“They went up?” The leader of the Daye Department was somewhat doubtful, looking up above. “What makes you think so?”
To some extent, his side trusted Yu Qing quite a bit now, because a remark from Yu Qing had reassured them that falling into the hands of Kunling Mountain meant certain death.
Thinking about it, it was indeed true. Their Daye Department was currently their only way out. Yu Qing asked in return, “You do not understand singing and dancing, do you?”
“Uh…” The leader was taken aback and asked in puzzlement, “How many grown men understand that sort of thing? We listen and watch, but I dare not say we understand. What do you mean?”
Yu Qing put on an air of great expertise and tilted his chin upwards. “The sound of singing and dancing up there, did you not hear it? It sounds like they are welcoming guests. Who is welcoming guests? It surely cannot be the Grand Executor and the others doing the welcoming.”
The leader suddenly realised. “You mean to say that those up there are welcoming the Grand Executor and the others?”
Baili Xin’s eyes held a hint of surprise. She was clearly very astonished that Yu Qing actually understood singing and dancing. To be honest, she could not even hear the sound very clearly because the distance was too great.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie stared at Yu Qing with deadpan expressions. They were quite familiar with Yu Qing’s tastes. In such a barren and dangerous place, there was nowhere to watch singing and dancing. At most, he possessed the refined hobby of peeping at women bathing, so how could he possibly understand singing and dancing?
The two had already sensed that Old Fifteen harboured ulterior motives.
Yu Qing spread his hands. “The Grand Executor and the others came this way. There is no one under the tree, but there is the commotion of welcoming singing and dancing up in the tree. What do you think?”
Although he did not know what Old Fifteen was trying to do, Nan Zhu still chimed in. “It seems highly likely that the Grand Executor is up there.”
The leader nodded and said, “Put this way, the possibility is indeed very high.”
Yu Qing added, “It is a bit troublesome. The people from Kunling Mountain might also be up there. Once they see you show up and realise the matter is about to be exposed, there is no telling what they might do.”
The leader said, “Then it will not be up to them. With the Grand Executor present to keep an eye on things, they cannot stir up any trouble.”
Yu Qing replied, “You cannot say that. Since the people from Kunling Mountain dare to act against the Daye Department, they might have already made some preparations. They might not necessarily fear the Grand Executor, otherwise they would not dare to do this. The situation is unclear, and rushing out blindly might be counterproductive for the Grand Executor.”
Hearing these words, all the people from the Daye Department fell silent.
Yu Qing suddenly looked at Nan Zhu and the others again. “If you are not afraid, perhaps it would be most appropriate for the few of us to step forward.” Everyone was puzzled upon hearing this, and Nan Zhu asked suspiciously, “Why should we step forward?”
Yu Qing tilted his head towards the tree to signal. “It is inconvenient for them to go up. Once the people from Kunling Mountain see the people from the Daye Department and realise the matter can no longer be hidden, they will definitely turn hostile, which might be detrimental to the Grand Executor. We are different. If the people from Kunling Mountain are really up there, they probably do not know yet that we have joined forces with the people from the Daye Department.
We will climb up first to check the situation. If they are really up there and the opportunity is right, we can secretly remind Grand Executor Xiang so she can be prepared and avoid falling victim to the sinister schemes of Kunling Mountain.”
The crowd from the Daye Department either frowned or pondered, all appearing deep in thought.
Mu Aotie and Baili Xin looked at each other in dismay, while Nan Zhu widened his eyes, pointed a finger at the tree, and said in disbelief, “Do you know what you are saying? Do you know what the situation is up there? You cannot be serious, just the few of us going up?”
He was reminding Yu Qing not to forget that the Bee King was very likely up there. They had no preparations at all. Were they supposed to rush up and court death with just the strength of their small group?
Yu Qing shifted his posture slightly to avoid the gaze of the others before winking at Nan Zhu. “If they are truly welcoming the Grand Executor up there, it means the beings on this tree are relatively friendly. We will secretly observe the situation first. With our tacit cooperation, there should not be much of a problem.”
Nan Zhu was shocked and doubtful but kept his mouth shut, knowing Yu Qing had ulterior motives, and said nothing more. Unexpectedly, the leader pondered and said, “It is better to wait until the two Executors arrive before deciding.” They had left markers along their route, and Le Shu and Gan Li would follow the markers to find them once they finished their tasks.
Yu Qing asked in return, “Wait until when? How long do you think it will take the two Executors to finish their business? What if the Grand Executor meets with an accident during this waiting period?
Why did the two Executors not hesitate to kill the people from Kunling Mountain outright just to rush over and meet the Grand Executor? It is precisely because they feared the Grand Executor would suffer an accident.
Now we might already be right in front of the Grand Executor, yet we do not try to find a way to meet her and instead drag our feet. If the Grand Executor truly meets with an accident because of this, are you sure you can bear the consequences? Are you sure that is what the two Executors would be pleased to see?
I do not know what you are thinking, but I only know that if anything happens to the Grand Executor, Kunling Mountain will not leave a single survivor among us. Forget it, I will not force you to take the risk. Just leave the matter of going up to investigate to us.”
Having said this, he waved his hand, signalling Nan Zhu and the others to go up the tree with him.
The leader was talked into a state of great hesitation. Seeing this, he still could not help but call out to stop them. “What, are all of you going up?”
