Needless to say, Qu Yijun’s voice didn’t sound as if he really thought that was tragic. Instead, there was some glee in there. If something happened soon, it would definitely be something that he had had a hand in.

Mei Chao Bing lowered his gaze and shook his head. "You’re trying to force me. Aren’t you afraid that I might pretend to join you and then stab you in the back?"

"No, not at all. I believe that we are fully equipped to make sure something like that won’t happen. In any case, the offer still stands." He thought for a moment and then took something out of his bag, throwing it in front of Mei Chao Bing’s feet. "There you go. If you reconsider, you can come by anytime. You should already know where our headquarters are by now. If you show this to the disciples at the gate, they will let you in." He took a look at the robe of the Teng Yong Sect, his gaze a little mocking. "Did you know about the dead disciples in the north?"

This time, Mei Chao Bing’s eyes twitched. He really would’ve liked to attack him right now but he knew that Qu Yijun was trying to agitate him. He was trying to get some kind of reaction out of him. Maybe he was testing him or maybe there was something more to it that he couldn’t see right now. In any case, he couldn’t play into his hands. If he attacked, he had to do it at the right moment when things were in his favor.

"What dead disciples? You’ve killed quite a few of ours so far."

"Ah, we did. But don’t worry, we didn’t do anything excessive. You know, they are worth much more if they are still alive." He smiled and then took another step toward Mei Chao Bing. "In any case, you should really think it through. You definitely wouldn’t regret it."

Mei Chao Bing kept quiet. He had already answered this question once. Saying the same thing a second time wouldn’t make any sense.

Qu Yijun also seemed to realize that he wouldn’t be able to get anything out of him and just gave another hum as if he was satisfied with what he had done. "Well then, I’m sure you had your reasons for coming here. I’ll leave you alone now.

"Right, those fellow disciples of yours aren’t that far away. Just go right ahead and take a turn to the left. After a while, there will be another junction where you need to head to the right again and you’ll find them in the hall there."

Mei Chao Bing’s brows furrowed faintly. Qu Yijun knew exactly where they were. Did this mean …

"Don’t worry, they are all alive. But we do know exactly what is going on in our places. You should keep that in mind. We are merely allowing you to explore. If you want everyone to keep their lives, you should probably be more careful in the future."

Mei Chao Bing didn’t say anything and just watched Qu Yijun turn around. When he was sure that he had completely faced the other way, he leaned down and picked up the thing on the ground.

In front of him, Qu Yijun’s lips curved up but he just continued walking as if he hadn’t noticed at all.

Mei Chao Bing glanced at his back and then straightened up again, weighing the thing in his hands. This kind of plot … did they really think it would work on him? If he took this back with him, and somebody had a look at the things he carried with him, it would get him in trouble. And then, where else could he go if not for the Wu Yun Sect? Otherwise, he would be hunted.

The stupid plot notwithstanding, he wouldn’t give in this easily anyway. They would have to do a lot more to actually make him change sides. Especially so if they continued adding grievance upon grievance.

He took a few steps in the same direction as Qu Yijun, watching as he turned to the right, intending to leave in the other direction.

"Senior martial brother."

"You know where to find me if there’s something else that you want."

Mei Chao Bing turned the corner as well and smiled. "I do." And with that, he raised his hand.

He didn’t gather all of his spiritual energy, just enough to mimic the strength of somebody in the late core formation stage where this senior martial brother of his surely expected him to be. Then, he threw.

Qu Yijun whirled around, clearly having expected something like this but the shield he raised wasn’t even hit. The spell zipped past his head and crashed into the ceiling. He laughed and opened his mouth to mock Mei Chao Bing for this kind of half-hearted attack when the ceiling came crashing down. A boulder hit his shoulder, making him stumble even though his shield absorbed most of the impact.

Mei Chao Bing’s eyes blazed. He gathered his full energy this time, throwing spell after spell, making sure to not just throw at Qu Yijun but also cover the spots next to him so he couldn’t escape. They were of the same level, maybe he was even weaker. If he gave him the slightest chance to regain his bearing, he’d be done for. No matter what his Master wanted with him, Qu Yijun wouldn’t throw away his own life.

The spells hit. Whether him or the walls, they still did damage. In this kind of corridor, everything that was hit became a projectile, drawing blood. They flickered over Qu Yijun’s shield, finally penetrating it with the help of Mei Chao Bing’s direct hits.

Mei Chao Bing narrowed his eyes and pulled out some of the few resources his Master had given him, throwing it at Qu Yijun who was barely able to fight the onslaught of attacks.

The talisman exploded with much more momentum than any of Mei Chao Bing’s spells had. What had remained of the walls and ceiling was blown away and the sound of bones cracking sounded.

Mei Chao Bing stumbled backwards but gritted his teeth and still continued to gather his energy even while he fell. He could not let him get away. He had to kill him.

He threw another attack and it connected but there was no movement from Qu Yijun and no sound. Mei Chao Bing stared at him unblinking even though he himself was also crouching on the ground now and heaving. Yes, no matter how he looked, this senior martial brother of his that he had once looked up to had already been killed by him.