Chapter 67 Strength is Courage

  When she said the last sentence, Zuo Xiao Yao sensitively felt that Zhuge Jin Yu had glanced at her with a seemingly unintentional glance, which was quite emphatic, but she didn't react in any way, making up her mind to wait until things were announced before deciding carefully. After all, there were only three debts left, and repaying them was just a matter of sooner or later.

  The woman, who was more straightforward and had a clearer attribute, asked eagerly as soon as she sat down, "Master Shu, just now in the courtyard, I met Wei Tong and he said that it might be a big case that requires many strong people to handle. Do we need to let our sect send someone to support?"

  "Wennin, don't always be in such a rush when things happen. Master has his own plans and arrangements for everything. Let's just listen to Master and wait for everyone to arrive. Master will definitely make an announcement then."

  Before Zhuge could respond, he sat down beside a woman named Wanying and the man with a gentle appearance advised in a warm voice.

  After glancing at her husband, Yu Wenning looked at Zuo Xiaoyao with a hint of embarrassment, then smiled and said "Alright, I'll listen to you, we can talk about it later. By the way, this young lady looks somewhat familiar, she's so young yet has such great skills... hmm, her innate talent must be exceptional! My name is Zhao Yuwenning, this is my husband Mo Ziyang, what's your name?"

  Zuo Xiaoyao's impression of the two was not bad, like Zhuge Jinyu who looked away with a smile, and also took in the interactions between the couple, smiling back "Hello, I'm Zuo Xiaoyao!"

  Zhao Wennin waved her hand and said, "No need to be so polite, I'm definitely older than you. Just call me Wennin Jie, when are you coming to Gai Shi? I've never seen you at the exchange meetings before."

  "Okay. Wen Ning sister, I came three years ago and have been busy with tasks, spending more time outside, so I haven't had a chance to attend the exchange meeting yet. I heard it's very lively, if I can make it next time, I'll definitely come to participate."

  Changing the way she addressed him as smooth as flowing water, Zuo Xiao Yao smiled warmly and replied, ignoring Zhuge Jie Yu's eyes flashing with a hint of unclear smile when he heard her mention 'busy doing tasks'.

  There are currently eight cultivators who have reached the mid-stage of the Refining Liquid stage or higher, excluding Zuo Xiaoyao and the other three who arrived earlier. The remaining five include Lian Weitong and Li Tian, whom he had mentioned before.

  "...whether it is the real Dragon Tripod or not, there is currently no conclusion, as far as I know. Although this matter has not been spread in the cultivation world, several forces with special information channels in the mortal world have also received the news, and whoever gets it earlier will have a greater chance of getting it."

  After the eight people arrived, Zhuge Jianyu finally revealed the truth. It turned out that a team of top-notch explorers from several countries around the world had accidentally discovered a large tripod half-buried in the sand in the Sahara Desert. The news was only transmitted back to the sponsors of those explorers half a day ago. According to the pictures sent back, Zhuge Jianyu, one of the sponsors of that expedition team, suspected that it was the legendary Dragon Tripod, a treasure of the Xian family, with the ability to destroy mountains and seas, shatter the void, and cover the sky.

  Upon hearing that it was likely the legendary Imperial Dragon Cauldron, everyone's emotions were stirred up and they couldn't hide their excitement. They couldn't wait to express their sincerity and rush over to take a look. A hint of mockery flashed in Zuo Xiao Yao's eyes as she made a rather discouraging comment to dampen their enthusiasm: "I heard that the legendary Imperial Dragon Cauldron is a treasure of the immortal family..."

  Unfortunately, she didn't have time to pour cold water on it, and Wei Tong, thinking he had found a kindred spirit, immediately picked up the conversation, "Yes, I've heard that it's a treasure left behind by the celestial beings of the upper realm in our starry sky, with infinite power! We must hurry, if we're late, it might fall into someone else's hands! A treasure from the immortal family! Just thinking about it is exciting!"

  Her interest was interrupted, and Zuo Xiao Yao frankly expressed her own thoughts. "I think it's not that great, if it were really the Dragon Imperial Cauldron, there wouldn't be anyone in our cultivation world who could use its power... Hmm, being able to see a treasure of the immortal family in one's lifetime is indeed an honor, even if it's not real. Anyway, something like that coming out of the desert definitely isn't ordinary! Right?"

