Jiang Yue had already thought through how to explain this to Master Duo. First, he had to put himself in a position of weakness. After escaping, they hadn't dared go out, both because they needed to avoid the Earth Smoke Disaster and because they feared running into large forces amid the chaos. The three Mushroom People couldn't handle that, so they had hidden in the deep mountains and forests, living in constant fear.
As for how they'd happened to run into Master Duo, that had simply been a coincidence.
Master Duo asked skeptically, "Did you know all along that I'd fall out with Master Hu?"
Jiang Yue hurriedly said, "Master Hu is so domineering that we all suspected he'd masterminded the whole thing with the spirit medicine. But we're nobodies, so there wasn't much we could say. Still, it's not as if we'd known all along that you'd fall out with him. That would be too far-fetched. But Master Hu can't stand anyone who challenges him. That much is certain."
"And then you just happened to show up here?" Master Duo still seemed suspicious.
"We've been hiding around here this whole time. Master Duo, you really did fall out with Master Hu, didn't you? But why are the Arrow Wolfmen hunting you?"
"How do you know about the Arrow Wolfmen?"
"We saw a group of Arrow Wolfmen earlier, marching quickly downstream from the other side. Master Duo, the Arrow Wolfmen are Master Hu's natural enemies. Why would they join forces with him to go after you? And where's Master Qian? Why isn't he with you?"
Jiang Yue looked concerned. Bringing up Qian was also a way to distract Master Duo from his suspicions.
Sure enough, Master Duo's faint doubts were pushed aside. At the mention of Qian, he felt a