The nearly forty-person party consisted of three major factions, excluding the male-and-female double fiends Lu Bei and She Xuan, as well as the lone wolves.
The initiator who had organized the entire party was Commander Wang, an enchanting man whose features were even more exquisite than a woman's. She Xuan said he was a Demon Cultivator with ties to a Fox Spirit, so it was hardly surprising that he was so charming and alluring.
Lu Bei did not think so. He strongly suspected that the other party was a woman disguised as a man.
The second faction was Clear Water Sect, one of the local sects. It had the most people, led by Sect Master Zhao Xiayang. After the mine was abandoned, the mountain sect that had originally grown wealthy from it moved away. Clear Water Sect bought the land deed and became the local overlord.
The third faction was rather mysterious. Its leader was a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar. Aside from Commander Wang, he rarely spoke with anyone else in the party. She Xuan knew little about them and did not know what relationship they had with Commander Wang.
A scholar and a Fox Spirit—aside from a superior-subordinate relationship or a relationship between front and back, what other relationship could they have?
Lu Bei secretly scoffed. From the corner of his eye, he swept over the group and took in everyone's movements.
At the very front, Commander Wang seemed to notice something. His phoenix eyes glanced back, and after looking past Lu Bei, he smiled meaningfully.
"Everyone, there's another group of fellow cultivators behind us who have yet to show themselves. May I ask who invited these friends?"
"..."
No one answered. Commander Wang was unfazed and quickened his pace, arriving at the mouth of the canyon.