Daoist Qingyan gave Naruto and Han Li a dispassionate nod and said nothing more to them.
Instead, he turned to Wan Xiaoshan and said sternly:
"Xiaoshan, the others from your family are already here. Come with me now."
Without giving Wan Xiaoshan a chance to argue, he grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
As they walked, he admonished him:
"Hmph, you've got some nerve, sneaking out like that. If you'd run into a cultivator with ill intentions along the way, even several lives wouldn't have been enough to save you."
Daoist Qingyan's voice was loud enough for Naruto and Han Li to hear every word. He was clearly accusing them of harboring ulterior motives.
Naruto and Han Li exchanged helpless smiles, then addressed Wan Xiaoshan, who kept looking back at them, reluctant to leave:
"Brother Wan, we'll meet again if fate allows!"
With that, Naruto took Hinata and Karin along, pulled Han Li with him, and turned to leave without hesitation.
Naruto was proud by nature. He had no desire to be treated as some underhanded scoundrel scheming against others or currying favor with the powerful.
Besides, you missed your chance to latch onto Han Li in the original story. This time, you won't get to latch onto an even bigger backer like me either!
Naruto thought scornfully.
Wan Xiaoshan wanted to say more, but a cold snort from Daoist Qingyan kept him from opening his mouth again.
All he could do was watch pitifully as Naruto and Han Li turned and walked away without hesitation.
Only after a while did Wan Xiaoshan complain to Daoist Qingyan:
"Uncle, you've wronged me. I really did want to make friends with them."
"You don't know this, but those two girls both have dual spiritual roots! They're very likely to join the