Seeing Ah Mieu's childish behavior, Grandpa Mo could not help but have his emotions towards this youth swinging back and forth between naively endearing, and horrifyingly cunning. It was giving him emotional whiplash.
Ah Mieu soon hid his embarrassment by coughing into his fist before he finished his story.
"Well, the end was that Boy Two had survived and had been tracking down the Bandit Leader for several years. They had even clashed numerous times, but in the end, Boy Two was killed. Afterward, out of spite, the Bandit Leader went back to the village to kill everyone, not knowing he had provoked someone else into chasing him across the continent."
After hearing Ah Mieu's supposedly short story, Grandpa Mo furrowed his brows and asked.
"How does this story answer the previous question?"
Ah Mieu smiled at Grandpa Mo and said.
"Despite being a Bandit Leader who had committed all sorts of atrocities, he had somehow inspired two boys to become righteous heroes."
"So, you want to become a heroic figure and gather support from the common people?"
Grandpa Mo concluded, but Ah Mieu shook his head and replied.
"No, I don't want to be the village hero in that story. Instead, I want to be that toy the two boys bought."
"What?"
Grandpa Mo was stunned by Ah Mieu's words. But his brows soon furrowed.
"You want to become the promise between the two youths. Or rather, you want to become everyone's fondest memory?"
Ah Mieu's smile became a bit wider, but he shook his head once again and said.
"No, think a bit deeper. Not memories. Just like the air mortals breathe, that thing can't be seen. But despite being omnipresent and intangible, it influences us from a young age and shapes us into the person we are today. That unseeing, but influential force is what's called... culture. I want to become the culture that shapes not just Pangu City, but the entire cultivation world of Pangaea Continent."
Upon hearing Ah Mieu's explanation, Grandpa Mo's initial reaction was skepticism.
How could something like that stand up to those existences at the pinnacle of the cultivation world? The very notion of using culture to control cultivators was simply absurd.
However, Grandpa Mo suddenly paused and came to realize something. Not once had this child said his goal was to control Pangu City. His exact words were that he wanted to become the source of the resources needed for a cultivator to survive.
But if he truly achieved this goal, what would happen next would be simple.
If you take away the air from mortals, then they would die.
If you take away culture from cultivators, something that had shaped them into who they are, then they would lose their Dao Heart.
Grandpa Mo unconsciously shivered.
As a cultivator himself, he understood how important it was in the upper realms to comprehend the heavens, the world, and oneself.
But if one person could shape the world, and influence a cultivator without them even realizing it, then once they reached the upper realms of cultivation and look back, they would realize their Dao Hearts were inexplicably linked to that person. How would they dare to casually raise their blades against such a person?
Even if one pursues the path of severing worldly ties to escape these karmic shackles, it is inhumanly impossible to reach a state of absolute indifference to be completely unaffected.
Grandpa Mo then silently recalled everything Ah Mieu had said up until now and came to another chilling fact. This child, whose name was Ah Mieu. From the moment he opened his mouth to this very second, he had been subtly guiding his thoughts this entire time, slowly influencing him.
Almost immediately after Grandpa Mo came to this realization, his pupils violently contracted while a cold chill involuntarily ran down his spine. He looked at Ah Mieu, who was still smiling at him, and his guard immediately went up with a violent swoosh. He couldn't even recall when he had lowered it against him.
Only after a long while did Grandpa Mo slowly say in a hoarse voice.
"Young friend Ah Mieu, what exactly are your true intentions in coming to my Han Clan?"
Hearing this, Ah Mieu knew that all his progress up until now had vanished. But he did this on purpose.
The smile that he had always been wearing was fully retracted, and it was replaced by a cold expression.
"Patriarch Han Mo, I told you from the beginning. I want to take over the City of Pangu, and I need your help."
Seeing Ah Mieu's sudden shift in demeanor and hearing his address for him revert to the beginning of their meeting, Patriarch Han Mo could not stop his old heart from quivering from slight fear.
After releasing a shallow breath to calm himself down, he spoke.
"Young friend Ah Mieu, if we were to become allies, how would my Han Clan benefit?"
All of a sudden, a smile returned to Ah Mieu's face, and like the previous ones, this was genuine as well.
"Grandpa Mo, don't worry. I won't involve your Han Clan in anything dangerous. After all, my plan does not involve going to war, though there might be some conflicts in the future. As for the benefits that will befall your Han Clan if you help me..."
Ah Mieu paused here for a bit and then said.
"After your youngest grandson, Han Yoon-Min, was attacked, his dantian was destroyed. I can offer up my Darkness Element Constitution to him, so that he can have a chance to fight for the Sect Leader position in the Myriad Rune Inscription Sect."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Mo was wholeheartedly shocked.
"You have two Divine Constitutions, and you're able to pass it to someone else?"
Ah Mieu nodded and said.
"I do, but..."
He suddenly showed an embarrassed expression, which he quickly covered up with a cough, before he said.
"The method of passing on my Divine Constitution is somewhat unique. But along with giving your grandson this chance to cultivate once again, I will also help the Han Clan reclaim their position in the Main Circle."
Grandpa Mo paused, and after thinking for a moment, he chuckled and said.
"So, helping you would be the same as helping us. I see what you mean by having an equal relationship. Also, I suppose giving my grandson one of your Divine Constitution means you're willing to become sworn brothers?"
Ah Mieu nodded like a chicken pecking its head. But Grandpa Mo asked with skepticism.
"Young friend Ah Mieu must have read the details about my grandson and his reputation. Despite his somewhat above-average talent, he's just a wastrel who slacks off every chance he gets. Is there any reason why you chose him specifically out of all of my grandchildren?"
Ah Mieu shook his head and responded.
"Grandpa Mo, there's no need to test my knowledge. I suspect that despite his wastrel personality, his true talent should be enough for him to be qualified to enter a Sect in the Inner Circle. But I suppose those people in the Myriad Rune Inscription Sect who oppose your Clan found out and had someone try to assassinate him. Either that, or they simply just wanted to get rid of any chances of your descendants qualifying to enter a Sect in the Upper Circles, without actually knowing his true talent."
Grandpa Mo smiled slightly, then said.
"Indeed, my youngest grandson has talent even greater than mine. However, what I'm most proud of is his wisdom. I think it's no less than yours."
When Ah Mieu heard that, he couldn't help but tilt his head. His bangs that covered his eyes swayed and slightly revealed two colorful glints behind them, which were noticeably filled with skepticism.
A playboy with intelligence on par with his? Was this grandpa being overly doting on his good-for-nothing grandson? Perhaps that was the reason why he had such a personality.
However, Grandpa Mo did not explain his words and instead said.
"I suppose this old man is getting too old to interfere with you young ones. I will neither confirm nor deny your request for a collaboration; instead, I'll let you meet my youngest grandson first."
Ah Mieu was even more confused by that, as it sounded like Grandpa Mo was leaving this important decision up to his grandson. But why would he, the Patriarch of the Han Clan, do such a thing?
As Ah Mieu had these confusing thoughts swirling in his mind, he was led to the courtyard of the Han Clan Patriarch's youngest grandson, who was infamously dubbed 'The Eastern District's Rising Snake'.