Although the Mengshan Five were greatly surprised by Han Li’s decision, they also felt that his reasoning made some sense and did not object.
However, the middle-aged woman seemed curious and asked about the true identities of the two Black Fiend Cult members, only to be met with a gentle rebuff from Han Li. Han Li merely smiled faintly and said that everyone would naturally find out when they took action that night.
This left the middle-aged woman with no choice but to drop the subject, adopting an indifferent expression.
Soon after, Qin Ping, relaying a message from Qin Yan, led the Mengshan Five to another nearby courtyard and settled them there.
As Han Li watched their retreating figures, a peculiar look flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly murmured something under his breath—though no one could make out what he said.
That evening, after everyone had eaten, the Mengshan Five gathered in the main hall of the Clear Sound Courtyard, waiting until the late hour Han Li had mentioned to begin their operation.
“Strange! Why can’t I remember?” The young man in his thirties, known as Fourth Brother, paced around the hall shaking his head, his face full of confusion.
“Fourth Brother, still haven’t remembered?” The youngest of the group, a young woman, lazily sat in a chair, wearing a faintly amused expression.
“Fourth Brother, you keep saying that Senior Han looks familiar, that you must have met him somewhere before. But you can’t recall when or where—I find that hard to believe. Could it be that you’re just trying to ingratiate yourself with Senior Han and imagining things?”
Clearly, her words were meant to tease.
“Hmm, that’s quite possible. After all, this senior’s appearance is rather ordinary. It’s only natural that Fourth Brother finds him familiar,” the tall, thin Second Brother chimed in while sipping his tea, also joining in the jest.
However, his eyes never left the middle-aged woman beside him for a moment, repeatedly glancing between her still-charming face and her seemingly normal abdomen, a look of bliss on his face.
But the middle-aged woman, ranked third among them, grew increasingly irritated by his gaze and shot him several annoyed glances. In response, he merely grinned foolishly, his usual shrewdness and depth nowhere to be found.
“Hmph, say whatever you want. I’m certain I’ve met him before—it just wasn’t recently. It must have been some years ago, otherwise I wouldn’t have forgotten so completely,” the young man retorted indignantly, glaring at the young woman and the tall, thin man.
“Some years ago? Fourth Brother, we’ve been secluded in Mengshan cultivating all these years and never left the mountain. How could you have met Senior Han? Unless you met him while still in diapers?” The middle-aged woman also teased him playfully.
“Third Sister, you…” The young man flushed red with embarrassment.
“Actually, a few years ago, Fourth Brother wasn’t always secluded in the mountains. Have you all forgotten? Before we met Fifth Sister, we participated in an Ascension Assembly. We were away for two or three months, but unfortunately, none of us succeeded. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured,” the dark-faced old man interjected calmly.
“What? Everyone participated in the Ascension Assembly?” The youngest woman blinked, her curiosity piqued. In contrast, Second Brother and the middle-aged woman wore bitter smiles.
“There’s nothing much to say. That was the first time we realized how narrow our worldview was,” the middle-aged woman sighed.
“Come on! Fourth Brother, tell me about it. Back then… Huh?”
The young woman’s curiosity grew stronger, and she turned to the young man to ask about the Ascension Assembly, only to find him staring in shock.
“Fourth Brother, what’s wrong?” The others also noticed his strange expression and asked in surprise.
“Second Brother, do you remember during the Ascension Assembly, when we split up with Big Brother and Third Sister, I once sneaked off to a restaurant in Jiayuan City because I was craving some good food and wine?” Instead of answering their questions, the young man suddenly brought up an old story, leaving the tall, thin man puzzled.
“Of course I remember. Although we covered for you at the time, Big Brother found out later and gave you a stern scolding!” Second Brother replied, still confused.
“That’s right. When I came back, didn’t I tell you that I ran into a young cultivator at the restaurant who seemed to be there for the Ascension Assembly? His cultivation was only at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refinement, and we thought he was overestimating himself?”
“It’s been so long, I don’t remember clearly, but it probably happened,” Second Brother said hesitantly.
He had no idea why Fourth Brother was bringing this up now. The others were equally baffled by their conversation.
“But that young cultivator from back then is today’s Senior Han!” The young man blurted out, leaving everyone stunned.
“What? Senior Han was that low-level cultivator?” The tall, thin man shot up from his chair, his face full of disbelief. “What exactly happened? Tell us in detail!” The dark-faced old man frowned and asked after recovering from his shock.
“It’s like this, Big Brother,” the tall, thin man hurriedly summarized the events of that year, leaving the others in awe.
“Fourth Brother said Senior Han was only at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refinement back then?” The young woman swallowed hard, then blushed as she realized her unladylike gesture.
But the others were too shocked to notice.
“Fourth Brother, are you sure you didn’t mistake him for someone else? It’s been over ten years—Senior Han’s appearance and age should have changed,” the dark-faced old man stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“No, it’s definitely Senior Han! He looks exactly the same as back then, just a little older,” the young man insisted firmly after a moment of thought.
Hearing his certainty, the others exchanged glances. The thought that a cultivator with such low cultivation a mere decade ago had now reached Foundation Establishment filled them with a sense of bitterness.
For a while, no one felt like speaking.
“Alright, whether Senior Han is that person or not, he is now a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator. We must not forget our manners. Don’t ask any inappropriate questions, understood?” the old man said after a moment of contemplation.
“I understand,” the young man replied after a brief hesitation, his expression finally returning to normal.
“Alright, everyone return to your rooms to meditate and prepare. We don’t know what kind of fierce battle awaits us tonight,” the old man instructed.
Hearing this, the others exchanged glances and returned to their rooms one by one. Soon, the Clear Sound Courtyard fell into silence.
About half an hour later, as the sky grew completely dark, a figure emerged from one of the side rooms in the Clear Sound Courtyard.
The person carefully left the door slightly ajar, glanced around, and silently slipped out of the courtyard. Taking advantage of the dark night, they made their way to a distant corner of the wall, their eyes flickering with hesitation before hardening with resolve.
Nervously, they pulled a small box from their robes and were about to open it when a sigh suddenly came from behind. The person shuddered, nearly dropping the box in shock—the voice sounded unmistakably like Han Li’s.
“Why are you doing this?” Another voice, all too familiar to them, spoke almost simultaneously, filled with sorrow.
Suddenly, the area brightened as several people holding Moonlight Stones emerged from nearby. Under the faint white light, their faces were etched with disbelief.
“Why are you doing this?” the dark-faced old man asked, his voice heavy with pain.
“Doing what? I was just testing a magic tool!” The person’s initially pale face gradually returned to normal, and they spoke as if nothing were wrong.
“Then would you mind letting me take a look at what you’re holding?” Han Li descended lightly from the air, his expression calm.
“That’s strange—why would I show my magic tool to an outsider? Of course not! Right, Fourth Brother?”
The person sneaking around was none other than the young woman of the Mengshan Five. Though she tried to maintain a calm demeanor, her hands clutched the small box tightly, refusing to let go.
“Fifth Sister, hand over what you’re holding to Senior Han!” the dark-faced old man said sternly, his voice icy.
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