Why did you provoke me?

On the morning of the fourth day, when Yu Meng led the four of them to stand on the fourth battlefield again, Nian Nian looked at Hua Shulang, who was already waiting there, in surprise.

Hua Shulang greeted Yu Meng calmly, "Teacher Yu, we meet again."

Yu Meng didn't say anything, she just waved her hand, "Let's go inside and talk."

Hua Shulang's team fell silent; they were all a little taken aback.

Weren't they here to retrieve the treasure? Why bring outsiders along? Although these two people saved them, in their eyes, when it comes to the treasure, they are still outsiders.

They would not oppose Hua Shulang's decision, nor would they question their captain in front of outsiders.

Re-entering the fourth battlefield, Niannian had her doubts, but she wisely refrained from asking. She never objected to her fourth sister's decisions.

The group walked a long way in silence. Hua Shulang finally slowed down, stopped, and faced his team: "I will solemnly reintroduce you. This is the bone-drawing master of Jingchuan Hall, and also the person I will be following in the future."

The team members stood quietly, without whispering, asking why, or raising any questions.

They all looked at Hua Shulang, their gazes calm, their trust weathered by time.

Hua Shulang looked at the team he was leading, raised one hand above his head, and said, "I, Hua Shulang, guarantee with my integrity that I will take full responsibility for my choices and will ensure that my brothers have a better future."

The team members stirred slightly, looking around, wondering what was going on. "Guys? Is the captain going to take them along?"

Hua Shulang's next words confirmed their guess.

"The small beads we wear were made by the bone painters behind me. Their help to us actually started a long time ago, but I just didn't say it."

Hua Shulang laughed with a roguish air, "One can't be too greedy. I can't have a Bone Painter in my team while I'm also defecting to another Bone Painter. But now I don't have that worry anymore. I'm going to lead you all into the future. Brothers, are you willing to come with me?"

Cheers erupted instantly. "We do! We do!"

They knew all too well what that little bead was for.

Yu Meng and the other three stood there quietly. They saw Hua Shulang's personal charm, his unwavering devotion, and his complete trust in her.

"Alright, now that we have a root, we must show our sincerity. I've decided to give that unknown treasure as a gift to our Bone Painter. Do you agree?" Hua Shulang shouted the last sentence.

After a second of silence, everyone shouted again, "Agreed!"

Isn't that obvious? A treasure? In their eyes, it's just a bag of stones. Without an instruction manual, it wouldn't fetch a good price.

But if the bone artist recognizes its value, they'll be rolling in money. A generous gift on their first meeting ensures the bone artist will treat them well in the future.

They're all seasoned veterans; nothing beats tangible benefits in terms of reasoning and logic.

Hua Shulang's smile grew even brighter; these shrewd people were playing along with him perfectly.

Jing San and Jing Ancheng exchanged a glance, feeling a sense of unease about how it all felt fake.

Hua Shulang turned around. "Teacher Yu, I'll lead the way."

Yu Meng nodded without saying anything.

Niannian, however, fell behind and walked alongside Jing San.

"Third Brother, aren't they being too deliberate? Why is there such a big change?"

"Well, it's nothing, just showing my loyalty."

As Hua Shulang walked, he witnessed the power of Yu Meng and her group once again.

They didn't rest at all, and their pace was the same as their usual walking speed. They even raised their voices quite a bit later, but Yu Meng and Niannian didn't react much, and didn't even utter a word of complaint about being tired.

Upon reaching the edge of the dense forest, Hua Shulang stopped, pointed inside, and said, "This is where we fell in, and what I'm talking about is down there."

After walking about 10 meters, Yu Meng stopped. Niannian's eyes were blurry. "How did it become like this?" she asked in surprise.

Then, as if remembering something, she thought, "Is this something a human could do?"

Yu Meng tilted her head and glanced at her. In that one glance, Nian Nian understood. "Maybe it wasn't done by a human. This must be divine punishment. Only God would dare to do such a thing."

When they arrived at the spot where they had fallen, the ground had returned to normal.

Hua Shulang stepped forward, "Leave some people here to guard this place; I'll go and try first."

Yu Meng's right eye darted around, and she saw something different.

"Hua Shulang, do you have any ropes? Tie them to your bodies."

"Yes." A man ran over, took a rope from his backpack, and said, "Captain, I'll go with you. That thing is too heavy; one person can't manage it alone."

Jing Ancheng stepped forward, "Bring more rope to tie to things, we'll go together."

Hua Shulang nodded. "Then I'll go down. You'd better hurry, or the quicksand will wash me away."

The words were meant as a joke, but no one laughed. They knew all too well how dangerous that was.

Yu Meng then stepped forward, pointed to a spot, and said, "Stand over there. Stand firm, and stomp hard on the branch next to you."

Hua Shulang stepped up without hesitation. To be honest, he was also unsure of himself, but he had to hold on no matter what.

Niannian followed him to that place and looked at it carefully. There was nothing different, was there? She was increasingly unable to understand her fourth sister's methods.

"Niannian, come here." Yu Meng glanced at Hua Shulang after he stood still, but didn't step on the branch. She knew he was looking out for Niannian.

Niannian left that spot, and Hua Shulang took a deep breath and stomped down hard.

The feeling of weightlessness instantly spread throughout her body. Hua Shulang quickly adjusted her posture, trying to curl herself into a ball.

The people on the ground watched helplessly as the person vanished before their eyes. In just a moment, the ground returned to normal.

The flowers fell sparsely to the ground, and it took them a long time to adjust to the darkness below.

I turned on the light, and there it was, exactly where it had fallen last time. The bag was still on the wall.

But Hua Shulang hesitated, fearing that the place might be the entrance to the quicksand.

The intercom vibrated at that moment, and Yu Meng's voice came through: "Take pictures of the situation underground and send them to me."

Hua Shulang hurriedly turned on his communication bell and started taking pictures, especially of the bag, which he photographed from several angles.

Yu Meng fiddled with the communication bell in her hand, and Niannian also craned her neck to look over.

"Is this the photo below? Hmm, I've never seen that rock before. Fourth Sister, have him take a few more pictures of the rock; I feel like it's moving."

Hua Shulang could naturally hear Niannian's voice. He stopped in one spot, his hand steady, and took ten photos, sending them over directly.

"Fourth Sister, look at this! This pattern is really different!" Niannian said excitedly, pointing to a spot in the photo.