The three martial brothers were truly unafraid of her exposing their identities, considering she was the one who killed Cao Wei.
Now that they had sneaked in, this woman had lost her value to them. If she wanted to leave, Yu Qing truly had no desire to stop her and would rather let her go.
After all, the matters they had to deal with were too private, and they did not want outsiders around.
The problem was that they were all “disciples of the Longguang Sect”. If she left the assembly without interest after being expelled from the sect, yet they stayed behind, how would that look?
The key issue was that they knew nothing about the Longguang Sect, forcing Yu Qing to ponder if this might lead to some improper consequences.
More importantly, he worried that after leaving, this woman might return to the Longguang Sect. If the sect figured out the truth of the matter, who could guarantee that the Longguang Sect would not expose their false identities to distance themselves from the incident?
Furthermore, if this woman left, there was a high chance that other contestants would move in. Relatively speaking, they knew this woman’s background a bit better.
Besides, this woman no longer needed to look for any senior martial brothers, nor would she cause them any more trouble.
After thinking it over repeatedly, Yu Qing simply stopped persuading her and put on a straight face. “To be honest, if you leave now, we will not feel at ease. Firstly, your mental state is not right, and we are afraid something might happen to you. Secondly, we worry you might betray us.”
Baili Xin glared at him. “I killed an imperial official. How could I possibly betray you?”
Yu Qing said, “Who can say for sure? Since your sect could bail your senior martial brother out, they might also make someone else bear the blame, such as us.”
Nan Zhu twitched the corner of his mouth, realising that their fifteenth junior martial brother was being somewhat unreasonable. However, since this unreasonable approach was working well, he kept silent.
Baili Xin was speechless for a moment and said, “If you insist on thinking that, I have nothing more to say. What exactly do you want? Are you planning to kill me to silence me?”
Yu Qing replied, “You are exaggerating. We just want you to stay. It will not be too late to part ways after the assembly ends. Otherwise, the fact that your sect has not exposed us will make us very uneasy.”
Baili Xin asked, “Since things have come to this, do you still want to participate in the assembly?”
Yu Qing said, “We are imposters after all. How could we possibly participate? We just managed to get in and want to see the assembly and broaden our horizons. As soon as the assembly officially begins, we will find an excuse to withdraw. We promise you, we will only watch and not participate.”
Nan Zhu also hurriedly added, “Yes, yes, just stay. We did not want to see such things happen either. I know you are feeling upset, so just treat this as staying to relax your mind. This way, neither side will easily cause misunderstandings. You do not need to spend money on food and lodging here, and you do not need to worry about anything. The scenery is great too. It is much better to stay here peacefully for a while than to go anywhere else. Calm your mind, and it will not be too late to leave after you have figured out where to go next.”
Baili Xin fell silent. After a long pause, she suddenly said, “After the assembly ends, we will go our separate ways. If there is any more entanglement, do not blame me for being impolite.”
Yu Qing agreed. “Good, it is a deal.”
Baili Xin turned and went straight into her room.
Nan Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and said to his two junior martial brothers, “You two go find Wu Tian and give him an answer. I will stay and comfort her.”
However, Yu Qing tilted his head to signal Mu Aotie to stay and keep watch. He reached out, hooked his arm around Nan Zhu, and pulled him out. He dragged him down the mountain, and when there was no one around, they put their arms around each other’s shoulders. He asked in a low voice, “Logically speaking, this woman is not suitable to stay by our side. To accommodate you, I have been quite generous, have I not? How do you plan to repay me?”
Nan Zhu immediately retorted sarcastically, “Fifteen, have some conscience, will you? Who caused the ailments that Ninth Brother and I suffer from? Have I ever asked you how to repay me?”
Yu Qing had been waiting for these exact words. “Then we are even. Do not keep bringing up your ailments endlessly in the future.”
“Fine, it is all wiped clean,” Nan Zhu agreed readily. He swung his arm and shrugged his shoulder, shaking off Yu Qing’s arm. “Even the Kunling Sect came out to verify it. She is a legitimate disciple of the Longguang Sect, right? You always worried she had ulterior motives for getting close to us. Now you see it, she does not want to stay by our side at all. Can you rest easy now?”
Yu Qing was silent for a moment. “I hope there is no problem. I just still have some doubts about why the Longguang Sect has not exposed our identities.”
Nan Zhu sighed. “Is it not simple? When Baili Xin killed the official, she was still a disciple of the Longguang Sect. If they exposed us, they would definitely be afraid we would blurt out the truth.”
Yu Qing thought about it. It seemed reasonable, but he still warned, “Even so, one thing is one thing and another is another. We absolutely cannot let her know things she should not know. Do not lose your head, or people will die.”
Nan Zhu patted his back. “You have said this so many times that my ears have developed calluses. I told you I can keep things clear, so put your mind at ease.”
Yu Qing glanced at him sideways. He actually did not know what to say to him. He had no talent, no looks, and no money, and he was so old. Was he really sure that woman would take a fancy to him?
The two of them went to the foot of the mountain and found Wu Tian, informing him of their decision for the four of them to continue participating in the Chaoyang Assembly. The price to pay was actually nothing much. They would still use the names of the four registrants, but they had to drop the title of Longguang Sect disciples. Their participation would be purely personal.
After sorting this out, the two martial brothers felt a great weight lifted off their shoulders. Now that they had sneaked into the Chaoyang Assembly, they no longer had to risk looking for some senior martial brother for Baili Xin. They could do whatever they wanted without worrying about Baili Xin interfering. Things seemed to go smoothly all of a sudden.
When they returned to the mountaintop, Yu Qing took the initiative to detour to the neighbour’s door, only to find a stranger at the neighbour’s house. Chan Shaoting and the other three seemed to be receiving guests.
