The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3042 Reporting the Situation
As dawn broke, all the martial artists learned that the scout team had returned, as had Manager Qian, who had gone to provide rescue.

However, both teams had members who were injured and are still recovering after returning.

Immediately, all the martial artists who heard about this began to whisper among themselves, and gradually began to worry about their own safety. Indeed, although they had seen many valuable things since arriving in this valley, the truly good stuff was probably only among a small group of people in the group.

And the good things that belonged to all of them were really few. For example, with the honey from the Red Bees, each person only received one or two bottles. But the two Innate Elders had dozens of bottles.

Therefore, everyone shares the danger, but they don't get much of the benefits. So, continuing forward means risking their lives. This idea gradually spread, and everyone was inclined to back down.

"There's really danger ahead..."

"If we continue forward, we might lose our lives, while those who are powerful have their own ways of protecting themselves."

"What to do? The benefits are so few, and I have to risk my life. It's really frustrating."

……

Although all the discussions were whispered among martial artists in private, they gradually spread and were overheard by some people.

Therefore, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing both heard it.

Zhou Zixing immediately called Zhou Ke over and told him to keep an eye on things and not to say anything carelessly. But seeing that Zhou Ke seemed hesitant, he asked, "I told you to tell the others not to talk nonsense, why aren't you going? What are you doing standing here with me?"

"Well, Elder, it really wasn't just us who said it, but the martial artists from the Ma family were talking about it. We overheard it and only said a few words, nothing more." Zhou Ke didn't want his elders to hold a grudge against the family's martial artists, so he said a few extra words.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zixing nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. It's best not to say too much about certain things. Knowing something in your heart is one thing, but if you say it out loud, I'm afraid that if someone with ulterior motives hears it and it gets back to others, the consequences could be unpredictable."

He sighed. Although he was second in strength among the team, Qian Ying was a whole rank higher than him. And not only was there a difference in strength, but there was also the age limit.

I came here because I'm nearing the end of my life, and that's why I'm participating in this dangerous adventure in an attempt to find a way to survive.

However, if you can help your younger generation, you should still lend a hand.

Having spent these past few days with the Qian family member, I've learned quite a bit about him. Although I'm older, I have more experience in judging people, so my judgment of character is usually quite accurate.

Qian Ying is not a tolerant person. Although he is highly skilled, he is somewhat narrow-minded, cares a lot about his reputation, and holds grudges. So if his younger martial artists gossip about him too much, this old man might hold a grudge.

At that time, if this old guy secretly uses some underhanded tricks, he really won't be able to stop him.

Therefore, it's best to advise everyone to be cautious and take precautions in advance.

"Ake, you must remember one thing: loose lips sink ships!" Zhou Zixing glanced at Zhou Ke and saw that he was still listening respectfully to his words. He nodded to himself. Putting everything else aside, Zhou Ke was a filial son and respected his elders, so it was worth saying a few more words to enlighten him.

When Zhou Ke heard his elder say this, he understood it was out of concern. The elder was right; Qian Ying was no good person. If he said something wrong and Qian Ying overheard it, he might be tricked by that guy at any time.

Naturally, he was unaware that his elders still saw him as a child. Of course, even if they knew, they would only feel embarrassed. Although he was over fifty years old, in Zhou Zixing's eyes, he truly was still a child.

Well, for babies who are several hundred months old, age and appearance are not a problem in the eyes of elders. As long as they consider you a child, then you are a child.

"Elder, I understand. I'll go tell everyone to be careful." Zhou Ke quickly bowed respectfully to Zhou Zixing before turning to leave and go find the rest of the Zhou family.

After Zhou Ke left, Zhou Zixing fell silent.

Feeling the discomfort in his back, he realized that he wasn't actually the second strongest in the team; he should be third. Of course, that old man Qian Ying was probably the second strongest.

The young man named Li Mo didn't know what he had placed on his back, and he was too afraid to look at it, feeling a constant sense of unease. However, he couldn't touch it with his hands, nor could he let anyone else see it.

Alas, I am already at the age of death, yet I have still fallen to such a state. Is there no way I can escape the control of that young man?

Although Li Mo did not come to find him, everything seemed to have returned to normal, and he could do what he was supposed to do. However, the thing on his back was like a sharp sword hovering above his head, ready to fall at any moment.

