"Xiao Tian, this is..."

Once they had met, the old woman looked at Lin Mu, a trace of wariness in her turbid eyes.

"Amu, this is my Master." Li Xiaotian lowered his head, not daring to look at the old woman.

Master?

The old woman's expression changed drastically, as did those of the Bai Miao Village elders behind her.

"Xiao Tian, how could you take an outsider as your Master? Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings?" The old woman's walking stick thudded heavily on the ground.

"Amu, please hear me out."

In the outside world, Li Xiaotian could intimidate an entire region, but at this moment, he was as nervous as a child. The Li Clan was extremely xenophobic, and given the current dire situation of Bai Miao Village, they were naturally very hostile toward an outsider like Lin Mu. Amu was the person he respected most. She had been as close as a sister to his mother and was currently the elder with the highest seniority in Bai Miao Village. Therefore, Li Xiaotian dared not disobey her.

But Lin Mu was his Master. He truly didn't want any conflict between them.

"Hmph, what is there to explain?" a tall and imposing old man snorted angrily. "Since you have already accepted an outsider as your Master, you are no longer qualified to be the Clan Leader of the Li Clan."

The old man's words made many people nod in agreement. This was the ancestral teaching of the Li Clan, and it could not be violated.

"Elders, don't be so hasty," Li Tong, who was always quick to speak, interjected. "The Clan Leader's Master is incredibly powerful. He even killed Li Yin, the Second Elder of Heimiao Village." Li Tong gestured emphatically. "Killed him with a single finger."

Li Zhou added, "Yes, Elders, he saved Li Tong and me. We owe him our lives."

Li Tong nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes."

The old man glared. "Li Zhou, didn't the clan send you to seek aid from the Nine Villages and Eighteen Caves? Why have you returned?"

Li Tong couldn't help but say, "Second Elder, didn't I just tell you? We were being hunted by Li Yin of Heimiao Village. We were only saved thanks to the Clan Leader's Master."

"Nonsense!" the elder roared in fury. "Even I am no match for Li Yin. How could a greenhorn like him possibly be his opponent?" The elder didn't believe a single word Li Tong had said.

"It's true!" Li Zhou insisted. "The Clan Leader saw it with his own eyes!"

Li Xiaotian gave a wry smile. "Second Elder, it's true. Amu, my Master's strength is such that not even a Martial Arts Grandmaster is his match. For him to accept me as his disciple is a blessing of three lifetimes."

Not even a Martial Arts Grandmaster is his match?

The crowd was in an uproar. How could that be possible? Lin Mu looked so young. Even if he had started training in the womb, he couldn't possibly be strong enough to defeat Li Yin at his age.

"From what you just said, Li Yin was already injured by the Clan Leader and was ambushed by this boy during a moment of carelessness," the elder said with a skeptical look. "As for him being stronger than a Martial Arts Grandmaster, I refuse to believe it."

"Believe it or not, my brother and I saw it with our own eyes," Li Tong retorted indignantly.

"Li Tong, mind your place!" the old woman said sharply. Seeing the elder was about to speak again, she continued, "Since he is the savior of the Li Zhou brothers, we of the Li Clan are not ones to forget a debt of gratitude."

The old woman looked at Lin Mu and said, "Regardless of whether you are Xiao Tian's Master, and no matter how high your status is in the outside world, our Li Clan has an ancestral teaching: outsiders are forbidden from setting foot in our ancestral lands, on pain of death!"

Li Xiaotian grew alarmed, but the old woman waved her hand to stop him from speaking. "However, since it is already late, I will make an exception and allow you to stay here for one night. At dawn tomorrow, I will have him escort you out."

"Amu..."

"The matter is settled!"

Li Xiaotian looked at Lin Mu helplessly. "Master, you..."

Lin Mu remained completely unconcerned and said with a smile, "Let's just listen to your Amu." He didn't want to make things difficult for Li Xiaotian. After all, this was a rule of the Li Clan. Besides, he was here to find the Sky Star Grass, and as an outsider, he had no way of finding Heimiao Village on his own.

That night, Lin Mu stayed in a small wooden hut arranged by Bai Miao Village.

***

「That night.」

"Has that outsider been settled in?" in the simple meeting hall, the old woman inquired, looking toward Li Lai.

Li Lai nodded. "Yes, Grandmother." For a moment, she was slightly lost in thought, remembering the young man with the faint, constant smile.

The old woman didn't notice Li Lai's expression and turned to the others. "There are only two days left until the appointed time with Heimiao Village. If we don't come up with a foolproof plan, our Bai Miao Village could be destroyed."

Her words instantly cast a solemn mood over the meeting hall.

"Hmph! The High Priest of Heimiao Village wants to absorb our Bai Miao Village? I'll be the first to object!" the same elder who had questioned Lin Mu earlier declared. "If Heimiao Village dares to come, they'll have to get past me first!"

One of the clan elders said worriedly, "But what about all our people?"

"Don't worry, I've already made preparations," the elder said with a slight smile. "I've instructed the Third Elder to be ready to lead the children of the village away at dawn tomorrow."

Oh?

Everyone's eyes lit up. Even the old woman couldn't help but nod. "Second Elder, you have been thoughtful."

The Second Elder smiled. "As a member of the Li Clan, I must be worthy of the blood that flows in my veins!"

"Well said!" everyone applauded.

Suddenly, the Second Elder added, "But should we really not keep an eye on that outsider?"

"Second Elder, are you suggesting..."

The Second Elder put on a worried expression. "I'm concerned he has other motives and might pose a threat to our Bai Miao Village."

The old woman waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. If he dares to make a move, kill him." She didn't believe for a second that Lin Mu had killed Li Yin with a single finger.

"What about the Clan Leader?" someone asked.

The old woman slammed her hand on the table and said in a heavy voice, "He is a man of the Li Clan! The blood of the Great God Chi You flows in his veins!"

No one said another word.

***

A hundred miles from Bai Miao Village, on a mountainside, lay Heimiao Village.

On a table inside a room, a small plant with nine leaves emitted a faint starlight, looking incredibly splendid. The High Priest held a small cauldron in both hands, his expression hesitant.

If my Gu King consumes this grass, it will surely evolve into a Golden Silkworm Gu.

However, he hesitated. If he failed, years of hard work would be for naught.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "High Priest, I have something to report."

The High Priest put away the grass and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

A young man entered cautiously, trembling as he knelt on the ground. Without daring to raise his head, he reported, "The Lifebound Gus of Sang Kui and the Second Elder... are dead."

"What?" the High Priest roared. "What happened?"

"It was Bai Miao Village," the young man said.

"Bai Miao Village!" the High Priest ground out through clenched teeth. "It seems they're eager to court death!"

Filled with murderous intent, he commanded, "Pass on my order! Tell Xiao Long, Yang Zhao, and the rest from the Nine Villages and Eighteen Caves to each dispatch five hundred warriors. They will assemble at dawn. Tomorrow, I will personally annihilate Bai Miao Village!"

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