Walking along this path, everyone was tense, constantly talking to each other to ensure they stayed together.
Finally, after walking for about an hour, they emerged from the white mist.
Upon exiting the mist, they found themselves on a flat expanse, with no sign of being on the mountainside at all.
Looking at the scene before her, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but sigh. What she had felt earlier was indeed not an illusion. From the moment they entered the white mist, they had likely no longer been on Mount Hua'a.
But where were they now?
Shen Xiaoyan instinctively looked towards Zhen Lingrong, only to see Zhen Lingrong shake her head in distress. She too had no idea where they were.
Not only was Mount Hua'a a new place for her, but it was also the first time she had ever heard of it.
It was understandable, really. For someone of Zhen Lingrong's status, why would she bother with such a place unless absolutely necessary?
No one had expected that Mount Hua'a, a place no one cared to even glance at, would connect to such a location.
As everyone prepared to continue forward, Ruan Ruan in Shen Xiaoyan's arms stirred, "Mama, I'm hungry."
Shen Xiaoyan froze for a moment upon hearing this.
Then, she realized. It had been a very long time since they started climbing the mountain, so it was only natural for Ruan Ruan to be hungry.
She, as a mother, was truly unprofessional, having completely forgotten that a child would get hungry.
She had gotten used to being lazy. Ruan Ruan and the others had always been in her space, so she never had to worry about their food. When they went out, she never had to make any special arrangements.
Now, even though the child was in her arms, she had overlooked this issue.
Again regretting her lack of professionalism, Shen Xiaoyan quickly informed Zhen Lingrong and the others about the situation.
Upon hearing that Ruan Ruan was hungry, Zhen Lingrong immediately stopped. She looked around and pointed to a large tree not far away. "Let's rest there for a while."
After speaking, they all headed towards the large tree.
Beneath the tree, Shen Xiaoyan retrieved tables, chairs, and benches from her space, asking everyone to sit down. She then went a little further away, bringing out cooking utensils and ingredients to prepare a meal.
Being in an unfamiliar place, although it seemed peaceful now, no one knew if it was truly safe. Therefore, Shen Xiaoyan didn't plan anything elaborate.
She simply steamed a pot of spiritual rice and stir-fried a few dishes, then cooked a pot of soup. Everyone began to eat.
Although the dishes were simple, the ingredients were not. The meal was fragrant, and everyone ate with great satisfaction.
Just as they finished eating, Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming were about to stand up to clear the bowls and chopsticks when they saw four people approaching from a distance.
The four people's steps were somewhat unsteady, as if they were drunk or walking on cotton. Their bodies swayed constantly, and they all looked as if they might collapse at any moment.
Because strangers were approaching, Zheng Wei and the others sped up their actions.
Working together, they managed to retrieve all the items into Shen Xiaoyan's space before the four people arrived.
This wasn't out of fear that the newcomers would steal their belongings, but because Shen Xiaoyan didn't want her things to be damaged during a potential fight.
While none of them were particularly precious items, she was accustomed to using them, and she would truly be upset if they were broken carelessly.
More importantly, the four people who were coming were none other than Zhu Yu'er and her companions, whom they had been searching for.
Her belongings could be damaged by anyone, but they absolutely could not be defiled by these four people.
But, what had happened to these four people?
Why were they all in such a sorry state?
As the four people walked up to Shen Xiaoyan and the others, they finally lost their strength and collapsed onto the ground, one after another.
After watching them pant heavily for a while, Zhu Yu'er, the only woman among them, finally spoke. "Who... who are you? Do you have any food? Give us some first."
Shen Xiaoyan and the others looked at each other. They still took out some ordinary clear water and gave it to the four.
It wasn't due to overflowing compassion or a soft heart, but because these four were clearly on the verge of losing all their strength. Since they were going to die sooner or later, it would be good if they could at least tell them what kind of place this was before they died.
Even though they only received some clear water, the four did not complain. They each clutched their water skins and began to drink ravenously.
In just a few breaths, they had finished all the water in their respective skins.
After drinking the water, although they were still panting heavily, the condition of the four had improved greatly. They no longer looked like they were about to faint at any moment.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others quietly watched the four. Only when they had regained some strength did Shen Xiaoyan ask, "What happened to you?"
Perhaps it was because they saw people, and felt their lives were saved, that their nervousness lessened by three parts.
Zhu Yu'er scanned the people present subtly, unaware that they had already seen her every move.
The White Fox had already transformed into its true form, a white sable, upon seeing the four.
To prevent the four from guessing, it deliberately retracted eight of its tails, leaving only one.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoming hid his face behind Zheng Wei.
The last time Zhu Yu'er and the others had seen Shen Xiaoming was several months ago. At that time, they had just met Shen Xiaoming. Later, Shen Xiaoming transformed into a half-human, and his appearance changed significantly.
Then, after transforming back from half-human to normal human appearance, his looks changed again slightly.
Now, Zhu Yu'er and the four looked at his face, but they couldn't discern much.
Despite this, he remained extremely cautious, hiding his face for the time being.
This action did not attract Zhu Yu'er's attention.
