At this moment, servants from the kitchen brought several dishes and some wine and placed them on the stone table.
With the Gu Lineage patriarch present, Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun were somewhat reserved. They only dared to pick up their chopsticks after Gu Lineage patriarch had started eating.
"Ugh...!"
The Gu Lineage patriarch ate a piece of 'steamed bear paw', and the chewy texture and delicious flavor made him exclaim in admiration.
He quickened his pace, devouring his food with gusto, seemingly ignoring everyone else at the table.
Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun seemed to be used to their ancestor's way of doing things and didn't pay any attention.
"Brother Mu Chen, thank you for saving my sister's life today. I'd like to offer you a toast."
You're too kind!
Gu Zi'an and Chen Mu had a drink. Everyone had been traveling all day and was hungry, so they started eating.
Gu Zi'an took a bite of the bear paw made by Chen Mu and was amazed by its deliciousness. Even the taciturn Gu Ruoyun looked at Chen Mu with admiration in her eyes.
After a while, the Gu Lineage patriarch finished eating, patted his belly, and let out a comfortable burp.
"Young man, you're not from this tribe?"
"Yes! I am but a Rogue Cultivator, merely passing through your esteemed place, and have come to ask for lodging for the night."
"Tsk tsk, what a pity, young man. Would you be interested in joining our Flame Blessing Tribe?"
The Gu Lineage patriarch was very direct; he immediately tried to poach someone, most likely because he was interested in Chen Mu's cooking skills.
"Well... senior, I don't have that plan for the time being."
Chen Mu actually wanted to agree, but he was worried that agreeing too quickly would arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives, so he decided to delay for the time being.
Why? Is it because you're afraid of being restricted?
The Gu Lineage patriarch pressed for an answer.
Chen Mu remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"You could say that, after all, I'm used to being free and independent."
"How about this? If you're willing to join my Gu Lineage, I can offer you the status of a guest retainer."
"This... this is a bit sudden. Let me think about it for another day."
"Sure! If you've made up your mind, you can come find me anytime. Zi'an knows where I am."
"Thank you, senior."
The Gu Lineage patriarch nodded in satisfaction, soared into the sky, and transformed into a streak of light as he departed.
" Core Formation Realm! And it shouldn't be the initial Core Formation Realm, it should be the Mid Core Formation Realm."
Chen Mu watched the old man's departing figure, secretly making a guess.
"Brother Mu Chen, I never expected the Ancestor to appreciate you so much. Why don't you just agree to the Ancestor's request?"
Gu Zi'an spoke up to help persuade them.
"Yes! It would be so much better if we stayed."
Even Gu Ruoyun couldn't help but speak up in support.
"Haha, I'll think about it carefully, Mr. Gu, let's continue drinking."
"Brother Mu Chen, we hit it off immediately. Please don't call me Young Master Gu anymore. If you don't mind, how about calling me Zi'an?"
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony! Zi'an, let me toast you."
With the Gu Lineage patriarch present, everyone was quite reserved, but now they're eating freely, chatting happily, and their relationship has become much closer.
It was late at night, around midnight.
Chen Mu, dressed entirely in black and with Invisibility Talisman affixed to his body, moved stealthily through the inner city of the Flame Blessing Tribe.
According to the intelligence from Listening Wind Tower, the Flame Blessing Tribe allocated a house to Chen Haoran in the inner city. Although Chen Haoran was often sent to fight outside the tribe, his wife lived here.
The intelligence did not provide the specific location of Chen Haoran's house, so Chen Mu had to find it himself.
Based on his guess, although Chen Haoran had made great military achievements, his status in the Flame Blessing Tribe was not high, so his house should not be very luxurious. He specifically chose some simple small houses and checked them one by one.
He did a lot of research before coming and specially made a kind of X-Ray Talisman. As long as it was pasted on the wall, one could see the scene inside the wall, so the investigation was very fast.
However, the inner city was simply too vast. Even though he was fast and could check a house in a few minutes, it took him more than two hours to check only a little over a hundred houses.
As dawn broke and some residents were already up and working, he sighed and ultimately went back to his room.
The inner city of the Flame Blessing Tribe has over 100,000 people and more than 10,000 houses. He realized that there were at least two or three thousand houses that matched his guess. He realized that searching aimlessly like a headless fly was not a good idea.
"It seems the only option is to join the Gu Lineage first, and then gradually make my move."
After making up his mind, Chen Mu stopped rushing and lay down on the bed to rest.
For cultivators at the True Spirit Realm, not resting for a few days won't have a significant impact on their mental state, but being able to rest is certainly better, as it will make them more energetic during the day.
Chen Mu rested for about an hour and felt that his mental state had returned to its peak, so he got up.
As a martial arts practitioner, daily practice of martial arts skills is essential. Chen Mu left his room and headed towards the training ground.
From afar, Chen Mu could see that Gu Zi'an and Gu Ruoyun were already practicing martial arts in the training ground, along with some other members of the Gu Lineage.
"Brother Mu, you got up a little late today!"
Gu Zi'an noticed Chen Mu approaching and greeted Chen Mu with a smile.
The Spiritual Power is at its most concentrated in the morning, so most martial arts practitioners get up very early. For Chen Mu to come out to practice at this time is indeed a bit late.
"Hmph, I can beat you with one hand even without training!"
Chen Mu beckoned with his finger in a provocative manner, his face full of smiles.
"Brother Mu, don't underestimate me. I didn't even have a chance to show my true abilities yesterday!"
If we were at the same level, you might not be my match!
Gu Zi'an retorted, unconvinced.
Chen Mu jumped onto the training ground and laughed heartily.
"Alright! Then I'll suppress my cultivation level and fight you! Let me see what you're capable of."
Gu Zi'an was overjoyed upon seeing this, knowing that Chen Mu was trying to instruct him. He immediately drew his longsword, eager to try it out.
"Then I won't hold back! Take this!"
A white streak of swords flashed across the sky, closing in on Chen Mu in an instant. The swordsmanship was light, agile, and varied, quite exquisite.
Chen Mu swung his spear, knocking away the longsword; his movements were as swift as a silver dragon, Gu Zi'an couldn't get close to him at all.
The two exchanged blows, and after more than a dozen rounds, Gu Zi'an was at a disadvantage.
" Seven Kills Sword, First Form: Azure Dragon Kill!"
A blue light suddenly shone from Gu Zi'an's body, and his speed increased dramatically. He unleashed more than a dozen sword strikes at Chen Mu with incredible speed.
Chen Mu remained calm, responding to any eventuality with composure. He twirled his spear with a flourish, easily deflecting the attack.
"Second move, Vermilion Bird Kill!"
Gu Zi'an's aura became violent, and all his power condensed into a fiery red sword, which he slashed heavily towards Chen Mu.
Chen Mu's expression became slightly more serious. This martial skill could convert one's aura so freely; it seemed to be of a high level.
However, Chen Mu now understands the principles of everything in this world thoroughly, so cracking a mere martial arts technique is still quite easy for him.
The spear in his hand began to move rhythmically, forming faint ripples of Spiritual Power. When the fiery red sword slashed into the ripples, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, weakening layer by layer, and finally being easily knocked away by Chen Mu's spear.