69 There Ain'st No Rest for the Wicked

The morning sun's rays shined upon their camp. Zhi Rui woke up in leisure.

Through the whole night, nobody came to bother her for the guard duty.

Forcing her body in a meditative stance, she closed her eyes.

Inside her core, the spirit remnant of the snake and blackie floated about.

'One more victim of my weakness.' Zhi Rui though as she looked at Blackie's remnant spirit.

The only thing keeping Zhi Rui from going completely insane is her recently discovered ability with spirits. With it, She might be able to create a pet with blackie's remnant spirit.

Zhi Rui opened her eyes, she heard the sound of people talking outside.

The twins seemed excited. Zhao Lin remained taciturn as Xunhua kept trying to talk to her.

Zhi Rui wanted to kill them all. She even decided who to spare and who to kill, But reason did not allow her to do so. She can't kill Guang Jing. He's too strong, it'll be nearly impossible. And even if they divided into groups for some reason. Zhi Rui was sure she would end up with the only person that showed visible stance of not getting in her way; Zhao Lin.

She could kill her and claim it was due to some accident. but it would be no value or relief in that.

Zhi Rui's shoulders trembled. The frustration consumed her. she could feel her inner energy growing weak, the dense red started to fade.

Noticing it, Zhi Rui immediately started to think about her overall plan, the result of it. The image gave her a sense of wonder and the weakening ceased.

She sighed, while she managed to stop it, her inner energy was almost pink. If a second level two snake appeared,it would be her death.

One more time Zhi Rui remembered of her overall plan. The lust in her blood did not allow her to postpone her desires, yet she had to do so.

Her head started to ache.

-------

Guan Jing was bothered. He Achieved everything he wanted for this trip, yet the words Zhi Rui said to him so indifferently while petting her dead pet, remained on his head.

He looked at the twins messing around. and thought it was nonsense to be worried. She was a level one after all. There's no way for her to harm him, a level three, leader of the team, in any way. He shook his head and sighed embarrassed at himself.

Steps rang out behind him, he noticed that the people turned silent.He slowly turned and saw a disheveled Zhi Rui.

"You're incompetent." Zhi Rui said. stunning the people around."My pet died because of your inability to act."

Guan Jing froze for a second, He composed himself. " Zhi Rui I know you're upset because of your lost, but I won't allow you to use me as an outlet for your anger." His voice turned soft."It was an accident. It's nobody's fault."

"Y-yes Zhi Rui, you shouldn't blame senior Guan Jing. I wrongfully screamed the place of the snake, making the senior brother look in another place."

Zhi Rui looked coldly at Guang Jing "You said that within ten meters radius from the campus you could help immediately. Yet when you ran in the direction of Han Fei's scream, you did not found him. Sincerely I don't know how you missed a snake fifteen meters long chasing the loud-mouthed Han Fei. If you did not deliberately ignore them, that means you are incompetent. And If you did spot them but chose not to do anything. shows that you have other motives. Either way, you're nothing but prejudice."

Guan Jing's face turned red. He had his excuses planned ahead, he could use righteous indignation, but the way Zhi Rui stated her words, will take any merit he could possibly bring from his words.

With a red face, Guan Jing snorted "I'll take what you say as mourning nonsense and will not quibble with you. Men, formation!" He announced.

Zhi Rui watched in leisure as the two girls who was oblivious to everything looked weirdly at Guang Jing, the fact that he did not pursue the matter with Zhi Rui showed security, yet they felt something off about it too.

Han Fei looked at the girls then at Guan Jing's back. He knows everything will be on the report of the girls, including her own views, that now turned bad because of Zhi Rui's speech.

It wasn't so bad with only Zhi Rui's report. she as mourning, it wouldn't be taken seriously. But with another two group members the story changes, Guan jings reputation will take a big hit.

Zhi Rui smiled coldly. Zhao Lin stood beside her again and they departed.

----------

They walked the whole day, as they went in deeper the terrain, became difficult.

the trees covered the sunlight letting only some slits pass through. they were moving cautiously. yet tension started to build up. Only Guan Jin had ever come this far in the forest. It was the first time for everything else.

They coped with it by talking. Xunhue talked with Zhao Lin and the twins, only Zha Lin would say something to Zhi Rui sometimes. neither too inviting neither excluding.

Xunhue looked at that and frowned "Junior sister really shouldn't have talked to the senior brother that way, he did everything to help us. It makes you look like an ingrate." Xunhue spoke sharply.

Zhi Rui did not talk. Xunhue's eyes twitched, as the tension that was already high grew thick enough to cut it with a knife.

"Hey hey, remember to keep harmonious." Said Han Feng. The one who stood in front of Zhao Lin and Xunhue when the snake attacked.

