Countermeasures

Chapter 306: Countermeasures

In the Qin estate’s main hall, Qin Yan was pacing back and forth, his face creased with anxiety.

That morning, the servant sent to deliver Han Li’s meal had reported that Han Li was not in his room, seemingly having not returned the previous night.

This had troubled the man greatly. He was not so much worried for Han Li’s safety as he was afraid that this bodyguard had suddenly taken his leave without a word. How would the Qin family deal with the demonic sect’s persecution then?

“Qin Ping, go see if Young Master Han has returned. Report to me the moment there’s any news!” Qin Yan commanded, a note of impatience in his voice.

“Yes, Master.” Qin Ping replied respectfully, a secret delight in his heart. He then scurried out of the hall in a flash.

In his view, the more Qin Yan showed concern for this Young Master Han, the more it proved that he had chosen the right patron to latch onto. It seemed his day of rising in the ranks within the Qin estate was just around the corner.

“Why must you worry so, Master? It’s perfectly normal for a young man to go out for a stroll now and then. There’s no need to get so worked up!” The Third Mistress, Qin Yan’s most favored concubine, was also in the main hall. Though her words seemed to defend Han Li, the sour note in her voice was unmistakable.

This was not surprising. Ever since Han Li had arrived at the estate, the head of the Qin family had kept the young man by his side at all times. The sons and daughters of the Qin family, previously much doted upon, were no longer given any special consideration. The Third Mistress’s own children were among them, and now she could no longer hold back her jealousy.

“Hmph, what do women know?” Qin Yan naturally heard the implication in the Third Mistress’s words, but with his entire family’s life hanging in the balance, he had no time to spare for such trivial matters of petty jealousy. With a glare in her direction, he ignored her.

This attitude naturally made the Third Mistress feel even more wronged, but she also knew that her husband detested women who made a scene. She had no choice but to swallow her resentment and fall silent, though her anger towards Han Li only deepened.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Ping suddenly ran back in, his face beaming with joy. The moment he entered the room, he shouted:

“Master, Young Master Han has returned! And he’s brought a few guests back to the estate with him. Young Master Han wishes for you to arrange accommodation for these people near his residence.”

Hearing this, Qin Yan’s worried heart finally settled. As long as this great deity hadn’t left without a word, he would have no complaints even if he had brought back a dozen or several dozen friends, let alone just a few.

“Since that is what Young Master Han has requested, have the Qingyin Courtyard prepared for them to stay in. Make sure not to be discourteous to Young Master Han’s guests.” Qin Yan said without a moment’s hesitation, causing the Third Mistress’s face to turn even uglier.

“Yes, I’ll see to it at once!” Qin Ping rushed out again, exuding an air of tireless enthusiasm.

“Master, is this wise? Our Qin estate may be large, but isn’t it a bit reckless to let a few complete strangers move in like this?” The Third Mistress could not help but venture cautiously.

Her words were no longer entirely directed at Han Li; she genuinely felt a sense of unease.

Qin Yan was taken aback by this, but after a moment’s hesitation, he waved his hand dismissively:

“It’s fine. Young Master Han’s friends won’t cause any problems.”

Hearing such coddling words from Qin Yan regarding Han Li, the Third Mistress was left utterly speechless.

...

At this moment, Han Li was seated on a chair in his own quarters. Before him sat five other people—the Five Friends of Meng Mountain.

The young man among them was speaking animatedly about some matter, while the other four occasionally interjected with a few supplementary remarks. Han Li wore an expression of deep contemplation.

In the wilderness outside Yuejing City, relying on his powerful divine sense, Han Li had indeed succeeded in erasing the blood curses of the four men. He had then led them to sneak into the location of the lone, middle-aged female cultivator who had been left behind.

Unexpectedly, they had managed to retrieve her with great ease, encountering no difficulty at all.

Though mildly surprised, Han Li still lifted the blood curse for her in the same manner, before bringing them all back to the Qin estate.

It wasn’t that there was nowhere else for these people to stay, but Han Li was rather uneasy about letting them out of his sight.

Without him keeping a close watch, he couldn’t guarantee that the Five Friends of Meng Mountain would faithfully stand with him against their great enemy, even if he had saved them from their curse.

The human heart was the hardest thing to fathom!

