Chapter 78
Sheng Hao was still struggling over whether to cooperate or not.
Speaking of cooperation, in previous years he had worked with Mu Mengbai alongside Nian Qiuyan, leaving him with a deep impression of Nian Qiuyan.
Later he learned that Nian Qiuyan had a good relationship with Mei Liangyu, often seeing the two walking together with arms around each other's shoulders.
In his first two years at the academy, Sheng Hao would still pay attention to Zhongli Shan.
Back at the National Academy, Second Brother Su Feng often played with Zhongli Shan, and he was included as well.
Sheng Hao's relationship with Zhongli Shan couldn't be called bad or good, but it definitely wasn't as "bad" as the adults imagined.
Because of Second Brother Su Feng, Sheng Hao didn't have much malice toward the Zhongli family children, even knowing the two families were political enemies. But Sheng Hao didn't approve of everything about his father's methods either.
Nangong Ming had never demanded that Sheng Hao must treat the Zhongli family people in any particular way. His attention to Zhongli Shan at the academy was entirely due to cultivation matters. Sheng Hao unconsciously compared himself with people he knew.
After becoming a Class A Student himself, Sheng Hao rarely paid attention to Zhongli Shan anymore.
Sheng Hao had his own circle of friends at Taiyi Academy. Occasionally he could hear news about Zhongli Shan, and from messages passed through Blackbeard, he also knew that the Nangong and Zhongli families were fighting fiercely in the Imperial Capital.
For the Nangong family, only Zhongli Ci posed a threat.
Even if his son Zhongli Shan had exceptional talent, in Sheng Hao's view, Zhongli Shan would never be a match for his father Nangong Ming.
As his own cultivation improved, he increasingly understood his father's strength.
This Dragon Slaying Cave venture was mainly to repay Mu Mengbai's favor from last year.
Sheng Hao pulled Yu Sui to the left side of the boulder to contemplate, while Yan Xiaochuan also squatted beside them, speaking softly with Yu Sui and asking her what the Military Formation in the water was like.
Zhongli Shan and the others stood on the right side of the boulder, waiting for Sheng Hao's decision.
Su Tong chattered to Zhongli Shan about what had happened along their journey, then brought up Wen Yanghui again to curse him thoroughly. Zhongli Shan nodded in agreement.
Shi Yuezhen glanced at Mei Liangyu and said softly, "I see your Five Elements Energy..."
"It's fine," Mei Liangyu also replied quietly. "I can suppress it."
Shi Yuezhen nodded and sighed softly, "How did you eliminate Qian Ying?"
Seeing her regretful expression, Mei Liangyu knew she definitely wanted to take action herself.
Standing in the middle with his back to everyone, wringing water from his clothes, Xue Mushi didn't dare turn around.
He was waiting for Yu Sui to choose a side and then directly take position.
But Shi Yuezhen gently called him over to help treat his wounds.
Xue Mushi obediently went over.
Facing the gentle Medical School Senior Sister, the scales in his heart tilted accordingly.
Xue Mushi hoped Yu Sui would choose Shi Yuezhen's side.
After all, Sheng Hao's side had no Medical School disciples.
Yu Sui also suggested that Sheng Hao follow Senior Brother's team, as the chances of winning would be greater, but it didn't matter if he didn't want to.
At this moment, Yu Sui was thinking she needed to find an opportunity to talk with Xue Mushi alone.
Yan Xiaochuan persuaded Sheng Hao: "Senior Brother Sheng, cooperating with Senior Brother Liangyu's team would let us avoid many detours, give us better chances of winning, and be more stable. If we don't cooperate, we'll be in an adversarial relationship. They have more people, so being adversaries isn't good."
Sheng Hao frowned at him: "When did you become so close with Mei Liangyu? He's Liangyu, what are you, some kind of bad jade?"
Yan Xiaochuan: "......"
Yu Sui couldn't help but laugh.
"We've always had a good relationship!" Yan Xiaochuan said resentfully. "He's very familiar with my Master, and I often see him at my Master's courtyard."
Sheng Hao glanced at Yu Sui.
As Mei Liangyu was her Senior Brother, the two probably had plenty of contact at Ghost Way Saint Hall, a place others couldn't enter. Currently in all of Taiyi Academy, only the two of them could enter.
Sheng Hao asked Yu Sui, "What do you think?"
Yu Sui replied obediently, "Naturally it would be better to follow Senior Brother and the others."
