She lazily nodded and said nothing more.
Gu Ziyan, I’ve done all I can for you…
Two days earlier, the Golden Lion Squad had already reached the outskirts of the dimensional rift.
At the time, they had wanted to enter immediately, but Sheng Xia had managed to talk them out of it.
She had explained that communications would fail once they entered, and that taking an injured person who couldn’t even move into an unknown dimensional rift was practically sending her to her death.
Lucas knew perfectly well that Sheng Xia was stalling for time.
Unfortunately, everything she said was true.
Communication devices really would stop working inside the rift, and nobody knew what dangers awaited within.
Sheng Xia only produced enough food and water for each meal, claiming they needed to conserve supplies because nobody knew how long they would remain trapped in the desert.
Since the team had no extra water of their own, they had no choice but to stay with her if they wanted to survive.
At ten o’clock that morning, before the sun became too scorching, Lucas finally ran out of patience.
He was notifying his teammates to prepare for departure when he suddenly noticed Sheng Xia staring into the distance with sparkling eyes and a radiant smile.
It was the first genuine smile Lucas had seen from her since they met.
The smile was pure, sincere, and incredibly infectious.
His heart stirred slightly.
Turning around, he saw a small group rapidly approaching them.
Leading the group was none other than Gu Ziyan.
Even from a distance, they had noticed several figures outside the dimensional rift. As they drew closer, they realized those people appeared to be carrying someone on a stretcher.
Gu Ziyan immediately shouted, “Move faster!”
Then he rushed ahead.
The moment he saw the situation clearly, it felt as though he had been struck by lightning.
Sheng Xia was lying on a stretcher, carried by two people. She looked pitiful and aggrieved.
He even thought he saw tears glimmering in her eyes.
His gaze turned cold as he fixed his eyes on Lucas and the others.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
When the rest of the Langya Squad arrived and saw Sheng Xia’s condition, they immediately prepared for battle.
Seeing that Gu Ziyan was on the verge of attacking without another word, Lucas quickly turned toward Sheng Xia and loudly asked,
“Sheng Xia, are these the friends you’ve been waiting for?”
Her eyes stung slightly as she nodded and looked toward Gu Ziyan, Ye Qingqing, and the others.
Seeing the concern in their eyes warmed her heart.
But when her gaze landed on Mu Ting, her expression immediately darkened.
Not wanting everyone to worry or misunderstand, Sheng Xia softly explained,
“Class Monitor, this is Lucas and his team. They’re the ones who saved me.”
The moment those words were spoken, the tension dissolved like melting snow.
The atmosphere instantly relaxed, and Lucas’ group collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Ziyan’s team exerted considerable pressure on them.
Lucas wasn’t entirely confident he could defeat him.
Ever courteous, Lucas extended his hand first.
“Lucas, captain of the Golden Lion Squad.”
“Gu Ziyan, captain of the Langya Squad.”
…
The two exchanged pleasantries with polite smiles that never quite reached their eyes, each probing the other.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingqing had already rushed to Sheng Xia’s side.
Looking at her with concern, she asked, “What happened? Why are you lying on a stretcher?”
Smiling reassuringly, Sheng Xia replied, “Sister Ye, I’m fine…”
Tina immediately snorted.
In fluent Huaxian, she said sarcastically, “All the bones in her body were broken. Except for her mouth, she couldn’t move at all. Does that look fine to you?”
“I really don’t understand how you people call yourselves teammates. Sheng Xia is so young, yet she was bullied into this state. It’s disgusting!”
Then she abruptly changed the subject.
“Sheng Xia, why don’t you come back to America with us? I’ll treat you like my own little sister. What do you think?”
Though the topic seemed unrelated, every word carried clearly to everyone’s ears.
Lucas silently approved of Tina’s performance.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at the frowning Gu Ziyan and developed several theories.
Could it be that Sheng Xia ended up like this because of conflict within her own team?
Seeing Ye Qingqing’s face reddening as she nearly exploded with anger, Sheng Xia hurriedly interrupted.
“Tina, thank you for your kindness, but my friends are here now. I won’t trouble you any further.”
“Alex, Kyle, Aria, Lucas, thank you for taking care of me these past few days.”
As she finished speaking, she looked toward Gu Ziyan.
Gu Ziyan and Xu Yi immediately stepped forward and took the stretcher from Alex and Kyle.
Since Sheng Xia insisted, Lucas did not make things difficult.
Handing her over to her teammates was perfectly reasonable.
However, when he thought about food and water supplies, he looked at Sheng Xia as if wanting to say something.
Before he could speak, Gu Ziyan placed the team’s food and water in front of Lucas.
“This is our thanks for saving Sheng Xia. Please accept it.”
Lucas nearly choked on the words he had been about to say.
Still, he didn’t refuse.
Though the supplies weren’t abundant, they were enough to sustain them for some time.
Once both teams entered the dimensional rift, they would become competitors.
Parting ways now was the most appropriate choice.
Sheng Xia moved her fingers.
Several cases of bottled water, a box of food, and two containers of Frost Leaves appeared on the ground.
Smiling brightly at the members of the Golden Lion Squad, she said,
“These are gifts for my friends. Thank you, my friends.”
Looking into her bright eyes, Lucas felt deeply moved.
He sincerely thanked her before distributing and storing the supplies.
Each member of the Golden Lion Squad gave Sheng Xia a hug before departing with carefree smiles.
Once they disappeared into the dimensional rift, Sheng Xia slowly sat upright like a zombie.
Then she grabbed Ye Qingqing’s arm, stood up, and stretched her stiff limbs.
