"Senior, have you come here to enter the passage between realms and travel to the Human Realm?" Once the greetings were over, Elder Li cupped his fists and asked politely.
"Hehe, I have no intention of taking part in the Three Realms War. I came here merely to do my duty as a cultivator of our realm and help defend our territory. Upon arriving, I heard that Xiangyun Pavilion was holding a Treasure Convention, so I came to take a look. This is no place to talk. If you do not mind, Fellow Daoist Li, would you accompany me to my lodgings for a chat?"
At the question, Elder Xie smiled faintly and replied as though nothing were amiss. Yet a trace of hesitation flashed through his eyes.
Inside the Divine Machine Mansion, Qin Fengming had been watching the three men ever since Elder Xie and his companions appeared. With his powerful divine sense, he caught that fleeting change in Elder Xie's eyes.
But he could not grasp what it meant.
"It has been several hundred years since I last saw you, Senior. I should have visited the Xie family long ago to pay my respects. In fact, I made two special trips there, but unfortunately, your whereabouts proved elusive, and neither time were you with your lineage. Now that we have met, of course I must share a drink and a pleasant chat with you."
Elder Li did not decline, agreeing readily without even having the chance to consult Qin Fengming.
Given his disposition, Qin Fengming naturally would not blame Elder Li for this. He, too, was a man of deep feeling, and gratitude for a debt of life-saving kindness was only natural.
Within Hundred Birds Valley, numerous wooden lodges stood amid the tall trees in the tranquil surroundings.