"The Tang have returned already? They shouldn"t be here for another few days!" Yu Mingxi was shocked."Yes chief! The young lord of the Tang Clan said he requests to see you immediately." The villager said urgently.
Yu Mingxi cursed under her breath.
"d.a.m.n it. I was planning on giving Yin Hui a few things back at the residence and sending him off before the Tang returned. They must"ve came early to capture him, but how did they know he was still in the village?"
Yin Hui frowned when he heard the Tang had returned. Tang Jiao must"ve told Tang Bian about his disappearance when he returned to the Clan. With his keen intuition, Tang Bian probably made a connection between Yin Hui"s appearance in the Scattered Leaf Village and reported it. Since he carried secrets concerning how to unlock the ancestral tablet, they most likely came early with the intent of capturing him.
"Lady Yu, I"m sorry for the trouble I"ve caused to you. If I leave right now, I could probably attract some of their attention away from the village."
Yu Mingxi raised her hand.
"No, there is something I need to give you before you depart. It is a very important item that could guarantee your safety for a long time. We"ll return to the village, but you need to stay hidden." Yu Mingxi pointed her finger towards Yin Hui and a thin purple ray shot out of her hand. When the ray made contact with Yin Hui his entire body disappeared.
"This concealing spell will protect you from the eyes of others. However, you cannot get close as the spiritual sense of a cultivator can still trace your presence."
"Is Big Brother Yin Hui going to be okay Grandma Yu?" Yu Zhuwa asked.
Yu Mingxi put her hand on Yu Zhuwa"s head.
"Don"t worry, even if they brought an elder I will not turn in Yin Hui." Yu Mingxi rea.s.sured.
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Back at the Scattered Leaf Village, Tang Bian was waiting patiently outside the village chief"s residence. Beside him was Tang Li, as well as 9 middle aged men and 1 woman all wearing blue robes bearing the Tang Clan crest. The villager"s all hid in their homes, taking occasional glances through small holes in their windows.
"We"re almost a week early, won"t this hurt your chances of reaching an agreement with the village chief?" Tang Li asked.
"Don"t worry about that. If we don"t succeed in establishing an outpost in this village we can always find another. On the other hand, the key to unlocking the Yin Clan"s Ancestral Tablet is far more valuable." Tang Bian replied. The Tang Clan had been trying to unlock the secrets of the ancestral tablet for years. If the clan could get ahold of the secrets within, it would exponentially increase their overall strength. After all, the inheritance of a former overlord with a history of an immortal ancestor was not something one could take lightly.
"Ah, it looks like the village head has returned." Tang Bian turned towards the village"s main gate where he saw Yu Mingxi walking up to the residence. He gave a short bow and put on a very amiable smile on his face.
"Welcome back Lady Yu. While I have returned earlier than expected, I a.s.sure you it is for a different matter. I will not go back on my words and you will still have a full month to make your decision."
Yu Mingxi scoffed
"What could this matter be for you to bring 6 Spirit Waking cultivators, 4 Spirit Manifestation cultivators, and the second son of the Tang Clan"s Clan Chief? Are they also here to influence my decision on whether my Scattered Leaf Village accepts your offer? If you truly want to give me face, tell your envoy to retract their spiritual senses. I do not like it when others are sniffing around my village like dogs."
Tang Bian kept up his pleasant demeanor and waved his hands. When he did, all the spiritual senses surveiling the village dissipated.
The four Spirit Manifestation cultivators growled as they took back their spiritual sense. According to the reports, the village leader of the Scattered Leaf Village was at the peak of the Spirit Manifestation realm. Each of the Spirit Manifestation cultivators Tang Bian brought with him were also at the peak stage. Therefore, they were extremely irritated that they had to obey the request of someone who was only of equal power to one of them. On top of that she also called them dogs, which was an insult they did not take lightly.
When the spiritual senses were gone, Yu Zhuwa and Yin Hui snuck into the village chief"s residence. Both of them were hidden by Yu Mingxi"s concealing technique and invisible to the eyes of the Tang Clan envoy. Yin Hui paused for a moment when he saw Tang Li, but knew that it was not the time to reveal himself to him.
Inside the residence, Yin Hui collected some supplies that would aid him on the road. He took spare clothes, preservable food, and even a makeshift shelter that he found lying around. Yu Zhuwa also helped, providing Yin Hui with many useful talismans that Yu Mingxi created in case of emergencies. Some of these talismans had effects such as beast-warding or concealment, which would be very useful while on the run.
