"How strange, Fellow Daoist Fan. Could it be that only you could escape, while I was meant to be buried in Nancai Ping?" The moment Xiao Hua saw Fan Daomao, he felt relieved as well. Though he spoke those words, his face carried a smile.
"Not at all, not at all!" Fan Daomao said awkwardly, cupping his hands. "Fellow Daoist Xiao, do not blame us. You were surrounded by the ice insect swarm from the very beginning, and you were even ambushed by Huanling Sect disciples. We... thought that even with our cultivation, escaping would have been difficult. Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Xiao... we feared your chances of survival were slim!"
"Fellow Daoist Xiao..." As they spoke, three more people flew over from the foot of the mountain. They were Li Xiaowen, Fu Shu, and Xun Feiyan. Only Yong Shang was missing!
"Greetings, fellow Daoists. I was fortunate enough to escape with my life!" Xiao Hua returned their salute with cupped hands.
"Ah, yes, yes!" Li Xiaowen returned the salute. "Under such perilous circumstances, Fellow Daoist Xiao actually managed to escape. That is... quite remarkable!"
Then he glanced around and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, you saw the situation last night as well. Within the ice insect swarm, we could barely protect ourselves and found it difficult to offer you any aid. I hope you will understand!"
Xiao Hua shook his head with a smile. "I already said the night before last that within Nancai Ping, I would proceed with caution. If anything happened, I would never dare drag you all down with me! Whether I remained in the valley or fled beyond it was my own affair. I cannot blame any of you!"
Then, after looking around, he asked with concern, "That... Fellow Daoist Yong... did he remain in the