Yu Qing turned to face him. “Without the assistance of people who cooperate seamlessly, I would not dare to go up easily. What, are you afraid we will run away?” He pointed directly at Xiang Zhen to signal. “You stay behind and act as a hostage for the time being, just so you do not think our entire group is going to run off.”
The corners of Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie’s mouths twitched slightly at the same time.
Xiang Zhen opened his mouth but remained speechless. In the end, being an honest fellow, he just kept quiet and said nothing.
Then Yu Qing beckoned, flashing and leaping onto the tree roots first before darting towards the massive tree. Nan Zhu and the others naturally followed.
Soon, the group saw streaks of light flying up along the surface of the tree wherever the few individuals went. This made the group from the Daye Department tremble with fear, and they all retreated to hide in the tall flowers and grass to peep.
Only Xiang Zhen stood motionless in his original spot, looking up, until he was pulled into the flowers and grass by someone who popped out from behind.
The four individuals darting up the surface of the tree also noticed the anomaly of these streaks of light. Every time they stepped on the tree, a streak of light would suddenly shoot up towards the top of the massive tree. They did not know what was causing it, but it was quite beautiful to look at.
When the group reached the first major branch, they jumped onto it under Yu Qing’s lead to rest temporarily. Peering over the edge to look at the ground, they realised they were already incredibly high up.
Seeing no outsiders around, Nan Zhu quickly tugged at his sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Old Fifteen, have you gone mad? Why take such a risk climbing this tree?”
Knowing him, how could he hold back and not ask? It would be strange if he did not ask.
In a situation like this, even if he did not ask, Mu Aotie probably could not hold back either.
Yu Qing asked in return, “If we do not take risks, how can we get rid of them? Fight them? Think about it. We are not even clear on the cultivation strength of the people they sent to watch us.”
Run away? Nan Zhu was surprised and glanced up at the tree. “Are we not going up to look for Xiang Lanxuan anymore?”
Yu Qing replied, “Will going up guarantee we find Xiang Lanxuan?” Nan Zhu was speechless, only then realising why Yu Qing had been spouting nonsense about Xiang Lanxuan possibly being up in the tree. Baili Xin suddenly blurted out, “Did you not say you could tell from the singing and dancing up there that they were welcoming guests?”
Nan Zhu smiled bitterly and waved his hand, signalling her not to ask. It would be a miracle if Old Fifteen could actually understand singing and dancing. He changed the subject and asked, “Did you not say we cannot fall into the hands of Kunling Mountain? If we just run away like this and do not help the Daye Department, are we just going to sit by and watch Kunling Mountain succeed?”
Yu Qing replied, “If we want to help, we have to choose the right time. How can we help right now? Since Kunling Mountain dares to play tricks in secret, I am afraid it is not that simple. The people of the Daye Department might not even be a match for Kunling Mountain. Now the people of the Daye Department already know there is a problem with Kunling Mountain. If they can find Xiang Lanxuan, they will naturally inform her. What does that have to do with whether we stay or not?
Our staying will not change the outcome anyway. If we have a chance to run, why not run?
Let them do whatever they want to do. We will slip away first and handle our own business. As for the rest, we will figure it out after they have determined a victor.”
“Alright.” Nan Zhu sighed and shook his head. “It is just that after deceiving the Daye Department like this, I am afraid they will come back to settle the score with us.”
Yu Qing scoffed. “Fear nothing. We were captured by that Bee King, which is why we did not return, so there is no deception involved. We risked our lives for Grand Executor Xiang. The Daye Department should be thanking us instead.”
“Uh…” Nan Zhu was left speechless.
Baili Xin, who was personally participating in confidential matters for the very first time, stared blankly at Yu Qing. Her expression and reaction showed she was utterly astounded by his sheer audacity.
“Stop wasting breath. This is not the place for nonsense. Let us go.” Yu Qing waved his hand and led the group to continue darting up the tree.
After waiting for a good while, there was still no reaction from the tree. Xiang Zhen, hiding in the flower bushes, gradually grew anxious from waiting. Just as Xiang Zhen was about to go up and take a look, there was movement in the distant foliage pushing towards them. Soon, the person responsible for keeping watch brought back a group of people. It was Le Shu and Gan Li, who had brought their forces and tracked the markers to rush over.
There was also a Kunling Mountain disciple who had been tied up and carried over. It was Yan Yao, who had bloodstains on the corners of his mouth and on his clothes.
Because he still had some use, his life was spared and he was tied up and brought along. The other Kunling Mountain disciples who had followed him had all been slaughtered without mercy.
As soon as they met, Gan Li asked the dispatched leader, “Where is the Grand Executor?” The leader looked up at the tree and replied, “She seems to be up there.”
Le Shu asked suspiciously, “What do you mean she seems to be up there?”
The leader replied, “We guessed. There is the sound of singing and dancing up there, which sounds like they are welcoming guests.”
Gan Li, who had already been observing the surroundings, suddenly noticed something was amiss and asked again, “Where is the Scholar, where are those few fellows?” The leader said, “They went up to check, to confirm whether the Grand Executor is up there.”
Hearing this, Le Shu, who had also taken a look around, said in a deep voice, “Then why are your people all still down here? Do not tell me you only sent those few to check?”
The leader quickly defended himself. “The people from Kunling Mountain might also be up there. If we rashly run up and show our faces, we are afraid it will cause trouble for the Grand Executor. Those few are different. The forces on the Kunling Mountain side probably do not know yet that they are with us.”
He babbled on and on, bringing out the exact same fabricated story that Yu Qing had used to persuade him.