The group was quickly invited to a banquet held in the main tent.
Upon entering the main tent, they found a long table covered with various dishes. Tribe Chief Miu Han Kuan sat in the middle, with Miu Han Li, his son and the young master of the tribe, and the elders on either side.
"Welcome, our honored guests!" Miu Han Kuan greeted them warmly. "Please, sit."
Zhang Yong and his companions sat down, with Chen Yu sitting a little apart from them.
"We thank you for your hospitality, Chief," Zhang Yong said with a slight bow.
"No need for thanks," Miu Han Kuan said with a smile. "The Miu tribe always welcomes our friends from the Qingxi tribe."
The banquet began, and the atmosphere was friendly at first. But Zhang Yong noticed that Miu Han Li, the chief's son, was giving Chen Yu looks filled with interest.
"The food is truly delicious, Chief. We are grateful for your hospitality and for sheltering us here," Zhang Yong said politely, bowing once more.
"Haha, no need to thank us. You have honored us by giving us the privilege of hosting great people from the lineage of the Snow Phoenix. My tent has never felt greater happiness," Miu Han Kuan said as he patted his chest.
The rest of the elders nodded in agreement.
Miu Han Li couldn't help but turn toward Zhang Yong and ask, "Little Brother, if I may ask, what happened to your tribe? If there is anything we can do, we will help you."
Miu Han Li's words were in their place. Although it was inappropriate to ask about this incident, since it was akin to rubbing salt in a wound,
it showed that his intention was good. It also displayed the chivalry of the younger generation. Being the young master of the tribe made him the face of the tribe, and the tribe had to bear his words.
"Ah..." Zhang Yong suddenly stopped eating, and his red eyes became slightly moist. "It was a horrifying tragedy...
He slowly put down his chopsticks, his voice trembling slightly. "That night, no one knew what happened. A masked person appeared, and around him... there was nothing but waves of purple flame that devoured the village. It didn't distinguish between old and young, man or woman. Everyone burned." Suddenly Zhang Yong stopped, and tears began to pour from his eyes.
The others couldn't keep up with Zhang Yong's acting talent, so they bowed their heads and showed only signs of grief.
Zhang Yong wiped his nose and said, "Some of the elders sacrificed their lives to protect the younger generation of the tribe. During the escape, due to a beast attack, we were separated from our group, and only we remained."
Zhang Yong suddenly stopped, and tears streamed from his red eyes. "I couldn't do anything... I was saved by the elders who hid me with the others... but... but..." His voice trembled and he couldn't finish speaking.
The atmosphere in the tent became heavy. Even Miu Han Kuan seemed sympathetic for a moment, but a glimmer of doubt remained in his eyes.
Chen Yu, who had been silent the whole time, looked at Zhang Yong with a complex expression.
She knew he was acting, but the memory of the real destruction made her eyes tear up unconsciously as well.
"Ah, this is truly a tragedy," Miu Han Kuan said quietly. "Servants, bring the wine."
After a moment, servants came with luxurious wine jugs and intricately carved cups. Miu Han Kuan filled the cups himself.
"Let us drink to the souls of the brave elders of the Qingxi tribe." Miu Han Kuan raised his cup. "And let us wish our guests a better future."
Everyone drank, but Zhang Yong noticed that Miu Han Li did not drink. Instead, he was staring at Chen Yu with a strange look.
After the banquet, the tribe chief called for another meeting in his private tent. This time, the attendees were limited to the senior elders and his son, Miu Han Li.
"What do you think of their story?" Miu Han Kuan asked in a low voice.
One of the senior elders stroked his chin. "The story seems logical, but there is something unclear. That young man with the red eyes... I feel there is something wrong with him."
The tribe chief raised his hand and said, "If there are doubts, let us send Miu Kang He's Steel Wing Bird to the location of the Qingxi tribe to investigate. Based on the results, we will know what happened."
The Steel Wing Bird was a bird specialized in scouting. Through its bond with a person, it could share vision with them from a distance. This fourth-rank bird could exceed five hundred kilometers per hour.
"An excellent idea," one of the elders said, nodding in agreement. "Miu Kang He is our best choice for scouting. His Steel Wing Bird can reach Qingxi Village and return within a few days."
Meanwhile, Zhang Yong returned to his tent in spectral form. As soon as his spirit returned to his body, he slowly opened his eyes and began to think.
'Well, fortunately, what I said almost matched what happened. The maximum time we can stay claiming to wait for the elders is about a week and a half. If we try to escape during that time, we reveal that we lied.'
Zhang Yong was particularly wary of this tribe. There was only the tribe chief who had reached the first rank of Venerable, but the elders were all at the Ancestor rank, from the eighth to the tenth layer. If they decided to surround and attack them, they would perish. Not to mention that this was a valley between two mountains, but the terrain was closed off, leaving only three escape routes: the entrance, and the path through the two mountains, which of course were all heavily guarded.
Zhang Yong opened the storage window and looked deeply at the Phoenix blood vial, beginning to think. 'Yes, I need some materials, and I'll be able to return us home. But right now, I must focus on survival.'
Zhang Yong couldn't help but hesitate about using the Phoenix blood and acquiring the lineage.
The last time he swallowed the Dragon and Tiger lineages, there was a savage conflict. He feared now that there would be an even higher conflict since the number would become three.
He found that absorbing the Phoenix blood after finding the Black Tortoise Xuan Wu's blood would be more logical.
The tortoise was the most balanced among them, and it would support him in receiving the Phoenix lineage.
'Then, since I have fifty more Paths from my Paths, I must be more selective. Then, I will choose the Dragon Path and the Tiger Path to benefit from my lineages to the maximum.'
