Kuji was still somewhat dazed. The cultivator smiled gently and said, "Just do as I say, and nothing will go wrong. With the Counterfeit Earth Spirit Pearl here, you won't become a sinner against your tribe, either. Your position as chief will remain as solid as a rock."
After an inward struggle, Kuji finally chose to yield. There were many reasons: his people's living conditions, the enormous pressure from outside, the Northern Heaven Gate's intervention. Of course, it was absolutely not because of his own position or because his eldest grandson would be guaranteed admission to the Wing Court to receive the finest education. Absolutely not.
Having thought all this through, Kuji slowly appeared at the ancestral temple's entrance and raised both hands. The tribespeople gradually quieted when they saw their chief. Whatever else might be said, he had held the position for twenty years and still commanded some respect.
"Elders, neighbors, brothers and sisters, I don't know where you heard that people from the Wing Court were coming today to open the coffin and take the pearl. Perhaps someone deliberately spread the rumor, or perhaps the uninformed passed along a distorted tale. But what I must tell you now is that this is not true!"
Someone below shouted, "Then what are they here for? To treat us to dinner?"
Kuji pressed his hands downward. "Quiet, everyone. Hear me out! Here is what happened. In consideration of the wishes of our tribespeople and the inviolable sanctity of our holy maiden Xinghuan, Lord Mo of the Wing Court has shown us understanding and ultimately decided not to take the Earth Spirit Pearl away. The Earth Spirit Pearl will remain with Xinghuan forever, and with this land of ours.
"It is only that the Earth Spirit Pearl possesses wondrous powers, so the