Chapter 71

As soon as she left Huanguang Valley, she saw A Qian waiting not far away.

"Why are you here?"

"See if you're frightened."

Ji Tang punched him without much strength, "What do you think?"

A Qian shrugged and said, "Either be a coward or go in." He pointed behind Ji Tang.

Ji Tang frowned, "Is there no third option?"

Ah Qian, "What choice?"

Ji Tang took a deep breath and said, "Pull Xue Mei down."

A Qian suddenly grabbed Ji Tang with such force that her upper body was bent down.

Jitang turned his gaze and saw the ground covered with dirt and sand. "What are you doing?"

"You don't want to live anymore!" Ah Qian grabbed her and hurried away. "Now the entire tribe is the clan leader's eyes and ears. If you say another word, you will be sent to the Phantom Valley tomorrow!"

Ji Tang dodged his arm, stood up and said, "Don't worry, the spy is in front and can't hear it."

Ah Qian was stunned. "How did you know?"

Ji Tang: "Can you take another look at my cultivation?"

Ah Qian was startled and confused, staring at her intently, then frowned: "Why can't I see your cultivation level?"

A Qian had a preconceived idea that Ji Tang had already retreated and hidden after seeing Xue Mei, but he had not discovered it yet.

"Great, Atang! No wonder you're so confident. Now even I can't tell what your cultivation level is. Why don't you tell me what your current cultivation level is?"

Ji Tang's eyes were a little more cunning, and he smiled and replied: "Middle stage of Yuanying."

Ah Qian thought he had misheard, "What mid-term?"

Ji Tang: "Nascent Soul."

Ah Qian: “…”

Now it was Jitang's turn to drag Ah Qian away. He said to this soulless playmate, "Go back. Don't sleep tonight."

The two returned to the wooden house and talked in detail all night. At dawn the next day, Ji Tang shook off the spies behind him and came to the tree hole.

Hearing the sound, Su Jinzhou lifted up the vines and saw Ji Tang. He smiled before he could say anything, "Why are you back so soon?"

Ji Tang had a lot to say, but he just kept thinking about it in his mind and in the end couldn't say a single word about the Nightmare Clan.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but what came out was a frivolous joke: "Brother, when I saw you coming out from behind the vines, a word suddenly came to my mind."

Su Jinzhou looked at her, "What word?"

Ji Tang said with a grin, "A beautiful girl is hidden in a golden house."

Su Jinzhou was amused by her statement at first, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Then this room is too small."

Ji Tang thought to himself: Once she takes the position of the leader of the Nightmare Clan, her house will be much bigger.

Ji Tang: "Brother, I want to stay in the clan for a while longer. Don't wait here. People say that a golden house can hide a beautiful woman. My tree hole is really too small to hide you. It would be too unfair for you to live here. Why don't you go back to the clan first?"

Su Jinzhou could see some reluctance in her smile, "Is there something wrong with the Nightmare Clan?"

Ji Tang's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and said, "What kind of problems could the Nightmare Clan possibly pose?"

Su Jinzou suddenly approached her and looked into her eyes, "Junior sister, you lied."

Ji Tang couldn't pretend for even a moment in front of him, and said helplessly, "It's a bit tricky."

Su Jinzhou turned around and lifted the vines, "Come in and talk."

Jitang followed closely, entered the tree hole and sat down cross-legged.

She briefly told Su Jinzhou about the situation of the Nightmare Clan.

After listening to her, Su Jinzhou first asked her: "What am I to you?"

Ji Tang: "Master, Senior Brother..."

"Next time, tell me directly about things like this. Don't think you can get away with using nonsense like having a beautiful woman in a golden house."

"Is that unclear?" Ji Tang said innocently, "That's what I really thought just now."

Su Jinzhou glared at her, and she immediately surrendered, "I understand."

Su Jinzhou then got down to business, "What do you think?"

Ji Tang said bluntly, "I want to remove Xue Mei from the position of clan leader. I am the descendant of the thirteenth generation clan leader, and I can legitimately succeed my father as clan leader. Xue Mei is not fit to lead the Nightmare Clan, and when my father returns, he will definitely agree with me doing this."

