Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

The next day, as dawn broke, nothing happened during the night.

Shen Wei stood up, walked out of the cave, and stretched in the sunlight.

He looked up at the rocks outside the cave. Ye Qingci was still sitting there in the same position as last night, her back as straight as a pine tree.

Hearing the noise behind him, Ye Qingci saw that Shen Wei had woken up, so he stood up with his sword in hand.

Shen Wei looked up and saw that Ye Qingci's calm and serene face showed a hint of weariness that was hard to hide.

Shen Wei saw this and his heart stirred. It seemed that even Nascent Soul stage cultivators needed rest.

"Fairy Ye, why don't you take a rest? I'll keep watch for you."

"No need, let's hurry on our way. The sooner we arrive at Yuheng Sect, the fewer variables there will be."

"If we encounter pursuers from the Shangqing Sect on the way, we'll have to rely on you. If you don't get some rest now, you might not be able to exert your full strength."

"Let's travel at full speed now. With our combined cultivation levels, the pursuers certainly won't be able to catch up with us. If we are caught, even if I rest on the spot, I probably won't have much time to rest. It's better to seize the time and keep going now."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wei pondered it carefully and felt that what she said made sense. He then raised his hand, summoned his flying sword, gripped the hilt, and prepared to set off with Ye Qingci.

Just then, three beams of light sped from the distant horizon, heading straight for the mountain hollow where the two were.

In this desolate wilderness, where few people pass by, it's obvious that the pursuers from the Shangqing Sect have come looking for us.

Shen Wei and Ye Qingci exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly turning serious.

Since there was no way to avoid it, the two gripped their longswords tightly, their spiritual energy circulating quietly around them, preparing for battle.

Three beams of light landed instantly, and as they dissipated, three figures slowly appeared—it was Luo Yinghe, Yu Tu, and Gu Hao, who had been traveling day and night on their swords.

Upon seeing the familiar figure of the leading girl, Ye Qingci's eyes flashed with surprise. His grip on his sword loosened slightly, and the sword drooped instinctively. His tone carried a hint of disbelief:

"Yinghe?"

"Master!"

Seeing this, Luo Yinghe smiled sweetly and responded.

Shen Wei did not put down his sword. He glanced at the three people and quickly probed them with his divine sense, feeling secretly surprised.

Apart from Luo Yinghe, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, the other two were only at the Golden Core stage.

Although their cultivation levels were much higher than Pei Yan's group, they were still far behind him and Ye Qingci.

Does the Shangqing Sect really have no one left to send over here?

On the other side, Ye Qingci quickly recovered from her shock, and her expression gradually became serious.

She realized that these three people were most likely pursuers sent by the sect, even though Luo Yinghe was her disciple whom she had personally taught for six years.

However, the incident of her killing several elders of the Shangqing Sect and betraying the sect happened suddenly, and she did not have time to inform Luo Yinghe.

She didn't know what Luo Yinghe's attitude would be after hearing the rumors about the sect.

After regaining his composure slightly, Ye Qingci said in a deep voice:

"Yinghe, if you've come here to ask me to go back to the Shangqing Sect with you, then forget it. I will never go back."

"Master, what are you saying? I never intended for you to return to the sect."

Ye Qingci was slightly taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes:

"Then what brings you here?"

Although Ye Qingci had spent six years with Luo Yinghe, she still couldn't quite figure out this quirky and clever disciple.

"I just want to stay by Master's side. Wherever Master goes, I will go."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned.

Shen Wei raised an eyebrow, Yu Tu looked bewildered, and Gu Hao's expression changed drastically.

Yu Tu quickly tugged at Gu Hao's sleeve and lowered his voice:

"Hey, senior brother, Senior Sister Luo has betrayed us! We don't have any connection with Elder Ye, should we run away quickly?"

Gu Hao was also sweating profusely. He had long felt that chasing Ye Qingci was a very foolish thing to do, but after all, it was a mission assigned by the sect, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.

At the same time, she could only pray in her heart that her cultivation would not have recovered when they caught up with Ye Qingci.

But things turned out to be even worse than he had imagined.

After catching up, they discovered that not only had Ye Qingci's cultivation level recovered to the Nascent Soul stage, but even Luo Yinghe, the only person they could rely on on this trip, had so easily turned against them and stood on Ye Qingci's side.

Gu Hao's face was contorted with worry as he whispered, "Do you think... we can still escape now?"

"That's true. It seems we're doomed to die here today. Before I die, I'd like to hear Master Qiu Jue's profound words one more time. By the way, Senior Brother, do you know what profound words are?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Hao felt a mix of emotions and didn't know how to describe his feelings. He could only roll his eyes helplessly, too lazy to respond to this dim-witted junior brother.

Shen Wei, standing opposite him, was also somewhat bewildered.

So these three people came not to die, nor to hunt down Ye Qingci, but to seek refuge?

Looking into Luo Yinghe's determined eyes, Ye Qingci felt a slight stirring in her heart and asked softly:

"Don't you think Master was wrong to inexplicably kill so many elders of the sect?"

Luo Yinghe shook her head without hesitation, her eyes clear and firm:

"I believe in Master. Master must have his reasons for doing this. I don't need to know too much. I just need to support Master silently."

Ye Qingci felt a warmth in her heart, but still gently shook her head, her tone tinged with worry:

"Even so, I cannot take you with me. I do not want to drag you into this conflict. You should take them back quickly and tell them that my injuries have healed. I believe the sect will not punish you too much."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yinghe showed no anger, but her gaze slowly shifted and landed on Shen Wei, who was standing next to Ye Qingci.

Shen Wei was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a tall and straight figure and delicate features, looking just like a carefree young master from a noble family.

Luo Yinghe frowned inwardly, a sense of displeasure rising in her heart. Apart from being somewhat good-looking, she found this person irritating in every way.

She gripped her longsword tightly, the tip pointing directly at Shen Wei:

"It must have been you who bewitched my master with sweet words! Otherwise, how could my master bear to abandon me?"

Hmm, what does this have to do with him?

He only received three thousand spirit stones and, with his Nascent Soul cultivation, escorted a Deity Transformation cultivator to the Jade Balance Sect, earning a small fee for his trouble.

Faced with this unfounded accusation, Shen Wei retorted without hesitation.

"This has nothing to do with me. Your master probably just finds you troublesome and doesn't want you to come along."

"You're asking for it—"

Luo Yinghe's spiritual power surged instantly, and she was about to charge at Shen Wei with her sword.

"Yinghe! No!" Ye Qingci shouted as soon as he saw this, and reached out to stop Luo Yinghe.

Seeing this, Shen Wei's favorability towards Luo Yinghe had dropped to negative numbers. He was ready to draw his sword at the slightest disagreement. Could this be the disciple personally trained by Ye Qingci?