"No, I need the Hall Master himself here to hold the fort."
An idea stirred in Elder Ma's mind, and he settled on a plan. Then he instructed Qin Xiao, "Be careful whenever you go out for the next little while. Don't leave my sight. I'm worried the Body Sect's experts might come after you, and something unpredictable could happen."
Qin Xiao nodded. "All right."
In truth, he knew Lang Ya and Yu Tao would not be returning anytime soon.
But this was merely the calm before the storm. The Body Sect was brewing a major move. When it finally broke its silence, it would shake the world-even Virtue Hall would be caught off guard.
After watching Qin Xiao return to his room, Elder Ma went to a hotel not far from the Imperial Capital Grand Hotel, where he found Jing Hongchen.
Pushing the door open, Elder Ma discovered that his dean and Hall Master was enjoying hot pot.
"Old Ma, perfect timing. Join me."
Jing Hongchen took the initiative to invite him.
"Hall Master, something this serious has happened, and you're still in the mood to sit here eating hot pot?"
"What serious thing?" Jing Hongchen calmly picked up a slice of mutton and put it into the pot.
"The Body Sect has set its sights on that youngster Qin Xiao!"
"Oh, that's perfectly normal. Gold will shine wherever it goes. That boy Qin Xiao is so outstanding that he was bound to attract attention sooner or later."
Unconcerned, Jing Hongchen dipped the slice of mutton into the sauce and popped it into his mouth. The next instant, however, he spat it all out. "Wait! Old Ma, whose attention did you say he attracted?"
"Hall Master, you finally heard what I was saying. Experts from the Body Sect approached