I think my luck is turning around.

Upon hearing An Ge's words, Lin Jingqing blushed visibly. He quickly clutched his heart, which was pounding loudly, and looked at An Ge embarrassedly.

How should I put it? An Ge really didn't like those looks. No matter how you looked at it, they were too innocent, as if she had let down some affectionate young man.

"Hey, can you be normal for once? You're following me like a pervert, what kind of behavior is that?"

"You won't let me get close to you."

"You're saying this now? You didn't pay any attention to the distance before, but now you're starting to?"

An Ge found it hard to judge Lin Jingqing's behavior, but now Lin Jingqing was putting on a pitiful expression. An Ge simply closed her eyes, refusing to look at the scene.

Lin Jingqing looked at An Ge with her eyes closed, and a feeling of sadness immediately welled up inside her. She knew An Ge didn't like her.

“Take your gaze away. I don’t like that kind of look.”

An Ge pointed out the problem directly, and Lin Jingqing immediately realized his own mistake, averting his gaze and looking elsewhere.

An Ge sighed deeply. There was nothing she could do. The person in front of her was beyond her control. He was, after all, a person with independent thoughts. He was caught up in the plot and fell in love with someone outside the plot. This relationship was destined to be a tragedy!

An Ge didn't say anything or make any other movements. She simply turned around. She wanted to leave this place that couldn't see the light of day and have her own bright world.

An Ge walked back to the campfire, but at that moment, someone was sitting in her original spot—an uninvited guest!

Seeing Li Yuesheng chatting casually with that person while wearing a standard smile, it seemed he was some kind of young master.

Li Yuesheng, being the kind of person who speaks differently to different people, can immediately discern the identity and position of the person opposite him. An Ge didn't seem to mind that someone else had taken her seat; she simply found another place to sit by the campfire.

But when An Ge sat down at the empty seat on the other side and saw the face of the uninvited guest, she paused for a moment. Why did this person come along too?

"Zhou Dai, what are you doing here?"

In fact, Zhou Dai had noticed An Ge's figure long ago, but his gaze only fell on An Ge the moment she spoke.

"I was on my way to Dongye City on business and passed through this place. When I saw this scene, I thought it would be better not to meet them."

But seeing these familiar faces in the crowd, I thought I'd say hello, and I never expected to see Miss Si Mian here too. It seems what you're up to is no small matter.”

"Whatever it is, it's none of your business. Young Master Zhou, you should just focus on your own affairs!"

What could An Ge say to the one or two people who wanted to come along? She could only try to get them out of the picture before they even reached the island. This was the result An Ge and Ji Xia came up with the night before their departure.

The recruitment of talent is certainly real, but there are quite a few mediocre people among them, and there are also young masters like Li Yuesheng who have no idea of ​​the dangers inside. It's a matter of life and death, not an escape room.

But preventing them from going is one problem, and letting them go is another. If the elimination process is carried out directly in the capital, there might be another group causing trouble, making it impossible to set off within three days; it might even take three months. Therefore, the only option is to set off first, and then conduct the elimination process.

What could Zhou Dai say about these words? Right next to him was Ji Xixi, whose smile was so chilling; she supported An Ge.

"I just came to say hello, there's no need for this!"

Zhou Dai's smile remained as composed as ever. He had initially intended to join directly through recruitment, but was immediately rejected. From the very beginning of the recruitment process, Ji Xia hadn't considered these young masters at all. So now, Zhou Dai used the excuse of going to Dongye City to join the group.

"Now that we've finished our rest, we need to get to Fumin City before it gets dark again."

Ji Xixi's commotion drew everyone's attention. They were just resting, not taking a break. As they spoke, some of them started moving and began to extinguish the campfire.

The other group of people, however, were unaware of what was happening. But seeing the others' actions, they followed suit. Although they didn't know what was going on, they knew that following others wouldn't cause any problems.

“Young Master Zhou, we’re leaving now. You should go back too! Whatever your purpose, this trip is not for you.”

Ji Xixi's words were not so kind. She didn't use those official phrases. As for the tasks assigned to her, she just needed to do them well. Other things were not something she needed to consider.

Hearing this order to leave, and seeing the gaze of the real leader, Zhou Dai, though unwilling, still left something behind.

"Miss Si Mian, this was obtained from Hanling Temple. It is for protection, so please be sure to carry it with you at all times."

May the girl have a smooth journey and return safely.

Zhou Dai knew he couldn't keep up; he could tell from the man's eyes behind An Ge that this was a competitor. An Ge just looked at the small protective item; she didn't want to take it, but his hand was just there, waiting for her to accept.

It was just a safety buckle-shaped item. Ji Xia walked up at this moment, took it, and stuffed it into An Ge's hand.

"We will be back safely, but thank you for your kindness."

Then, Ji Xia put her arm around An Ge's shoulder and walked eastward. An Ge didn't understand why Ji Xia had accepted this gift, and looked up at Ji Xia with great confusion.

"I don't want to waste time or get too caught up in this part. If you don't accept it, he'll just keep standing there, and that doesn't make for a good story."

An Ge understood Ji Xia's thoughts and accepted the safety buckle with peace of mind. But now, the person who truly cared about this item was Lin Jingqing. He was wondering why An Ge accepted it.

Lin Jingqing quietly followed behind Ji Xia and An Ge, without saying a word, silently questioning himself.

Half an hour later, everyone had gathered and continued their journey. There were two groups; Li Yuesheng's group was in front, while Ji Xixi walked at the very back. Actually, Fuming City wasn't far away; it would only take another ten hours to reach them.

For most of them, they could travel a thousand miles a day, but those with less physical strength, like An Ge and Li Yuesheng, naturally rode horses or sat in carriages.

As dawn broke, Ji Xixi rode at the very back, beginning her assessment. Not many in this group were fully capable. The organizers were all handpicked; those recruited underwent further evaluation.

Leaving aside the issue of discipline, just the way this person behaves while traveling makes one think that there's definitely something wrong with their method of cultivation. Some people are vigilant and observe their surroundings, but others just follow others without a second thought.

Going to the island was a group effort, but once inside, it becomes an individual battle. People like this are best eliminated quickly; keeping them around is just a hindrance.

Ji Xixi had originally walked alongside them, but switched to riding a horse after daybreak. Even though she was a special forces soldier, she was ultimately at a disadvantage when walking alongside people with unequal physical abilities.