  It turns out that there are still many people in the world who don't like to hear the truth. After she frankly pointed out the fact that even with treasures, no one can use them in the current state of the Cultivation Realm, the eyes of the surrounding crowd suddenly filled with accusation. How do you know I won't be able to use it in the future?! This was almost what everyone present wanted to express, except for a certain someone who was smiling at her. The feeling of being glared at by those resentful eyes wasn't pleasant at all. In the end, Zuo Xiao Yao still chose to change her tune, not having the guts to stand up for herself.

  The scene was once again filled with the warm and pleasant voice of Zhuge Zhenyu, "Since Xiaoyao is so confident in this Imperial Dragon Tripod, I suppose you have already made up your mind to go. What are the thoughts of the others? Time is limited, I've had a helicopter prepared, it's not mandatory, regardless of the final outcome, there will be three thousand first-grade spiritual jade as rewards."

  Even enough to buy a mid-grade artifact with slightly inferior might, the amount was substantial, and everyone else's eyes lit up instantly as they hastened to voice their agreement. Naturally, no one expressed any opposition, except for Zuo XiaoYao, who had successfully synthesized a large quantity of second-grade spirit jade and not a few third-grade spirit jade using the reverse heavenly timing in the Purple Boundary Realm over the past three years.

  When she heard that Zhuge Jingyu took it for granted that she would go with him, even though she didn't strongly oppose going to the mess in the first place, Zuo Xiaoyao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, wanting to open her mouth and refuse directly. At times, she wouldn't be willing to humiliate herself just to save someone else's face.

  However, Zhuge Jin-yu didn't intend to give her a chance to object and immediately gave another order, shattering Wei Tong's hopes. "Wei Tong can't go with us, we don't know how many days it will take, all of the daily affairs of the sect will be handed over to you to handle, later I will set your task monitoring authority to deputy first level."

  Wei Tong, who had always admired 'Lao Da', felt resentful in his heart but could only show a face of grievance and express his willingness. Fortunately, the trust conveyed by 'Lao Da's' move still made him feel somewhat valued, after all, being able to access the most confidential information of the Gu Shi resource relationship network was not something that could be casually delegated, even if it was just secondary level permission!

  Less than half an hour later, Wei Tong, who was left behind to watch the "house" with a full face of regret, and eight people including Zhuge Jinyu rushed to the private airport set up by Gai Shi in the outer area. Missing the best opportunity to speak out against it in the conference room, although she had a feeling of being calculated, she could only follow the crowd. After all, the reward for this trip was still quite tempting, and once she thought about returning from the Sahara Desert, she would be able to get her long-awaited freedom. Zuo Xiaoyao's mood was still pretty good, and it had to be said that she was indeed a very skilled self-comforting optimist.

  Another benefit of being in a good mood is that it allows Zhuge Zhenyu to discover that he seems to have miscalculated and become puzzled. After unintentionally discovering this, Zuo Xiaoyao's mood became even better on the helicopter. So, getting angry and depressed is indeed punishing oneself for others' mistakes. The more one takes care of themselves, the more effective it is in counterattacking those who want to make them miserable for various reasons.

  Two pilots took turns on duty. Looking out of the plane window, all that could be seen was a cotton-like cloud layer that seemed to be within arm's reach, and there wasn't much scenery to speak of. It was dull and uninteresting to have to sit on the plane for almost a whole day and night in order to reach the Sahara Desert. The excitement of several people was not high. The intense emotions caused by the appearance of the suspected 'treasure' also gradually subsided.

  He gazed silently at Zuo Xiao Yao, who was sitting by the window, her hands propping up her chin as she stared out the window. A hint of puzzlement flashed across Zhuge Jin Yu's eyes. Although they had never directly interacted face-to-face before, he was quite familiar with Zuo Xiao Yao's past. Since she had contacted him through Gai Shi on the internet, leaving behind some cryptic messages, he had asked Gai Shi to investigate and gather information about her. Most of the intel had been personally delivered to Zuo Xiao Yao by him, and her actions after entering Gai Shi were largely under his control. Adding to their brief encounter in the conference room earlier, he couldn't help but feel that she was the most unusual woman he had ever met.

