Conflict

When Wu Tian returned to the Bamboo building where Chili Mu lived, he found two more children inside, a boy and a girl who both looked only five or six years old.

The boy wore light-brown clothes, a belt made of savage bullhide around his waist, and soft deerskin boots on his feet. He also held a silver short blade in his hand.

The girl's clothes were far more luxurious. Her outfit was made of silk rarely seen in southern Miao Territory. She wore a white silk-and-Pearls top that revealed her slender waist, a short black satin skirt patterned with silver, and even shoes with soft jade soles.

Her head was adorned with all kinds of silver ornaments, and a jade pendant hung from her neck on a gold thread. It looked like the tooth of some kind of savage beast.

Anyone could tell that this girl had been born into a wealthy household in Miao Territory. Her father must have been a powerful figure with influence in one of the great villages.

"Hey, what's your name?" The girl planted both hands on her exposed waist, raised her chin slightly, and spoke to Chili Mu in an arrogant tone. "I already saw it from the sky. Your village is shabby and tiny—its size doesn't even match our hunting grounds."

"My name is Feitianyun. I'm the Princess of Demon Cloud Village. Do you know what a princess is? She's the daughter of a king."

"I heard the Immortal Master say that you have the aptitude for an Immortal root too. But you were born in a broken place like this, so your aptitude must be very ordinary."

"I'm going up the mountain to cultivate in the future. I can't be without someone to serve me, so you can be my maid!"

As she spoke, she pointed at the boy beside her. "His name is Guduo, and he's from Duowen Village. Duowen Village is pretty good too, but it's no match for our Demon Cloud Village. Last year, my father led people to defeat them badly."

"You and him will both be my servants from now on. Once we go up the mountain, I'll become an Immortal Master. You two had better serve me well. When I become an Immortal Master, even as servants, you won't be people anyone can afford to offend."

She spoke with imperious authority, yet carried herself with such natural ease that it seemed she had been born to order others around.

Chili Mu had never encountered anything like this before and was completely flustered. She clasped her little hands together, pressed her lips tightly shut, and could not utter a single word.

"Are you mute? Why aren't you saying anything?" Displeasure appeared on the girl's face. "If you don't speak, I'll take that as your answer..."

Before she could finish, a fierce roar suddenly came from behind her. In the cramped room, it exploded like muffled thunder.

"Ah!" Both Feitianyun and Guduo were startled. Their faces even turned slightly pale.

Wu Tian's figure left behind a blur as he leaped straight into Chili Mu's arms.

Joy immediately appeared on Chili Mu's face when she saw him, as though she had found someone to rely on. She hugged him tightly. "White Dragon, you're finally back..."

Wu Tian gently rubbed his head against her chest, then faced the girl opposite them and let out another furious roar.

Feitianyun had initially been badly frightened by the sudden roar behind her. But once she saw that the one roaring everywhere was merely a white dog, embarrassment and anger immediately colored her face.

"Damn beast! How dare you scare me?"

"You—have someone kill it at once!"

She pointed at Chili Mu and rebuked her through clenched teeth.

Although Chili Mu was somewhat introverted, anyone raised in a village in Miao Territory—even a little girl—had a resilient streak in their bones.

She hugged Wu Tian tightly and took two steps backward. "White Dragon is my friend, not a beast. You can't kill him."

When Feitianyun saw that Chili Mu dared to resist her, she grew even angrier. "Hmph! You dare disobey me? Believe it or not, I'll have my father flatten your entire village."

"No one has ever dared to scare me like this. If you don't kill it, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The angrier she became, the faster she advanced.

At that moment, Wu Tian suddenly roared again. He used a touch of technique, making the roar explode like thunder. Feitianyun was so frightened that she hurriedly retreated several steps, nearly backing all the way to the doorway.

When she recovered, her embarrassment and anger intensified. She pointed at Guduo and said, "You, use your knife and kill that beast for me."

"She's a lowborn nobody who doesn't know how powerful my Demon Cloud Village is. Guduo, you know. If you dare disobey me, once my father hears about it, he'll punish your entire Duowen Village severely."

Guduo, who had been standing silently to the side, wore an expression of helplessness. He did not know what kind of power the Immortal Master of Moyun Village possessed, but he understood how formidable Moyun Village was.

Even the most savage spirits in the mountains and forests would be killed by the people of Moyun Village. Every one of their warriors wore tough leather armor, possessed great martial strength, and numbered in the thousands.

Before setting out, his father had specifically warned him that, unless absolutely necessary, he must never offend Feitianyun.

"Agu, we can't afford to offend Demon Cloud Village. Unless it's absolutely necessary, you must never offend Feitianyun. Endure it if you can. If you truly can't, grit your teeth and bear it."

"Once you become a true Immortal Master, everyone in the village will be able to live good lives..."

Remembering his father's warning, he gripped the silver knife tightly. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly walked toward Chili Mu.

If Feitianyun had ordered him to deal with Chili Mu, he still would not have dared to act. He knew that Immortal Master Man Xiongmu valued every spirit child greatly.

But if he was only dealing with a white dog, he was still confident.

"I'll teach that white dog a lesson and let Feitianyun vent her anger. That should be enough..."

As he thought this, he drew the blade from its sheath. It was forged from refined iron and extremely sharp.

His family was merely an ordinary household in Duowen Village and could not afford such a treasured blade. The Village Chief had personally given it to him after he was found to possess Immortal root aptitude.

"You... you should move aside. My knife is very sharp. I'm afraid I might hurt you by accident."

Guduo drew his knife and walked forward, urging Chili Mu to move.

Chili Mu stared at the knife in the boy's hand, terrified. Her little face had gone pale, but she clung tightly to Wu Tian and shook her head hard. "You can't hurt White Dragon. You can't hurt him. He's my friend..."

Wu Tian was truly growing angry. He had never expected children of five or six to be so cruel. And that pampered little girl—did she really think this was Moyun Village?

He subtly applied force with his body and broke free of Chili Mu's embrace. He moved as swiftly as a white silk ribbon, and before the boy could react, he sank his teeth into the arm gripping the knife.

Splurt!

His sharp fangs tore open a bloody wound.

"Ah..." Pain shot through Guduo's arm, and he cried out. The short knife in his hand clanged onto the floor.

Wu Tian was not finished. He suddenly lunged and knocked Feitianyun to the ground. Standing on the girl's body, he pressed his sharp claws against her tender little face and growled low in his throat.

"Waaah... no..." Feitianyun burst into terrified sobs, tears and mucus streaming down her face. "No, no! You—make it go away, quickly..."

The commotion in the Bamboo building finally alarmed Man Xiongmu. The Bamboo building where the Chieftain lived was right beside this one. Hearing Guduo's cry and Feitianyun's sobs, Man Xiongmu was startled, and his heart sank.

If something happened to these two spirit children, he would likely be in considerable trouble...

At that thought, he did not even have time to explain himself to the Chieftain. Black wind coiled around his body, and he vanished from the spot in an instant.