Chapter 360: Pleasing Su Yan

“Su Yan, have you noticed that Kong Nian is actually even more obnoxious than Kong Yueqing?”

Ma Chulan lowered her voice to a whisper that only the two of them could hear, glancing at Kong Nian’s sanctimonious expression.

Su Yan gave an "mm" in response.

When it came to schemes and calculation, Kong Nian was indeed much deeper than Kong Yueqing.

However, both of them possessed equally corrupt natures.

If the younger generation of the Kong family were all like Kong Nian and Kong Yueqing, the family would likely be nearing its end.

Regarding Kong Nian's current situation, Su Yan knew it better than anyone. Even though she was clearly at the end of her rope, she could still maintain such a posture of a powerhouse in front of others; it would be a shame if she didn't play the part.

As for that Kong Yueqing—no, actually, Kong Yueqing could no longer be considered Kong Yueqing.

Kong Yueqing's disappearance was likely something she had done intentionally. As for the thing that had possessed her body, Su Yan absolutely did not believe it had entered the Zhou family's ancestral grounds without a purpose.

She would just have to take things one step at a time.

Sensing that both Ma Chulan and Su Yan were looking her way, Kong Nian immediately turned her injured cheek away.

Although she claimed not to care, she did not want Su Yan to see her in this current state.

“Little sister, Su Yan, eat something.” Having recovered some strength, Ma Chulong took out some dry rations and handed them to Ma Chulan and Su Yan.

It had been over ten hours since they entered the mountains, and they still needed to eat.

Su Yan naturally didn't stand on ceremony with him. Just as she took the steamed bun from his hand, a piece of braised beef was handed to her from the side.

“Master Su, eating only buns is tasteless. Eat some beef to gain strength.”

The exorcist speaking looked at her with eyes full of enthusiasm and admiration.

Before Su Yan could refuse, someone from the other side immediately brought over several steaming hot meat buns.

“Master Su, you should eat my meat buns instead. I just heated them up with a fire talisman; the taste is absolutely guaranteed.”

To the current exorcists, Su Yan was a highly sought-after prize. As long as they could establish a friendly relationship with her, the remaining two stages would surely be half as difficult.

Besides, being able to get to know a powerhouse like Su Yan meant having another path to follow in the future.

Su Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry; she knew exactly what these people were thinking.

“I'm sorry, I don't eat food from outsiders.”

However, she was destined to disappoint them. She was no living Bodhisattva meant to save everyone or protect every single one of them.

Her rejection was completely cold and aloof, not even leaving them a shred of face, yet those people showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, they felt that this was exactly the kind of coldness a master should possess.

For the Zhou and Kong families, Su Yan's rapid rise was not a good thing. After all, it was common knowledge that Su Yan was on good terms with the Ma siblings.

Originally, the four great families were evenly matched. Although they had fought through shadows and light for many years, no clear hierarchy had emerged. Or perhaps, Su Yan would become the variable in the future.

Zhou Li was well aware of this, and Kong Xiang was even more certain.

However, compared to the Ma family, the Kong family still held a trump card against Su Yan, so he was in no rush.

As for the Feng family, they had already become the target of everyone's criticism. Even if the three great families ultimately failed to find evidence of them betraying the righteous path, they would never be able to stand on equal footing with them again.

The area around Su Yan soon became quiet again as everyone began to replenish their food and water.

Night had fallen, which meant they would be heading toward the second stage under the cover of darkness.

“Is everyone rested enough? Prepare to depart!”

Zhou Li conducted a headcount, ensuring that no one was left behind except for Kong Yueqing, and then gave the order to march toward the entrance of the second stage.

Su Yan continued to follow the Ma family's group, with Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing still guarding her side.

“Su Yan, do you know how the first stage was cleared?”

This wasn't just a question Du Jinsong was concerned about; it was a question everyone had.

Everyone around them pricked up their ears, and Ma Chulong was no exception.

Su Yan spoke with feigned calmness: “I'm not sure. After Lanlan and I found Young Master Zhou and Zhou Chong, the mist disappeared. It must have been something Young Master Zhou and the others did.”

“So that's how it was.”

No one doubted Su Yan's current explanation. It was perfectly logical that the Zhou family's ancestral stage was cleared by Zhou Li.

Even if they were gossiping, they couldn't possibly ask Zhou Li about the secrets of his own ancestral grounds.

Ma Chulan suppressed a smile; she was the only one here who knew the truth. However, to ensure Su Yan's safety, she didn't even dare tell Ma Chulong.

Walking not far from Su Yan, Kong Nian watched the scene of Su Yan being surrounded by the crowd, her entire being seemingly shrouded in gloom.

“Senior Brother Ruan, do you know what the second stage is?”

She absolutely could not allow Su Yan to continue stealing the spotlight in the second stage.

Ruan Tao lowered his voice. “I only know it has something to do with the undead.”

“The undead? Evil spirits?” Kong Nian pressed. If she left Ruan Tao's protection now, she would be no different from an ordinary person. She had truly had enough of such humiliation, so she had to seize all of Su Yan's power in the second stage.

Ruan Tao's expression was grim. “As for the specifics, we won't know until we enter the stage. Everyone must remain vigilant at all times.”

According to the information they possessed, the three stages in the Zhou family's ancestral grounds were not fixed. Every time someone entered, the difficulty of the stages would be adjusted randomly, so it was impossible to be certain of the exact contents of the trial.

Kong Nian's face tightened. If it were evil spirits, she indeed needed to be extra careful. She no longer had the strength to resist evil spirits; the only thing she could do was protect herself from being harmed by them.

“Senior Brother Ruan, when I was fighting those puppets earlier, I used quite a few talismans. Give me whatever you have left.”

Ruan Tao understood that she merely wanted to use talismans for protection. He took out most of the talismans he had brought and handed them all over to her.

Gan Hua and Kong Yuehling watched with longing eyes; in truth, they had almost no talismans left on them either. But if Kong Nian didn't speak up, they wouldn't get any even if they brought it up themselves.

Kong Yuehling finally couldn't help but mutter, “Didn't Junior Sister Kong never use talismans before?”

She was definitely not trying to mock Kong Nian on purpose, but Kong Nian had been born with special abilities and possessed very powerful spiritual energy, so she rarely used talismans to defeat enemies. In fact, she had sometimes even looked down on them for being too reliant on powerful talismans. Now, to actively ask for so many talismans—it was hard for such an anomaly not to draw attention.

Kong Nian clearly heard her, but she pretended not to, continuing forward in silence with a dark expression.

(End of Chapter)