Page 906

Chapter 375

The followers stared at Ning Yuzhou. So this was their boss's cultivation partner?

In terms of appearance and temperament, he was indeed more outstanding than Xing Jinling. Any girl with eyes would likely choose him. However, his cultivation level was a whole realm lower, though his age based on bone structure was half that of Xing Jinling... It seemed their boss's cultivation partner was quite impressive, though his status seemed a bit low. After all, Xing Jinling was a disciple of the Zhanhai Pavilion Master, with an Emperor Yuan Realm cultivator as her teacher.

But who was this guy? They had never heard of him!

Just as they were thinking this, a large group of practitioners appeared.

The group of practitioners arrived at the Sea God's Abode and, upon seeing Ning Yuzhou, exclaimed joyfully, "Brother Yuzhou!"

The followers: "..."

There were hundreds of them, and they outnumbered the dozen or so followers around Wen Qiao significantly.

The practitioners were all delighted to see Ning Yuzhou.

"Brother Yuzhou, we didn't expect you to be here at the Sea God's Abode. When we left that island earlier, we didn't see you and were worried something might have happened to you."

Ning Yuzhou replied gently, "I was just a step behind you, nothing happened."

The practitioners visibly relaxed.

Then, they noticed Wen Qiao, Yi Xuan, and Shi Wuming, and asked with a smile, "Are these friends of Brother Yuzhou?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled and said, "This is my cultivation partner Wen Qiao, this is Second Senior Brother Yi Xuan, and this is my friend Shi Wuming. A'Chui, Second Senior Brother Yi Xuan, Brother Shi, these are friends I met at the Sea God's Monument."

The hundreds of practitioners quickly stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Earlier, we were unfortunately poisoned on an island, but luckily Brother Yuzhou passed by and saved us with an antidote elixir."

"We were trapped by array formations on the island, and Brother Yuzhou broke the formations to rescue us."

"We were chased by a group of men in black, and fortunately, Brother Yuzhou's beast companion helped us kill them."

"We were..."

The subordinates were stunned, looking at Ning Yuzhou in awe.

Their boss's cultivation partner seemed even more impressive than Xing Jinling. In just a month, he had helped hundreds of people and earned their respect, with them calling him "Brother Yuzhou" and acting protectively towards him.

What was Xing Jinling compared to this? Did Xing Jinling have such abilities?

Wen Qiao and Yi Xuan, however, were already used to Ning Yuzhou's ability to attract a group of "brothers" wherever he went. A few hundred was nothing; he could manage it.

Ning Yuzhou said to the group of "brothers," "Everyone, since we've all made it to the Sea God's Abode, you should go compete for the Sea God's Token. Don't miss this rare opportunity."

The group responded, "We only made it here by chance. Why don't we go together, Brother Yuzhou?"

"Exactly, if we encounter any danger, we can do our best to protect Brother Yuzhou."

"And those men in black, they must have accomplices. Brother Yuzhou, you must be careful."

"..."

Ning Yuzhou thanked them for their kindness, "Second Senior Brother Yi Xuan and my A'Chui are here, so nothing will happen. You all should go ahead."

Hearing this, the group finally stopped lingering and, after agreeing to meet up at Tianxiang Teahouse after leaving, entered the Sea God's Abode.

Wen Qiao's followers continued to look at Ning Yuzhou with admiration.

Ning Yuzhou held Wen Qiao's hand, smiling as he looked at her, then his gaze fell upon the thirteen underlings.

The thirteen underlings also looked at him expectantly.

"Chui, who are these..."

Wen Qiao said, "They are my underlings."

The underlings nodded in agreement, acknowledging Wen Qiao as their leader. They were now very grateful to have such a leader. Though they were initially controlled by her poison pills and forced to search for the Mirage Sea God Flower, they had been reluctant at first. But along the way, no matter the danger, she always took the lead, protecting them every step of the way. Even when they were poisoned, she was the one who provided the antidote. She had given just as much as they had.

Moreover, it had been over twenty days, and they hadn’t taken the antidote in days, yet the poison hadn’t resurfaced, so they knew the pills' effects had worn off.

But they had no plans to leave.

Ning Yuzhou raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, a teasing look on his face: "So Chui also takes in underlings."

Wen Qiao replied indifferently, "They came to me on their own, so I took them in."

The underlings lowered their heads in shame. They had been foolish, thinking she was an easy target, only to end up under her control.

Yi Xuan was relieved that Ning Yuzhou hadn’t run into any trouble. They likely hadn’t met earlier because they were in different areas, missing each other.

Ning Yuzhou asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine," Yi Xuan briefly recounted their experiences.

He, Qin Hongdao, and Zong Zhao were lucky—they met shortly after entering and had stuck together ever since.

With two battle-crazed companions, few dared to provoke them. Instead, Qin Hongdao and Zong Zhao challenged everyone they met, stirring up plenty of resentment. It was no small feat for them to make it here safely.

As for Shi Wuming, he had plenty to say—he’d been unlucky the entire time.

Fortunately, his strong physique allowed him to endure, and then he met Wen Qiao. It was like a stray child finding a parent; he just had to follow along and live carefreely.

"I met Min Jishu," Wen Qiao said softly. Although her expression was calm, her mood wasn't great.

Having been with her for nearly twenty years, Ning Yuzhou knew her inside and out. No matter how well she hid it, he could always tell if she was happy or not.

"What's wrong?" Ning Yuzhou asked gently.

Wen Qiao glanced at him and pursed her lips, saying, "Min Jishu has always thought I was a lost member of the Min clan."

Ning Yuzhou was slightly surprised, recalling that in the Thousand Island Secret Realm, Min Jishu had shown interest in Wen Qiao. At the time, he had felt somewhat uncomfortable, but since they were strangers and Min Jishu's behavior was a bit odd, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

So, had Min Jishu already suspected back then?

"The Min clan must have a way to identify their direct bloodline," Wen Qiao said softly.