The disciples had soon enough reconvened. Wu Min Huan told them about the ideas that the disciple of the inner sect had had. Unfortunately, neither of them had any more information about where exactly those bandits normally stayed. If this was about any of the cultivation sects, whether they were from the righteous or demonic sects, at least one of them certainly would’ve had some insight but since this only had to do with mortals, they were completely lost on how to proceed.

Wu Min Huan pondered what to do. Sure, they could split up and search the whole mountain range but that would also be dangerous. After all, they didn’t know where the demonic practitioners had gone. So either they formed bigger teams to make sure they wouldn’t experience any nasty surprises or they still kept with the smaller teams so they wouldn’t need too long and had a good chance of finding the bandits’ lair. Neither of these possibilities was good.

Yu Jin glanced at him and cleared his throat. "Why don’t you ask the locals?"

Wu Min Huan turned to look at him blankly. Was this … the first time Yu Jin had spoken on his own volition? It seemed that way …

He certainly wouldn’t have thought that this would happen! Not yet, at least. Well, it was good that he was opening up already. Maybe he would soon be able to return to normal,

Wu Min Huan smiled at that thought before he blanked. Only now did the meaning of Yu Jin’s words register. Right! The bandits were a problem for the local people. Naturally, they would know the most about them. They could just go and ask and might be able to figure something out from their answers!

He nodded at Yu Jin gratefully before he turned to the other disciples to explain the next step. "There’s a small town not far from here. I’ll go there with a few people and ask around. You stay here and keep an eye on the situation. Should you notice anything off or should the demonic practitioners return, then send somebody to inform us immediately. If you’re able to defeat them, then you may fight but if there are more of them or their levels are too high, then don’t force yourself.

"The most important is that all of us can return to the Yun Zou Sect. If we live, we can still come back here with more help but if we die, then whatever we have found out will also die with us." He waited for the disciples to nod and then turned to look at Yu Jin. "Since it was your idea, you should come with me. Other than that … I don’t think it would be too good to take too many people. They don’t know us and even if we say that we’re looking for the bandits, it’s not like we’ll do anything if they turn out to have nothing to do with the demonic practitioners. We shouldn’t let them get their hopes up."

Yu Jin nodded but didn’t say anything else.

Wu Min Huan gave a light sigh. Well, he shouldn’t have expected that Yu Jin would open up just like that. He had only said something before because nobody else had thought of anything and this was important to him. For anything else, it was probably still too early.

He turned to rule Qiguan Cheng Da and gave him a smile. "Junior martial brother Qiguan, why don’t you come with us too? I’m sure the disciples of the outer sect will also be able to give valuable insights for this kind of mission."

"Thank you for giving me this chance, senior martial brother Wu." Qiguan Cheng Da smiled but he couldn’t help but scoff in his heart. What did he mean they could also give valuable insight? Did this guy think that the outer sect disciples wanted to do missions in the secular world? If they could, they’d also like to stay all year round in the sect like the inner sect disciples! But contrary to these guys that had a direct Master and were allocated lots of resources, they weren’t given anything if they didn’t work for it. They had no other way than this. So whatever contacts they had with the people around the Yun Zou Sect’s sect grounds, it wasn’t voluntary.

Wu Min Huan didn’t notice Qiguan Cheng Da’s mood. He just nodded and took out his sword, rising into the air and taking the lead. Yu Jin and Qiguan Cheng Da followed while the other disciples stayed back, keeping a vigilant eye on the surrounding.

The town wasn’t far away and even though Qiguan Cheng Da wasn’t as strong as the other two, he still had a decent cultivation level and could fly fast enough. It only took the three of them a few minutes to reach the town. They landed on the meadow outside and kept the swords before they walked into the streets.

Wu Min Huan looked around and finally spotted the old woman that had begged his Master and him before to save her grandson. He smiled and walked over. "I’m sorry, do you remember me?"

The old woman looked up and her expression brightened. "Aren’t you that Daoist? Did you find my Ah Yang?"

Wu Min Huan shook his head. "We didn’t find him yet but we’ve already investigated and found some suspicious traces. Do you know about the bandits living in the Long mountain range?"

The old woman shook her head. "My Ah Yang has nothing to do with bandits! I warned him again and again. He certainly wouldn’t have gone with any bandits."

Wu Min Huan gave a wry smile. He could hardly imagine that the bandits would ask nicely if someone wanted to accompany them or not. Still, it wasn’t like he could force the old woman to say anything. He looked around to see if her daughter-in-law was around but, unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be the case. Well, then he’d need to continue trying. "We know that. Certainly, your grandson wouldn’t willingly follow any bandits. It is just that we have found that some demonic practitioners are involved in this and they might have taken over the bandits’ hideout. So if we aren’t wrong with our assumptions, then your grandson might have been taken there. So currently, we’re trying to find the bandits’ hideout. You wouldn’t happen to know where it is or at least where the bandits were active before?"

The old woman furrowed her brows in confusion. "The bandits’ hideout? I’ve never been there! And weren’t they just active in the Long mountain range? Well, they came down here sometimes, pillaging all the surrounding villages. We were always lucky. The capital doesn’t do anything if it’s just about the villages but if they start attacking the towns and cities, they might send over the soldiers so the bandits have always kept themselves in check."

Wu Min Huan glanced to Yu Jin and Qiguan Cheng Da for help. Yu Jin turned his face away, not getting involved. Qiguan Cheng Da hesitated. He didn’t want to have anything to do with this kind of simple people. He was a cultivator now! He was better than them. Why should he have to talk to this kind of lowly people? But unfortunately, he was now on such a mission and they required the help of these people. Well, as long as this could let them make a good impression on senior martial brother Wu, it should be alright. He wouldn’t lose out too much.

In the end, Qiguan Cheng Da nodded at Wu Min Huan and then turned to Yu Jin. Naturally, he wouldn’t forget that his actual target right now was Yu Jin. "Brother Yu, since the old woman doesn’t seem to know much, how about we go and ask somebody else?"

Yu Jin looked at him and kept quiet. Qiguan Cheng Da didn’t know whether he should say anything else to convince him or not but then, Yu Jin finally nodded.

Qiguan Cheng Da heaved a sigh of relief. This guy was an easier target than Wu Min Huan but he was difficult to deal with. He could only hope that things would turn out for the better in the future.

He gave another smile and turned around, taking the lead. Yu Jin slowly trailed behind, keeping his gaze to the ground while Qiguan Cheng Da looked for somebody that might be able to answer their questions.