After speaking, she grabbed Fu Qin's sleeve and walked steadily forward, leaving Oscar far behind.
Zhu Zhuqing still gritted her teeth and followed not far from Fu Qin and the others; though exhausted, she never gave up.
The mountain road of the Devils Path grew steeper; without realizing it, the originally orderly team split into three echelons, the gap widening.
Fu Qin, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing firmly occupied the first echelon.
Fu Qin carried three people's worth of weight, yet his pace remained as steady as if he were flying.
As time passed, beads of sweat began to hang on Ning Rongrong's small face. Xiao Wu, relying on her physical constitution as a transformed Spirit Beast, chatted and laughed with Fu Qin all the way, occasionally not forgetting to look back at Tang San to give him some "spiritual encouragement."
Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth and followed closely behind, sweat constantly sliding from her forehead, yet she maintained a pace that wasn't slow. The weighted stones pressed her shoulders red, but her gaze grew increasingly determined.
The second echelon was occupied by Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun.
Tang San circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, his breathing steady, but after sharing part of Ma Hongjun's weight, thin sweat also seeped from his temples.
As an attack system Battle Spirit Master, Dai Mubai's physical strength and endurance were still up to par, but he occasionally looked at Zhu Zhuqing's back with a complex expression, and the force in his steps unconsciously increased.
With the help of the two, Ma Hongjun finally didn't fall behind, but he was also panting with exhaustion, complaining from time to time about the difficulty of the mountain road.
Oscar, without a doubt, fell into the last echelon.
He trailed alone at the end of the line, his steps staggering. Every step felt like a race against death. His face was as pale as paper, his lips parched and bleeding, and the weight on his back felt like a thousand pounds, pressing so hard he could barely breathe.
"Oscar, do you need help?" Fu Qin stopped, turned his head to look at the wretched Oscar behind him, his tone flat, without a hint of mockery, only a pure inquiry.
Of course.
He didn't truly want to help this guy who had repeatedly harbored ill intentions toward him; he was just putting on a show. After all, Tang San and the others were there, and he needed to maintain a "righteous" persona.
But to Oscar's ears, this sentence sounded like a blatant insult.
He looked at the smiling Ning Rongrong beside Fu Qin, saw Fu Qin's relaxed and effortless manner, and then thought of his own current wretched state. A surge of shame and indignation rushed to his heart.
He abruptly lifted his head and hissed at Fu Qin, "I don't need it! Fu Qin, stop being so hypocritical! I can complete the mission myself; I don't need your pity!"
His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, filled with extreme anger and unwillingness.
In his past life, he was the Food God who stood side-by-side with Ning Rongrong after Becoming a God—how glorious he was. Now, having to receive such "charity" from Fu Qin, how could he endure it?
Moreover, he absolutely did not believe Fu Qin was sincerely helping him; he only thought the other party wanted to flaunt his generosity in front of Ning Rongrong.
Seeing this, a look of "disappointment" appeared on Fu Qin's face. He shook his head slightly, said not another word, and turned to continue forward with Xiao Wu and the other two.
This was exactly the effect he wanted. The angrier and more wretched Oscar became, the more it highlighted his own calm generosity, and the more it would make Ning Rongrong dislike Oscar.
"Oscar is just too tactless!" Ning Rongrong looked at Oscar's back, her brow furrowed, her tone full of ill-will.
"Brother Fu Qin kindly tried to help him, yet he treats it like dirt. He really bites the hand that feeds him!"
She had long since recovered the memories of her past life and knew clearly that she was Oscar's wife in her previous life.
But it was precisely because she recovered those memories that she despised Oscar even more.
In the God Realm in their past life, Oscar was obsessed with power and women and had done too many filthy things; he was no longer the person in her heart worth entrusting herself to.
In this life, since she had awakened her memories, she would never repeat the same mistakes. Oscar's life or death had nothing to do with her.
Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Oscar's chest heaved violently, and a nameless fire instantly rushed to his head.
He wanted to retort, wanted to question Ning Rongrong, but the words were swallowed back down as they reached his lips.
He couldn't expose his identity as a person of Rebirth; he couldn't let anyone know about his past life entanglements with Ning Rongrong.
This anger and grievance had nowhere to be released, nearly driving him mad. He could only clench his fists tightly, nails digging into his flesh, and continue forward relying on sheer ruthlessness.
Time passed minute by minute.
At a quarter past four in the afternoon, Fu Qin led Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing as the first to walk out of the Devils Path, arriving at the city gates of Suotuo City.
By the city gate, Yu Xiaogang had long been waiting. Seeing the four arrive first, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, but he soon frowned.
The team had not arrived in full, which gave him an ominous premonition.
"Grandmaster!" Xiao Wu was the first to run over, her tone filled with a bit of joy, "We're here!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded, suppressed the doubts in his heart, and said to the four, "You've done well. Follow me to the inn to rest first."
He had already rented an inn in Suotuo City in advance, and medicinal baths for refreshing and relieving fatigue were prepared in the rooms.
Fu Qin and the other three were indeed a bit tired after the journey, especially Zhu Zhuqing, who was already at the end of her rope.
After entering the inn rooms, all four soaked in medicinal baths in their own rooms. The warm medicinal soup enveloped their bodies, dispelling the fatigue and soreness from the journey. Zhu Zhuqing's tense body finally relaxed, and a look of comfort appeared on her face.
"Fu Qin, why didn't Little San and the others come?"
Yu Xiaogang had always thought highly of Fu Qin, believing him to be a child of pure and kind nature.
But now only the four of them had arrived, while Tang San and the others...
However, before Fu Qin could speak, Xiao Wu's voice came from next door.
"Grandmaster, it's not that we didn't want to help; it's that Tang San and the others said they didn't need it."
Inside the adjacent room.
Soaking in the medicinal bath, Xiao Wu took the initiative to explain to Yu Xiaogang, her tone carrying a bit of grievance.
"Brother Fu Qin originally wanted to help Oscar, but he didn't appreciate it at all!"
Ning Rongrong in the other room also nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Grandmaster. Tang San and the others said they wanted to complete the mission themselves and wouldn't let us help. There was nothing we could do."
Fu Qin sat in the medicinal bath, eyes closed as he rested, saying nothing, only nodding to confirm their version of the story.
He knew that although Yu Xiaogang didn't have much ability, he valued teamwork most. Such an explanation could clear them of responsibility and place the main blame on Oscar.
After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang shook his head helplessly.
He understood Tang San's personality—too competitive, wanting to do everything personally, yet not understanding the true essence of teamwork.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun each had their own thoughts, and Oscar was narrow-minded. How could such a team go far?
"Rest well first. I'll go to the city gate to check on them." After Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, he turned and left the room.