The man who had been hiding in the cauldron was badly startled. He had merely closed his eyes to rest, yet when he opened them again, several people had somehow appeared before him out of thin air.
After all, when he arrived, all he had seen was a bare Bronze Cauldron sitting in this empty cave.
The cave was well hidden and stood in a place few people ever visited, which was why he had felt safe enough to fall asleep.
But why had all these people appeared the moment he opened his eyes?
Could he be dreaming?
Then Yang Qing, Bu Er, and the others saw that, instead of answering their questions, the man hiding in the Bronze Cauldron raised his hand and pinched his own arm hard.
They watched him bare his teeth and grimace.
Clearly, he had pinched himself with considerable force.
Was this man an idiot?
"Ah, ah..."
The fellow had pinched himself so hard that his eyes watered. Seeing Yang Qing and the others staring at him, he hurriedly pressed a hand against his throat and made a few broken sounds.
So he was mute.
Watching his actions, Yang Qing and the others, who had been wound tight with tension, slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
In the meantime, the mute had climbed out of the Bronze Cauldron. He stood awkwardly on the ground, staring motionlessly at Yang Qing and the others.
Though he was panicking inside, he knew that the martial prowess of the people before him was unfathomable. He was no match for them.
Even the one in the middle, who showed no trace of martial power, was beyond his ability to handle.
That was because he could not see through this man's strength at all.
There were only two circumstances in which