Watch out! Something's wrong with this guard.

"Hey, it's quite lively in front of those two brothers' house." Looking at the cultivators gathered in front of the eighth and ninth brothers' house, the seventh brother couldn't help but tease.

"It's Zhao Dali's men, they're here again?" Looking at the wooden tags hanging on the waists of those cultivators, Li Hongying quickly made a judgment. As someone who was a prominent figure among the elementary students, just like herself, Zhao Dali's men naturally had their own unique way of being identified.

After glancing around, Li Hongying continued, "However, Zhao Dali isn't here. The two brothers broke through to the late stage of Body Tempering a few days ago, so these people are no match for them, um... in a one-on-one situation."

"If I remember correctly, these people... should we let them leave?" Old Six pondered for a moment and said to Lu Yunshi.

"No need, let's wait for Zhao Dali to arrive. Let's take a look first." Lu Yunshi shook his head slightly and led the three of them to the side to observe the situation.

Just like last time, this time they surrounded the residences of the eighth and ninth brothers, but no one came out; they simply surrounded them.

The difference is that Zhao Dali is not here this time, and there are more people with him.

"Boss, what exactly is this about Lao Ba? Is it related to the people who provoked us last time?" Li Hongying asked Lu Yunshi.

"Didn't Zhao Dali cause trouble for Lao Ba on someone else's orders?" Lu Yunshi stroked his chin and said.

“At that time I found it strange. We have always been very careful in our interactions. There aren’t many people who think we are friends, let alone those who are certain that we have a close relationship with Lao Ba, and that we have a grudge against each other. It’s even rarer.”

Lu Yunshi glanced at Li Hongying as he spoke. “I’m not saying this to be mean, but I can believe that someone with your outspoken personality would have a grudge against someone. But in the eyes of outsiders, Lao Ba has always been a quiet and reserved person who doesn’t mess with anyone. So the possibility of him having a grudge against us is even smaller. Besides, that person might be from the mountains.”

"Afterwards, I thought about it again. That person came from the mountain, knew Lao Ba, and knew that Lao Ba had someone behind him, but he didn't seem to know that it was me, nor did he know how many people were behind Lao Ba. If we calculate based on these conditions, there aren't many people who fit the criteria since Lao Ba came."

"So, boss, you've got a clue?" the sixth brother asked.

Lu Yunshi nodded and then said, "You probably don't know this, but a year ago, you almost had Xiao Shiyi."

"Eleven?" Li Hongying and the other two were stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but they quickly understood the meaning behind Lu Yunshi's words.

The number of their brothers is currently exactly ten, and the meaning of this so-called eleven is self-evident.

Lu Yunshi sighed. "Back then, Lao Ba met a young girl, two years younger than him. She was also recruited from among the mortals. She met Lao Ba while searching for spiritual herbs."

"They fell in love at first sight." Li Hongying's eyes sparkled, and she inexplicably became excited.

"Eighth Brother actually has this part?" Seventh Brother also got excited. Eighth Brother was usually taciturn, but he turned out to be a playboy.

The sixth brother nodded, his meaning unspoken.

"Um... Actually, no. That girl is also a straightforward person. Although she entered the academy later than Lao Ba, she had already reached the early stage of Body Tempering outside the academy. After entering the academy and cultivating for a period of time, her strength has always been steadily higher than Lao Ba's. To be precise, she completely treats Lao Ba as her little brother."

"As for Lao Ba, he took a liking to the girl's talent and personality and originally planned to recommend her to me so that she could join us. The girl seemed to be very interested."

"Then why was this matter left unresolved?" the seventh brother asked, puzzled.

Lu Yunshi fell silent upon hearing this, his expression somewhat complicated. After several seconds, he slowly spoke.

"This is also my fault. When I heard what Lao Ba said, I didn't refuse, but I didn't agree either. I wasn't going to agree, since we already have ten people here, and there's no need for that. But Lao Ba was willing, so I couldn't refuse her directly. I told them to go and get the Crimson Serpent Grass. If they could get the Crimson Serpent Grass, I would allow her to join."

"Red Serpent Grass, that thing is being watched by demonic beasts at the Nascent Soul Realm. Did she really go?" Li Hongying asked in surprise.

"Hmm?" Thinking back to that incident, Lu Yunshi's expression became complicated. "She went, and Lao Ba went too. Now that I think about it, that girl might really have something for Lao Ba, otherwise she wouldn't have rushed off to complete such a mission without even seeing me."

"Originally, I thought that after she knew the conditions, she would either give up or, even if she did go, could escape if she was defeated along the way. I had checked the area near the target I set for them before, and there was only one early-stage Nascent Soul demon beast. She could still escape if she wanted to. But I didn't expect that something unexpected would happen in the end."

"That girl was also impulsive, and Lao Ba didn't have the same vigilance back then, so he rashly started fighting with the red snake."

That girl was fierce too, possessing the strength of a late-stage Body Tempering cultivator. Combined with the little gadgets I gave Lao Ba, she actually won. But I didn't expect there was another Crimson Serpent lurking in the shadows. She should have escaped, but in the end… sigh!

"No wonder, the eighth brother was in a bad mood back then." The seventh brother sighed, as if he had just remembered something.

"But what does this have to do with Lao Ba? That girl is already dead, could it be that her spirit has come back to seek revenge on Lao Ba?" Li Hongying asked in a puzzled tone.

"Huh?" Lu Yunshi blinked, his gaze somewhat strange. "Who said she's dead?"

"...Not dead?" The group was speechless for a moment. "Then what you just said..."

"Oh, she didn't die. The girl was accidentally injured on the face by the venom of the red-banded snake and eventually passed out. At that time, Lao Ba had lured the red-banded snake away and was not there. The girl was rescued by someone else afterward. Perhaps she thought that Lao Ba had abandoned her and ran away alone."

At this point, Lu Yunshi felt very apologetic.

"When Lao Ba went back to look for her later, he couldn't find her. He didn't know where she was hiding. There was no news of her for a long time. I sent people to look for her afterward, wanting to make amends, but we couldn't find her. After a while, the matter was dropped."

"But if I'm not mistaken, that girl's face is ruined. If she had taken medicine in time, it could have been restored. Unfortunately, there were no conditions to take medicine at the time. If I hadn't casually given her a condition, this wouldn't have happened."

"Boss, this has little to do with you, don't blame yourself." Seeing Lu Yunshi's complicated mood, Li Hongying pursed her lips and advised.

Lu Yunshi waved his hand. "If you're wrong, you should admit it. There's no reason not to admit your mistakes. I owe her this, that's a fact."