"Big Senior Brother, I heard that when the sect master attempted to break through to the Mahayana stage last time, he used an Ice Marrow Pill. If some of us were in dire need of this Ice Marrow Pill, would you put the sect’s welfare first, or the people who urgently need it?" Triangular Eyes moved a little closer to the fire, joking around.
The moment those words left his mouth, the air suddenly went quiet, and the gazes of the other disciples drifted, almost imperceptibly, toward Wen Shubai.
Officially, the Ice Marrow Pill was said to be for the sect’s formation, but they all knew the truth—this pill would most likely go to the disciple who performed the best during this training expedition. Otherwise, the elders wouldn’t have sent Wen Shubai all the way out here to retrieve it.
Wen Shubai kept his eyes on his work, his tone mild: "The sect’s mission comes first. Your hypothetical doesn’t really mean anything."
Between the sect and his fellow disciples, he would only ever choose the sect.
Nearby, Ji Zhaoxi rummaged through her pouch for a magic tool. She remembered bringing two of them, and after digging around for a while, she finally found one.
Triangular Eyes fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "As expected of Big Senior Brother. If I were him, I might just split that Ice Marrow Pill up. After all, it’s meant for the disciples on this trip."
Even a single broken fragment of an Ice Marrow Pill would be a monumental stroke of luck.
The expressions on the other disciples’ faces shifted subtly.
To be honest, this team had been with the Heavenly Abandonment Sect the longest and had the highest cultivation levels. If that Ice Marrow Pill really were going to go to the best-performing disciple on this expedition, it could only come from someone in their group.
Wen Shubai lowered his eyes, and then, suddenly, he felt something warm being pressed into his palm.
"Big Senior Brother, this gets really warm—I bought it at the black market too." Ji Zhaoxi whispered, her eyes full of pride.
Even though she had no spiritual power, she had plenty of magic tools.
Wen Shubai let out a low chuckle. "Thank you, little junior sister."
Ji Zhaoxi had zero interest in the Ice Marrow Pill. It wasn’t like she’d ever get to take one anyway.
The other disciples were resting with their eyes closed, and Ji Zhaoxi practiced her telekinesis technique. Her face was flushed red from the firelight as she focused on a palm-sized piece of ice on the ground, straining so hard that cold sweat beaded on her forehead. But that piece of ice only moved a token twitch.
"Little junior sister, sink your breath into your dantian. Don’t use brute force to move it." Wen Shubai said softly.
He leaned forward slightly, and Ji Zhaoxi’s back bumped gently into his chest. His hand covered hers, which had grown stiff from exertion, and guided it through a few arcs.
"Can you feel the spiritual energy inside the ice?"
Ji Zhaoxi listened to Wen Shubai’s words and focused intently. At last, the ice trembled and floated upward. Her wrist gave a light flick, and the chunk of ice traced a graceful curve in the air.
Overcome with excitement, Ji Zhaoxi spun around, nearly brushing her face against his.
Everyone else was asleep, and she was so thrilled that she could barely contain herself, but she still whispered: "Big Senior Brother, I did it!"
Wen Shubai looked at her sparkling eyes and echoed her tone, speaking in an equally soft voice: "Indeed, little junior sister is talented."
The surrounding ice was sapping the fire’s warmth, so Wen Shubai stoked the flames higher.
Ji Zhaoxi had fallen asleep. At first, she had been sitting up neatly against the side, but as the night deepened, she drowsily drifted toward the source of warmth beside her.
Wen Shubai, resting with his eyes closed, sensed Ji Zhaoxi drawing near. He opened his eyes and gently pulled her closer into his embrace. She was sleeping restlessly, her fingers trembling slightly from the cold.
Wen Shubai pressed his palm against her back, and a warm current of spiritual energy flowed slowly into her body.
Early the next morning, sunlight fell across the glaciers of the extreme northern ice field, but brought little warmth. Several disciples looked even paler than before.
The group trudged forward through the snow. Having slept poorly the night before, the other disciples wore irritable expressions.
Wen Shubai walked at the front, the compass in his hand spinning wildly, pointing toward the forest ahead.
"It's just ahead," Wen Shubai said quietly.
The disciples behind him looked a bit relieved. Finally, they had an approximate location. If they had to stay out here much longer, their bodies would grow severely weakened.
Just then, the ground began to tremble violently. Several beasts with blood-red eyes burst through the ice, lunging straight at them.
The fellow disciples showed no hint of fear on their faces, but Ji Zhaoxi was startled out of her wits.
Wen Shubai shielded the compass, furrowed his brow, and drew his sword. A crescent-white blade of qi sliced straight through the beasts, splitting them in two before they could even let out a cry.
Meanwhile, Ji Zhaoxi stood off to the side, testing her magical instruments.
She had bought so many of them, and at such high prices, she was determined to try each and every one.
