"Humph, get lost! I'll kick you all out right now, and don't ever come back!"

The divine consciousness snorted, too lazy to waste more words on someone else's disciple.

That's just how people are: no matter how good something is, if it's not theirs, it only brings them pain, both to the eyes and to the heart. It's better to get rid of it early and not see it anymore.

In a moment, the divine consciousness sent Zhang Yiyi and the others directly outside, returning the room to its original tranquility.

"Hey, it seems I've forgotten something again."

Once everything settled down, Jia Fang's divine consciousness suddenly realized something.

Right! He seemed to have forgotten to ask that annoying girl about the ancient jade, that piece that gave him such a familiar feeling—where did it come from?

Forget it, forget it. The divine consciousness thought. Since the person had already left, it didn't matter whether he remembered or not; it was just a piece of ancient jade.

At that moment, Zhang Yiyi was still unaware that they had escaped just in time. Otherwise, it was uncertain whether the pile of rare treasures she and Maoqiu had taken would bring her trouble. However, the ancient jade given to her by her master would definitely cause a new round of trouble.

"Ahaha! We're out! We're really out!"

Back at the small bamboo hut, by the lotus pond, Zhu Qing suddenly laughed and shouted joyfully.

Although their lives had never really been in danger, the feeling of surviving a disaster was overwhelming for him.

"Alright, stop yelling here. Hurry up and shut up before we leave!"

Zheng He slapped Zhu Qing's forehead, signaling him to stop making a fuss.

Even though Jia Fang's divine consciousness was only lingering in the small bamboo hut, it didn't mean it couldn't monitor the entire cave inside and out.

Otherwise, how could they have been directly dragged inside for punishment just after taking a few ordinary herbs from the overgrown medicinal field?

In Zheng He's view, no matter how many good things were inside, they shouldn't get their hopes up. After all, it was said to be reserved for future disciples—there was no chance for them.

If they kept acting foolishly and didn't leave quickly while messing around inside, they might end up having to give back even the thousand-year medicinal herbs they had taken from the field.

"Right, right, hurry and leave! We can talk once we're back!"

Zhou Yi was also extremely cautious, knowing this place was no longer suitable for a long stay. Naturally, he didn't have time to think about any supposed benefits.

This trip could be considered a wasted effort, but at least they could leave intact, which was a blessing among misfortunes.

"What are you afraid of? Even if Jia Fang's divine consciousness can sense us, it definitely can't directly do anything to us. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to wait until we left the lotus pond to be dragged back in for punishment."

Zhu Qing was the typical type to forget pain after the wound healed. At that moment, he had grown bold: "Besides, I was just talking normally; I didn't do anything wrong. Surely Jia Fang wouldn't mind me talking too much and dragging me back in to be punished again?"

"That's hard to say. Maybe the elder suddenly feels bored being alone in there, and since you talk so much, he might just decide to grab you back in for company?"

Zheng He shot Zhu Qing a glance, his intent to intimidate unhidden.

Is he showing off now?

When they were inside, Zhu Qing had been the most cowardly, crying and howling, making everyone lose face.

"Then I won't talk anymore; let's hurry up and go!"

Zhu Qing's expression changed instantly, frightened by Zheng He's words. He quickly covered his mouth, lowering his voice and daring not to say more.

Fearing that Jia Fang's divine consciousness might really throw him back inside if it got upset.

Seeing that someone finally behaved, the group didn't linger any longer and made their way towards the cave entrance.

After walking for a while, they suddenly saw Maoqiu springing out from somewhere, jumping onto Zhang Yiyi's shoulder and sitting there proudly. Its speed nearly startled the others into action.

"Don't be nervous; this is Maoqiu, my new little friend."

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi quickly explained to them: "Before, I was almost taken away by that sneaky attacker, and it was thanks to Maoqiu that I managed to escape."

"Oh, it wants to follow you?"

Zheng He took a closer look at Maoqiu, realizing it was just a mutated little beast resembling a hedgehog, and his guard lowered.

Although he didn't know how this ugly creature had helped Zhang Yiyi, since she seemed to like it so much, he naturally found it more and more pleasing to the eye.

"Yeah, I've already made a pact with it."

Zhang Yiyi nodded: "I still don't know what attacked us before, so I can't leave Maoqiu here. It's good that it wants to come with me."

This explanation was reasonable, and everyone had no doubts, avoiding further inquiries about the attacker.

After a brief exchange, Zhang Yiyi didn't say more.

The group quickened their pace, heading straight for the cave entrance, hoping to avoid any further troubles.

Once they finally completely left the cave's range and returned safely to the top of the cliff, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

What they didn't know was that right after they left the valley, the maze in front of the valley was instantly transformed into a killing formation.

Even the second illusion within the formation had added a sense of murderous intent, no longer leaving any leeway like before.

In short, if anyone else were to recklessly discover this place and intrude, they certainly wouldn't have the same luck as this group. They might not even touch the entrance of the cave before being brutally killed by the newly set-up killing formations.

At the same time, when Zhang Yiyi once again boarded Zheng He's luxurious flying artifact to return to Jiagu Guan City, an angry roar suddenly echoed within Jia Fang's cave.

"Damn it! Which little brat dared to take all the rare treasures? If I find you, I'll definitely strip you alive!"

The repeated blows had made that divine consciousness lose even the last trace of its immortal demeanor, dropping from calling itself "this immortal" to the crude "old man." It was evident just how furious it was.

However, all of this no longer concerned Zhang Yiyi. At that moment, she was comfortably sipping spirit tea, happily communicating with Maoqiu through divine thoughts about how many rare treasures they had obtained in the mountains and how to maximize their utility.

"Linlin, take this."

Upon reaching outside Jiagu Guan City, after disembarking from the flying artifact, Zheng He handed her a large storage bag, saying it contained the gifts from him and the others.