"Second Uncle! Those three youngsters may be mischievous, but the eldest is quite dependable. Besides, I gave them strict orders this time: if they don't get the job done, I'll throw them out of the family. I think they ought to know what's at stake!" Nephew Ping said with a forced smile, but anyone could see the worry on his face. He had no confidence in them.
"Ah! But they still haven't returned. If I'd known, I wouldn't have sent them. I should have sent Ming'er and Xiaoqin instead!" the Red-Faced Elder, his second uncle, said regretfully.
"Ah, perhaps something at the Ye family held them up!" Nephew Ping said with a frown.
"This is really too... Hm?" His second uncle had been about to continue when he suddenly rose with a startled sound. "They're finally back!" he murmured. "Hm? Who's that unfamiliar cultivator with them? His cultivation is so profound. He certainly isn't either of the Ye family's two core condensation cultivators!"
"What? They're back?" At this, Nephew Ping stood as well. After probing with his divine sense, he too looked surprised. "What are those three up to? Why have they brought some random cultivator inside?"
He exchanged a glance with his second uncle, a trace of unease in both their eyes.
"Stop running!" a voice suddenly called from outside the hall.
"Haha! Can't catch me, can you?" Mu Zhongfeng ran through the doorway, laughing loudly. At the sight of the two men, his expression changed. He hastily stopped and wiped the mischievous grin off his face, looking thoroughly frightened.
Smack! A hand reached through the doorway and struck the back of his head. Mu Xiaofeng ran inside, laughing. "Haha! Caught you! Ah! Second Uncle! Third Uncle!" Before he could finish celebrating, he spotted the Red-Faced Elder and Nephew