Leaving the Sect Leader's Hall, Ye Zhiyao grabbed Lu Sangjiu's hand, a very gentle smile on her face.
"This is wonderful, Junior Sister Lu! We can travel together. I'm sure we'll be able to clear up the misunderstanding between us!"
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to protect you."
Ye Zhiyao was at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, while Lu Sangjiu was only at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment. Logically, she was indeed the weakest of the four.
However, Lu Sangjiu simply smiled faintly and pulled her hand away. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Sister Ye, but my Eldest Senior Brother will protect me. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, she pulled Li Qiancheng away.
She felt a truly innate aversion to Ye Zhiyao. Even if she tried to pretend, she couldn't fake sisterly affection.
Watching Lu Sangjiu leave, a hurt and aggrieved Ye Zhiyao turned to Qin Yu. "Senior Brother... it seems she really doesn't like me."
Qin Yu's eyes were cold as he watched Lu Sangjiu's retreating figure, a stark contrast to the gentle demeanor he usually showed Ye Zhiyao.
But when he looked down at Ye Zhiyao, his usual gentle smile returned. "Don't overthink it, Junior Sister. We'll be traveling together, after all... There's still plenty of time."
Ye Zhiyao was convinced. She tilted her head back and revealed another warm smile. "You're right, Senior Brother. Sooner or later, she'll understand that I truly want to apologize!"
In the book Lu Sangjiu had read, Ye Zhiyao went to Luoya Mountain because she had accepted a sect mission on her own.
That was why Lu Sangjiu had been spending the past few days wondering how she could take on this mission with Ye Zhiyao without looking like she'd done it on purpose.
She never expected that the heavens would smile upon her, allowing her to get her wish through a stroke of luck.
However, when Duan Xingyun found out about it after they returned, he was very worried for them.
"Bai Heng is a petty man. Regarding the previous incident, not only did I make him give up the Lotus Pill, but I also took the matter to the Sect Leader, who then suspended his stipend for half a year."
"Now that you're going on a mission with his disciple, I'm worried he'll have Qin Yu use this as an opportunity to retaliate."
In response, Li Qiancheng was full of confidence. "Don't worry, Master. I'll be there. Nothing will happen to Little Junior Sister!"
Duan Xingyun gave him a worried glance. "It's precisely because you'll be there that I'm even more worried... Sigh. Little Jiu, you have to keep an eye on your Eldest Senior Brother. Keep his explosive temper in check."
Li Qiancheng: "..."
Lu Sangjiu couldn't help but laugh, nodding. "Rest assured, Master. I won't let Eldest Senior Brother resort to violence at the slightest disagreement again!"
Still not entirely at ease, Duan Xingyun gave each of them a protective Magic Treasure and offered a few more words of caution before finally letting them go.
After bidding farewell to Duan Xingyun, Lu Sangjiu expressed her apologies to Li Qiancheng.
"I'm sorry, Eldest Senior Brother. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
It was true she had used Li Qiancheng to stand up for her before, but honestly, half of what she said in front of the Sect Leader was serious... she truly hadn't intended for Li Qiancheng to come along.
After all, she knew exactly how dangerous her own cave abode was, not to mention the demon beast that had made so many Cultivators disappear.
She might be worried about other places, but what was there to fear in her own home? So she didn't think it was necessary for Li Qiancheng to join her on this dangerous venture.
Hearing her apology, Li Qiancheng just waved his hand dismissively. "What are you talking about? We're all disciples of the same master. It's only because your Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Brother aren't here; otherwise, they'd definitely stick up for you just like I do!"
His words warmed Lu Sangjiu's heart, and she gave Li Qiancheng a sincere smile. "No matter what, thank you, Eldest Senior Brother!"
'As long as I'm there, Li Qiancheng should be fine on this trip to the cave abode.'
In fact, when Lu Sangjiu joined Red Peak over a year ago, she was prejudiced against everyone in the Immortal Gate, and Duan Xingyun and the others were no exception.
But after spending more than a year with them, she felt that they treated her with genuine kindness, and so she was willing to reciprocate that sincerity.
'It's just a few villains. Protecting them along the way shouldn't be too hard.'
Back in her cave abode, Lu Sangjiu packed her things into her Storage Ring. Finally, her gaze fell upon the bracelet that had once saved her life.
She couldn't actually remember where it came from, but she was quite fond of it. She used to wear it on her wrist all the time, but now it wouldn't be wise to flaunt it in public.
After some thought, Lu Sangjiu decided to take the bracelet apart.
Because if there was anything special about the bracelet, it was probably just one of the Bodhi Pearls.
She could feel that during the hundred years she had been asleep, she had been inside the space within this very pearl.
She carefully separated that single Bodhi Pearl, threaded it onto a string, and wore it around her neck. The remaining pearls were stored away safely.
'Hmm... this way, even if someone sees it, they won't be able to recognize it!'
「The next morning, Lu Sangjiu and the others gathered at the sect's main gate.」
In addition to the four of them, the sect had also assigned a senior brother who was more familiar with the terrain of Luoya Mountain to accompany them.
His name was Chen Xiaofeng. He was at the Golden Core Early Stage and was an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple.
Although he was at the Golden Core Early Stage, it had taken him several hundred years to reach this point. He was the type with little talent or strength, who had reached the Golden Core Stage purely through time and hard work.
There was still a significant difference between Inner Sect Disciples and True Disciples, so even though he was their senior in name, Chen Xiaofeng was quite respectful toward them.
On the way, he explained the general situation there to the four of them.
The Luoya Mountain area was under the jurisdiction of the Li Family, a Cultivation Family subordinate to the Seven Emotions Sect.
Normally, the Li Family's Cultivators would also go to Luoya Mountain to gather Spiritual Medicine or hunt some low-level demon beasts, so they were very familiar with the area.
No demon beast above the Third Rank had ever appeared in that region before. Their teams, led by Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, had never run into any trouble.
But recently, one of their teams led by a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator went missing. The family then sent their remaining two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to search, but only one returned.
However, they couldn't get any useful information from the survivor. Left with no other choice, the Li Family had to ask the sect for help.
Because the case involved the successive disappearances of Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the Seven Emotions Sect needed to dispatch Golden Core Stage Cultivators.
At this point, Chen Xiaofeng smiled. "Speaking of which, the sect originally planned to send only two Golden Core Stage Inner Sect Disciples. But now, thanks to all of you, the team's strength has increased significantly. I imagine there shouldn't be any problems."
Lu Sangjiu remained silent, but she thought to herself, 'Chen Xiaofeng really should be thanking me.'
In the original story, only Ye Zhiyao, Qin Yu, Chen Xiaofeng, and two Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples had gone.
Later, when they encountered danger, Qin Yu only cared about protecting Ye Zhiyao. Chen Xiaofeng was unable to save the other two by himself and was dragged down, dying along with them.
'Mm... Ye Zhiyao really has a knack for this. Anyone who teams up with her, aside from her harem, is basically doomed to either die or be gravely injured. They're all just cannon fodder.'
It always made Lu Sangjiu wonder: did this so-called Child of Fortune have such a smooth journey only because she siphoned the luck from everyone around her?