At this moment, the Patriarch of the Fu family was not near the main hall but in a secluded pavilion within the fortress, looking at a slightly glowing jade slip in his hand.
As the protagonist of the birthday celebration, he naturally would only appear before the guests at the last moment.
Taking advantage of this brief free time, as the head of the Fu family, he needed to deal with an urgent matter.
In this pavilion, besides the Patriarch, there was also a dignified, copper-skinned man with the cultivation of an early Core Formation stage. His waist was bulging with several leather pouches of different sizes.
"Hmph! This isn't the Zijin Kingdom. The Yuling Sect actually wants us to gather information for them, as if we were their subordinates. This is outrageous!" The Patriarch suddenly slammed the table, his face darkening as he spoke in a low voice.
"Seventh Uncle, there's no need to get angry. Did the jade slip mention what they're looking for? It must be something significant to make the cultivators of the Yuling Sect so anxious," the man said, rubbing his chin with interest.
"The annoying part is that while they want to use us, they are also being secretive, not mentioning what they are looking for. They just asked us to pay attention to any strange occurrences in the Yuanwu Kingdom and inform them immediately if we find anything."
"Oh! This means the Yuling Sect doesn't want the Moyan Sect to know about this, which is why they approached us, the Fu family, and spoke so vaguely," the man said, his eyes flashing with understanding.
"You're right, Little Third. To be safe, our Fu family has secretly been making connections with the Yuling Sect while publicly courting the Moyan Sect. However, it seems the Yuling Sect still doesn't fully trust us despite our efforts to curry favor. We may need to adjust our strategy. Perhaps it would be easier to ally with the weakest of the six sects, the Guiling Sect," the elder said, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"That could be..."
"Tut, tut! I didn't expect that besides clinging to the Moyan Sect, the Fu family has also made connections with the Yuling Sect. No wonder you've prospered so much in the past century!"
Just as the man was about to say something, a strange voice came from outside the window, carrying a hint of mockery.
"Who's there? Which esteemed guest has come to the Fu family? Fu Tianhua failed to greet you; please forgive me!"
The Patriarch and the man jumped up as if their tails had been stepped on. They exchanged horrified glances before the Patriarch asked loudly, his voice full of suspicion.
Both were shocked that someone had approached without their knowledge!
"No need for a grand welcome. I have come uninvited today."
As the man outside finished speaking, a blue light suddenly filled the pavilion.
The Patriarch and the man were startled and quickly flashed to the corners of the room, each enveloped in a crystalline protective barrier.
The Patriarch even spat out a white flying sword, which hovered before him, while the man solemnly grabbed a nondescript black beast bag at his waist.
The light then faded, and a blue-robed cultivator appeared in the middle of the room. He looked ordinary, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
It was Han Li, who had sneaked into the fortress.
At this moment, Han Li stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the wary Patriarch and the man. He spoke slowly:
