The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3028 Continuing the Exploration
While Ouyang Nan and Ouyang Ruoxi were talking, Chen Mo stood to the side, listening to their conversation.

Chen Mo could understand Ouyang Ruoxi's dilemma. After all, they shared the same surname and came from the same family, so it was understandable to feel a little sympathy.

Besides, Ouyang Ruoxi is only just over eighteen years old; she's still very young. Although she usually seems aloof and unapproachable, it's all a facade. It's all because of her appearance. If she were to act any more friendly, she'd be incredibly annoying.

Therefore, her aloofness and coldness were a facade. Even though she returned to the family and served as acting patriarch for a period of time, it was mostly the result of discussions with some family elders; she rarely made decisions on her own.

Even though she already knew that these Ouyang family warriors who joined the expedition were a group destined to die, she still couldn't help but want to see them all die here.

My aunt is right. If we have the means to help in a dangerous situation, that's fine, but only if we can protect ourselves first.

Chen Mo tugged at Ouyang Ruoxi's soft clothes and said to her gently, "Alright, don't think so much. If there is real danger, and we are all safe, then it is only right to lend a hand. But since none of us are safe either, then we can only let them rely on themselves. Sometimes, people have to rely on themselves more."

Ouyang Ruoxi nodded in agreement. Although she sometimes had a bit of a saintly heart, she couldn't be blind to the situation and endanger her loved ones. So, if there was real danger, taking care of herself was the first priority.

Ouyang Nan naturally heard what Chen Mo said and agreed with his point of view. Protecting oneself and one's loved ones is the best choice; only if one still has the ability after that should one consider helping others.

"Alright, let's not talk about these things anymore. We have other things to do." Ouyang Nan ended the previous topic directly. After all, it was a bit unpleasant to talk about it too much, so it was better not to say anything.

"Aunt, is there anything else we need to do?" Ouyang Ruoxi asked.

"Elder Qian Ying, oh, Elder Qian Ying, instructed us to continue our exploration, to find out where the Red Bee area leads, and to observe the Red Bees' activity zone. If the team continues, we'll need to cross the Red Bee area overnight and reach a safe zone. This way, the team's continued journey will be safe," Ouyang Nan had originally intended to say "old man," but stopped herself and instead referred to him as "elder."

After all, she is already in her fifties or sixties and usually cares about manners, so she naturally has to be careful with her words and not say anything that insults others.

However, those two old guys deserved to be scolded; they were always causing trouble for the group. If she weren't lacking in strength, she really wanted to slap those two old men a few times, especially that old man Qian Ying.

"Aunt, could you repeat what those two old men said? I want to hear exactly what they had to say," Chen Mo said.

He didn't hesitate to call the two old Dengs by name; they were truly annoying. However, they were currently on an expedition, and he couldn't simply eliminate them, so he had to tolerate it. But he was a little puzzled. Zhou Zixing's life was entirely in his hands; how could he possibly ricochet off bullets like that?

Did he forget that I was behind him? Or was he trying to get my attention, or was he just looking for trouble?

When Ouyang Ruoxi heard Chen Mo call the two innate masters "old man," she smiled slightly, then gently tugged at his arm, signaling him to calm down and not to worry about anything.

Ouyang Nan smiled upon hearing this, and then recounted her conversation with Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing after she arrived.

After listening, Chen Mo realized that Zhou Zixing adopted a strategy of keeping a low profile as long as it didn't affect his own interests. If he really couldn't avoid it, he would try to smooth things over, basically avoiding offending him as much as possible.

That old man is something else, pulling off such a shrewd move. He's a real old fox. Especially his final words to Ouyang Nan—weren't they meant for him? He was actually trying to make Chen Mo understand that Zhou Zixing was only following Qian Ying's lead because he had no other choice.

Heh, that damned old fox.

"What? Auntie, you're making us stay there all day to observe the activities of the Red Bees? Are you kidding me? What if the Red Bees attack? How are we supposed to avoid them? And what if we encounter some kind of strange beast? Wouldn't we be attacked from both sides?" Ouyang Nana said indignantly after hearing this.

Ouyang Nan said, "There's no other way; that's what Qian Ying instructed. But if we're going to scout ahead, this kind of thing is still necessary." Objectively speaking, it's the right choice.

Ouyang Ruoxi nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. If we're going to investigate that area, we naturally need to find out what happened during the day as well. But why are we always the ones they're looking for? Is it because others are affected by the deaths of Han Chengye and Ouyang Min that they can't investigate, while we haven't been affected at all?"