Wen Shubai glanced at her and left one beast for her to handle. Ji Zhaoxi quickly grabbed her instrument and attacked it.
She had too many instruments and had somewhat forgotten which one did what—so she just threw them all at the beast!
After all, the daughter of a pig butcher had money to burn.
The beast exploded into a mess, blood splattering everywhere.
"Senior Brother, pretty impressive, right?" Ji Zhaoxi said with a hint of pride.
Wen Shubai smiled but said nothing.
For the beasts that followed, Wen Shubai handled all of them, while the other disciples stood behind, unmoving. Ji Zhaoxi managed to kill a few herself with her instruments.
The more she watched, the more something felt off. She observed the disciples behind her.
She realized they were simply hiding behind Wen Shubai, showing no intention of lifting a finger.
Wen Shubai was studying the direction of the compass when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down at Ji Zhaoxi, who was staring at him with a serious expression.
She whispered by his ear, "Senior Brother, don't just jump in and fight every time like a fool. They're not helping you at all."
Wen Shubai looked at her indignant face and gently patted her head, laughing softly. "Got it, little junior sister."
Ji Zhaoxi sighed. Judging by Senior Brother's expression, she knew he hadn't taken her words to heart at all.
No wonder the Second Elder had written in his letter that Senior Brother was a good-natured pushover—he didn't even care when people used him as cannon fodder.
The group continued forward. The further they went, the harder it became to breathe. Strange sounds echoed around them from time to time, and their faces grew grim.
Then, without warning, a spiderweb-like crack split open beneath their feet.
"Ah—!"
One disciple screamed as he plunged straight into the ice fissure. A heart-wrenching shriek rose from the depths before fading into silence.
Triangular Eyes didn't even pause his step, frowning impatiently. "Why did only he fall in?"
No one else had fallen.
He couldn't help but speak up: "The Ice Marrow Pill is about to ripen, Senior Brother, we need to hurry. This concerns the entire sect."
Seeing Wen Shubai about to go down to rescue the person, Triangular Eyes grew even more impatient. He forced himself to stay calm: "Senior Brother, we have no idea how deep this ice crevice goes. Going down now would just be a waste of spiritual energy."
The other disciples hesitated for a moment before also speaking up: "Senior Brother, we can come back to save him once we've found the Ice Marrow Pill."
But Wen Shubai went down to rescue him anyway.
Ji Zhaoxi stood quietly by the side, waiting for Wen Shubai to come back up.
So much for brotherhood within the same sect. The guy wasn't even dead yet, and they were already refusing to save him.
Thinking about what Triangular Eyes had said to her before they set out, she wasn't all that angry anymore. After all, this was how these people treated even their own fellow disciples.
She might be better off sticking with the overly kind Senior Brother, at least he would save her...
The others sat nearby, their faces twisted with irritation.
"Why does Senior Brother have to go save him right now? The Ice Marrow Pill is what matters most."
"It's just one guy who fell in, and now everyone has to wait for him."
Ji Zhaoxi pretended to be mute beside them.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, Wen Shubai came back up carrying the disciple, who had already passed out. The disciple's leg was twisted at a strange angle, white bone piercing through his trousers, blood flowing endlessly and staining the snow around him red.
Wen Shubai took out a pill, and Triangular Eyes said in disbelief: "The Flesh Regeneration and Bone Knitting Pill?"
His heart ached at the sight: "Senior Brother, that pill is so precious. What if someone else gets injured later?"
What if he got hurt and there was no pill left for him?
Wen Shubai ignored Triangular Eyes' words and placed the pill into the disciple's mouth. The disciple's deathly pale face finally began to show signs of improvement.
It wasn't just Triangular Eyes. The other disciples were also somewhat dissatisfied with Wen Shubai's actions.
The Flesh Regeneration Pill was so rare, how could Senior Brother just use it so casually, and on someone who was only slowing them down?
The atmosphere in the group grew heavy. Wen Shubai suddenly noticed that Ji Zhaoxi was clinging to him more than usual.
She had always clung to him, but now she kept grabbing at his sleeve with her brows tightly furrowed, as if she were thinking about something.
Wen Shubai assumed she was thinking about the Ice Marrow Pill. He took her hand and said softly, "Little Junior Sister, we'll find the Ice Marrow Pill soon."
But at that moment, Ji Zhaoxi wasn't thinking about the Ice Marrow Pill at all.
Wen Shubai noticed Ji Zhaoxi's tension and asked gently, "What is Little Junior Sister thinking about?"
Ji Zhaoxi let out a sigh: "Thinking about how I'd make my way back if I got abandoned."
Wen Shubai looked at her worried, gloomy face and couldn't help but ruffle her hair: "I would never abandon Little Junior Sister."
He hadn't expected his little junior sister to feel so insecure.
