"Junior Brother Xu, why did you disappear for a few days without a word again? I thought you'd been killed."
As soon as he returned to his courtyard, Sun Tao started chiding him.
"Senior Brother, I went down the mountain to take care of some business and stayed in the city for a few days."
Xu Yang was touched, knowing that Sun Tao was genuinely concerned for him. But he had left in a hurry and didn't have time to go explain the situation to Sun Tao, lest he attract unwanted attention.
"You should hurry to the Task Hall. You haven't done a task in a long time. Someone from the Task Hall came looking for you yesterday and said they've assigned you a task," Sun Tao said.
'They've already assigned me a task?' Xu Yang's expression darkened. 'Could it be that old dog Xiao Hua again?'
Sun Tao said, "Don't overthink it. It wasn't Xiao Hua. It seems Li Fire Peak has another Profound Iron refining task."
Xu Yang cupped his fists. "Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother."
