The village leader's residence was clean and tidy. It was decorated with wooden furniture that possessed refinement and beauty only a master craftsman could create. There were no windows, and the entire dwelling was lit with torches.

In the main chamber's dining hall were two people sitting at a long table. One was an elderly woman with paper white hair tied in a bun. She wore a brown hemp robe and had a medallion with the symbol of a leaf hanging around her neck. The other was a young man with long tied-up black hair wearing a scholarly robe. On his waist was a golden crest with the surname Tang written on it.

The table was filled with an assortment of consumable delicacies, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and wine. While each of the two had food on their plates, neither of them seemed interested in eating.

"Lady Yu, as you know tensions between the Tang and Yan are escalating. Many sects and clans in the outer regions have pledged their allegiance to the Yan Clan and have started to disrupt the peace within the province. They have begun to raid small villages in the hopes of finding mortals with potential in cultivation to expand their forces."

Lady Yu took a sip of wine with a blank expression on her face, as if she already knew all the information the young man was telling her.

"It is only a matter of time before the Scattered Leaves Village is also implicated. Lady Yu. even as a peak Spirit Manifestation cultivator I'm afraid you will not be able to refuse them. Prospective children from this village will be taken from their families and sent to a sect against their will, forced to fight in their armies." The man said grimly.

Lady Yu furrowed her brows, but still maintained a calm demeanor.

"I assume your Tang Clan has something to offer to resolve this issue then?" Lady Yu smiled. Her voice was very pleasant, making it sound like she was in a very agreeable mood.

The young man reciprocated the smile and took out a silver medallion with the Tang surname inscribed in the center. The surname on the medallion glowed and a strand of qi emerged. It filled the air, emitting an aura of power greater then that of a Spirit Manifestation cultivator before returning into the medallion.

"This medallion is imbued with the true qi of elder Tang Wan. I hope that it is enough to show that we are taking this matter seriously." He threw the medallion over to her. Lady Yu caught the medallion in the air and gave it a thorough glance.

"The Tang Clan does not ask for much. All we require is permission to occupy the Scattered Leaf Village as a base to help keep tabs on the outer regions. In exchange, we will guarantee that you and your people will be safe from the hands of the neighboring sects."

"Yet by allowing you to hold a garrison in my Scattered Leaf Village, we will indirectly be declaring our allegiance to the Tang Clan." Lady Yu did not even look at the man when she responded, and simply fiddled with the silver medallion he threw to her.

"The Tang Clan simply wishes to save as many villages as it can before the coming storm. When the battle begins, I'm afraid we will not have the time or willingness to differentiate friend from foe between the neutral parties. Therefore, out of consideration for the Scattered Leaf Village, we would like to spare you that trouble by reaching out with this offer."

Knock Knock~

Lady Yu was about to speak when a loud knock was heard from outside. The young man emptied his wine glass and stood up, still maintaining his pleasant and charismatic demeanor.

"I know that this is a big decision for you Lady Yu, therefore I will give you some time to think. I shall return in a month to hear your final decision. Thank you for the meal."

The young messenger walked towards the door and opened it. Bright sunlight filled the room as a young boy and a handsome youth stood at the doorway.

"Hi there, lord messenger! Are you finished your meeting? If you are, we would like to see the village head now!" Yu Zhuwa said enthusiastically.

The messenger chuckled and ruffled Yu Zhuwa's dirty brown hair. He saw the wooden chest in Yu Zhuwa's arms and grinned.

"You must be the mischievous Yu Zhuwa that I've heard rumors about! I hear you have a knack for taking treasure off unsuspecting travelers. I don't dare to try my luck against such skill, so I'll just pay up willingly! Hopefully this way you'll be merciful and spare me because of this!" Tang Bian pulled out a golden coin and placed it on top of the wooden chest.

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"Thank you lord messenger! I'm starting to like you already!"

Yin Hui's pupils shrank when he saw the man inside the village head's residence.

"Not good... It's Tang Bian!" Yin Hui cursed in his heart.

Tang Bian was the son of Tang Wan, one of the Tang Clan's most influential elders. He was the same age as Tang Jiao and despite not being as physically strong as him, he was much more intelligent. Tang Bian preferred to take down his enemies through schemes rather then force, and was talented in the field of diplomacy. Yin Hui had never interacted directly with Tang Bian during his time as a slave. However, he knew that Tang Bian was on very good terms with Tang Jiao. They had such a close relationship that Tang Jiao treated him more like a brother then Tang Li. Therefore, whenever Tang Jiao went to torment Yin Hui, Tang Bian would sometimes be watching on the side.

