It’s no wonder he had such thoughts. After several excursions, they could hardly find any Red Cloud Stones or Earth Spirit Moss, and there were not even enough to distribute among their own Unity Alliance members, let alone leave any for Han Yan and the few at the very end. After all their hard work, without even the slightest consolation, with Big Playboy Mu’s temper, he probably felt he could not save face.
"Yeah, although we came back empty-handed several times, we still had some gains. Eldest Young Master Mu, until now, still has nothing to show for his efforts. Wouldn’t he be jealous?" Another person chimed in with mockery.
"I think you’re wasting your time. We’ve searched this entire area and came up empty-handed. What makes you think you’ll find anything? You might as well beg the Alliance Leader for some pity—maybe he’ll give you some sort of compensation," someone else said with unabashed laughter.
"Forget it. Let them search if they want to. We’re heading out," Qu Fengting, anxious to get back to business, did not want to come into direct conflict with Han Yan so early and quickened his pace toward the exit.
However, his opinion of Han Yan lowered slightly. They were just a few Red Cloud Stones and clumps of Earth Spirit Moss. To be envious over that, Han Yan’s strength must not be very impressive. Probably only with a few flashy items to show off, coupled with some good luck, was he able to kill that Earth Splitting Crocodile, fooling the inexperienced Yang Boqiao.
He didn’t believe Han Yan had any other ulterior motives. He had been present when everyone else was searching earlier. If there were any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to be found, even if others failed to notice them, they couldn’t escape his sight. What else could Han Yan be aiming for? He was probably just hoping to find some overlooked treasures. The source of this content ɪs ⓝovelFire.net
But unfortunately, they had nearly turned over every stone. What overlooked treasures could Han Yan possibly find?
Once outside, they realized the sky had completely darkened, and everyone was starting to feel the strain. Continuing the search now clearly seemed impractical.
Although Qu Fengting was anxious, seeing everyone so listless, he couldn’t force them to keep going. He reluctantly ordered them to rest for the night and to continue exploring other crevices the following day.
Upon receiving the order, no one left immediately. Instead, they sat down to recuperate, occasionally glancing toward the crevice, curious about Han Yan’s potential gains.
"What exactly is in here?" As Han Yan walked further inward, she carefully searched the surroundings, unwilling to miss even an inch.
Yet, aside from the cold, riddled stone walls, soft dirt under her feet, and scattered rocks, she found nothing.
"Keep looking, search again," Star Illusion Thousand Machine urged, without answering her question, clearly impatient.
Han Yan had to suppress her curiosity and continue her patient search. Alas, after several rounds back and forth, she couldn’t help but draw her longsword and break open the stone walls, but still, she discovered nothing.
"Eh, could I have been mistaken?" The voice of Star Illusion Thousand Machine sounded uncertain in her mind, as if he were doubting his own judgment.
"What is it, exactly?" Han Yan asked. Star Illusion Thousand Machine was beginning to feel more and more like a living person to her. Since he was a person, it was only natural that he could make mistakes and have doubts.
"I’m not too sure either. Perhaps I was mistaken. It’s been many years since I’ve felt this way; perhaps I’ve remembered wrongly." It was evident that Star Illusion Thousand Machine was somewhat troubled, like someone suffering from amnesia, vaguely grasping at fragments of memory, yet always unable to fully recover them.