At this time, the doors of the main hall were tightly shut, guarded by trusted attendants. Ye Chenghong sat in the seat of honor, with the four Elders seated below him. Nie Shan lounged casually on a sofa in the corner by himself.
"Senior Brother, meeting or not, why did you send Girl Qing out?" Nie Shan was somewhat dissatisfied. Since getting to know An Yiqing more than ten years ago, he had taken a particular liking to the young girl, treating her with the love and care of a father every time he saw her. Therefore, he was very unhappy with Ye Chenghong for sending An Yiqing away for a private discussion.
Ye Chenghong glared at him fiercely and said irritably, "Use your brain a bit! There are things Xiao Qing doesn’t need to know about yet!"
"Uh... Senior Brother, what you’re saying is..." Nie Shan was stunned and murmured his question.
Ye Chenghong nodded and let out a sigh.
For a while, the atmosphere in the hall turned very heavy, and even Nie Shan grew quiet.
After a long time, the composed Great Elder stroked his beard and said in a low voice, "Sect Leader, we have been secretly monitoring his whereabouts over these years. However, we’ve found nothing. Do you think he might already be dead? After all, we all saw you push him off the cliff with our own eyes."
Ye Chenghong was silent for a while, then he sighed and shook his head.
"I have a feeling that he’s still alive and has been biding his time, just waiting for us to let our guard down before he fiercely strikes back." Remembering the fierce battle from twenty years ago, a desolate look involuntarily appeared on Ye Chenghong’s face.
Seeing Ye Chenghong’s expression, all four Elders and Nie Shan couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Alas! Twenty years! Some people and some things can never be forgotten in a lifetime!
"Ahem! Sect Leader!" The always astute Third Elder, seeing that the atmosphere was too somber, quickly coughed twice to change the subject, "I understand your concern, you’re afraid the burden will be too much for Girl Qing, and you can’t bear to tell her. But have you thought about the consequences if one day that person targets our Girl Qing..."
Third Elder’s words caught Ye Chenghong off guard, prompting him to ponder deeply.
After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Xiao Qing has tremendous potential; what she currently lacks is only practical experience. If that old bastard dares to make a move against her, it would provide Xiao Qing with an opportunity to break through. I understand my disciple, and she definitely grows stronger when faced with stronger opponents. Moreover, with me around, I will never let Xiao Qing face danger!"
After thinking it over, Ye Chenghong added, "Let’s not tell her for now. Xiao Qing’s strength has only reached the Innate Initial Stage, which is not enough to deal with that man. Let’s wait a little longer. With a few of us old folks here, we will shoulder this burden."
"Alright, we old bones have lived enough anyway! Be it schemes or plots, I’m not afraid of anything!" bellowed the physically robust Second Elder, slapping his chest with a hearty laugh.
The other three Elders also nodded in agreement. They had always been very fond of An Yiqing and regarded her as the next leader of the Medicine Sect to be nurtured.
Ye Chenghong looked at his brothers, in harmony and solidarity, nodding non-stop.
"From now on, the Medicine Sect will likely stir up more waves again. Everyone, be very careful."
"Yes, we will follow the Sect Leader’s instructions!"
After parting from the Medicine Sect and Ye Chenghong, An Yiqing returned to the An Family. She happened to encounter Old Master An, who was on the phone.
"Old Gu, what’s the matter? Speak up if you have something to say, or fart if you have to!" Old Master An leaned back on the sofa leisurely, with his legs crossed nonchalantly as he spoke.