Today, they might be grateful enough to risk their lives for you, but tomorrow, they might decide their own neck was more important and commit any vile act of betrayal. Han Li was no stranger to this!

Moreover, they had no sworn brotherhood with him; it was highly likely they would value their own lives above all else.

Of course, he could also forcibly control them by placing restrictions on them or using poison. But if he did that, in their eyes, he would probably be no different from those people. Given enough time, they would inevitably turn against him.

If it were merely a matter of leaving a bad impression, Han Li wouldn’t mind using such methods. But deep down, he had other ideas.

If the Seven Sects truly managed to repel the demonic path’s invasion and return to their normal cultivation lives, Han Li intended to find some people to specialize in gathering pill formulas and medicinal ingredients for him. This way, he wouldn’t have to run himself ragged all over the place. He could devote all his time to bitter cultivation, which would certainly greatly accelerate his progress.

The Five Friends of Meng Mountain’s magical power wasn’t too weak, nor was it too strong; they were the perfect candidates. Thus, Han Li did not plan to use underhanded methods to control them by force.

However, he was self-aware. Without sufficient benefits, no cultivator, no matter how low their cultivation, would forever run errands for another. He also needed to spend more time with these people to gauge their true character before he could trust them. Everything would have to be decided after this matter was resolved.

“…It is most shameful! To this day, we have not even glimpsed the true faces of the two who gave the orders. We only know a few cultivators who were captured like us! What we know is truly limited!” The young man finished his account with a wry smile.

“It’s fine. Simply knowing that our enemy is a heretical sect called the Black Fiend Sect, and that they are capturing people to cultivate evil techniques, is enough.” Han Li listened and then said with a light smile.

“But, Senior Han! Are we to simply hide here, waiting for reinforcements to arrive before we act?” The newly rescued middle-aged woman suddenly ventured a tentative question.

The other four also looked towards Han Li with concern, waiting for his answer.

Han Li smirked inwardly. These people all seemed to be eager to have no further contact with the Black Fiend Sect. But what reinforcements could the Seven Sects send? They were already stretched thin just resisting the demonic path. Even if he managed to report this accurately, no one would likely come.

Fortunately, on the way back, he had sent a letter requesting reinforcements to Li Huayuan through Yellow Maple Valley’s contact in Yuejing, giving a rough account of the situation.

His sect might not care, but his master surely wouldn’t ignore it. After all, he had gotten into this mess while carrying out his master’s errand. He was only holding on by a thread, not daring to flee. Otherwise, if he couldn’t afford to provoke them, couldn’t he just avoid them? He would have vanished long ago!

But what kind of reinforcements would actually arrive, Han Li had little idea. He guessed it would be a few of his senior fellow apprentices.

Thinking this, he maintained a relaxed demeanor and replied:

“Of course we can’t just hide. At the very least, we should gather more intelligence on the enemy’s strongholds and key figures before the reinforcements arrive. Only then can we wipe them out in one fell swoop. If we simply wait idly in the Qin estate, we will be far too passive. It will also give them time to trace our whereabouts, which puts us at a disadvantage. We absolutely cannot let them set up unopposed!”

Hearing Han Li’s words, the Five Friends of Meng Mountain exchanged glances. The dark-faced, old man stroked his beard and spoke in a grave tone:

“What the Senior says makes sense, but with the few clues we have on hand, we can’t even get a hold of their trail! The stronghold we were in before has surely been abandoned. It seems we don’t know where to start.”

The tall, thin second brother nodded silently in agreement.

“Rest assured. From your descriptions of the two Black Fiend Sect commanders, I already know who they are. If we can capture them alive, more than half of the mysteries surrounding the Black Fiend Sect will be solved.”

Han Li seemed to have anticipated this question and spoke unhurriedly.

Hearing this, the group was startled at first, then their faces lit up with surprise, and they felt a deeper sense of awe towards the unfathomable Han Li.

“Excellent! Since the Senior has a plan, we will follow your instructions.” The dark-faced old man declared resolutely.

Han Li nodded with satisfaction.

“We will act tonight. The faster we move, the less time the enemy will have to prepare.” Han Li said coldly, his eyes narrowing.

“Tonight?” The Five Friends of Meng Mountain could not help but show looks of astonishment.