Sect Leader Wang's heart lurched at these words, and he felt a cold dread settle in his chest.
The previous day, after he and the other senior members had received Li Feiyu's message that Han Li would come to Sunset Peak at noon the following day, several among them had immediately proposed making preparations during the meeting to eliminate Han Li on the spot. Their rationale was that the young man was far too dangerous to be left unchecked.
This proposal, however, met with fierce opposition from another faction. They argued that such a course of action was exceedingly risky, and that failure would invite devastating retaliation. In their view, it would be wiser to talk with Han Li first before deciding on any course of action.
Those who favored immediate action countered heatedly, citing the dangers of delay—rumors might leak out, and the longer they waited, the greater the risk that something would go wrong.
In truth, everyone understood perfectly well that the claim of Han Li being "too dangerous" was merely a pretext. What certain individuals truly coveted were his cultivation techniques, and they intended to extract as much benefit from the young doctor as possible. Even those who opposed the notion of taking violent action harbored similar desires—they simply preferred subtler, more covert methods.
The two factions argued face-to-face with Sect Leader Wang, growing increasingly red in the face until, just before the meeting was adjourned, neither had persuaded the other. The bickering continued unabated.
It was the surviving gray-robed man, their senior uncle, who finally silenced the room with a single cold remark.
"If you kill this Doctor Han, are you not afraid that his elders will come knocking at your door?"
These words struck like a bucket of ice water, instantly sobering the heated minds of the senior members.
"Indeed! He is so young, yet already this powerful. He must have immortal-level elders standing behind him. If we were to rashly kill him, and his elders came seeking answers, would we not all perish without a trace?"
Once they realized that harming Doctor Han would amount to condemning themselves, the faction that had pushed for violent action completely reversed their stance. Even the one or two who remained blinded by greed tried briefly to maintain their position, but the consensus in favor of treating Han Li with courtesy and caution was quickly unified.
Now, hearing Han Li speak with such loaded implications, Sect Leader Wang naturally felt a twinge of guilt. He assumed the young man possessed extraordinary powers and had somehow learned of the previous day's dispute, and was issuing him a warning.
Still, Wang Juechu had led the sect for many years. His composure and experience were far from ordinary. He quickly shook off the unsettling effect of the Spirit Eye Art, and his expression returned to normal.
"Why does Doctor Han say such a thing? Our sect is grateful to you from the top down," Wang Juechu replied after a moment of internal deliberation, deciding it would be best to probe Han Li's intentions first.
"Yet I've heard that some among you may wish me ill," Han Li said with a cold laugh, his voice flat.
Sect Leader Wang's eyes widened in alarm, but seeing that Han Li showed no signs of genuine anger, he allowed himself a measure of relief. The fact that Han Li had not spoken in a furious tone, and had come alone to meet him, suggested that perhaps the young man had only heard rumors rather than the full details of the meeting. There was still room, then, to mend the relationship.
"Doctor Han may have heard a misunderstanding. There were indeed a few bad apples in the sect who attempted to act against gratitude and reason yesterday. But please rest assured—those individuals have already been apprehended and are being held under strict guard. The vast majority of our people hold Doctor Han in the highest esteem and would never do anything to grieve our friends while delighting our enemies." Having weighed his words carefully, Wang Juechu delivered this speech with an air of righteous conviction.
Han Li listened to this and sneered inwardly. From the moment he had revealed his strength and helped the Sect of Seven Mysteries survive its crisis, he had reminded himself again and again of the old warnings—when the birds are gone, the bow is stored away; when the river is crossed, the bridge is torn down. He knew better than to assume that an act of kindness would naturally earn gratitude. The human heart was the most difficult thing to fathom. For those who considered themselves important and powerful, betrayal and ingratitude were as ordinary as drinking water, so long as the benefits were sufficient.
This was precisely one of the reasons Han Li had closed himself off to visitors after returning to the valley. He deliberately allowed these senior members time to cool down, lest the fires of greed consume what remained of their reason.
After sending word through Li Feiyu that he would meet with the senior members, Han Li had never actually intended to appear at the appointed time.
He understood that even though his current strength far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists, if his opponents resorted to underhanded schemes, there were countless ways to bring about his death.
Therefore, for his own safety, he had arrived half a day early, slipping in alone to meet Sect Leader Wang in secret.
And just now, a single probing remark had been enough to expose Wang Juechu's true thoughts. It seemed these influential figures of the Sect of Seven Mysteries had indeed contemplated moving against him.
But none of that mattered now. Whether they had actually planned to act or merely harbored the notion, he would not allow it to stir his anger. After completing his transaction with the leader of the Sect of Seven Mysteries, he would depart far and wide, never to have any further dealings with them.
"Let me get to the point. After this meeting, I will leave this place and journey far beyond Caixia Mountain Range—very likely never to return. Before I go, however, I wish to propose a transaction, one that will benefit both yourself and myself," Han Li said, fixing Wang Juechu with a mysterious gaze.
"A transaction?" Sect Leader Wang was startled to hear that Han Li intended to leave, but upon hearing of a proposed deal, confusion replaced his surprise.
"What sort of transaction could I possibly have with this Doctor Han?" he wondered, his heart suddenly unsettled.
By the time noon arrived—the originally appointed meeting time—Han Li had not appeared in the main hall of Sunset Peak. Instead, it was Sect Leader Wang who strode into the chamber last, looking thoroughly invigorated.
Sect Leader Wang announced there was no need to wait any longer. Doctor Han had already departed Caixia Mountain Range, and his whereabouts were unknown. He was believed to have left Jingzhou, perhaps even the Kingdom of Yue entirely. All potential trouble had thus been resolved.
The assembled crowd stared at one another in stunned silence, the hall falling completely still.
"The man is gone. What's the point of scheming now? Back to whatever you were doing," they all thought with a mixture of frustration and resignation.