Ji Xun carried the two people for a while and found a corridor corner almost free of monsters, where he finally stopped.
After putting them down, he patted his old friend.
Chu Jiu opened her eyes, surveyed the surroundings, and felt relieved seeing there were no skeleton monsters. She thought, "We're safe now."
Indeed, this guy managed to come up with a solution.
Seeing the black blood soaked into his clothes, Ji Xun casually reminded her, "Your injuries are severe."
It wasn't his blood, but his old friend's that had stained his clothes.
Chu Jiu, not wanting to discuss the cause of her injuries, simply replied, "Yes."
She had been too busy escaping to tend to her wounds earlier. Now that they had a moment to breathe, she turned her head to check her back, then pulled out a potion and poured it on the wound, which sizzled with corrosive gas.
It seemed very painful, as her movements stiffened for a moment.
Ji Xun noticed her somber mood and easily guessed that the person who had injured her must have been someone she trusted deeply.
For someone to inflict such a wound that suppressed her silver hair state, it must have been quite a severe injury.
However, Ji Xun wasn't interested in prying into her privacy.
If she wanted to talk, he'd listen. If not, he'd let it go.
The two had a basic understanding and didn't feel the need to say more.
At that moment, the spiritualist named Nan Jing also woke up.
She seemed to awaken from a nightmare.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she sprang up agilely and scanned her surroundings warily.
Seeing that her companion Chu Jiu was safe, Nan Jing lowered the cards in her hand.
The burlap cloak she had been wearing was lifted while being carried, and Ji Xun noticed that she was a young girl with black hair tied in a bun.
A gas mask obscured her face, but her voice sounded young, and her eyes were lively, suggesting that her features were not bad either.
What stood out most was her well-proportioned figure.
Even the loose adventure tactical suit couldn't hide the impressive curves of her chest.
When Ji Xun had been carrying her, he distinctly felt as if there were two soft cushions on his back.
It was a mature figure that didn't match her cute bun hairstyle at all.
Ji Xun was only particularly impressed but didn't think much else.
Nan Jing, as if waking from a dream, asked Chu Jiu in a daze, "Sister Chu Jiu, where are we?"
She remembered being mentally attacked and then suddenly losing consciousness.
Now she woke up here.
Chu Jiu didn't answer the question she didn't know, instead reminding her, "Xiao Nan, this gentleman saved us."
"???"
Upon hearing this, Nan Jing looked over suspiciously, seemingly pondering the meaning of "saved us?"
Thinking it over, her scattered thoughts began to clear.
That's right.
They had been escaping just now!
What happened to the endless skeletons?
Nan Jing looked around and saw no monsters in the corridor.
Her confusion quickly turned to disbelief—were they really safe?
Ji Xun, seeing the spiritualist lady's slightly slow reactions, smiled with his eyes.
The spiritualist lady seemed not fully awake, her large eyes blinking as if to say, "Am I still dreaming?"
Chu Jiu, used to her companion's slow responses, reminded her again, "Xiao Nan, you should say 'thank you'..."
Thinking back to when she first discovered this guy's incredible problem-solving abilities, she too often felt bewildered.
But before she could finish speaking, a surge of pain from her injuries changed her expression.
Though she tried to endure it, the sudden rush of metallic taste in her throat made her cough up blood.
Having been seriously injured and constantly fighting, Chu Jiu's condition was very severe.
She quickly used her curse power to suppress it.
Nan Jing, alarmed, rushed over to help treat her wounds.
...
With no more monster threats, the crisis temporarily subsided.
Nan Jing, seemingly processing the information just now, prepared medical tools while gratefully saying to Ji Xun, "Thank you for saving me and Chu Jiu, sir. You can call me Nan Jing."
Now she understood that if this person had any ill intentions, they would have been in grave danger without him needing to do anything.
Clearly, he was not an enemy.
She then apologized, "Sorry, because of... earlier..."
She seemed to want to explain but couldn't find the words, feeling as if revealing such things would betray her companion.
She fell silent.
Ji Xun didn't mind at all, politely smiling and introducing himself, "Ji Xun."
After this exchange, the three fell into a brief silence.
Nan Jing, unable to say more, focused entirely on treating Chu Jiu's back wound. She used scissors to cut open Chu Jiu's clothes, revealing a horrifying, fist-sized wound emitting black smoke.
Ji Xun now realized that his old friend's injuries were worse than they appeared.
Nan Jing's treatment methods were clearly more professional. She didn't crudely pour potion but used surgical tools to clean the wound.
With a careful expression, she cut away the smoking, necrotic flesh.
After cutting, she meticulously cleaned the wound with a potion.
Then she took out a green card, activated it, and the green hexagram on the card emitted a life-representing glow around the wound.
