In a grand and spacious hall, small drifting cloud mists floated everywhere, gently brushing against the walls while exuding a beautiful and fragrant musk-like scent. Nooncloud lanterns were hung along the walls, each separated by only half a meter. Inside the hall, twenty Rank three Yin Clan elders sat on both sides of the long table, while the Third Elder of the Yin Clan, Wang Hui, sat at the head of the table. Three seats to his right and left had been deliberately left empty.
The noise of the Rank three elders' conversations was extremely loud, causing the Rank four elder to frown deeply. Yet even with his strength, he could not completely suppress these elders. After all, he was not the clan leader. Although his position was higher than theirs, the difference was slight if these elders were to unite against him.
Their conversations went as follows:
"Wu Clan's Gu Masters are powerful. Do you think we can use them against the Yan Zu Clan and drag the Wu Clan into this matter?"
"Are you an idiot?… If the Wu Clan intervenes, they will swallow all the benefits of the Yan Zu Clan, and we will be left with only the soup!"
"Why involve them in the first place? I think all of this is madness. We should stop, or else we'll face pressure from the various righteous path forces!… But if the clan leader takes action…"
"This entire war is madness! Why waste our resources and send our clan's children to their deaths just because the clan leader lost his hermaphrodite granddaughter?!"
The last speaker was extremely furious, drawing the attention of several elders. However, the noisy discussions continued, causing the anger inside Yin Wang Hui to gradually rise. He could no longer endure it and shouted loudly, silencing everyone.
"Enough! This is a banquet held in honor of our guests, not an elders' meeting!"
Silence swept across the entire hall. The standing elders returned to their seats, while those who had been talking to their neighbors turned their bodies forward.
"Hmph, a bunch of short-sighted rabble!"
"Bring in the dishes and invite our esteemed Wu Clan guests inside!"
Wang Hui ordered an elder beside him in a tone that brooked no argument. The elder hurried to a side door and relayed a series of commands to the Gu Masters guarding it. Not long after, Fang Tian, Wu Ji, and the rest of their group entered the hall.
The woman in her thirties led their group. She wore a long yellow dress with a slit in the middle, revealing the milky-white flesh beneath. Behind her were Gao Yun, the fat man, and the poison path Gu Master, followed by Wu Ji. The last person was Fang Tian.
Wu Ji wore black battle robes, adorned with rings of dark and gleaming gold around her arms and neck. She also wore a pair of black leather gloves, looking like an empress heading into battle.
Meanwhile, Fang Tian wore attire that was less dazzling, yet just as eye-catching. A traditional green robe adorned with copper strips, with a piece of cloth covering his head and wrapped around a black headband. This was a common outfit in the Western Desert, but not in Southern Border, making Fang Tian particularly noticeable.
The Rank four Yin Clan elder greeted them joyfully, shouting:
"Esteemed Wu Clan guests, it is a great honor for this one to host such a banquet in your honor!… Please, sit beside me. I have ordered the chefs to prepare dishes that are specialties of our Yin Clan. I hope they will please you!"
Wu Ji laughed happily as she walked toward the left side of the Yin Clan elder, following the fat man. Fang Tian did not lag behind and followed them, sitting as the last among their group. The elders then took their seats and cast curious and reverent gazes toward them, especially toward Wu Ji and Fang Tian.
Fang Tian was only slightly older than a boy, yet the Rank three aura emanating from him made him an object of admiration and envy among those elderly elders. Wu Ji was no different, except that her beauty and talent made her even more eye-catching than him.
Fang Tian did not care. Instead, he observed the surroundings and counted the number of elders.
"Twenty-one elders. That's a large number. There is also this Rank four elder. Either the Yin Clan holds great respect and fear toward the Wu Clan, or they are about to request or carry out something that requires setting the stage first."
Fang Tian turned his head. His gaze passed over Wu Ji, who was chatting with the fat man about something, and landed on the Rank four elder. Sensing his gaze, the elder turned his head toward him and gave him a gentle smile.
Fang Tian returned a harmless smile and asked:
"Elder Wang Hui, this junior wishes to ask: what are the Yin Clan's food specialties?"
"Hahaha, a good question! This elder will answer to the best of his ability!… Our Yin Clan specializes in Overcast Cloud Wine and Little Cloud Pastries, as well as many delicious dishes. Especially our special tea, which is widely renowned in Southern Border. Perhaps you have heard of it… Nine Heavens Layered Tea!… It is a fine tea invented by one of our clan's ancestors after contemplating the Legends of Ren Zu and how his children spread destruction across the ancient Nine Heavens and destroyed seven heavens."
