Chen Village lay below a deep, secluded valley, surrounded by sheer cliffs and jagged rocks that gave it natural protection.
The village had more than a hundred households, their houses all connected, so that from a distance they looked like a single whole.
Around the village stood a sturdy fence built from enormous wooden stakes, about one zhang high. Protected by the fence, the villagers could not be attacked at will by the fierce beasts of the wild.
Near noon, Chen Mu and the hunters finally made it back to the entrance of Chen Village.
A huge wooden gate stood at the entrance. The man on guard beside it recognized Chen Shanxiong from afar and immediately alerted the villagers to come out and meet them.
The villagers were shocked to see so many hunters injured. Fortunately, no one had died this time, so it was still within what the villagers could bear.
At the residence of the village chief, Chen Shanyu.
Chen Shanxiong gave Chen Shanyu a detailed account of the conflict with the Black Water Tribe that day, while Chen Zihu and Chen Mu listened nearby.
"Shanxiong, although your actions this time were somewhat ill-considered, fortunately the result wasn't bad!"
Chen Shanyu sighed. "I only hope the Black Water Tribe can't trace this back to Chen Village. Otherwise, with a Third-Stage Martial Artist dead, I'm afraid they won't let the matter rest."
"So what if they find out? Chief, I don't understand. The Black Water Tribe is stronger than us, but only by so much. Why have you always made us yield to them?" Chen Zihu couldn't help interjecting.
Chen Shanyu glanced at Chen Zihu, then at Chen Mu beside him.
"Little Mu, Shanxiong tells me you seem to have learned a marvelous kind of talisman art. Can you tell me what happened?"
Chen Mu had already chosen his words before returning to the village. He told everyone a story that was half true and half false.
Naturally, he would not expose White Turtle. He merely said that he had met a strange-tempered Daoist on the mountain, who said they were bound by fate and taught him how to cultivate as a talisman master. The Daoist had also casually made the Rune Gun in his hand for him. Afterward, the Daoist had left, and Chen Mu could not find where he had gone.
Thanks to the films, shows, and novels he had seen in his previous life, he told the story vividly, and much of what he said about the cultivation process was true.
No one could have imagined that a village boy of only nine could tell a fabricated story in such detail, so everyone present believed him without the slightest doubt.
"Good! Very good!"
Chen Shanyu had ventured beyond the mountains to gain experience when he was young, so he had heard of talisman masters. Though he did not know much about them, he knew it was a cultivation path in no way inferior to that of a martial artist. Greatly reassured, he praised Chen Mu again and again.
Then Chen Shanyu let out a long sigh. "You are all the future pillars of the village! Since that's the case, I won't keep the village's affairs from you any longer...
"Why have we had to keep yielding to the other tribes these past few years? It's because... four years ago, our village incurred the enmity of someone from a higher tribe!"
"A higher tribe? There don't seem to be any higher tribes within a hundred li of us, are there?" Chen Zihu couldn't help exclaiming.
Chen Shanyu nodded and continued, "That's right! That higher tribe is extremely far away from us, so it hasn't sent anyone to trouble us these past few years.
"But he has publicly declared that anyone who helps Chen Village will be his enemy, and that he will settle accounts with them as well in the future.
"So these past few years, no tribe has been willing to associate with Chen Village. Even Ironwood Village, which had been on good terms with us for generations, has drawn a clear line between us.
"Now that we're isolated and without help, as the saying goes, one less trouble is better than one more. If we enter into conflicts with other villages lightly, with no support, we'll surely be the ones to suffer in the end.
"Do you understand now?"
Chen Zihu fell silent. He was no fool; he understood the stakes, and his head began to ache.
Chen Mu was also thinking hard, but suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Four years ago? My parents also disappeared four years ago. Could it be..."
He stared hard at Chen Shanyu, as though trying to read something on his face.
Feeling Chen Mu's gaze, Chen Shanyu closed his eyes and nodded in grief.
"Yes! Your parents were also taken away by people from the higher tribe at that time.
"Though there were only seven or eight of them, every one was a powerful martial artist. I fought them with all my strength, but I couldn't shake them in the slightest.
"After I returned, to keep the villagers from panicking, I had no choice but to say that your parents had disappeared while hunting."
"Chief, who are they? What is that higher tribe called?"
Chen Shanyu looked at Chen Mu with concern.
"Little Mu, don't do anything rash..."
Chen Mu took a deep breath and steadied his emotions.
"Don't worry, Chief. I only want to know who they are. I won't act recklessly before I have enough strength."
Seeing the calm in Chen Mu's eyes, Chen Shanyu felt much more at ease and thought for a moment.
"The one who has a grudge against us is Tuoba Ziying of the Flame Blessing Tribe. It's said his father is an elder of the Flame Blessing Tribe and wields immense power there. If you ever meet anyone from the Flame Blessing Tribe, you must be careful."
"Tuoba Ziying!"
Chen Mu silently committed the name to memory.
One day, he would go to the Flame Blessing Tribe and find this man.
For now, though, it was more important to deal with the matters before him.
"Chief! I have one more request!"
"Oh? You helped kill a Third-Stage Martial Artist today, so you've earned some merit. Go ahead and ask. I'll grant whatever I can."
Chen Mu had become a talisman master, greatly raising his standing in the village, so Chen Shanyu naturally would not begrudge him a reward.
"I want to ask you to let my younger sister, Chen Duo, return to live in the village."
Chen Shanyu frowned at his request.
"Little Mu, offering sacrifices to the Heavenly God has been our village's tradition for thousands of years. Though it is indeed somewhat lacking in human compassion, it is for the tribe's survival, and every family must abide by it. Even if it were my own son, I would have to abide by it under the same circumstances.
"So I can't agree to that request. You should ask for something else!"
Chen Mu's face fell, and he pleaded, "Chief! Isn't there any way at all? Duoduo is only six! She has a long life ahead of her. I beg you, please make an exception!"
"Little Mu, it's not that I won't agree. Think about it! If Duoduo comes back, how am I supposed to explain it to those who were sent to Heavenly God Cave in previous years? This custom has been passed down for over a hundred years. It absolutely cannot be changed for your sake alone!"
Though Chen Shanyu couldn't bear it, he still shook his head.
"For someone offered to the Heavenly God to return, the Heavenly God would have to manifest and cure an illness that was impossible to cure..."
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. When Chen Mu heard those last words, his eyes lit up.
"Chief, you mean that as long as Duoduo's illness can be cured, she can come back, right?"
Chen Shanyu was taken aback, then nodded.
"That's right! But it's impossible. The physician said Duoduo has an incurable illness. Since ancient times, there has never been a case of anyone being cured..."
Chen Mu smiled and cut him off. "Chief, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."