Today, one month after Mo Caihuan was attacked by that strange man at the edge of the bamboo grove, four odd-looking people of various heights and builds, with peculiar hairstyles, brought two women—a tall one and a short one—to a hilltop outside the grove. They began looking down at the bamboo grove where Mo Caihuan and her master, Annie, lived.
"Hmph!"
"Mont Mountain's Five Friends!"
"Are you sure it's that bamboo grove?"
"The immortal elder I'm looking for is in there?"
After watching for a while without seeing anything, the tall woman turned to the four strange-looking people behind her—the ones of various heights and builds whom she had referred to as the "Five Friends of Mont Mountain"—and asked them.
As for why the "Five Friends of Mont Mountain" numbered only four, that remained a mystery for now.
"Of course!"
"We Five Friends of Mont Mountain are cultivating in the mortal world, and we value loyalty above all. You must know that we're first-rate at hiding our tracks, Miss Zhao!"
"We saw that person appear here with our own eyes. How could we be wrong?"
When Miss Zhao questioned them, the second-ranked member of the Five Friends of Mont Mountain—the old man with the strange twin braids—stepped forward at once and replied indignantly.
"Miss Zhao!"
"Perhaps you don't know this, but as far as we can tell, a reclusive expert and her disciple live in there."
"A few days ago, that expert's disciple—the fairy with spiritual energy practically pouring off her, whose cultivation was at least in the late Foundation Establishment stage—was attacked by that evil man in the bamboo grove. The attacker looked like a demonic beast, with a ferocious face. He was one of those people who often attack rogue cultivators near Xujing!"
"But the result..."
"Care to