Mu Family's Compensation, Return to the Lineage

The story went in two directions.

Once the yellow-robed middle-aged man chose to pursue Zhou Chun, Mu Ziying's side was out of danger.

She knew the situation was urgent, so although she was worried about the safety of the Mu cultivators and Zhou Chun, she still spurred her horse into a frantic gallop, making straight for Biyun Mountain.

After changing horses along the way and racing for nearly two hours, she finally returned to the Mu Family.

Before the cultivators guarding the Mu Family's mountain gate formation could even ask what had happened, she hurriedly told them that the Mu cultivators and Zhou Chun had encountered danger.

Upon hearing that several Mu clansmen were in peril, and that Zhou Chun, the honored guest invited by their Lineage, was in danger as well, the Mu cultivators guarding the mountain gate formation immediately realized how serious the matter was. They hurriedly struck the alarm bell, rousing several Mu Foundation Establishment cultivators from their meditation.

"Quickly, Ziying, come with this old man to rescue Fellow Daoist Zhou. Grand Elder, go to Wild Wolf Ridge first and investigate the situation. Once this old man joins you, we'll decide what to do next!"

On Biyun Mountain, after hearing the full story from Mu Ziying, Mu Xuanfeng, Clan Leader of the Mu Family, immediately made the decision to rescue them, his expression changing drastically.

Then he and the Mu Family's Grand Elder, Mu Jianghe, split up, rapidly flying away from Biyun Mountain on their artifacts.

The speed at which Foundation Establishment cultivators flew at full speed on their artifacts was far beyond that of Qi Refining cultivators. A distance of two or three hundred li would not even take an hour.

Following Mu Ziying's directions, and taking advantage of his bird's-eye view from above, Mu Xuanfeng soon spotted the charred corpse of the Ink Scale Colt, as well as the bloodstains the yellow-robed middle-aged man had left on the ground.

"The blood hasn't dried yet, and there are no traces of a corpse being burned on the ground. It seems Fellow Daoist Zhou escaped."

Mu Xuanfeng looked at the bloodstains on the ground, then swept his gaze over the traces Zhou Chun had left behind when he departed. He quickly reached a conclusion.

He then raised his hand and sent out a stream of magical power, drawing a pinch of bloodstained soil from the ground into his hand. After that, he formed hand seals and chanted an incantation, using the aura of the bloodstains on the soil as a medium to perform a tracking secret art.

Secret arts that tracked people through the residual aura left on items such as hair and clothing were also one way to measure whether a Cultivation Family or cultivation sect possessed a deep foundation.

When members of Cultivation Families or sects that possessed such secret arts were murdered outside, as long as a Foundation Establishment cultivator reached the scene in time, they could usually find the culprit based on the murderer's residual aura, provided the culprit had not fled too far.

Of course, this depended on the culprit not knowing any corresponding countermeasures.

Once the secret art was cast, Mu Xuanfeng soon sensed the direction in which the murderer had gone.

"He went that way!"

His gaze shifted toward the direction in which the murderer had fled, and he immediately took Mu Ziying after him.

After pursuing him for several dozen li, Mu Xuanfeng looked coldly toward a certain mountain peak below.

"Hmph. You think hiding in these desolate mountains and wilderness will save you? Naive!"

With a cold snort, Mu Xuanfeng took Mu Ziying directly to a secluded cave outside the mountain peak. Then he strode into the cave.

Not long afterward, the yellow-robed middle-aged man, his clothes stained with blood and himself unconscious, was carried out of the cave by Mu Xuanfeng.

Once outside, Mu Xuanfeng turned his gaze toward Mu Ziying, who followed behind him, and said, "Ziying, you heard it just now. Fellow Daoist Zhou should be safe. From here, I'll have to trouble you to search the mountains and call out for him. This old man will go join the Grand Elder at Wild Wolf Ridge first."

"Yes, Ziying obeys."

Mu Ziying acknowledged him, then watched as Mu Xuanfeng lifted the yellow-robed middle-aged man into the air and rapidly flew out of sight.

After watching Mu Xuanfeng leave and recalling his instructions, she immediately began walking through the surrounding mountain ridges, calling Zhou Chun's name loudly as she went.

It turned out that, according to the yellow-robed middle-aged man's account, after bandaging his wounds and pursuing Zhou Chun for a while, he had lost track of his target in these mountain ridges.

Then, because he was injured and worried that he might encounter Mu cultivators who had gone to Wild Wolf Ridge to provide support if he returned, he had hidden himself in these mountains.

He had never imagined that the Mu Family would value Zhou Chun so highly that Mu Xuanfeng, their clan leader, would personally come to search for and rescue him.

As a result, he had become a turtle in a jar while hiding in the cave, with nowhere to run even if he wanted to.

After learning this, Mu Xuanfeng judged that Zhou Chun had probably used some method to conceal his aura and was hiding somewhere in the nearby mountain ridges.

That was why Mu Ziying was now calling out across the mountains in search of him.

Although this method was rather clumsy and somewhat arduous, it was indeed extremely effective.

Beneath a pile of earth and rocks formed by a mountain collapse, Zhou Chun heard Mu Ziying's familiar voice. He hurriedly had the Rock Earth Turtle covering him shift its body aside, then crawled out of the pit.

It turned out that he had been hiding in this pit all along, using the Rock Earth Turtle's innate ability to conceal its aura to mask his own and evade the yellow-robed middle-aged man's search.

The range within which a Qi Refining cultivator could extend their spiritual sense was limited, and its effectiveness was reduced even further when faced with obstacles such as soil and rocks.

