Ancestral Grotto

"How is he? Will he recover?" - Asked Yu Lingxin at the still unconscious Ye Jianhong.

Jin Ju wrinkled his brows. He already gave the medicine he made to Ye Jianhong, but he did not show signs of recovery yet.

"I'm not sure. We can only wait for a while to see if the medicine will take effect." - Jin Ju shook his head.

Jin Ju carefully applied the medicinal paste to Ye Jianhong's wounds, but there was no sign of improvement.

"What could be wrong?" - He muttered to himself, feeling a sense of growing urgency.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes and a stranger emerged from the trees, his eyes narrowed and his hand on a small pouch at his belt. "What are you doing here?" - He demanded, his voice sharp and hostile.

Zhao Min stepped forward, he readied himself. "We are just passing through, collecting herbs for our sect. We mean no harm." - He said calmly, trying to defuse the situation.

But the stranger was not convinced. "This is my garden!" - He growled.

"And I won't allow you to steal from it. Prepare to defend yourselves!"

With that, he unleashed a handful of gu, sending them flying towards Zhao Min and Yu Lingxin. The insects buzzed and swarmed, their tiny bodies glowing with a mystical energy.

Zhao Min activated his rank two root sprout and wood sensation gu. A group of roots quickly emerged from the ground and struck out towards the incoming gu.

Zhao Min's heart tightened at what he saw next.

The roots did not connect! They passed right through the mysterious gu flying at them.

"It is useless!" - Laughed the stranger.

Zhao Min had to recall his roots, he could not stop the threat in time, he had to dodge.

A thick root carried him into the air. His clothes fluttered in the air as he evaded time and time again.

Another root carried the unconscious Ye Jianhong closely behind him.

"These gu are strange, don't let them close to you. You can't block them." - Warned Zhao Min.

Yu Lingxin was chased by a pair of the flying gu, she did not have another choice but to run.

The man commanded the flying gu worms. It was hard to escape them.

Jin Ju looked on, his heart racing with adrenaline. He ducked in the tall grass to remain unnoticed. He knew that he had to act quickly in order to turn the tide of the battle. With a burst of speed, he summoned his own gu, the carve wood gu and attacked the stranger from behind.

Beheading the leader tactic!

The man groaned in pain, his face contorted with fear. He lost his control over his gu, they fell to the ground like a kite with strings cut.

"Please, have mercy!" - He begged, his voice shaking.

"I am not your enemy. I am Zhu Feng, from the Bao Wen sect, like you, but I was exiled as punishment for my crimes. I have been living in these woods, trying to survive on my own."

Zhao Min looked at Zhu Feng with a mix of pity and disgust. "We cannot trust you. But we will not kill you." - He said firmly.

Zhu Feng gritted his teeth. What bad luck! He wanted to teach these juniors a lesson they wouldn't forget.

"What a sinister technique! What did you do to me?" - Zhu Feng's face turned ashen as he inspected his aperture. Its walls were cracked, and a huge cut gaped at the side.

His primeval essence was flowing out before the eyes of Zhu Feng.

Jin Ju looked at him strangely, unsure what to say.

"It was you who attacked us. Your life is spared, what else do you want? Count your blessings." - Yu Lingxin lectured the middle-aged man.

"What are these gu?" - Asked Jin Ju.

He picked up one of the strange insects that attacked them. It looked vicious and like it was made of gray tinted glass.

"Those are my Phantom Mantis gu. Give them back!" - Grumbled Zhu Feng.

Jin Ju narrowed his eyes, he took a fancy to this exotic gu.

He calmly put some of them away. He cast down his eyes and did not look at Zhu Feng again, he felt guilty, but he also enjoyed it.

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"You!"

"Since you said you live here, show it. Prove that you are not a demonic gu master." - Said Yu Lingxin.

Zhao Min wanted to head back already. But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he got. What if Zhu Feng was really up to no good?

"You juniors come and trample my plants. You uproot my hard work. Then you, you cripple my cultivation and also take my gu worms?" - Zhu Feng was shaking from anger as he pointed at Jin Ju who didn't even dare to meet his gaze.

"Who is this madman?"

"Brother Ye, you finally woke up. This scoundrel is the one who planted the Leaf Warden Serpent gu that bit you." - Said Yu Lingxin.

Ye Jianhong stepped closer and towered over Zhu Feng who laid on the ground in his pain.

"You are the one who planted that gu, aren't you?" - Asked Ye Jianhong in a menacing tone.

Zhu Feng gulped, he knew that he was caught. He could only nod his head. His hot temper vanished like a puff of smoke. He was actually scared of this junior?

"So it was you." - Ye Jianhong said in a cold voice.

He stepped on Zhu Feng's neck.

"Eeek!" - Zhu Feng screamed in pain.

"You are lucky that I am in a good mood today, otherwise you would be dead already." - Ye Jianhong said in a cold voice.

"Enough with this already. Get up and show the way. If you are a fellow sect member, we will let bygones be bygones." - Zhao Min said, he was visibly annoyed already.

"Hehe. If not, then you better watch out old man." - Added Ye Jianhong.

