Playing His Part Well

Mei Chao Bing was completely floored by that thought. So much so that he didn't react for a while, scaring Yun Bei Fen.

"Mei Chao Bing? What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? Are you not feeling well?" He shook his arm, finally pulling Mei Chao Bing out of his thoughts.

He looked at his little bunny and then sighed, rubbing his head. "I'm sorry. What you said just now … I've never thought about it that way. Well, I guess I knew that my Master wasn't very well-liked. But I always thought that this was just the way he was. I didn't think that there was more to that.

"But maybe I should have. Maybe everyone should have done that. In the end, it's nothing we can change. But I just realized that even though he wasn't a nice person and also was a traitor, he might not have been only bad. He also had some good sides. And maybe it's alright for me to say that.

"It's just … I think that if I knew why he betrayed the Teng Yong Sect and killed Elder Wu, I might be able to deal with this better. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to ask him. Back then, he refused to say anything, only asking me to go with him or to follow him later on. I still don't know what made him do this."

Yun Bei Fen nodded slowly. "I guess it must be very difficult for you. If I imagine that my Master or one of my senior martial brothers did this … I also wouldn't be able to understand. But maybe if you ever meet him again, you could ask him once more. Maybe he would tell you today."

Mei Chao Bing looked at him, his gaze pensive. He wasn't sure if his Master would really tell him anything if he asked. But that idea wasn't bad. And considering that they were still in the border region, it was quite likely to meet each other. Especially if the conflict with the demonic practitioners escalated further. "You're right. I guess I'll do that. Now …" Mei Chao Bing stretched and then got up, looking at Yun Bei Fen with a smile. "Today was a long day. Do you still feel up to practicing a bit or would you rather go to sleep early?"

Yun Bei Fen leaped to his feet and then took out his sword, holding it in front of him. "I can practice!" Even though he needed a lot of help and didn't have much talent, being hard-working was the one thing he had going for him. If his senior martial brother already suggested for them to practice, then he would naturally do that. He couldn't let that opportunity slip through his hands!

Mei Chao Bing laughed and once again ruffled his hair. "Very well. You already know how it works. Just continue to try. With time, you'll get better."

Yun Bei Fen nodded and then once again started to train. Mei Chao Bing watched from the side, nodding every now and then when he felt that Yun Bei Fen was on the right way. Just like the day before, he once again noticed that Yun Bei Fen was doing quite well whenever his thoughts weren't too focused and he just got into the rhythm of practice. With time, this seemed to be happening a little more often. Most likely, he was currently getting the hang of it.

If they practiced for a few more weeks, then he would probably have decent flying skills at his disposal. He didn't know if that would be enough but at the very least, it would make it a little less likely that something happened to him. That was all he wanted for now. As for everything else … He would see about that when they got to that part.

It wouldn't be a good idea to have Yun Bei Fen deal with too many things at once. Obviously, he needed time to slowly get used to things. When he had managed to get the hang of one of them, then they could start another. Just like how he had done it with teaching him how to sense spiritual energy and then learning how to fly.

While the two of them practiced, Elder Baili and Elder Xing started questioning the other disciples. They first started off with the groups that had been closest to the array. Just as Mei Chao Bing had said, one of those was precisely the one with Yang Wu Huang while the other was the one with Xi Ju Hai. It was quite a coincidence.

The Elders thought for a moment and then asked Yang Wu Huang's group to enter first. Anyway, Xi Ju Hai was only their own guess and what Mei Chao Bing had said about the likelihood of Yang Wu Huang being behind this was still true. So for the time being, they still felt that Yang Wu Huang was the more likely culprit.

When Yang Wu Huang and the others entered, they greeted the Elders and sat down as if nothing was the matter.

The Elders exchanged a glance before Elder Xing once again took matters into his hands. "Well, why don't you tell us first what happened today according to your perspective on things?" He directly looked at Yang Wu Huang since he was the disciple leading the group thanks to his cultivation base being the highest.

Yang Wu Huang nodded. "We were investigating the area from where he had left off yesterday when we received a message from the group next to us, telling us that something had happened there and demonic practitioners were likely in the vicinity. They asked us to inform the group on our other side, giving them the same information and to group up so we would be less vulnerable to an attack. We did as he told us and then convened before returning to the town, waiting for further instruction."

Elder Xing looked at Baili Chao. This explanation was quite good. It fit what should have happened according to Gongsun Chen's group and focused on the important time frame. If not because they had had some suspicions before, then likely would've let them go right away. This Yang Wu Huang … If he truly was the culprit, then he was playing the part of a good disciple very well.