But Bai Rou, after all, had been through some training. No matter how simple-minded she was, she would eventually grow. In her panic, she thought of some things and quickly used them as an excuse to prevaricate.
"Oh? Senior Brother Hu is injured? I wonder how..."
After hearing this, Li Yan immediately interjected, seemingly not catching the teasing tone in Tantai Dongyue's voice.
Li Yan had always treated Bai Rou as a friend. Especially at the beginning, Li Yan had no intention of getting involved in the trivial matters between Bai Rou and Sun Guoshu.
With an unreadable expression, Li Yan changed the subject.
"Senior Brother Hu, ah, Senior Brother Hu's right chest was pierced by a demonic cultivator. I imagine he'll need to enter secluded cultivation for quite some time to recuperate."
"I heard that Senior Brother Li led Senior Sister Rou, Senior Brother Hu, and the others to escape the pursuit of a Golden Core Demon Lord back then. If that's true, Senior Brother Li's spirit power is already beyond compare among our peers."
"Three days ago, you displayed your might even more, slaying more than ten demonic cultivators of the same rank in a row. This junior sister, Zhou Chan, pays her respects."
This time, before Bai Rou could answer, one of the three young women, a young girl, spoke with a charming smile, her vermilion lips parting slightly.
Li Yan's gaze couldn't help but focus. He glanced at the emblem on the young girl's cuff; she was a disciple from the Spirit Insect Peak.
Since he had revealed his identity, this girl from the Malevolent Spirit Sect and the other girl in the pink palace dress had been staring at him without blinking. Although there was shyness in their eyes, there was more surprise and curiosity.
The moment these words entered Li Yan's ear, a wisp of killing intent flashed silently in the depths of his eyes. But when he turned his head, his face was already gentle.
The girl from Spirit Insect Peak should have joined the sect many years before him, yet today she had called him Senior Brother.
Li Yan's seemingly casual gaze swept past Bai Rou's face, and then with a smile, he cupped his hands towards the girl from Spirit Insect Peak.
"I wonder where this Junior Sister heard these rumors? The previous matter is entirely fabricated. At that time, I, Li, only relied on a slightly better flying magical treasure to escape with Senior Brother Hu and the others for a short distance."
"If not for my Master arriving in time, I imagine Senior Brother Hu and I would have long since perished together."
"Otherwise, after the fact, why would I have had to trouble my Master in my cave residence, wasting so many spirit pills and medicines, just to save my life."
"The events of a few days ago were all a fluke. If not for the invisibility spirit talismans and numerous poison pills granted by my Master, this junior would not have had such means."
Li Yan had no intention of letting others know about his ability to contend with a Golden Core demonic cultivator after escaping from "Zhouyang Town" that day.
So when the girl surnamed Zhou from Spirit Insect Peak said it, he was moved to kill, and this killing intent even included Bai Rou.
Because the entire process of his fight, besides that Demon Lord, only Bai Rou and the little Purple Divine Dragon-Elephant knew the most completely.
As for Elder Chigong and his own Master knowing about it later, that was a necessary debriefing after the mission. It would have been difficult to hide, but that was the extent of it.
He never thought that this girl from Spirit Insect Peak would say such a thing upon meeting him, which made killing intent surge in Li Yan's heart.
His first thought was the possibility that Bai Rou had leaked the secret. But when his gaze swept past Bai Rou, he knew that this matter was not leaked by her.
Bai Rou had been with Li Yan for some time and knew his disposition very well. She knew he was extremely unwilling to reveal his own cultivation, so she immediately shook her head slightly.
Her movement was very small, and no one else noticed it, but it had already conveyed the meaning to Li Yan. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in his heart. He still knew Bai Rou's character well; she shouldn't be lying.
Even her earlier words of thanks on behalf of Hu Xiaowang were likely true; he just didn't know under what circumstances they were said.
In a flash of thought, Li Yan already had his own guess. It was likely that Hu Xiaowang or Yan Feijun had revealed it.
They only knew that he had led them to escape for a long distance; they didn't know the situation afterward. It was probably some speculation on their part.
Under those circumstances, for Li Yan not to abandon the other five and escape on his own was already an extremely rare thing in the cultivation world.
So it was not an exaggeration for Hu Xiaowang and the others to thank him, and they would also take the opportunity to praise him. They might have done it with the intention of making a name for Li Yan, but they never thought that this was the last thing Li Yan wanted to see.
However, as long as it didn't come from Bai Rou's mouth, the matter of his fight with the demonic cultivator that night was still only known to a few people. So Li Yan also casually spun a tale.
As for the events of three days ago, he completely passed the buck, pushing all the credit onto his Master. As for whether the other party believed it or not, that was not his concern.
Anyway, no one would dare to go and ask Wei Zhongran.
Sure enough, after Li Yan spoke, everyone, including the girl from Spirit Insect Peak, had a look of half-belief.
But some of the cultivators who were listening in on the conversation here did not show anything on their faces. They were all cultivators who had charged up at the end three days ago to participate in the slaughter of the remaining Demonic Soldiers.
Although they did not refute Li Yan's words, they absolutely did not believe it in their hearts. For example, even though Gong Yuantai and the others had all fought with the remaining poisoned demonic cultivators, none of them had been like Li Yan, killing the opponent in a single blow.
Of course, this also included Bai Rou and Du Sanjiang. Bai Rou had personally seen this Junior Brother's fierceness and understood his character quite well.
Du Sanjiang was a steady person. He had also asked Gong Yuantai in detail about the events of that day. Moreover, he was different from Gong Yuantai and the others.
He knew very well what kind of constitution Li Yan had, the one that had almost gotten himself killed on the spot.
