Knowing that Zhi Guan and Liu Bao Ru were in danger, the disciples of the Teng Yong Sect were naturally eager to go and rescue them, hurrying as fast as they could. The two disciples in question also had quite the reputation past the borders of their own sect and several of the Zhen Yan Sect’s disciples were familiar with them. Even if they hadn’t interacted much with one another before, they had at least heard the name. This kind of outstanding disciple should naturally be saved, especially with a dangerous fight ahead of them.

What the Teng Yong Sect disciples didn’t dare to speak about but were all pondering quietly was what they had gathered from the Elders’ words: Apparently, with the two of them was also Mu Qing, one of the disciples of Elder Feng who had disappeared long before his betrayal.

Due to Xi Ju Hai’s insistence back then, everyone in the Teng Yong Sect shared the understanding that he wasn’t dead but was only … lost somewhere. They had figured he had been trapped in a secret realm that wouldn’t open for a few years or maybe gotten into trouble with one of the demonic sects. Only when Feng Bai Xiao betrayed the sect did some of them start to wonder whether Mu Qing not returning hadn’t been accidental as they originally thought but instead part of Elder Feng’s devious plan all along. Even if they didn’t dare to say it out loud for the sake of Xi Ju Hai, they all figured he might be a traitor as well or had been a spy all along.

But hearing that Mu Qing was apparently fighting alongside Zhi Guan and Liu Bao Ru and had also provided the Elders with clues regarding the demonic faction’s evil master plan, their thoughts slowly turned around. It really wasn’t that difficult to think of an alternative explanation: Maybe there had indeed been a plan and maybe Mu Qing had indeed been a spy but … who said he was a spy inserted into their ranks by the demonic faction? Maybe it was the other way around and he who was actually staunchly loyal to their Teng Yong Sect had left for the Wu Yun Sect to figure out their plans and feed them back to the righteous faction so they could stand a chance to win against those devious people.

The idea wasn’t too hard to conceive for them. After all, wasn’t Mei Chao Bing a shining example of a person they had wrongly suspected of being a traitor? They had treated him coldly for five years and believed all the bad words Yang Wu Huang said about him. But after interacting with him for a while and seeing him interact with Yun Bei Fen, it was hard to continue seeing him in that light. Not to mention that later on, it turned out that Yang Wu Huang actually wasn’t as good of a person as they had thought. This really only went to show that their insights were too shallow and they couldn’t accurately judge people.

Knowing this about themselves, how could they cling to the idea that Mu Qing was a traitor? No, clearly, this person was their Teng Yong Sect’s hero! Someone who disregarded their own safety and reputation to go undercover in one of the most notorious demonic sects, even leaving the love of his life behind just so he could atone for his Master’s sin.

A lot of them even silently thought that whether it was Mu Qing or Mei Chao Bing, they both had astounding integrity. Even though they had been personally taught by Feng Bai Xiao whose morals were sorely lacking, they turned out to stand unwaveringly on the side of righteousness. That kind of character steadfastness … they were afraid they themselves might not have it. It had to be some kind of blessing cultivated throughout their past lives that normal people like them couldn’t hope to achieve easily. Yes, those two were simply model cultivators.

If Mu Qing and Mei Chao Bing were able to hear those thoughts, they probably wouldn’t have known what to say. Even though the former had been unhappy, he had still followed his Master willingly and done what he asked of him for the sake of the past life-saving grace. As for the latter, while he had stayed in the Teng Yong Sect, he was well aware that this was only due to Yun Bei Fen and not because of whatever attribute the other disciples believed he had. While he never would have joined his Master, he might just have left to never return, finding a new purpose in life elsewhere if not for his little bunny. And now that the person he loved was in mortal danger, he was indeed doing his Master’s bidding. It was a bit ironic to think about.

The Elders were also more or less aware of the actual ins and outs of the story. But seeing the eager attitude of their disciples when it came to saving people, they naturally wouldn’t disabuse them of their erroneous understanding. On the contrary, knowing a little about Mu Qing’s past and his recent behavior, they actually hoped the disciples could continue to believe this.

When they reached the array, the Elders stopped in front, turning back to the excited disciples behind.

Baili Chao gave everyone a stern look. “It’s good that you want to save others but to do so, always remember that you first need to keep yourself safe. So when we go through this array, make sure to stay vigilant and first defend yourself against any attacks. I and Elder Xing will go ahead and Elder Fa and Elder Ximen from the Zhen Yan Sect will bring up the rear. This might very well be a trap so be ready to evacuate at any time.”

The disciples nodded, their expressions turning solemn. Yes, they wanted to save everyone if they could so they couldn’t let any accidents occur. At this moment, they had to give their very best.