Seeing her answer so decisively, Sheng Hao was somewhat displeased: "Are you that close with Mei Liangyu now?"
Yu Sui said, "Senior Brother is a very good person. He's helped me a lot."
Mei Liangyu is a good person?
Sheng Hao thought to himself that even Xing Chun cursed him as heartless, so how did he become "a very good person" when it comes to you?
Everyone had their own opinions about what kind of person Mei Liangyu was.
Setting aside various prejudices and not discussing personal conduct, Sheng Hao only felt that Mei Liangyu was very powerful and inscrutable. Although he was a Ghost Way School disciple and Saint Chang Gen's student, he could practice Nine Schools Arts from different schools, and had even denied using Divine Mechanism Arts.
He was an unfathomably deep person who couldn't be figured out.
In previous trials, due to his crisis awareness, Sheng Hao had never directly confronted Mei Liangyu. Usually he only fought with Gu Qian and Qian Ying.
So his relationship with Mei Liangyu could be considered peaceful coexistence.
Last night's fight was also a first. They had just exchanged a few tentative blows when Gu Qian arrived.
But speaking of which, why was Mei Liangyu fighting Gu Qian?
Could it be a grudge from the Legalist School judgment incident several months ago that he still remembered?
Sheng Hao fell into thought and asked Yu Sui, "Does your Senior Brother also dislike Gu Qian?"
Yu Sui was stunned: "Senior Brother? I don't know."
Sheng Hao thought it must be so.
Since their goals aligned, cooperation wasn't impossible.
Sheng Hao looked toward Mei Liangyu and the others on the other side of the boulder and said arrogantly, "Fine."
Mei Liangyu didn't waste words and got up: "Then let's go."
The two groups separated by the boulder came together and departed in the same direction.
They were heading back to the transmission point of the Ninth Section.
……
Gu Qian was in Dragon Belly's Ninth Section, waiting for Ji Meng, Huo Xiao and the others to rendezvous.
He calculated the time, appearing somewhat casual.
Night shrouded this stretch of mountain forest. The river flowed gently, and due to last night's rain, the water level had risen, submerging some of the stepping stones.
After a moment, Li Jin Shuang, who was guarding by the river, looked up toward the opposite bank. Ji Meng and the others emerged silently from the night under Shadow Swallow's cover.
Ji Meng was gasping for breath, bending over with his hands on his knees, but still waved at Gu Qian in greeting first.
Huo Xiao took out the mechanism scroll Wen Yanghui had given him earlier, cast a projection image, and built a mahogany arch bridge over the river surface, leading Xiang Feifei and Shu Chujun across the bridge.
Seeing Li Jin Shuang standing on the opposite riverbank, Shu Chujun unconsciously frowned.
She felt somewhat indignant.
In the past, when the Saint Maiden handled affairs, she only brought her along. Now she brought Li Jin Shuang as well.
Li Jin Shuang's Sword Spirit was so powerful. If the Saint Maiden came to think Li Jin Shuang could be used as a trusted aide, that would be troublesome.
The Saint Maiden's foundation was still unstable. There were quite a few people in Nanjing eyeing her position. The Li family was no longer what it used to be, not to mention the Li family harbored other intentions. If Li Jin Shuang was kept close, it would instead let others gossip about anything and everything, saying the Saint Maiden was eager to seize power.
Although His Majesty wanted the Saint Maiden to seize the Floating Pagoda, he didn't completely trust her either.
In Taiyi Academy, there were thousands of people from Nanjing Kingdom, including spies from various families.
It would be better if Li Jin Shuang continued to maintain her previous silence, listening to her pedantic and conservative grandmother's wishes to disguise herself as a man and exile herself.
If she became clear-headed, had her own thoughts, and possessed powerful strength, she would only become harder to control.
Shu Chujun was wholeheartedly thinking for Xun Zhiya's sake.
She stood beside Xun Zhiya, staring at Li Jin Shuang, not letting her get too close.
Li Jin Shuang wasn't experiencing Shu Chujun's hostility for the first time either. She looked away, didn't take it seriously, remained silent, and acted as if she didn't exist.
"Are you all right?" After Ji Meng came down from the bridge, Huo Xiao put the projection image back into the scroll.
Ji Meng wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at Gu Qian leaning against a tree: "I heard the Sound Crossing Water transmission saying the Princess was struck by Golden Thunder, right there in the Eighth Section."
He expressed shock: "The Princess actually reached Dragon Belly's Eighth Section in such a short time."
