Chapter 52

Fan Qi, Liu Juan, and Guo Siyu had already gathered together, while Jingwei, Su Yi, Xiu Yongqing, Fang Junjie, and Zhao Dingkun also showed a tendency to form a group. Only Liu Hongjun seemed to be a lone wolf.

In the battle against the Qing soldiers, Liu Hongjun indeed performed well. He had some martial arts foundation and was the first to take action, remaining calm and courageous, which led to his greatest gains.

However, he was somewhat difficult to approach, which made it hard for others to get close to him.

On the other side, Chen Jialuo greeted Wen Tailai and treated the injuries of the Red Flower Society members. He then immediately came over to thank Li Wucheng.

He said, "I thought Zhang Zhaong was like a fish in a barrel, unable to escape. Who knew that a large Qing army would pass by at this moment. If it weren't for Young Master Leng's assistance, Wen Tailai would not have been rescued. On behalf of the Red Flower Society, I thank you. In the future, Young Master Leng will be our benefactor, and if you have any commands, we will not dare to refuse."

Li Wucheng replied, "General Leader Chen, you are too kind. I have always said that I am willing to assist the Red Flower Society in rescuing Wen Tailai. Now, I have kept my promise."

For the Red Flower Society, Wen Tailai held a significant position. Li Wucheng's rescue of Wen Tailai truly earned the gratitude of the Red Flower Society members, who came one by one to thank him.

Wen Tailai and Luo Bing did not fall behind; they also came to express their gratitude, vowing to remember his great kindness forever.

After everyone had thanked him, Chen Jialuo said with a sense of guilt, "Young Master Leng, to rescue Wen Tailai, you even lost a brother. I heard that his body was not even found. This is the fault of the Red Flower Society. I apologize to you here."

After saying this, Chen Jialuo bowed deeply.

"General Leader, this is all my fault, Wen Tailai's fault. I should be the one to apologize," Wen Tailai hurriedly said, bowing to Li Wucheng. Luo Bing did the same.

"Please stand up, please stand up," Li Wucheng said, extending his hand to support them, and said loudly, "We are people of the martial world, and righteousness is paramount. Each member of the Red Flower Society is a hero, and we admire them. Hu Tou died saving Wen Tailai, and he died a worthy death. I believe he would not regret it."

Although he mainly rescued Wen Tailai for the sake of the main god points, Li Wucheng did not mind putting on a show to make the Red Flower Society members deeply remember his kindness. This was a good deed that cost nothing, and it was worth doing.

Moreover, he did not know if he would return to the world of "The Book and the Sword" in the future. Establishing a good relationship with the Red Flower Society beforehand would be helpful if he came back.

Li Wucheng's performance successfully shaped a noble image, making the Red Flower Society members admire him not only for his martial arts but also for his character.

Even those who initially thought Li Wucheng was too ruthless no longer held that view. Instead, they saw him as decisive and resolute.

Chen Jialuo thought to himself, "Brother Leng treats our Red Flower Society with such great kindness. I cannot be unrighteous. Perhaps, in the future, I can help bring him and Huo Qingtong together."

Feeling that Li Wucheng and Huo Qingtong had already developed feelings for each other, Chen Jialuo suppressed the slight ripple in his heart and decided to treat her as his sister-in-law.

The other cultivators watched coldly, and no one believed that Li Wucheng was truly a man of deep emotion. They could see through his act at a glance.

Fang Junjie secretly admired, "Brother Leng is really amazing. The realism of his performance could win an Oscar."

After a round of thanks and apologies, the relationship between the two sides became much closer. The Red Flower Society members no longer called Li Wucheng "Young Master Leng" but "Brother Leng."

"Brother Leng, I have some matters to arrange here. Please forgive me," Chen Jialuo suddenly said.

Li Wucheng waved his hand and said, "No problem, go ahead and arrange them."

Chen Jialuo then called out loudly, "Raft—dock—shore."

Luo Bing and Jiang Sigen brought the raft to the bank of the Yellow River, and everyone disembarked. The water was now even more turbulent, with a deafening roar.

Chen Jialuo said to the Chang brothers, "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, you two head back and check on Seventh Brother, Fourteenth Brother, Zhou Girl, and Master Lu and his disciple. I hope they are safe. If they fall into the hands of the officials, they will surely be taken to Beijing. We will meet them on the way and try to rescue them." The Chang brothers agreed and headed west.

Li Wucheng then bid farewell to Chen Jialuo. Despite Chen Jialuo's efforts to retain him, Li Wucheng did not agree and eventually left, saying he would meet them again if they had the chance.

At night, he chose a direction and walked for several miles, already far from the Red Flower Society members. In an open area, Li Wucheng stopped.

Turning around, he looked at the nine people behind him and said, "The plot related to the two tasks has now concluded. It is time for us to return to the Main God Space. I am ready to return immediately. What about you?"

"Ah, return now? My first task is not even completed yet," Fang Junjie exclaimed, his face falling.

Because Fang Junjie acted later, his task of killing Qing soldiers was less than half complete. Hearing that Li Wucheng was about to return to the space, he naturally panicked.

Looking at Fang Junjie, Li Wucheng said coolly, "Even if we don't return now, you only have twenty-four hours left. After that, you will be forced to return. So, it's up to you to decide whether to give up the task and return or to use the remaining twenty-four hours to try your best."

According to Li Wucheng's suggestion, the time the main god granted for staying in the plot world was not fixed but depended on the completion of the tasks.

For example, in this rescue mission for Wen Tailai, because of Li Wucheng's intervention, Wen Tailai was rescued earlier, and it was time to return.

If Li Wucheng had not intervened and let the Red Flower Society members rescue Wen Tailai on their own, following the original plot, they would have returned only after Wen Tailai was rescued.

Of course, this time was not rigid. If the cultivators did not want to return, they would have a twenty-four-hour extension, but after that, there would be no more delay, and they would have to return.

As for the possibility of extending this time with powerful items in the future, that was a different matter.

"Brother Leng, do you really have to return immediately? Can't you wait a bit longer?" Guo Siyu asked timidly.

Like Fang Junjie, Guo Siyu's task was also incomplete, but with the help of Fan Qi and Liu Juan, her completion rate was slightly better than Fang Junjie's.

When she said this, two more pairs of eyes looked at Li Wucheng hopefully. Besides Fang Junjie and Guo Siyu, there were others who had not completed their tasks, but the difference was small.

Li Wucheng's brows furrowed, and he said coldly, "I am just a guide. I have completed my guiding task this time. The rest is not within my responsibility. Also, I advise you that to survive in the Main God Space, it is best not to rely on others. Your own strength is the foundation."

With that, Li Wucheng's figure slowly disappeared from the others' sight, leaving them staring at each other in shock.