Master Qingxuan said, "And what happened after falling into the trap?"
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were already standing at the center of the human formation. They said, "Leave it to us. We will handle them one by one inside the array; we won't miss any. All we need is time. The priority now is to prevent their spread. That's why I say there could be danger—because our current numbers are less than five hundred, making it uncertain if we can contain them and stop what’s inside from bursting out."
Someone swallowed and asked, "What if they burst out?"
Xie Lian replied, "That would be very bad; they might become possessed by vengeful spirits and contract the plague first..."
"Suppose some people just ran away, how about then?"
Xie Lian said, "The circle will break, and maybe we'll also be possessed."
"Then it's all the same to end up possessed!"
Some of the smarter ones understood and said, "No, the difference is that in the first case, everyone will definitely be possessed and infected with the plague. In the second case, there’s a chance to survive by running away."
Xie Lian said, "Exactly right. Is anyone still willing to leave now? We can't withdraw once we start; before then, it's okay for whoever wants to go ahead of time. And I hope no one tells those who are leaving anything; after all, this is really dangerous."
These were things they had to tell them so as to select truly brave and determined people. Indeed, just a short while later, dozens of people came out, walked away quickly with their heads down, and the circle got smaller again. Xie Lian heaved a sigh of relief and said, "That's great."
Master Qingxuan retorted, "Great? The number is even less now."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "There are already many more than I imagined." He had seriously considered what to do if half walked away but was pleasantly surprised that only a few dozen did. Just then, someone called out from afar, "Hold on! Do you know their identities? Don't believe them; be careful or you might get hurt!"
Xie Lian turned around and found it was Tian Yan Kai and others. Master Qingxuan immediately shouted, "And what about you guys? If you're not going to help, go away and don’t add to the chaos. I guarantee they won’t harm anyone."
The priests did not take kindly to a ragged beggar and said, "What about you? How much do your words cost?"
Master Qingxuan was infuriated by such questions and pointed at himself, saying, "What? You’re talking about money in front of me? I think you don’t know the height and breadth of the world. Maybe some of you even knelt before… " He coughed twice and withdrew.
The priests took this as an admission that he could not continue and ignored him, advising, "You have no idea what they want to do; be careful or you might lose your life over a meal!"