Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 222: A Friend Of Two Faces

After that initial confrontation, the night unfolded in an uneasy quiet. Shadows shifted around our camp, but nothing else stirred, and we held our positions with vigilance. The tension in the air slowly eased as hours passed without incident, the forest settling into its natural silence. By morning, we counted ourselves fortunate as no one was ambushed, and despite the charged atmosphere, nobody started a fight.

As the first light of dawn crept over the camp, casting long, pale rays through the trees, we began packing up in quiet efficiency. The snow around us glowed faintly, reflecting the soft warmth of morning against the stark, cold forest from yesterday night.

Some of us stowed our gear in storage rings before we set off together to scout the area.

Although we were supposed to work as a single unit, teams from different clans kept their distance, always guarding against one another. While we were technically cooperating, there was no true collaboration.

As we moved through the snow, I glanced at the other teams.

Heading into a dangerous, unknown mission with this kind of fractured dynamic didn’t sit well with me. If we encountered a powerful Foundation Establishment–level beast, our lack of unity could mean all of us getting slaughtered.

I thought it over. Despite my preference to stay in the background, this group felt like a hot potato no one wanted to hold. Rather than waiting for someone else to step up, I decided to bridge the gap myself.

I looked toward the Jie and Fu clan teams. I had no connection with the former and an outright animosity with the latter. Yet, if there was any chance, it lay with the Fu clan; at least I knew their motivations, and there might be room for negotiation since we still had an arranged marriage.

As for that guy who liked Fu Yating? Well, I was always one to encourage young love. A reckless type like him might calm down if I showed him I had no designs on Fu Yating and even that they’d make a good couple.

Honestly, guys like him were often easier to befriend. A flimsy friendship would serve me better than some forced marriage my clan arranged solely to gain power.

No offense to my future wife, but I had no feelings for her. She was, to me, just another stranger.

And who knew what the Fu clan had in mind for my union with Fu Yating…

With a smile, I turned to Liu Qian and said, “I’ll go have a word with the Fu Clan. No matter what happens, don’t worry. I doubt I need to say this; but keep your guard up.”

“You sure this is a good idea?” Liu Bo asked.

“Not really. But if we keep on like this, it could get us killed,” I replied. “The mission’s objective is to keep scouting until we spot a Thunder Wolf or some other beast that might explain what is been happening. What if we run into a Foundation Establishment–level creature? We will have the monster to worry about and the risk of other teams sabotaging us, abandoning us to save themselves, or even taking their chances and stabbing us in the back the first time they see an opening.”

The Clan Head had given orders to eliminate as many from the other clans as possible, but I had no intention of following such a reckless command. It would only invite unnecessary danger and escalate tensions, and besides, I wasn’t about to follow blindly like some mindless toad.

In the worst case, I could always leave the clan and meet up with Song Song down the line.

"Stay alert, just in case they attack. We’re a good distance away, and if something happens it’ll take some time to reach you,” Liu Qian advised, casting a wary look at the Fu Clan team in the distance, her gaze calculating the distance between us.

“No. No matter what happens, don’t interfere,” I shook my head. “If you try to help, the Jia Clan will take advantage of us exposing our backs to them. The safest option is for me to handle this alone and trust that I can manage whatever comes up.”

We were in a tense three-way stalemate. No one dared make the first move, afraid the third team would swoop in and clean up the aftermath. But if I could form even a tentative alliance with the Fu Clan, it would force the Jia Clan to join as well, out of fear of being overpowered.

With that in mind, I moved to act as the bridge, stepping away from my group. Immediately, I felt the eyes of both teams shift to me.

As I approached the Fu Clan, I sensed their Qi fluctuate. A sign they were preparing for any sudden move on my part.

Before they could react, I called out, “Forgive the interruption, but I couldn’t help asking. How is my fiancée doing?”

I expected some reaction, maybe even irritation from their leader, but he remained expressionless.

“She’s doing well. She asked about you,” replied a woman in their ranks.

I glanced at her. Her posture was rigid, her smile forced. She was nervous, and understandably so.

“By the way, I’m a friend of Fu Yating,” she added, almost too casually.

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“Oh…” I nodded. “It’s good to hear she’s doing well.”

Something felt off. The team leader’s lack of reaction didn’t match what I’d anticipated.

“Well, as you know, she’s been focused on her training. She’s determined to become a Qi Gathering Cultivator,” the woman said, her tone light but somehow... distracted.

Why was this stranger speaking instead of the team leader?

Oddly, he had shifted his position, moving ahead of the others. Now he’d be the first to encounter any monstrous beast we stumbled upon. But he’d also turned his back to me, an open invitation if I had hostile intentions.

It was recklessly dangerous.

Something was happening here, just beyond my grasp. This random woman seemed almost too intent on distracting me, drawing my focus away from something else.

And then it struck me: how did she know so much about me? She might not know me personally, but she’d read my intentions almost too precisely as if she’d anticipated my every move.