"It doesn't sound like she's tackling Dragon Slaying Cave alone either." Xiang Feifei crossed her arms and also leaned against a tree, rolling her eyes as her quick mind analyzed: "She's probably with her Senior Brother, with people from Mei Liangyu's side. They're basically all Class A Students and experienced in Dragon Slaying Cave. Starting from Dragon Belly, it's not strange for them to reach here in this time."
Huo Xiao looked around and asked, "Qian Ying isn't here?"
Xun Zhiya said, "She was eliminated by Zhongli Shan."
Huo Xiao frowned: "You encountered them?"
Xun Zhiya nodded.
Ji Meng was stunned for a moment and sighed: "Without Qian Ying, I have no confidence."
Although they were both Medical School disciples, Ji Meng acknowledged his talent couldn't compare to Qian Ying's.
Qian Ying had become a Class A Student early on, while he was still struggling with Class A advancement challenges.
Sometimes Ji Meng felt he wasn't suited for the Medical School at all.
"Don't underestimate yourself." Gu Qian got up and walked to Ji Meng's side, patting his shoulder: "If there are places ahead that need Medical School Nine Schools Arts, we'll have to rely on you. Cheer up."
Ji Meng wiped his face with his hand and nodded.
"According to the Dragon Corpse Cloud Roaming schedule, it won't reach the Legalist School until the fifteenth, and that day also happens to be 'Heavenly Mechanism Line,' when we can glimpse the Floating Pagoda's manifestation." Gu Qian considered: "We still have plenty of time. We should try to reach Dragon Belly's Twelfth Section before then. The School of Names' Xiaoyao Pool waters can connect to the Legalist School's Inverted Moon Cave. Going that way is safest."
"Before the fifteenth, we need to reach Xiaoyao Pool first."
As Gu Qian spoke, he looked up at the night sky, then turned and said, "You continue forward. I'm going to the transmission point to the south."
"What are you going there for?" Ji Meng asked puzzled.
Gu Qian said, "Don't worry about it. I'll catch up."
Xiang Feifei said irritably, "What else could it be? Nangong Sui is injured, so he has to go check on her, right?"
"Won't you run into Mei Liangyu and the others if you go?" Ji Meng called out, but Gu Qian didn't listen and disappeared into the night with Wind-Riding Techniques.
Ji Meng scratched his head and sighed.
Huo Xiao frowned: "Gu Qian acting like this will ruin things."
He looked toward Xun Zhiya, hoping she could stop him.
But Xun Zhiya shook her head gently. If Gu Qian remained unmoved by Nangong Sui's injury, she would instead think Gu Qian was cold-hearted and not the Gu Qian she knew.
"He has his own sense of propriety," Xun Zhiya said.
……
Gu Qian calculated that Mei Liangyu and the others were still trapped at the previous transmission point, which was also closest to the Eighth Section. If they returned to find Yu Sui and then came back from the Eighth Section, they would definitely pass through that transmission point.
So he just needed to wait near the transmission point connecting the Eighth and Ninth Sections.
Delaying until now was also to confirm Ji Meng and the others were safe.
Gu Qian hid his form in the darkness, silently arriving behind the trees. From afar he could see the shallow beach below the cliff, where Pang Rong and Mu Mengbai were still waiting outside the cave for Sheng Hao.
Xing Chun was there too.
After the three waited quietly for a while, they got bored and picked up stones to skip on the shallow beach.
Gu Qian: "......"
He ignored the three childish men and waited patiently.
In the latter half of the night, a group of people emerged from the transmission array. They all looked familiar. Gu Qian perked up and focused his gaze from a distance, immediately spotting Yu Sui walking beside Sheng Hao.
Yu Sui's clothes had some bloodstains on them, from when Xue Mushi was slashed by a Military Formation puppet in Military Formation: Dragon Fish earlier, splashing blood.
Having cried earlier, her eye sockets were still somewhat red, her eyes clear and moist. Now that her bad mood had faded, she was blinking curiously as she looked around, also glancing toward the direction where Gu Qian was hiding.
Seeing Yu Sui's slightly red eye sockets, Gu Qian figured she must have cried. This journey had been full of hardships, and his heart felt uncomfortable too.
Over all these years, he could count on his fingers the times he'd seen Yu Sui cry.
Most were when she was young: Yu Sui being punished to kneel by Lady Su, or being frightened by Nangong Ming's cold face, when she would cry pitifully in front of him once or twice.
