"Enough! I've made up my mind!" The young woman grew anxious, quickly turning to look pleadingly at the young man and the elder. After exchanging a glance, the young man remained silent, while the elder sighed and said, "Five, let Brother Two take his turn. He's been regretting what happened earlier. Only then will he feel at ease." "But Brother Two has done such a thing..." the woman still wanted to argue, yet Brother Two had already stepped forward to stand before Han Li, speaking calmly, "Master, please begin. Use me as the subject for your trial." His words were quite heroic, yet what followed next left the four of them stunned, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads. "Have any of you misunderstood something? When did I ever promise to lift the blood curse for you?" Han Li's words were as cold as ice, leaving the five friends of Mengshan speechless. "If Master doesn't intend to lift the curse for us, then why have you been studying it specifically on my elder brother?" "The second of the Five Friends of Mengshan was stunned, then hurriedly asked, 'Did I say I would study this blood curse specifically to lift the curses from you all? I only had curiosity!' Han Li said, his expression impassive. "The elder man, clearly much older and with far greater experience than the young man, spoke directly to the point. 'What conditions must you offer, to warrant your intervention? Just state them plainly. As long as you truly succeed in removing the blood curse, our five friends from Mengshan will do exactly as you ask—no hesitation at all.' The elder then calmly continued. 'Excellent! If you'd said this earlier, we wouldn't have gone around in circles.' Han Li suddenly clapped his hands and smiled warmly. Yet to the eyes of these four, Han Li appeared even more unpredictable and capricious, gradually instilling a quiet sense of reverence in them. 'The conditions are simple. If you can resolve your most pressing concerns, not only will you share all you know with me, but you will also temporarily follow my instructions, assisting me in dealing with this group's assault. I believe they won't easily let me go, and I, too, intend to eliminate them swiftly." "Nevertheless, you needn't worry about being outnumbered! I am a cultivator from Huang Feng Valley, and I've come to Yuejing merely to handle some affairs of our sect. As long as we hold on through this period, I will immediately request reinforcements. Then, there will be no need to fear these petty rivals anymore." Han Li delivered his conditions with a warm and composed demeanor, and he firmly raised the banner of his sect—only then could he secure their full commitment. "Senior, you are indeed a cultivator from Huang Feng Valley!" Although the elder had already suspected that Han Li must belong to one of the seven major sects, he still beamed with genuine delight upon hearing him confirm it personally. "Very well, everything shall follow your proposal. We won't remain passive, for once the blood curse is lifted, we will surely become their targets. Staying close to you will be far safer!" The elder agreed readily and enthusiastically. The young man and the woman, upon hearing this, also beamed with satisfaction and said nothing in opposition—clearly endorsing the elder's plan. To them, the Seven Sects were naturally far stronger than the forces that controlled them through blood incantations—definitely worth aligning with. Yet the slender, tall second elder seemed hesitant, as though he had something to say, but was uncertain. "Very well. Since you've temporarily followed me, I'll naturally manage to rescue your companions. But right now, I must have you all quickly rid yourselves of that intense toxin within your bodies! Otherwise, within just a matter of moments, you'll all be gone—how can you possibly speak of casting the spells then?" Han Li agreed readily, yet then shifted his tone, delivering a sentence that sent a wave of shock through the four of them. "What toxin? We should only have the blood curse upon us!" The young man's face changed, expressing both alarm and doubt. Seeing that the young man questioned his words, Han Li did not grow angry, but instead stiffened his expression and said firmly: "When I examined the blood curse earlier, I discovered that in addition to the blood curse, your elder brother has been struck by a severe toxin. This toxin is not only extremely potent but also highly unstable—its symptoms are likely to erupt at any moment. Fortunately, I still possess some experience in treating such toxins, and removing them will be nothing short of a simple task. You needn't worry at all about this matter." "Of course, if you still don't believe me, you can wait a while and see whether they truly die from poisoning!" After saying this, the four people were largely convinced. "Ah, now I understand. When we were told to carry out the tasks, why did the person who assigned us the mission suddenly insist on having us drink a cup of wine with him before we set off? We thought the wine was poisoned. We believed that once the blood curse was upon us, the others would no longer take any further actions—nobody paid much attention to this detail. Their methods truly are quite subtle and cunning!" The middle-aged, tall second member said, his expression clearly displeased. The young man and the young woman now looked suddenly enlightened, while the elder man remained gloomy, as though he had already anticipated this development. Since Han Li had decided to enlist the five friends of Mengshan as his allies, he would not hesitate to let the four of them suffer from the effects of the poison. He immediately reached into his storage pouch, pulled out two porcelain bottles—one white and one green—and tossed them to the older man with the dark face. "The pills in this bottle—just one dose each—will eliminate most of the toxicity. Then, over time, with continued cultivation, the remaining toxins can be gradually expelled," Han Li said simply. The stoic elder immediately distributed the pills to the other three and, without hesitation, took one himself first. It seemed clear in his mind that if Han Li intended to act against them, he would not need to make any changes to the remedy, so he felt confident enough to swallow it. Not long after taking Han Li's pills, the group began experiencing sharp abdominal pains. The young woman flushed slightly, then suddenly stomped her foot, managing to hover slightly above the ground and fly toward a nearby small hill. However, due to Han Li's seal still active on her body, her flight was rather slow. The other three men, seeing this, also felt embarrassed and each found a concealed spot to expel the toxins accumulating in their stomachs. A while later, they returned to Han Li's side, still somewhat awkward. A moment later, the woman also returned, her cheeks still flushed. "Very well. Let's begin removing the blood curse now! Who would like to go first?" Han Li didn't hesitate, speaking directly. "Of course…" As the second eldest just opened his mouth and stepped forward, he was suddenly pulled back by a thin, wiry hand gripping his arm! "Second brother, you still have your third sister to care for! With my frail body unable to establish a foundation, I won't last long. It's better that I go first. After all, your third sister's child still needs your attention!" The stoic elder spoke calmly. "Brother! That won't do! How can we let you—!" The tall, slender second brother shook his head vigorously, as if a drum were being beaten, refusing to budge. The young man and the young woman, seeing this, also stepped forward to volunteer, eager to take the risk first. "Enough! Let your brother go first. After all, I just examined his body—this gives us greater confidence!" Although the brotherly bond displayed by these four was deeply touching, it ultimately didn't matter to Han Li, who had no heart to truly focus on or savor it. Right now, he was eager to find out whether he could truly lift the blood curse. Should that prove impossible, all his prior efforts would have been in vain, and he would then have to rethink his course of action. Once Han Li expressed this, the four no longer contested among themselves, and the elder respectfully approached with a serious demeanor. The other three exchanged glances, then watched the elder with expressions of concern. "Thud... thud..."—a series of six or seven sounds. Han Li raised his hand, and several soldier puppets, each as tall as a real person, materialized behind him, armed and ready, in a flash of white light. "While I am dispersing the blood curse, I won't be able to defend myself. These puppets serve as a defensive measure. Should anyone enter the ten-zhang radius around me, they will immediately attack. Please stay well away from me!" Han Li spoke frankly, clearly indicating that they could not yet be trusted, forcing the three of them to reluctantly step back.