He can only barely survive now. Perhaps at any moment, a single gesture or word from that young man named Li Mo could force him to risk his life. So, was what Zhou Ke just said really necessary?
He himself is barely able to take care of himself, how can he possibly take care of the Zhou family's descendants?

After letting out a long sigh, Zhou Zixing slowly stood up and walked towards the Qian family's house. Someone had told him to go see Qian Ying at dawn. Now that it was daylight, he should go and see what the person wanted to see him about.

When they arrived at Qian Ying's location, they found that Ouyang Nan of the Ouyang family, Qian Wantong, and several other martial artists were already there, seemingly waiting for them.

"Good morning, Elder Zhou." Manager Qian was very good at handling things. Upon seeing Zhou Zixing, he quickly stepped forward to greet him and respectfully invited him into the tent.

"Elder Zhou, please sit here. We've been waiting for you." Qian Ying smiled and pointed to the person next to her as soon as she saw Zhou Zixing.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Zhou Zixing explained with a smile when he saw Qian Ying.

"It's alright, they just arrived and haven't even sat down yet, and you've come at just the right time," Qian Ying said with a smile.

After Zhou Zixing entered, Ouyang Nan and several other martial artists quickly stood up and greeted him.

Finally, after Zhou Zixing sat down, Qian Wantong and the others sat down in turn.

"Huh? Manager Qian, I heard you were injured when you came back last night. How come you look alright now? Could it be a misconception?" Zhou Zixing asked with some surprise when he saw Qian Wantong's appearance.

Qian Wantong was shocked, not expecting that news of his injury from being bitten by the First-Line Red had already reached Zhou Zixing's ears. He stammered, "Thank you for your concern, Elder Zhou. I was injured, but I have almost recovered."

Seeing Qian Wantong's expression, Zhou Zixing didn't say anything more, but nodded and turned away. Qian Wantong was also relieved that Zhou Zixing hadn't pressed him for answers, thus avoiding further embarrassment.

Based on his own strength, with a cultivation level of tenth level of the Acquired Realm, he should have had no problem defending against the bites of the First Line Red while relying on his defensive body in the passage.

Unfortunately, out of the five people in the group, three of them were bitten by the First-Line Red and had to return lying down. This included him, a guy at the tenth level of the Acquired Realm, which was truly embarrassing.

As for the car accident in the bush passage, these are not excuses. On the contrary, it should be attributed to his poor performance and lack of caution.

Therefore, Zhou Zixing's question was tantamount to a slap in the face for Qian Wantong.

Qian Ying glanced at Zhou Zixing, and out of the corner of her eye, she also looked at Qian Wantong. Although she didn't say anything, she still had something on her mind. However, the old man wouldn't show what he was thinking, and instead maintained his original expression without making a sound.

"Alright, everyone's here. Captain Ouyang Nan, please tell us about your experiences crossing the Crimson Bee region this time." Qian Ying nodded to Ouyang Nan.

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Nan began to recount in detail what had happened to her group of five since they left this place.

When Ouyang Nan said that there was a huge, strange beast in the lake that could be summoned, and that the way to cross the lake might lie in the huge beast, everyone found it hard to believe.

"Is it really that big?" Qian Wantong asked in surprise. Actually, he shouldn't have interrupted, but he was also shocked by what he heard, so he asked Ouyang Nan.

"It really is nearly twenty meters tall, it's enormous. Li Mo and I fought against the alien beast, but due to our strength, we couldn't defeat it and had to retreat. Fortunately, the alien beast can't stray too far from the lake. It stops about three hundred meters from the shore and then wanders around. If we don't continue to attack it, it will turn back into the lake."

"If you want to summon the beast again, just press the stone button on the back of the building panel, and the beast will be summoned again."

Listening to Ouyang Nan's account, everyone felt a headache coming on. Sure enough, there was nothing ordinary in this valley, and each step forward would present different difficulties.

"Is there really no place to cross the lake?" Qian Ying asked again.

"No. I split the team into two groups and explored along the lake shore in both directions. In the end, we all reached the cliff face of the valley. There was no way to cross the lake. The lake was more than 500 meters wide and quite deep. So there were only two ways to cross the lake."

One option is to climb along the cliffs on both sides of the valley and see if you can reach the highest point and then cross over the ridge. Another option is to defeat the strange beast and find a way to cross the canyon from it.

The method might involve the horn on the forehead of the mythical beast, which has a strong connection to the recesses in the building.

After hearing Ouyang Nan's story, everyone fell into deep thought.