Zhao Shuning felt a bit embarrassed. She thought to herself that if she had known earlier, she wouldn't have boasted last night.
The map of the Dark Swamp Land was not that easy to draw. Yesterday, after Zhao Shuning climbed up a big tree, she used her spiritual power to survey the surrounding environment.
She was okay before looking closely. But when she concentrated and felt it, she almost got dizzy.
She couldn't even remember the general route, let alone draw a map.
"Zhao Shuning, judging from your expression, you haven't made it, have you?"
"What's so strange about that? I'm not omnipotent. It's quite normal that I couldn't make it."
Looking at Zhao Shuning's expression, Kong Shishuang's previously surging admiration for her instantly diminished a bit.
Shuang'er also chimed in, "What's so strange about that? How old is our Xiaoning'er? She came to the Dark Swamp Land for second - year students. She remained calm and could command us all in an orderly manner. She's already an excellent gang leader. She's much better than you, Miss Kong, who only knew how to cry on the first day here."
"I said, Shuang'er, you're a little girl. You usually look so well - behaved. Why do you talk to me like that?"
"I'm well - behaved and sweet - tongued depending on the situation and the person. For someone like you who slurs our Xiaoning'er, I naturally won't give you a good look."
"Slur her? When did I slur Zhao Shuning?"
"Just now, the way you looked at our Xiaoning'er is not okay."
The two young girls were arguing under the shade of the tree. Zhao Shuning and Se Se exchanged a look and smiled at each other. This little girl, Shuang'er, was very protective of her master. Since she recognized Zhao Shuning as the gang leader, she couldn't tolerate anyone saying a single bad word about her.
After a while, the two young girls turned their heads away angrily, ignoring each other.
After the joking, everyone began to re - examine the matter they were facing.
"Leader, what are you going to do about the map?"
Zhao Shuning smiled and said, "I've already thought of a countermeasure for this."
She waved her hand, and the other five people immediately gathered around. After listening to her, they dispersed again.
Each person's expression was full of different kinds of surprise.
"How about it?"
"Leader, this is a bit... not very good, right?"
"What's not good about it? We're just borrowing a reference. We're not doing anything immoral."
"But can we be a match for those second - year students? You know, there might be third - rank spiritual pharmacists hidden in their teams. I'm a bit worried."
"It's okay. You can stay here."
"How can that be? We can't let the leader take risks alone."
A Shui and A Yue were the ones in Shui Yun Sheng who firmly supported Zhao Shuning. They were bullied badly by Pang Shuai and those senior students last time. Fortunately, later, Zhao Shuning personally stood up for them. She not only beat up Pang Shuai severely but also gave the two brothers a lot of precious medicinal materials for their injuries afterwards.
Since then, they had supported Zhao Shuning even more. So now, they definitely couldn't let Zhao Shuning go alone to take risks.
"Zhao Shuning, are you sure this will work?"
"Whether it works or not has nothing to do with you. Xiaoning'er, don't pay attention to her. Just thinking about this makes me excited. Are we going to resume our old business?"
Kong Shishuang was a bit surprised. "Resume your old business? Zhao Shuning, so you used to be a robber?"
Se Se smiled and said to Shuang'er, "Shuang'er, don't talk nonsense."
Although Kong Shishuang said she was unwilling, she actually admired Zhao Shuning very much in her heart. So she also accepted Zhao Shuning's arrangement.
First, Zhao Shuning used her spiritual power to draw the paths she could sense around her.
Then she found several safe trails and divided them into five groups to search for places where the second - year senior students had set up their bases. Only by finding their dens could they take action.
It took them three or four days to make the arrangements and various set - ups.
Later in the day, the weather became much hotter. A Shui and A Yue found a lot of bamboo and tree trunks and built a simple house in the open area. Although it couldn't withstand the wind and rain, at least the six of them had a place to stay.
After arranging the general routes, early on the seventh day, they began to divide the work and cooperate.
They came back at night. Looking at their exhausted and disappointed expressions, Zhao Shuning knew that they must have found nothing during this trip.
They couldn't just wait for death. This was the lowest valley, where there was little danger. But their goal was the highest point of the Dark Swamp Land. Only by planting a flag there could they return to the Misty Rain Tower.
But if they went out rashly without a map, they might fall into the mouths of some spiritual beasts.
The progress was slow, but this was the only feasible method at present.
Just like this, several more days passed. Every day, the six of them went out to explore the routes, but they found nothing.
Until one night, Kong Shishuang ran towards Zhao Shuning in a panic, with tears all over her face. Kong Shishuang hadn't cried for several days. Why was she crying like this again today?
Before Shuang'er could step forward to ask.
Kong Shishuang ran over crying and looked at Zhao Shuning and said, "Zhao Shuning, Zhao Shuning, Xiaoli is in trouble. Please, please save it."
Xiaoli was the Lotus Green Silk Cat that Kong Shishuang had been talking about for several days. It was thought that she had let it go, but unexpectedly, she secretly went to look for it today.
"Zhao Shuning, I didn't go to look for it on purpose. Please believe me."
"What's going on?"
"I, I—"
"Let's talk as we go. Slow down. It's okay."
"You... you believe me?"
Zhao Shuning didn't say a word. Instead, she pulled Kong Shishuang, who looked surprised, and walked towards the place where she had come from.
"Tell me."
"I... I was supposed to follow the route you gave me today to see if there were any second - year senior students. But when I got to that fork in the road, there was a sound of fighting in the jungle. During that, there was also the shrill cry of a spiritual beast. Then, I saw that the spiritual beast was very similar in color to Xiaoli. Then I stepped forward to check and found that there were indeed senior students. They were hunting spiritual beasts."
Zhao Shuning frowned. Just hunting spiritual beasts wouldn't hurt Xiaoli. There was no need for Kong Shishuang to cry so badly. Unless those second - year senior students were hunting Xiaoli.
"Is Xiaoli dead?"
Kong Shishuang shook her head.
"But at that time, Xiaoli's eyes were glowing green. I saw that there was a Lotus Green Silk Cat with the same fur as it beside Xiaoli. It was much taller than Xiaoli. It should be Xiaoli's mother. It was lying on the ground, motionless."
Zhao Shuning stopped.
The others looked at her.
"Arbitrarily hunting spiritual beasts violates the moral principles of the Eastern Swamp Wilderness."
Why did those people lay such a heavy hand on the harmless spiritual beasts?