Chapter 439: Chapter 213: Advancing Toward the Mother Tree, Suspicion
Gu Ningzhi looked at Su Jiameng with a dumbfounded expression, resembling someone wanting to charge ahead recklessly. However, Gong Yulu reacted quickly, stopping Su Jiameng’s actions with her voice, successfully halting the motion of her leap, "Wait! You can’t go alone!"
Su Jiameng glanced at her, pale yet very stubborn, and after a moment of hesitation, said, "It’s safer for you to stay here. This big guy is tricky, but I can handle it alone. If you come along, not to mention whether you would..."
"Do you think I would be a burden?" Gong Yulu raised her eyebrows in discontent, the bluish-grey under her eyes lending her a cold appearance, along with her slightly hoarse voice and the chilling environment, creating quite a horror novel atmosphere.
"That’s just one reason... a more important one isn’t that." Normally, even if worried about others being burdensome, one wouldn’t admit it. But Su Jiameng was evidently an exception; in her view, getting one’s pride hurt was better than losing one’s life.
"My strength isn’t that bad. In fact, if you didn’t appear, that monster would die at my hands in a few days." Gong Yulu said lightly, then shifted her view to Gu Ningzhi, "How can you guarantee that I’ll listen to you and stay here? Have you considered what will happen to this person if you leave?"
Su Jiameng didn’t plan to take Gong Yulu and Gu Ningzhi along. Besides thinking these two wouldn’t be much help, there was another crucial reason—she didn’t want her telekinesis to be overly exposed. But Gong Yulu made her stance clear: if she didn’t follow, once Su Jiameng left, she’d take Yongping with her. Without Yongping’s repression, those sub-trees would never let Gu Ningzhi off!
Having lived through three lifetimes, it was the first time Su Jiameng felt this helpless. No matter what, Gu Ningzhi was helping her, and more importantly, he was Gu Ningxuan’s elder brother. From any angle, she had no reason to watch him die coldly.
Gong Yulu’s threat seemed simple, but it struck at her soft spot. Of course, if Su Jiameng could be more ruthless, she wouldn’t need to heed the other person’s words, but unfortunately, she couldn’t be that cold-hearted. Clearly, Gong Yulu’s threat succeeded.
Shaking her head helplessly, Su Jiameng said to the two, "Since that’s the case, let’s go together. But let me be clear: if you carelessly tell a fourth person about what happened today, don’t blame me for turning unfriendly!"
Innocently getting caught in the crossfire, Gu Ningzhi awkwardly touched his nose, throwing a reproachful look at Gong Yulu. After all, he did help cover up and deceive Su Jiameng; even if he’s not thanked, he shouldn’t be treated this way, right?
"Don’t daze off, let’s go!" Gong Yulu stepped forward and patted Gu Ningzhi on the shoulder, telling him not to daze around.
Thus, once Gu Ningzhi snapped back to reality, he saw Su Jiameng and Gong Yulu, one after the other, jumping off the peak. He silently complained, finding this scene resembling the dramatic scenes of lovers in Princess Fusu’s novels, then followed suit.
None of the three were ordinary. The mere hundred-plus-meter peak was nothing significant. During the descent, Su Jiameng even found time to draw her blade; its sharp edge severed branches blocking their way, spraying foul-smelling pus in the air.
Below the mountain peak, the branches were crowded together, trying to climb up. As the three landed, they each firmly stepped on the branches, leaving a deep footprint. Perhaps feeling the pain, the injured branches seemed inclined to act up.
However, the hierarchy pressure among the Insect Race was formidable. Unless at a life-and-death juncture, generally, no low-rank insect would challenge the prestige of a high-rank insect. This rule applied even to the "Mother Tree," let alone the "sub-trees" it spawned. Thanks to Yongping’s presence, the journey was uneventful.
Leaping on the wriggling, angry branches, Gu Ningzhi commented that it was quite an odd experience, though not a pleasant one... because after these things awakened, they secreted foul-smelling pus. Each time he landed on the branches for support, some would stick to him.
Although Gu Ningzhi was the type who could go a year or two without bathing and still live like a gruff guy, he truly couldn’t stand the smell and sticky sensation. This was a super heavy-taste challenge to his bottom line and limits. How could anyone live like this?
