Chapter 119: Accountability

"Where on earth did you come from? Logically, once we entered this spiritual cave, no other entry points should have opened. Yet, somehow, you managed to get in?" She Shiyi said, his face clouded with gloom.

He was seething, wondering where these weaklings had crawled out from.

"We've been in here for over two days. When did you arrive?" The person who had spoken earlier was about to continue, but was interrupted. A young man leaped out of the water, mounted his large, fiery-red flying sword, and zipped over to stand before Qinghu and She Shiyi.

Upon closer inspection, the man's pupils constricted.

One of these two was indeed the person he recognized: Shen Qinghu, the younger sister of Shen Qingjin from the Shen family—the naive little girl whom the Shen family pampered with fine food and play. (Are you truly sure she is a naive little girl, Your Majesty?)

But the other one... looking at those emotionless, chilling snake-like eyes.

Wei Dongting identified him in an instant.

The Snake Clan!

This was an eccentric from the Snake Clan!

There were many Snake Clan eccentrics around Wuding City, but which tribe did this youth belong to? And why was Shen Qinghu traveling with a Snake Clan youth? Wasn't it said that powerful non-human races rarely partnered with humans for adventures?

Feeling the coldness radiating from the gaze of the snake-eyed youth, Wei Dongting hurriedly tried to strike up a rapport with Shen Qinghu.

"Little Sister Qinghu of the Shen family, I am Wei Dongting. I once visited your parents and brother at your home. Do you remember me?"

With messy hair, a weary complexion, and tattered robes, Wei Dongting was far from the handsome, dashing figure he had been when they met in Panlong City.

*He’s trying so hard to be friendly,* Qinghu guessed internally, *probably because he doesn't want to get into an inexplicable fight with She Shiyi right now.* Besides, She Shiyi was not someone to be trifled with.

"What happened to you? Who beat you up?" Qinghu scanned him from head to toe and quipped.

"Oh, don't even mention it. I almost got killed. Do you two have any idea what a massive trap this place is?" Wei Dongting said with an exaggerated expression.

"A massive trap? A trap for whom? Don't tell me it's waiting to trap us?" Hearing this, Qinghu immediately perked up. She asked with great interest.

"Then you have to tell me first when exactly you entered," Wei Dongting said.

"We just got in a little over four hours ago," Qinghu replied.

"Then there's no doubt about it, my suspicion is likely correct," Wei Dongting’s expression turned serious.

"Then tell us first how you got in," Qinghu asked.

"Shen Qinghu, is it necessary to ask so precisely? What kind of trap could there be that we couldn't just walk over?" She Shiyi remarked.

"She Shiyi, that’s where you’re wrong. Who cares about stepping over a small pit? We’ve got a bunch of cannon fodder under our command; we could just have them steamroll through it, right? Only big pits—interesting, massive pits—are worth stepping into." Having said this, Qinghu flipped her hand and produced a large-bellied pottery jar filled with spiritual nectar.

*Glug, glug, glug...*

She downed the entire jar, which must have weighed over ten pounds, in one go.

She Shiyi and Wei Dongting stared in stunned silence. It was their first time seeing someone drink spiritual nectar so boisterously!

"What's wrong? I'm just drinking some water, why are you staring at me?" Qinghu asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, but is your body really okay after chugging over ten pounds of spiritual nectar at once?" She Shiyi asked skeptically.

"What could be wrong? Can't you see I just drank it and my body is still busy digesting it?" *Hiccup.* Qinghu let out a satisfied burp.

She Shiyi laughed immediately. "If I drank ten pounds of that quality of spiritual nectar at once, even I couldn't handle it. That was eighth-tier spiritual nectar, wasn't it?"

"Do you want some? This nectar is what I earned from fighting. If you want to trade for it, that's fine, but giving it away for free is out of the question. I can't do business at a loss," Qinghu said.

"No need. Although I haven't hoarded much eighth-tier nectar, I have about three or four hundred pounds. That's enough for me to drink for a while," She Shiyi said.

Wei Dongting couldn't help but scoff internally: Their entire sect didn't even have three or four hundred pounds of eighth-tier spiritual nectar. Who is this kid, talking so big?

"Three or four hundred pounds is what you call a lot? But since you have a small mouth and a delicate appetite, that's probably enough to keep you going for a while. I'm different; I’ve hoarded an entire spiritual pool. The amount of nectar is only, what, a few hundred thousand pounds? It’s hardly enough for me to drink by myself. Sigh, it would be great if I could find a few more spiritual pools."

She Shiyi, with his small mouth and delicate appetite: "..."

Even Wei Dongting, who didn't have a few pounds of eighth-tier nectar to his name: "..."

Who could stand such a "Versailles" girl?

*Snicker, hehe.* A woman's laughter echoed out.

All three turned in the direction of the sound. They saw a young woman retreating into the group of humans with a look of astonishment.