Elder Wang Hui was extremely hospitable and pleasant to talk to. The conversation between Fang Tian and the elder attracted the attention of several Yin Clan elders and some members of Fang Tian's group.
The conversation continued for a while before both sides were interrupted by the arrival of the food. Fang Tian looked at the dishes before him and, even before the elder announced anything, lunged at a dish, eating rapidly while praising it, oil splattering from his mouth.
"Delicious!… Oh, Overcast Cloud Wine, Elder Wang, let's see if it's as good as you say!"
The elders laughed awkwardly as they looked at Fang Tian, yet inwardly despised him. However, Elder Wang Hui laughed happily, praised Fang Tian, and began eating as well, ignoring the expressions of the other elders.
"Bring in the girls to dance!"
One of the elders shouted. At his command, the hall doors opened, and dozens of young girls in exquisite dresses entered. Behind them, a Rank two female Gu Master urged them to dance before the elders.
The girls took their positions and immediately began to dance. They split into two lines at first, then advanced, with each girl pairing up with the one opposite her.
All the elders enjoyed this lively performance, and even Fang Tian found himself captivated by the scene.
"This looks like the operetta theaters on Earth… how nostalgic."
Wu Ji, already somewhat drunk, leaned toward him and whispered mischievously:
"You look sad, that's the opposite of what I expected… oh, what is it, yes, a sad person?"
"Will you shut up? I can barely understand what you're saying. You're already very drunk."
After the dance ended, the girls withdrew, and the banquet was almost over. Elder Wang Hui leaned toward Gao Yun and spoke to him about something, then turned to Wu Ji, Fang Tian, and the fat Gu Master.
"Young brothers, this elder has a request to make of you. But first, as a host, I must present gifts to you."
Fang Tian snorted inwardly, already understanding Elder Wang Hui's plan.
"By presenting gifts as a host and then making a request afterward… and with the Yin Clan elders as witnesses, this will pressure us into agreeing. We likely won't be able to refuse… Very well, if this concerns the Yan Zu Clan, I will agree. After all, I still haven't fully explored Li Hua's inheritance."
Elder Wang Hui clapped his hands. The hall doors opened once more, and several Rank two Gu Masters entered, carrying many Gu worms. Fang Tian recognized six Rank three Primeval Elder Gu among them.
This was not surprising. After all, the value of a Primeval Elder Gu was at most seven thousand primeval stones. What was shocking was that these Primeval Elder Gu had ordinary expressions. This meant that each of them contained at least five hundred thousand primeval stones!
Not to mention that there were several other Rank three Gu worms presented as gifts. Even Wu Ji, the daughter of the Wu Clan matriarch, felt tempted and tightened her grip on her dress.
"These are gifts from the Yin Clan to the young brothers of the Wu Clan. I hope you will accept them!"
Fang Tian did not hesitate. He laughed happily and nodded at the elder. A Gu Master stepped forward and presented him with two Rank three Gu worms along with a Primeval Elder Gu. That meant three Rank three Gu worms and five hundred thousand primeval stones!
Wu Ji, the fat Gu Master, and the rest of their group received the same treatment. Then Elder Wang Hui spoke:
"I believe the young brothers have already guessed my matter, but I will explain so that you may have a clearer understanding… Our Yin Clan and the Yan Zu Clan have had conflicts for a long time, but these conflicts only escalated into open war a few months ago… A caravan from the super clan Bao Clan once visited us. We gained many benefits from it, of course, and had a long-term relationship with them… However, four months ago or more, the Bao Clan caravan disappeared within Yan Zu Clan territory."
The elder paused, giving Fang Tian's group time to digest the situation. But Fang Tian did not need to think, because he had been present when the Bao Clan caravan was robbed and slaughtered!
"And naturally, because the caravan disappeared near the Yan Zu Clan, we sent Gu Masters and several elders to investigate… Among them was the clan leader's grandson. The group encountered an abnormal Gu Master from the Yan Zu Clan… That Gu Master killed the clan leader's grandson, and because of this, matters escalated into the current situation… We obtained evidence yesterday, a direct recording of what happened at that moment."
Cold sweat poured down Fang Tian's back. He had already guessed who the clan leader's grandson was, and who the abnormal Gu Master was—because he was the one who had split that person's head in two.