Chapter 201: Chapter 124: Haitang’s Resolve
Chu Xuan and Gu Haitang used the Six Souls Banner to cross back into the human realm, traveling through the underground with Earth Escape.
During this process, Gu Haitang held onto Chu Xuan tightly, cherishing this time as if he exclusively belonged to her, as if the two were really intimately connected.
Meanwhile, she was thinking in her mind about what to do next?
Gu Haitang realized abruptly that in Chu Xuan’s heart, she might have the lowest status, whether it’s Ji Mingyu, Qingqing, or Qin Mengyao, they all weigh heavier than her.
But why is that? Is it because she was always indecisive?
She felt that if things continued without any breakthrough, once they left the Ruo Wood Secret Realm, they would part ways and drift further and further apart.
But, what to do?
The joyful times are always so short-lived, and before Gu Haitang could figure out the answer, Chu Xuan had already taken her back to the bottom of the cave.
"We’re here." He spoke up actively.
Haitang nodded, reluctantly letting go.
"I..." She hesitated, wanting to apologize for earlier matters, to say she didn’t consider his feelings and actually still has a bit of affection for him.
She wanted to say: we can continue developing our relationship; we don’t need to rush to revert to a "just friends" status.
But Chu Xuan, who had been observing the surroundings with "knowledge of terrains," suddenly said: "Quick, that snake is back!"
Before he finished speaking, he took the lead using Sword Control to fly out, and Gu Haitang stomped her foot, having to follow closely.
...
The two returned to the surface without danger. As time passed, the killings throughout the secret realm became increasingly fierce.
The battle was not only between cultivators and beasts, but more so between people, competing for natural resources, rare spiritual beasts, ancestral artifacts... where there’s interest, there’s conflict.
Chu Xuan did not want to be dragged into it. He carefully avoided those battle zones, winding his way to the destination.
Gu Haitang followed closely behind, having secretly decided that after Chu Xuan obtained the vital essence and his mood improved, she must clarify things with him.
She absolutely cannot let misunderstandings continue until they become irreparable.
As for the family-assigned tasks, it was surprisingly tossed in the back of her mind; she didn’t even think of them at all...
With her mind made up, Haitang returned to her witty self, actively starting to offer strategies for Chu Xuan.
"Those ape-like beasts, I see there are quite a few, and since they can survive in this Ruo Wood Secret Realm, their individual strength is at least in the third realm."
"They also seem to have the bloodline of the Long-armed Ape, so they surely have Innate Divine Techniques, definitely not as easy to deal with as the previous sand worm."
"There must be some that are stronger than ordinary individuals, such as the ape king, with strength at least in the fourth realm and possibly even the fifth realm."
"If we want to take their ancestral offerings, we’ll surely be attacked by the group."
"Have you thought about how to deal with them?"
Chu Xuan had been thinking about this, so he nodded, saying, "I have a plan, but I’m not sure if it will work, do you have any good suggestions?"
"I can help divert them," Gu Haitang said earnestly, "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, I’m quite confident in my ability to stay safe."
"Then, you can seize the opportunity to take that leg bone, and after succeeding, send me a signal."
Chu Xuan hesitated for a moment, increasingly unclear about what Gu Haitang’s true thoughts about him were.
In his view, Qingqing is much more straightforward; though she is proud, Chu Xuan can see her being proud, but Haitang... always gives him the feeling of being distant.
He shook his head, saying, "You don’t need to take such a big risk for me, even if we are friends."
"I might even say, the closer our relationship, the less I would agree to such a risky plan. Just leave everything to me and let me try my strategy first."
Gu Haitang thought about it and still agreed; she could understand Chu Xuan’s thoughts, it was simply concern for her.
...
What relieved Chu Xuan was that the habitat of the long-armed apes hadn’t been visited by other cultivators yet.
Approaching, he explained his strategy in detail to Gu Haitang, including showing the Divine Command to her and explaining his reasons for seeking vital essence.
Only then did Haitang realize, feeling a little happy, especially when Chu Xuan said: "Because Qingqing always wants to grab this item, I haven’t told her the origin of the token, lest she gets even more tempted after listening."
That meant this was their little secret, though Chu Xuan’s senior sister seemed to know too... Anyway, it was a little secret.
"If it doesn’t work later, you just come to support me."
Gu Haitang nodded, watching Chu Xuan holding the Divine Command, slowly flying into the depths of the dense forest.
At this moment, the long-armed ape clan was under the leadership of the ape king and elder, kneeling around the altar offering ancestral holy objects.
Today, this world suddenly became inexplicably turbulent, with not only a large number of outsiders falling from the sky, but also battles and killings erupting everywhere on the ground.
Some unlucky odd little people who fell nearby were all torn apart by the long-armed apes.
This group of long-armed apes clearly had superior intelligence compared to other fierce beasts, so besides being irritable and angry, their hearts were also uneasy.
Therefore, even though today wasn’t the once-a-month full moon night, the long-armed ape clan still came to the altar to kneel and pray for ancestral protection, and also to guard the holy object, preventing accidents from happening.
