After a few hours, Shen and Mei Ling left the Chen family estate and headed back to Nightshade HQ.
Upon returning, Shen shared the new information with his team, discussing strategies for recruiting more people and explaining Chen Zemin's plans before their summoning.
While at it, he also filled them in on the Xu family and Chen Zemin's theory that the Xu family might have taken down the evil organization.
And as they listened, the four members who stayed behind took some time to analyze the content quickly.
This is something that they often do, and Shen did not disturb them as this was the time when they were at their smartest.
And he was right as they came up with some improvements to the original plan, but when it came to the Xu family, they had no ideas.
"I don't get them," Mei Ling said, glancing toward Shen. "If the Xu family is as powerful as they say, why haven't they openly shown themselves against the evil cultivators?"
Shen shrugged, keeping his own doubts to himself. "Maybe it's their way of handling things. Or maybe they're just waiting for the right moment."
Hearing this, the other members stayed silent. They didn't see any other reason for the Xu family's silence but also doubted it could be that simple.
But they knew that they could not just go and ask them, as that would make them seem nosy in the eyes of the Xu family and the other top families.
And this is something that they do not want as they are still in a state of growing up and any negative light on them could make the follow up plans harder to exicute.
After discussing the recent changes for a few more hours, they decided to call it a day, needing rest before the early morning ahead.
They hoped that sleep might clarify and help them understand the Xu family's silence.
However, upon entering their quarters, something felt... off. The usual quiet in the room seemed unnaturally heavy, giving them a chilling sense of being face-to-face with a living god of death.
Yet here you are, which is surprising, to say the least. But you don't need to worry; I'm not here to take you away.
I want to see how well you do before I make any decisions. And don't feel resentful about this—you arrived at the perfect time."
He paused, looking around the room. "There are some forces currently weak but that will grow powerful in the future—similar to the evil cultivators or demons, as you call them."
The six members experienced a mix of emotions, feeling as though this man before them was toying with their fates. They could do nothing but stay silent and listen.
Curious about the forces Xu Qianghua mentioned, they realized that this world might be far more dangerous than their previous one.
Instead of fear, they felt excitement, as this implied the possibility of advancing to a realm beyond their prior achievements.
"Similar to the Demons," Shen echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Are there more than one?"
Xu Qianghua nodded. "There are. But you don't need to worry about them just yet. They're all being watched, but we don't intend to act unless necessary.
That's where you come in. I'll provide you with resources to grow so you can deal with these smaller threats."
Shen's eyebrow lifted further. "So... more than one?"
Xu Qianghua gave a slight nod. "Yes, but there's no need for concern right now. We have them under observation, and we'll only intervene if absolutely required.
For now, your role is to handle the weaker forces while we address the more significant ones. Eliminating the minor threats scattered worldwide is more of a chore for us."
Hearing this, the six exchanged glances, their mouths twitching in annoyance as they thought, 'So he wants us to be his clean-up crew because he's too lazy to do it himself.'
If Xu Qianghua had heard this, he'd probably nod and say, "Glad you understand."