* * * * *

Lingering Mountains Grotto

Bao Xu Lian arrived at Wen clan's Lingering Mountains Grotto Heaven, his heart heavy with the knowledge that Bao clan had framed him as a traitor. He had nowhere else to turn, and so he sought refuge under the protection of Wen clan, based on the alliance agreement between the two clans.

"These despicable immortals! Not one of them dared to question father's baseless accusations." - He thought to himself in bitterness.

"Bao Lang Chao, there will come a day when I have my revenge. Just you wait, I will trample on your Bao clan!" - He called out softly. Just as he said this, he suffered a backlash and vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Ah, the immortal oath is still in effect?" - He furrowed his brows in anger.

As he approached the gates of the Golden Peak Pagoda, he was met by a group of Wen clan guards, their arms crossed and their faces stern. Bao Xu Lian knew that he must present his case calmly and carefully, for his life depended on it.

"I am Bao Xu Lian of the Bao clan" - He said, his voice steady despite the fear that threatened to overwhelm him.

"I have been falsely accused of treason by my own clan, and I seek protection under the terms of the alliance agreement between our two clans."

The guards looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They were hesitant to offer him refuge without first consulting their clan leaders. After a tense moment of deliberation, the guards nodded and allowed Bao Xu Lian to enter the Golden Peak Pagoda.

Bao Xu Lian walked into Wen clan's main hall, he didn't even notice his face flush with anger and fear as he entered.

"Fairy Wen Jie, I beg of you, grant me protection." - Bao Xu Lian said, dropping to his knees before the first supreme elder of Wen clan.

Fairy Wen Jie sat on her throne, her eyes narrowing as she examined the injured Bao Xu Lian before her. She could sense the fear and desperation emanating from him, but she also detected a hint of arrogance in his demeanor.

Fairy Wen Jie raised an eyebrow, a sly smile on her lips. "Why should I protect you, young man? Your presence here will offend our ally, the Bao clan."

"Why should I not capture and hand you over to Lang Chao personally, haha!" - She said in a flowery voice.

Bao Xu Lian gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his emotions.

"I am innocent, Fairy Wen Jie. The Bao clan is framing me for treason, and if I don't find shelter soon, they will catch me and kill me. I truly have nowhere else to go."

Wen Jie studied the one-armed Bao Xu Lian for a moment, a calculating look in her eyes. She knew that hiding Bao Xu Lian would cause problems with the Bao clan, but she also had her own intentions.

"For what reason would they frame you?"

"They accuse me of being a spy of Wen clan. What nonsense is that? You know it just as I do."

Wen Jie silently nodded.

Bao Xu Lian continued.

"I suspect the real reason is different. I am the most talented young immortal in Bao clan. My father must feel threatened that I will overtake him. So he decided to use underhanded methods to suppress me..." - He boasted shamelessly, before realizing his situation and lowering his head again.

"But I do not dare brag. Fairy Wen Jie, you can see for yourself. This is the gu house I made, the reason I could escape with my life today." - He took out the tattered gu house Eight Layered Leaf Nest.

Now only two and a half layers were intact, it showed visible marks of combat.

Fairy Wen Jie inspected it up close. She was in deep contemplation.

"Let me check something..." - A sharp light flashed in her eyes.

She attacked Bao Xu Lian without notice!

Bao Xu Lian was caught unprepared and was hit by Wen Jie's surprise attack directly.

"Ah!" - The fear of death overwhelmed Bao Xu Lian at that moment, he couldn't lift a finger he was so frightened.

"Nothing happened? What was that?" - He looked at Wen Jie and his unchanged body in confusion. His heart was beating rapidly. Did he just imagine that?

"Indeed. You are no longer a member of Bao clan. Otherwise I would have suffered a minor backlash now." - Wen Jie fanned herself with a self-satisfied expression on her face.

"This woman is crazy!" - Bao Xu Lian did not dare voice his thoughts. Cold sweat dripped down his neck. He felt that offending her would be worse than death.

Bao Xu Lian still had the effect of the immortal oath restricting him, he could not harm either the Bao or Wen clans. But others could target him, as he was formally expelled from the clan.

"Very well, Xu Lian. I will grant you protection, but you must swear loyalty to the Wen clan and follow my orders." - She said, her voice cold and commanding.

Bao Xu Lian nodded, grateful for the protection but wary of Wen Jie's intentions.

"I swear loyalty to the Wen clan, and will follow your orders, Fairy Wen Jie."

Wen Jie smiled, satisfied with Bao Xu Lian's response.

"Good. You will be hidden in the Lingering Mountains Grotto. Recuperate and tend to your injuries." - Wen Jie's voice was like a gentle breeze, soothing and calming as she spoke.

"One more thing, I am soon facing my earthly calamity. I need a place where I can place down my aperture to face the calamity."

With a wave of her hand, Wen Jie called for someone.

A figure landed in a flash before her.

"Grand Formation, this is Xu Lian. Take him to the Ascension Peak and accommodate his needs." - She ordered.

"This is the crucial person in the two clan's prophecy." - She transmitted secretly to Grand Formation Wen Bo.

Wen Bo nodded solemnly and led the way.

Bao Xu Lian breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to have found shelter. But he knew that he was not safe yet, and that he would have to be careful around the manipulative Wen Jie. He was trapped in a web of politics and intrigue, and he would have to navigate carefully to avoid getting caught between the two forces.

* * * * *