Chapter 82: Detachment

Jackpot!

Places where many people gather always attract attention. The group led by Baishuchuan was no exception; they went over to see what all the fuss was about.

The leading sect of Shengzhou still commanded respect and was quite effective at clearing a path through crowds. Shi Chun and others benefited from this, pushing their way to the center of the commotion to see what was happening.

They saw several people squatting on the ground, forming a circle around a small hole.

The small hole was only about the size of an egg, surrounded by a ring of small dirt mounds pushed out from inside, as if something tiny had dug it. The hole wasn't deep; one could see to the bottom, and the soil inside was loose.

This scene was described in the distributed handbook; it depicted the ground conditions after a Bug Crystal burrowed underground.

Shi Chun was naturally surprised. Could the flashing brilliance he had just seen be a Bug Crystal? Could his right eye's special ability allow him to see Bug Crystals?

"From what our spells can detect, there seems to be a stone about a foot deep. We're not sure if that's it."

"It should be."

"Look, the handbook says that if the dirt around the hole is even, it means the Bug Crystal is still inside. If there are scattered signs, it means the Bug Crystal has already left."

"The dirt around this hole is even, so it's still in there."

"Whether it's there or not, let's just dig it up and see. Anyway, this thing isn't buried deep."

The group of people discussing around the hole made a decision. Someone drew a sword, waved it to ask everyone to step back, then thrust it into the soil and dug a few times.

The soil in this area wasn't hard, and soon a shimmering blue object was unearthed.

As soon as it emerged from the soil, the object darted away with agile movements, shooting into the air.

Amidst the crowd's exclamations, a black shadow flashed by, trapping the agile, shimmering blue object in mid-air. Immediately after, a figure leaped up, grabbed the black shadow, and spun through the air, drifting down outside the crowd.

The one who acted was none other than Baishuchuan; the black shadow was the black pouch he had thrown out in an emergency.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances, both with surprise in their eyes. The speed of that fellow's reaction certainly did not disgrace the reputation of Shengzhou's leading sect.

"Quick, take it out and let us see what it looks like!"

His companions rushed over, urging him, as none of them had ever seen the real object.

Baishuchuan clutched the black cloth pouch and shook it, then felt it through the fabric. He murmured, "It really does stop moving when it's kept away from light."

Next, he reached into the pouch, slowly extracted a shimmering blue object, and tossed it between three fingers, displaying it to everyone. "It's moving, but not with much force. It's strange; I wonder how it flies, managing such a high speed."

The shimmering blue object wasn't large, only a few sizes smaller than an egg. It was pointed at both ends, shuttle-shaped, yet faceted. Overall, it looked like a sapphire, but its color was more lustrous and brilliant—a deep, mysterious blue, combined with its faceted surface, made it exceptionally beautiful.

After testing the crystal's power, Baishuchuan felt confident and suddenly released it.

As soon as it was free, the crystal immediately darted away to escape. However, it was restrained in mid-air by Baishuchuan's 'virtual grip' from a distance. After drawing it back, Baishuchuan used both hands to loosely hold the crystal, giving it relative freedom. Immediately, the crystal began to spin rapidly within that confined space.

At this point, everyone finally saw the true operational form of the Bug Crystal, and their eyes were opened.

Soon, Baishuchuan grabbed the crystal with one hand, put it back into the black pouch, tied the opening, and fastened it to his waist. He then cheerfully told everyone, "The first one is ours!"

Suddenly, someone stepped forward and said, "We found this!"

The several individuals who had been squatting on the ground discussing stood up together.

Baishuchuan was amused on the spot. "You didn't even touch it, so how did it become yours? Does merely seeing something with your eyes make it your own? Everyone here isn't blind; if I hadn't acted in time, this Bug Crystal would have already vanished into thin air. I say, gentlemen, are you trying to be unreasonable and snatch it? To be honest, I quite like it when you try to be unreasonable."

As he spoke, the large group around him slowly spread out into formation.

The five individuals were clearly ignorant, not recognizing Baishuchuan's identity. Then again, with so many sects in Shengzhou, who could recognize them all? Nevertheless, the five were sensible enough; they quickly cupped their hands, apologized, admitted their mistake, and then scurried away, causing Baishuchuan and his group to burst into laughter.

It was just a small commotion; no one took it to heart, and the group continued on their way.

Those who had entered at the same point earlier had dispersed more and more, and gradually, hardly anyone could be seen around them.

Shi Chun, who occasionally looked back during their journey, noticed that Sun Shigang's group had disappeared. He immediately felt a bit anxious. After much thought, he approached Bian Weiying, tugged her sleeve, and motioned for them to speak privately. Bian Weiying didn't know what he wanted, but having learned her lesson from previously attracting ridicule with a single comment, she slowly stopped, separating herself and Shi Chun from the main group.

With no one else nearby, Bian Weiying said discontentedly, "Why are you being so secretive?"

Shi Chun said, "Sister, we're already inside. Shouldn't you give us some immobilization talismans?"

Bian Weiying immediately grew suspicious, looking him up and down. "With so many people in our team protecting you, what are you so anxious about?"