But these thoughts were for the distant future. Now, he had to focus on how to survive the current situation.
He didn't want to use his spiritual sense right now so as not to consume his mental energy, as every drop was necessary at the moment.
Because of that, he had to scout—scout the guards' locations, their shift times, who was guarding, what their levels were, and their strength.
The next day, they were awakened by the sounds of drums and commotion outside the tent. When Zhang Yong and his companions went out, they found the camp in a state of organized chaos. Everyone was preparing for something.
Su Ming asked one of the Miu tribe guards, "What's happening?"
The guard answered with pride, "Today is the annual hunting day! All warriors participate in a group hunt to secure supplies for the winter."
Zhang Yong immediately became interested. This could be an opportunity to gather more information about the surrounding area.
Near midday, Miu Han Li invited them to participate in the celebrations preceding the hunt. He wore luxurious hunting clothes and seemed excited.
"Our friends from Qingxi, why don't you join us in the hunt?" Miu Han Li said with a smile. "I would be happy to show you the hunting grounds in this area."
Zhang Yong looked at his companions and then replied, "We thank you for the kind invitation. We would be happy to participate."
The hunting group split into several teams. Zhang Yong and his companions were placed in Miu Han Li's team, which also included a number of the tribe's best hunters.
This was a cautious move on their part. The group could be monitored during the hunting competition, and both Chen Yu and Miu Han Li could be allowed to become closer—that is, of course, if Zhang Yong hadn't been blocking their meetings.
And so it continued for five full days.
In the main tent of the Miu tribe, the rest of the elders were busy with the hunting event and the search.
This left only the chief, his son, and the senior elder in this closed meeting.
"Father, that man called Zhang Yong obstructs all my progress," Miu Han Li complained. "He doesn't even allow us to get close without standing between us."
Miu Han Kuan looked at his son with sharp eyes. "This is normal. Survivors of an attack prioritize rebuilding their tribe, and preserving the main lineage is essential. That Zhang Yong is not simple. He can sense that something is wrong."
The senior elder, an old man with narrow, rat-like eyes, added, "The chief is right. It's best we wait for Miu Kang He to return from the scouting mission. Once we know the truth, we can act appropriately."
Miu Han Kuan nodded in agreement before turning to his son. "Then did you notice anything about the group?"
Miu Han Li thought for a moment and then said, "The group is truly strange. That Zhang Yong makes me uncomfortable. I can't determine his level exactly, and he doesn't emit any energy aura, as if he doesn't have any. But he was able to take down a fourth-rank blazing-fur boar with his bare hands."
"And also..." He hesitated a little. "That silent girl makes me feel as if I'm being watched from all directions. As for the other two, they seemed stiff, not saying a single word."
Miu Han Kuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... this means each of them has received strict training. But the most important thing now is to verify the story of Qingxi Village's destruction."
At that moment, a messenger entered the tent with a bow. "Chief, Miu Kang He has returned!"
"Bring him in immediately!" Miu Han Kuan ordered.
After a few moments, a thin man wearing leather clothes entered. His eyes were tired but gleaming with excitement.
"Chief, I have investigated the matter," Miu Kang He said in a tired but enthusiastic voice. "And what I saw was... astonishing."
"Speak!" Miu Han Kuan ordered.
"Qingxi Village... has been completely destroyed," Miu Kang He said, shaking his head. "Nothing remains but ash and ruins. Traces of a massive fire are everywhere, and not even the houses remained intact. There didn't seem to be any burned corpses, and with the passage of time, I'm afraid even the footprints have been erased by the blizzard , so I couldn't track the other survivors."
"But more importantly..." Miu Kang He paused for a moment, his eyes widening slightly. "I found traces of strange energy in the area. Not ordinary fire, but something... demonic, as they described. Purple energy that devours everything."
Miu Han Kuan froze in place, then slowly sat down on his chair. "So... their story is true."
A heavy silence fell over the tent. Even the senior elder seemed confused for a moment. None of them had expected Zhang Yong's story to be true to this extent.
Then, in an instant, a smile appeared as an idea flashed through Miu Han Kuan's mind
"This could be a blessing in the form of a curse," Miu Han Kuan said slowly, his eyes gleaming with cunning intelligence. "If what that young man Zhang Yong said earlier is true, then what would be the goal of a destroyed tribe? It would be to rebuild! That's why he was sticking close to Chen Yu, to allow his tribe to rise again. He didn't want to reveal the location of the elders' meeting, which means it's likely they'll come here."
The senior elder's eyes gleamed with deep understanding. "This means they actually possess information about the Qi spring in this region!"
The foundation of sects and tribes in this world was the Qi spring, just as in the Purple Star Sect and many others. But this was not a necessary rule.
For example, there was no Qi spring in Qingxi Village's area. Their techniques relied on the region itself rather than resources like this.
But the past was the past and the present was the present. For their tribe to continue, they had to exploit everything they could to rise again.
The Qingxi tribe had lived in the area for a long time, so if anyone had information about a Qi spring, it was them.
The Qi spring was necessary for the Miu tribe, and that was the main reason for their stay in this place.
"And now there is a specific reason to act. As the young lady of her tribe, Chen Yu must know something," Miu Han Li said cautiously. "We will first have to separate Zhang Yong and the others from her. Zhang Yong is the only big obstacle. As for the others, getting rid of them is easier."
"And this isn't the only benefit," the senior elder said with a cunning smile. "If the Qingxi tribe has been completely destroyed, that means Chen Yu is the last of their line. If Han Li marries her, we can claim all their lands and resources."
The three had already made their decision. If they wanted to achieve a result, they would have to separate Zhang Yong from them.