“That old fellow is Wuma Tao, the patriarch of the Wuma Clan,” the Gong Clan patriarch said.
“And this exceptional young one, arriving alongside Wuma Tao… He must be the prophesied child from the eastern region of the Ancestral Martial Starfield—Wuma Shengjie.”
“Wuma Shengjie?” At those words, the Gong Clan members stirred, their gazes toward Wuma Shengjie brightening with interest.
After all, they’d all heard of the “prophesied child” title.
“How could someone like Chu Feng know Wuma Shengjie?” Gong Mingyue’s eyes flickered with confusion.
By now, the crowd of onlookers had swelled, and Xu Yuan of the Xu Clan was being beaten mercilessly by Wuma Shengjie. His earlier bravado had vanished under the unbearable pain, and he began to plead.
“Stop, stop! I was wrong—I admit it, isn’t that enough?”
But Wuma Shengjie seemed deaf to his pleas. Not only did she show no intention of stopping, her strikes grew even fiercer, leaving Xu Yuan unable to even cry out.
The onlookers watched, dumbfounded—Wuma Shengjie’s ruthlessness was staggering.
As for the Xu Clan members, they trembled in fear, too terrified to even breathe, let alone plead for Xu Yuan.
They were filled with regret now. Had they known Chu Feng had such a fearsome backer, they wouldn’t have dared provoke him—not even with a hundred times their courage.
But it was too late for regrets.
They had no idea what awaited them next.
All they could hope for was that some expert from the Xu Clan—or perhaps the Tantai Clan—might pass by and save them.
But such a coincidence was too unlikely, and even they held little hope.
“Enough,” a voice suddenly rang out.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Chu Feng who spoke.
“Let him go,” he said.
“Chu Feng, did I hear that right? You want me to let him go?” Wuma Shengjie stared at him, wide-eyed, clearly baffled by his request.
“Let him go. If you kill him today, how will I get the chance to kill him myself later?” Chu Feng replied.
Understanding dawned on Wuma Shengjie. With a flick of her sleeve, she flung Xu Yuan aside.
Though the Wuma Clan patriarch withdrew his pressure, the anger on his face didn’t fade.
“Listen well, Xu Clan members: I advise you to behave yourselves. If you dare trouble Young Friend Chu Feng again, the Wuma Clan will spare no effort—even at the cost of our entire clan—to make you pay.”
With that, the Wuma Clan patriarch took Chu Feng and the others and soared into the sky, departing.
The stunned crowd was left behind.
No one had expected the Wuma Clan to declare war on the Xu Clan over Chu Feng.
The confusion wasn’t limited to the onlookers—even Gong Mingyue, hidden nearby, shared the same question. She turned to her grandfather.
“Grandfather, are the Wuma Clan and Chu Clan on such good terms?”
“Why are they helping Chu Feng like this?”
“That old fox Wuma Tao has indeed been friends with the Chu Clan patriarch for years. But as a clan leader with heavy responsibilities, he shouldn’t risk his entire clan’s fate for an outsider,” the Gong Clan patriarch mused, equally puzzled.
“Grandfather, I’m going to the Tantai Clan for an appointment. Will you come with me?” Gong Mingyue suddenly said.
“Is this the junior gathering Tantai Xing’er invited you to?” the Gong Clan patriarch asked.
“Yes,” Gong Mingyue confirmed.
“Didn’t I tell you I’ve already made plans with some friends?” he countered.
“I know. I just wanted to let you know I can’t join you to meet those seniors,” she replied.
“You can go to the gathering, but you must first find Xiao Qing and bring her along.”
“She’s your sister, after all. She’s gone missing, and you’re in the mood to attend a gathering without finding her?” the patriarch pressed.
“Don’t worry, Grandfather. Though Xiao Qing was adopted by Father, we grew up together, and I’ve always treated her like a real sister. I won’t abandon her.”
“I already gave her the invitation earlier. With it, she can go straight there,” Gong Mingyue explained.
“So you’d already found Xiao Qing before? Then why did she run off again?” the patriarch asked.
“It’s that hedgehog she’s raising. She went to Ice Summit Peak earlier, hoping a Saint-Cloak Spiritist could heal it. The girl’s delusional—even if those spiritists were around, they wouldn’t see her.”
“I scolded her a bit, she got upset and left. But she promised to attend the junior gathering, and knowing her, she’ll show up.”
“I’ll catch her there,” Gong Mingyue said.
“Alright, but don’t let her slip away this time. The Nine Dragons Upper Realm is teeming with people from all corners of the Ancestral Martial Starfield right now—some we can’t afford to offend.”
“With Xiao Qing’s stubborn temper, she absolutely can’t be left to wander alone,” the patriarch warned.
“Don’t worry, Grandfather, I understand,” Gong Mingyue assured him.
“Patriarch, we’ll head off then,” some of the younger Gong Clan members chimed in, clearly planning to join Gong Mingyue at the gathering.
“Mm,” the patriarch nodded, but quickly added, “Will the Xu Clan juniors be there too?”
