When Mo Fan returned to the church, he barely stepped inside before Bai Tingting suddenly stood up from where she was sitting and rushed toward him. To everyone's surprise, she threw herself into his arms, looking as though she had suffered a massive grievance.
Her soft, curvaceous body pressing against him wasn't entirely unexpected for Mo Fan, but he still felt as though he had just fallen into a sea of cotton.
Everyone present was momentarily stunned.
Although Bai Tingting had been willing to follow Mo Fan, it was supposedly only because he had saved her life. They hadn't developed a relationship this close yet, had they?
"What's wrong?" Mo Fan asked.
"Please don't leave again," Bai Tingting said, her eyes red with tears, looking as if Mo Fan was the only person she could rely on.
"Okay." Mo Fan nodded in agreement.
"Well, look who decided to come back after bragging about completing the survey alone. So, how'd it go? What did you find?" Liao Mingxuan snidely commented.
"You want me to beat you up again?" Mo Fan's voice was calm but cold.
Instantly, Liao Mingxuan shut his mouth, too afraid to provoke Mo Fan further.
After comforting Bai Tingting for a while, Mo Fan took out two survey devices, which had already turned green, and tossed them to Mu Ningxue, who was responsible for keeping track of them.
"Two survey points?" Mu Ningxue asked, surprised.
"No way! Mo Fan, how did you manage that? We barely completed one survey point, and it nearly wiped us out!" Peng Liang exclaimed, shocked.
They all knew Mo Fan was strong, but they hadn't expected him to complete more than their entire group.
Liao Mingxuan wanted to make another snide remark but restrained himself, knowing he couldn't match Mo Fan's power.
Suddenly, Lu Zhenghe chimed in, sycophantically complaining about Mo Fan, claiming he acted as if he were the leader of the group, always giving orders like he was some big deal because of his connection to some powerful figure. Liao Mingxuan seized on this as an opportunity to join in, mocking Mo Fan's behavior and belittling him for trying to please Mu Ningxue.
While this bickering went on, Mu Ningxue signaled to Mo Fan, asking him to step outside.
Once they were alone, Mu Ningxue asked, "Did you notice anything unusual?"
Mo Fan, indifferent, replied, "Nothing more than people's inner emotions being amplified and manipulated."
"Bai Tingting isn't really that fragile. You two haven't developed such a relationship yet, but she hugged you in front of everyone. It seems suspicious." Mu Ningxue continued.
"She's been crushing on me for a while now. It's normal. Remember when you suddenly told me you wanted to run away together? It's like that." Mo Fan smiled casually.
"That was when I was young and reckless." Mu Ningxue said softly.
"Oh."
"Sorry..." Mu Ningxue's expression grew more somber. She knew that her actions back then had caused significant trouble for Mo Fan's family.
"No need to apologize. Even if you asked to leave the Mu family now, I'd still agree." Mo Fan said with a faint smile.
"We're adults now. Stop joking around."
Realizing that discussing feelings with Mu Ningxue was a waste of time, Mo Fan shifted the topic. "Anyway, you called me out here to talk about how there's something wrong with the others, right? If I had to guess, they've been influenced by some mind-controlling monster."
Mu Ningxue paused, surprised that Mo Fan was so certain.
Mo Fan had no intention of letting things escalate into more internal conflict. Despite some of the group being annoying, there were still people worth saving among them. It would be a waste for them to die here, especially when they had magical tools and equipment that could be useful in a fight.
If the group weakened due to infighting, they'd become easy targets for Lu Nian's men. However, if they kept their magical tools and stayed united, the outcome could be very different.
"I'll go talk to Bai Tingting," Mo Fan said as he walked back inside.
Approaching Bai Tingting, he took out a magical device that dispelled mental manipulation and placed it in her hand. The device sent out a special ripple of energy, and Bai Tingting shivered as her eyes regained their clarity.
Realizing what had happened, Bai Tingting's face flushed red, embarrassed by her previous behavior. She couldn't even look Mo Fan in the eyes.
"Don't worry about it. It's perfectly normal to have a crush on someone as amazing as me. But I'm not here to tease you. I need to know if that idiot mentioned where he went earlier," Mo Fan said, changing the subject.
Though embarrassed, Bai Tingting still gave Mo Fan the location where Ming Cong had gone to fetch water.
After getting the information, Mo Fan turned to the rest of the group, many of whom sat in awkward silence. "There's a mind-controlling monster nearby. Its exact strength is unclear, but it seems capable of amplifying our deepest, hidden thoughts. I'm going to deal with it now. In the meantime, try to keep calm and don't turn on each other."
"A mind-controlling monster?" Everyone was stunned by the revelation.
Ming Cong quickly jumped in, "Yeah! That's what happened to me! I was being manipulated!"
Mo Fan glanced at him. "You were manipulated, sure. But your impure thoughts are real, too."
Ming Cong: "..."
Liao Mingxuan's face also darkened, remembering the impulsive things he'd said. Though he wanted to protest, he had no choice but to hold it in.
"I'll go with you." Zhao Manyan offered.
"Do you have a magical tool to resist mind manipulation?" Mo Fan asked.
"I do." Zhao Manyan replied, nodding. Being from one of the richest family in the country, he had no shortage of magical tools.
"Alright, let's go."
As they were about to leave, Zhao Manyan noticed Mu Ningxue standing nearby.
"Mu Goddess, are you coming too?" Zhao Manyan asked.
"My mind is clear. Even if I get influenced, it won't matter." Mu Ningxue calmly replied.
Mo Fan knew she was serious.
In later discussions, fans speculated that Mu Ningxue might have had feelings for Mo Fan during this time, but come on, that's ridiculous!
The reality was that, if not for Lu Nian's heroic intervention, neither Mu Ningxue, Mu Zhuojiao, nor even Bai Tingting would have seen Mo Fan as more than just a friend.
Saving them from the jaws of death changes things. But compared to Bai Tingting and Mu Zhuojiao, Mu Ningxue was the most aloof. She acted like she didn't care about Mo Fan at all.
(End of Chapter)