Chapter 121: When People’s Hearts Scatter, The Team Becomes Hard to Lead!

Xu Haoliang stood at the Xiangyang Town ferry dock, holding a few strands of thread in his hand. These threads were found by Xu Haoliang in the thorns about a hundred meters from the dock. Although they were just ordinary fabric threads, Xu Haoliang was certain in his heart that these threads were torn from the clothes of Xu Ziyan and the other nine people.

What would ordinary people be doing running into the grass for no reason? And judging from the various signs in the grass, there was more than one person. So it must have been Xu Ziyan and the others fleeing. Xu Haoliang carefully removed each thread from the thorns and erased all traces at the scene. Then he went to the ferry and stood on the dock, analyzing Xu Ziyan’s group’s movements.

“It seems Qier, Tianlang, and the others took a boat from here and sailed down the river, heading straight for the Endless Forest. And it looks like they hijacked a boat, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed the cover of the grass. Hah, these kids are really daring! I wonder if this plan was thought up by Qier, Liner, or Tianlang?”

At this thought, Xu Ziyan’s figure appeared in his mind. Xu Haoliang smiled bitterly and murmured to himself:

“They probably don’t have that capability; it must have been Xu Ziyan who came up with it!”

Thinking this, Xu Haoliang felt uncomfortable. He thought angrily: “Is Xu Ziyan too overpowered? It’s one thing for her combat skills to be amazing, but her schemes are also this formidable? How did Eleventh Brother produce such a freak?”

He shook his head, his face dark. He looked westward along the river and sighed lightly: “Xu Ziyan, if you can bring Tianlang, no, the clan’s disciples, safely back to the clan, I, Xu Haoliang, will wipe the slate clean of our conflicts and definitely treat you like family.”

The corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. He cursed under his breath: “Yang Long, you madman!”

He looked down at his ribs. Earlier, when he was collecting the threads and destroying the traces in the grass, the wound on his ribs accidentally split open again and bled. That was an injury he received during the fierce battle with Yang Long. Xu Haoliang saw that more people were starting to gather at the dock now. He frowned slightly, then slowly walked to a small grove next to the ferry. He untied his robe, opened the bandage, applied some medicine again, and finally tied the bandage tight.

He lowered his head and thought. Inspired by the threads he found earlier, Xu Haoliang turned and headed back toward Xiangyang Town. A short while later, Xu Haoliang returned to the dock. Now, he had changed his clothes and disguised himself as a merchant. He boarded a boat heading down the river.

※※※

They had been sailing down the river for seven days. Xu Ziyan stood at the bow of the boat, watching the scenery on both sides, marveling at the vastness of the Vast Expanse Continent. Happy laughter and chatter came from the deck behind her and from inside the cabin. Xu Ziyan frowned slightly. She sighed quietly in her heart, and her face became somewhat gloomy.

Footsteps approached from behind. The footsteps stopped, and Xu Lin stood beside Xu Ziyan. He looked at her sideways and said softly:

“Little Sister Ziyan, should we capture that Wang Laoshi and lock him in the cargo hold?”

Xu Ziyan was taken by surprise for a moment. Then her face immediately bloomed into a relieved smile. Finally, someone had grown up and could see the problem. Looking at Xu Lin, Xu Ziyan said happily with a laugh:

“Oh, why?”

“I think that Wang Laoshi isn’t honest at all. He looks foolish, but he has a clever heart. Plus, with his smooth-talking mouth, in just a few days he’s become like a friend to our people. I always feel that Wang Laoshi is unreliable. Now everyone has let their guard down around him. This is very dangerous, Ziyan. Please order us to capture Wang Laoshi!”

Xu Ziyan gently shook her head and didn’t speak. She placed her hands on the ship’s railing and watched the rolling river currents.

“Little Sister Ziyan, how can you still laugh? Have you forgotten that we are fleeing?” Xu Lin became a little anxious. He frowned slightly and felt a trace of dissatisfaction toward Xu Ziyan for the first time.

“Our Xu Clan disciples have no experience in real-world training. Over the past few days, they’ve said things they shouldn’t have. I think that Wang Laoshi has probably figured out who we are? I secretly talked to Elder Brother about it, but he said I was being too cautious. He said that since we’re in the middle of the big river, even if Wang Laoshi knows our identity, what can an ordinary merchant do? So, Little Sister Ziyan, I could only come to you. You are the Team Leader. You are responsible for the whole team!”