Despite his charismatic smile and pleasant demeanor, Yin Hui feared Tang Bian much more then Tang Jiao. While he was unsure of what Tang Bian's cultivation was, Yin Hui was wary of his sharp mind and clever wit. If he were to take revenge on the Tang Clan some day, Tang Bian would definitely be one of his most difficult opponents.

"And who might you be brother?" Tang Bian turned his attention to Yin Hui, still with a wide smile on his face.

Yin Hui did not know how to respond. It hadn't even been a day since he disappeared from the Tang Clan, yet he was already face to face with one of their shrewdest minds.

"Oh that's big brother Yin Hui. He saved me from some mountain bandits a while ago, so I decided to bring him back with me!" Yu Zhuwa answered eagerly.

At this moment, Yin Hui wished he just left Yu Zhuwa at the hands of the bandits. If Tang Bian recognized him and reported him back to the Tang Clan, it would be a huge problem.

"Yin Hui... You look familiar, especially your eyes. Have we met before?" Tang Bian narrowed his eyes. He studied Yin Hui a bit, noting his eyes, face, and build. The youth in front of him reminded Tang Bian of a slave Tang Jiao would frequently pick on in the past.

Yin Hui felt a chill go down his spine. He could not explain it, but it was as if he was completely transparent before Tang Bian's sight.

Tang Bian withdrew his gaze and extended a hand towards Yin Hui.

"Forgive me fellow daoist. You looked so similar to someone I know that I had gotten the two of you mixed up. While you do look alike and share the same surname, your a Spirit Waking cultivator while he is merely a mortal. I assume your from another clan who bears a similar name. After all, the main Yin Clan of this province had all its members crippled long ago."

In order to maintain appearances, Yin Hui reluctantly shook his hand. Tang Bian then turned to Yu Zhuwa and ruffled his hair once more. He then gave each of them his trademark smile and began to fly into the air.

"Fellow daoist Yin. I recommend changing your surname lest you attract unwanted attention from the clan's old enemies. Some of those old monsters can really hold a grudge and you may get hurt for even reminding them of the old Yin Clan. Enjoy your meeting with the village head."

A frown appeared on Yin Hui's face as he watched Tang Bian fly away from the village.

"With just a glance he could tell that I was a cultivator and what realm I was in. Not only that, but he could also fly. If that's the case then that feeling of transparency I felt when he looked at me must have been his spiritual sense! Tang Bian must be a three aspect Spirit Waking cultivator, perhaps even a Spirit Manifestation cultivator like Tang Jiao!"

Yu Zhuwa saw Yin Hui's grim expression and gave him a small poke.

"What's wrong big brother Yin Hui? Do you actually know that lord messenger?"

Yin Hui was silent. He was still in deep thought over their encounter with Tang Bian.

Tap Tap~

Suddenly, another pair of footsteps could be heard coming from inside. An old woman holding a wooden staff was slowly walking towards the door. Yu Zhuwa's eyes shined as he ran inside to greet the woman.

"Village leader!"

Yu Zhuwa hugged the frail old woman in the residence. She wrapped her free arm around Yu Zhuwa with joy on her face.

"Xiao Yu, welcome back! Who is this young friend you've brought with you?"

"This is big brother Yin Hui! He saved me from the mountain bandits that stayed in the village the other day!"

Yin Hui stopped thinking about Tang Bian and walked inside. The dim lighting of the torch-lit room combined with his fierce appearance made him look very intimidating.

"Hello senior, my name is Yin Hui." Yin Hui clasped his hands and bowed respectfully.

The village head eyes flickered and then nodded her head.

"Nice to meet you Yin Hui. Welcome to the Scattered Leaves Village. I am the village head, Yu Mingxi. Please come inside, any friend of Xiao Yu is an esteemed guest in my eyes." Yu Mingxi kindly gestured towards Yin Hui to come inside.

"Grandma Yu, how did your meeting with the Tang messenger go? He seemed like a very nice person!" Yu Zhuwa eagerly asked.

"Haha... I'll fill you in soon. You and young friend Yin Hui take a seat at the dining table and help yourselves for now. There's still plenty of food left."

Yu Zhuwa put on a silly expression and pulled Yin Hui over to the table where the meeting was held. There were still heaps of untouched food remaining and Yu Zhuwa started to take bits of everything.

When Yu Zhuwa and Yin Hui were out of hearing distance, a shadow cast over Yu Mingxi's face.

"Interesting... Yin Hui... The cursed child of the Yin Clan has grown up. Somehow, he has escaped the Tang Clan and made it to the outer regions of the province. However, what's more surprising is that I can sense Spirit Waking cultivation within him!"