The atmosphere onshore was somewhat tense.
Jin Shanba had only just disembarked and exchanged a few words with the Bearded Man and his two companions when the Bearded Man's gaze locked onto Jiang Qiao, who was walking over from the pier.
"Sir?"
"Brother Jin, you can't use that title so casually."
He spoke to Jin Shanba in a serious tone.
Then he glanced at Jiang Qiao before looking at Shen Boxia. "We met briefly at Heaven's End Mountain and passed each other by, yet I never expected to meet again at Rakshasa Lake, deep within the Icefield."
"Young brother."
The Bearded Man cupped his fists toward Jiang Qiao, his tone carrying a hint of probing.
"May I ask what brings you two to Rakshasa Lake?"
"What business do you have here?"
He was still fairly polite. After all, during Shen Boxia's tense standoff with them earlier, the aura he had given off had been extremely unsettling, making the Bearded Man deeply wary.
Before he had fully figured out their background, he did not want to rashly provoke a conflict.
The earlier standoff—
Had only happened because he recognized Shen Boxia, noticed the subtle relationship between him and the wounded people nearby, and heard the wounded men's fragmented explanation, which had put him on guard.
But the wounded people here were all ordinary people, and many things were unclear to them.
So he had not fully understood the situation either.
He only knew that a conflict had broken out, that the other side was terrifyingly powerful, and that neither Jin Shanba nor Liao Yang had been a match for them.
And now—
Jin Shanba and Liao Yang had both returned, so naturally, many things needed to be clarified.
However...
Jiang Qiao clearly had no intention of giving him any face.
Nor