Chapter 171: The Bootlicking Immortal Lord Who Wants to Live Off a Woman (Part 37)

The moment Shen Xiuyan stepped inside, he saw vast stretches of grassland. He scanned his surroundings—off to the front right stood a forest of massive, oddly shaped boulders, while the front left was shrouded in thick mist. Beyond the mist, the vague outline of a building could be seen.

Wang Gang, seeing that they had finally arrived, walked over and asked, “Senior Sister, Junior Brother, most of the people ahead are heading toward the giant rocks. Only a few went into the Misty Area. Which way should we go?”

After all, this was the Ancient Secret Realm—nothing to be taken lightly. Su Mingyue, wary of potential danger, said, “Let’s explore the area around here first.”

“Alright.”

The disciples who came in later weren’t particularly strong, so they had the same idea. Most chose to explore the grasslands slowly.

“Whoa! Look what I found!!!”

“Damn, it’s a Moonlake Herb—goes for a thousand high-grade Spirit Stones per stalk!”

“No wonder it’s called the Ancient Secret Realm. We’ve already got a huge haul right off the bat!”

“Don’t just stand there—start searching around! Who knows what other treasures might be nearby!”

Everyone excitedly began scouring the area. And sure enough, a few lucky ones managed to find two more valuable immortal herbs.

But soon enough, the entire grassland had been combed through, and there was nothing else to be found.

Small groups began to regroup. Some of the bolder ones headed into the thick mist, while the more cautious made their way toward the giant rocks.

Wang Gang grew anxious. “Senior Sister, maybe we should go too. Looks like this area’s already been picked clean.”

Su Mingyue nodded. “Let’s play it safe and avoid the mist for now. We’ll check out the giant rocks.”

No one objected to her decision.

The group soon arrived at the boulders. Up close, they realized it wasn’t just a pile of rocks—it was a Stone Array. The paths inside twisted and turned in chaotic patterns. One wrong step and you could easily lose your way.

They stood at the edge observing for a while. From what they could hear, several groups inside had already gotten separated. Whether it was due to traps or intentional maneuvering, they couldn’t be sure.

Su Mingyue’s expression turned serious. “Stay close to me. Don’t wander off.”

“Yes,” Ning Cui nodded obediently.

Shen Xiuyan gave Wang Gang a look. Wang Gang leaned in. “Little Junior Brother, what do you need?”

“Don’t forget what you promised me earlier.”

Wang Gang replied, “I got it, I got it. I’ll find a way to get Senior Sister Ning Cui away from you two, so you can have some alone time.”

“But…”

“But we don’t even know if this place is safe. Is it really okay to split up like this?”

Shen Xiuyan patted him on the shoulder. “Do you trust me?”

Wang Gang nodded. “I do!”

“Then relax. In this Secret Realm, I promise nothing will happen to you.”

Wang Gang didn’t know where Little Junior Brother got his confidence from, but he couldn’t help believing him anyway.

He clenched his fist. “Alright then, leave it to me.”

Shen Xiuyan gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

“No need! Leave it to your Senior Brother!” Wang Gang finally had a chance to repay his junior and was determined to do the job right.

Up ahead, Su Mingyue noticed they hadn’t caught up and called softly, “Junior Brother?”

Shen Xiuyan smiled and replied, “Coming.”

Su Mingyue waved him over. “Stay close.”

Shen Xiuyan nodded and quickly walked up to her, reaching out to take her hand. “This way, I won’t lose you.”

Su Mingyue’s face instantly flushed red.

Ning Cui saw this and thought, No way. This Little Junior Brother really doesn’t believe in fate, huh? Is he seriously trying to steal the Ancestral Master’s woman?

She squeezed in and clung to Su Mingyue’s arm, pouting. “Senior Sister, you should hold my hand instead. I’m scared of getting lost too. As for Little Junior Brother, he’s a grown man—if he gets lost, so be it.”

Su Mingyue frowned. Cui Cui, why would you say something like that? That must’ve hurt Little Junior Brother’s feelings.

She turned to look, but thankfully, Shen Xiuyan acted like he hadn’t heard a thing. He just kept holding her hand tightly.

Seeing her quiet and obedient junior, Su Mingyue didn’t pull away. Instead, she grabbed Ning Cui with her other hand. “It’s fine. You take this hand. Let’s go.”

Wang Gang followed behind, scratching his head. This is bad. Senior Sister Ning Cui’s holding on so tightly—how am I supposed to separate them now?

As they ventured deeper inside, someone must have triggered a mechanism, because the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

The group nearly lost their footing.

Then the boulders started shifting rapidly, their positions changing in strange and unpredictable ways. When they tried to retrace their steps, the entrance they came from had already vanished.

Suddenly, several blasts of icy wind shot out from somewhere, forcing everyone to dodge.

Su Mingyue frowned. Looks like those earlier groups got separated because of this.

She called out, “Careful, Junior Sister!”

As she spoke, she pushed Ning Cui out of the way just before the blast hit.

Wang Gang seized the moment and rushed over. “Watch out, Senior Sister!”

He grabbed Ning Cui and pulled her further away.

Meanwhile, Su Mingyue’s other hand still clung tightly to Shen Xiuyan’s, refusing to let go.

Wang Gang gave Shen Xiuyan a meaningful look, signaling that this was their chance to split up.

But just then, Su Mingyue called out, “Junior Sister, Junior Brother, hurry! The rocks are moving again!”

“Yes!” Ning Cui immediately started running toward Su Mingyue.

Wang Gang panicked. No way I’m letting that happen!

He suddenly grabbed Ning Cui. “Senior Sister, watch out on your right!”

As he yanked her back, the boulders shifted again, successfully separating the two sides.

Ning Cui: “…”

She glared at Wang Gang, clearly not buying it. She was certain—there hadn’t been any danger just now.

Wang Gang had pulled her away on purpose!

Su Mingyue called out with concern, “Junior Brother, Junior Sister, are you two alright?”

Ning Cui didn’t have time to argue. She quickly replied, “We’re fine, Senior Sister!”

Su Mingyue said, “Try to come over if you can.”

Ning Cui tried and shouted back, “No good, Senior Sister. There’s some kind of suppression here—I can’t cast any spells.”

Su Mingyue replied, “Same on my side.”

Shen Xiuyan said with a hint of regret, “Looks like we’ll have to go separately. Wang Gang, take good care of Senior Sister Ning Cui.”

Wang Gang grinned foolishly. “Alright.”

Su Mingyue could only say, “There’s no other way, then. Let’s split up for now and see if we can regroup later.”

Seeing this, Shen Xiuyan tugged on Su Mingyue’s hand and gave it a little shake. “Come on, Senior Sister, let’s go.”

Ning Cui: “……”

She got it. She finally understood.

Wang Gang had deliberately pulled her away—just to give Senior Sister and Little Junior Brother some alone time.