Only then did she begin to carefully stitch the wound.
The entire healing process involved cutting and stitching, which looked extremely painful.
But Chu Jiu remained silent, her eyes dull.
Ji Xun observed the entire treatment process.
Chu Jiu's injuries were not only physical but also involved a dark fire element that made treatment very difficult. Potion alone was insufficient.
The cut-off flesh, without the suppression of ice curse power, burned to charcoal immediately, and the dark fire element even corroded the surgical knives.
Nan Jing had to replace several knives during the process.
Even Ji Xun found it alarming.
Such strange injuries would have killed an ordinary person instantly.
Clearly, the attacker knew her ice curse power well and used countermeasures.
Familiar with her abilities and capable of ambushing her... the attacker was definitely a trusted companion.
Ji Xun thought of something but didn't rush to speak. He closed his eyes to meditate while they treated the wounds.
...
Before long, Nan Jing finished stitching the wound. The ice demon power in Chu Jiu gradually faded away.
The three didn't exchange many words. Ji Xun and Chu Jiu were used to long periods of silence and could coexist peacefully. However, Nan Jing felt the atmosphere was too quiet and couldn't contain her curiosity, "Mr. Ji Xun, how did you stop those skeletons from chasing us?"
Ji Xun hadn't intended to explain much but, thinking they might face more trouble later, he said, "The skeletons' hatred is triggered by fluctuations in rationality. Stay calm, don't get too scared or excited, and try to suppress those fluctuations."
"Huh? Is it that simple?"
Nan Jing had been to this maze before and knew about this. But how could a normal person have no emotional fluctuations at all?
"..."
Ji Xun didn't elaborate further, nor did he mention the clown mask. He trusted Chu Jiu, but that didn't mean he trusted everyone.
Chu Jiu noticed Ji Xun's reluctance to explain and interrupted her companion's curiosity, asking, "Mr. Ji Xun, what should we do now?"
Ji Xun replied, "Wait."
Chu Jiu seemed accustomed to this abrupt thinking, pondered for a moment, and nodded, "Okay."
Nan Jing, hearing their brief conversation about the next steps, perked up her ears. She had thought the mysterious "Mr. Ji Xun" would have a detailed plan. But as the conversation began, it ended.
The spiritualist lady felt her mind was overwhelmed, looking at Chu Jiu, then at Ji Xun, her big eyes wide with confusion.
Wait for what?
Hey, hey, hey...
Explain clearly.
These two seemed to be speaking in riddles and then just stopped talking.
Nan Jing, still processing the earlier conversation, didn't realize she had been staring for a while.
Ji Xun found her intense, inquisitive gaze amusing. Her companion, Chu Jiu, seemed a bit naive and clueless.
But that wasn't surprising. Ji Xun and Chu Jiu had worked together before and had some understanding. It was normal for others to be out of sync with their thinking.
Seeing Nan Jing's medical skills, Ji Xun decided she wasn't a complete burden and added, "Wait until the Cao family's people are all dead before taking action. Otherwise, their movements in the maze will cause unexpected risks."
Nan Jing, finally understanding, murmured, "I see."
The three fell into a brief silence again.
Then Ji Xun asked, "By the way, Miss Nan Jing, why are you in the maze? Did you blow up the train outside?"
He wasn't sure if this question was related to the ambush, but he felt something was missing.
Ji Xun knew Chu Jiu would answer if asked, but it might touch on sensitive topics like being betrayed. Asking her companion would provide more information.
He was curious why they were involved in the plot against Governor Cao's family.
Nan Jing glanced at Chu Jiu, who didn't respond, indicating it was okay to speak. She replied, "No. The ones who blew up the train were another group of raiders. We heard there were medical supplies on the train, which we needed, so we came to check. We didn't expect to get caught up in this."
"Oh."
Ji Xun now understood they were a fourth party, separate from the Golden Oak, the Governor's Office, and the raiders. Needing a large number of medical supplies meant they had a significant force behind them.
But it was quite the coincidence that they were ambushed just as they got involved.
This made Ji Xun suspect that the person who wanted Chu Jiu dead was from her own faction and had direct ties to the mastermind behind the plot against Governor Cao. They didn't even feel safe with her trapped in the maze and sent assassins after her.
Ji Xun thought, "This makes Chu Jiu's identity even more special..."
His mind raced, gradually piecing together the conspiracy.
Thinking back to the city's rumors, like the Cao family possessing a great treasure and assassination bounties, it all seemed like deliberate misinformation.
It was all to make Governor Cao Sihai feel his life was in danger in the Sinless City, leading to the plan to secretly leave on a modified freight train. The raiders got wind of supplies on the train and blew up the tracks.
Then Chu Jiu's faction also learned about the medical supplies and came to investigate, planning to eliminate any threats.