Once the Rock Earth Turtle entered the Tortoise Breath State, it became like a mountain stone lying still, completely losing all signs of life. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not detect it with their spiritual sense if they were not paying attention.

Thus, unless they saw it with their own eyes from close range, Qi Refining cultivators had no chance of recognizing a Rock Earth Turtle in the Tortoise Breath State.

But the place where Zhou Chun had hidden was at the foot of a cliff, with weeds and shrubs growing nearby.

Quite apart from the yellow-robed middle-aged man's injured legs, even if he had been uninjured, he could not possibly have walked all the way to the end of the cliff to inspect a pile of stones.

After emerging from his hiding place, Zhou Chun listened carefully for a while, then immediately called out in response to Mu Ziying.

Before long, he saw Mu Ziying, clad in purple, appear on top of the cliff.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, it's wonderful that you're safe. The man who pursued us has already been captured by the clan leader. The clan leader specifically instructed me to search these mountain ridges for you."

On top of the cliff, after Zhou Chun used the Wind Riding Technique to reach it, Mu Ziying, drenched in fragrant sweat, flashed him a broad smile and recounted what had happened.

After hearing her explanation, Zhou Chun also relaxed. He gently nodded and said, "I see. I've caused you quite a bit of trouble, Fellow Daoist Mu."

"What is a little trouble compared to that? If you hadn't led that man away, Ziying would have turned to ash by now. I should be the one thanking you, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

As Mu Ziying spoke, she solemnly bowed to Zhou Chun to express her gratitude.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun could only accept her bow helplessly.

Then the two of them returned to Biyun Mountain on foot.

When Zhou Chun and Mu Ziying returned to Biyun Mountain, they quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere within the Mu Family.

Every Mu cultivator they encountered wore a solemn expression, as if something weighed heavily on their minds. Even those who greeted him had become far fewer.

This immediately made him realize that the situation at Wild Wolf Ridge was probably much more serious than he had imagined.

It was very likely that the Mu Family lacked the strength to resolve the matter at all.

Sure enough, after learning that he and Mu Ziying had returned, Mu Xuanfeng personally summoned him.

"This time, Fellow Daoist Zhou was endangered outside because of us. The Mu Family truly failed to look after you properly and violated the promise we made to Clan Leader Zhou. On behalf of the Mu Family, I must apologize to you, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Inside the Mu Family clan leader's main hall, when Mu Xuanfeng saw Zhou Chun arrive, he did not discuss anything else. He first rose and cupped his hands toward Zhou Chun in apology.

Zhou Chun did not dare to accept the apology of a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator as casually as he had accepted Mu Ziying's bow.

He hurriedly stepped aside and waved his hands repeatedly. "Senior Mu, you're too kind. What virtue or ability does this junior possess to dare accept a bow from you?"

Seeing this, Mu Xuanfeng did not insist. He merely nodded lightly and said, "The mistake has already been made. An apology indeed serves little purpose now."

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Chun with a relieved expression and sighed softly. "Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhou is blessed with deep fortune and possesses remarkable skills. The Mu Family was spared from making a grave mistake, and this old man and the Mu Family were given the chance to apologize and compensate you in person!"

Those words struck deeply at Zhou Chun's heart.

A verbal apology was only good for making a sound. How could it compare with genuine, tangible compensation?

Naturally, he could not reveal such thoughts on his face. Instead, he also put on an expression of lingering fear and said gratefully, "This junior truly was lucky. If that man hadn't been careless and allowed my spirit pet to injure his legs, I might not have held out until Senior arrived."

Hearing this, a cold glint flashed through Mu Xuanfeng's eyes. He said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou. That scoundrel is now locked in the Mu Family dungeon. If you wish, the Mu Family can let you personally take his head and avenge yourself."

He then waved his hand, and a Storage Bag flew from a storage shelf in the hall into his hand. He extended it toward Zhou Chun.

"Also, this Storage Bag contains everything that scoundrel owned—all his worldly possessions. Consider it compensation from this old man and the Mu Family for the fright you suffered this time. Please, Fellow Daoist Zhou, do not refuse."

Refusing was impossible.

After experiencing that battle, Zhou Chun had deeply felt the gap between his own strength and wealth and those of the late Qi Refining stage cultivators.

The yellow-robed middle-aged man's several magic artifacts had left a deep impression on him. They were all unquestionably rare treasures.

Now that all those things belonged to him, how could he refuse?

He did not even bother with false modesty. He directly grabbed the Storage Bag, bowed deeply to Mu Xuanfeng, and said, "Thank you for your generosity, Senior Mu. Then this junior will accept it."

As for dealing with the yellow-robed middle-aged man, Zhou Chun naturally would not truly overstep his bounds and do it himself.

He believed that the Mu Family would absolutely ensure that scoundrel suffered.

"It's good that Fellow Daoist Zhou is willing to accept it."

Mu Xuanfeng waved his hand, then fixed his gaze on Zhou Chun and slowly said, "The Mu Family may have encountered some trouble recently. If Fellow Daoist Zhou continues staying with the Mu Family, we may be unable to care for you properly. Therefore, this old man would like to ask you to return to the Zhou Family first."

"As for teaching the Beast Taming Arts, the two families can discuss it again in the future."

Thank you to all our fellow readers for your gifts, votes, and continued support. During the new-book period, the author updates twice a day. I'm helpless too—I'd love to post more, but if the book exceeds two hundred thousand words, it can no longer remain on the new-book rankings. Those rankings provide a huge boost to a new book's exposure over the course of a month, so please bear with me for now. Once the book goes premium, I'll update ten thousand words a day and give everyone a satisfying read!