As soon as Han Li finished speaking, Zhong Weiniang's face lit up with delight, and she kept praising him. Liu Jing also showed a look of approval.
Song Meng stepped forward and gave Han Li's shoulder two hearty slaps, then grinned broadly.
"I knew I had the right judgment about people! If you'd really refused to come, Song here would've cut ties with you for good. But I knew Junior Brother Han was a man of backbone!"
Having said that, Song Meng shot Wu Xuan a cold, venomous glare. It seemed Wu Xuan really wasn't popular among the other disciples.
Wu Xuan snorted and said, "In that case, I'll find somewhere else to stay. I won't get in the way of your grand plans. I'll report everything that happened here to our master — hopefully he won't blame you all!" Without another expression on his face, Wu Xuan walked out of the room and immediately flew off from the Qin residence on his magical artifact.
"Sixth Senior Brother is really too much — retreating at the critical moment! And he's supposed to be a senior brother!" Zhong Weiniang said indignantly.
"Forget it. Everyone has their own path; you can't force them," Liu Jing said gravely. "Now let's finalize our plan as soon as possible. The sooner we act, the safer it'll be. After all, nobody knows whether that Black Fiend Sect Master might emerge from seclusion early."
"You've got so much experience with eliminating rogue cultivators, Senior Brother — just give the orders! Whatever you say, we'll do. When the time comes, I just need to handle the fighting!" Song Meng said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Junior Brother Song, honestly…"
Liu Jing was caught between laughter and tears, completely at a loss with Song Meng.
Zhong Weiniang squinted her eyes into crescent moons and smiled sweetly.
Han Li simply smiled without a word.
"Seventh Junior Sister, you're fairly close with Senior Sister Chen from Granduncle Huiming's branch. She happens to be in Nanwu City right now. Why don't you go ask her for assistance? It'll be easier for you to make the request," Liu Jing said calmly after regaining his composure.
"Sister Chen is there too? I haven't seen her in a while. But we're on great terms — getting her help won't be a problem," Zhong Weiniang said confidently upon hearing this.
When Han Li heard the words "Sister Chen," he started inwardly, thinking with alarm: "It couldn't possibly be that coincidental — could it be that person?"
Han Li was still harboring suspicions when Liu Jing's voice came to his ear.
"Junior Brother Han, the rest of us will probably need to stay at the Qin residence for a while. We'll need you to coordinate with the Qin family and arrange living quarters and a quiet place for cultivation," the third senior brother said composedly.
Han Li naturally agreed without hesitation.
"What about me?" Song Meng couldn't help but ask, sounding rather impatient.
"You'll stay and guard the Qin residence in case the Black Fiend Sect launches a surprise attack. I'll need to go out onto the streets from time to time to keep tabs on the Black Fiend Sect's movements. Junior Brother Han has already been seen by them, so it's not convenient for him to show his face again," Liu Jing said evenly.
"Got it." Upon hearing this, Song Meng's spirits deflated, and he answered half-heartedly.
The days that followed remained utterly calm. Aside from Zhong Weiniang heading to Nanwu City early to request reinforcements, everyone else generally stayed at the Qin residence to cultivate and refine their qi. True to his word, Third Senior Brother Liu Jing went out a few times, but he didn't come back with any useful intelligence — it seemed every Black Fiend Sect disciple had gone into hiding.
As for Wu Xuan, he took up residence at an inn in the capital of Yue. It was said he sent a letter to Li Huayuan, but nobody knew what it contained. Afterwards, he was carefree and at ease, touring the lively and bustling parts of the capital with no intention whatsoever of returning to the Qin residence.
Nanwu City was not far from the capital of Yue. Senior Sister Zhong had been gone only three days before she returned with three men and two women.
Among them was an exceptionally cold and beautiful woman — and sure enough, it was the "Sister Chen" Han Li knew: Chen Qiaoqian. This made Han Li's heart sink with unease.
Chen Qiaoqian showed a flicker of surprise when she saw Han Li, but said nothing.
To her, Han Li wasn't exactly a stranger, even though the two had never exchanged a single word.
The other three men and one woman were Chen Qiaoqian's fellow disciples — two at mid Foundation Establishment stage and two at early Foundation Establishment stage. They all greeted Liu Jing warmly, clearly also acquaintances.
Zhong Weiniang introduced Han Li to them as her new junior brother. After hearing his name, all of them except Chen Qiaoqian showed expressions of shock.