The old monk listened, glanced at me, gritted his teeth, and said, "Cixin, if we don't handle this properly, I'm afraid we'll lose many things."
"Master, if we don't return the child, I'm afraid we won't even be able to leave this place." Yuan Ci remained perfectly calm. That very composure was what the old monk trusted most about him, because calmness meant he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Why?" The old monk began to look bewildered. Yuan Ci glanced at me, and I knew he was signaling me to make my move. It seemed he had the old monk firmly under control—even the monks around him seemed too afraid to approach.
"Because, in my heart's eye, I saw that it would be extremely dangerous if we didn't do this." Yuan Ci began to spin his tale again, and I seized the opportunity to strike with another sword. The blast shattered the entire protective barrier around the Golden Lotus, and I stood on the lotus platform with my sword raised, pointing at Yuan Ci and the monks beside and behind him!
"Give me back the child!" I said through clenched teeth.
Yuan Ci's deception kept the two monks from acting. They were waiting for the old monk to say something, after all. And when the old monk saw that I had broken the barrier, he fell into fierce hesitation.
Yuan Ci, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He brought the child over, looking as though he intended to hand the child to me!
At that moment, the monk beside Yuan Ci saw that the situation had reached a critical juncture. He immediately took up a pestle-staff and circled around to stand between us, intending to block us just like that!
"Junior Brother! Stop!" the old monk hurriedly shouted.