After a few moments, Yi Ju couldn't help but inch closer and try to take a look at Yun Bei Fen. "Did he just fall asleep? While standing?"
Mei Chao Bing looked at his little bunny with obvious indulgence in his eyes. "Well, he really didn't sleep too well yesterday. I guess he's still tired." He brushed through his hair with his fingertips and then just kept quiet so as to not wake Yun Bei Fen up.
Yuan Lei also looked at the two of them and gave a smile. Honestly, it was a wonder that the others had been able to believe that anything unsavory had happened between Mei Chao Bing and Yun Bei Fen considering how close they were. Thankfully, that kind of talk shouldn't be happening any further now. Anybody who was still trying to say that Mei Chao Bing was harming Yun Bei Fen clearly didn't have eyes.
Still, even though that type of rumor couldn't be brought up anymore, Yuan Lei didn't feel like they should take matters easy just because of that. After all, there were obviously still other things that could be brought up.
He also stepped closer to Mei Chao Bing but lowered his voice so as to not wake up Yun Bei Fen. "Yang Wu Huang will likely try to continue to bring you down. You'll have to mind whatever you do and say. Don't let your guard down for even a single moment. If he can, he'll latch onto any possibility that he's given."
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "I know. He hasn't bothered in the last two years because I was already down. Now that things seem to be looking up for me, he'll naturally try to gain the upper hand. I can only be careful and hope for the best though."
Yuan Lei nodded. "It wouldn't do to stoop to the same level. You shouldn't even consider that."
"Don't worry. I won't. Although …" He turned to look at Yuan Lei and then glanced over to where Gongsun Chen was currently standing with his own group. "I realized that I sometimes do things wrong. If it happens, then please call me out on it. Sometimes, a person can be stuck in their way of thinking and not realize that they are doing more harm than good. I don't want to be like that but I need people who are willing to point that out for me."
Yuan Lei nodded gravely but didn't say anything else. Since he was asked, he would naturally oblige. This was something that could only help the group and also them personally. He believed in Mei Chao Bing, so he felt that he should do this.
Yi Ju looked from one person to the other, unable to understand what was going on. She wanted to ask but wasn't too sure if she should. Maybe this was some kind of private matter that she rather shouldn't get involved in?
Mei Chao Bing glanced at her and couldn't help but smile. This girl reminded him a little of Yun Bei Fen. The two of them had the same expression when they were curious but didn't dare to ask something. "Junior martial sister Yi doesn't know but previously, I made a mistake and didn't notify my group of something that I noticed. I did so because I was afraid of what people might think of me.
"One of the other members gave me a stern talking to and then I realized that what I did was wrong. I should trust the others. It's just that it's not always easy so I might make mistakes. If junior martial sister Yi noticed something, please point it out to me as well."
Yi Ju nodded eagerly, happy that she had been involved despite being one of the most useless members of this group. "I think you're doing really well, senior martial brother Mei. At the very least, I actually feel useful in your group which I didn't in the one before. I guess that is a sign that you do trust in our abilities."
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "That's true. I do believe that each of us has to offer something that can be very useful here. It is just a matter of finding out what exactly that is and making use of it."
Yi Ju wanted to ask some more but at that moment, Elder Xing and Elder Baili already appeared in front of them, their expressions quite grave.
The disciples that had been chatting until a moment ago also quieted down. Mei Chao Bing gently shook Yun Bei Fen awake and motioned forward so he could listen as well.
Even though he could tell him later on, he still felt that it would be quite good for Yun Bei Fen to listen himself first. Forming his own understanding of a situation was also very important. He wanted to see if Yun Bei Fen was already able to do so or if he needed more explanations. And if it was the latter, then he would know what he had to work on next.
Yun Bei Fen stared ahead with his eyes wide open as if he wanted to make sure that he would definitely understand what the Elders said. In fact, this kind of expression made him just look confused.
Mei Chao Bing had trouble holding back a laugh when he saw it. Well, one thing that he might need to work on was trying to teach Yun Bei Fen that it might not always be a good idea to display his emotions so openly on his face.
While it wouldn't be a problem when they were with people they could trust, it would definitely be a problem if they were in a fight or if they encountered demonic practitioners and had to deal with them in another way. If he accidentally gave something away in such a scenario, it wouldn't turn out well.