Yu Qing immediately shamelessly barged over. Before he even entered the door, he was already laughing heartily and cupping his hands. “Young Master Chan, I have finally seen you again.”
He stood at the door with a smiling face, waiting to be invited in.
Nan Zhu, who followed up, subconsciously looked at him a few more times. He felt this was not the normal reaction of their fifteenth junior martial brother and vaguely sensed there was something fishy going on.
The several people in the hall had different expressions. Chan Shaoting subconsciously glanced at Xiao Changdao and Wu Ronggui. Yu Qing’s two consecutive visits with a smiling face made him feel that the disciples of the Longguang Sect were not as arrogant as the two had said.
For a moment, he did not know whether to be polite and just nodded slightly.
Yu Qing took it as permission and immediately stepped over the threshold into the hall. At the same time, he cupped his hands to greet the others, being quite polite.
The stranger in the hall had an upright posture, was neatly dressed, and had a gentle appearance. Even his gaze gave people a warm feeling. He looked like the kind of person who was easy to deal with. He did not carry any weapons. After hearing the pleasantries from Yu Qing and the others, he also took the initiative to cup his hands and greet them. “So we are neighbours too. I am Ke Ran. I just arrived not long ago and live in another small building. I was planning to visit you later, but I did not expect to meet you here.”
“So it is Brother Ke. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Zhang Zhichen.”
“I am Zhu Yihai.”
The two martial brothers exchanged a few polite words with him. Yu Qing’s mind was not on Ke Ran. He turned his eyes back to Chan Shaoting and said shamelessly, “I know a fun place to go. I wonder if Young Master Chan would like to go together?”
A fun place? The others looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Nan Zhu was completely puzzled.
Chan Shaoting asked with slight suspicion. “What kind of fun place could there be here?”
Yu Qing smiled. “Kunling Mountain is a place of spiritual beauty with endless scenery. Has Young Master Chan not heard of the Spirit Valley?”
The hall instantly fell silent. Nan Zhu stared at Yu Qing in slight shock, wanting to ask what he was up to.
Chan Shaoting asked suspiciously again. “The Spirit Valley is almost a forbidden sect area of Kunling Mountain. Ordinarily, even disciples of the sect cannot easily trespass there. Can you enter the Spirit Valley?”
Yu Qing said, “I heard that during the Chaoyang Assembly, it will be opened to the participants to broaden their horizons. Now is the perfect time to go together. Do none of you want to go and see it?”
Nan Zhu’s eyes flashed repeatedly as he quietly watched their fifteenth junior martial brother talking nonsense here.
Chan Shaoting was speechless and almost wanted to roll his eyes at Yu Qing, thinking about what kind of ability he had to enter the Spirit Valley.
Zhao Qing, who was beside him, could not help but mock him. “Brother Zhang’s ears might have a problem. During the Chaoyang Assembly, Kunling Mountain might indeed open the Spirit Valley, but that does not mean just anyone can swarm into it. At the very least, only the top hundred winners have the honour of entering the Spirit Valley. It is also a reward from Kunling Mountain to add icing on the cake. It is not something you can just enter if you want to.”
“Is that so?” Yu Qing nodded thoughtfully, then shook his head slightly. “No, I heard that participants can enter without competing. If someone with face puts in a word and gets the permission of Kunling Mountain, they can enter.”
Xiao Changdao spoke with a smile. “Judging from this, Brother Zhang’s face as a disciple of the Longguang Sect must be enough to get in, right?”
“If it is really as you say, I am afraid my face is not enough.” Yu Qing sighed. Just as everyone was thinking he knew his place, he stared at Chan Shaoting again. “Does Young Master Chan’s identity as the legitimate grandson of the Villa Master of the Returning Sword Villa not even have this much face?”
The scene fell silent again. Chan Shaoting felt somewhat choked.
He was just about to say he had no interest in any Spirit Valley, when Yu Qing preempted him. “Young Master Chan would not say he has no interest in the Spirit Valley, would he?”
He wanted to use the goading tactic. Whether it worked or not, at least getting this young master to try was a way.
A flash of anger and shame indeed crossed Chan Shaoting’s face. However, Zhao Qing beside him knew what should not be done. Afraid that Chan Shaoting would act impulsively and say something irreversible, he immediately interrupted and scolded, “Whether you have interest or not is none of your business. If you want to enter, you must follow the rules. Is it not better to enter openly and honourably as one of the top hundred in the assembly?”
Hearing this, Chan Shaoting’s expression softened slightly, and he said coolly, “Exactly. If I enter, I will enter openly and honourably.”
Yu Qing glanced at Zhao Qing. His good deed was ruined, but he could not curse him out loud, so he could only silently curse his ancestors in his heart.
At this time, the newcomer named Ke Ran, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. “If you gentlemen really want to go and see the Spirit Valley, I might be able to try.”
Everyone’s eyes instantly focused on him. Yu Qing asked in surprise. “You have a way to get in?”
Ke Ran smiled gently. “It cannot be said that I have a way. It is just that from the meaning of your words, if connections can be made, one can enter. I have long heard of the Spirit Valley’s reputation. Since I am here, I also want to go in and broaden my horizons, so I want to try. I do not know if it will work. You might as well wait for my news.”
He did not expect such a surprise to pop up here. While inwardly delighted, Yu Qing could not help but ask curiously, “What connections do you have to smooth things over with Kunling Mountain?”
Ke Ran shook his head with a smile, looking like it was inconvenient to say explicitly. “Let us try it. If it really does not work, we can only see if there is a chance to get into the top hundred.”
Yu Qing hurriedly said, “Be proactive rather than passive. It seems the Spirit Valley is not open to the winners of every session.”
Ke Ran nodded. “I will do my best. I will inform you gentlemen of the result tomorrow.”