It was the same hotel, the same room. Nine had left, but only six returned.
The ones who could not return were Kong Yao and Yuan Kuan.
Xue Tingtao and Shi Man were receiving emergency treatment at the hospital.
The extra person was Huang Banxian.
But Huang Banxian flatly refused to enter the room with Ji Li. He would rather stay in the suite next door than get involved in any of this, much less listen to it.
In his own words:
"I'm not participating in the mission. Staying away from you means getting tangled up in less karma."
"Something's off about Huang Banxian. Keep an eye on him."
In the long corridor, Mei Sheng looked at Ji Li, who was leaning against the wall smoking, and spoke softly.
They were all shrewd people. A tiny detail could lead to any number of deductions.
When Huang Banxian first received the call for help, he had seemed reluctant, expressing a vague sense of difficulty. That was why he had used consulting Gu Xingjian as an excuse.
In his view, Gu Xingjian and Ji Li were bitter enemies. Gu Xingjian would surely never let him help.
But the relationship between Ji Li and Gu Xingjian was far more nuanced than he imagined.
As for why Huang Banxian had not explicitly refused, the reason was easy enough to understand. He was shrewd, too.
With the Seventh Branch's current momentum, it was poised to catch up with the First and Ninth Branches. They would inevitably have to work together in the future, so he could not refuse outright.
He had therefore intended to use Gu Xingjian's name to politely decline. Who could have expected Gu Xingjian to agree on his behalf without a moment's hesitation?
Thus, Huang Banxian's attitude had remained ambiguous.
Yet