Chapter 104: I Feel

Perfect!

And you still dared to claim it was good to come.

The eleven team leaders either stared directly or cast sidelong glances at him. Their attempts to lure him had worked; now they waited to see how he would explain himself.

They had no intention of kicking him while he was down, as Manager Guan's previous actions had been quite disheartening. They weren't foolish enough to forget past lessons. However, they also didn't plan to help Shi Chun, who had dragged them into this mess. They simply wanted to watch the spectacle from the sidelines, hoping the two would tear each other apart.

To their surprise, Shi Chun immediately pulled out a piece of Sandalwood Gold lighting material and shouted upwards, "Brother Guan, over here!"

This action startled the others, who quickly became wary, fearing the light would attract danger.

Guan Wen, floating in the air, looked down, circling and surveying the ground through the gaps in the branches. Seeing the group of people all there, he was slightly taken aback. Immediately, he retracted his flying artifact in mid-air and lightly descended through the tree canopy.

Upon landing, he first quickly scanned the surroundings, finding no signs of struggle or battle. Then, he looked at the people present and was immediately surprised and doubtful: everyone was there, all eleven team leaders, including the two newcomers from Youxia Mountain.

"What's going on?" he immediately asked in a deep voice. "Who was shouting for help just now?"

The eleven team leaders each feigned indifference, their subtle gazes drifting towards Shi Chun, silently thinking, "Now let's see what you do."

Shi Chun, feigning surprise, immediately replied, "Shouting for help? No, nobody here was shouting."

The eleven team leaders secretly chuckled. They hadn't expected his explanation to be so simple and blunt: a direct denial.

"No?" Guan Wen questioned, surprised, pointing at the people from the other factions. "We all heard it. It sounded like your voice..." He then pointed at Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang immediately waved his hand, looking very timid. "Not me."

Since Shi Chun had already denied it, Wu Jinliang naturally knew how to cooperate.

Shi Chun interjected, "Absolutely no one here was shouting. Why would anyone shout for help for no reason? If he really were shouting wildly, why didn't they stop him, let alone me?" He gestured towards the eleven team leaders, then warily looked around. "Could this Moon Sea be so treacherous that it causes hallucinations?"

At these words, Chu Jingting instantly understood his intention, his eyes widening slightly. He inwardly exclaimed, "Where did this monster come from?"

He made a mental note of Youxia Mountain; if he could get out safely, he would definitely find an opportunity to pay them a visit.

It was only then that the eleven team leaders realized they couldn't simply remain bystanders and enjoy the show. Now they faced a problem: why hadn't they stopped him?

Their intentions were truly sinister! That big guy had been wailing like a ghost for quite a while.

Wu Jinliang repeatedly waved his hands again. "Brother Guan, before you arrived, I hadn't uttered a single word. This place is dangerous; not only did I not dare to speak up, I barely even dared to breathe loudly, let alone howl. Are you sure you didn't mishear? Could this Moon Sea truly be so treacherous that it causes auditory hallucinations?"

Guan Wen immediately turned to look at the team leaders, asking suspiciously, "Did you not hear it either?"

The eleven team leaders were somewhat bewildered.

After a moment of stunned silence, one of them was directly stared at by Guan Wen, so he turned to another and asked, "Did you hear it?"

He tossed the hot potato to someone else.

The latter inwardly cursed him, then tossed the difficult question back to Guan Wen: "Brother Guan, did *you* hear it?"

All of them had guilty consciences.

More importantly, they had indeed attracted a group of allies. They also agreed with Shi Chun: it was safer with more people. If these people left, wouldn't they be left to face the dangers alone?

Guan Wen also lost his composure. "I'm asking you! If we hadn't heard your calls for help, why would we have rushed over so rashly?"

Shi Chun again took the lead. "Brother Guan, we really didn't hear anything."

He then turned to Chu Jingting, asking, "Brother Chu, did you hear it?" The Sandalwood Gold flame in his hand nearly grazed Chu Jingting's face.

Chu Jingting also inwardly cursed him, thinking, "Why did I ever get involved with you people?"

Though inwardly cursing, his face showed a deceptive innocence. Feigning ignorance, he shook his head blankly, saying, "I didn't hear it."

With an accomplice leading the way, the other team leaders, one by one, either shook their heads or directly stated they hadn't heard anything.

Someone had already found a plausible excuse: the Moon Sea had a peculiar danger called 'auditory hallucinations,' perfectly explaining the source of the wailing.

Without such a plausible reason, they wouldn't have dared to admit it; that would have been too brazen.

Shi Chun then asked the people from the other factions who had arrived later, "Did *you* really hear it?"

"There was indeed a call for help." "Yes, the sound came from right here!" "We all heard it!"

Some people from various factions nodded, indicating Guan Wen was correct.

Still others remained silent, asking themselves, "Did I hear it or not?"

There was nothing for it; they were indeed confused. Because when some of them arrived, it wasn't a question of whether they heard anything; they had *personally seen* Wu Jinliang howling loudly, nearly deafening them. How could they *not* have heard that?

But since their own team leaders denied hearing it, they could only go against their conscience.

Not speaking up or disagreeing was already quite a display of integrity.