Seeing that Xu Ziyan still seemed unmoved, Xu Lin really became anxious this time. He took a step closer to Xu Ziyan and said in a low voice:

“I asked Junior Brother Tianhai. He said that because Xichui Town is near the Endless Forest, although it’s dangerous, many merchants still go there to sell goods. After all, if you can bring things from the Endless Forest back to the Northern Region, the returns are substantial. Also, some Immortal Cultivators go there for training or to hunt Monster Beasts. In short, if we reach Xichui Town, and Wang Laoshi wants to betray us, it would be easy for him to send a message out.”

“You all said the Endless Forest was remote and rarely visited by people?” Xu Ziyan asked, frowning slightly.

“Yes! But that’s inside the Endless Forest. Outside the Forest, there are still people. And according to Junior Brother Tianhai, there’s even a market there. It’s only after entering the Endless Forest that it becomes truly remote. The further you go in, the fewer people there are.”

After listening, Xu Ziyan sighed lightly. Gazing at the river, her eyes held a faint trace of sorrow. She said softly:

“Senior Brother Lin, I’m very happy that you can think of so much. But do you think it would be useful if I captured that Wang Laoshi, or even killed him?”

“How could it not be useful? You’re the Team Leader! How could your words not be useful?”

“They won’t listen. If you try to explain to them, they’ll think you’re too timid and cautious. If you ignore their objections and forcefully capture Wang Laoshi, who has become their friend, they will definitely develop resistance toward us in their hearts. If that happens, the hearts of the people in this team will scatter. When people’s hearts scatter, the team becomes hard to lead!”

“Then… you can’t just do nothing? No matter what, you are our Team Leader!”

“How do you know I haven’t done anything?” Xu Ziyan smiled bitterly and said: “Elder Brother Qi and the others have said almost everything, except they haven’t revealed the matter of the Breath-Concealing Talisman.”

“You…” Xu Lin looked at Xu Ziyan in surprise. Suddenly, he said with shock: “You… have been using your Spiritual Power to monitor them?”

Xu Ziyan nodded helplessly. Xu Lin’s gaze changed. He stared blankly for a while, then asked cautiously in a small voice:

“Little Sister Ziyan, when you used your Spiritual Power to probe, even I didn’t notice. Could it be… could it be that your true Cultivation Level has already surpassed mine? What exactly is your Cultivation Level?”

Xu Ziyan raised her hand and smoothed her hair, which was mussed by the river wind. She said helplessly: “It’s just a little higher than yours, Senior Brother Lin.”

“Then what exactly is it…” Xu Lin suddenly closed his mouth. Since Xu Ziyan didn’t want to reveal her Cultivation Level, he realized it wasn’t right to press further. However, besides shock, he also felt happy. After all, knowing there was someone in their team with a higher Cultivation Level than his own was something to be glad about during their flight.

“So what should we do now?” Xu Lin changed the subject.

“We still have to remind them somehow. And we need to discuss how to deal with the merchants and sailors on this boat in the future!”

“You mean…” Xu Lin’s gaze showed a flicker of surprise, then he immediately understood Xu Ziyan’s meaning. His gaze quickly became firm. He nodded firmly and said:

“Little Sister Ziyan, just tell us what to do.”

“Go call everyone to my room for a meeting.”

“Okay!” Xu Lin responded and turned to leave. Xu Ziyan watched Xu Lin’s retreating back and sighed softly. She walked toward her own room.

Xu Ziyan had just returned to her room and hadn’t sat down for long when, except for Xu Peng and Xu Lan who stayed outside to continue monitoring the sailors, everyone else entered Xu Ziyan’s room. Xu Lin was the last to enter, and he closed the door behind him.

Xu Ziyan looked at each person as they entered; their faces showed clear relaxation and smiles. Xu Ziyan couldn’t help but feel a bitter laugh in her heart. Leading a group of novices in a flight was really a task that taxed both mind and body. She raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples. Xu Ziyan couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

“Little Sister Ziyan, what did you call us here for?” Xu Qi sat down relaxed, a carefree smile on his face, as if they weren’t fleeing but traveling.

Xu Ziyan noticed that Xu Qi, Xu Tianlang, and the other male disciples, although still wearing ordinary people’s clothes, were very neat and tidy, arranged impeccably. Even though the clothes were ordinary, they still gave off the air of young masters from a great clan. Their hair was also meticulously arranged, each looking dashing and unrestrained, handsome and debonair. Xu Mei and Xu Meiruo were even more exaggerated; they had clearly put on makeup, completely unlike their dusty, travel-worn appearance before boarding the boat during their flight. Xu Ziyan was truly at a loss for words. Judging from these appearances, the people before her had clearly completely let their guard down!