***

In fact, just as Wei Dongting was piloting his flying sword toward Shen Qinghu, the other young humans had not been idle. They had brought out all sorts of flying artifacts and, along with flying swords and other weapons, had broken through the water's surface to hover in the air.

However, they kept their distance, isolating themselves far from She Shiyi and the others. The main reason was the overwhelming aura She Shiyi emitted, and his snake-like eyes were unmistakable—anyone with a keen eye could tell he was a non-human.

The relationship between humans and non-humans was not exactly harmonious; bullying and suppression of humans by non-humans happened frequently. To avoid unnecessary trouble, these young humans who had just escaped death wanted nothing to do with "that person."

They occupied their own small circle, helping each other tend to their wounds. The girl, while retreating into the crowd, accidentally bumped into a severely wounded person, causing a small commotion.

"Is she laughing at me?" Qinghu asked, looking at Wei Dongting.

Wei Dongting glanced at the girl with a sour expression and replied to Qinghu immediately, "Nonsense. She probably just has water in her brain; she's not right in the head. Don't pay her any mind."

"I am not sick, and I don't have water in my brain. Wei Dongting, you are being too insulting. So what if I laughed? Isn't what she said ridiculous? 'Owning a spiritual pool,' 'owning hundreds of thousands of pounds of spiritual nectar'—how could she possibly hoard that much eighth-tier nectar? Does she think she’s the Great Princess of the Donghuang Clan?" The girl speaking was also a familiar face, one they had met recently. It seemed her name was Zhang Xingxing, or perhaps Zhang Lihua.

But now, Zhang Lihua looked indignant. She glared at Wei Dongting and the others with resentment and accusation, as if blaming Wei Dongting for not speaking up for her or standing up for her honor.

"She is still laughing at me," Qinghu said.

"That's right, I *am* laughing at you. Laughing at you for bragging and being beyond your..."

Before the word "capability" could be uttered, a streak of golden light shot straight toward her throat. It moved so fast that Zhang Lihua could only scream as she watched the light pierce her neck.

At the final moment, someone grabbed her shoulder and yanked her aside. The golden light grazed her neck, leaving a streak of blood as it flew past.

*Huh?*

Qinghu gazed in surprise. She saw a young man who had narrowly pulled Zhang Lihua out of the way. Both of them leaned to the side, dodging the golden light. It shot past Zhang Lihua, flew a long distance, circled back in a wide arc, and zoomed toward her neck again.

The young man holding Zhang Lihua tightened his lips and pulled her to the side once more.

The golden light failed again. This time, it grazed Zhang Lihua's left cheek and flew off.

*Ah!* Zhang Lihua shrieked, as her cheek had been cut by a fresh, red line of blood—a bit deeper this time. Terrified, she screamed and covered her face with her hands. Blood continued to stream through her fingers.

"You bastard, how dare you attack me? I am a member of the Dao Court!" Zhang Lihua screamed in protest.

"What's that woman's name? Is she an idiot?" Qinghu asked Wei Dongting.

"I told you, she's an idiot with water in her brain," Wei Dongting replied immediately.

"Wei Dongting..." Zhang Lihua was furious. She turned to the youth beside her and acted coquettishly, "Senior Brother Qi, look at Wei Dongting! Is he really a disciple of our Dao Court? Could he be a spy for the non-humans opposite us?"

"Who's the spy? I think you look the most like a non-human spy!" Wei Dongting retorted with a sneer, showing no respect. He didn't care about her slander; his master was a Dao Lord, so who could easily dispose of him? Without evidence, even the Dao Sect couldn't do anything.

"Senior Brother Qi, look at him," Zhang Lihua turned and buried herself in Qi Dongxuan's arms. "Senior Brother Qi, you must seek justice for me."

The golden light landed on Qinghu's shoulder. With a *woosh*, the intense glow faded, revealing a small, transparent, glass-like golden fish about a foot long. It hovered in the air, shaking its head and flicking its tail as if the air were water.

Wei Dongting felt a jolt in his heart. That was a sixth-tier Light Sword Fish!

Qinghu tossed a "Soft-Shelled Turtle Essence Pill" refined by Ruan Qingwu into the fish's mouth.

"Good job. ...It's not your fault, that man was very fast. ...Hmm, hmm, you need to practice more in the future. I know you aren't this slow in the water; you're just not used to flying in the air yet. Take your time, we can practice more. ...I know, I know, you're amazing. Once you adapt to flying in the air, that whoever-he-is... will definitely be no match for you in terms of speed."

Qinghu communicated with the little fish. It used divine sense, while Qinghu spoke aloud. Either way, the fish understood.

"Didn't you say just now that your little fish hadn't recovered yet? How did this one recover so quickly?" She Shiyi asked, looking at the sixth-tier Light Sword Fish with envy.

"These aren't the same ones from before. This one woke up from its slumber later," Qinghu said.

"Your fish went into a slumber, and now it has grown?" She Shiyi asked in surprise.

"Yes, it progressed from its juvenile stage into its growth stage. In its juvenile stage, its combat power was equivalent to a ninth-tier ferocious beast. Now that it has entered the growth stage, its combat power is equivalent to an eighth-tier beast," Qinghu explained.

