“We know.” Nana grinned. They knew very well that not every elder was someone they could trust.

Yuki stretched her arms and wiggled her toes in the dirt as she looked around her. “This road leads to where?” This was the first time Yuki and Nana had been out of the sect using the true main gates. So they both had no idea where they were exactly.

“This road leads to Heavenly Cloud City. It’s a city under the protection of the sect. In return, they give the disciples good deals on certain things. Not everything but certain things like lodging and normal mortal things like clothing. Of course, the clothing they are selling is more fitting for cultivators.” Fatty replied. He found the two’s curiosity amusing.

Nana looked down at her robes and shrugged. She was fine as long as she had a second set of clothing in case something happened to her current set, which she had a few sets now in Yuki’s space, so she had no worries. Yuki was no different. She also had a few sets of clothing stashed away.

“We need to head this way.” Yuki pointed towards the southwest towards a grassy field.

“No, it’s this way. We are looking for rank three horned snake scales and eggs, I know a spot where they were last spotted not long ago. So let me lead, or we will never finish this mission.” Fatty looked at Yuki, who turned her head away. She did not know. She just picked a direction since, normally, that was all she had to do to run into snakes.

“The trip will take two days by foot, so we will need to rotate watch.” Fatty did not know how they were going to do that with only three people. Normally when outside the sect, you want two people on watch, but they were only three.

“I can stay up for about a week straight and be fine, so I will be on watch while you and Nana rotate shifts.” Yuki was supported by two cultivation systems, so her body was able to go a long time without sleep.

“Yuki, that is….” Nana wanted to protest, but Yuki only shook her head at her. She wanted Nana to get her rest while she was still in the lower stages of her cultivation.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Alright, if you say you can, we can. But if you look dead the next day, Nana will carry you so you can sleep.” Fatty was not going to argue. If Yuki said she could, he would trust her, but he wanted to make sure there was a second option just in case.

“Alright. I have no issues with that.” Yuki looked up at Nana and patted her back. “When I feel tired, I will rely on you to be my bed.”

Nana blushed as she bumped into Yuki. The two girls giggled while Fatty shook his head. He realized these two were only this chatty around people they deem friends. He had a lot of information on these girls. While Yuki would normally not talk to others, when it was just her and Nana, she was very talkative. He was surprised that the two warmed up to him so quickly. But he also felt lucky at the same time. He could become friends with these two girls who might one day make huge waves in the cultivation world. He did not want to ride their coattails, but he did wish to be their friend and try to help them along the way.

Sparks danced in the air as the flames of the fire swayed back and forth. Yuki sat on the grass with Nana’s head in her lap. Nana was in a half sleep state while Fatty was sitting across from Yuki roasting some horned rabbit meat. “Only three people followed us this far.”

“Mmm… Should we deal with them?” Yuki asked. Since Fatty was leading them to the snakes, he had been appointed the team leader for this mission.

“Not yet. We will see if they are still stalking us by tomorrow night. If anything, they will wait until we are in a fight before attacking. I think I am a variable they were not expecting.” Fatty replied as he passed over a skewer of roasted meat.

Yuki took it and bit into the horned rabbit meat, and nodded her head. “Then let’s just hope Kenjia does show up. After all….” Yuki’s greased, covered lips curled up into an evil smile. “I want to cut each of his limbs off one at a time. If he is able to appear in front of me outside the sect, I will make sure he never returns. I do feel bad for Ai, but it will be something that she will need to deal with. It was him who started all of this, to begin with.”

“Can you not smile like that? It sends shivers down my spine.” Fatty really did feel scared for a second there when Yuki’s crazed smile formed on her face. Just by her looking at him made him feel like he was being gutted by a knife.

“Humph! Like your smile is any better.” Yuki snorted as she bit into her meat again, causing Fatty to laugh.

Off in the distance, too far for her to hear, Shirai Maiko bit her fingernails as she watched Yuki leisurely sitting by a campfire. She had caught Yuki leaving the sect and decided to follow her to see if she could get some revenge on her. Ever since that day, she was humiliated, she wanted to get back at both Yuki and Ai. Ai was always guarded by Rin, so she could not get close, but Yuki was different. She only had Nana at her side most of the time.