However, soon she didn't have time to dwell on these things, for the people from the noble families had come to find her.
"Hey, what do you want with our little Ling'er? Haven't we already sent you the information we found out?" Monkey Flower stood in front of Yong Shanling with her arms crossed, looking at those people menacingly.
The few scions of the noble families exchanged glances. One of them, with his nose held high, arrogantly said, "No way. She has to come with us today. Do you dare to offend our noble families?"
"Offend? What good deeds have your noble families done? You actually made the small sects and lone cultivators be your cannon fodder. You're really something! We don't care if we offend such noble families. They're disgusting just to look at." Monkey Flower launched a broad - side attack.
Hearing this, the arrogant guy immediately flew into a rage. Shouting, he was about to rush forward to teach this insolent person a lesson.
"A Man, come back." A soft voice sounded, and a man in a black Tang suit walked over.
Ming Man, the arrogant guy, seemed to have his neck grabbed. He immediately quieted down. With his eyes blazing with anger, he glared at Monkey Flower fiercely, and finally walked over to the man in the Tang suit.
"Brother, you're not in good health. Why did you come out? I can handle this kind of thing." Although Ming Man was stubborn - mouthed, his body honestly stood behind Ming Ji.
Ming Ji looked at his proud younger brother, and a gentle light flashed in his eyes.
"Miss Yong, I'm Ming Ji from the Ming family. My younger brother was rude. I apologize on his behalf. But the situation is really urgent, so I've come here to bother you." Ming Ji looked at Yong Shanling with full apology. After hesitating for a while, he said, "We've also invited the other two survivors. So it's not targeting you."
"The other two? So only these few people came back last night?" Mu Yijie's voice suddenly came, hitting the core of the problem right on the head.
"This..." Ming Ji glanced at the disciples around, "How about we go inside and talk?"
Mu Yijie stood behind them with his arms crossed. Squinting his eyes, he scanned them for a few times, then silently turned around and walked in.
Yong Shanling, the one who felt a bit guilty, of course listened to him. She softly said, "Come in."
Ming Ji and Ming Man walked in, while the other disciples guarded outside to prevent the information from leaking.
Ming Ji looked at the little girl and Mu Yijie in front of him. A glint of light flashed in his eyes. This little girl had found a good person to gain merits from. But he wasn't going to be a spoil - sport and say it out.
The group sat on the sofa. Monkey Flower was the first to break the silence, "I think you can just ask your questions here. It'll save our little Ling'er another trip."
"You - My brother has come in person to invite you. Don't be ungrateful -" Ming Man's words were cut off by Ming Ji, who reached out his hand to stop him.
Ming Ji smiled and said, "That's fine. But I hope Miss Yong can tell the truth."
Thinking of so many cultivators not coming back, Yong Shanling felt extremely heavy - hearted. She silently nodded.
"Wait, Mr. Ming, you haven't answered my question yet. How many people survived and came back?" Mu Yijie repeated the question. His aura suddenly became stronger.
Suddenly, the two people sitting opposite them felt as if they were being targeted by some ferocious beast. They froze on the spot.
Ming Man stared at him in disbelief. He had only felt such an aura from his father. Who on earth was this Foundation - Establishment stage cultivator!
"Counting Miss Yong, there are three people in total." Ming Ji gritted his teeth and said.
"Oh. Then ask whatever you want." Mu Yijie retracted his aura, and he seemed to be just an ordinary Foundation - Establishment stage cultivator again.
But no one dared to underestimate him anymore. Who knew if he was some ancient ancestor experiencing life here and deliberately hiding his cultivation.
"What happened last night? Which direction did you escape from?" Ming Ji directly asked the questions he most wanted to know.
Yong Shanling's fingers moved, and then a big hand covered hers. She immediately felt more confident. Her soft voice sounded in the room, "Last night I went on patrol with the patrol team. It was very quiet on the way to the Xianling Grass. When we got there, nothing happened either, so we relaxed our vigilance. Just when we were about to leave, we suddenly came under attack from a tree demon. Then many monsters and strange beasts suddenly appeared..."
She told the whole thing that happened last night in detail. Not for anything else, but at least to give those cultivators an explanation or a clue.
Of course, she directly skipped over Mu Yijie and Ye Qinghe. If she told them, she wouldn't be able to explain how she managed to escape with two "burdens". She didn't want to expose the Soul - Swaying Bell.
Ming Ji listened very calmly. Then he asked in detail about the details she mentioned, and Yong Shanling answered them one by one.
When he asked about some details, Yong Shanling almost slipped up. Fortunately, Mu Yijie pinched her, and she managed to cover it up.
"Miss Yong, do you know the whereabouts of the Xianling Grass?" Ming Ji stared at her carefully, not missing any possibility.
"The Xianling Grass? Didn't anyone bring it back? I remember I felt it was mature when I escaped!" Yong Shanling's fair little face was full of surprise.
"No. The others all said they saw it was mature, but none of them saw it with their own eyes. When we went to check today, it was gone."
Yong Shanling immediately looked at Ming Ji with a heart - broken face, "Oh my god! That's a five - hundred - year - old Xianling Grass. Did those monsters destroy it just to prevent us humans from getting it? Or was it picked by other cultivators and then..."
She didn't continue. Her lively face showed a bit of fear, and there was even a trace of terror in her almond eyes.
Ming Ji lowered his eyes and smiled, "Maybe. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Yong. We have no other questions. We'll take our leave now. By the way, the barrier around the North Mountain has disappeared."
After Ming Ji finished speaking, he led Ming Man away.
"Oh my god! I was so scared." Yong Shanling immediately lost the calm and composed look she had in front of Ming Ji. Frowning, she threw herself on the table like a little animal that had just escaped from danger. She relaxed a lot.
"You don't know. I was so nervous when I was hiding Uncle and Xiao Qinghe that my palms were all sweaty."
Monkey Flower raised her eyebrows, "So you must have wiped your sweaty palms on your uncle's hand."
Yong Shanling immediately froze. Carefully looking up at Mu Yijie, she saw that Mu Yijie was slowly taking out a tissue to wipe his hand.
Wiping his hand?!