When Wu Tian returned to the bamboo lodge where Chi Li Mu was staying, he discovered that two unfamiliar children—a boy and a girl—had arrived. Both appeared to be only five or six years old.
The boy wore a light-brown outfit, a belt made from wild bullhide wrapped around his waist, and soft deerskin boots on his feet. In his hand, he held a short silver knife.
The girl's attire, however, was far more extravagant.
Her clothes were made of silk—an extreme rarity in the Southern Frontier. She wore a white silk pearl-embroidered top that exposed her slender waist, paired with a black satin skirt patterned with silver threads. Even her shoes had soles made of soft jade.
Silver ornaments adorned her hair, and around her neck hung a jade pendant suspended by golden threads, shaped like the fang of some ferocious beast.
At a glance, it was clear that this girl had been born into a wealthy and powerful family—her elders were undoubtedly influential figures from one of the great strongholds.
"Hey, what's your name?"
The girl placed her hands on her bare waist, raised her chin slightly, and spoke to Chi Li Mu in a condescending tone.
"I already saw your village from the sky earlier. It's tiny and shabby—smaller than our family's hunting grounds."
"My name is Fei Tianyun. I'm the princess of the Demon Cloud Village. Do you know what a princess is? It's the daughter of a king."
"I heard from my master that you also have Immortal roots. But you were born in a place like this—your talent must be very average."
"I'm going up the mountain to cultivate. I can't be without attendants. You'll be my maid from now on."
As she spoke, she pointed at the boy beside her.
"His name is Gu Lido, from the Many-Hearers Village. They're not bad, but they're no match for our Demon Cloud Village. Last year, my father personally led people and crushed them."
"You and him will both be my servants. After going up the mountain, I'll become an Immortal Master. If you serve me well, even as servants, no one will dare offend you."
She spoke with commanding arrogance, yet her demeanor was strangely natural—as if ordering others around was her birthright.
Chi Li Mu had never encountered anything like this before.
She was completely flustered, her small hands clenched together, lips pressed tight, unable to say a single word.
"Are you mute?" Fei Tianyun frowned in displeasure."If you don't answer, I'll take it as your agreement—"
Before she could finish, a vicious roar suddenly erupted behind her.
In the confined space of the bamboo lodge, it exploded like muffled thunder.
"Ah!"
Both Fei Tianyun and Gu Lido jumped in fright, their faces paling.
Wu Tian's figure left behind a streak of white afterimage as he leapt directly into Chi Li Mu's arms.
When Chi Li Mu saw him, joy instantly flooded her face, as if she had finally found support. She hugged him tightly.
"Bai Long'er… you're finally back…"
Wu Tian gently rubbed his head against her chest, then turned toward the arrogant girl and let out another fierce growl.
Fei Tianyun had been badly startled at first, but when she realized it was only a white dog roaring at her, her fear quickly turned into humiliation and rage.
"Damn beast! How dare you scare me!"
"You—kill it. Kill it right now."
She pointed at Chi Li Mu, gritting her teeth as she barked the order.
Though Chi Li Mu was shy by nature, children of the Southern Frontier were raised tough. Even girls carried a certain inner resilience.
She hugged Wu Tian tightly and took two steps back.
"Bai Long'er is my friend. He's not a beast. You can't kill him."
Fei Tianyun grew even angrier when Chi Li Mu dared to defy her.
"Hmph! You dare talk back to me?"
"Believe it or not, I'll have my father wipe out your entire village!"
"No one has ever dared scare me like this. If you don't kill it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Her fury escalated as she stepped forward.
At that moment, Wu Tian let out another thunderous roar, subtly using technique. The sound exploded like lightning, forcing Fei Tianyun to stumble backward several steps, nearly retreating all the way to the doorway.
When she recovered, her humiliation deepened.
She pointed at Gu Lido.
"You! Use your knife—kill that beast for me!"
"She's just a lowly villager. She doesn't know how powerful the Demon Cloud Village is. You know it, Gu Lido. If you dare disobey me, I'll tell my father—and your Many-Hearers Village will suffer for it!"
Gu Lido, who had remained silent until now, showed a helpless expression.
He didn't know exactly how powerful the Immortal Masters of Demon Cloud Village were—but he knew how terrifying Demon Cloud Village itself was.
Even the fiercest spirit beasts in the mountains were hunted and killed by them. Their warriors numbered in the thousands, clad in tough armor and unmatched in strength.
Before setting out, his father had warned him repeatedly:
"Gu Lido, Demon Cloud Village is not something we can afford to offend. If it's not absolutely necessary, don't provoke Fei Tianyun. Endure if you can. If you can't… grit your teeth."
"One day, when you become a true Immortal Master, our village will finally live well…"
Remembering his father's words, Gu Lido tightened his grip on the silver knife. After hesitating, he slowly walked toward Chi Li Mu.
If Fei Tianyun had ordered him to attack Chi Li Mu herself, he wouldn't have dared. He knew how much Master Man Xiong valued every Immortal child.
But if it was just disciplining a white dog, he felt confident.
"I'll just teach that dog a lesson… enough to vent Fei Tianyun's anger."
He drew the blade from its sheath. The short knife was forged of fine iron—razor sharp.
His family was ordinary in the Many-Hearers Village and could never have afforded such a weapon. It had been personally gifted by the village chief after Gu Lido was confirmed to have Immortal roots.
"You… you should step aside," Gu Lido said as he advanced, trying to persuade Chi Li Mu."My knife is very sharp. I'm afraid I might hurt you by accident."
Seeing the blade, Chi Li Mu was terrified. Her small face turned pale.
Yet she hugged Wu Tian even tighter and shook her head desperately.
"You can't hurt Bai Long'er… you can't hurt him. He's my friend…"
Wu Tian was truly enraged now.
He hadn't expected children barely five or six years old to be so cruel—especially that spoiled girl, who acted as if this were her Demon Cloud Village.
With a subtle twist of his body, Wu Tian broke free from Chi Li Mu's embrace.
He moved like a white bolt of lightning.
Before Gu Lido could even react, Wu Tian lunged forward and sank his teeth into the arm holding the knife.
Pshhk!
His sharp fangs tore open a bloody gash.
"Ah—!"
Gu Lido screamed in pain as the silver knife clattered to the floor.
Wu Tian didn't stop there.
With a fierce pounce, he knocked Fei Tianyun to the ground. He pinned her down, sharp claws pressing against her delicate face, low growls rumbling from his throat.
"Waaah—don't! Don't!"Fei Tianyun burst into loud sobs, tears and snot streaming down her face."Stop! Make it go away! Please—!"
The commotion inside the bamboo lodge finally alarmed Man Xiong Mu.
The lodge was adjacent to the clan chief's residence. Hearing Gu Lido's scream and Fei Tianyun's crying, his heart sank.
If anything happened to these two Immortal children, the trouble would be immense.
Without even taking time to inform the clan chief, black wind surged around him—
And in an instant, he vanished from where he stood.
(End of Chapter)