Chapter 316: Meeting

Volume Three

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Han Li’s words instantly brought a joyful smile to Zhong Weinang’s face, and Liu Jing also showed a look of relief.

As for Song Meng, he stepped forward and clapped Han Li hard on the shoulder twice, saying with a wide grin:

“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you! If you, rascal, had truly refused to go, I, Song, would have broken ties with you completely. But I knew Junior Brother Han was a man of spirit!”

After saying this, Song Meng shot a harsh glare at Wu Xuan. It seemed Wu Xuan’s popularity among his fellow disciples was truly poor!

Seeing this, Wu Xuan scoffed and said:

“Since that’s the case, I’ll find another place to settle down. I won’t disturb your important plans. I will report everything here to Master, and I hope Master won’t blame you!” With that, Wu Xuan expressionlessly walked out of the room and flew away from the Qin residence on his artifact.

“Sixth Senior Brother is truly disgraceful, retreating at the crucial moment! And he calls himself a Senior Brother!” Zhong Weinang said, highly displeased.

“Let it be. Everyone has their own ambitions; we can’t force them!” Liu Jing said solemnly. “Let’s arrange the plan as soon as possible. The sooner we act, the safer it will be, after all, no one knows if the Black Fiend Cult Master will emerge from seclusion early.”

“Senior Brother has such rich experience in eradicating corrupt cultivators, so you make the arrangements! We’ll just do whatever you say. Anyway, when the time comes, I’ll just be responsible for the fighting!” Song Meng said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Junior Brother Song, you!”

Liu Jing was rendered speechless, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on his face, looking utterly at a loss with Song Meng.

Zhong Weinang’s eyes curved into crescent moons, and she smiled sweetly.

As for Han Li, he simply smiled silently.

“Seventh Junior Sister, you’re quite familiar with Junior Sister Chen from Uncle-Master Huiming’s lineage. She’s in Nanwu City this time, so you go request her assistance! That way, it’ll be easier to ask,” Liu Jing said calmly to Zhong Weinang after regaining his composure.

“Junior Sister Chen is here too? I haven’t seen her in a while. But we’re good friends, so there won’t be any problem with the assistance,” Zhong Weinang said, brimming with confidence, upon hearing this.

When Han Li heard the words "Junior Sister Chen," his heart skipped a beat, and he thought with surprise and doubt:

“It couldn’t be such a coincidence! Could it be *that* person?”

While Han Li was still pondering in doubt, Liu Jing’s voice reached his ears.

“Junior Brother Han,” the Third Senior Brother said calmly, “we few will likely be staying at the Qin residence for a period of time. We’ll need you to communicate with the Qin family to arrange our accommodations and quiet cultivation areas.”

Han Li naturally agreed without hesitation.

“What about me?” Song Meng couldn’t help but ask, a hint of eagerness in his voice.

“You will remain at the Qin residence,” Liu Jing said calmly, “guarding against any sudden attacks from the Black Fiend Cult. I will occasionally go out to the streets to check for any movements from the Black Fiend Cult members. Junior Brother Han has already encountered them, so it’s naturally inconvenient for him to show himself again.”

“Got it!” Upon hearing this, Song Meng became dispirited and responded listlessly.

The following days remained extremely peaceful.

Aside from Zhong Weinang, who had gone to Nanwu City early to seek assistance, the others generally remained at the Qin residence to cultivate themselves and refine their qi. Third Senior Brother Liu Jing did go out a few times as he had said, but he didn’t gather any useful information. It seemed all the Black Fiend Cult disciples had withdrawn and gone into hiding.

Meanwhile, Wu Xuan stayed in an inn in Yuejing. It was said he sent a letter to Li Huayuan, though no one knew its contents. However, afterward, feeling free of responsibility, he roamed freely and enjoyed himself in the bustling and prosperous areas of Yuejing, showing no intention of returning to the Qin residence.

Nanwu City was indeed not far from Yuejing. Senior Sister Zhong had only been gone for three days before she returned with three men and two women.

One of them, a stunningly beautiful and aloof woman, was indeed the Chen Qiaoqian whom Han Li knew. This made Han Li feel somewhat uneasy.

Chen Qiaoqian also showed a slight look of surprise when she saw Han Li, but she didn’t say anything.

Han Li was not entirely a stranger to her, even though they had never spoken a word to each other.

The other three men and one woman were Chen Qiaoqian’s fellow disciples. Two were at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and two were at the early Foundation Establishment stage. They all appeared exceptionally enthusiastic upon seeing Liu Jing, indicating they were also acquainted with him.

Zhong Weinang introduced Han Li, her newly joined junior brother, to these people. After hearing Han Li’s name, everyone except Chen Qiaoqian showed expressions of surprise.

“You are Junior Brother Han, and you’re truly not that old!” another of Chen Qiaoqian’s fellow senior sisters said with a charming smile. “But we’ve all heard of Junior Brother Han’s great reputation for a long time now. You alone, at the border confrontation, killed over a dozen demonic Foundation Establishment cultivators. That’s truly remarkable!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Jing and Zhong Weinang were greatly astonished.