Su Jinzhou was speechless for a moment. This was the Nightmare Clan's business, and he had no right to interfere. However, his junior sister was used to being free and unconstrained. She had mentioned more than once that she didn't want to be the Nightmare Clan leader, but now she had taken the initiative to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

Ji Tang: "Xue Mei can't deal with me openly. If he does, it will be in secret."

"I didn't plan to confront him right away. A Qian will first gather the tribesmen who are dissatisfied with Xue Mei and those imprisoned in the Huanguang Valley, and then slowly find a way to infiltrate the rest of the tribe. Many of them just blindly worship the strong. I am a pure-blooded Nightmare, a recognized inheritor of the Nightmare Clan's heritage site, and I have mastered the Nightmare Clan's supreme skills. No one is more qualified to sit on the throne of the clan leader than me."

Su Jinzhou could imagine how complicated this matter was, and once it started, danger would follow.

Ji Tang moved closer to him and continued to persuade him: "Brother, we don't know how long it will take to resolve this matter. Can you still wait here?"

Su Jinzhou tapped her on the forehead expressionlessly.

"Ouch!" Jitang covered his forehead.

Su Jinzhou asked, "How can you handle such a big thing by yourself?"

Ji Tang felt wronged, "Brother, you are a human cultivator, how can you fight with me?"

Su Jinzhou suddenly stopped moving.

Ji Tang quickly added, "I'm worried about my brother's safety."

How could Su Jinzhou not know? Now that Ji Tang was weak and alone, he couldn't show up, so he could only act secretly and wait and see.

Su Jinzhou thought for a moment before saying, "You don't have to worry about me anymore. Go and deal with the clan's affairs."

Ji Tang: "Brother, have you decided to return to the sect?"

Su Jinzhou refused to reply, and did not intend to let Jitang know. "Yes."

Ji Tang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Senior Brother, just wait for the good news that I will become the clan leader!"

*

Ji Tang lived in the clan land for a month. During this month, she did not go out of the house and stayed in her wooden house every day. Apart from practicing, she would at most go out of the house to water and fertilize the flowers in front of the house.

The flower stand her father had built for her in front of the house was still there, but the purple nightmare crystal vine flowers that covered the stand had all withered, leaving only some messy twigs hanging listlessly on the stand.

After watering the flowers that day, she returned to her room, changed into a dark purple dress, and flew to the Nightmare Pavilion on her sword.

After being passed on, she met Xue Mei.

Xue Mei sat high up in the Mo Yue chair, and this time he did not come down the steps to greet her. Ji Tang was actually glad that she felt less nauseous.

Even though she was unwilling in her heart, she still half-knelt and said, "Chief."

Xue Mei smiled and asked her to stand up.

Ji Tang cursed inwardly at the smiling tiger, stood up straight, and looked up at Xue Mei who was in a high position, "Chief, I have been back to the Nightmare Clan for a month, and I want to do my best for the Nightmare Clan."

Xue Mei's smile remained unchanged. No one knew how long this smiling mask had been on his face. Even the curve of his lips had never changed.

"Oh? It's been a month already?" Xue Mei sighed. "Time flies so fast. I still feel like you've only been back a few days."

For Xue Mei, who could live for thousands of years, what is a month?

Ji Tang remained calm and asked more directly: "Chief, where do you think I would be suitable for the position?"

Xue Mei pondered for a moment, "Is there any place Atang wants to go?"

Ji Tang smiled and said, "It's all up to the clan leader."

Xue Mei seemed to suddenly remember something, "I heard that Atang went to the Fantasy Valley?"

Jitang should be it.

"Atang is curious about the Fantasy Valley?"

Jitang knew that her movements could not escape Xue Mei's eyes and ears, so she only made sure that what she and A Qian said was not heard by them, and she didn't care whether they saw it or not.

She tried to appear aggrieved and vulnerable, and whispered, "I just want to see the Phantom Valley."

Xue Mei stopped talking after she finished speaking and asked, "Are you disappointed?"

Jitang seemed a little hesitant.

Xue Mei waved his hand and said, "Just say it."

