After a long moment, he laughed, turning his head to look at the green forest. He strolled over to where a mountain stream ambled on toward the east. He looked down into the stream, where fish flitted above the smooth stones of the stream bed. A thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.
“Something is unusual about Han Bei,” he thought. “How come she’s so nervous around me? It can’t have anything to do with Fang Mu, and she doesn’t know that I’m Meng Hao. In that case… it must have to do with the East Pill Division!”
Han Bei stood next to him, her expression the same as ever. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, whereupon she suddenly slapped her bag of holding. A glowing jade slip appeared. After glancing at it for a moment, she gave Meng Hao a slight curtsey.
“This place is secluded and quiet, Grandmaster Fang. If you wish, you can stay here a while. Unfortunately, there are some matters I have to attend to, and I don’t wish to disturb your ruminations. This jade slip contains a map of the Black Sieve Sect, please feel free to use it to go enjoy some of the scenery. I’ll take my leave now.” She handed him the jade slip, then turned lithely and made to leave.
As she did, Meng Hao casually said, “One of your friends in the East Pill Division wished me to pass on greetings to you. As for that matter….” His words seemed to be filled with meaning, and yet were ambiguous and equivocal. Really, any meaning could be derived from them.
However, as soon as Han Bei heard them, her heart began to pound. Her back was turned to Meng Hao, so she allowed her eyes to narrow. However, her posture betrayed no clue regarding her thoughts. She slowly turned her head, and when she did, her face was covered with a look of surprise.
“Grandmaster Fang, I’m not really sure what you mean,” she said, blinking. Her expression filled with confusion, as if she were trying very hard to figure out which friend Meng Hao was referring to.
If she had not manifested such an expression, Meng Hao would have been left guessing. But such a reaction solidified his speculations.
There was definitely something going on with Han Bei.
Based on his understanding of her, he knew that were she not harboring some deep anxiety, she would take advantage of such a topic of conversation to gather more information from him. Instead, she instantly displayed an expression of surprise.
He laughed. “I see. I clearly mistook you for someone else.” He said nothing further. Currently, he wasn’t sure exactly what secret Han Bei was keeping. That would take further deliberation. However, he also knew that speaking too much could lead to slip-ups. Then, Han Bei might come to the conclusion that she was being played, and that could lead to unnecessary complications.
Hearing Meng Hao’s words, Han Bei gave him a vague smile. Saying no more, she gave another curtsey, then turned and left. It wasn’t until she was very far way, that her face grew pale and went tight with anxiety.
“East Pill Division…” she murmured as she sped off into the distance.
Meng Hao watched her disappear, and his eyes glowed with thoughtfulness.
Han Bei had been acting strangely from the moment he had entered the Black Sieve Sect. She didn’t want anyone to notice her nervousness, but Meng Hao could tell that he had just managed to charge directly into whatever secret she was harboring deep in her heart.
After much thought, though, he wasn’t able to deduce what relationship Han Bei could possibly have with the East Pill Division. He looked down at the jade slip she had given him. He scanned it with Spiritual Sense, and a map of the various mountains of the Black Sieve Sect appeared in his mind.
Some areas were marked with magical symbols indicating that they were prohibited. After a while, Meng Hao lifted his head and walked off.