Everyone then cupped their fists and nodded, replying, "Yes, Master." Zi Yu had also stepped back, but her eyes still held resentment.
Shen Ying paid them no heed either, only continuing to enjoy her meal, then... quietly extended her mealtime from the usual one to two hours.
She even brought out a few plates of pastries from time to time, eating while walking. Specially picking the especially fragrant and crispy ones. One crunch in a mouthful was a whiff of fragrance, another crunch, another whiff of fragrance. It was so enticing that those disciples in front who claimed to have mastered grain liberation could not help but look back repeatedly, even the number of demon beasts that appeared increased.
Fatty who was the closest: "..."
Fatty was bitter, but Fatty cannot eat, hence... he silently chanted the Tranquility Chant the entire way.
Such a situation continued for several days, until she finished the pastries in her bag, she then switched back to fruits.
At this point, the group had completely entered the deepest areas of the forest, they'd even encountered fifth-level demon beasts. This was equivalent to demon beasts in the Golden Core stage, all nine of them suffered injuries of varying degrees. Fatty, perhaps really maddened by them repeatedly provoking Shen Ying about her mealtime, did not act. They'd only managed to get away together after Jian Xing, who had the highest cultivation level contained the demon beast.
This was their first time facing such a dangerous situation, those cocky expressions that they first wore upon arrival were no longer seen. Instead, there was now a trace of terror, all their expressions didn't look good. After getting out of danger, they chose a concealed area to rest and reorganize, and started tending to the injured. The injuries that they suffered this time, was several times worse than the previous round. Seven of the nine of them were all injured, even Jian Xing who was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment in his specialization in sword had a cut on his hand, deep to the bone.
Fatty hesitated for a moment, but still refrained from helping them. To cultivators, such injuries was actually nothing much. There was one whose injuries had affected his meridians, but his condition wasn't critical, he would be fine after slowly recuperating when he returned, besides, their training hadn't ended yet.
Hence he only stood far away, Shen Ying beside him, was also calmly crunching on her fruits.
"Sister Shen, are you eating the red spirit fruit?" Suddenly, a light, airy voice sounded, the girl dressed in green from the nine was staring at her... fruit in her hands with bright eyes.
Shen Ying cocked her head to a side and casually replied. "Should be." Anyway, it was planted by Chef, she only cared about eating.
"It is indeed the red spirit fruit." Fatty took a glance and nodded in confirmation.
The girl's expression became even more surprised. "It is said that the red spirit fruit is a rare spirit fruit, it flowers once every century and bears fruit once every century. It is also an antidote for hundreds of poison, extend meridians and strengthen divine perception."
Shen Ying took another bite with a crunch and responded, "Oh."
The girl stiffened for a moment, thinking that she hadn't understood what she meant, she respectfully bowed. "Sister Shen, I don't know if you remember me. I am Zhi Lin, I've once met you at the back mountain a few years back."
"I don't remember!" Shen Ying said straightaway.
Zhi Lin's expression became even stiffer, she vaguely had the illusion that she'd been given a slap, but still maintained an amiable smile. "Sister Shen... Senior Brother Cheng Dong has been severely injured, he even hurt his meridians, all of our cultivation is too low to heal him. It happens that you have this red spirit fruit, can you... can..." She did not continue, only staring at the fruit in her hand.
Yet Shen Ying did not reply, instead she took another big bite. "Can I what?" As if she totally did not get what she'd meant to imply with her unfinished words.
Zhi Lin's expression was rigid. She could only grit her teeth and continue, "Can you give this fruit in your hand... to Senior Brother Cheng Dong to heal him."
"Oh..." Shen Ying's eyes narrowed. "You want my fruits?"
"It's Senior Brother Cheng Dong who needs it, his injury is severe and cannot delay healing, I ask that Sister Shen give him a red spirit fruit on the account that we are all from the same sect." Zhi Lin said with a worried look, even everyone else who were tending to their injuries on the other side had looked over. Especially that disciple who was injured, he looked extremely touched.
Shen Ying cocked her head to a side, then pulled out seven to eight red fruits from her bag. "This kind?"
Zhi Lin's eyes lit up as she nodded fervently. "Yes yes yes, it is this kind." With that, she reached out and was about to take them. "Thank..."
Yet before she could finish, Shen Ying retracted her hand, causing her to grab the air and suddenly revealed a smile as bright as the sun. "Heh heh, I simply refuse to give it!"
With that said, she even right before her face, pick one up, take a bite and put it down, then pick another up, take a bite and put it down... until every single had been bitten. At once, there was only the sound of her crunching left.
Zhi Lin: "..."
Fatty: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Everyone's face darkened.
"You're way too much!" Zi Yu walked over furiously, as if she could not hold herself back anymore. Pointing at Shen Ying she denounced loudly, "Never mind if you've been a drag on us this whole way, Cheng Dong has been so severely injured and you wouldn't even give a fruit. And... and... you're virtually pure evil!"
"Zi Yu!" Fatty who had been stunned by Shen Ying's taunting actions finally came back to his senses. "Do not be rude."
"I didn't say anything wrong!" She seemed to be blinded by her anger and began to criticize without any care. "She'd been slowing down our progress the whole time and even taunted Sister Zhi Lin earlier? No matter how high her cultivation is, she cannot be such a bully."
"That's right." Perhaps because someone had spoken up, the other disciple who were tending to their injuries also opened their mouths.
"It's merely a fruit, she has so many, yet she wouldn't even give us one."
"Yeah, in any case, we are from the same sect, why does she not have any compassion."
"Never mind if hasn't done anything all this entire way, she still kept eating and made sounds to affect us."
"Exactly, who knows, that high level demon beast might have been drawn out by her eating sounds.
Everyone became increasingly agitated as they spoke. With the exception of a few older ones who wore a troubled look without making a sound, there was also only Jian Xing who was quiet, only his brows were also tightly knitted together. Whereas Zhi Lin kept persuading them, with an anxious look, only her words were faintly filled with another meaning. "All of you have misunderstood, Sister Shen did not mean it that way, she wasn't intentionally targeting me!"
Hence, the more she went on, the more agitated everyone became, as if the emotions that had been accumulated for many days completely exploded out.
"What insolence!" Until Fatty could not hold back anymore and released his suppression, did everyone turn silent, all of them being forced to their knees. Fatty was truly enraged, where did these people find their righteous confidence. "The fruits were Miss Shen's to begin with, it's all dependent on her will to give it or not. To give it is kindness, to not give it, is her prerogative. How are all of you so shameless to think she must give it to you?"
He swept a look across everyone, becoming angrier as he did. "Besides, this is your training, Miss Shen and I are merely here to guide the way and chaperon. Sooner or later, there were come a day where you will experience true danger. Now you can't even handle such a small injury, by then... where would you go to find another Miss Shen to force her to give you fruits?"