It wasn't surprising that Lei Tao wanted her to join his team; some cultivators at the Spiritual Wheel realm would probably refuse them upon seeing their group.
The purpose of forming a team was mutual achievement, not for one to use their abilities to help others.
"Who is this fellow Daoist?" Shi Tou's eyes lit up when he saw Chu Lingwei, thinking Brother Lei had found a leader for them.
"Shi Tou, this is fellow Daoist Chu. She will be staying with us tonight and is not our teammate." Lei Tao brought Chu Lingwei inside, finding her an empty room. "Fellow Daoist Chu, you will stay here tonight. It will be much safer than outside."
"Alright, thank you."
After Lei Tao left, Chu Lingwei sat on the bed and closed her eyes to rest, though she had no intention of truly sleeping.
"Brother Lei, is she not going with us to North Ming Valley?" Shi Tou's eyes showed disappointment. He had thought Brother Lei would really help them find a teammate.
"All the cultivators in the city have gone to the swamp. No one is willing to go to North Ming Valley." Lei Tao sighed. Originally, their mission wasn't that difficult to find companions for. But something had happened in North Ming Valley, and everyone wanted to see what was going on, trying their luck.
Therefore, missions that were previously quite good were now being ignored.
"Then what should we do?" Shi Tou's eyes were full of disappointment. Their group seemed somewhat dangerous going to North Ming Valley.
"We've already accepted the mission, and the deadline for submission is approaching. We must depart soon." A young man spoke up. "No matter what, we have to rely on ourselves. Even if a cultivator at the Spiritual Wheel realm is willing to join us, it doesn't guarantee they will help us."
"Yes, that's exactly right. We'll depart tomorrow."
Lei Tao made the decision directly. They had no time to wait any longer.
Chu Lingwei listened to the conversation outside and opened her eyes. So that was it.
"Weiwei, are we going to North Ming Valley with them tomorrow?" Feng Ming asked via telepathy, seeing that Chu Lingwei had been silent.
"Of course not. There are plenty of cultivators with weak cultivation in the world. Do we have to help everyone we meet? Isn't that asking for trouble?"
Huan Mao's displeased voice came through. These people's fate was their own, even if they encountered danger, it had nothing to do with them.
Chu Lingwei smiled and lightly patted Huan Mao. "You are absolutely right. Everyone walks a different path. Their own path can only be walked by themselves; others cannot help."
In the cultivation world, a soft heart was a sword pointed at oneself, capable of piercing one's own chest at any moment.
The next morning, after bidding farewell to them, Chu Lingwei headed straight for the swamp.
It took two days to fly to the swamp from Wangtian City with Spiritual Wheel realm cultivation.
Chu Lingwei sat on her flying artifact, moving slowly. Occasionally, other cultivators would fly past her, so she didn't feel lonely.
"Fellow Daoist."
After traveling for a day, a female voice called from behind.
Chu Lingwei turned her head and saw a young woman dressed as a heroic warrior, flying on her sword. By the time Chu Lingwei turned, the woman was already in front of her.
"Fellow Daoist, are you also going to the swamp?" An Tao flew parallel to Chu Lingwei's artifact, turned her head, and asked with a smile.
"Yes, are you?"
This path was the only way to the swamp.
"Yes, I've accepted the mission to kill swamp snakes." An Tao stood up upon hearing Chu Lingwei's confirmation. "May we travel together?"
"We can."
"That's wonderful! Doing missions alone is really boring," An Tao complained with a smile when Chu Lingwei agreed.
Chu Lingwei invited her to sit on her flying artifact so they could talk more easily.
"There are advantages to doing missions alone. It's safer, after all." Compared to danger, people were actually more terrifying.
"Not really. If we encounter danger, we can help each other." An Tao laughed heartily. "However, I just like doing missions alone. It's more liberating."
Sometimes, doing missions with others and dividing the spoils could be very infuriating.
"I heard many people have gone to the swamp." An Tao stood up and saw someone flying past them rapidly on their sword.
"It seems something has happened in the swamp, and everyone is going to watch the excitement." Chu Lingwei hadn't had time to investigate the cause yet.
"I don't know. Everyone's stories are different. However, what is certain is that the sudden appearance of swamp snakes has caused many disciples at the Spiritual Movement realm to lose their lives."
An Tao wasn't sure what was happening, but the cultivators who lost their lives were real. "Therefore, cultivators accepting the mission to kill swamp snakes must be at the Spiritual Wheel realm."
"Cultivators at the Spiritual Movement realm should also be able to kill those swamp snakes, shouldn't they?" Chu Lingwei remembered that swamp snakes were spirit beasts that could only grow to the second or third tier.
For second or third-tier spirit beasts, cultivators at the Spiritual Movement realm could kill them as long as they weren't distracted.
"No, you don't know. According to the descriptions of the cultivators who escaped, the swamp snakes here have already reached the fourth tier, and their numbers are vast, so..."
An Tao's voice carried a hint of regret as she spoke.
Vast numbers could distract even the most powerful cultivators. As soon as one was distracted, they could be injured and perhaps unable to return.
"They've actually reached the fourth tier." The swamp snakes here seemed different from those in other places.
"Yes, so, how about we cooperate, the two of us?" An Tao nodded and looked at Chu Lingwei seriously. "If you encounter danger, I will rescue you promptly. If I encounter danger, please rescue me promptly, okay?"
"Of course."
Chu Lingwei would definitely agree to this request.
Upon hearing Chu Lingwei's agreement, An Tao took out a basket of spirit fruits from her storage bag. "Let me treat you to some spirit fruits."
"Thank you. Then I'll treat you to some spirit tea." Chu Lingwei accepted without hesitation and took out the ordinary spirit tea she had bought in Wangtian City from her storage bag. The two of them ate and drank, as relaxed as if they were on an outing, attracting the attention of passing cultivators.
A day later, they arrived at the outskirts of the swamp before dark.
"It seems we have to spend the night here like them."
The place where they stopped was a hundred li from the swamp. Many cultivators had already set up camp here.
"Alright, we'll rest here for the night."
Chu Lingwei looked around. There were at least seventy to eighty people here. Some were traveling in groups, while others were alone. They had found resting spots for themselves.
"We'll stay here." An Tao searched for a while and prepared to set up camp away from the crowds.
"Not here." Chu Lingwei flatly refused.
"Why?" An Tao looked around. This seemed like a quiet place.