Li looked wary. "You probably don't know me, so you probably don't know just how powerful the people chasing me are. I plan to head north. Don't worry, they won't be able to catch me—but if I stay here, I'll definitely bring trouble to the village."
The village chief smiled. "Don't worry. If you want to stay somewhere in peace, this is certainly a good place. Those pursuers may be powerful, but if we of the Feather Spirit Clan want to hide a friend in this forest, no enemy will ever be able to find a trace of them."
Hu Qiu cheered and immediately rushed over, tightly hugging Li's arm. "That's wonderful, Big Brother Li! Will you stay here? When my brother wakes up, he'll definitely want to see you! You're his lifesaver!"
Seeing Hu Qiu being so intimate with Li, the young men in the village all looked rather displeased. Bedi in particular looked at Li as though he wanted to pounce on him and devour him.
That evening, the village chief hosted Li in his home. No outsider had come to this tiny village in who knew how many years, so nearly every villager came to celebrate the arrival of a new person. Even Nalan, who had only just woken up, insisted on attending.
Bedi, who had always insisted on joining every event, was nowhere to be seen this time.
The Feather Spirit Clan's food was all quite light. Even the grilled meat had no special seasoning, but there was plenty of wine—strong fruit wine with quite a kick. That suited Li's tastes very well.
Li was well-traveled and eloquent. With so many people around, he soon began chatting with the villagers. The bearing he displayed gradually earned him some goodwill even from the young men who had