What followed was, naturally, another round of compliments and pleasantries.
Cups passed back and forth, wine vessels and drinking tallies mingling.
Under the deliberate flattery of Wei Guangzheng, Xiao Chong, Meng Wenxing, and the other surrendered cultivators and sect dependents, Yan Kai, Cui Liang, and the others were all beaming.
"Alas!"
Just as the atmosphere was growing lively, Liu Yu suddenly let out a heavy sigh, rather spoiling the mood.
Here it comes.
Wei Guangzheng thought to himself. By now, he had already caught on and understood something of Liu Yu's intentions.
But he still had no choice but to speak and follow Liu Yu's script. He immediately asked with concern:
"Why do you sigh so, Fellow Daoist Qing Yang?"
"Could something be troubling you?"
Liu Yu shook his head at the question and sighed.
"What you may not know, fellow Daoists, is that with our current number of cultivators, completing this expedition will be fraught with difficulties."
"This mission holds dangers we cannot predict. I fear few of us will remain by the end."
"That is precisely what troubles me!"
As he spoke, he walked to the edge of the clearing and looked down below, revealing just the right measure of compassion.
"Well..."
Wei Guangzheng was momentarily tongue-tied, unsure how to answer.
The Wei Household had already provided two Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a hundred and thirty Qi Refining Cultivators. Only Wei Tiancong, who had just reached Foundation Establishment, remained on Red Maple Mountain, along with a little over a hundred clansmen in the Qi Refining Period.
He was unwilling in a thousand different ways, with no desire to send more clansmen out to risk their lives for the Primordial Yang Sect.
Xiao Chong and the other Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator felt little about this. After all, they had