"Hmph! You may be a senior, but there's no need to humiliate us like this. If you've got any tricks, just bring them out!" The second eldest of the Five Friends of Mengshan, a tall and lean man, suddenly shouted at Han Li, showing absolutely no regard for the fact that his life was literally in Han Li's hands.
The other three were stunned! In their minds, this second brother had always been the type to think before he acted — he was hardly someone this impulsive!
The thirty-something young man who had thought Han Li looked familiar racked his brains for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to the tall, thin man with a mixture of shock and fury: "Second Brother, what do you mean by this? Are you deliberately trying to provoke this senior into killing us all in a fit of rage?!"
When these words came out, forget about the dark-faced elder and the young woman — even Han Li was slightly taken aback, unsure why the young man would say such a thing.
As for the second brother, his face went deathly pale in an instant, and he didn't offer a single word in his defense.
"Fourth Brother, have you gone mad! How could Second Brother possibly want us dead?" The young woman, upon hearing this, spoke up in irritation to defend the tall man.
She then turned back toward the dark-faced elder, apparently wanting to say something to him — but what met her eyes was a face so dark and gloomy it made her heart skip a beat, leaving her at a loss for words.
"Second Brother, is it because Third Sister is still in their hands? So you want us all dead just so she can survive alone?" the dark-faced elder asked in a cold voice.
"I'm sorry, Big Brother. You should all know their methods. If any word got out, Third Sister — still in their hands — would suffer untold torments, a fate worse than death. It would be better for her soul to scatter outright!" The tall second brother finally spoke, shame written plainly on his face.
The young woman's face went white as a sheet upon hearing this. Her lips moved several times, but no words came out.
"Hmph! Even if Third Sister is your Dao companion, can you really bear to trade three of our lives for hers?" The thirty-something fourth brother shouted at him in a towering rage.
"Second Brother, Fourth Brother may have spoken harshly, but he's not entirely wrong! Remember, when the five of us swore our brotherhood all those years, we vowed to live and die together. And now, for the sake of your own selfish thought, you'd deliberately get us all killed? How can you possibly justify that?" The dark-faced elder's voice was thick with disappointment.
"Fine! I do want to get everyone killed. But what choice do I have? Third Sister is carrying my own flesh and blood in her belly — I can't let the Li family line end here! Otherwise… better to live miserably than to die well — who would willingly choose death?"
The tall man's face flushed red and white in turns as the two of them berated him. Unable to contain himself, he clenched both fists and roared back.
This revelation immediately stunned both the elder and the young man, leaving them so shocked they didn't know what to say.
The young woman, meanwhile, stood with her mouth wide open, her face a mask of astonishment.
"Are you quite finished? If so, perhaps it's my turn to speak." Han Li, who had been watching coldly from the front all along, suddenly said in an icy tone.
His voice snapped the three of them back to reality. They remembered that the person who truly held the power over their life and death was the Foundation Establishment cultivator standing before them.
In an instant, all their righteous indignation vanished without a trace, and they found themselves exchanging helpless glances once more.
"I don't care whether you're truly eager to die or putting on a show for me! All I want is every piece of information you have about the people behind this. If you really must die, then die after you've told me what I need to know. At this point, do you still think your lives are yours to decide?" Han Li's words dripped with cold ruthlessness, and the faces of the three men and one woman changed drastically.
"We don't know much — really. Besides, they've placed a restriction on us called a Blood Curse. We cannot divulge certain important matters to outsiders, or the restriction will activate immediately and our hearts will rupture, killing us on the spot." The dark-faced elder gritted his teeth and finally spoke, apparently having resigned himself to compliance.
"Blood Curse? Interesting. Let me take a look." Han Li's curiosity was piqued, and he spoke with genuine interest.
The dark-faced elder perked up slightly at these words. After a moment's hesitation, driven by a faint glimmer of hope, he stepped forward of his own accord and extended his arm.
He desperately wished that Han Li could remove this mortal threat — he simply felt the chances were too slim.
After all, the one who had placed the curse had spoken with great confidence. Since the Blood Curse was cast, not a single cultivator had successfully leaked their secrets. Every one who had attempted to send word or deliberately reveal information had died on the spot.
At this point, Han Li seized the man's wrist, and spiritual energy began to flow slowly through the elder's body. His expression shifted, becoming solemn and utterly serious.
The other three Friends of Mengshan watched the pair with rapt attention, hoping that this expert truly had a way to undo the Blood Curse.