Hearing those words, Sect Master Wang felt his heart skip a beat, and a knot of unease tightened in his chest.
The day before, he and the other senior figures had received word from Li Feiyu that Han Li would arrive at Sunset Peak the following day at noon. Some among them had immediately proposed using the meeting as an opportunity to make a move — to kill Han Li while he was within their grasp, on the grounds that he was far too dangerous to be left unchecked.
This proposal, however, met fierce opposition from another camp. Those who disagreed argued that the risk was simply too great — that a failed attempt would invite devastating retaliation. They believed the sect should talk things over with Han Li first before deciding on any course of action.
The faction eager to strike immediately shot back, citing the danger of delays letting secrets slip, of prolonged uncertainty bringing unforeseen complications.
In truth, everyone understood perfectly well that calling Han Li "too dangerous" was nothing more than a pretext. What certain people really wanted was to get their hands on his cultivation methods — to squeeze some benefit out of this Doctor Han. Even those who opposed taking violent action likely harbored the same desire; they simply preferred a more gentle, subtle approach.
The two sides bickered red-faced right in front of Sect Master Wang, and by the time the meeting was about to break up, neither had convinced the other. They were still sniping at each other ceaselessly.
In the end, it was the surviving gray-robed uncle-master who put a stop to it. He spoke a single cold sentence, and the room fell silent at once.
"If you kill this Doctor Han, are you not afraid his elders will come looking for you?" His words hit the overheated senior figures like a bucket of ice water.
"He's right! That young man is already this powerful — he must have some immortal-like elder standing behind him. If we recklessly killed him and that elder showed up demanding answers, wouldn't every last one of us die without even a proper burial?"
Once they realized that harming Doctor Han was tantamount to harming themselves, every one of those who had originally argued for a ruthless strike changed their tune. Even the one or two still blinded by greed made a halfhearted attempt to hold their ground, but the consensus to treat Han Li with a gentle hand was settled.
Now, hearing Han Li deliver that loaded remark, Sect Master Wang naturally felt a prickle of guilt. He assumed the man's supernatural abilities must have let him somehow learn the contents of yesterday's debate, and that this was his way of issuing a warning.
Still, Wang Juechu had been a sect leader for many years. His composure and experience were far from ordinary. He quickly shook off the effect of the Heavenly Eye Technique, and his expression returned to normal.
"Why would Doctor Han say such a thing? Everyone in my sect — from top to bottom — is deeply grateful to you." After a quick calculation in his head, Wang Juechu decided to probe Han Li's intentions first.
"But I've heard that someone here intends to do me harm." Han Li let out a cold laugh and spoke in a flat tone.
Sect Master Wang started with alarm, but when he saw that Han Li showed no sign of flying into a rage, he relaxed slightly. The fact that the man hadn't spoken in anger and had come alone to meet him suggested he had merely caught wind of something, rather than knowing the full details of the meeting. There was still room to salvage the relationship.
"Doctor Han may have misunderstood. It's true that a few bad apples in the sect tried to betray our benefactor yesterday. But please rest assured — those individuals have already been detained and are under strict guard. The vast majority of the sect still holds Doctor Han in the highest regard. We would never do something that pains our friends and delights our enemies." After weighing his words carefully, Wang Juechu delivered this speech with an air of righteous conviction.
Han Li sneered inwardly. Ever since he had revealed his strength and helped the Seven Mysteries Sect through its crisis, he had been reminding himself with the old sayings — "When the birds are gone, the bow is put away" and "Cross the river, then burn the bridge." He knew better than to assume that just because he had done someone a favor, they would feel grateful. The human heart was the hardest thing of all to fathom. For people who considered themselves important figures, ungratefulness and turning on family were as routine as drinking water — so long as the profit was sufficient.
This was precisely one of the reasons he had shut himself away upon returning to the valley. He wanted to let these senior figures cool down, to keep the fire of greed from burning away every last shred of their reason.
After that, when he had Li Feiyu deliver a message about meeting the senior figures, Han Li had never intended to show up on time.
After all, even though his strength far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists, if they resorted to underhanded tactics, there were countless ways they could put him in the ground.
That was why, for the sake of safety, he had deliberately come half a day early to meet Sect Master Wang in secret, alone.
And just now, all it had taken was a light probe for the sect master to give himself away. It seemed these Seven Mysteries Sect bigwigs really had considered making a move against him.
But that was fine. Whether they had truly intended to act or had merely thought about it, Han Li wasn't going to lose his temper over it. After he finished this deal with the foremost figure of the Seven Mysteries Sect, he would be gone — far, far away. He would never cross paths with them again.
"Enough talk. I'll be straightforward with you, Sect Master Wang. After this meeting with you, I'll be leaving this place and heading far away. I may never return to Cai Xia Mountain. Before I go, though, I'd like to make a deal with you — one that benefits us both." Han Li stared at Wang Juechu for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a mysterious tone.
"A deal?" The sect master was first surprised to hear that Han Li was leaving, then puzzled by the mention of a transaction.
"What kind of deal could I possibly have with Doctor Han?" His heart couldn't help but grow restless.
…………
When noon arrived — the originally agreed-upon meeting time — Han Li did not appear at the main hall of Sunset Peak. Instead, it was Sect Master Wang who strode into the venue last, looking refreshed and full of energy.
He announced right then and there that there was no need to wait any longer: Han Li had already left Cai Xia Mountain and vanished without a trace. The man would likely depart from Lan Prefecture, perhaps even from the Yue Kingdom itself. All their troubles had disappeared.
The assembled crowd stared wide-eyed at one another. The entire hall fell deathly silent.
"He's gone? Then what's the point of scheming anymore? Back to whatever we were doing, I suppose." The thought passed through their helpless minds.