My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 114 - 66: Reunion, Climbing the Mountain [Second Update]
"Little Five, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a good chat with you, let’s have a proper exchange when we meet." Nan Hua said ominously, his tone full of threat.
"Count me in." Yue Zhao flashed a perfect smile from the side.
"Me too, I haven’t connected with our Little Aye for a long time." Mu Chen also smiled, his voice very gentle.
Rong Ye’s smile froze on his face, staring at the talisman, his expression somewhat pained.
"If you’re really feeling itchy, I don’t mind giving you a scratch." Si Lin added from the side, making Rong Ye’s expression even more painful.
"Dear seniors, we are about to arrive at the Secret Realm Center, let’s talk then." Hastily throwing out this sentence, Rong Ye directly cut off the connection.
Turning his head, he covered his face and said to Si Lin, "Senior Brother, aren’t we supposed to be on the same side?"
"I thought you’d be clear about who I’m siding with?" Si Lin looked at Rong Ye’s painful expression and spoke coolly. If you looked closely, you’d find a faint hint of a smile in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Rong Ye froze for a moment, his expression becoming even more pained.
Gu Qingqing hid behind Jun Wu, peeking out, covering her mouth and laughing silently, greeted by Rong Ye’s resentful gaze.
"Little Qingqing, even you’re laughing at me!" Rong Ye looked at Gu Qingqing wistfully, his eyes also carrying a hint of disbelief.
Gu Qingqing shook her head, but her smiling eyes still gave away that she was indeed laughing.
Jun Wu shielded Gu Qingqing, his eyes also carrying a hint of amusement as he looked at Rong Ye.
Being mocked by everyone jointly, Rong Ye was left helpless, simply opting for self-abandonment, anyway he wouldn’t meet Yue Zhao and the others.
"Looks like Second Brother and the others have already reached the Secret Realm Center, just us left behind." Looking at the marked point on the Heavenly Awakening Record, he shed his earlier silliness, speaking quite seriously.
"At our speed, we’ll reach the Secret Realm Center by tomorrow morning." Si Lin looked at the nearby peaks and palaces, asserting confidently.
The others shared similar thoughts, nodding one after the other.
"Since that’s the case, let’s continue on our way." Si Lin withdrew his gaze, speaking to Rong Ye beside him.
Rong Ye naturally had no objections, and everyone set off promptly.
...
Watching the talisman turn to ash, Yue Zhao and Nan Hua both raised an eyebrow, while Mu Chen curled his lips.
"I always knew Rong Ye didn’t have the guts." Mu Chen was quite dissatisfied with Rong Ye’s timidity, expecting to have a fight.
"Hasn’t he always been like this? Quick with his words, but backs down immediately when it comes to action." Nan Hua was well aware of Rong Ye’s temperament, not surprised at all.
"It doesn’t matter, he’ll end up here eventually, and we won’t have any trouble dealing with him then." Yue Zhao’s smile deepened.
Nan Hua and Mu Chen exchanged a glance, giving Yue Zhao a thumbs up, which Yue Zhao readily accepted.
"Brother Yue, Brother Nan, Brother Mu, what do you plan to do next?" Yun Ran, who had been following Yue Zhao and the others, hadn’t been present when they contacted Rong Ye earlier and was unaware that Gu Qingqing would also be coming. Now, having arrived at the foot of the mountain, others were eager to know Yue Zhao’s group’s intentions, and since she and Zhuo Tingqiu were more familiar with them, they were entrusted to inquire.
"Qingqing is arriving soon, we are waiting here for Qingqing. If you intend to go up, feel free to go ahead without us." Nan Hua understood Yun Ran’s intent, glanced at Yue Zhao, and turned to speak to Yun Ran.
"Little Qingqing is finally arriving?" Yun Ran looked at Nan Hua with delight, "Then I shall wait for Little Qingqing to go up together." She then turned to Zhuo Tingqiu.
"Why are you looking at me? Of course, I’m going with Little Qingqing." Zhuo Tingqiu felt baffled by Yun Ran’s gaze but confirmed confidently.
Turning back, Yun Ran looked at Yue Zhao’s group, "Then should I ask Jiang Yingshi and the others to go on their own?"
"Hmm, they are free to go where they wish, no need to report to us." Yue Zhao replied indifferently.
"Understood." Yun Ran answered and went to find Jiang Yingshi and the others to inform them of the news.
Upon hearing, Jiang Yingshi and the others were momentarily stunned, soon realizing their unintentional dependency upon Yue Zhao and Nan Hua due to their strength in recent times, which led them to subconsciously want to stick together, forgetting they were not originally a single group!
"Then, I’ll lead our Wentian Palace folks ahead." Xiang Yunkai glanced at the disciples not far away, cupped his fist towards others, and turned to leave.
"Then I’ll also go with the Wanqing Sect folks." Jiang Yingshi looked at his fellow disciples nearby, saluted, and left.
Next, the others also left one after another, leaving only Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu remaining in place.
