Wu Min Huan was surprised when he suddenly saw the two people standing in front of him. He had relocated to his Master's study to handle all official matters and just like his Master, he didn't prevent anyone from entering the place.
If there was something a disciple wanted, they could come in whenever they felt like it. Most of them would inform the disciples at the door and let them announce them but naturally, Qiu Ling didn't bother about niceties like that. Since there was something he and his beloved wanted to know, they would naturally go and inquire themselves. Why would they take any extra steps if it could be so easy? It was much faster this way and they'd be able to spend their time alone together soon!
Wu Min Huan raised his brows and then got up, finally showing a smile. "Junior martial brother Zhong, senior martial brother Qiu, you're back!" Actually, he didn't know Qiu Ling too well but he still had a very good impression of Jing Yi from back when he had entered the Yun Zou Sect. Even several years later, this impression hadn't worn off.
Qiu Ling furrowed his brows when he saw Wu Min Huan's reaction. This person … It couldn't be that he was in love with his beloved, could it?!
Jing Yi smiled wryly when he noticed the way Qiu Ling looked from Wu Min Huan to him and back again. He reached over and patted his arm while he nodded at Wu Min Huan. "Senior martial brother Wu, greetings. I hope we're not disturbing you."
Wu Min Huan excitedly shook his head. "But of course not! I'm actually happy that I'm able to take a break. Why don't you sit down? Do you want some tea?"
Jing Yi shook his head. Normally, he would gladly say yes but he was too worried to be able to calmly enjoy a cup. "Actually, there's something we'd like to talk about with you."
Wu Min Huan raised his brows. "What is it about?" He still motioned for them to sit down though. Anyway, there was no need to stand around talking. "If there's some way I can help you, I'd be happy to do so. Just tell me about it."
Jing Yi glanced at Qiu Ling and sighed. "Well, we just returned and then found out that Shao Hai and Xiao Dong have also gone missing just like senior martial brother Nian's lover. And senior martial brother Nian hinted that the person that was currently visiting him had something to do with it. Can you tell us more about that?"
Wu Min Huan also sighed when he heard what this was about. "Right, the three of you were friends, weren't you? What did Nian Hong Fang tell you exactly?"
"There wasn't much he could say since that Shen Qiang was standing right next to him. He only said that they didn't return from a mission."
Wu Min Huan nodded. "Well, it's slightly more complicated than that. A while back, Nian Hong Fang got a letter from Wu Min Huan. That Shen Qiang was the one who delivered it here. Just when he left to bring Nian Hong Fang's response back, Shao Hai and Xiao Dong were returning to the sect from the mission they had been doing on their Master's order. Nian Hong Fang asked them to follow Shen Qiang to find out where Ma Zhi Wu was being held. He didn't tell anybody about it since, well, we didn't do a lot to find out about the situation before that. I guess he was afraid that it would be prevented again."
"And then they didn't return?"
Wu Min Huan nodded. "Exactly. Nian Hong Fang only told us when a few weeks had gone by and he was afraid that the situation was dire. Naturally, all traces that we could have found were already gone. So there wasn't anything we could do in that situation. Surprisingly, that Shen Qiang came back here after a while."
"Another letter?" Jing Yi couldn't help but be hopeful. If there was some kind of clue somewhere in there, then not all hope was lost.
Unfortunately, Wu Min Huan shook his head. "No. From what Elder Geng thinks, that Shen Qiang has taken a fancy to Nian Hong Fang. That's all there is to it. Since then, he has been coming here regularly. Nian Hong Fang is trying to find out something about what happened from him but so far, he hadn't had any luck. The guy is keeping silent about everything regarding Ma Zhi Wu's situation and Nian Hong Fang is pretending that he doesn't know about Shao Hai and Xiao Dong. After all, if that Shen Qiang finds out that Nian Hong Fang was the one to send them to follow him, who knows if he'd leave? Then we might never find out what's going on."
Jing Yi furrowed his brows. He could understand where Wu Min Huan was coming from but he was also afraid that nothing would happen if they continued like this. If that Shen Qiang hadn't said anything in several years, then why would he do so now? That was very unlikely.
Qiu Ling glanced at his beloved and narrowed his eyes. "If he doesn't want to say it with the soft approach, maybe we should try to use force on him."
Wu Min Huan raised his brows in surprise. "That … We're a righteous sect. How could we do that?"
Qiu Ling shrugged his shoulders. Righteous sect or not, that didn't hold any meaning to him. He just wanted his beloved to be happy. Anyway … "He's in league with the people who likely abducted three of your disciples. Why shouldn't you do something about it? It's not like you initiated it."
Wu Min Huan stared at him in a daze. Looking at that way … It was true. But then again … "I don't think we can do that. Torturing somebody …"
"Then don't torture him. Just grab him and imprison him. If he wants to get out, he'll have to tell you something in return. Otherwise, well, maybe the people behind him will try to get him out. After all, he knows something. They should be worried he would cave under the pressure, shouldn't they?"
Wu Min Huan gaped. That … That was actually pretty good. Just imprisoning him was something that they could stomach. It wasn't like they'd hurt him for no reason. And if it could really lure out the people behind him … Then wouldn't their problems be gone? That was worth a try.
"Well, I guess I should talk to the Elders about this. If they agree, then I don't see any reason not to try it." He got up and wanted to leave to call Elder Geng and the Grandelder over but then stopped and turned back. "Anyway, regardless of what they say, thank you, senior martial brother Qiu. It really shows that you are Grandmaster Zhangsun's disciple."
Qiu Ling just blinked his eyes at him. He had no idea what this had to do with Grandmaster Zhangsun but he had to agree that he was a pretty awesome person. There was no denying that.