Vol. 1 - Ch. 326 - Rumors

In the silence, Chen Tianyu slowly spoke: "I see. Well, we're about to rest for the night. Please make yourself at home, sir."

Hearing this, Lu Meng hurriedly bowed and said with a smile,

"Then I won't intrude on your rest any further."

With that, Lu Meng led his companions back to their group without looking back.

Along the way, the young man beside him suddenly spoke up.

"Uncle Lu, they must be quite strong, right? Why didn't you tell them about the ferocious beast lurking around here? We might have been able to travel with them!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. We'll talk once we're back."

Lu Meng glanced behind them and, seeing that no one was paying them any attention, lowered his voice.

Once they had returned to their group, Lu Meng let out a sigh and slowly explained,

"I originally thought they were like us folks from some village or another and that we could travel together. But, as you just saw, that group is extraordinarily strong. They're likely members of a powerful clan or family."

“Great clans like that are fickle and unpredictable and prone to sudden shifts in temperament. We'd best tread carefully and avoid getting entangled with them in any way. Fortunately, we didn't provoke them just now; otherwise, who knows how things might have turned out for us?"

Still shaken, Lu Meng recalled what had just happened and cautioned the others with lingering unease.

"But Uncle Lu, what if we run into the ferocious beast? I heard from people in another village that the beast circling this area might be at the Innate Realm level!"

At the mention of an Innate Realm beast, fear flickered across every face in the group.

A beast of that level would likely be too much even for Uncle Lu, the strongest person in their village.

Lu Meng gazed at the campfire in the distance, silent for a moment in thought, before finally speaking.

"Here's what we'll do. We'll follow their group at a distance. An Innate Realm beast is sentient enough that, even if it spots us, it likely won't dare attack a group like theirs."

"Alright."

Hearing this suggestion, quite a few in the group nodded in agreement.

Yet Lu Meng's brow remained knitted with worry, uncertain whether this might offend the powerful clan.

To avoid any mishaps, it was best to be cautious. Tomorrow, they would trail far behind, never getting too close.

However, Lu Meng had no idea that their hushed conversation had been overheard by Chen Tianyu and the others.

"An Innate Realm beast?"

"I see."

Upon learning the reason, not a single one of the many clan members present showed any trace of fear. In fact, their faces lit up with anticipation.

After all, with two clan elders and many Blood Coagulation Realm clansmen present in their group, the arrival of an Innate Realm beast would actually be a stroke of good fortune.

Beasts of that caliber were rarely encountered, even by the clan as a whole, but they would make an excellent offering to the clan's sacred tree.

"All right, everyone. Once we've finished feeding the Azure Wolves, let's turn in early. We still have a long way to travel tomorrow!"

Having learned the reason behind the conversation, Chen Tianyu likewise gave the matter no further thought, simply addressing his clansmen with these words.

Upon hearing this, the group dropped the matter without further discussion. Though they were all martial artists, proper rest was essential to keeping themselves in peak condition, especially since they had several more days of travel ahead of them. There was no room for carelessness.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, before dawn, the clan members began packing and preparing to leave.

Once everything had been packed away, the group set off along the planned route once again.

Since Chen Tianyu's group had just set off and hadn't traveled far, Lu Meng hastily called out to his group to follow closely behind.

The night before, the darkness had kept him from getting a clear look, but this morning, he finally saw the massive Azure Wolves clearly. They were even more ferocious-looking than he had imagined.

With the scent and tracks of these Azure Wolves left behind, they figured they'd be safer trailing far behind the group.

Up ahead, Chen Tianquan sensed the group trailing behind them but chose not to mention it.

As long as they didn't interfere with the clan's affairs or pose a threat, there was no need to pay them any mind.

Time slipped by quickly, and soon only a single day remained before the appointed trading time with the Cui Clan.

The clan had arrived at a fork in the road several dozen li outside Yunmeng City.

Lu Meng and the others, who had been following the clan for the past few days, had long since disappeared, the Azure Wolves traveled too quickly and had left them far behind.

Up ahead, Chen Tianyu slowly raised his hand, and the group behind him quickly came to a halt.

The clan had arranged trades with two families this time, and the trade with the Cui Clan wasn't set to take place in Yunmeng City, so they needed to split into two groups.

"Tianquan, I'll leave that side to you."

Chen Tianquan nodded.

"Understood."

They had already worked out this plan along the way: Chen Tianyu would head to Yunmeng City, and Chen Tianquan would handle the trade with the Cui Clan.

This mission carried considerable weight, and Chen Tianquan felt a great deal of pressure because of it. However, now that he had become an Innate Realm martial artist within the clan, he made sure to appear relatively at ease, even though he was extremely cautious underneath.

Without further ado, the group split into two, each taking a portion of the Blood Rice meant for trading, and setting off toward their final destinations.

…

"Might you be Elder Chen of the Chen Clan?

"My clan elder instructed me to wait here. Please, gentlemen, follow me!"

Before Chen Tianyu's group reached Yunmeng City, someone from the Zhao Clan was waiting outside to receive them. After confirming their identities, Chen Tianyu and the others followed the man into the city.

However, the group did not enter through the main gates. Instead, they took a hidden passage outside the city.

After making their way through the passageway, the group soon arrived at the Zhao Clan's grounds.

No sooner had they emerged than a hearty burst of laughter reached their ears.

"Hahaha! Zhao Qimeng has been awaiting your arrival. Given the importance of this trade, the clan has treated it with the utmost seriousness, which is why we took the clan's hidden passage. I hope none of you will take offense."

Chen Tianyu replied with a smile:

"It's a minor matter. No offense taken."

"You've all had a long, tiring journey. Would you like to rest for a few days first?"

Zhao Qimeng's gaze swept briefly over the goods loaded onto the Azure Wolves as he asked the question.

But Chen Tianyu simply waved his hand.

"Since we're already here, let's go ahead and complete the trade."

Zhao Qimeng chuckled a few times.

"Very well then. The Clan Head is currently attending to important clan matters, so it may be a while before he can come out to meet you."

"Please have Elder Zhao inventory the goods in the meantime."

…

While Chen Tianyu's group was making their way into Yunmeng City, Chen Tianquan and his party of clansmen arrived at the entrance of a village.

"Uncle Tianquan, this should be the place."

Chen Qinghe said this beside him, looking at the village ahead.

"Mm, indeed."

Chen Tianquan looked up at the plaque hanging above the entrance — it read "Qingyan Village," the location arranged with the Cui Clan.

The village seemed sparsely populated at the moment, and its residents appeared startled by Chen Tianquan's group.

Just as he found himself wondering why the Cui Clan had chosen this place for the trade, a figure stepped forward and spoke up.

"Might you be members of the Chen Clan?"

Looking at the figure dressed as a villager before him, Chen Tianquan began to understand.

It seemed that Qingyan Village also belonged to the Cui Clan's territory no wonder they'd chosen it as the meeting place.

After producing their tokens and confirming their identities, the group was quickly led into the village. Upon arriving, Chen Tianquan and the others discovered that the Cui Clan representatives were already waiting for them a full day ahead of the agreed-upon time.

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