"That's truly impressive. My Black-Spotted King Snake only reached eighth-tier combat power when it reached adulthood," She Shiyi said.

"The Black-Spotted King Snake has terrifying combat power. Even at eighth tier, it’s not something a typical seventh-tier beast can contend with," Qinghu replied.

"That's true." She Shiyi’s lips curled slightly. The smile was not very obvious.

"Does the Great Princess of the Donghuang Clan also have a spiritual pool?" Shen Qinghu didn't bother with Zhang Xingxing or Zhang Lihua anymore and instead asked She Shiyi directly. Who cared if that woman was looking at her with hateful eyes?

"The Donghuang Clan's tribal lands are near Wuding City. Most of the tribes around Wuding City are small and live in clusters, much like those black dogs you tamed. There was a group of white dogs nearby too, but after they were defeated, they retreated into the Great Snow Mountain, or so it seems," She Shiyi said, sounding not entirely certain. "I'm not very familiar with the tribes in the Wuding City area; my family lives near Gaoshan City. If there's a chance in the future, I can take you to visit Gaoshan City."

"That sounds like a plan." Hearing this, Qinghu immediately took an interest in Gaoshan City. There must be plenty of good food there, right?

"As for whether the Great Princess of the Donghuang Clan owns a spiritual pool, that's hard to say. Every tribe has its own foundation; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to develop. The 'foundation' refers to the treasures a tribe controls, the kind that can enhance the tribe's strength on a large scale. For example, a spiritual pool can be considered a type of foundation. Or perhaps a rare treasure. Take our tribe, for instance—we have at least five or six foundations. The Pink Fruit Tree is just one of them. The Donghuang Clan has been established in Wuding City for a long time; it's possible they do control a spiritual pool."

"If she has a spiritual pool and I have one too, why am I being laughed at?" Qinghu asked, very puzzled. This time, she addressed her question to Wei Dongting.

"Ahem..." Wei Dongting couldn't think of how to answer that.

"She probably thinks that since you're just a human, it's impossible for you to own a spiritual pool, even if your family is protected by a Dao Lord, you couldn't possibly possess such a precious resource," Qi Dongxuan, who had just protected Zhang Lihua, pushed her away and spoke up.

"How do you know my family is protected by a Dao Lord? What's your name, kid? Where are you from? Have you been investigating my family? And how do you know I can't own a spiritual pool? Little Lion, you're back, aren't you? What are you hiding for? Tell them, do I have a spiritual pool?" Qinghu said huffily.

The Fire Lion, leading his small team, awkwardly revealed himself. He flew close to the surface of the water, then steered his Flame Battle Blade to fly beside Qinghu. "That's right, Big Sister Hu does indeed own a spiritual pool. It was she who led us to break into a spiritual cave, where we found a spiritual pool. And she took all the nectar from that pool."

The Little Lion lied against his conscience. But at the end, he felt bitter—so much nectar, and she had taken it all, not even leaving them a single jar.

"Big Sister Hu, you collected so much nectar, hundreds of thousands of pounds! Shouldn't you share a few jars with us?"

"What's the rush? Sooner or later, I'll share some with you. Now, report: I had you scout the area, what did you find?" Qinghu asked.

"This place is a bit weird. It's not like any spiritual cave I've heard of," the Fire Lion said, frowning.

"What do you mean by 'a bit weird'?" Qinghu asked.

"I can't put my finger on it, it's just very unusual. There are way too many traps. And the corpses of those who die disappear for no reason. This isn't right, so I came back early to report to you, Big Sister Hu," the Little Lion said.

"I also think something is wrong here. We were trapped the moment we entered, and one trap followed another. When we came in, there were more of us, but unfortunately, less than half are left now," Wei Dongting said. "Why don't we exchange notes on the unusual things we've seen? Perhaps we'll gain some new insights?"

"I agree," Qi Dongxuan said immediately.

"What about *her*?" Qinghu pointed at Zhang Lihua and asked.

When the Fire Lion's group had arrived earlier, Wei Dongting and Qi Dongxuan had been extremely wary of them. But looking at what they had just discovered—that these Fire Lions seemed completely tamed and addressed Shen Qinghu as "Big Sister Hu"!!!

This form of address nearly made everyone's jaws drop. Why would a group of Fire Lions call a human girl "Big Sister Hu"?! And with such a respectful attitude?

There must be a secret about this Shen Qinghu! And a big one at that.

"Little Lion and his group have already testified that I have a spiritual pool. Shouldn't she apologize to me now?" Qinghu pointed at Zhang Lihua.

"But you tried to kill me just a moment ago!" Zhang Lihua retorted.

"But I didn't succeed, did I? But you *did* laugh at me. Everyone heard it," Qinghu said.

Zhang Lihua: "..."

Wei Dongting couldn't help but want to laugh. Truly, the wicked are plagued by the wicked!