Zhelan was frightened to see the agile and scary bandits, but he was not surprised. He had been warned by the king of Utira, Tian Ma about them and Zhelan had already prepared himself mentally. But now that he actually came face to face with the bandits, who none of the kingdoms had thought of taking care of, his mind went blank for a moment while his heart thundered at a mad pace.

The bandits were more in number, almost double that of Zhelan and Yi Meng's group. And every man had a weapon with them, making it all the more difficult for Zhelan to plan his escape. He could only stare wide-eyed as he thought of the special powder Tian Ma had given him in the treasure box.

'I could use it to handle the men here.' He thought, his lips turning into a thin line. 'However....' He darted a glance and gnashed his teeth when he realized how difficult the task was. They were surrounded and it was impossible for him to use the powder on all of them at the same time.

'I need to get them together for me to execute my plan.' Zhelan's eyes flickered. But before he could take any action, Yi Meng's eyes changed drastically, which Zhelan did not notice.

"Hand over all that you have to us." One of the bandits commanded, his gruff voice making Zhelan squint in irritation. It was one of the most unpleasant voices he had ever heard. "We might think of sparing you all."

"Otherwise...."

"Otherwise?" Yi Meng took over even before Zhelan could intervene. The man's tone turned authoritative which shocked Zhelan greatly.

"What are you all waiting for?" Yi Meng bellowed. "Finish them. I do not want anyone alive."

Barely had he finished speaking when the group of people behind Yi Meng pulled out their weapons and attacked the bandits, startling Zhelan completely. He had never expected them to start a fight, even less carry weapons with him. His eyes sparkled with awe as he observed them tackling the bandits brilliantly.

Zhelan did not have to do anything. Yi Meng's people handled the danger with such precision that he had no complaints against them. Moreover, he was only elated that he had decided to join them at the last moment.

In no time, the bandits dropped dead. For ordinary humans, it would have been difficult to handle them. But to Yi Meng's men, they were just average fighters. They did not even sweat it out as they took care of them gladly.

In no time, all the bandits were taken care of while Zhelan and Yi Meng stood in their places calmly. Once they were done, the group retreated and stood behind Yi Meng as if nothing had happened.

"Master, is something the matter?" Yi Meng frowned when he saw Zhelan going into a daze and shook him lightly to bring him out of his trance.

"Uhh? What?" Zhelan gave him a blank look and blinked at him innocently before he came back out of his reverie.

"What is wrong, Master? You seem ..."

"I am fine." Zhelan somehow managed to speak and cleared his throat awkwardly. How could he say that he had been astonished and impressed to see the seemingly harmless and outlandish-looking people take down the bandits in the blink of an eye?

"I was just..." Zhelan glanced at the men behind him and shook his head. "Your people are surely capable."

"Yes, Master. They are my personal guards. They are some of the best fighters in our kingdom." Yi Meng stated with pride and grinned in joy.

'Hmm...The men are not as foolish as I thought them to be.' Zhelan thought and nodded appreciatively at Yi Meng before they started their journey again.

"Master?" Yi Meng glanced at the man beside him and hesitated for some time before he mustered all the courage in him. "May I ask you a question?"

"You already did." Zhelan satirized and Yi Meng snuck out his tongue in embarrassment.

"May I ask another question then?"

Zhelan looked at him in amusement and Yi Meng realized what he had done. He scratched his neck, flustered by his behavior and Zhelan let out a chuckle in mirth.

"Ask away." He permitted, curious to find out what the young man had in mind.

"Master, have you heard of Young Master Xie Zhelan?"

Zhelan was taken aback and his brows shot up immediately.

"Why are you asking about him?"

"From your words, shall I presume that you know him, Master?" Yi Meng gleamed in ecstasy, the reason to which Zhelan could not discern and he scrutinized him silently.

Taking his silence as his acceptance, Yi Meng held Zhelan's hand suddenly. "Master, I have always admired Young Master Zhelan and wanted to meet him for a long time."

"Ohh, why?"

"Master, Young Master Zhelan's achievements are not a secret and all the humans who wish to gain powers and become cultivators look up to him as their motivation.

Zhelan grimaced at his words. But he composed himself and waited for Yi Meng to continue.

"Although I could not meet him, I am still glad that I met someone who knows him." Yi Meng was so happy that his eyes sparkled brighter than stars and Zhelan, for once, did not stop him from hugging him, even though he despised any form of physical contact.

'I wonder how he would react if he were to find out that I am the great Xie Zhelan he is speaking about.' He thought and let out a sigh. 'He might even build a temple here and start worshipping me. How bothersome!'

"Are you done?" Zhelan was losing his patience slowly and when the man showed no signs of letting him go, he pushed him away himself. Yi Meng let out a sheepish grin, while the other men just looked on, their expressions mirroring that of Yi Meng's, forcing Zhelan to hold back all that he wanted to say in reproach.

"Let us quicken our pace. We still have a lot of distance to cover and we do not know how many days it will take us to climb Mount Dao."

Zhelan did not take any risk of offending Yi Meng. The men behind him were not useless, but more formidable than he thought them to be and he did not wish to die even before he reached the base of Mount Dao.