  It's hard to measure her with the inertia of human thinking, no matter what situation she is in, she seems to be able to keep a clear head with caution and rationality, quickly judging the situation closest to the truth based on limited information, analyzing the possible results that may bring her what kind of impact, what price she may need to pay, what gains she can get, whether it's worth taking action compared to the possible gains, she will never be impulsive due to the appearance of benefits, nor will she give up opportunities due to self-deprecation.

  When interacting with anyone, they seem to be gentle and polite, even appearing sincere and enthusiastic. In reality, however, they subtly maintain a slight distance from everyone. When conversing with others, they can always pinpoint the key issue at the first opportunity, yet do so in a humorous and interesting way that doesn't come across as too pushy or overbearing, bringing a sense of relaxation to those around them.

  At the first moment, Zuo Xiaoyao felt that Zhuge Jinyu, who had actively chosen to sit next to her on the plane, had been staring at her all along. After enduring for a considerable amount of time and finding that the other party did not have the self-awareness to shift their gaze, Zuo Xiaoyao silently sighed in her heart, raised her hand to touch her face, turned her head to look at Zhuge Jinyu with a somewhat helpless expression, and said: "Ever since meeting you, I've always been very self-aware, but it can be confirmed that as a woman, growing up like this is absolutely not wrong!"

  Seeing the doubt in his eyes, Zuo Xiao Yao continued, "The mistake lies in the world's perspective on beauty and ugliness. You insist on sitting here, staring at me, as if to constantly remind me that I should feel ashamed of myself?"

  After being stunned for a moment, Zhuge Jinyu revealed a smile with unclear meaning. "Xiaoyao is overthinking, I just think that sitting here, apart from looking at the relatively pleasing-to-the-eye Xiaoyao, there seems to be nothing else to do, it's really boring. If Xiaoyao feels disadvantaged, you can also look at me, I definitely won't mind!"

  In his past life, he had been praised countless times for his appearance, but most of them didn't end well. As a man, especially one who looked more beautiful than women, the most annoying thing was to be compared with women in terms of appearance. Even if it were some innocent and sincere compliments, it would still be a painful thing, not to mention that many of them had ulterior motives.

  But this time, after hearing Zuo Xiao Yao's words that seemed to convey a similar meaning, he didn't feel the slightest bit offended or dissatisfied. Instead, he found it amusing, even though in Zhuge Jin Yu's eyes, Zuo Xiao Yao's cultivation was an entire level lower than his.

  While sitting around them, others who were intentionally paying attention to the commotion on this side couldn't help but secretly wipe away their sweat after hearing Zuo Xiao's words. Those who had joined the sect for a longer period of time and had more interactions with Zhuge Zhenyu naturally knew how much he liked this topic. Even when someone accidentally stared at him for too long, he would release an aura that intimidated people, causing those who knew him to not dare look at his excessively handsome face in front of him.

  In addition, Zhuge Jianyu, although he had lived in the mortal world for a relatively long time and had established his own sect, would not put on airs in front of these people. He treated them only as company managers, without paying too much attention to the default division of cultivation levels in the Cultivation Realm. However, these people were ultimately incredibly powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they did not dare show even a hint of disrespect in his presence, let alone bring up that nearly offending topic.

  Never thought Zuo Xiao Yao would be so bold and daring, not only did she dare to tease him, but also teased his appearance!

  Zhuge Jin Yu, however, seemed completely unbothered and even counterattacked with a good mood, leaving Zuo Xiao Yao speechless for a while before she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Meanwhile, in her heart, she was marveling that indeed, one cannot judge people or things by their appearance alone, and when it came to being thick-skinned, Zhuge Jin Yu's skills were truly unmatched.

  But little did he know that Zuo Xiao Yao was only speaking so casually because she knew her cultivation level was on par with his, and there was no gap in their abilities. Strength is courage, these words were not spoken in vain!

  PS: Thanks for Jingwu's suggestion, made some minor adjustments!