Several days later.
"If Brother Hua had not been holding down the fort within the sect, who knew how many more disasters would have erupted?"
Inside Hua Ziliu's residence, the Solitary Sitting Pavilion, Su Che and Hua Ziliu sat as host and guest. Attendants nearby served fresh fruit and fragrant tea, but neither man had any mind for such things.
"Liaokong and Yu Wangyou were both injured. That Jin Yunu of yours said she was entering seclusion, but she was actually recuperating as well. Four people went together, and aside from Hua Gu, all of them were wounded."
Hua Ziliu's face was full of gloom.
"You call that holding down the fort? You merely scared people out of their wits."
"That is just nonsense spread by ignorant juniors in the sect. No matter how formidable Yishan and Nongyue were, weren't they still defeated by Chief Hua and the others? The Lone Bamboo Kingdom is still ours."
"Was that called running away?"
Hua Ziliu looked at Yang Sui, whose expression remained unchanged. "They merely knew when to stop while they were ahead. Patriarch Maiyi will emerge from seclusion within the next couple of days. No matter how capable Yishan and Nongyue are, would they dare face the patriarch's demonic might head-on?"
"That is true. But Brother, your service in holding down our sect was solid and genuine."
Su Che smiled faintly. "Have they decided how to handle Dugu Chen and Wanyan Sheng?"
"Even Chief Void Step was defeated. What is the point of dealing with a few juniors? Naturally, they will hang the matter high and pretend nothing happened."
There was a trace of twilight decay in Hua Ziliu's words.
Su Che nodded. These people had delivered wives and daughters right to their doorstep; exchanging that for a smooth landing was