Chapter 116: Siding with the Right Person
The group had finally circled the whole area but still hadn't been able to find anything. Yi Ju still didn't want to give up after listening to Yuan Lei but the others all felt that there was no use anymore.
"We don't even know if there is another mural here. Maybe that was the only one in the border region or maybe the others are somewhere else. We might be looking for something that doesn't even exist!" One of the martial brothers complained to Mei Chao Bing with a dark expression, not at all hiding the fact that he made him responsible for that.
Elder Xing watched without intervening. He would like to see just how Mei Chao Bing was going to resolve this.
Mei Chao Bing pondered. The martial brother wasn't wrong. There might not be the same chest-like object with a mural here. In fact, that kind of mural could be engraved in anything. And in a stone desert …
He looked at the stones that seemed to have been erected and wondered if one of them was holding the mural. Anyway, they were big enough for it. But then they should have seen it, right?
He furrowed his brows and then turned to the disciples that were standing around him with defeated or angry expressions. "Did you only look for the kind of object we found in the city or also for something else?"
The same martial brothers once again spoke up. "What kind of question is that?! Didn't you say to look for that chest again?!"
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "I did. It's my fault. Have any of you taken a look at the stones themselves?"
Most of them shook their heads while Yuan Lei and Yi Ju nodded. They had mostly been looking for any kind of traces which could be everywhere so they hadn't dared to ignore the stones.
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "Then maybe we should do that as well."
Those martial brothers looked as if they had something to say but Mei Chao Bing didn't ask. Instead, he furrowed his brows and pondered, looking around the area. "Actually, the ground below this is somewhat stony as well, quite suitable for creating a mural. Yuan Lei, did you and Yi Ju finish looking for traces everywhere?"
Yuan Lei nodded. "Yes. Naturally, we could have missed something but it is unlikely. Anyway, our group passed by here several times. It's unlikely that there would be any traces of the demonic practitioners be left from previously."
"Alright. Then everyone step a little back, please."
"Why?"
Mei Chao Bing just gave that junior martial brother a look but didn't bother to explain. He took out his flying sword and then lunged into the air, surveying the surroundings from up close.
"Why did he look at me like this? And what is he doing?"
Yuan Lei glanced at the guy and almost wanted to sigh. "He is going to blast away the sand on the ground to expose the stone below, as well as the bottom of the erected stones. That way, we'll be able to search these places for hints as well."
"Then we —"
"Should definitely get out of the way." Yuan Lei turned around and walked several meters back, looking up at where Mei Chao Bing was still hovering in the air.
Yi Ju rushed after him and Yun Bei Fen, after some consideration, did the same. He would have liked to stay with Mei Chao Bing instead but if he couldn't, then he felt that keeping to Yuan Lei and Yi Ju was still the next best thing. At the very least, he knew them a little closer.
Song Mu glanced at Yun Bei Fen and then stepped back in the other direction, making the other two martial brothers follow him. In their opinion, Yuan Lei was on Mei Chao Bing's side so whoever didn't follow them was the safer choice to be with. After all, nobody wanted to be stabbed in the back by a traitor. And regardless of what the Elders had said before, just because he hadn't been the cause of that accident, didn't mean that he wouldn't betray them later.
The older of them wanted to warn Liu Bao Ru and the martial sister following her but when he just turned around, she had already gone over to where Yuan Lei and the others stood. The martial brother stared at her with an open mouth. Why was she doing this? Didn't she realize that it was dangerous to get too close to them?
In fact, Liu Bao Ru did think in a similar vein. It was just that she came to a different conclusion: She didn't know whether Mei Chao Bing was a traitor or not but she knew that people were always more likely to attack somebody they didn't like.
So … if Mei Chao Bing really wanted to backstab somebody, wouldn't he start with the people who were always trying to go against him? That was obviously the two of them. And they even stood next to Song Mu who had a good relationship with Yang Wu Huang — a person Mei Chao Bing likely detested. She would have to be an idiot to associate with them. No, it was much smarter to stand where Mei Chao Bing's own lover and friends stood. Regardless of what was going on, they would never get into trouble here.
Mei Chao Bing didn't bother about them. He took out another weapon and then slashed out with a special technique. There was no energy leaking out from the swing and only plain air hit the ground. The sand was pushed away, exposing the stony ground below. Mei Chao Bing's eyes widened and he turned to the other side again.
The two martial brothers took out their weapons, earning themselves a pointed look from Elder Xing while Song Mu tensed slightly. Mei Chao Bing saw their reaction very well but he merely adjusted his aim and then hit the ground below the group, exposing the rest of the ground of the stone desert. Then, he returned back to the group, put away both swords and looked at Elder Xing with a grave expression. "I think Elder Xing should take a look at this."
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