"Big Brother Yin Hui, take this too!" Yu Zhuwa handed over the small chest he stole from the bandits when they first met. He opened it and inside were around 200 tiny glimmering white crystals. The crystals emitted rich spiritual energy that was much more condensed then the spiritual energy naturally existing in the air.
Yin Hui was amazed. Just one of these crystals held enough qi to replenish his entire reservoir of qi many times over.
"These are qi crystals. While useless to mortals, they have a lot of use for cultivators. Many sects use qi crystals as currency for crafting reasons or to stabilize formations. However, you can also use them in battles to replenish your qi and heal your wounds! This small box doesn"t have enough crystals to buy much, but I"m pretty sure you can use them to recover from tough fights!" Yu Zhuwa placed the box inside Yin Hui"s bag of holding.
Yin Hui was speechless. He had only known Yu Zhuwa for a little under a month yet he was already giving him such a great gift. Yin Hui did not know how to respond, so he simply looked at Yu Zhuwa with the most grateful expression he could make.
"Alright, looks like your all ready to go. Let"s go sneak out while Grandma Yu still has them distracted."
"The reason I have brought these cultivators from my clan is because we are chasing after a missing slave. Actually, that missing slave was a young man I met on my way out from our last meeting. His name was Yin Hui. If Lady Yu would kindly hand over the person in question the Tang Clan will appreciate it greatly." Outside, Tang Bian was still negotiating with Yu Mingxi.
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"You people from the Tang Clan are just bullies!" A mortal youth got out from his house and shouted at the Tang envoy. At that moment, countless villagers opened their windows to take a look at the brave young man who dared to speak against the Tang.
"Just because your the overlord of the province doesn"t mean you can do whatever you want! I"ve heard of countless villages who have been forced into slavery by the Tang Clan! Your a clan comprised of immortals yet you are shameless enough to use mortals as slave labor! One of your slaves has escaped from your cruel hands and you expect us to throw them back into your tyrannical arms once more?"
Yu Mingxi let out a thin smile. She was proud of the boy for standing up to such powerful enemies and having the courage to speak his mind.
"This brat needs to be taught a lesson." One of the Spirit Waking cultivators took a step forward. However, Tang Bian pulled him back.
"Splendid speech my friend. Unfortunately, the slave we are talking about here is not just an escapee, but also a murderer. He murdered one of our attendants with such brutal and discrete means we cannot even find the body. Furthermore, I never said our clan would not compensate you for a.s.sisting us. In fact, if you help us, not only will I guarantee the safety of you all, I will also allow the entire village to relocate to one of the most fertile valleys in the province. To keep things simple, if you turn in this slave all of you will live in luxury for the rest of your lives."
"Tang Bian! You dare spout lies of that sort in front of me?!" Yu Mingxi was exasperated.
"Lies? I am the son of an elder and grand advisor to the Clan Head. I believe I am fully capable of fulfilling such a request if necessary." Tang Bian said confidently.
"Lady Yu, the Tang Clan"s offer does seem reasonable." A middle aged man in one of the village houses voiced his approval at Tang Bian"s offer.
"I agree, after all its only the life of one slave who is also a murderer. A promise of luxury for such a simple task may never come in one"s life again." A young woman from another house said.
"You all..." Yu Mingxi"s face began to turn red with anger.
"Yeah! The Tang Clan hold greater power then the Yan Clan already! Mind as well, join the winning side while we can!" Another shouted.
The Tang vanguard behind Tang Bian all had wicked smiles all over their faces.
"Elder Tang Wan"s son is truly a remarkable person." The female Spirit Manifestation cultivator praised.
"Definitely, unlike Tang Jiao, he is respected by all the members of the Clan and doesn"t bully us of the junior generation using his status." One of the Spirit Waking youths added.
"If Lord Clan Head is to pick a successor, I hope that he see"s the bigger picture and chooses Tang Bian."
Yu Mingxi smashed her staff hard onto the ground.
"Tang Bian! I will never reveal the location of Yin Hui! That boy has a future that will change the fate of this entire province! I will not let you take him!"
"I agree. That is why I want to take him down now and prevent that future from occurring. In any case, I don"t need you to reveal his location. I already know where he is!" Tang Bian put two fingers on his forehead and let out a small grunt.
A bright flash emitted from the top of the hill where the village leader"s residence was. When it subsided, the concealment spell hiding Yin Hui and Yu Zhuwa was gone, revealing their figures to the Tang envoy.