"Big brother, don't you believe me either?" The Fifth Sister forced a smile.
"Precisely because everyone trusts you, we're giving you a chance to explain. As long as there's nothing shameful inside that box, you should open it yourself to put everyone's minds at ease!" The elder said coldly.
Hearing this, the Fifth Sister's face became quite colorful, alternating between red and white.
When she looked at the others again, the pained expressions of the tall, thin man and the others made her heart sink even further, and she didn't know what else to say.
After thinking for a moment, she simply steeled herself, suddenly tucked the small box into her clothes, and quickly pulled out a blue spherical bead, raising it high above her head with a sharp voice:
"Don't force me! You all recognize this Heavenly Thunder Bead. I only demand to leave here!"
This woman's action caused the other four members of the Mengshan Five Friends to change their expressions drastically. The young man, who had always had favorable feelings toward her, looked particularly devastated.
"It seems there's no need to look inside the box anymore! Fifth Sister, you really have joined forces with those people." The elder showed an angry expression and shouted, clenching his fists as he took a sudden step forward.
"Don't come closer, Big brother! Otherwise I'll really use it!" The Fifth Sister's eyes showed panic, and she held the blue bead in front of her, making a gesture to throw it.
Seeing this scene, although the elder's beard and hair bristled with anger, he truly didn't dare to step forward. After all, he was very well aware of the power of this Heavenly Thunder Bead.
"Fifth Sister, do you really intend to use this Heavenly Thunder Bead against us? You should know that this magical tool was something we specifically pooled spirit stones to buy for you to protect yourself, because your cultivation was too low back then. Especially Fourth Brother, who took out almost all his savings. Now you're actually using it against us—isn't that going a bit too far?" The middle-aged woman said with great disappointment.
The young man beside her, hearing these words, moved his lips several times with complicated feelings, but still didn't say anything.
After hearing the middle-aged woman's words, a hint of shame appeared on the Fifth Sister's face. But it vanished in a flash, and she still said stubbornly:
"What's the use of saying these things now? I'm different from you all. I am determined to succeed in Foundation Establishment! The people from the Black Fiend Sect said that as long as I make enough contributions, the Sect Master can even force someone to succeed in Foundation Establishment without using a Foundation Establishment Pill, and without any risk."
The tall, thin man couldn't help but frown and spoke up.
"Fifth Sister, it's not too late to turn back now! To think you could believe that Foundation Establishment could be achieved without a Foundation Establishment Pill? They must be bullying you for being young and deliberately deceiving you!" The Mengshan Five Friends' second brother said these words with utmost sincerity and earnestness.
"Hmph, I don't need Second Brother to lecture me. Whether it's true or not, I know perfectly well in my heart. Since things have come to this, there's nothing left to hide! Actually, I joined the Black Fiend Sect two years ago during that time I went out. So, the Sect Master's immense powers are something outsiders like you can't even imagine!"
After a cold snort, the young woman revealed news that shocked the others greatly.
"You joined the Black Fiend Sect two years ago, then this time their capture was also your doing?" Han Li, who had been silent at the side, suddenly interjected with this sentence.
This sentence immediately caused waves to rise again in the elders' hearts, and their expressions changed as they stared at the young woman. They couldn't believe that this Fifth Sister had really done such a thing.
The Fifth Sister's expression became uncertain, and after hesitating, she slowly said:
"That's right, I told the Black Fiend Sect people about everyone's whereabouts. But my original intention was good. I just wanted everyone to have an opportunity to establish their foundation together. Otherwise, according to the Black Fiend Sect's usual practice, nine out of ten captured people are sacrificed in blood rituals. It wouldn't be so easy to keep one's life."
The young woman felt that at this point, there was no point in hiding anything anymore, so she simply told the truth.
"Hehe, so according to what you say, we brothers should thank Fifth Sister!" The black-faced elder said with rage twisted into laughter.
"Regardless of what you all think, I really have no ill intentions toward everyone! Please don't force me anymore." The woman said, her delicate face slightly distorted, and then raised the Heavenly Thunder Bead in her hand again.
But at this moment, Han Li suddenly smiled faintly at the woman and said:
"Heavenly Thunder Bead, it's indeed a good thing!"
As soon as his voice fell, his figure blurred and he disappeared from where he was.