In Zhu Yu'er's eyes, he was just a boy who had not yet fully grown.
Looking at how he kept hiding himself, she guessed he was a bit shy, otherwise why would he keep trying to hide?
Perhaps they had not participated in the auction and had no idea that Shen Xiaoming had already fallen into Zhen Lingrong's hands.
They had never imagined that this boy was the unlucky one who had been tricked and then sold by them.
Her eyes were now filled with admiration for the extraordinarily handsome men before her, whose appearances and temperaments were completely different.
Especially Zheng Wei, not only was he extraordinarily handsome, but he was also holding a child with exquisite features in his arms.
Their facial features were similar, and at a glance, it was clear they were father and son.
However, due to their age difference, one had gentle facial lines and baby fat, making him look very cute.
The other had deep-set features, as if carved by a knife, and coupled with his cold demeanor, he was even more captivating.
There was also the man with the doll-like face, and another with a refined appearance.
Zhu Yu'er's eyes darted back and forth, solely focused on admiring the handsome men, completely failing to hear Shen Xiaoyan's question.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan frowned. Should she just not ask and kill them?
People who had made mistakes actually showed no remorse.
Now, just after meeting, they dared to covet her man with such blatant gazes, truly asking for death.
Just as Shen Xiaoyan's killing intent began to surge, her wrist was grabbed.
Because of this sudden action, Zhen Lingrong's killing intent instantly vanished.
She looked curiously at her wrist and saw a slender, delicate hand. Without looking, she knew it was Zhen Lingrong's hand.
Looking at Zhen Lingrong in confusion, Shen Xiaoyan whispered, "What's wrong?"
Zhen Lingrong's lips parted slightly, and though her voice was low, it reached Shen Xiaoyan's ears without a single word missing.
"Since they are going to die sooner or later, it doesn't hurt to keep them around a little longer. The main thing is that this place is too strange. The two elders and I haven't figured out anything wrong yet, so let's see if we can find anything out from them. That way, we'll at least have some precautions."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan immediately recalled the distressed appearance of the four when she first saw them.
It was not difficult to imagine that if they hadn't met them, these four might have starved and died of thirst.
However, cultivators all had space rings.
Space rings could preserve items, so there was no issue of them spoiling or going bad after a long time.
Therefore, the four's space rings should have contained enough food and water.
Moreover, they had only been here for a day. How could they have become like this?
Shen Xiaoyan wondered if their space rings had malfunctioned or been lost as soon as they entered, but she instinctively looked at their hands and saw that the rings were still on their hands.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan became even more confused.
"You have space rings, so you must have prepared enough supplies, right? Why did you let yourselves become like this?"
This time, it was Lu Taobao who spoke.
Although he usually appeared carefree, he was, after all, from a merchant background. Whether it was meeting someone or striking up a conversation to gain information, he was adept at it.
Furthermore, as his cultivation improved and he consistently consumed spiritual fruits and similar items, his appearance became increasingly refined.
In Zhu Yu'er's eyes at this moment, Lu Taobao was truly a "thick thigh" to cling to.
As long as she could get close to Lu Taobao, perhaps she would never have to worry about her livelihood again.
Why did she have such a thought? It was simple. From Lu Taobao's demeanor and the elegance in his speech and actions, she was certain that Lu Taobao's status was definitely not ordinary.
If that was the case, then she should seize this opportunity well.
Seeing Zhu Yu'er lost in thought and not answering him, even with Lu Taobao's good temper, he was starting to get annoyed.
Frowning, Lu Taobao looked at Zhu Yu'er, and his voice suddenly rose a notch.
"I'm asking you, how did you become like this?"
This sentence directly jolted Zhu Yu'er out of her fantasy. Her cheeks instantly flushed red. She glanced at Lu Taobao with embarrassment and then said in a low voice, "We don't know why. As soon as we arrived here, our spiritual power became unusable. Without the support of spiritual power, we couldn't open our space rings at all."
At this point, a hint of relief appeared on the faces of Zhu Yu'er and the other three.
"Fortunately, we only encountered you after being here for just over a month. If you had come any later, I'm afraid the four of us would have been buried in this unknown place."
Speaking of which, Zhu Yu'er sighed with emotion.
The four of them simply wanted to go out and relax, and discuss what to do next, but who knew that Jing Boran would encounter this situation.
However, what the four of them did not know was that Shen Xiaoyan, whose face was still relatively calm, was already extremely shocked.
The steward had explicitly told them that Zhu Yu'er and the four had left Sheng Yu City the day before.
Since they had only left for one day, they must have arrived here for only one day as well.
But, since it had clearly been only one day, why did Zhu Yu'er say it had been over a month?
Could it be that she had miscounted the time herself?
But after Shen Xiaoyan examined the four from head to toe, she was sure that Zhu Yu'er was not lying.
Shen Xiaoyan felt that these words sounded somewhat familiar. Hadn't they experienced something similar after entering the depths of Baiyun Peak?
In that icy and snowy world, they also couldn't use their spiritual power and ultimately relied on her space to survive.
Afterwards, they had all considered that if Shen Xiaoyan hadn't had her space, would they have died there?