"This..."

Li Tong stared at Li Yin's corpse, unable to process what had happened for a long time. In my memory, Li Yin's strength ranked among the top few in the entire Li Clan. And yet, a master like that was poked to death with a single finger? If the clan found out, who would believe it?

Li Zhou wasn't faring much better. His mouth hung open, and his lips trembled as he stared at Lin Mu. He even instinctively took a step back. He was truly afraid Lin Mu would do the same to him. His frail body definitely couldn't take it.

"Sorry, I couldn't control my strength and accidentally killed him," Lin Mu said apologetically to Li Xiaotian as he withdrew his hand.

Li Zhou and Li Tong were left speechless.

You call that an accident? Man, that was Li Yin! The Second Elder of Heimiao Village! If you weren't being careful, would you have killed the High Priest of Heimiao Village too?

However, what shocked the two brothers even more came next.

Li Xiaotian declared, "For Li Yin to die at my Master's hands, he got off easy!"

Got off easy? Wait a minute! Master? The brothers exchanged a glance, both doubting if they had heard correctly. The Clan Leader just called a man in his twenties 'Master'?

"Big brother, I think my ears are damaged," Li Tong said, patting his head with a pained expression.

Li Zhou muttered, "You heard right."

"Then what's going on?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know either."

"What are you two whispering about? Hurry over here!" Li Xiaotian called out.

Li Zhou shuddered and carefully made his way over. "Clan Leader..."

Looking at the two younger members of the Li Clan, Li Xiaotian nodded and said, "Alright, let's head back to Bai Miao Village. On the way, tell me what's happened these past few years."

Having been away for so long, he was ignorant of many of the clan's affairs.

"Yes, of course." Li Zhou nodded quickly, letting Li Tong lead the way while he recounted the events of the last several years.

Apparently, after Li Xiaotian left all those years ago, the clan had sent out several search parties. But at that time, the Li Clan had just split. Hunted by the High Priest, the ancestors of Bai Miao Village were forced to hide and flee constantly. They eventually managed to establish a foothold in the deep mountains, but not before more than half of their members had died or were grievously injured, leaving them with fewer than a hundred people.

However, the People of the Li Clan had always valued the purity of their bloodline. Although the High Priest possessed the direct bloodline, he had committed patricide and forcibly seized the position of Clan Leader, so many factions within the Li Clan refused to submit to him. In the first few years, many of these branch factions had even resisted. But the High Priest was too powerful, and he had many capable warriors at his command. He swiftly dismantled the more stubborn factions, leaving the rest with a choice: submit, or flee into the mountains as well.

Then, just some time ago, the High Priest seemed to have gone mad, sending his men to Bai Miao Village to demand their surrender. Bai Miao Village had developed rapidly over the decades, its population growing steadily. With the allegiance of several branch factions, it had gradually grown stronger. Even so, Heimiao Village was simply too powerful; they were no match for them.

The High Priest had already issued an ultimatum. He gave Bai Miao Village three days to surrender. If they refused, he would lead his forces to annihilate them. Li Tong and Li Zhou had been venturing out to seek aid, never expecting that Heimiao Village had them under surveillance. They were attacked the moment they left the village. If they hadn't run into Lin Mu and Li Xiaotian, they would have been dead by now.

Although Li Xiaotian had long since lost any desire to be the Clan Leader, the blood of the Li Clan still flowed through his veins. Hearing this, he became furious.

"Hmph. The High Priest?" Li Xiaotian said coldly. "Now that I'm here, he can forget about harming a single person from Bai Miao Village!"

"That's right! It's wonderful that the Clan Leader is back!" Li Tong exclaimed, overjoyed.

After walking for another hour through the mountains, the group finally arrived at an even more secluded valley. At a glance, the valley was dotted with bamboo buildings, with wisps of cooking smoke rising into the air and the constant sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking. A tall wall of stacked boulders encircled the valley, with a huge wooden gate for an entrance. If not for the threat of extermination, this place would have been a perfect sanctuary, a paradise hidden from the world.

Lin Mu's Divine Soul was powerful, allowing him to sense the many hidden sentries posted around the valley. The moment his group stepped foot in the area, people had begun moving in the shadows.

"Sister Li Lai, open up! We're back!" Li Tong shouted excitedly toward the valley entrance before running ahead.

"It's Li Tong!" a surprised voice called out from behind the gate.

CREAK!

The large wooden gate swung open, revealing several Miao People armed with weapons, their faces lit up with pleasant surprise.

"Haha, Sister Li Lai, look who's here!" Li Tong laughed.

Li Zhou kicked his brother. "Li Lai is only eighteen. She's never met the Clan Leader."

"Right, right," Li Tong said, scratching his head. "I'm just too excited."

JINGLE, JINGLE.

As they were speaking, the clear chime of silver bells sounded from beyond the gate, and a figure gracefully approached.

"Brother Li Zhou, you're back," a voice as melodious as a lark's rang out. A young woman in a white dress stood charmingly at the entrance. Her clothes were adorned with countless silver ornaments that shimmered with youthful vitality.

Though the girl was young, her skin was as fair as snow, and her cheeks were rosy. In a region like Southern Sky, she was a one-in-ten-thousand beauty. Even in the outside world, she would be considered absolutely top-tier.

"We are!" Li Tong nodded. "Li Lai, go quickly and inform the clan elders that our Clan Leader has returned!"

"Clan Leader?" The girl named Li Lai glanced between Lin Mu and Li Xiaotian. When she saw Lin Mu smile and nod at her, her pretty face blushed, and she shyly lowered her head.

"Aiya, just hurry up and go," Li Tong urged, nudging her to go and inform the others.

"Little brother, Sister Li Lai is pretty, isn't she?" Li Zhou sidled up to Lin Mu and whispered, "Sister Li Lai is the Saintess of our Bai Miao Village. You wouldn't believe how many men secretly have a crush on her."

Lin Mu simply smiled and nodded, saying nothing.

"Alright, let's stop standing around and go in. I'm sure the clan elders will be thrilled to see the Clan Leader has returned," Li Tong said impatiently.

"There's no need."

Just then, an old, hoarse voice called out. From inside the gate, a group of people emerged. At the forefront was an elderly woman leaning on a snake-shaped staff. The wrinkles on her face were so deep they looked as if they might fall off, and her eyes had a somewhat frightening intensity.

"Grandma!" Li Lai hurried forward to support the old woman. "Brother Li Zhou and the others are back."

The old woman patted Li Lai's hand. "Grandma knows."

Then, leading the group, she walked toward Li Xiaotian.

"Mother, I... have returned." Li Xiaotian stepped forward slowly, then suddenly dropped to his knees, his eyes turning red.

Hearing his words, the old woman's body trembled. She hurried to help him up, her hand shaking as she caressed his face, old tears streaming down her own cheeks.

"It's good that you're back. It's good that you've come home!"

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