Shi Chun earnestly pleaded, "Sister, my dear sister, my own sister! We've already acquired one Bug Crystal here, and many people saw it. Jieyun Mountain might be a reputable sect in Shengzhou, but it's hardly remarkable in the entire Shengshenzhou, is it? What if something happens? You all might not be afraid, but I'm only at the initial martial realm! I need some self-preservation ability, don't I? I can't always hide behind your backside when trouble arises, and you don't even have that big a backside! I also can't always hide behind others' backsides, can I? After all, I'm now a disciple of Wukang Mountain. If I'm constantly ridiculed, Wukang Mountain won't look good either, will it? So, wouldn't it bring some credit to you if you shared some with us, giving us some peace of mind?" Hearing him constantly mention "backside," Bian Weiying felt uncomfortable all over. She huffed, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Shi Chun raised his hand and said, "I know talismans are expensive. I promise, they'll only be carried for emergencies and will absolutely not be used lightly. Afterwards, I'll return all of them to you, Sister."

In short, not giving him the talismans was not an option. He was being reasonable now, but if they still refused, he would have to resort to less conventional methods.

"Alright," Baishuchuan conceded. "I'm willing to address this matter, especially since what the man said wasn't entirely unreasonable." He immediately had Lan'er turn around, then retrieved some immobilization talismans from a bulging personal satchel.

Wukang Mountain disciples generally didn't possess storage artifacts, as such items were exceedingly expensive, and the loss would be immense.

Any artifact involving spatial capabilities was extremely valuable in the cultivation world. While some might allow their sect's high-level disciples to bring them to grand gatherings, it was impractical to openly display them, as it would only make the participating disciples a target.

Baishuchuan divided the retrieved talismans into several portions, handing one to Lan'er and instructing him, "Remember, you said they are not to be used lightly. All remaining ones must be handed over afterwards."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lan'er hurriedly agreed. He opened it and saw three third-grade immobilization talismans and two second-grade ones.

Just as he was about to say it was a bit too little, Baishuchuan had already turned and walked away.

Back with the group, Baishuchuan then gave a portion to Wu Jinliang and another to Xiang Shichun, accompanied by the same warning: try to avoid using them lightly, and all remaining ones must be handed over afterwards.

Dong Cai saw this. After Dong Caichen moved closer to Bian Weiying's group, Lan'er immediately had Wu Jinliang check the quantity and types of talismans, and found they were the same as his own.

"That's about right," Lan'er muttered, and subtly tilted his head to give a signal.

Wu Jinliang understood the implication: with the talismans in hand, it was time to slip away as planned.

Actually, Wu Jinliang was a bit confused. Was it too early to run now? From the current perspective, it seemed quite safe.

Not long after, the sky gradually began to lighten. When they had entered, it had already been dusk in this area.

As the leader, Bian Weiying also raised her hand and addressed everyone, "Everyone, it's dawn. Eight months is a long time, so there's no rush. Let's rest here tonight, replenish our energy, and make our plans. Today can be considered adapting to the environment. Tomorrow, we'll formally deploy our formation and begin searching."

"Alright," many people echoed, "let's rest here."

Then, the leaders of the various sects gathered to discuss something. Lan'er and Wu Jinliang were looking around, observing the environment and figuring out how to escape, when they suddenly saw Bian Weiying, who was in the middle of the discussion, looking towards them.

The two immediately felt that it wouldn't be good news; they just didn't know what kind of trouble it would be.

Sure enough, after the meeting disbanded, Baishuchuan walked over. Facing the two, he hesitated for a moment before speaking, "It's impossible to rest without any precautions. We need to select some people from each sect to be responsible for perimeter security. The two of you will represent Wukang Mountain in this effort."

He didn't mention that Bian Weiying had personally singled them out, claiming that those two good-for-nothings had been overly protected by everyone and should finally contribute something.

Lan'er and Wu Jinliang breathed a sigh of relief. They had been worried about what it could be. Normally, they might not have been too happy about this task, but as they were already planning their escape, it was truly a case of "someone sent a pillow just as they wanted to sleep" — a perfect opportunity.

The two immediately accepted, neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Xiang Shichun, who was standing nearby, spoke up, "Count me in for the night watch too!"

Baishuchuan replied, "No need. Two people are quite enough."

Baishuchuan also noticed Xiang Shichun. One could tell that Bian Weiying had no desire for Xiang Shichun to be burdened, showing concern for him at every turn.

Soon after, Lan'er and Wu Jinliang went to Bian Weiying and submitted to her deployment. Approximately seventy people were gathered from the various sects. The leader then assigned everyone to positions around the resting area, instructing them to remain hidden in pairs and to immediately alert if they detected anything.

The sky was completely bright. The vast, clear starlit sky calmed everyone's spirits.

Xiang Shichun, sitting on the ground, gazed up at the starry sky. He wouldn't forget Sun Shigang's instructions, pondering how to divert the two (Lan'er and Wu Jinliang) or expose their hidden surveillance positions immediately.

Little did he know, that hidden position was already empty.

As soon as Lan'er and Wu Jinliang reached their assigned surveillance spot, they didn't even linger for a moment but brazenly swaggered away with their knives.

The only thing left at the guard post was Wu Jinliang's huffed retort: "Guard your damn grandma!"

After they had gone some distance, Wu Jinliang realized something was amiss. "Chun Tian," he said, "why does it feel like we're going in a circle and heading back? What are we doing?"

Lan'er replied, "I remembered that guy named Sun calling you a big idiot. I can't swallow that insult, so I'm going to help you get revenge."

"Huh? That..." Wu Jinliang was a bit bewildered, then immediately looked doubtful. "Seriously? Getting revenge this late at night, where would we even find him?"

Lan'er said, "Easy to find. He's probably tailing us from behind. If we follow this direction, we'll find him. Once we do, we'll use an immobilization talisman to take him down. Didn't you want to smash his mouth in? When we catch him, I'll let you have your fill."