Subsequently, Li Yan also learned the names of the other two young girls. One was a disciple surnamed Tan from Lord Lao Peak, and the other was a core disciple of a large sect under the jurisdiction of the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
Her surname was He, and her cultivation had also reached the Pseudo-Core realm. She was the most promising disciple in her sect. As for her full name, Li Yan couldn't be bothered to remember it.
Besides these three young girls, some of the other cultivators in the courtyard had been attracted by the "Mutual Destruction Ridge" battle of the "Sixteenth Squad of Green" a few days ago. Many of them did not believe that Li Yan had such great ability and wanted to see his cultivation with their own eyes.
Li Yan had been away, so they had just treated it as an opportunity to exchange news.
The three young girls had indeed asked Bai Rou about Li Yan's situation before. Bai Rou had put them off, saying that she had also been unconscious that day and was unwilling to say more.
Although the three young girls did not get a definite answer, given Li Yan's status as a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak, plus the accounts of Li Yan's strength in the great battle three days ago from others, they all had the intention of befriending him. They even harbored the hope of becoming his Dao Companion, and if not, at least leaving some fond memories.
The cultivation world was just that realistic. Regardless of whether the three young girls had ever had a sweetheart before, who wouldn't want to obtain more cultivation resources and a powerful backer?
Seeing Li Yan flatly deny his combat prowess, the outside cultivators felt that this was probably the truth.
It was common knowledge that Li Yan had a good master. Possessing powerful poison pills and spirit talismans made perfect sense.
As for what the "Sixteenth Squad of Green" had said before, it was just a respectable excuse for their heavy casualties.
Next, Li Yan naturally changed the subject and asked Du Sanjiang and the others about the news they had gathered. In the end, he only got a general idea.
The current battlefield should have moved south by at least five or six thousand li, but since no seriously injured cultivators had been sent back yet, the news they could gather was also limited.
However, thinking about it, this was also to be expected. If they sent people back for treatment after just a few were seriously injured, then the battlefield would require a lot of escorting cultivators every day, which would only bring great pressure to their own side.
So, the bodies of the seriously injured or fallen cultivators were most likely placed in "Spirit-Storing Pouches." This kind of storage magical treasure, which was rare for Li Yan and his peers, was not lacking in the hands of Golden Core cultivators.
Therefore, after Wei Zhongran, Elder Chigong, and the others had left, there was no more news from them.
Bai Rou was extremely worried about Elder Chigong and would also inquire about news with everyone every day.
Since refuting Tantai Dongyue's words in a low voice, Bai Rou had not spoken again, just standing silently to the side.
Only occasionally would she raise her head and her gaze would sweep over everyone, which of course included Li Yan.
On the contrary, the three young girls and Tantai Dongyue would ask Li Yan some questions from time to time. But as long as it concerned himself, Li Yan would prevaricate if he could, otherwise, he would simply refuse to speak.
Anyway, he didn't care what others thought of him. Du Sanjiang, on the other hand, would sometimes let his gaze linger on Li Yan a little longer. Li Yan knew that the other was looking at his "Fragmented Poison Body," hoping to see something.
To this, Li Yan pretended not to know. Even he himself couldn't truly control the cultivation progress of the "Fragmented Poison Body," so what could others see?
Li Yan then asked about the situation of the "Sixteenth Squad of Green." Gong Yuantai let out a sigh.
"In the last battle, we were left with only fifty-two people, including seventeen seriously injured. The casualties were tragic."
"Although we have now been supplemented with more than a hundred people, people like Qiao Baiye and Wang Ning have already withdrawn."
"One of Qiao Baiye's legs was almost severed. Although he is also considered an elite disciple of the sect, a holy medicine for reattaching a severed limb is not something he can produce on his own. He needs to return to the sect to seek help."
"As for Wang Ning, in the great battle last time, while fighting against two South Sea cultivators, she suffered a not-light internal injury."
"One of the opposing cultivators was an old hand who had been in the Pseudo-Core realm for nearly sixty years. Besieged by the two, Wang Ning had no choice but to risk her life and use a secret art."
"Only after killing the weaker enemy did she escape back to the main team, thus saving her life."
"But the meridians in her body are already injured, and she won't be able to use high-power immortal arts for at least a year or two, so she has also been transferred to the rear to enter secluded cultivation to heal."
After hearing this, Li Yan looked at some of the familiar faces in the courtyard and felt a wave of emotion in his heart. In just three days, things had changed, people were gone, as if in a dream.
"Since you're back, the 'Sixteenth Squad of Green' will be handed back to you. I also need to recuperate and meditate for a few days. My body still hasn't fully recovered."
Gong Yuantai said with a chuckle. After the new conscripts had arrived in recent days, he had been in charge of arranging various matters.
He hadn't had a chance to recuperate properly. Although there were no immediate plans to send them to the battlefield, some preparations still needed to be made in advance.
Li Yan shook his head helplessly. He really hated this kind of thing. Being a lone wolf was the most carefree.
But now, the higher-ups had not removed him from his position as captain of the "Sixteenth Squad of Green." After his return, what Gong Yuantai said was also the truth.
Subsequently, after chatting for a while, Li Yan called Tao Yishan and the other members of the "Sixteenth Squad of Green" to the side, asked them some questions in detail, made some arrangements, and then dismissed them.
These old members of the "Sixteenth Squad of Green" now held a great deal of respect for Li Yan in their hearts. That day, Li Yan's lightning-fast sneak attacks and head-on confrontations from miles away had given them a new understanding of him. Although Li Yan flatly denied it was his own strength, they had all dismissed any thoughts of underestimating him.
After all, Li Yan possessed poisons that even Golden Core cultivators couldn't break. They couldn't afford to provoke this fellow.
He was extremely bloody when dealing with those already-poisoned demonic cultivators. He was even capable of tearing people in half.