It was a masterful scheme of using others to achieve multiple goals without exposing themselves, manipulating various factions with just a few false messages.
Ji Xun found this fascinating. The aftermath alone would cause many deaths in the Sinless City. And he felt that the assassination of Governor Cao Sihai was just the beginning of the storm.
However, this had nothing to do with Ji Xun. He enjoyed the chaos but preferred to watch from the shadows.
...
Having someone as skilled as Chu Jiu indicated that the "fourth faction" had a complex background. Ji Xun didn't intend to pry into Chu Jiu and Nan Jing's identities. It was rude and unnecessary.
As long as they weren't enemies, it didn't matter who they were.
Chu Jiu, worried her naive companion might say something she shouldn't, asked, "Mr. Ji Xun, you mentioned you encountered the 'Secrecy Keeper' earlier?"
Ji Xun nodded, "Yes."
This caught Chu Jiu and Nan Jing's curiosity, "What level of calamity is that? Can it be dealt with?"
Recalling the earlier glimpse and the soul-chilling feeling, Ji Xun responded, "Very tricky."
Ji Xun frowned slightly and added, "S-rank calamity, immortal and indestructible, and there are quite a few of them. Avoid direct confrontation if possible."
"..."
Chu Jiu's expression immediately turned serious. She understood the weight of "very tricky." In the past, even the terrifying A-rank calamities in the 407 space hadn't warranted such a description from Ji Xun. For him to say this now meant the calamity was truly unbeatable.
Chu Jiu asked, "So?"
Ji Xun knew what she meant and replied, "Solve the puzzle."
"Got it."
Chu Jiu understood what he meant, and their conversation ended with just a few words.
Listening intently, Nan Jing's expression froze again. The spiritualist's thought process wasn't as fast as Chu Jiu's, nor did she have the same level of tacit understanding. Hearing the term "Secrecy Keeper," she thought she had grasped a key point. Determined to analyze the information and figure out how to solve the maze, she focused intently. But before she could fully process it, the conversation was over again!
Nan Jing, under her gas mask, displayed a rich array of expressions. She glanced at Chu Jiu and then at the stoic Ji Xun, internally grumbling, "Can't you say a bit more? I didn't get it!"
Feeling like asking would make her seem foolish, Nan Jing shifted the topic, "Chu Jiu, how did you meet?"
Chu Jiu, her closest partner, had never mentioned Ji Xun before, which was strange.
"Well..."
Chu Jiu hesitated. The events of the 407 space were too sensitive to discuss, even with her best friend, as they involved life and death matters for many people.
Ji Xun had no interest in this topic and didn't plan to engage. Their silence created a subtle atmosphere.
Seeing Nan Jing's increasingly curious eyes, Chu Jiu couldn't help but say, "Mr. Ji Xun is a trustworthy friend. He saved my life."
"Oh?"
Nan Jing's curiosity was piqued even more. Did she see correctly? Was this person an apprentice spell card master? How could he save Chu Jiu?
Ji Xun, originally not planning to talk, shook his head slightly at Chu Jiu's words, "Miss Chu Jiu is being too polite."
He had chosen to save her not just because of her "human radar" ability but also to repay a favor. Ji Xun wasn't heartless, but he valued the concept of owing and repaying favors. The gratitude for Chu Jiu's assistance in the 407 space was significant.
Ji Xun, shifting to a more relevant topic, asked, "Miss Chu Jiu, do you still have the documents from the safe?"
"Yes."
Chu Jiu immediately handed over a stack of documents.
Ji Xun, without any hesitation, took the documents, lit a lamp, and began to read. Familiarizing himself with the ancient Talon language was beneficial, as it might be key to escaping the maze.
Chu Jiu didn't ask further, trusting his past actions in the 407 space, which often involved seemingly incomprehensible preparations that turned out to be crucial.
Watching Ji Xun engrossed in the documents, Nan Jing couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ji Xun, are you a 'Wisdom Sequence' card wielder?"
"No."
He responded without looking up.
"Then can you understand these ancient texts?"
"No."
"...???"
Both Nan Jing and Chu Jiu were stunned. Nan Jing, confused and curious, asked, "Then what are you doing?"
"Learning."
"..."
"..."
Both women were speechless. Nan Jing felt this was unreliable, while Chu Jiu suspected he was recalling insights from the 407 space and combining them to translate the ancient texts. Though seemingly impossible, Chu Jiu had a feeling Ji Xun might manage it.
Chu Jiu, unable to solve the puzzle herself, trusted the capable to handle it. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, while Nan Jing watched with deep suspicion.
Ji Xun, undisturbed, immersed himself in the documents, relying on his photographic memory to absorb as much information as possible.
The three stayed in the maze for three whole days.