The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3041 Illusion
With a "whoosh," the two defensive structures, which were pressed together, finally emerged from the dark bushes and appeared at the entrance of the passage.

"Finally back!" At the entrance of the passage, Qian Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Previously, because Ouyang Nan hadn't returned, Qian Wantong had been sent with a few people to check why she hadn't come back. Now that they saw both defensive entities emerge from their defensive structures, they were relieved.

However, his eyes swept over the two defensive structures pressed together and he noticed something was wrong. He immediately darted forward and shouted, "Manager Qian! Manager Qian!"

"I'm here!" Qian Wantong answered quickly when he heard Elder Qian call out. However, because he had been bitten by the Red Thread Fruit many times, even though he had eaten a few more Red Thread Fruits, the accumulated toxins from the repeated bites made his body weak and unable to even sit up.

Although he answered Elder Qian's call, his voice was rather soft, like a kitten meowing.

Fortunately, Qian Ying was very strong, so his hearing was also good, and it was late at night, so the surroundings were quiet. Therefore, he heard Manager Qian's answer clearly, and immediately flashed to the back of the defensive structure, and kicked it hard. It turned out that the back of the defensive structure could be lifted, and it was kicked open with one kick.

The two martial artists inside were helping Qian Wantong out through the rear passage, but Qian Ying kicked them, and all three of them, along with the rear defenses, fell to the ground.

"Ah!" All three of them screamed in pain, never expecting to be hit like this when they tried to get out.

The entire rear of the defensive structure was made of wood, with a thick layer of soil in between, and its weight was close to one ton. Combined with the force of Qian Ying's kick, the impact on the three martial artists was naturally very painful.

Fortunately, all three were martial artists. Although Qian Wantong was unable to move after being poisoned, his physical condition was still good, so he fared somewhat better than the two martial artists supporting him after the impact. The other two martial artists, however, were immediately bruised and swollen, with blood flowing from their noses.

"This is..." Qian Wantong felt reassured upon seeing this scene.

He had initially thought that Qian Wantong and the others might be in trouble, but seeing that all five were still alive, he naturally felt relieved. However, seeing that three of them had bruises and swelling on their faces, he realized that he had been too hasty, which had led to this situation.

So I felt a little embarrassed, but as a master of innate skill, I still had some pride.

"No, it's nothing, we just lost our balance and fell down." Qian Wantong knew why from Qian Ying's expression and quickly tried to ease her embarrassment.

His body, which had been somewhat limp, recovered a bit from the impact, and he was able to speak more fluently.

"Ha, that's good, that's good, hurry up and go out." After saying that, Qian Ying turned around and walked out.

"Elder Qian!" Qian Ying had just stepped out of the defensive structure when she saw five people standing beside her. They were in much better condition than Qian Wantong, as they were all able to stand steadily. Upon seeing Qian Ying, they immediately bowed slightly in greeting.

Ouyang Nan, Ouyang Nana, and Qian Zhenghao, having all used the Red Thread Fruit for both internal and external application, emerged from the back of the defensive structure without Chen Mo's assistance after reaching the exit. Their bodies had recovered well; aside from a slight lack of strength, they were all in good condition.

Chen Mo pulled Ouyang Ruoxi and followed behind the three of them. When they came out, they saw Qian Ying kick the defensive structure where Qian Wantong was in front of them, then slipped inside and heard the conversation inside. They looked at each other and smiled. They didn't expect that Qian Ying, this old man, would have such an embarrassing moment. It was quite a surprise.

When Qian Ying saw Ouyang Nan and the other four standing safely in front of her, she naturally felt a little embarrassed. Her actions just now had definitely been witnessed by them. Fortunately, the embarrassment was short-lived, and she quickly recovered.

After all, Qian Ying was a seasoned veteran who had encountered many things, so this awkward situation wasn't a big deal. Everyone makes mistakes, some big, some small.

"Yes, it's good that you're back. I was worried about you, so I sent Qian Wantong with some men to meet you. I don't know where you met, and you all seem to have been poisoned by snakes. What happened?"

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Qian. We encountered some issues, which delayed our return. We met Steward Qian Wantong in the bushes, but there were some hiccups along the way..."

Seeing that there was no time to finish talking to Ouyang Nan, and that Qian Wantong and the others had helped each other out of the defensive structure, he waved his hand to interrupt her, saying, "No need to talk now, we'll have a meeting later to talk about it all. Let's check on our injuries first, and come to my place after we've rested a bit."

