“Poor guy.” One member murmured after hearing the first brother’s a.s.sessment.

“Right, he might have been here all alone for a long time now, maybe he has no family so no one looked for him.” Another shook his head.

“This is a miracle already. I think he’s in this vegetative state thanks to the spirit medicines around him. The dew and pill energy are keeping him alive.” One more added.

The majority agreed with this statement.

After all, a mortal shouldn’t stay alive for this long in this state. It had to the abundant precious medicines and their spirit energy keeping him alive. Otherwise, this mortal sticking around here for this long? Even if the beasts were to spare him, he would have died from starvation anyway.

“What should we do with him?” One disciple asked.

The youths didn’t know what to do since they were inexperienced.

“How about we bring him back to the sect and let the masters decide?” His friend suggested.

“Who is carrying him back? And what if there’s no resolution afterward, who’s responsible for taking care of him?” A different disciple immediately responded.

The group became quiet. Though their sect wasn’t a big one or anything, they were still cultivators. 

Whether strong or weak, they still considered themselves superior compared to a mortal. Who would be willing to take up this task?

After bringing him back and he still has some family members nearby, then it would be easy. But conversely, their masters might make the one who brought him back responsible for taking care of him. That would be very troublesome since it might last for decades.

“Why not just leave him here and ignore him? He’s not a disciple from our school, a complete stranger. He’s the one who fell, it’s not like we did this to him.” One member said; the last line was meant to make them feel better about doing so.

The group started pondering. This wasn’t actually a bad idea. After all, this mortal had no ties with them.

“I don’t agree, he’ll be eaten by wild beasts right away if we leave him here.” One of them stared at Li Qiye and couldn’t do it.

“Who is responsible when it comes down to it after we take him back?” A slightly older disciple deepened his tone.

Once again, no one was up for the task. They needed to focus on cultivation and finding the dao. How could they waste their precious time on a stranger?

“Kill him.” Finally, their first brother offered a suggestion.

“Kill him? We shouldn’t…” Someone in the frightened crowd disagreed.

They have killed before but only enemies. It seemed unsuitable for them to kill someone in a vegetative state.

“If we don’t kill and just leave him here, he’ll only suffer even more. It’s only a matter of time too, so a sword is a better outcome than being bitten by insects and eaten by beasts. Make it easier on him.” Li Jiankun had weathered more storms than the rest so he revealed his hardened perspective.

Though the disciples didn’t vocally agree, they found logic in his suggestion. Perhaps killing someone in this state was actually doing him a favor, delivering him from this horrible fate.

“If no one objects, then Iet’s do it.” Jiankun looked around and declared.

The group answered with silence since no one wanted this trouble.

Jiankun slowly unsheathed his sword, revealing a bright glint.

“Senior Brother, I’ll… do it, I’ll carry him back to the sect and see if he’s savable.” A feeble and uncertain voice stopped Jiankun from carrying out the task.

All eyes darted towards her. This was a delicate and pretty girl. Her expression looked nervous outside of the unyielding flash in her pure and spirited eyes.

“Junior Sister…” An older female disciple pulled on her sleeve after hearing this.

She couldn’t handle the spotlight and hastily lowered her head.

“Junior Sister Guo, you shouldn’t. You don’t even know him.” Another senior brother disagreed.

The girl’s name was Guo Jiahui who has only joined Mountguard for a year or so. Her talents were average; she didn’t stand out that much compared to the rest and lacked meritorious achievements. All in all, a very forgettable disciple.

“Are you sure? If you bring him back, you will take care of him since if you throw him out later, it will be bad for both you and the reputation of our sect. Do not do this if you lack the determination.” Jiankun turned towards her and advised.

The seniors all stared at her, thinking that she was making a bad choice.

“Junior Sister, don’t do it. Others might gossip if you bring him back and it’ll only be a waste of your time too. Spend it on cultivation, not a mortal.” A sister next to her said.

“She’s right, why add unnecessary trouble? If you can’t bear to watch, then leave first. Senior Brother will do it afterward.” Another brother added.

“Junior Sister, rethink this because this might waste several decades of yours if he actually stays alive for that long.” The group started chiming in.

Jiahui hesitated after being bombarded. She knew they were right too and plus, this man was a stranger.

She looked over at him. His face was still dirty and covered in mud. Alas, his features actually made her think of someone and felt a sense of familiarity.

“I...I’ve made up my mind, I will be responsible for him.” She gritted her teeth and said before heaving a sigh of relief after making a big decision.

“You’re too kind, Junior Sister.” Her seniors shook their head and stopped. They have said enough already.

Everyone knew that bringing this person back would only slow her down, hindering her future.

“I won’t say anything else if you wish to do this good deed. However, from now on, he is your responsibility.” Jiankun sheathed his sword and nodded.

“Yes.” Jiahui didn’t regret her decision and came to prop Li Qiye up. Her close friends offered their a.s.sistance.

“Our mission is complete, time to return.” Jiankun looked at the group and ordered.

The rest followed behind him with Jiahui carrying Li Qiye all the way in the back. Fellow sect members occasionally helped her.

Though many disagreed and found her decision strange, she didn’t say a word back and quietly carried Li Qiye back to the sect.