.
If it wasn't a truly critical moment, Dong Gua didn't want to waste Ban Xi Gua like this.
Ban Xi Gua fell silent at her words.
He looked at Dong Gua's profile and gently sighed before transmitting his question:
"What's Cui Hao's plan?"
Dong Gua turned back. "Cui Hao's father once risked his life to save Lin Luoyu but ultimately couldn't be saved. Since then, Lin Luoyu has felt indebted to Cui Hao in her heart."
"So as long as there's no principled issue, Lin Luoyu will accommodate Cui Hao as much as possible."
"Originally, Cui Hao at Foundation Establishment couldn't participate in this mission. He approached Lin Luoyu, saying he wanted to earn some credit."
"Lin Luoyu then rejected the sect's assigned fellow disciple and specifically chose Cui Hao."
"Because Cui Hao's father once held great prestige within the sect, they ultimately agreed to this arrangement despite knowing Cui Hao was just trying to coast."
"Cui Hao plans to use Lin Luoyu's sense of debt toward him to achieve his goals."
Ban Xi Gua listened and fell silent.
He tilted his head and transmitted: "How does this sound like random nonsense? He didn't specify the exact plan? Does he look sincere to you?"
Dong Gua glanced sideways at Ban Xi Gua, then looked at Cui Hao nearby.
"He didn't say. Look at that punchable smile of his. Does he look sincere to you?"
Ban Xi Gua was silent for a moment. "Let's just proceed as he says for now. We won't act until the final dust settles."
"Lin Luoyu is full of noble qi. As long as we don't make a move, we can find an excuse to push the relationship clean at the end. She won't attack us."
"As for Cui Hao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator can't pose any threat to us."
Dong Gua finally felt her mind calm somewhat after hearing Xi Gua begin to analyze the situation instead of completely giving up.
She feared incompetent teammates, but even more she feared teammates who gave up.
Ban Xi Gua's previous state had seemed quite like giving up, making Dong Gua constantly wonder if this person was acting.
He'd only lost half his body. How could he just not want to live anymore?
Dong Gua transmitted: "Time is urgent. I've already arranged with Cui Hao to act tomorrow. We'll see how things go then."
Xi Gua nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
Dong Gua said nothing more.
She swept her gaze around and found Lin Luoyu still had her eyes closed, paying no attention to the subtle spiritual fluctuations here, nor caring that she'd just punched Ban Xi Gua.
Lin Luoyu was actually a decent person…
It was just a shame she'd ended up with such a junior brother, and such a troubled era.
Good people were always easily bullied.
Dong Gua rose and walked to her position to continue adjusting the blood energy issues within her body, preparing for the future.
Xi Gua remained leaning against that tree, gazing at the half-moon in the sky.
Perhaps thinking of Yu Mi, or perhaps thinking of what was about to happen.
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