As they walked, the two Purple Gold Cave disciples following behind Niu Youdao, keeping watch, noticed something was wrong. Ke Dingjie leaned close to Niu Youdao's shoulder and quietly reminded him, "Elder, behind us..."
Niu Youdao swiftly turned around and froze. Well now—Shen Yidu, Chao Jing, Fu Hua, Duan Wuchang, Lang Jingkong, Hong Gaitian, and the others were all following close behind him.
After walking a little farther and looking back again, he found that this group truly stuck to him through thick and thin. Niu Youdao was speechless. He had to concede defeat to them, though of course he understood what they were thinking.
The people from Misty Pavilion led the group into a large courtyard. There were quite a few rooms, arranged in a rectangular ring around the courtyard. The building had three floors, upstairs and downstairs, with not merely twenty-eight rooms but more than a hundred. These were rooms Misty Pavilion had temporarily cleared out, enough to accommodate everyone for the time being.
Once everyone had entered the courtyard and the headcount had been confirmed, one of Misty Pavilion's leaders announced loudly, "All the rooms here are for your use. Three people per room, one room for each sect. Choose for yourselves, and once you have chosen, do not keep switching around. Until further notice, no one may leave this courtyard without permission. No one is to stir up trouble here either, or bear the consequences yourselves. Food and other necessities will be delivered."
With a broad wave of his hand, the people from the various sects dispersed and went to choose their rooms.
Niu Youdao observed his surroundings. He had been observing all along the way, and this place was no exception. The exterior was loose while the interior was tight; inwardly, he did not dare