This time, Guan Wen was truly astonished. If it had just been Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's word, he would have remained suspicious, but with so many accomplices saying the same thing, he couldn't doubt it any longer.

Once again, he quickly turned to survey the surroundings, saying with uncertainty, "It seems the Moon Sea's strangeness is truly extraordinary. No wonder the conference organizers designated this place as a forbidden zone."

The group of team leaders felt a strange sense of satisfaction seeing this high-and-mighty disciple of the Suyuan Sect acting like a fool.

As he spoke, Guan Wen suddenly pointed to the Sandalwood Gold flame in Shi Chun's hand. "Put that away; you might attract danger."

This was simple, but Shi Chun didn't listen to him. He shook the light in his hand and said, "Brother Guan, putting this away would only be temporary. Later, when we find the 'meteor shower' crash site, we'll have to search around. It's not realistic to fumble in the dark; we'll need this for illumination. That's when our situation will be truly dangerous."

Hearing this, the group of team leaders felt a deep sense of resonance and readily agreed. At this moment, their sentiments were definitely on Shi Chun's side. "So, I personally think we need to quickly find the 'meteor shower' crash site. The speed at which we search for the Worm-extreme Crystals should also be fast, not slow.

"Therefore, I believe our dozen or so people aren't enough. Since everyone is already here, I suggest we don't go back. Instead, let's work together to finish this as quickly as possible.

"Especially with Brother Guan's artifact, 'Wind Scale,' if we encounter danger, we can rely on it to escape at a crucial moment. So, I urge Brother Guan not to hold back. Since you've already ventured here, please stay with us and help us finish this quickly."

Having said this, Shi Chun looked around at everyone. "What do you all think?"

Guan Wen stared blankly at this eloquent and logical man, utterly speechless. He wondered to himself, "I was perfectly fine staying on the shore; why did I come here?"

Wu Jinliang was the first to respond. "This plan is excellent!"

Chu Jingting also responded without hesitation, "Brother Guan, this method truly is good."

"Yes, we must act quickly and not delay."

"Brother Guan, with more people searching together, the speed will indeed be faster, and the faster we are, the safer it will be."

"That's right, we shouldn't stay here long; we need everyone to work together."

"With Brother Guan personally overseeing things, wielding the 'Wind Scale' artifact, it will indeed be much safer."

"Brother Guan, our safety rests in your hands."

The group of team leaders echoed Shi Chun's words one after another. This time, no one was ambiguous; they all firmly stood on Shi Chun's side.

Firstly, it was for self-preservation. Secondly, they felt that what Shi Chun said was truly reasonable and not nonsense at all.

Then there was also a touch of self-interest. Before, they had sided with Manager Guan, but he had turned around and treated them poorly. Now, they wanted him to taste the bitterness of being cornered by logical arguments. They were secretly hoping he would dare to say, "No, let's go back immediately."

The group of team leaders found satisfaction in their revenge.

Even the sect members who had rushed to provide aid and witnessed Wu Jinliang shouting for help now seemed to have an epiphany, believing they understood the intention of their respective team leaders.

So, some also spoke up in agreement, requesting Guan Wen to stay with them.

Seeing this group fall into line, Wu Jinliang, leaning on his saber, beamed with satisfaction. "Excellent, they've gotten the hint! With these people here, the situation on Xuanzhou's side is open. There's plenty to play with now."

With the tide turning and popular sentiment aligning, even a dragon would have to coil down.

Guan Wen's Adam's apple bobbed; he swallowed hard. He desperately wanted to say, "Let's abandon this expedition, forget about those Worm-extreme Crystals, and stop searching." But he was a high-ranking disciple of the Suyuan Sect. How could he show weakness in front of these people? Especially at the mention of him being in danger, he immediately backed off. It would be too embarrassing, and if word got out, it would be a complete joke. He couldn't bear that kind of humiliation.

However, he still found an excuse, musing, "Inside the Moon Sea, the mother-child talismans are ineffective. Outside, there are nearly a dozen people setting up arrangements around the Moon Sea. I need to stay in the center to coordinate..."

"No problem," Shi Chun interrupted directly. "The Moon Sea is so vast; they won't be able to complete their arrangements that quickly by circling it. Our target location is right in front of us; we can go find it and be done with it. With so many people, it will be very fast. By the time we're done and head back, they might not even have finished their dispersed arrangements, as they still need to find suitable hidden spots. So, there won't be any impact."

"Yes, with so many people, it will be quick." "It won't take too long."

"Brother Guan, we still need your effort to oversee with the artifact and ensure our safety."

Without any need for hints or prompts, the group of team leaders chimed in, or rather, cooperated, determined to keep Guan here. "Why should we stay and risk our lives while you get to leave?" they implicitly argued.

The key artifact, 'Wind Scale,' could indeed help them escape danger at crucial moments. If their own safety wasn't important, then what was?

Guan Wen's gaze at Shi Chun turned slightly cold; he had already labeled this person a 'bad guy.' Yet, he couldn't openly say 'no' on the spot. He secretly vowed to settle this score with him later. Left with no choice, Guan Wen calmly said, "Alright, let's do it that way."

"Wise."

"Wise, wise, so incredibly wise!" Wu Jinliang echoed, smiling brightly.