They had previously been on other missions and had never participated in the second round of major battles between the Seven Sects and the Demonic Dao, so naturally, they knew nothing of Han Li’s “great achievements.”

Now, hearing this from people they knew, they felt deeply shocked!

One should know that although this Third Senior Brother had also killed countless corrupt cultivators, the Foundation Establishment cultivators among them were only a handful of two or three, and each time he had to fight a bitter battle to win.

Yet Han Li actually had the “great achievement” of killing over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators. This shocked the two of them, causing them to re-examine the unassuming Junior Brother Han with a completely new perspective.

“Fourth Senior Brother, we didn’t know about Junior Brother Han’s deeds. You should have been perfectly clear about it, so why didn’t you tell me?” After her initial surprise, Zhong Weinang suddenly remembered something and immediately snapped at Song Meng, who was chuckling to himself nearby. Her tone clearly conveyed a desire to hold him accountable!

“Little Junior Sister, you never asked about this matter!” Song Meng said smugly. “You only kept asking about Junior Brother Han’s cultivation methods and level. I thought you already knew.”

He had long wanted to see the surprised expressions of these two fellow disciples when they learned about this, and it was indeed an eye-opener for him now.

How could Zhong Weinang not hear the perfunctoriness in his words? She glared at him fiercely, and just as she was about to press further, Liu Jing burst out laughing and said:

“Good, I never expected Junior Brother Han to be so formidable! With this, we’ll have a few more assurances against the Black Fiend Cult Master.”

As he said this, his face was filled with pleasant surprise. But Han Li felt a chill down his spine and was extremely uneasy, unable to help but think to himself:

“This Third Senior Brother isn’t planning to have me fight the Black Fiend Cult Master alone, is he?”

As soon as this ridiculous thought appeared, Han Li scoffed at himself and cast it to the back of his mind.

Next, Han Li and the others hosted a welcoming meal for Junior Sister Chen and her group. Although their cultivation had reached a level where they could abstain from food for long periods, since they were in the mortal world, they naturally wanted to enjoy a meal and follow local customs to satisfy their gastronomic desires.

After the meal, Han Li asked the Qin residence’s servants to clear the banquet, and everyone began discussing plans to deal with the Black Fiend Cult and infiltrate the imperial palace.

Liu Jing immediately stated that he was willing to bear sole responsibility for privately violating the Seven Sects’ prohibitions, so Junior Sister Chen and the others set aside their concerns and agreed to go together.

According to the intelligence obtained from Han Li, besides the so-called Four Blood Attendants, other masters like the altar masters should still be presiding over cult affairs in various parts of the Yue Kingdom. The chance of them all appearing together in the imperial palace should be extremely small.

Therefore, Liu Jing believed that their current manpower was more than sufficient to deal with the Black Fiend Cult members, and they should act swiftly and decisively as soon as possible to avoid prolonged delays.

The others also found this reasonable, so they prepared to let Junior Sister Chen and the others who had traveled far rest for a day. Then, on the night of the second day, while the mortals within the imperial city were still asleep, they would infiltrate the imperial palace to eradicate the evil.

Han Li stood by, watching others become increasingly excited as they spoke, with a faint smile, but inwardly, he couldn’t help but sneer.

These few people really thought the Black Fiend Cult members were made of mud, so easy to deal with!

When the great battle was over, who knew how many of those speaking here would still be alive!

If it weren’t for a secret he learned from that young prince, which might be greatly useful for his future Core Formation, he wouldn’t have risked such a strange danger by infiltrating the imperial palace. What did other people’s blood sacrifices and cultivation of evil arts have to do with him? The victims’ families and friends would naturally come to seek revenge. He only needed to slightly leak this information.

As for punishing evil and upholding justice, Han Li always believed in acting within one’s capabilities.

If there was no significant risk and it didn’t require much effort, he was happy to help out. But if the opponent was too strong and it had nothing to do with him, he certainly wouldn’t consider it wise to risk his own life meddling in others’ affairs!

Although Sixth Senior Brother Wu Xuan seemed quite annoying, it was undeniable that his decision to distance himself from this matter early on was indeed a shrewd way to protect himself. Otherwise, after a burst of passionate enthusiasm, he would risk having his soul scattered.

This time, Han Li, with a thick skin, agreed to raid the Black Fiend Cult’s lair with these people. This went against his principle of self-preservation. However, Han Li believed this risk was worth taking.

Because Han Li’s own spiritual root quality was truly poor, he was unwilling to easily let go of anything that could even slightly increase his chance of forming a Core. Moreover, he still had some confidence in making a full retreat unharmed.

For this, he had specially prepared a trump card that could ensure his safety on this trip. Otherwise, with Han Li’s meticulous caution, how could he have agreed to this matter for no reason!