Liu Qingyang, finally having been rescued, hurriedly and distressfully smoothed out the wrinkles Li Nanzhu had squeezed into his sleeve, whispering under his breath, "My new clothes..."
He looked up at the harmonious atmosphere between the senior brother and junior sister, then at Li Nanzhu’s beaming, knowing smile, and scratched his head. Although he didn't quite understand what Li Nanzhu was so excited about, he felt that Senior Brother Feng seemed... a bit different when in front of Senior Sister Feng?
Exactly how he was different, he couldn't quite say.
Inside the cave, after the brief interlude, the atmosphere completely relaxed.
Seeing that Feng Weilan’s condition was stable, everyone felt at ease and seized the time to adjust their breathing.
An hour passed quickly. Jiang Yifan slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "It is about time. This place is not suitable for a long stay; we should move out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Qingyang, who had been mourning his sleeve in the corner, had his eyes light up instantly!
He snapped his head up, the humiliated and numb expression on his face vanishing without a trace, replaced by undisguised excitement and anticipation!
"Let's go! We're finally moving out!"
He was ecstatic in his heart. "Moving out means going to get flags! Getting flags means getting points! Getting points means... even a hostage like me can get a piece of the pie! Hahaha! Following the Five Elements Dao Sect really pays off!"
He was almost the first to jump up, his movements so agile he didn't look like a captive under someone's control at all.
That eager appearance made Duan Xianxing unable to resist rolling his eyes, while Li Nanzhu covered her mouth and giggled.
Among the group, Liu Qingyang was the most active and excited about setting off, as if they were about to go pick up money.
The others rose as well.
After an hour of meditation, Feng Weilan's complexion had basically returned to normal. Although he was still a bit pale and his aura was slightly weak, his movements were no longer hindered.
With Jiang Yifan, Zhu Yinxi, and the other senior brothers and sisters protecting him, as long as they didn't encounter a Nascent Soul level powerhouse, safety should not be an issue.
As the one with the highest cultivation in the team, Zhu Yinxi stepped out of the cave first, spreading his divine sense to carefully probe the surroundings.
After confirming it was safe, he signaled for the others to follow.
He didn't choose to explore blindly, but instead led the team back to the place where Feng Weilan had been ambushed.
No one was there anymore; only a few spiritual energy fluctuations and a faint scent of blood lingered in the air.
"As expected," Zhu Yinxi said flatly, not showing much disappointment.
Though he dearly wanted to avenge his junior brother, since the opponents had already fled, there was no need to deliberately track them now. After all, there was plenty of time ahead; they were bound to cross paths eventually.
Instead of wasting time looking for them, it was better to focus their attention on flags and points.
"Let's go to the next place," Jiang Yifan said deeply, referring to the location where Zhu Yinxi had previously discovered a flag.
The group followed Zhu Yinxi, continuing to weave through the mist and complex terrain. With Feng Qingping laying down concealment and interference arrays along the way, their movements were not exposed.
After about the burn time of an incense stick, the spiritual energy fluctuations coming from the swamp ahead became exceptionally strong.
"It's right here." Zhu Yinxi stopped his pace, his gaze sharp as he looked into the depths of the swamp. "There are three Golden Core stage demonic beasts guarding it."
This lineup was enough to make most Golden Core stage teams hesitate, and it was precisely because of this that the flag here had been preserved until now.
"What of three Golden Core stage beasts? With so many of us, are we still afraid of them?" Duan Xianxing rubbed his palms together, eager to try.
With their current numbers, they already had four Golden Core cultivators. Under their tacit cooperation, although the three demonic beasts were fierce, they were eventually slain one by one.
After clearing the battlefield, the group reached the depths of the swamp.
Sure enough, on a hidden stone platform, a flag was planted, emitting a soft glow.
"Quick, see whose flag it is!" Duan Xianxing shouted impatiently.
Jiang Yifan stepped forward and carefully unfurled it. When the pattern on the flag was fully revealed, everyone's expressions turned a bit strange.
On the flag... was the emblem of the Water Moon Sect!
"Uh..." Duan Xianxing’s mouth hung open.
Li Nanzhu blinked, her expression subtle.
Jiang Yifan and Zhu Yinxi glanced at each other, a hint of helplessness flashing in their eyes.
Feng Weilan’s mouth twitched.
Feng Qingping and Ling Suxin remained calm.
But Liu Qingyang, the moment he saw the flag's pattern, his eyes bulged, followed by an explosion of uncontrollable ecstasy!
"Water Moon Sect! It's our Water Moon Sect's flag! Hahahaha! Heaven is on my side!"
He could no longer care about the dignity of a hostage or his forced grievances! Points were right in front of him; what did face matter?!
Liu Qingyang lunged forward in a single stride. Before anyone could react, he "snatched" the Water Moon Sect flag from Jiang Yifan's hand and hugged it tightly to his chest!
Then, he did something that left everyone dumbfounded—he plopped down onto the ground, shielding the flag firmly against his chest, and began to shamelessly roll around like a spoiled brat!
"I don't care! This is my family's flag! It's mine! No one is taking it!" he hollered while rolling, his voice tinged with a feigned sob. "I'm already your hostage! I'm so pitiful! It wasn't easy finally seeing my own flag, you can't be so cruel! This flag must go to me! Or else... or else I'll... I'll cry for all of you to see!"
This sudden outburst left everyone stunned.
Duan Xianxing pointed at Liu Qingyang, his finger trembling, unable to speak for a long while. "You... you..."
He simply could not believe his eyes!
Was this still the Liu Qingyang who, though a bit flighty, had been fairly normal when they fought side-by-side in the Forest of Demonic Beasts?
This display of rolling on the ground and acting like a rogue was exactly like a three-year-old child whose candied haws had been stolen!
Even Jiang Yifan’s eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness and amusement.
He hadn't had much contact with Liu Qingyang before; his impression was that he was a straightforward person. Who would have thought... he actually had such a shameless, rascally side?
The contrast was simply too great!
Feng Weilan held his forehead, unable to watch.
However... though this tactic was shameless, it seemed... quite effective?
Liu Qingyang didn't care about their shocked expressions or silent criticisms. He continued his performance, vividly portraying the grievances of a hostage and the excitement of seeing his sect's flag, his voice becoming increasingly miserable.
"Waaaa... Do you think this is easy for me? Being snatched by you as a hostage, living in fear every day, not even getting a single hot meal... If you still won't give it to me, waaaa... Is there no justice in this world! This flag must be mine! Otherwise, I'm just going to lie here!"
Watching Liu Qingyang roll back and forth on the ground, clinging to the flag like a shameless rogue, Jiang Yifan rubbed the space between his eyebrows and let out a helpless sigh.
He looked toward Zhu Yinxi, asking with his eyes, "What do we do?"
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