"Welcome, Fellow Daoist Qu. I am Feng Sanniang of the Six Linked Halls. I'll be working alongside everyone else to oversee the formation." A middle-aged woman of about forty rose to her feet with a warm smile.
She was no great beauty, but she had her charms.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Feng. Qu greets you." Qu Hun replied with neither arrogance nor deference, then led Han Li toward the table.
With a sweep of his gaze, Han Li had already taken in the unfamiliar cultivators within the hall.
A plain-looking middle-aged scholar, a flirtatious young woman in her twenties, an elderly man with milky-grey eyes, and a youth radiating an eerie crimson glow — together with Feng Sanniang herself, that made five in all.
The young woman, however, was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. She sat pressed close to the scholar, their intimacy unmistakable — clearly a pair of Dao companions.
While Han Li was mulling this over, Feng Sanniang spoke up with a coy laugh:
"Fellow Daoist Qu, your timing is perfect! I was just discussing the variations of the Six Escaping Water Wave Grand Formation with everyone. If we can drill them thoroughly beforehand, deploying the formation should feel far more natural when the time comes. But before that, allow me to introduce you to the others!" Feng Sanniang was clearly a natural when it came to socializing. A few honeyed words were all it took to close the distance between Han Li and everyone in the hall.
"These two are Fellow Daoist Mao and his partner, Fellow Daoist Xue — distinguished disciples of Senior Zhantai, the Island Master of Weixing Island!" Feng Sanniang gestured toward the middle-aged scholar and the young woman as she made the introductions.
"Qu Hun? I know quite a few cultivators on Kuixing Island, and I've never heard of you." The middle-aged scholar cast a cold glance and spoke with a hint of arrogance.
For reasons unknown, the scholar seemed to have taken an immediate dislike to Qu Hun, his very first words a deliberate slight.
This put a brief freeze on Feng Sanniang's smile, though she recovered almost at once.
"I'm not originally from Kuixing Island — I've only just come to visit my martial nephew Han, who has settled on the island. There's nothing remarkable about you not knowing my name, and I can assure you, yours is no more familiar to me." Qu Hun retorted, unperturbed.
"You—"
"Allow me to continue the introductions." Feng Sanniang hastily cut in. "This venerable gentleman is Fellow Daoist Qing Suanzi, a reclusive cultivator on Golden Turtle Island. Though few know his name, his wood-attribute arts are virtually unmatched within the Foundation Establishment stage! As for Fellow Daoist Yan, he's even more impressive — born with a Dark Fire physique, he has refined his Pure Yang True Fire to a level of pure mastery."
The scholar's face darkened and he seemed about to say more, but the woman deftly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Fellow Daoist Qing! Fellow Daoist Yan!" Qu Hun glanced at the elder and the youth and gave them a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Although both were at the late Foundation Establishment stage — the same as the scholar — the pressure they exerted on Han Li was far greater. Their cultivation techniques were clearly extraordinary, and Han Li had no intention of offending them needlessly.
"Fellow Daoist Qu!"
"Yan greets you!"
Neither of them put on airs. They returned the nod with friendly smiles.
This only made the scholar more uncomfortable.
Without waiting for Feng Sanniang to say anything further, he rose abruptly to his feet and said with a stiff expression:
"I think I'll retire to my room for some meditation. We can discuss the formation another time."
With that, he flicked his sleeves, turned on his heel, and strode out of the hall. The young woman cast an apologetic glance at the others before hurrying after him.
"Hmph! What's there to be so full of himself about? He just has a master who happens to be an Island Master, that's all." The crimson glow around Youth Yan flared as he spoke with some irritation.
The elder and Feng Sanniang both shifted subtly in expression. The elder quickly returned to his blank look, while Feng Sanniang forced a smile and gestured for Qu Hun to take a seat, apparently unwilling to dwell on the matter.
"Weren't there supposed to be six people? That Fellow Daoist Xue — she isn't also part of the formation team, is she?" Qu Hun asked bluntly after taking a seat without standing on ceremony. Han Li quietly positioned himself behind him.
"There's one more — Fellow Daoist Dou from Huaming Island. But word is they're in the middle of cultivating a rather powerful technique and won't be coming out for the next few days." Feng Sanniang smiled and explained.
"Oh, I see." Han Li nodded and said nothing more.
But Feng Sanniang seemed to have taken quite an interest in Qu Hun, periodically peppering him with casual, seemingly aimless questions. This caught Han Li off guard — standing quietly behind Qu Hun, he couldn't quite figure out what the woman was really after.