Ji Tang was like a small white flower in the wind. Despite being unable to squeeze out tears, his expression was perfectly composed. "Chief, the Phantom Valley has been with the Nightmare Clan for generations. Why would you turn it into a place of punishment?"

Xue Mei seemed very satisfied with Ji Tang's reaction, and the curve on his face suddenly became a little taller.

He said, "Atang, it's time for you to grow up."

Jitang lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Her eyes, looking at the ground, were cold, mixed with disgust and impatience.

Xue Mei: "I have always wanted to raise you myself, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance. If you had grown up with me, you would have been a strong, independent-minded child who could distinguish right from wrong."

The hatred in Ji Tang's eyes grew even stronger. She began to feel fed up with this kind of conversation, but she had to stay here and listen to the disgusting person sitting there who was saying something with a hidden meaning.

Xue Mei: "It's not too late now. You've returned and want to contribute to the clan. I'm very pleased. Child, since you have such a deep affection for the Huanguang Valley, why don't you go there and take up your post there first? You're closer and can see more clearly."

Ji Tang used a lot of effort to hold back her sneer. She didn't look up, but just gave a slight shudder of fear and said in a whisper, "Yes, Chief."

She slowly left the Nightmare Pavilion.

When he came out, his cautious expression became indifferent.

Xue Mei's arrangement was exactly what she wanted, and she just wanted to go there.

*

That night, A Qian turned over and entered Ji Tang's wooden house.

Ji Tang was waiting inside. She looked at the half-burned white wax on the bamboo table and asked A Qian, "Why are you here so late?"

"Xue Mei knew we grew up together, so he became suspicious of me and sent spies to keep an eye on me."

Ji Tang released his spiritual power, but did not sense anyone nearby.

Ah Qian sat down and poured himself a glass of water. "Don't worry, my cultivation is not worse than his. I also used the magic grass doll, so he won't be able to find it for a while."

The Illusion Grass Doll is a phantom substitute created by the Nightmare Clan. Made from the Dream-Dwelling Grass cultivated by the Nightmare Clan, it contains the creator's blood, spiritual power, and an Illusion Substitute Talisman. Cultivators of similar cultivation levels find it difficult to distinguish between the real person and the imaginary substitute within a short period of time, which is one of the Nightmare Clan's means of preserving their lives.

Ah Qian gulped down his water and sighed, the water tasted like wine. "Since the clan leader wants to keep an eye on me, I won't hide anymore. I'll just come to you openly. We're just friends catching up. What can he say?"

Ji Tang thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. Avoiding everything will only make him more suspicious."

A Qian took out a list from his storage bag. "I asked the people here and pieced together this list. It contains the names of the people currently imprisoned in the Phantom Valley. The names are listed in front, followed by their characteristics."

Ji Tang took it carefully and looked at it by candlelight. After a while, she said, "Xue Mei assigned me to be on duty in Huanguang Valley."

Ah Qian was surprised and said, "Really?! That's great! This will make it easier for you to save people! But why did he arrange for you to go to the Phantom Valley?"

Ji Tang carefully put away the list, a mocking smile on his face, "He wants me to get closer so I can see more clearly."

A Qian's expression suddenly changed. Without saying a word, he slammed his hands on the table.

The bamboo table couldn't bear the weight and creaked a few times. The candle on the table dropped large drops of wax. The flame flickered, making Ji Tang's smile look a little scary.

Ah Qian felt a little cold, "It's a bit cold tonight."

Ji Tang raised his eyes, "Really? I don't feel anything."

Ah Qian stretched his hand closer to the candlelight, as if it would help him feel warmer. He remained silent, and when he saw Ji Tang's smile gradually fade, he said, "Don't worry about the tribe members. They were dissatisfied with Xue Mei's behavior to begin with, and now that you're back, they have a backbone. They all expressed their loyalty and said they would support you to become the leader of the Nightmare Clan and the fourteenth generation of Nightmare Lord."

Ji Tang hummed lightly: "There's no rush for this matter. The important thing is not to let them leak the news."

Ah Qian agreed, "I know, don't worry."