Especially Zheng He, on one hand, never expected that Zhang Yiyi's arrival would really provide them with a feasible way to escape; even Jia Fang's remnant consciousness, though angry and unwilling, also tacitly approved.

On the other hand, this path could only be forged by Zhang Yiyi alone, and it was unclear how much suffering, injury, and harsh beatings she would have to endure to secure their release.

The more Zheng He thought about it, the more he felt useless, and the more he felt that they owed Zhang Yiyi a tremendous favor.

"Boss, don't feel too guilty. In my opinion, Miss Han is much better suited to fighting in this state without spiritual power than we are," Zhou Yi observed Zheng He's guilt with a keen eye.

Though the boss seemed like a reckless and unreliable playboy, once someone entered his heart, he would wholeheartedly wish to treat them well.

Just like with the few of them, including Zhu Qing, who only drags them down; no matter how much the boss complained, he would always be the first to step up for them when danger arose.

Although the boss had only known Miss Han for a short time, Zhou Yi could tell that the boss cared deeply about her.

Now they had to rely on a young girl to think of ways for them, take the hits, and find a way out. It was embarrassing for the boss and even for Zhou Yi.

(Translator Xiaobai: Please don't copy and paste my translation onto another website without my permission. You can read it for free on my Wattpad so please like and follow for more chapters)

"Right, right, Boss, look! Miss Han is incredibly quick on her feet. Those two puppets can't easily get close to her. They definitely can't hit her as hard as they hit us!"

Zhu Qing, no longer needing to step into the fray, felt revitalized.

Seeing Zhang Yiyi's impressive performance, he was so excited that he wished he could cheer her on, waving flags to support her.

As for Jia Fang's remnant consciousness, Zhu Qing had long since lost his initial fear and reverence.

He realized that while they had run into some bad luck this time, it wasn't the worst.

Though Jia Fang's remnant consciousness took pleasure in tormenting them, it hadn't truly wished to kill them; otherwise, they would have perished long ago.

But just as Zhu Qing was about to offer some words of comfort, he was silenced by a cold glare from his boss.

Okay, it was clear that the boss didn't want Miss Han to take any hits, and it wasn't just about her taking fewer hits than them.

Zhu Qing finally got the hint and dared not speak carelessly, fearing that the boss would throw him into the fighting arena in the next round to give Miss Han a half-hour's rest; that would leave him unable to cry.

"Boss, don't worry. Miss Han won't suffer and take hits for nothing. When we get back, we'll definitely express our gratitude to her with real actions."

Zhou Ren quickly spoke up, providing the best way to alleviate Zheng He's guilt, and indeed, it was what should be done.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zheng He's expression finally softened a bit.

He saw Zhu Qing, Zhou Yi, and even Uncle Guan nodding seriously in agreement, and he felt more satisfied.

Well, for now, this was all they could do. Zheng He quietly rummaged through his belongings, contemplating whether he should go get some good things from his father to compensate Zhang Yiyi as well.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiyi was too focused on the battle to pay attention to their discussions, unaware that Zheng He had already arranged quite a few benefits for her with the others.

At this moment, she unleashed her full physical capabilities; her combat awareness and instincts had reached their peak, and her sixth sense was also hard at work, continuously observing, probing, and summarizing. Her mind was split into two, fully cooperating, feeling exhilarated to the point of almost soaring.

The Nascent Soul stage was indeed formidable; even with just two puppets, she adapted very well to such combat without relying on spiritual power. Despite her fourth-stage body refinement skills being at their peak, the gap in realms still loomed large.

After half an hour, despite being as cautious as possible, Zhang Yiyi was hit around thirty times, yet she hadn't found any reliable methods to defeat the puppets.

Fortunately, her advantages in body refinement were significant; she managed to dodge the blows aimed at her face and vital parts.

Moreover, her skin, reinforced from her fourth-stage training, absorbed much of the impact from the puppets' punches and kicks, reducing the actual pain she felt to a bearable level.

"You little brat, turns out you can take a beating," Jia Fang remarked as the one incense stick of rest time was drawing to a close.

He could shorten the rest time, but he wouldn't be so unreasonable as to eliminate it entirely.

Seeing Zhang Yiyi surrounded by several teammates who were concerned and even filling her hands with healing pills, his consciousness couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Impressive girl!

She had only been hit about thirty times while surrounded by his two The Nascent Soul puppets and hadn't suffered any serious injuries. If she kept going for a few more rounds, she might truly find a way to take down the puppets.

Although he was reluctant to admit it verbally, Jia Fang's remnant consciousness had developed a significant appreciation for the little female cultivator before him.

Until now, he had never had a satisfactory formal disciple, which felt like a regret.

Who told him to be so picky, preferring quality over quantity? He didn't want to compromise, so he had to live with that regret.

But now, such a promising disciple was right in front of him, and he was immensely satisfied with her potential and cleverness that made her such a good trickster.

Moreover, taking on a female disciple would allow him to better honor his own master in the future; it felt perfectly fitting and made him increasingly satisfied.

The remnant consciousness decided to find an opportunity later to communicate this good news to his true self in the higher realm. Even though the girl wouldn't ascend to the higher realm and reunite with them so quickly, with this remnant consciousness, teaching her before her ascension would be more than sufficient.

Thinking about having a disciple soon, his consciousness noticeably shifted in mood and attitude, and he no longer found Zheng He and the others as bothersome as before.

In fact, he even thought that once he officially took the girl as his disciple, he wouldn't be so stingy as to let them come for nothing; he could give each of them a few nice items from his cave as a celebration.

And the remaining treasures would undoubtedly belong to his disciple.