At the same time, Song Mu was confronted with the smiling face of Ao Jing when he came back to his own courtyard. He nodded at him and then wanted to pass by him but Ao Jing followed him.
"Song Mu, I'm surprised that you didn't leave with your group yet. Are there some troubles?"
Song Mu glanced at him and shook his head. "Nothing much. Just that we want to prepare well."
"Oh? Is that so? Then, have you prepared everything now? Have you decided on your route yet?"
Song Mu looked in the other direction, taking a deep breath. This was precisely what he had been talking about. He didn't believe for even a single moment that Ao Jing wasn't here to pry for information for Yang Wu Huang.
If he said anything worthwhile about the routes they would take, then Yang Wu Huang would certainly use that information to plan some bad deeds for along the way. He wasn't quite sure what that would be but it couldn't be anything good.
"We did. Thank you for being so worried about me and the others. I don't think you have to though. As Elder Xing said previously, my cultivation base is pretty high. I will be able to fend for myself. And I do think that I will also be able to protect the others.
"Furthermore, there is Liu Bao Ru. Her cultivation also can't be looked down upon. Actually, I'm more worried about you guys. We will be traveling outside of the demonic practitioners' area but you will have to venture further inside. How are things going on your side?"
Ao Jing had tried to interject several times but Song Mu hadn't paid any attention as if he hadn't noticed at all and just continued walking and talking. Now, Ao Jing was suddenly faced with this question and didn't know how to get things back on track. He could only grimace and then give a response first. "Well, there's no need for you to worry either. After all, I'm still in the group of senior martial brother Yang. He will take care of us."
Song Mu nodded with a smile, opening the door to his room and stepping inside. "Well, I'm relieved to hear that. Now, if you would excuse me. I still have to prepare some private things. Maybe we'll still see each other tomorrow morning." He nodded and then closed the door in Ao Jing's face.
The other disciple was left outside, at a loss for words. What was he supposed to report back to Yang Wu Huang now? It was nice to know that Song Mu had managed to finish his preparations but neither did they know for sure if he had actually allied with Mei Chao Bing's part of the group nor had he found out what his route was. That wasn't just a meager result, this was nothing at all! Maybe now, their plan would actually fall through.
Ao Jing finally left in a sour mood. Inside the room, Song Mu who had still been standing behind the door turned around and then cracked it open, looking outside to make sure that nobody was there. Seeing that Ao Jing had indeed left and that nobody else was around, he heaved a sigh of relief. It would probably be for the best if he made sure not to answer any further visits out of 'concern' for the rest of the day.
Thinking of that, he put down an array around his room, making sure that it was visible from the outside so nobody would assume he was open to having a chat right now. Then, he checked his weapon and anything else he might need for the journey before he finally sat down cross-legged and started to cultivate. Anyway, there was still quite some time. He might as well make use of it.
At the same time, Ao Jing had returned to Yang Wu Huang and confessed his failure.
Yang Wu Huang gritted his teeth, not looking happy at all. This wasn't how it should have turned out. It was hard to say if Song Mu had done this on purpose or if he was really busy though. They first had to find out about that.
He turned to Di Huan Bo and gave a light smile. "How about you go over there in a bit and try to see what he is doing? Maybe he will already have finished preparing things and will be open to another chat. We definitely need more information."
Di Huan Bo nodded and went over a while later. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. He was met with the array on the ground that made it impossible for him to approach the door any further. He couldn't even knock and just calling out when the other person was obviously busy didn't seem to be in good taste. He cursed under his breath and then went back to meet with Yang Wu Huang and Ao Jing, relaying what he had seen to them.
Yang Wu Huang went into deep thought. "Cultivating right now ... It's hard to say if he's doing that on purpose so he won't have to deal with us or if this is actually in preparation for the journey."
The other two exchanged a glance. "Would he really do that? I mean he shouldn't have a reason to not meet us, should he?"
Ao Jing shook his head at that. "He shouldn't unless ... he has really made up with Mei Chao Bing. Then what could we do to find out?"
Yang Wu Huang narrowed his eyes and then got up, pacing up and down inside of the room. The plan that they had come up with relied heavily on knowing what Mei Chao Bing's group was doing. That was something that would be difficult to accomplish without someone's help.
Ao Jing finally cleared his throat, trying to attract his attention again. "Actually ... We don't just have Song Mu that we can use, right? What about that Kui Min? Since the Elders put her in our group, we might as well make use of her."
Yang Wu Huang turned around to him and raised his brows. "Ao Jing, that idea is pretty good. Why don't you go and tell her that Mei Chao Bing and the others haven't left yet? I'm sure she would like to go and talk with them for a while."
Ao Jing nodded and got up with a smile, hurrying over to where Kui Min was staying. Anyway, they were a group now. It wouldn't be too strange if he went to give her some information, right? And as long as it didn't come from Yang Wu Huang, she might not even be suspicious.