At the same time, Jinbao poked his head out from her clothes and leaped onto her shoulder.
Sheng Xia had finally stopped pretending.
Keeping up the act had been exhausting.
Her sudden recovery left the entire Langya Squad dumbfounded.
Wasn’t she supposed to have every bone in her body broken and be completely unable to move?
What was going on?
Sheng Xia chuckled awkwardly.
After moving around until her body felt flexible again, she explained,
“I actually recovered yesterday. I just kept pretending because I wanted to delay them.”
Lying still all day sounded comfortable, but after doing it for too long, even her joints had become stiff.
She definitely needed more crystals to replenish herself.
Besides, she hadn’t missed the delighted expression Mu Ting wore whenever she saw her lying helplessly on the stretcher.
She wanted to infuriate her.
Ye Qingqing sighed with relief and carefully supported her.
“It’s good that you’re alright. You scared me to death that day. I gave that woman a proper lesson. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, she won’t dare bother you.”
Sheng Xia nodded. Her gaze swept over Mu Ting, who was cowering nearby.
A cold smile appeared on her lips.
Trying to take my life?
It won’t be that easy.
After stretching her limbs, Sheng Xia strode directly toward Mu Ting.
Left hook. Right hook.
Shoulder throw. Flying kick.
She thoroughly beat Mu Ting into submission.
Everyone stared in shock.
The seemingly delicate and adorable Sheng Xia was actually the type to seek revenge immediately.
It was incredibly satisfying.
Well done! Everyone silently cheered.
Ye Qingqing’s eyes practically sparkled.
This was the proper way to beat someone up.
Since Sheng Xia clearly knew her limits and wasn’t trying to kill Mu Ting, nobody interrupted her cathartic revenge.
Everyone was far more curious about how she had encountered the Golden Lion Squad and traveled all the way here with them.
After venting her anger, Sheng Xia briefly explained the important parts of what had happened before urging Gu Ziyan to move out.
Gu Ziyan nodded.
Dragging along a swollen, bruised Mu Ting who resembled a pig’s head, the group entered the dimensional rift.
The moment they stepped inside, the desert heat vanished completely.
The sand beneath their feet became solid earth.
For a moment, it felt as though they had entered an entirely different world.
Everyone was astonished.
Then they quickened their pace toward the center, where seven-colored radiance filled the sky.
Gu Ziyan neither walked in front nor stayed behind.
Wherever Sheng Xia went, he followed.
He resembled her personal little tail.
Only now had he truly fulfilled the words he once spoke.
“Don’t go more than five steps away from me…”
Sheng Xia suspected he had suffered some kind of psychological trauma and couldn’t understand his behavior at all.
Looking at his bloodshot eyes and stubble-covered jaw, she couldn’t help thinking that the male lead remained handsome no matter what.
Smiling at him, she quietly started a conversation.
“Class Monitor, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Caught off guard, Gu Ziyan took a moment to react.
Looking at Sheng Xia’s smiling face, he suddenly realized she had changed.
Ever since the day Aunt Mei agreed to go to Yanjing, she had changed.
She was no longer the girl who blushed and lowered her head whenever she spoke to him.
Nor was she his little shadow.
She had become confident.
Bright! Generous!
She had learned how to make friends and smiled much more often now.
Of course, she was also surprisingly good at fighting.
Perhaps this was the real Sheng Xia all along.
Meeting her gaze and seeing no trace of avoidance, Gu Ziyan paused before saying,
“I’m sorry, Sheng Xia. You’ve suffered because of me. I failed to protect you. I’m truly sorry.”
Sheng Xia blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected an apology from Gu Ziyan.
What did any of this have to do with him?
Since she had chosen to come, she had already prepared herself mentally.
If fate was determined to torment her, there was little she could do.
Looking at the exhausted young man before her, she suddenly felt a little sorry for him.
In just over a month, Gu Ziyan had transformed from a high school senior into a major general.
He must have endured countless hardships along the way.
Both of them had been forced to grow up too quickly.
People often forgot they were only eighteen years old.
Sheng Xia shook her head and replied with a playful smile,
“I’m fine, Class Monitor. But since you’re apologizing so sincerely, I’ll accept it. This palace hereby forgives you.”
Gu Ziyan nearly broke character with her ridiculous nonsense.
The two chatted and laughed together as they walked, surrounded by a warm atmosphere.
The others watched with increasing disgust.
They were out on a mission, yet somehow they were still being force-fed romance.
The resentment of a group of single people deepened considerably.
Only Mu Ting, who was being carried by Xu Dayou, watched the pair expressionlessly.
The storm raging in her eyes eventually settled into silence.
Not long after entering the dimensional rift, the Langya Squad encountered the Golden Lion Squad again.
The Golden Lion Squad was currently locked in a standoff with a group of strange beasts.
Nobody moved. They stood frozen as though immobilized.
More than a dozen beasts guarded the area before them.
Aria was drenched in sweat, his expression full of pain.
The others looked pale and twisted with terror, as though witnessing something horrific.
Only Lucas remained conscious.
Blue-purple lightning crackled around him, shielding his teammates behind him.
The beasts appeared wary of the lightning and dared not approach.
His left arm was covered in blood, showing obvious signs of injury.
Yet there were no visible casualties among the beasts.
The Langya Squad cautiously approached while remaining on guard.
Gu Ziyan kept Sheng Xia protected behind him.
The moment she peeked out and clearly saw the beasts, her pupils contracted sharply.
Instantly covering both her own eyes and Gu Ziyan’s, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Don’t look into their eyes!”