"That's good. Fu Yating is still my future wife. Despite our differences, we will have to work as a team. So, I often find myself worried for her wellbeing," I said, directly meeting this random girl’s gaze.

Her features, height, figure, and even body language were distinct from those of a certain someone.

After a few moments of eye contact, she gave me an awkward smile and looked away. I did the same, deciding not to bother approaching any closer. They could hear me fine from here, even with the biting wind whipping past our ears.

"By the way, I hope our clans can work together,” I added, letting my voice carry, “and perhaps arrange for a few meetings between me and Fu Yating.”

But the Fu Clan team captain didn’t react, pretending not to have heard.

Was he intimidated? That seemed unlikely. Yesterday, he’d acted like a reckless lad, but now he appeared far more level-headed.

“It would be a shame if I only saw my wife on our wedding day,” I pressed, but again, no response from the Fu Clan team leader.

Someone had clearly reeled him in, but it wasn’t likely through any communication artifact, as those emitted a distinct Qi signature, similar to radio waves.

This meant the one reigning him in was likely someone within his own team. That was my working theory, at least.

My first suspect was, of course, the girl in front of me, though she could easily be another layer of deception. She might simply be a decoy to divert attention from the real leader of the Fu Clan team. Judging by her aura, she was a Body Tempering Cultivator, though even that could be disguised.

Back at the Blazing Sun Sect, I’d met Fu Yating before, though I doubted anyone young in the Fu Clan knew that; it wasn’t their business. But suppose their team leader was a more prominent disciple in the clan. In that case, they might be aware, and I watched their movements closely, trying to discern the true leader from their behavior.

Perhaps this "friend" of Fu Yating knew, too. But given what I knew about Fu Yating, she wouldn’t have any close friends she’d confide in, especially with anything that could be seen as a vulnerability. If anything, this “friendship” was likely just a shallow front to earn some pity points.

Fu Yating might have plenty of so-called “friends” in her clan, but I doubted any truly understood her intentions. She was the last person to open her heart recklessly.

Her position in the Fu Clan was comparable to Liu Qian’s standing in ours, but more precarious, especially since she was engaged to me. The marriage agreement included a clause about our children potentially leading the Fu Clan one day. But realistically, it seemed more likely that the Fu Clan elders would prefer to roll in their graves than see someone raised in the Liu Clan assume control over their lineage.

Gradually, I began formulating my theories, sorting them from most to least likely scenarios.

Just then, the girl I’d been speaking to suddenly approached, flashing a friendly smile. Naturally, I didn’t trust that smile; I flared my Qi in warning. Yet she kept coming, ignoring the clear message, even as she came within arm’s reach. At this distance, I could snap her neck before she’d even blink. But she didn’t stop.

“You are so good-looking,” she said.

I already doubted her claim of being Fu Yating’s friend, but seeing someone from the Fu Clan behave so brazenly was startling. Despite the shaky foundation of the arranged marriage between Fu Yating and me, the Fu Clan wouldn’t tolerate a random girl openly disrespecting their most prominent member.

Oddly, she didn’t seem to notice the warning looks her team sent her, nor did she realize that even if things went smoothly here, she’d likely be executed and erased from clan archives the moment she returned to her clan.

To my surprise, she reached out and touched my arm, looking ready to link her arm through mine. Technically, she didn’t quite make contact; I’d already activated a thin barrier of Dancing Jade Armor around my arm. I stepped on a tree branch back before she could get any closer. She did the same and looked at me with an innocent smile.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked coldly, my glare leaving no room for interpretation.

“What?” She smiled as if my hostility didn’t faze her. “Can’t a guy and girl just be friends?”

She looked like she had more lies ready to spill, but I cut her off. “You’re not really my fiancée’s friend, are you?”

“Wow, already calling her ‘your’ fiancée so boldly,” she replied, her tone sweet as honey. “And here I thought there might be something between us.”

Her acting was flawless; it was one thing she and Fu Yating seemed to have in common.

Fu Yating and this girl had a lot in common, didn’t they? Which was suspicious as fuck.

I wrestled down the flash of anger that surged through me, forcing myself to assess the situation rationally. But no matter how I turned it over, it made no sense.

Why on earth was she doing this? What the hell was wrong with this clan?

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It was obvious that Fu Yating wouldn’t be allowed a promiscuous friend; that alone would ignite enough rumors to spark conflict. Such a scandal could easily lead to war.

Sure, as a man, I had a little more leeway; I could probably take other lovers so long as it was kept discreet. But I wasn’t interested in stirring up trouble over something so pointless.

So, what exactly was this foolish girl playing at?

I could admit when I’d miscalculated. Trying to come here and act as a bridge had been a mistake.

With that thought, I turned and walked back to my team without a second glance.

I hadn’t accounted for sheer stupidity. This time, the loss was on me.