CIATB Chapter 41 – Don’t Look Underneath
Chapter 41 – Don’t Look Underneath
Chapter 41 - Don’t Look Underneath
After a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast of cooked boar that someone had caught, we were all ready to set off once again.
Unlike yesterday, the team members had become more accustomed to being around each other, and even as we ran, some of them were engaged in conversation.
Teams had naturally formed, consisting of those who had helped in the camp, those who had gone hunting, and others who had specific duties the day before.
As expected, young people always make friends more easily. It almost made me smile; this was how youngsters were supposed to spend their time, not worrying about life or death or which elders they shouldn’t offend.
I was at the forefront of leading the group since I was the fastest and technically the second in command. Song Song was a step ahead of me. She slowed down and walked beside me, saying, “We are going too slowly.”
“This pace is for the best. After all, this long journey isn’t a race but a marathon,” I replied.
“Marathon?” she queried.
“If we run faster, we will get tired faster too. But by maintaining a steady pace, we could run all day long,” I explained.
She frowned, seeming a bit confused, but she nodded nonetheless. “I will trust your decision.”
She then smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth with canines that looked unnervingly like those of a half-vampire.
I must have inadvertently shown my thoughts on my face because she looked at me and tilted her head, confused. “What is wrong?”
“Do you want the truth or a polite lie?” I asked, ensuring it was her decision to make.
“The truth, of course,” she replied, her frown returning. “Also, you need to tell me only the truth from now on and stop asking for permission.”
I almost remarked that her smile was creepy, but the situation called for tact.
How could I convey this without hurting her feelings? People who claimed they wanted the truth often preferred a softened version.
Then, a memory from my past life surfaced—a YouTube video where a fashion critic started with compliments before giving criticism. Everyone smiled in the end, even when they received a low score.
“So, why did you smile back there?” I asked as we swung under a tree and pushed a bit ahead.
She effortlessly matched my pace, and while still within everyone’s sight, they shouldn’t hear us.
Her face was unreadable, and I could see the gears turning in her head.
Finally, Song Song’s shoulders slumped, and she said, “I saw you do it when talking to the others. I assumed it would be a good approach to becoming a good leader and putting them more at ease.”
Hadn’t she previously stated she didn’t care about leadership? What prompted her change of mind?
“Just because someone has a nice smile doesn’t make them a good leader,” I asserted, recalling all the politicians in my previous life who had pleasant smiles. “You have nice teeth and a pretty appearance. But a good leader doesn’t necessarily need to be all smiles. Contrarily, being a strict commander with subordinates doesn’t make them a bad leader.”
“I see...” was all she said before surging ahead of me, and I wisely chose not to follow.
Philosophy wasn’t my forte. In my previous world, I was just an ordinary guy. Yet here I was, grappling with individuals wielding excessive power while straddling the fine line between honesty and not provoking the girl who could rip my head off.
...
After some time, we finally emerged from the forest and encountered a rocky terrain. In the distance loomed deserted mountains, devoid of even a blade of grass.
It appeared as though someone had sheared away all vegetation, leaving only rocks and rock formations in its wake. Rocky hills dotted the landscape, stretching as far as the eye could see.
This was likely the battleground of past cultivators. The abrupt transition from forest to rocky wasteland seemed unnatural.
Before venturing further, I caught up with Song Song and inquired, “Are there any food sources in these rocky lands?”
She shrugged, “How would I know? I’m not a hunter.”
As the leader, she should have familiarized herself with the terrain we were traversing. However, the Sect seldom entrusted outer disciples with such information.
“What about the length of this rocky path? Do you anticipate spending days traveling through it?” I pressed.
While cultivators were resilient, most of us were at Body Tempering stage and vulnerable to thirst or hunger.
She shrugged again, producing a piece of paper that she revealed. Observing the silver ring on her pinky, I realized it must be a storage ring.
Taking the paper, I perused it. It was a map of our surrounding area, with a location marked by a red X akin to a pirate’s treasure. “Our destination is an island?”
Liu Feng’s memories indicated that the entrance exam usually occurred near the Sect.
“After a recent incident, the Sect has decided to thoroughly screen all newcomers to prevent any from slipping through to wreak havoc in the inner sect,” she clarified. “Meaning they also won’t allow anyone close to the sect gates without making sure they’re not enemies.”
Examining the map, I noted the absence of measurements and discrepancies in distances between landmarks like Greengrass Town and the Sect. The forest also seemed wider in reality than depicted on the map.
Clearly, this was an unreliable map.
“I believe we should rest and gather food. We have no idea how lengthy the journey through this barren wasteland might be,” I suggested.
“Are those your orders?” she inquired, her eyes strangely calm.
“No, it’s merely my suggestion. As the team leader, you make the final decisions,” I affirmed.
She sighed and played with her hair for a moment before nodding. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”
I returned to instructing everyone on what to do and how to
“Later in my life, I will publish all these discoveries in a language everyone can understand,” I informed her.
What I didn’t vocalize was my likelihood of doing so only after my death. Just in case sharing this knowledge caused widespread chaos or if hidden forces were already aware of such information and sought to eliminate me.
Spreading knowledge about cultivation to the broader populace seemed preferable to hoarding it among the powerful elite who often abused their authority.
Even if the rest of my life was mundane, the era following my demise would be interesting if I learned something worth sharing. Unless, of course, I perished as an anonymous figure in the wilderness. Perhaps by that time my perspective might shift, as I wouldn’t want my descendants or loved ones to navigate a world in turmoil. Especially not one I started.
With these ruminations swirling in my mind, I opted to not contemplate grander matters. With my eyes closed, the world became clearer to my other senses, particularly the sixth sense that detected Qi.
Unlike the Blazing Sun Sect, the Qi here felt rigid, unyielding, and stagnant. This terrain was ideal for constructing stable barrier arrays.
I used to sense Qi only in moments of high concentration, like during battles. However, since then, I've been able to perceive it more easily and understand how arrays functioned.
Arrays operated like a cryptic code, manipulating the surrounding environment to achieve desired outcomes. Coding might be too literal a comparison, but it resembled a complex language where each character held significance when combined with others. Additionally, environmental factors such as high concentrations of Water Qi near the sea or Fire Qi around volcanoes played roles, while ritual components like salt expelled impurities to fortify shields.
The mere contemplation of these concepts filled me with excitement. There were countless experiments I wished to conduct now that I had ventured beyond the Sect’s confines.
Suddenly, I pressed my ear to the ground, attempting to rest my head and catch some sleep. It was not the most comfortable position, but I would make do since it would be easier to keep the barrier up with-...
A tremor rippled through the underground, followed by a rumble before silence engulfed the surroundings.
What was that?
Why did it sound as though something was crawling underground?
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