Li Hongjiu also knew that this brat's brotherhood was fake. What do you mean "finally meeting again," or "I missed you so much"? Don't even start with that talk about how you didn't see me at the Divine Fire Domain's exit, didn't say a single hello, and blatantly played dumb. Now you're pulling this act?

Of course, it's not all bad. Since he's not directly exposing himself, it means he's guessed Yanbao Sect's "good intentions." When he came over, I was still pondering how to deal with it. Now it's great—he's even built the steps for me to go up and down smoothly. Saves effort, saves face, and isn't awkward.

Still, Li Hongjiu wasn't used to this whole hugging and embracing thing between men. Though hitting him for it wouldn't be good, he still tried to push him away forcefully. On the surface, though, he cooperated nicely and patted Shi Chun's arms, saying, "Brother Chun, I missed you too—been worrying nonstop. The second I found out where you were, I rushed right over to see you."

As expected, it's the same old routine. Among the Mingshan Sect group, aside from Wu Jinliang chuckling stupidly, the others were disgusted by the sight—two so-called gentlemen acting like fools.

On the other hand, Young Master Nan's group wasn't aware of the subtle dynamics here. No one had explained it to him, and Shi Chun certainly wouldn't spill such things. Li Hongjiu, even less so—he hadn't mentioned it even to his own sect.

When Wu Jinliang introduced Li Hongjiu on the side, Young Master Nan's eyes lit up, immediately raising his impression of him. He had only heard that Li Hongjiu was extraordinary nowadays—calling him a rising star of the Artifact Refining World was an understatement. His abilities were such that he was a top-tier prodigy across the Cultivation World. With the support and protection of his background and identity, the future looked bright for him. After the Divine Fire Covenant concluded, his fame would undoubtedly spread far and wide.

To put it bluntly, even he felt tempted to build connections with Li Hongjiu before his reputation truly exploded.

Previously, he had only heard Shi Chun's side of the story about the conflict between them. He hadn't expected it to be a relationship of "grudges"—because where there's a grudge, there's often some bond too. This scene of a brotherly reunion was proof enough of an iron-clad brotherhood.

It was clear: grudge was grudge, and camaraderie was camaraderie. Within the Divine Fire Domain, they might have acted for their own interests, but outside it, they could still admire each other.

Speaking of which, Young Master Nan had grown more impressed with Shi Chun, this young brother. To fight each other tooth and nail but still forge such a deep bond—what a talent, what a young man full of promise!

Since even he looked at it this way, one could imagine the opinions of the outsiders from other sects who had been watching the whole way back.

Li Hongjiu spotted the crowd in the courtyard and, not wanting to engage in flattery, decided he'd had enough with Shi Chun. He went straight to grabbing Shi Chun by the arm and dragged him off for a chat in private.

Just as they stepped away, Young Master Nan, who had planned to introduce himself, paused in surprise. Well, they were off to talk privately. He wasn't about to be tactless. But looking at how glued these two men seemed, they certainly seemed close.

Finding a quiet and secluded place, Li Hongjiu immediately dropped the friendly façade and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Chun, I've heard some news. It's said that someone from the Heavenly Star Pavilion arrived, and they're planning to take you away for questioning after the end of the conference. You better prepare yourself mentally."

Shi Chun promptly put on a look of gratitude, as if touched by this concern, saying, "I've heard about it too. Not sure what it's about, but guess I'll just take things as they come."

Li Hongjiu: "I've also heard that Tong Mingshan registered to participate in the trials. The new rule that allows participation—you've heard of it, right?"

Shi Chun: "I've heard of it."

Li Hongjiu lowered his voice further, "This new rule seems to be aimed at him. The Divine Fire he absorbed shouldn't be just ten flames, right?"

Shi Chun lied without a shred of guilt. Even if it might be exposed later, he didn't care—since this guy was just as fake as him. He immediately spouted nonsense, saying, "Which eye of yours saw him absorb so many Divine Fires? If he really had that much, he wouldn't even be able to pass the trial after registering."

Though that sounded reasonable, Li Hongjiu's face still showed skepticism—it felt unconvincing. Still, he hadn't come to argue with him; he had other matters to discuss. He let the topic drop with a meaningful "Oh," saying, "That's good, then. That's good. By the way, Brother Chun, there's one more thing—about the Lake Heart Tower. I think it's better for you guys to remain discreet about it."

Shi Chun let out a brief "Oh," asking, "What do you mean?"

Li Hongjiu: "We insiders know there wasn't much to gain, but can outsiders believe that? If everyone assumes you got some treasure, do you think they'll let you live freely? Plus, it's a rare land of treasure. Last time, we didn't have enough time—but next time, Yanbao Sect wouldn't want too many people taking a share of the pie."

Finally, he admitted bluntly. He had realized Shi Chun, despite seeming straightforward, was actually hard to fool. Thinking about the awkward situation in the Divine Fire Domain had him fuming again—better to say something real than risk embarrassing himself with more fabrications.

"Got it." Shi Chun guaranteed decisively, "Brother Jiu, rest assured. Even if the Stargazing Pavilion were to torture me, I'd never reveal half a word."

Li Hongjiu felt uneasy—it wasn't like he wanted to steer the conversation toward the Demon Path. Personally, he wasn't too concerned, but he didn't want to implicate his sect. Still, he couldn't resist testing him with a question, "What did you do for the Stargazing Pavilion to want to torture you?"

Shi Chun: "Nothing. I was just using it as an example."

Alright, Li Hongjiu decided to drop the subject. He really didn't want to ask more. With a polite excuse about needing to attend to matters back at his sect, he swiftly took his leave.

He had said what he came to say—whether Shi Chun could keep his promise wasn't something he could control. In truth, he felt this trip had been utterly unnecessary. When something wasn't meant to be revealed, people wouldn't speak of it. If they wanted to say it, Yanbao Sect wouldn't be able to stop them unless they silenced all witnesses.

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