Suspicion Breeds Hidden Ghosts

The few of them exchanged glances, unsure whether they were troubled by the matter, while cautiously checking their surroundings from time to time.

Niu Youdao said, "Don't worry. We have people standing guard around us; anyone approaching will be spotted at once..." Afraid they might not understand, or might make mistakes in carrying it out, he carefully explained again what they should do after returning.

Once they truly understood how it was to be done, they secretly breathed sighs of relief. There was indeed no real danger this way, and they all nodded in agreement.

Ji Yude said, "We still need to return and report back. We can't be gone too long. If there are no further instructions, we'll be leaving first."

Niu Youdao waved a hand, signaling them not to hurry. Before parting, he sincerely offered them a piece of advice. "I don't want to see anything happen to you. Once the fire starts, don't take part in all that fighting and killing. Get away immediately and come to my side. I'll arrange for people to receive you. The method of making contact will follow the old rules. Rest assured, when we leave the Tiandu Secret Realm, I'll have people take you out with us. And don't worry about being unable to face the various sides after leaving. Just say you were scattered after being chased down in the fighting."

"Also, after this incident, all of you run the risk of being exposed. There's no need to keep taking that risk. Once you get out, immediately break away from your respective camps. If you're willing, you can come to my Southern Prefecture!"

One man gave a bitter smile. "If we don't break away, we can still try to hide ourselves. But once we truly leave, our identities may really