"You?" The Fifth Sister was quick-witted, and seeing this scene, she immediately wanted to flick her wrist.
But a gentle breeze blew toward her face. Just as the Fifth Sister was raising the Heavenly Thunder Bead, her wrist suddenly tightened. Han Li had appeared behind her like a ghost, holding her delicate wrist.
"This thing is too dangerous. It's better for me to keep it!" Han Li unceremoniously took the Heavenly Thunder Bead from the woman's hand and casually threw it into his storage bag.
Seeing her most powerful reliance being neutralized by Han Li as if it were child's play, the Fifth Sister's face turned iron-blue in an instant. For a moment she forgot to struggle, and fear first appeared in her eyes.
"She is your sworn sister, so I'll leave her to you. As long as she reveals what she knows about the Black Fiend Sect, you can handle her however you want. But I don't think you're foolish enough to let her go back and alert them!" Han Li said with deep meaning, looking at the other members of the Mengshan Five Friends with a composed expression.
Then, with a flash of white light from his hand, he quickly tapped several points on the woman's body, sealing her true essence and preventing her from using any magic power.
Next, without any hesitation, Han Li took out the box from the young woman's chest, then gently tossed her to the somewhat dazed young man.
"Thank you, Senior Han!"
The black-faced elder naturally knew that Han Li had done this to give them a huge favor, so he said gratefully.
Han Li waved his hand without speaking, casually releasing several yellow hand seals to retract the soundproof barrier he had secretly set up nearby, then slowly disappeared into the darkness.
"Big brother, what should we do?"
The second brother looked at Han Li's retreating figure with complex emotions and whispered to the black-faced elder.
"Let's take Fifth Sister back to the room and restrain her first. After our operation tonight ends, we'll deal with her then." The elder pondered for a moment and said.
"That's fine, at least it will give everyone time to calm down a bit." The second brother nodded repeatedly in agreement. Then he turned to the young man who was still holding the young woman:
"Fourth Brother, take Fifth Sister back to the room first!" The young man nodded blankly, holding the woman, and turned woodenly to walk toward the Qingyin Courtyard.
Seeing the young man's desolate back, the second brother sighed, and a look of pity appeared on his face.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman also came over and said:
"Is Fourth Brother all right? He has always been completely devoted to that girl, but now..." The middle-aged woman shook her head repeatedly, showing a pained expression.
"Sigh, I originally thought well of the two of them, but now it's impossible." The elder suddenly showed an expression of utter exhaustion.
The series of shocking events that had occurred recently left this usually decisive and resolute elder feeling extremely mentally drained.
Then, the oldest members of the Mengshan Five Friends expressed their sentiments for quite a while.
"Oh! Did only Fourth Brother take Fifth Sister back?" The elder suddenly remembered something, and his expression changed.
"Yes, Big brother! Is something wrong? Do you think Fourth Brother..."
The second brother was first stunned by the question, then his expression similarly changed as he realized with alarm.
Then the two of them rushed toward the Qingyin Courtyard without another word of nonsense.
Only the middle-aged woman was left looking somewhat confused and puzzled.
...
Inside the Qingyin Courtyard, the young man sat alone and blankly in the living room chair, staring into space!
In front of him stood the black-faced elder and the tall, thin man, looking at each other.
The young woman had long since disappeared.
"Second Brother, Fifth Sister is still under the senior's restriction and can't go far. You must go after her immediately! I'll go apologize to Senior Han and ask the senior to help. We absolutely cannot let Fifth Sister go back to alert the Black Fiend Sect. If she really refuses to comply or if someone comes to meet her, then use lethal force!" The elder said with a grim expression.
"Understood, Big brother!"
The second brother was first stunned, but immediately knew that now was not the time for soft-heartedness, and solemnly nodded in response before hurrying out.
"Fourth Brother, you... sigh!" The elder saw the tall, thin man go out, then turned to look at the young man.
But seeing him distracted, he couldn't bear to say anything more to him, so he could only sigh and went to find Han Li.
...
"It's fine. If she escaped, let her escape! If your Second Brother doesn't catch up, there's no need to chase further."
To the elder's great surprise, when Han Li heard that the young woman had escaped from the Qin residence, he didn't show any panic, but simply said casually.