"Humpf" Xunhue snorted and looked ahead.

Han Feng looked at Zhi Rui "Look I know it was our, twin brother fault, so we decided to give our share in the beast's body to you as an apology. how about it?"

Zhi Rui looked deeply into his eyes, admiring his actions, it was a whole twelve hour since she took the remnant spirit of the beast away, they must've already noticed the rot eating the corpse away, and decide to use a pile of trash to exchange for friendship.

Zhi Rui laughed, she could barely keep her face from twitching.

"Thank you, senior Han Feng, I usually would not accept but I do need it. So I'll take that" Zhi Rui smirked, "But be assured, senior brother. I'll return this favor in the same value"

Han Feng laughed joyfully, he just pulled off a good deal after all.

"Don't worry, when everything is over, and and we reach the sect we'll divide the snake body and calculate everything."

As they talked a different noise ensued, the distracted members looked ahead.

Guan Jing launched a bright beam ib a tree right in front of the group.

they stopped and gasped. Guan Jing face crumbled.

beside the tree was a fallen rotting corpse with almost no meat left. yet it was standing still just fine as the beam of light burned a hole in its chest.

"Undead." Guan Jing said the name of the thing.

"It's wearing peasant rags, it's a low level but the way it's standing unmoving its collecting information.we have to kill it and go back to the sect immediately."

Han Fei spoke, his voice trembled a little.

Guang Jing looked pensive. he had realized his objective, this mission has no more value to him, he might well use this as a reason to go back. He turned around and with a grave expression opened his mouth, yet he did not say anything, as Zhi Rui's movements attracted everybody's attention.

Zhi Rui, as if entranced walked in front of the skeleton zombie. Her green eyes unblinkingly stared at the hollow eyes sockets of the monster. the stench of, rotten meat and carcass assaulted her nostrils but all she could see was the green weak flame in the abyss of the things eyes sockets. dazed Zhi Rui reached for the flame with her hands.

suddenly it fickled and entered in her palms, the undead suddenly lost its life and feel to the ground.

The other looked at Zhi Rui strangely.

clarity came to her eyes. she turned around. "The light element is truly effective against these kinds of things, it took a while but the gradual damage put it down."

They found her actions weird but, the only plausible idea was what she said.

"This thing obviously is a part of something bigger, we must go back and inform the sect that actual undead appeared here."

Zhao Lin abstained from saying anything, the twins were nodding their heads, Zhi Rui noticed Guan Jing was ready to speak in favor too. but the green fire in the corpse gave her a small glimpse on spiritism. she was almost forming an idea Zhi Rui desperately needs to grow stronger, she did not want to lose a chance because of these people.

"True, these are the part of something bigger, that's why we need to stay."

Zhi Rui suddenly said.

Guan Jin again, shut his mouth. everybody looked at her absurdly.

Zhi Rui did not mind a bit."If we go back now, with our only information being a single weak undead, we would be jokes. we need to at very least have the general numbers and ranks of this undead."

"Are you nuts!? this one might e weak but the undead is one of the calamities that destroy empires since ancient times, and you want to investigate it without any preparation!?" Xunhue spoke.

The twins laughed. Zhao Lin did not show her stance but inwardly she criticized Zhi Rui for her stupid idea.

"Please, unless somebody asks, you shouldn't speak your opinion again. Righ Senior brother?" Xunhue said to Zhi Rui and turned to ask Guan Jing.

To her dismay, She says Guan Jing frowning his forehead deep in thought.

The twins looked at him, and even Zhao Lin showed signs of paic.

Guan Jing was really going to leave. but Zhi Rui's raised the issue of merits. Something he needs. He thought about it for about five minutes.

"It's exactly as Xunhue said," Guan Jing said.

the twins and other sighed in relief. only to fall in despair with Guan Jings next statement.

"As she said we can't face the undead without information, so we'll gather what we can and bring it back to the sect." He did not ask anybody's permission and jumped ahead.

the twins and others looked at Zhi Rui with rage. Zhi Rui smiled coldly.'Really, playing with a person's vanity is so easy.' she though.

Zhi Rui was the first to follow Guang Jing. And filled with bitterness the others followed.

--------

Bianca, seating in her throne, observed the crystal ball floating in front of her.

it was depicting everything happening around Zhi Rui.she observed everything. until the undead appeared. her eyebrows raised.

She took a slip of rock and spoke. "Get two level three ready for the mission. I want them out the moment I sent the coordinates. wait till my message."

Biance finished and tossed the rock aside. she looked interested in the crystal ball because Zhi Rui kept it inside the storage pouch there was a delay of three hours. so Bianca has to analyze everything before making a move.

"My dear daughter, you might have just given your mother a nice present."

Bianca squinted her eyes and smiled.