Although he wanted to know what had happened to the two teams, especially Ouyang Nan's side, since they had returned safely, it meant that they might be safe after passing the Red Bee area. However, all of this was just speculation, and he would need to get their reports before he could find out the truth.

However, seeing that most of these people were injured and had difficulty even standing, it was best to rest first before making any further decisions.

Based on his observation, they had all been poisoned by the venom of the red-spotted snake, so he figured they could just wait a while for the venom to dissipate before reporting back. Since they were already back, there was no rush to find out what had happened.

Upon hearing Qian Ying's words, everyone quickly went to rest. After all, health was the most important thing; only after recovering could they do other things. However, to Qian Ying's surprise, while they were resting, it was already dawn, and Qian Wantong and the others had recovered somewhat. Fortunately, they had the strength to walk and talk, but their overall strength had not yet fully recovered.

However, it didn't significantly affect the reporting process, so Qian Ying had someone invite them over for a meeting to discuss the situation in detail. She also called Zhou Zixing over as well.

After returning, Ouyang Nan found a slightly secluded spot as a temporary rest area. They hadn't planned where to rest when they left, so they figured they could just find somewhere to rest when they came back.

This time, what puzzled the four of them was that Qian Zhenghao did not return to the Qian family's temporary residence, but instead came to this place with the four of them.

"Why didn't you go back?" Ouyang Nan asked curiously. The last few times this guy came back, he immediately returned to his family's temporary camp. But what was the matter that he followed him this time?

Could it be because she and Nana used the method of internal and external application of red thread fruit to treat the first-line red snake venom without telling Qian Zhenghao, and therefore wanted to ask them for clarification? But this matter isn't a big deal.

"Hehe, well, Captain, it's already this late. If I go back over there, I might disturb other people's rest, so I'll stay with you guys and we'll talk about it after dawn." Qian Zhenghao explained with a chuckle, but he really didn't want to go back to the Qian family's temporary camp.

He didn't want to go with the team to explore the lake, but he had no choice. Both the elders and the stewards had put the task on his shoulders.

As a descendant of the Qian family, he had no choice but to obey. However, now that he had returned, he didn't want to go back immediately to report what he knew. He thought he should first have the elders and stewards express his weak resistance in this way.

Besides, if they really wanted to question him, they should send someone to find him. He had already figured it out; he wasn't a dog to be ordered around as he pleased. He had a temper too.

Although Ouyang Nan didn't know what Qian Zhenghao was thinking, she didn't send him away. Instead, she nodded and said, "Alright then."

Having said that, he ignored the tail and began meditating to recover his strength. While recovering, he also took out a bottle of honey and drank half of it to aid his cultivation.

The venom of the red snake has been removed, so now that there is some time, I should cultivate diligently and improve my strength. It would be great if I could break through to the Innate Realm during this period.

Unfortunately, it's truly not an easy thing for a martial artist who has acquired their skills to break through to the innate level. Ouyang Nan's hope was also a way of encouraging himself.

Fortunately, drinking honey aided her cultivation, and she could perceive every step of progress she made, which gave her boundless hope.

Ouyang Ruoxi and Ouyang Nana naturally followed suit, drinking honey and beginning their cultivation. Chen Mo, of course, pretended to do the same, drinking some honey before closing his eyes and meditating.

Although honey did nothing to improve him, it tasted quite good, and using this time to circulate his true energy and perform the Great Circulation was also a form of recovery and cultivation.

Seeing this, Qian Zhenghao also began cultivating. However, he didn't drink the honey, as he couldn't guarantee that someone wouldn't disturb his cultivation and call him to Qian Ying's side to report the situation.

If someone disturbs your cultivation after you've only gone halfway through, then the honey you drank might have wasted its benefits.

Fortunately, after waiting for nearly an hour, no one came looking for him, which gave Qian Zhenghao a feeling that was hard to explain.

The fact that no one was looking for him meant that he wasn't important to Elder Qian Ying. He had previously thought he was very important, but he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

But deep down, he felt a little sad because he actually hoped someone would come to him, which would show that he still held some place in Elder Qian Ying's heart.

The result, however, was so disappointing.

Indeed, many people think they are very important, but the reality is quite different.

Qian Ying was unaware of Qian Zhenghao's thoughts. He had seen Qian Zhenghao earlier and noticed that the guy was poisoned, so he didn't call him over, thinking he would wait until he recovered.

Therefore, Qian Zhenghao had quite a lot on his mind, while Qian Ying didn't have nearly as many thoughts.