Heiyan originally founded the Penglai Ninja Village with the purpose of providing a home for the Uzumaki clan.
However, over the past several months, as Penglai rapidly developed, Heiyan had come to realize that this village had shown tremendous potential rivaling even that of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Located on a remote island far from mainland conflicts and blessed with rich natural resources, Penglai had a natural edge in development.
Plus, with Heiyan's support, Penglai could get large shipments of supplies from Konoha and learn from Leaf's top-tier systems and development achievements.
For Penglai, such a beginning could be called perfect.
The only slight drawback was its small population—currently consisting only of the Uzumaki and fishing tribes. Compared to the Five Great Ninja Villages, filled with numerous ninja clans and brimming with talent, Penglai seemed somewhat lacking.
Therefore, Penglai urgently needed talent.
Yes, the Loulan clan lived in great poverty—but not due to laziness or foolishness. Instead, it highlighted their resilience and sacrifice. For the sake of protecting the Dragon Vein, under their Queen's leadership they willingly remained in the barren desert depths, living an almost hermit-like existence cut off from the world.
Even in such inhospitable land, these people had managed through perseverance and hard work to build a shelter against the sandstorms.
Heiyan greatly admired Loulan's architectural aesthetics. In those towering high-rise structures, he saw a unique and brilliant culture.
He openly shared his thoughts about Loulan with the Queen and her guards, then extended the invitation once more with sincerity.
The Loulan Queen was deeply moved.
Heiyan—one of the most prominent figures in the shinobi world—did not act high and mighty at all. Instead, he showed full recognition and respect toward this small, marginal nation and its people.
His words convinced the Queen that even if the Loulan people migrated thousands of miles away, integrating into an unfamiliar greater family, their culture would still be cherished and preserved from fading away.
Thinking of this, the Loulan Queen made up her mind. She solemnly nodded once, then bowed deeply before Heiyan:
"On behalf of the entire Loulan clan, I thank Heiyan for your kindness."
Seeing this, Heiyan quickly stepped forward to help her rise and said to the Queen, "In my eyes, the inclusion of the Loulan clan will be a great honor for that new ninja village."
Although he didn't say the name "Penglai" aloud, the Queen already suspected that the newly established ninja village Heiyan referred to must be the hidden homeland of the Uzumaki clan.
As their voices faded, both sides exchanged smiles, feeling much closer than before.
A group of them left the underground chamber and returned to the surface.
On the podium in front of the palace, the Queen explained to all her subjects the causes behind the recent earthquake, calming the public's unease. Then she publicly announced that due to the increasingly harsh conditions in the desert in recent years, making human life there unsustainable, the Loulan clan would collectively migrate and leave this desert they had lived in for generations.
The news spread like wildfire, setting off waves of shock among the people.
In the hearts of every Loulan citizen, their Queen was sacred and held absolute authority.
Her people loved and respected her for how she cared for them like a mother.
The entire Loulan clan responded to her command with immediate enthusiasm, with almost no one questioning or resisting. After all, many Loulans had silently endured the hardships of desert life for a long time. Now that they finally had the chance to leave this place, they were more than happy about it.
Loulan was a very small country, home to only around a thousand people. Therefore, although relocating an entire nation sounded like a massive undertaking, in reality it wasn't too complicated. With just a few days of preparation, they'd be ready to begin their journey.
Inside the palace, the Queen hosted a banquet to welcome the noble guests from distant lands.
Heiyan, Tsunade, Pakura, and the Queen of Loulan each took their seats. In addition, there was the Queen's young daughter, Sāra. The atmosphere at the banquet was warm and joyful, filled with cheerful conversation and laughter.
During the feast, Heiyan once again offered his suggestion to the Queen:
"Your Majesty, this journey will be very long. You may want to hire a powerful guard to ensure the safety of the Loulan clan. I believe Pakura would make an excellent choice."
He had already discussed this with Pakura earlier, and she was quite willing to accompany the Loulan clan. In her eyes, it was also a way to repay the loyalty between friends. Of course, such a protective mission would come with substantial payment, so Pakura wouldn't be going through all this trouble for free.
Upon hearing Heiyan's suggestion, the Queen readily accepted it and immediately decided to hire Pakura.
"In that case, I must entrust our clan to you, Lady Pakura."
Smiling gently, the Queen expressed her sincere gratitude to Pakura.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, the Loulan clan will arrive safely at its destination."
Pakura puffed out her chest and placed a hand over her heart, promising with confidence.
As someone possessing elite Jonin-level strength from Sunagakure, her Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai alone placed her among the top experts in the world of shinobi. Even more importantly, Pakura also possessed the Two-Tails Catgirl Armor gifted by Heiyan, which significantly enhanced the power of her Scorch Release techniques, elevating her strength to the Kage level.
With a Kage-level expert providing protection, any bandits foolish enough to target the Loulan clan would never return unscathed and would instead pay the heaviest possible price.
After the banquet concluded, Heiyan told Pakura that their final destination would be a coastal port town in the Land of Fire's southern region. Once they arrived, arrangements would be made for someone to come from Penglai to receive them.
The reason Heiyan recommended Pakura as their protector was not only because of his trust in her as a friend but also because he knew she would never leak important information or reveal the location of Penglai Ninja Village.
In the following few days,
The entire Loulan clan bustled with activity under the Queen's leadership, making grand preparations for the move.
Pakura began carrying out her duties as well, temporarily taking charge of the Loulan guards. She trained them extensively and planned the optimal migration route before their departure.
Meanwhile, Tsunade gladly accepted the Queen's invitation to serve as the tutor for young Sāra, teaching the future Queen of Loulan some basic knowledge. It was clear that she really enjoyed Sāra's company.
At the same time, Heiyan didn't remain idle either. He devoted himself fully to studying the Dragon Vein's power.
Deep inside the palace, at the end of a quiet corridor, was a peaceful guest room.
In the center of the room stood a towering purple crystal, within which the Dragon Vein coiled, bound tightly in crimson chains, its massive form curled as it slumbered.
Heiyan rubbed his chin, gazing through the dazzling crystal at the colossal Dragon Vein trapped inside.
Given the possible risks involved, he ultimately chose not to absorb the Dragon Vein's power directly. After all, the Dragon Vein contained vast [temporal-spatial power]; even the slightest misstep in controlling it could lead to disaster.
Still, after coming all this way and going through so much trouble to obtain it, he definitely wasn't about to just walk away from it.
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