As it turned out, what they had found was actually a staircase leading to the floor below them.
Yang Wu Huang furrowed his brows and looked around. Having a staircase lead to nothing wasn’t something even the demonic practitioners would do. Thus, it was much more likely that there was some kind of spiritual array that allowed them to access the staircase but would stump everyone who was unfamiliar with this place like them. In other words, they might have already given away that they had found this place.
Realizing this, he clenched his fists. They had looked all over the room but why hadn’t they found something in regard to this? Was it really just bad luck? Something like that had never happened to Mei Chao Bing’s group. Could it be that all of this was just a setup?
His eyes narrowed and he looked over to where Nian Tao and Yun Bei Fen stood, his gaze zeroing in on the midnight wolf that was staring back at him. Mei Chao Bing’s spiritual beast … Maybe there was a way for him to communicate with it from afar. Maybe that was why all of this had happened.
Come to think of it, it had also been Yun Bei Fen who somehow made them realize that there was something below that smooth surface on the ground by falling down. It was entirely possible that this had something to do with Mei Chao Bing. He didn’t know how exactly that would work but that was something he could very well imagine.
And why wouldn’t that guy use his so-called lover for something like this? Among the demonic practitioners, no true feelings existed. Most likely, he had just gone after Yun Bei Fen because of the benefits that would bring. Not only getting closer to Elder Baili and gaining his approval and help but also getting into bed with somebody that would make the others jealous was definitely something that could motivate a person.
Yang Wu Huang turned back to the ground, his thoughts churning. Most likely, if this really was a setup, then the deeper they went into the structure, the more they would stray off the right path. Who knew? Maybe Di Huan Bo’s guess hadn’t been so wrong and there would be an ambush waiting below them. Right now, he felt that it wasn’t completely impossible even though he had laughed before.
But even if there was, maybe that wouldn’t be too bad. If something happened to the other disciples and he could prove that this had something to do with Mei Chao Bing, then wouldn’t that still help him in the end? He just needed to be vigilant and make sure that both he and Yun Bei Fen got out of this without a scratch. What happened to the others … Well, at the end of the day, wasn’t everybody in charge of taking care of their own well-being? Surely, nobody would be able to fault him if he just grabbed the weakest member of the group and saved him. Yes, this plan might actually work.
His lips curled into a smile but he hurriedly put it away before he turned around and walked over to where Nian Tao and Yun Bei Fen stood. He first turned to Nian Tao, putting on a concerned expression. "Junior martial brother Nian, how far have you gotten?"
Nian Tao finished the jade slip he had just been working on before he turned back to Yang Wu Huang. "I’m afraid not that far. It’s probably a little less than half of them." He looked downcast but there was nothing he could do. It just took quite a bit of time. If there were more people helping, that would be a different matter but if there was only one jade slip to copy things into, then there was no way to do that.
Yang Wu Huang gave a hum and nodded slowly as if he was pondering the issue. "Well, Junior martial brother Di and I investigated the place that junior martial brother Yun spotted and it seems that there is another floor below us. Since you’ve already copied some things, I would say we should leave it at that. In any case, the Elders might be able to deduce something from that already. Taking more time probably wouldn’t help. We should first check out that place and then we can return."
Nian Tao nodded and handed the jade slip back to Yang Wu Huang. He knew that most likely, it would be best for him to keep it but this was Yang Wu Huang’s personal property and, to be honest, he also didn’t want to have the knowledge of demonic practitioners on him. That was just something that made him feel icky.
Yang Wu Huang wasn’t polite about it either and put the jade slip away before motioning over to where Di Huan Bo was still standing. "Very well. Let’s go then. The two of you have worked hard today. I’ll make sure to tell the Elders about it." He reached out toward Yun Bei Fen as if to pat his shoulder but the next moment, his hand was swatted away by a paw, a row of claw marks left on his skin.
Yang Wu Huang stared at the midnight wolf that was growling, his own expression turning a little ferocious.
Yun Bei Fen immediately retreated behind Da Hei, looking at Yang Wu Huang vigilantly. No matter what he thought about him in general, right now, this guy really looked dangerous! Naturally, he wasn’t wrong to be a little afraid. It was really good that senior martial brother Mei had left Da Hei with him. Now, he didn’t have to worry too much.
Nian Tao looked from one side to the other wondering if there was something that he could do. In the end, he just turned to Yang Wu Huang. "Senior martial brother Yang, better stay away a step further. In any case, that is senior martial brother Mei’s spiritual beast." He really didn’t trust Mei Chao Bing and that was his spiritual beast. Also, since junior martial brother Yun was senior martial brother Mei’s lover, then naturally, he wouldn’t want other men to get closer. That was something he could understand. Others probably would’ve made their spiritual beasts just give a warning but since this was Mei Chao Bing, he wasn’t that confused by how Da Hei reacted. Since he felt that it was clear who was the bad guy here, he felt that Yang Wu Huang should just do the sensible thing and stay away. That would be better for everyone, right?
Yang Wu Huang clearly didn’t see his good intentions. He glared at him and then turned around with a huff, going over to the staircase. Da Hei just looked at him with an insipid expression and then nudged the little disciple next to him. In any case, while following that Yang Wu Huang guy wasn’t good, standing around where he would be alone was even worse. Mei Chao Bing definitely wouldn’t forgive him if he let that happen.
