The Immortal Alliance disciples filling the private dining room fell silent at once. Every head turned toward the door, and the atmosphere instantly grew somewhat awkward.
Shen Qing walked in with a frown, glanced around at the seated Immortal Alliance disciples, and said, "I'm treating Young Master Niu Hun to a meal today, first to apologize for wrongly accusing him, and second to thank him for helping the Immortal Alliance root out a traitor. If you have nothing else to do here, please leave."
Everyone present belonged to the Immortal Alliance's younger generation. A few had joined at the same time as Shen Qing, and seeing her defend this outsider so fiercely left them rather disgruntled. A tall man in a brocade robe put down his wine cup, stood up, and walked over to Yun Che, looking him up and down.
"So you're Niu Hun? I'm curious. How did an independent cultivator like you happen to stumble upon Elder Huang's plot to seize the Heaven-Mending Pearl? Could it be... you were involved in this from the start?"
Yun Che raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Shen Qing snapped, "Li Hao, the Law Hall has already investigated everything thoroughly. It's not your place to spout nonsense here!"
"Constable Shen, I'm not spouting nonsense." Li Hao waved a hand, his gaze still fixed on Yun Che. "I've simply heard that Brother Niu Hun is quite skilled. As it happens, I've been stuck at the Immortal Realm Fourth Stage for a long time now, so I'd like to ask Brother Niu Hun for a few pointers. I'd like to see just how capable an expert who could kill Elder Huang really is."
On the surface, he was asking for guidance, but in truth, he was deliberately stirring up trouble. He wanted