Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 971: Guarded

Chapter 971: Chapter 971: Guarded

"Thank you, Senior Sister Shen!"

Having received this promise from Shen Yulin was like gaining an amulet; both Huang Miao and Hou Ziping felt relieved.

At least during this mountain expedition, with the protection of Shen Yulin’s team, the five of them wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from Ouyang Jian and his group.

As for whether Ouyang Jian would cause them trouble in the future, they could only take it one step at a time, but having Shen Yulin as their backer would certainly make Ouyang Jian think twice.

"Junior Sister Huang, what cultivation resources have you obtained that have led Senior Brother Ouyang and his group to try to rob you?"

Shen Yulin casually asked.

"This..."

Huang Miao’s face showed hesitation.

Although Shen Yulin was warm-hearted and of good character, Huang Miao couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t be tempted by the several pieces of Spiritual Medicine their team had gathered.

In the Martial Dao world, cultivation resources were extremely attractive to martial artists, so Huang Miao also maintained a degree of caution towards Shen Yulin.

Shen Yulin was a clever woman; she noticed Huang Miao’s wariness but showed no displeasure. With a chuckle, she said to Huang Miao, "Junior Sister Huang, are you afraid I might rob you of your cultivation resources?"

Huang Miao’s face turned slightly red, and she stammered, "Senior Sister Shen, I... I didn’t mean that..."

Shen Yulin replied cheerfully, "It’s okay, Junior Sister Huang, I understand how you feel. I won’t insist if you don’t want to say. Let’s get ready to cross the river!"

At her words, Huang Miao felt she had perhaps wronged Shen Yulin by suspecting her of base motives. Glancing at Liu Liehu, she clenched her teeth and said, "During this mountain expedition, our team has gathered six pieces of Spiritual Medicine that are three to four hundred years old. That’s probably what Senior Brother Ouyang wants to rob us of."

Upon hearing this, the nine team members standing behind Shen Yulin’s eyes brightened, their expressions revealing a touch of eagerness.

Spiritual Medicine of three to four hundred years was nearly of medium quality and highly valuable. Any team that managed to acquire such items during an expedition could consider their performance remarkable.

Although Shen Yulin’s team had also made substantial gains, the few nearly medium-quality Spiritual Medicine pieces collected by Huang Miao’s team tempted them, and some were already considering seizing them.

Every time the Bitao Martial Academy disciples formed teams for mountain expeditions, not only did they have to fight with spirit beasts, but they also had to deal with provocations and plundering from other teams.

This was an essential test during their training, and the higher-ups of the Bitao Martial Academy supported and encouraged this approach.

Because martial artists must not be too comfortable; otherwise, their strength would hardly improve. Through fierce competition and even brutal fighting, a martial artist’s potential can be stimulated, leading to progress in strength.

The training process for disciples of the Bitao Martial Academy was essentially a case of big fish eating small fish and small fish eating shrimp; in the end, only a few training teams will be able to return to the Bitao Martial Academy with their cultivation resources.

And those weaker teams, if lucky, might also manage to return to the Bitao Martial Academy with some cultivation resources, exchanging them for some Essence Stones and Elixirs.

For the unlucky teams, it wasn’t just about retaining their cultivation resources; merely making it out of the Bitao Mountain Range unscathed was considered fortunate.

So even if Shen Yulin and others openly seized the Spiritual Medicines obtained by Huang Miao and her group, it was considered normal, and Huang Miao’s group could only accept their misfortune.

The greedy looks on the faces of several team members behind Shen Yulin were keenly caught by Huang Miao.

Huang Miao’s heart tightened, and she subconsciously clenched the Willow Leaf Twin Saber in her hand, her gaze fixed on Shen Yulin, fully on guard.

"Junior Brother Zhao, Junior Brother Li, what are you all thinking about? Let me tell you, the five people including Junior Sister Huang are my friends. If any of you have selfish intentions, don’t blame me for being rude! Do you hear me?"

Shen Yulin turned her head and glared at her team members behind her, sternly warning.

Among the thousands of disciples at Bitao Martial Academy, Shen Yulin held a status second only to one and above thousands. In the team that she led, her word was law, and no one dared to defy her.

The team members revered Shen Yulin, and upon hearing her warning, the thought of seizing the Spiritual Medicines from Huang Miao and her group immediately dispersed like smoke, and they all nodded and agreed meekly.

Only then did Huang Miao become sure that Shen Yulin did not intend to seize the Spiritual Medicines obtained by her group. She breathed a sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxed, feeling both embarrassed and grateful, she said, "Senior Sister Shen, I misunderstood you just now, I’m sorry!"

Shen Yulin said sternly, "You don’t need to apologize. If it were me, I would be even more cautious than you!"

After a pause, she added, "You must store the Spiritual Medicines you have gathered carefully, do not let others see them. We won’t seize your Spiritual Medicines, but others might not guarantee the same."

Huang Miao glanced at Liu Liehu, seeing that his Spiritual Medicines were not exposed, then she felt relieved and nodded, "We will be careful!"

No sooner had she spoken than she suddenly heard a "splash" sound from afar, followed by a scream.

Following the sound, Shen Yulin and the others looked in that direction and inhaled in shock.

On the surface of the Nether River about several hundred meters away, a Giant Python thick as a bucket and covered in black scales burst through the water, coiling around a Bitao Martial Academy disciple who was skimming across the river surface on floating wood and intending to cross the river.

The Bitao Martial Academy disciple screamed in terror, struggling fiercely trying to free himself from the Python’s coils, but the python swallowed him whole in one gulp, leaving no trace.

From the appearance of the Giant Python to its devouring of the Bitao Martial Academy disciple, it took merely a few moments. Others even if they wanted to help, were simply too late.

The devoured Bitao Martial Academy disciple belonged to Ouyang Jian’s cultivation team and ranked in the top hundred in terms of combat prowess among the Inner Court disciples. Unexpectedly, he perished in the jaws of the Giant Python.

Although the Giant Python had appeared for just a moment, Shen Yulin and the others already recognized it as a four-year-old Spirit Beast.

Such a Spirit Beast, although not as ferocious as a mid-level Spirit Beast, also had extremely strong attack power. Even a Direct Disciple like Shen Yulin could only defend herself against such an attack.

Standing on the northern bank of the Nether River, preparing to cross it, Ouyang Jian looked very disturbed.

Just now, the Bitao Martial Academy disciple swallowed by the giant python was named Yu Zhong, a member of Ouyang Jian’s team. He had volunteered to be the first one to cross the river to check for risks, primarily aiming to please Ouyang Jian.

Yu Zhong had been to the mountains for cultivation training several times before, always teaming up with others. Due to the weaker team strength, they had never reached the banks of the Nether River.

This time, Yu Zhong finally squeezed into Ouyang Jian’s team and reached the banks of the Nether River for the first time. Excited and eager, he wanted to perform well in front of Ouyang Jian.