After watching the others leave, the two of them returned to Yue Zhao and the others, waiting for Gu Qingqing and the rest to arrive.
Almost all the forces entering the Secret Realm chose to climb the mountain upon arrival. Yue Zhao and the others sent off wave after wave of forces until the sky grew dark and night fell.
The next morning, Yue Zhao and his team sent off another group of forces and finally sensed a familiar aura. Soon after, Gu Qingqing, Si Lin, Jun Wu, and Rong Ye appeared in front of them.
"Little Qingqing, Boss, Rong Ye, Jun Wu." As soon as Nan Hua saw Gu Qingqing and the others, he rushed over, hugging Gu Qingqing, and then greeted the others.
Yue Zhao and Mu Chen’s eyes darkened briefly from behind before they too walked over to greet Si Lin and the others.
"Number Two, Number Three, Number Four, long time no see." Seeing Yue Zhao and the others, Rong Ye reverted to his usual cheeky demeanor.
"Little Five, I still remember what you said yesterday. Let’s have a good chat later about our feelings." Nan Hua released Gu Qingqing and looked at Rong Ye, speaking with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, the smile on Rong Ye’s face froze for a moment.
"I remember too. We haven’t had a heart-to-heart in a long time, Little Five." Mu Chen looked at Rong Ye, his tone icy.
"Little Five, let’s have tea together later." Yue Zhao flashed a perfect smile at Rong Ye, appearing very amicable.
The three-hit combination left Rong Ye frozen in place. He glanced at Yue Zhao and the others, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes, deeply regretting provoking the three of them for no reason.
"Hehe, Senior Brothers Two, Three, Four, what are you talking about? I can’t seem to understand." Rong Ye blinked and said with an awkward laugh.
Yue Zhao and the others did not directly answer Rong Ye’s question but gave him a meaningful smile, almost causing a cold sweat to break out on Rong Ye’s forehead.
Gu Qingqing, Jun Wu, and Si Lin watched as Rong Ye got sorted out by Yue Zhao and the others, with no intention of helping him, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu pretended they had heard nothing, gazing at the sky and the ground but avoiding looking at Rong Ye, although ignoring the amusement in their eyes would make it more convincing.
Having finally met up, they naturally had much to say, so they sat together, complemented by Spiritual Tea and Spirit Fruit, to chat leisurely.
After each person recounted their experiences roughly once, half an hour had already passed.
"Boss, when are we climbing the mountain?" Though Rong Ye was quite anxious and awkward earlier, he was more concerned about the agenda, directly asking Si Lin.
The others also looked towards Si Lin, waiting for his answer.
"Since the other forces have already climbed the mountain, we too should climb quickly. Is there anyone whose body isn’t feeling well? If not, we’ll climb immediately." Si Lin’s gaze swept over each of them as he asked.
Everyone except him shook their heads, and Si Lin nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, then let’s go up the mountain!" He was the first to stand up and said to the others.
Gu Qingqing and the others stood up one after another, following behind Si Lin towards the nearby mountain peak.
The mountain had a high coverage of greenery, making it nearly impossible to see above. Almost anyone who started climbing the mountain would disappear without a trace, and nothing from above could be seen from below. This was the reason why so many had entered, yet no information from above was transmitted!
Once Gu Qingqing and the others entered the mountain, they realized it was even more difficult to climb than they’d imagined. Each of them, with considerable cultivation, found climbing easy, but upon entering the mountain, they felt weighed down, suppressed, unable to use their Spiritual Power, and even struggled to circulate it.
"Everyone be careful, there seems to be a Gravity Array here, and it’s set at a high level. The higher the cultivation, the greater the suppression." As an Array Master, Nan Hua sensed something was wrong the moment they entered and quickly identified the reason.
"Can it be broken?" Si Lin looked at Gu Qingqing and asked.
Nan Hua frowned, sensing for a moment, and shook his head, "No, this array is extremely well-concealed. Although it’s a simple array, I currently lack the ability to break it!" Nan Hua shrugged, looking somewhat regretful.
In the past, encountering such a situation would have made Nan Hua stop and study it thoroughly, as it could very well improve his array level, but more important matters awaited, and he had to regretfully abandon it.
Upon hearing this, Si Lin frowned, feeling the pressure on him but continued to move, looking at Gu Qingqing, "Geng Geng, how do you feel?"
Gu Qingqing felt the burden and shook her head, giving Si Lin a smile, indicating she was alright.
Seeing this, Si Lin and the others felt much more at ease.
The mountain path was initially smooth, but due to the Gravity Array, their speed wasn’t fast, taking half an hour to travel only half the distance, with sweat on everyone’s forehead, making them appear quite arduous.
Though set according to cultivation, Si Lin and the others often used such arrays during training to increase their speed, so it wasn’t unfamiliar. Comparatively, Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu weren’t as fortunate, as they’d mostly led pampered lives, never experiencing such hardship. Now, they were already panting!