Whenever Yu Sui cried, Gu Qian couldn't stand it. He'd think of ways to cheer her up, take her out of the manor to play, regardless of whether Nangong Ming agreed.
Gu Qian was used to coaxing Yu Sui. At times like this when Yu Sui was crying from grievances, he should be standing beside her wiping her tears, talking to her and making her laugh, vowing to get revenge for her. But for some reason, at this moment he could only hide in the shadows, watching from afar as Yu Sui was surrounded by other men.
This made Gu Qian's heart even more uncomfortable.
Sheng Hao went ahead to talk with Pang Rong and Mu Mengbai, leaving Yu Sui behind.
She rubbed her eyes with her hand, seeming to be in pain somewhere. Mei Liangyu asked what was wrong, and Yu Sui stretched out her hand and said something. Mei Liangyu then held her hand and looked down at her palm.
Seeing this scene, Gu Qian's mind buzzed and anger rose from his heart.
His emotions leaked out momentarily.
Mei Liangyu in the distance turned back. Gu Qian awkwardly ducked behind the tree, forcing himself to calm down.
Yu Sui knew there was someone there. Whether through Strange Fire's sensing or the red dots on the Dragon Slaying Cave map, both told her the fact that someone was hidden in the darkness.
When she first emerged from the transmission array, she had thrown out a Five Elements Light Core. Now, while talking with Mei Liangyu, she used Soul Control Level Two to manipulate the light core to take a detour, going to see who was hiding there.
The faint little point of light, like a tiny firefly dancing in the mountain forest, hid itself against branches and leaves in the night, slowly coming above the trees to see Gu Qian hiding behind the tree.
Yu Sui called out to Senior Brother, and only then did Mei Liangyu withdraw his gaze.
Mei Liangyu held Yu Sui's outstretched palm and looked at the bleeding nail marks in her palm, clicking his tongue: "You dug your nails in so hard."
Yu Sui said, "It hurt so much at the time. I'd never been struck by Golden Thunder before."
Mei Liangyu took white medicinal cloth from his mechanism box and wrapped her palm.
Yu Sui extended both hands, letting Senior Brother help wrap the medicinal cloth while her secondary consciousness watched Gu Qian's direction.
On the way here, she'd heard Sheng Hao say he encountered Gu Qian here and fought with him. Gu Qian's team had lost the Medical School Class A Student Qian Ying. Was he coming back now to get revenge for Qian Ying?
Gu Qian glimpsed the scene of Mei Liangyu holding Yu Sui's slender fingers. Every moment of interaction between their fingers made him feel annoyed and agitated.
He convinced himself that with Sheng Hao watching Yu Sui, at least Mei Liangyu wouldn't do anything to her.
Sheng Hao definitely wouldn't let Mei Liangyu get too close to Sui Sui.
Thinking this way, Gu Qian finally calmed his emotions and silently left.
The Five Elements Light Core also silently attached to his clothing and followed.
What Sheng Hao was thinking about now wasn't guarding against Mei Liangyu.
He, Mu Mengbai, and Pang Rong stood in a triangular formation on the shallow beach.
Sheng Hao said to Pang Rong very coldly and decisively, "Let's part ways."
Mu Mengbai: "Huh?"
Pang Rong looked at him coldly, building up emotional energy.
Mu Mengbai took a step directly to Sheng Hao's side.
Yu Sui was still watching Mei Liangyu wrap medicinal cloth around her hands when she suddenly heard an angry male shout that startled her. She turned to look ahead and saw Pang Rong pointing a finger at Sheng Hao's forehead in furious defeat, cursing "Are you sick?!"
This was the first time she'd seen someone curse at Sheng Hao like this. She opened her eyes wide with curiosity.
Pang Rong cursed as he walked away, and Sheng Hao endured it.
Zhongli Shan and the others didn't make a move at this moment, letting Pang Rong leave safely.
Sheng Hao walked toward Yu Sui expressionlessly while Mu Mengbai enthusiastically greeted Yu Sui.
Yu Sui said, "Third Brother, why was he cursing at you?"
"Let him curse." Sheng Hao sneered. "When we meet again, I can openly fight him."
After speaking, he looked at Mei Liangyu, who was holding medicinal cloth and wrapping Yu Sui's hands, and frowned, feeling something was wrong. After a moment, Sheng Hao snatched the medicinal cloth from Mei Liangyu's hands, pushed him aside, and did it himself.
Mei Liangyu let out a light laugh that was neither heavy nor light, just standing nearby watching Sheng Hao finish the bandaging.