If Ma Hongjun had still been the Ma Hongjun of the original timeline, Qin Yuan would never have accepted him into the Golden Saber Shop.
Back at the Soul Master Tournament, anyone with eyes could see that Tang San and the others were suppressing Ma Hongjun.
Only because Ma Hongjun had cut ties with the Shrek Seven Devils, and his teacher Flender had broken with Yu Xiaogang, had Qin Yuan agreed to let him stay at the Golden Saber Shop.
Of course, Ma Hongjun was merely staying at the shop; he would receive no special treatment. Sending him there was Flender's main bargaining chip for earning Qin Yuan's trust.
Qin Yuan always acted with the force of thunder and the speed of the wind. Once everything was settled, he took Ma Hongjun straight back with him.
The journey was quiet. Whatever Flender had taught him, Ma Hongjun's old, devil-may-care manner was gone, replaced by an obedient demeanor.
Meanwhile, at Spirit Hall.
The Action Team Members immediately returned to report before the Papal Palace, and Mingzhu handed Bibi Dong the mission log Qin Yuan had submitted.
"Oh? You really are a pack of useless fools. A mere exploration mission cost us eleven Spirit Saints and two Soul Douluos!" Bibi Dong's gaze swept across the Action Team Members like a hawk's.
She kept feeling that something was strange about the list of the dead, but she could not pinpoint the problem.
Under her piercing gaze and the shroud of death hanging over them, the Action Team Members hardly dared breathe, terrified of bringing death upon themselves.
Mingzhu steeled herself and explained, "Your Holiness, Kade talked back to Elder Qin, so he was killed before we departed-killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. But Elder Qin was kind enough to add his name