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For a moment, the breathing of all five grew somewhat rapid.
Lan Chudie said, “First, check if there’s any danger around!”
She was relatively calm, knowing this was no ordinary place. With such a massive pile of wealth right here, it could very well be a trap.
The five quickly spread out to investigate nearby. After a short while, they gathered again, having found nothing of note.
Lan Chudie still wasn’t reassured. Vigilantly, she pushed out several palm strikes. The wind from her palms hit the pile of Yangyan Stones and Yin Yuan Stones, and there was no abnormal reaction. Only then did she nod, saying, “No danger.”
The five exchanged glances and hurried forward, grabbing handfuls of the Yangyan Stones and Yin Yuan Stones.
The others grabbed both kinds indiscriminately, but Yang Kai was different. He only collected the Yangyan Stones.
As he was picking them up, Lan Chudie suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh, then straightened her back. Reluctantly, she glanced at the stones in her own hand, sighed, and dropped them.
“Senior Sister Lan, what’s wrong?” Nie Yong asked, looking up in some confusion.
“Stop picking,” Lan Chudie said lightly. “If we carry a huge bag of stones on our journey, not only will we waste our own strength, but if we encounter danger, they’ll likely become a burden. In the end, we’d have to throw them away anyway.”
Hearing this, the others finally realized what they’d overlooked. Upon first seeing so much wealth, they’d gotten excited and forgotten this simple point.
Lan Chudie looked at everyone and continued, “Moreover, we just arrived here and found this pile of stones. If my estimation is correct, things like these are the lowest value items in a place like this! In other words, these are merely small profits. The real treasures are still waiting for us further on.”
“Senior Sister Lan is right,” Nie Yong agreed, and Zuo An also nodded slightly.
Du Yishuang looked at the stones in her own hand, a hint of reluctance on her face as she let them drop.
Only Yang Kai was still silently gathering stones, as if he hadn’t heard a word Lan Chudie said. This made the latter frown her delicate brows.
“Heh, no harm in waiting until real danger appears before throwing them away,” Yang Kai explained while continuing to pick.
“As you wish,” Lan Chudie didn’t stop him, saying lightly, “But we won’t wait around and delay time for you. Once you’ve gathered enough, catch up. Don’t be too greedy.”
“Alright, you go ahead first!” Yang Kai nodded.
Lan Chudie wasted no more time. Stepping over the pile of stones, she walked forward. Zuo An glanced at Yang Kai with even more disdain, and Nie Yong was even more direct, spitting out, “A pauper who’s never seen the world! You’ll end up throwing them away eventually anyway. Such a waste of time and effort.”
“I’ll wait for you and go together,” Du Yishuang kindly offered to stay behind.
“No need, you go first!” Yang Kai said, and with that, he took off his upper garment, clearly intending to gather stones on a larger scale.
Seeing him so insistent, Du Yishuang didn’t press the matter. She nodded and hurried to catch up with the others.
Once no one was around, Yang Kai became less restrained. He frantically circulated the True Yang Technique, rapidly absorbing the energy from the Yangyan Stones while stuffing them into the makeshift bundle formed by his upper garment.
Before long, his dantian held twenty additional drops of Yang Liquid, and the bundle was packed full.
That was about enough. Although there were still many Yangyan Stones left here, Yang Kai didn’t need to take them all. One shouldn’t be too greedy. Lan Chudie was right about one thing—this pile of stones was probably the lowest-value thing in this place. Naturally, he shouldn’t waste too much time on them.
After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, Yang Kai finally caught up with the four. During that time, he had absorbed the energy from several more Yangyan Stones.
Upon regrouping with them, apart from Du Yishuang, the other three looked at Yang Kai with expressions of displeasure.
In terms of strength, Yang Kai was the weakest among this group. Not even at the Qi Movement Realm, he was clearly a liability. No wonder others looked down on him. If not for their shared identity as sect disciples, Lan Chudie and Nie Yong probably wouldn’t have brought Yang Kai along.
“This field of jagged rocks seems quite large. We’ve been walking and still haven’t gotten through it,” Lan Chudie said, her fine brows slightly furrowed. “Let’s explore a bit more. If we still can’t find a way out, we’ll find a place to rest.”
“Good!” Everyone had been following Lan Chudie’s lead the entire way, so naturally, no one objected now.
“One hour is up. Who among you will lead the way now?” Lan Chudie’s beautiful eyes swept over the four.
It was still unknown what dangers lurked here, but whatever the danger, the person walking at the very front was undoubtedly in the worst position. That was why she had suggested in the beginning that they change the leader every hour.
Nie Yong said, “Disciples from all three factions are here. Lingxiao Pavilion has already provided one leader. Next, it should be the Blood Battle Gang or the Wind and Rain Tower.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Zuo An and Du Yishuang.
Zuo An’s brow furrowed, but before he could speak, Du Yishuang had already leaped forward, saying softly, “I’ll do it.”
Yang Kai sighed inwardly. Although these five had temporarily grouped together into a small team, among them, only the kind-hearted Du Yishuang seemed to harbor no schemes. The other four, including Yang Kai himself, each had their own plans.
This team was not united! If they encountered truly great danger, it would likely collapse at once.