"There's no other way. Although Qian Ying's excuse was clumsy, we have to complete the task once it's assigned. Fortunately, Qian Ying also arranged for Qian Zhenghao to come, which shows that he doesn't want to go too far," Ouyang Nan said helplessly.

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "It's not that Qian Ying, that old scoundrel, doesn't want to go too far, but Qian Zhenghao is a dispensable figure to his Qian family, so he can be discarded at any time. In fact, in Qian Ying's eyes, everyone in the team is someone he can discard at will, the only difference being whether they bring him corresponding benefits. As long as the benefits are right, then discarding anyone except him is no problem."

The three women fell silent after hearing Chen Mo's words. Although they knew his words were somewhat extreme, they understood that he was right. Therefore, they were all people who could be discarded, and thinking about it that way, they still felt genuinely uncomfortable.

"Alright, there's no use saying anything more. This guy is very strong, a peak third-stage Innate Realm expert. No matter what, he could crush all of us with a single finger. So we should obey orders when necessary," Ouyang Nan said.

Although they already knew Chen Mo was very strong, he was still no match for Qian Ying. Moreover, the other women were all only at the acquired level of strength, making any resistance impossible. Therefore, this mission still had to be carried out.

"Nana, Ruoxi, you two come with me to pack everything and get ready to leave at any time. Amo, go and choose a suitable defensive structure, then push it over to the woods and prepare it. When the time comes, we'll set off." Ouyang Nan assigned tasks to everyone, then continued, "Once everything is ready, come back and cultivate together. There are so many bottles of honey, so everyone should drink one first and seize the time to cultivate, trying to improve your strength as much as possible."

“Okay,” Ouyang Nana and Ouyang Ruoxi replied simultaneously.

Chen Mo nodded. Although the effects of honey were not of any use to him, he wouldn't say so. After all, he could have as much of this stuff as he wanted; given time, he could have an unlimited supply.

After Ouyang Nan finished making the arrangements, the group got busy.

Those who need to pack up should pack up their campsites, and those who need to pack should pack their bags.

Chen Mo got up and went to the defensive structure, found a suitable one, and pushed it into the woods to prepare.

Although Qian Wantong disliked Chen Mo, he could not disobey Qian Ying's orders. So, after hearing that Chen Mo was choosing a defensive body, he let him choose from several defensive bodies at will.

It was still afternoon, so many martial artists were still busy making defensive structures. Therefore, making a couple more wouldn't be a problem. Chen Mo pushed away one defensive structure, and Qian Wantong simply directed people to make one or two more.

This thing consumes a lot of water and branches, but since everyone here is a martial artist, their manual dexterity is quite good. And after making so many defensive structures, they've developed a set of procedures, making the production process much faster.

Although Qian Wantong didn't say much on the surface, he was secretly gloating over Chen Mo and the others.

I hope these people encounter more dangers during their investigation, and it would be best if none of them came back; that would be a truly satisfying outcome.

However, the thought of his own Qian Zhenghao also being taken along made him feel a little reluctant. But if he could exchange one for four, with Qian Zhenghao dying and Chen Mo and the other three all dying, it would be worth it!
So hurry up and go die.

After making a selection, Chen Mo chose the smallest one and then pushed the defensive structure to the edge of the woods, ready to set off.

Although the entire defensive structure weighs several tons, it is very easy to move, and it is a piece of cake for Chen Mo.

When they returned, Ouyang Nan and the others were still tidying up the campsite.

"Amo, have you chosen your defensive body?" Ouyang Nan asked.

“Once you’ve chosen one, push it to the edge of the woods. Look, that’s it,” Chen Mo said to Ouyang Nan, pointing to the defensive structure he had pushed over.

“Alright, after we set up the camp, let’s eat something here first, then take some time to cultivate, and we’ll set off again after nightfall,” Ouyang Nan said.

Chen Mo pulled Ouyang Nan back and said, "After we pack our bags, let's go to the defensive structure. Whether we eat or meditate, we can stay around it or even go inside to cultivate. We can also keep an eye on it for safety. In addition, we can push the defensive structure to the entrance of the bushes so we can set off whenever the time comes."

Ouyang Nan understood the implication in Chen Mo's words and said, "Are you worried that someone might tamper with the defense system?"

"Yes, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one must be wary of others. It is always best to be cautious in everything," Chen Mo said earnestly.

“Okay, we’ll do it your way.” Ouyang Nan nodded in agreement.