Several women were startled by the sitting figure, but they quickly realized he was merely closing his eyes to rest his mind, seemingly completely unaware of their presence.
They were somewhat frightened, shutting their mouths and looking at each other in dismay, their faces filled with a trace of panic.
“S-Sister Liu... Who... Who is that?”
The other four women turned their gazes to Liu Baixu, wanting to see what she thought.
After their previous experiences, the four of them had already secretly come to regard Liu Baixu as the leader of their group.
Liu Baixu took a deep breath and patted the hand of Zhang Xiaoya, who was beside her.
“Don't worry. I'll go test the waters.”
She then walked slowly forward.
She was very tactful and did not get too close, not only because the invisible pressure coming from the other party was too overwhelming, but also because of the respect a commoner had for a martial artist.
“Master Martial Artist.”
Zhang Tinglei sat cross-legged at the front, offering her no response whatsoever, not even giving her a single glance.
It was as if Liu Baixu did not even deserve to have him open his eyes to look at her.
Seeing this, Liu Baixu felt a wave of embarrassment.
But she also knew this was reality. To a powerful martial artist, ordinary people like her were merely insects that could be crushed at will, completely beneath their notice.
However...
“Since you are a martial artist, you must possess a powerful talent and surely have the means to repel the specter. Though my own talent is extremely ordinary, my Perception talent should be able to help you search for the specter's location.”
Only when he heard Liu Baixu mention that her talent was Perception did Zhang Tinglei open his eyes.
“Perception talent?”
“Yes, Master Martial Artist.”
“Perception, huh... Fine, it's better than nothing. Sit down. After three days, when I need you to use your talent, I will let you know.”
Three days?
Liu Baixu was momentarily stunned by his words. She had thought this martial artist would immediately have her use her talent to search for the specter's location.
But she was not a complete novice entering a specter dungeon for the first time, so she quickly understood.
After a specter in a One-Star difficulty dungeon was repelled, it usually took about three to five days to recover. Since this martial artist said this, it meant he had already repelled the specter.
“Al... Alright.”
Though slightly dazed, she still complied.
Seeing her sit quietly not far from him without turning back to look at her four companions even once, Zhang Tinglei could not help but chuckle.
“Oh?”
“You're just going to ignore those women behind you?”
Liu Baixu knit her delicate brows slightly before explaining.
“I only met them for the first time as well, and I have no obligation to look after them. Besides... I am just a weak woman myself. I cannot protect anyone.”
“Furthermore, since you have already repelled the specter, they won't be in any danger for the next few days.”
“And once the specter respawns in three days, I will help you pinpoint its location, and you will repel it once more. When that time comes, everyone who is still alive will be able to leave the dungeon safely.”
“You are the one handling the most dangerous tasks. If they cannot even manage to survive for three days on their own... then there is nothing I can do to help them.”
Zhang Tinglei nodded in silent approval.
“Not bad. Still, it's not a good look for them to just stand there. Go send them away.”
Liu Baixu nodded slightly.
“Understood, sir.”
Just as she stood up, Zhang Tinglei asked a few more questions.
“What are their talents?”
“Do they have any specter items?”
“Also, newbie players are supposed to receive newbie benefits. Do they have them? If so, what are they?”
Although he was confident that he could clear the dungeon even without knowing about the newbie benefits, if there really were newbie players, asking about them would serve as an extra safeguard.
He was no egomaniac; having an extra layer of insurance meant an extra path of survival.
Besides, even after obtaining such a powerful talent, he had not relied entirely on it to survive until now.
Liu Baixu thought for a moment.
“Aside from me, they have Lie Detection, Teleportation, Concealment, and Rapid Speed. All of them are common talents.”
“As for specter items, they naturally don't have any—though I cannot rule out the possibility that they hid them from me. As for the newbie benefits, it is the word 'Time'.”
Zhang Tinglei muttered to himself.
“Time?”
He waved his hand at her while pondering. Liu Baixu bowed slightly before walking back toward the four women.
The four women had been waiting anxiously. Seeing Liu Baixu sit down after chatting with the martial artist, they had worried that something had gone wrong.
Now that she seemed fine, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sister Liu, you... what did...”
Zhang Xiaoya was incredibly anxious, her words stumbling over each other.
Liu Baixu patted her hand. “Calm down.”
Once they quieted down, she informed them that Zhang Tinglei had already repelled the specter.
“Really?!”
They all let out a collective sigh of relief, their expressions softening considerably.
“That's wonderful! Finally, we don't have to live in constant fear.”
“Yes, last night, I was constantly worried that a specter would suddenly appear right behind me.”
Liu Baixu did not interrupt them. This was indeed something worth celebrating.
Only after they had calmed down on their own did she continue.
“As you know, my talent is Perception. Because of this, I will be staying by the martial artist's side for the next few days to help him pinpoint the specter's location after three days.”
“So... I won't be able to stay with you anymore.”
Zhang Xiaoya's expression changed dramatically.
“Sister Liu!”
Liu Baixu gently pressed down on her shoulder.
“Alright, this isn't some life-threatening matter. This martial artist has incredible methods. I will only be safer by his side, so you don't need to worry at all.”
“Besides, now that the specter has been repelled, you don't have to worry about your safety. You didn't sleep at all last night and walked along the mountain paths for most of today. You must be exhausted, right?”
“Didn't Young Master An Lin mention there are caves around here? Go look for one. Once you find it, get some proper rest inside.”
At this point, she cast a cautious glance behind her and lowered her voice.
“Also, the martial artist does not like having too many people gathered around, nor does he like anyone approaching this place arbitrarily.”
Liu Baixu rambled on, giving them plenty of advice.
Her current demeanor was a far cry from the cold, indifferent attitude she had shown in front of Zhang Tinglei.
By the time she realized it, she had already said quite a lot.
“Alright, off you go.”
“If you have time, look around for some food. If you get really thirsty, come find me, and I'll see what I can do.”
She had looked at the puddle earlier; there was still plenty of water in it.
If only she and the martial artist drank from it, it would be more than enough to last them ten days to half a month.
However, anyone could see that this martial artist had already claimed the place as his own, so she could only try her best.
As for whether she would succeed...
Rate on N.U.
