After the meeting ended, Lin He took Lan Chou and Ape One with him and left with Hongfu and Li Huayuan. Along the way, they ran into Dong Xuan'er.
Although Ape One was a level four spirit beast, she had been quite nervous facing all those Core Formation stage cultivators. Only now did she relax, and when she saw Dong Xuan'er, she greeted her warmly.
"Sister Xuan'er!"
Since Dong Xuan'er had reached Foundation Establishment late, everyone else called her Junior Sister Dong. Hearing someone call her "sister" brought a faint smile to her face.
"Ape One, you really know what to say!"
Dong Xuan'er looked at Lin He and asked, "How did the talks go?"
Lin He smiled slightly. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to Martial Uncle Li's quarters first."
Dong Xuan'er nodded and followed them to Li Huayuan's quarters. Once everyone had taken a seat, Hongfu briefly explained what had happened to Dong Xuan'er, then looked at Lin He with admiration.
"Martial Nephew Lin, that was quite a move! Asking to borrow treasures was a stroke of genius!"
Lin He smiled slightly. "If I'd insisted that they give me treasures, they certainly wouldn't have agreed. But asking to borrow them, with the two of you taking the lead, gave me a much better chance of success."
Li Huayuan stroked his chin and said meaningfully, "Actually, without those two from the Covering Moon Sect stepping in to help, it's hard to say whether the others would really have been willing to lend their treasures. Martial Nephew Lin, Fairy Nangong certainly did you a great favor!"
It looks like Li Huayuan has grown suspicious after all, Lin He thought to himself, but aloud he said, "I never imagined that something I did back at Yan Family Castle would