"This is..."
"That's not Rank 3! That's Rank 5!"
Fang Yuan emerged from the cave. Compared to Bai Ning Bing, he was far more ordinary, dressed neatly but not extravagantly. His dark eyes contrasted with Bai Ning Bing's mostly white appearance, looking like abyssal pits.
However, there was no denying the oppressive Rank 5 aura, which emanated from him, nor the '5' written on a bronze plate at his waist. Both sides froze instantly. Bai... something considered fleeing at that moment. However, before the might of a Rank 5 Gu master, they might as well have been done for. Fleeing was of very little use.
And why were these two people on Bei Gu Mountain? If they were going to run away, though, they would have to run away in various directions, much like the grass skirt monkeys had done earlier. Only then could they hope that at least one of them might survive and bring news to their clan head about this.
Bai Ning Bing took out the White Form Immortal Snake Gu. Its Rank 5 aura mingled with Fang Yuan's, causing the Bei clansmen to feel even more oppressed than before. 'Not just a Rank 5 Gu master, but a Rank 5 Gu master with a Rank 5 Gu worm!'
That was possibly the worst situation they could have found themselves in. Many Rank 5 Gu masters, particularly ordinary ones, did not have a single Rank 5 gu worm to their name. Oftentimes, only Rank 6 Gu Immortals could have a complete set of Rank 5 Gu. However, even a single Rank 5 gu worm was more than enough to completely turn the tide of a fight.
"It's okay, we don't need to do any of that. These are righteous path Gu masters, after all. If I'm not wrong, all of you are Bei clansmen, correct?"
Bei Mo Xing hesitated on whether to answer truthfully or not. After considering it, he said, "Yes, we are Bei clansmen."
"Well met," Fang Yuan said. "My name is Gu Fang Yuan. I am the clan leader of the Gu Yue Clan, which is located on Qing Mao Mountain. How are all of you doing today?"
"We are doing fine, thank you," Bei Mo Xing said. Immediately, questions began emerging in his mind. If this young lad really was the clan head of the Gu Yue Clan, why wasn't he with them instead of standing here, far away from Qing Mao Mountain? Was he really who he said he was, or a demonic path cultivator pretending to be Gu Yue Fang Yuan?
Fang Yuan waved a hand towards Bai Ning Bing. "This is Lady Ting King Sing, an external elder of the Bai clan, which is also on Qing Mao Mountain."
Bai Ning Bing snorted. "The name is Ling Ding Ching."
"Oh, my apologies," Fang Yuan said, smiling without batting an eye. "I get names confused sometimes. But what could possibly bring you Bei clansmen here? If I'm not wrong, you're located some distance from this mountain, isn't it? I would not have come here had it not been that this mountain is unclaimed...."
'We should be asking you those questions,' Bei Mo Xing thought. They were quite close to their home turf. However, Fang Yuan was the one who had come quite a distance away.
"Oh, that. We were just on a hunting expedition and looking for certain bone path resources we can find on this mountain."
"I see, I see," Fang Yuan said. "Well, you see, there is a reason that the two of us have come to this mountain. As it turns out, in the past, long ago, there was a Gu Yue clan elder who had fallen in love with the daughter of a Bai clan elder on Qing Mao Mountain. They would often meet together near a waterfall that used to exist between our two villages whenever they had time under the pale moonlight, strengthening their love with every single meeting." Bai Ning Bing wondered what Fang Yuan was up to but could realize that he was definitely spinning this tale for a specific reason. "During this time, the Bai and the Gu Yue clans were at war. However, those two could not live without each other, and given that society would not allow them to be together, they ended up eloping, running away from Qing Mao Mountain. Truly, a tragic tale of two lovers who could not live without each other, but the world could not let them be with each other either." Fang Yuan said this and sighed, an ashen expression on his face, as if he had been personally affected by this issue.
"However, in the tablet they left behind, they said that they would be settling on Bei Gu Mountain and that if there came a time in the future when the Gu Yue and the Bai clans were at peace, their families could reach them in this location and ask them to rejoin with them. Granted, that was some time ago," Fang Yuan added. "I bet they must have their own grandchildren or even great-grandchildren by this point. I don't know if you happen to know the recent tragedy that happened on Qing Mao Mountain - when we were attacked by a demonic Gu Master and many of my clansmen barely escaped with their lives. The Gu Yue clan and the Bai clan have indeed decided to put aside their differences and come together. Given this and the message left at the tablet, I thought that I would come here and see if there were any other Gu Yue clan descendants or Bai clan descendants and welcome them back into our village."
Fang Yuan opened his arms in a magnanimous gesture. "I was greatly moved when I heard of this tragic love story. I want to cleanse the sins committed by our clans in the past and honor those two as brave individuals who were willing to sacrifice everything for love. In addition, by bringing their descendants back into my village, I want to continue promoting a culture of peace and harmony between my clan and the Bai clan."
The Bei clansmen were speechless when they heard Fang Yuan's reason for being there. Bei Mo Xing wanted to scream, "What on earth is this kind of nonsense story? Do you really expect us to believe that a clan head would come all the way here, just on that basis? Quit messing with us!"
"Clan head, I am surprised that one such as you would come all that distance on himself rather than sending his representatives," Bei Mo Xing asked in a far more polite manner.
"What can I say?" Fang Yuan said, almost wiping away a tear from the corner of one of his eyes. "The thing was, I could have sent someone else, but who could I spare during these times? I could have left it out for later, like the other clan heads did, but my heart was so moved by the beauty of this love story that I felt like I just had to do them justice."
"And so," Fang Yuan continued, "along with another Bai clansman, I came here."
Bei Mo Xing still did not believe a single word of what Fang Yuan was saying. However, what could he do to repudiate it? His mind was still working in overdrive, wondering what it was that Fang Yuan really wanted by coming here.
The other Bei clansmen had their disbelief written over their faces, but Bei Mo Xing was a practiced elder and knew that this matter had to be handled gently.
"Well, in such a case," Bei Mo Xing said, "why don't you all come by and rest by the Bei clan? Let us all host you and treat you just like our esteemed guests."
"How could we possibly impose upon you like that?" Fang Yuan asked, waving his hand.
"Oh no, no," Bei Mo Xing said. "You are not imposing on us at all - if anything, it is the Bei clan's great fortune to have encountered an esteemed one like Lord Fang Yuan and having the opportunity to host him."
Fang Yuan frowned slightly. "You must understand that I am clan head of the Gu Yue clan. I am rather busy and cannot get sidetracked from my objective. We do have somewhere to go after this, after all."
"I understand that," Bei Mo Xing said. "However, our clan has kept meticulous records of the area around this mountain for a while. If you are searching for something, we can go ahead and look that up for you. A small detour like this may ultimately expedite your search."