Jiang Xi and Hou Liang waited for a long time before finally seeing a group of people approaching from afar.
When she spotted Tian Jianmu leading the group, her eyes lit up and she waved: "Brother Jianmu!"
But upon noticing Yu Li and Bo Jingmo behind him, the smile on Jiang Xi's face faded slightly.
Tian Jianmu didn't notice anything unusual and walked over to ask: "Are you two alright?"
While others had also encountered monsters, they either had offensive skills or points to buy items.
Jiang Xi and Hou Liang's situation was slightly more troublesome.
Tian Jianmu had been somewhat worried earlier, but fortunately they didn't seem seriously injured now. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to explain it to Xing Yuan.
Jiang Xi shook her head: "Nothing serious, just minor injuries."
Tian Jianmu nodded, then suddenly remembered their purpose and hesitated as he looked between her and Hou Liang: "Did you two... complete that task?"
Did these two actually kiss?
Wasn't it said that non-couples couldn't kiss? They don't seem to be in any trouble though.
Could Yu Li have been wrong?
Unable to withstand Tian Jianmu's scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Xi coughed and said seriously: "Brother Jianmu, there's something I need to tell you."
"Tell me? What is it?"
Noticing the entire group watching them, Jiang Xi's gaze swept past Yu Li's face before lowering her voice.
"It's not convenient here. Let's talk somewhere else."
Seeing her mysterious expression, Tian Jianmu glanced back at the group and nodded:
Hao Lan scratched his head in confusion as he watched Tian Jianmu and Jiang Xi walk further away: "Why are they going so far just to talk?"
Huang Ya shook her head: "No idea. Maybe they have some clues to share."
She and Hao Lan hadn't found the treasure location and only learned about the wooden plaque tasks when Yu Jiao told them on the way.
The enormous tree before them blocked out the sky, its trunk entwined with vines. Huang Ya couldn't help but exclaim: "Is this the big tree mentioned on the task board? It's so tall, must be quite ancient."
But these vines... why do they look familiar?
Thinking this, Huang Ya stepped closer for a better look, but when she saw the patterns on them, her face instantly turned pale and she stumbled back several steps.
Hao Lan, walking behind her, didn't expect her sudden retreat and had his feet stepped on multiple times. He sucked in a sharp breath: "Huang Ya, why'd you suddenly back up?"
"Good thing I don't have ingrown toenails, or you'd really owe me an apology."
Huang Ya: "..." Are you insane?
The interruption dispelled her earlier tension, and she immediately grabbed Hao Lan's arm: "Hao Lan, look at these vines. Don't they look like the ones from that thing we encountered before?"
"Really? Let me see!"
Forgetting his pain, the boy immediately focused on the vines.
After observing them for several minutes while stroking his chin, he turned back with a complicated expression.
"Um... I can't really tell the difference."
"I'm serious! Don't all vines look the same?"
As the girl kept staring at him expressionlessly, Hao Lan raised his hands in surrender: "Fine, I believe you. I really can't tell though."
Huang Ya wasn't in the mood for jokes and stared gravely at the giant tree.
While Hao Lan was terrible at distinguishing such things, she definitely wasn't mistaken—these vines were identical to those from the monster that attacked them.
Moreover, she'd heard the requirements couldn't be carelessly completed. Would making a mistake trigger an attack from these vines?
Suddenly, an angry shout came from nearby:
"Jiang Xi! Have you gone crazy saying such things?!"
Huang Ya and Hao Lan turned to see Tian Jianmu looking furious, clearly having an unpleasant conversation.
Exchanging glances, they quietly moved away from the brewing conflict.
Huang Ya stood beside Yu Li and whispered: "What are they arguing about? Sounds serious."
Leaning against the tree trunk while playing with a small black figurine in her fingers, Yu Li chuckled softly:
"No idea. Maybe some important plot development."
When Jiang Xi revealed Bo Jingmo was the antagonist, Tian Jianmu wasn't surprised—he'd always suspected the man couldn't be trustworthy.
But upon learning Jiang Xi had made a deal with the yao ghost to kill Yu Li, he could hardly believe his ears.
Was Jiang Xi insane? Didn't she realize this would make her extremely unpopular with viewers?
Then again, considering their desperate situation at the time, she might have had no choice but to make that promise, so Tian Jianmu decided not to press the issue.
"I understand about Bo Jingmo, but let's set that aside for now. Our top priority is eliminating that yao ghost."
Killing the yao ghost would not only remove a threat but also help justify Jiang Xi's actions to viewers as forced by circumstances.
However, Jiang Xi pursed her lips and rejected his suggestion.
"Brother Jianmu, we should deal with Bo Jingmo first. His inaction now is likely because the yao ghost has leverage over him. If we kill the ghost first, Bo Jingmo will be unrestrained and none of us will be safe—he won't let us go."
Had this happened when she first entered the instance, she would've chosen to kill the yao ghost without hesitation.
But things were different now—she'd already been killed by Bo Jingmo once, and he'd even attacked Qi Mai.
This wasn't the same Bo Jingmo from before—he was even more dangerous now.
Tian Jianmu countered with his own reasoning:
"Bo Jingmo is certainly dangerous, but from my observations, he might not attack us—not while Yu Li is with our group. He would never harm Yu Li."
He'd noticed Yu Li and Bo Jingmo were close—in fact, Yu Li had recognized Bo Jingmo immediately.
Therefore, Yu Li was their best leverage against Bo Jingmo.
Hearing this name, Jiang Xi's mouth twitched slightly.
"Brother Jianmu, precisely because of Yu Li, we must eliminate Bo Jingmo first."
She averted her gaze, clenching her fingers tightly, her voice strained:
"If necessary, we should kill Yu Li too. If she joins forces with Bo Jingmo, we'll all die."
These words left Tian Jianmu stunned.
"You... are you serious?"
Barely containing his anger, he snapped: "Jiang Xi! Do you want to completely lose audience support?! Do you realize the consequences?!"
Attacking an innocent player based on mere speculation—this wasn't Peace Team's style at all.