Chapter 56 Part 1

Fu Chengmao saw them like this and could only have his team members take out water and rations for them.

The group devoured the food the moment they saw it.

Chu Yi noticed that among them were two cameramen carrying cameras; even in this situation, they hadn’t discarded their cameras. They were quite dedicated…

A stylishly dressed young woman boasted while eating, “I told you going in this direction would lead us to Strength and Chariot. See, I was right!”

“Hah, your Tarot Cards didn’t point in this direction at all!” The Shaman Woman, a middle-aged woman, immediately retorted upon hearing this.

The two cameramen saw them arguing and exchanged a glance before stealthily turning on their cameras to film again. However, they stayed on the periphery of the crowd and were wary of Fu Chengmao and the others, so they didn’t dare film as openly as before.

The young woman shot back, “Meeting a turning point midway is the same thing. It’s still better than you claiming to perform fuji to invite a great immortal to possess you, only for it to turn out to be your own self-directed act!”

“Who are you calling self-directed…”

The others saw them arguing again and seemed accustomed to it. Only a man with his hair tied in a bun, who looked ethereal and otherworldly, asked Fu Chengmao, “Did the Program Group send you to rescue us?”

Another young man interjected, “At least they have some conscience. They said it was live-streamed, but once we came in, there was no signal at all! We’ve been floundering in the swamp for three whole days in vain. Who knows if the footage we shot is even usable… If they don’t call for rescue soon, once I get out, I’ll sue the TV station until it goes bankrupt!”

Fu Chengmao replied, “Sorry, we’re here on a different mission and didn’t receive any rescue notification.”

Everyone froze upon hearing this. “You’re not here to save us?”

“Then how do we get out?”

“No, you have to send us out first even if you’re on a mission!”

“We’ve been trapped here for three days! Look at my hair—it’s full of dried mud, and it’s driving me crazy with itchiness! I want to get out. I want to take a bath. I want to eat proper food!”

The group erupted in chaos, but Fu Chengmao was helpless. They had already ventured deep into the swamp, where magnetic field fluctuations were intense, making it impossible for helicopters to pinpoint locations—which was why they had only been dropped off at the periphery before withdrawing.

Their agreed extraction time was still days away. Either the group followed them to the extraction point, or they stayed put and waited for rescue.

Of course, the group refused to separate from them. They had deeply experienced the dangers of the swamp over these three days. If these soldiers left and rescue didn’t come, wouldn’t they just be left to die?

The group insisted on sticking with them, giving Fu Chengmao a real headache. Not only were there all sorts of people among them, but their water and rations were limited. Where was he supposed to find food for eight more mouths all at once?

But he couldn’t abandon them either… Fu Chengmao could only take it one step at a time. Worst case, everyone would have to ration their water and food.

“Hey, where did that Little Daoist Priest with the Luopan Compass and the others from the Program Group go?” the young man suddenly asked.

What? There were more people?! Fu Chengmao was startled.

The Tarot Girl pursed her lips. “I saw them run off in another direction midway.”

Fu Chengmao: “…”

Knowing someone was in danger, how could he not go rescue them? He gritted his teeth and set off to find them. Before leaving, he instructed the deputy captain to watch the rest, then departed uneasily.

Fortunately, they only searched for half an hour before bringing the people back. However, these four were far more miserable than the previous eight. It seemed they had accidentally plunged into the swamp; their lower bodies were caked in mud. Especially the young Taoist Priest holding the Luopan Compass—mud covered him nearly up to his neck.

If Fu Chengmao had arrived just a step later, his life would have been in jeopardy…

“That Chu guy, why is it you?!” The young Taoist Priest stopped abruptly as he passed Chu Yi.

Chu Yi hadn’t recognized him at first, mainly because everyone stank so badly it ruined his appetite, and he hadn’t looked closely… But once the young Daoist spoke, Chu Yi immediately identified him. It was Zhang Jue, disciple of Zhang Shaoyi.

“Didn’t your master send you back to Maoshan to cultivate your temperament? How did you end up here participating in a program?” Chu Yi raised an eyebrow.

He had once asked Zhang Shaoyi about it, and Zhang Shaoyi had looked embarrassed, saying Zhang Jue’s temperament was poor and that after recovering from his injury, he had sent him back to Maoshan.

Chu Yi had actually guessed it. Zhang Jue’s poor temperament was only part of it; more likely, Zhang Shaoyi worried he would keep offending him, so he sent him away.

“You’re the one who should be embarrassed to mention it! If it weren’t for you, how would I have gotten injured? How would my master have kicked me out?!” Zhang Jue fumed. He hadn’t listened to his master and returned to Maoshan; instead, he wanted to achieve something to prove himself. But now Chu Yi had seen him in such an embarrassing state again. No wonder he felt like he was falling apart.

He thought Chu Yi was his nemesis—every time Chu Yi appeared, he got unlucky!

Ouyang Yuyuan said, “That’s not fair. I was there when you got injured. You just didn’t run fast enough; Yi Ge even warned you. And Master Zhang sent you back because your skills weren’t up to par. How is that Yi Ge’s fault?”