The sight of the person before them brought about a spectrum of emotions in Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan, shifting from shock to joy and finally to gratitude.
"Divine Doctor Gu!"
Song Wuji's voice was hoarse.
The moment Song Wuji uttered the words "Divine Doctor Gu," Baili Jingxuan could no longer hold on, collapsing onto the ground, utterly exhausted.
With a swing of her Scarlet Blood Saber, Gu Qianying annihilated several sand giants in an instant, reducing them to scattered sand that blew away with the wind.
After the disappearance of the sand giants, and with the potent aura of demonic energy no longer present, no more sand giants appeared.
Having dealt with the sand giants, Gu Qianying turned to look at the two behind her.
"Are you two alright?"
Gazing at the weak sunlight filtering through the sky, Baili Jingxuan weakly replied, "Can't die yet."
Song Wuji used his sword to support himself, struggling to stand. He cupped his fists towards Gu Qianying in thanks, "Divine Doctor Gu, your life-saving grace will never be forgotten."
Seeing the severely injured Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan, Gu Qianying said little. She walked up to them and began by bandaging Song Wuji's wounds, then moved on to Baili Jingxuan's.
Both Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan were gravely wounded. Gu Qianying treated all the visible injuries.
However, for the hidden wounds, which she found inconvenient to treat directly, she took out two pills from her medicine pouch and gave one each to Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan.
After consuming the pills given by Gu Qianying, Baili Jingxuan and Song Wuji's complexions improved significantly.
After resting for a short while in the desert, Song Wuji suddenly recalled a question.
"May I ask how Divine Doctor Gu found us?"
Ever since he and Baili Jingxuan had entered, they had been lost and could not find any exit.
Just as they thought they would perish here, Gu Qianying suddenly appeared.
This was the most perplexing aspect for them.
If there was no discernible exit or entrance, how had Gu Qianying managed to appear?
Indeed, how did Miss Gu find us?
Baili Jingxuan was equally puzzled by this.
Song Wuji was a man of meticulous thought, exceptionally intelligent, and prone to suspicion.
Gu Qianying knew that if she didn't explain clearly, Song Wuji would become suspicious of her.
She had no particular ties to the Song family, but she was unwilling to have her character questioned.
Seeing Gu Qianying frown.
Before she could speak, Song Wuji quickly added, "Divine Doctor Gu, please do not misunderstand. We are merely curious. Ever since Divine Doctor Gu chose to stand with us, I have considered you my dear friend."
As he spoke, Song Wuji glanced around.
The surrounding environment was unchanged from when he and Baili Jingxuan had entered.
This fact naturally piqued his curiosity.
Hearing Song Wuji's explanation, Gu Qianying smiled, "Young Master Song, you think too much. I would never easily suspect my friends."
Upon hearing this, Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan exchanged a smile.
In their eyes, their friendship with Gu Qianying was not in vain.
After saying this, Gu Qianying flicked her sleeve in mid-air.
Immediately, Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan saw a semi-circular illusory gate appear in the air.
The surroundings shimmered with golden light, resembling a barrier.
Witnessing this scene, Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan were both stunned.
They were astonished by what they were seeing.
Simultaneously, they did not understand how Gu Qianying possessed an entrance to a barrier.
Seeing the bewildered expressions on Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan's faces, Gu Qianying provided the answer.
"You entered a type of illusion. The entities that attacked you within the illusion were real, but the surrounding environment was false."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying flicked her hand again.
At this moment, the entrance to the barrier changed from golden light to white light.
Under Gu Qianying's signal, Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan followed her and stepped through the barrier entrance.
The instant the three of them stepped through the barrier entrance, the surroundings changed abruptly.
It was no longer the endless desert.
Instead, it was... a desolate, eerie, and dilapidated house.
Seeing the scene around them, Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan were both shocked.
Where... was this?
The Yin energy was heavy, and it seemed as if unseen things were moving around them.
Baili Jingxuan instinctively hid behind Song Wuji.
And ever since Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan had experienced the near-death encounter just moments ago.
Their relationship seemed to have undergone a subtle shift, and they clearly remembered the words they had spoken to each other.
However, Gu Qianying, standing in front of Song Wuji at this moment, did not notice their subtle change.
"This is the true environment you saw upon emerging from the secret chamber. However, because you both entered the illusion simultaneously, the surrounding environment appeared to have changed. Those sand giants you encountered were actually formed from Yin spirits. You lack demonic energy and are not cultivators of spiritual power, therefore, you had no chance against these Yin spirits."
"So that's how it is."
Understanding Gu Qianying's words, Song Wuji suddenly realized. Baili Jingxuan was still processing what Gu Qianying had said.
Once Song Wuji understood Gu Qianying's explanation, he turned and looked, indeed finding the path they had taken to get there, as well as the entrance to the secret chamber.
After rescuing Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan, Gu Qianying and the two men retraced their steps. After discussing their next move, they decided it was not advisable to press forward while still injured.
They needed to return, recuperate, and then continue.
The three soon met Madam Song and Song Yuer.
Upon seeing his mother and sister, Song Wuji was overcome with emotion.
Learning that his mother and sister had also been saved by Gu Qianying, he expressed his gratitude to her.
Upon hearing that Song Gang was dead, he forcibly suppressed the unwillingness in his heart.
He detested Song Gang to the extreme, wishing he could have killed him with his own hands.
He had envisioned a hundred ways to dispatch Song Gang, but alas, Song Gang was already dead.
One of them, Madam Song, had an illness that could not be delayed further, while the other, Song Yuer, had been poisoned and required immediate detoxification.
Under these circumstances, Song Wuji and Gu Qianying, after deliberation, decided to return first and then re-enter the secret chamber of the ancestral hall in a couple of days to continue searching for the answers they sought.
"You all go back first. I need to find Xuan Ling and Bai Ze."
Gu Qianying entrusted the young Yi Hao in her arms to Song Wuji.
Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan both nodded.
Xuan Ling and Bai Ze were Gu Qianying's people, and they understood.
Gu Qianying stood at the three entrances of the secret chamber and looked at the third entrance.
Song Wuji and Baili Jingxuan had both encountered danger.
And at this moment, there was still no news from Xuan Ling and Bai Ze.
Without a doubt, they must have also encountered peril.
They were her people, how could she abandon them!