"With the Grand Elder's assurance, we feel much more at ease. If there's nothing else, we'll head back to the post station and go to the palace tomorrow."
Shen Jinchen entered the court as a young man and fought wits with those old foxes in the court. At present, this group of people seem to be on good terms, but in reality they are fighting fiercely. The reason why the Miao King had an accident is probably related to the internal affairs of Miao territory. It seems that he will have to investigate it carefully after returning.
"Thank you for your trouble! Since the person was brought by the High Priest, the High Priest should escort him. The King is still not awake, and we old men need to keep an eye on things here to prevent any accidents."
Elder Luo Hu's slanted eyes looked terrifying, but his tone of voice was gentle and casual.
"The Grand Elder is right!"
The high priest gave the elder a deep look, then went ahead to lead the way.
After the others left, the Fifth Elder, Tian Dequan, looked at Luo Hu and spoke:
“Old Luo, the high priest is the king’s own son. If anything happens to the king, we will still have to serve him as the Miao king. Why do you have to offend him?”
"The king will not die, so don't think nonsense. If the high priest wants to ascend to the throne, he has to wait for the Gu King and Gu Queen to produce the next generation of Gu King and Gu Queen."
The elder glanced at the person on the bed, then his gaze darkened, and he looked at everyone with a cold expression.
"The Grand Elder is right. How did the Gu King and Gu Queen disappear? What a coincidence that they vanished right after the King's accident?"
Among the elders, the Third Elder, who did not know how to raise Gu, couldn't help but ask a question when he saw the atmosphere was a bit tense.
“I advise the Third Elder to have Lu Duling strengthen the defenses of Miao territory. We have lost our Miao King, and the Gu King and Gu Queen have also disappeared without a trace. This is the weakest point in our defenses. If someone takes advantage of this, we will not even have a home in the future.”
"How can it be such a coincidence? We just had an accident here, and three people came demanding the Gu King and Gu Queen to remove the Gu? It's very possible that they are using the pretext of removing the Gu to plot against our Miao region."
"Elder, although I, Lao Tian, am not on good terms with your faction, it's all internal conflict. Now the enemy is standing right in front of us, so don't make a mistake."
No sooner had the Third Elder finished speaking than the Fifth Elder, Tian Dequan, began to chatter on and on, looking as if he were earnestly advising him.
“You people who raise Yin Gu, don’t believe everything you hear. Regardless of whether they are after Miao territory or not, let’s wait until the king wakes up. If he doesn’t wake up, those three people will definitely not be able to leave Miao territory.”
The elder glanced at Tian Dequan, whose eyes were full of calculation, and said in an unquestionable tone.
"The Grand Elder is right. At this point, there's no need for our Yin and Yang factions to fight anymore. Let's listen to the Grand Elder and wait until the Miao King wakes up before discussing anything further."
Seeing that Fifth Elder Tian Dequan was about to retort, Second Elder stepped forward in a gloomy mood to act as a peacemaker. He was a cultivator of Yin Gu, so he was naturally of the same faction as Fifth Elder. But at this moment, he really did not want to argue with First Elder, so he could only persuade the two of them to back down.
"The Second Elder and the First Elder are both right. Right now, we must prioritize the safety of Miao territory. We Miao territory only have Gu (poisonous insects), not a large army. If the Central Plains invade, even if we can inflict heavy losses on them, we still cannot withstand their million-strong army. We would be separated from our families, which is not something we want to see. So we should unite and resolve the crisis first. Don't you agree, