Temporarily trapped on this small island, Zhao Shuning had no way to get out.
Therefore, she devoted herself to practicing her spiritual arts. The conditions here were favorable. If she made good use of them, perhaps she could rely on the power of these spiritual herbs to achieve a significant breakthrough in her martial arts skills in the short term.
Two days had passed since Zhao Shuning's disappearance, and the impact on Kong Shishuang and the others was no small matter.
All day long, the lively Shuang'er became listless. She couldn't even say three words to anyone.
The gentle and calm Se Se was hugging her knees, letting out a series of sighs.
A Shui and A Yue were doing their work listlessly. Without Zhao Shuning, their small team seemed to have lost its backbone and the courage to move forward.
Kong Shishuang was carefully combing Xiaoli's fur, but there was also worry in her tender eyes.
"Sigh—"
After a long sigh, Shuang'er couldn't sit still anymore and immediately stood up.
"We can't keep waiting like this."
Se Se turned around and stood up too. But now, they didn't know where to go next. All along, they had just followed Zhao Shuning's instructions.
"Shuang'er, don't be impulsive."
Kong Shishuang also turned around and looked at them, saying, "Everyone, I think Zhao Shuning isn't the kind of person who would abandon us."
"Nonsense. We know what kind of person our leader is."
In the hearts of many in the Shuiyunsheng Sect, Zhao Shuning was like a god leading them. She was loyal, resourceful, neither rash nor cold - blooded. Back then, even though she knew that the Duanlong Sect was a major sect among the second - level students, she still went to seek justice for the injured A Shui and A Yue.
At this critical moment, she couldn't possibly abandon them. If she had such an intention, she would surely have said it openly.
"Maybe the leader has had an accident."
Everyone lowered their heads, obviously in agreement. If she was okay, she would surely have come back long ago. She might have anticipated that something would happen to her when she left earlier. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said those words.
Kong Shishuang cheered herself up and raised her voice a bit, saying, "Everyone, it wasn't easy for us to reach this stage. Obviously, with Zhao Shuning around before, we were all lucky. But now that she's missing, we can't always rely on her. We still have to walk the road ahead step by step on our own."
"I know. I'm just really worried about Xiaoning'er."
"The leader must have encountered something or a highly aggressive spiritual beast. Shuang'er, don't worry. The leader will surely turn bad luck into good. She always surprises us, doesn't she?"
Se Se's voice was very gentle, making people feel comfortable when listening.
But even as she said these words, Se Se herself wasn't confident in her heart.
Leader, where are you? Will you be okay?
The two brothers, A Shui and A Yue, looked at Se Se and said, "Miss Se Se, the leader said that if she's not around, we should listen to you. Just give us your instructions."
Se Se nodded, picked up a branch, and waved. The others gathered around.
Kong Shishuang also laid out the map.
Se Se was really smart. If she grew a bit more, with her wisdom and strategies, she might even become the lord of a city.
Previously, because of Zhao Shuning, she wasn't very outstanding in this small team. But now that Zhao Shuning was gone, she became especially important.
The group huddled together and discussed for a long time.
After that, they dispersed and began to gather the things they needed.
As Shuang'er was packing, she said to Se Se, "Se Se, you're really brave."
"Shuang'er, the leader has been kind to us. If it weren't for her, we might not even have reached the first level."
Se Se was a kind - hearted girl. Once she recognized Zhao Shuning as her benefactor, she would always regard her as the guiding light on her path forward. If it weren't for Zhao Shuning, no matter how hard she tried, it would have been difficult for her to break through to the second rank. She had finally achieved what her grandfather had hoped for.
"Se Se, you're really a good girl. When we find Xiaoning'er, we must ask her to reward you well."
Let's hope so. Se Se was actually very uneasy in her heart.
She had studied the map for a long time and found all the possible locations of the spiritual beasts. This time, they wanted to find Zhao Shuning with their own strength.
Night fell quickly. The five of them slowly advanced in the darkness.
Kong Shishuang and the others searched for a long, long time. Three days passed, then five days, and half a month.
During this period, they searched every possible place, including dangerous places and deep ravines. All five of them had more or less some injuries. There was also a touch of maturity on Kong Shishuang's fair and pretty face.
They were all holding dry rations and swallowing them with difficulty.
In the past half - month, they had been on the move in the third level every day. They advanced by taking advantage of the situation and concealed their tracks.
During this time, they also encountered several spiritual beasts. Fortunately, they had Xiaoli with them. Xiaoli's development had been getting more and more rapid recently. Its spiritual power seemed to be advancing faster than anyone else's.
Occasionally, they could see Xiaoli's eyes turn blue.
Thanks to Xiaoli protecting them, they were still standing here intact.
Without Zhao Shuning's protection, their journey was very hard, and the hardships they endured were far beyond what they had experienced before.
But despite their efforts, they still couldn't find Zhao Shuning. They didn't even find a single trace of her.
Shuang'er looked solemn. Her delicate hands were full of wounds scratched by thorns.
Se Se was the same. Her figure had become even thinner.
Needless to say, Kong Shishuang had suffered a lot. Her hands had developed calluses from long - term firewood - gathering and practicing to drive away spiritual beasts.
This crybaby and delicate young lady hadn't shed a single tear during this period.
At night, they also noticed that Kong Shishuang would stare blankly at the herbal medicine that Zhao Shuning had given her.
Perhaps she was even more sad than Shuang'er.
Kong Shishuang was arrogant and unreasonable. For more than a decade, there had been no true friends around her, and no one dared to oppose her.
Zhao Shuning was the first girl who dared to make her look bad in public.
Logically, Kong Shishuang should have hated Zhao Shuning. But as they got along day after day, Kong Shishuang found that in her heart, Zhao Shuning had long become an irreplaceable close friend.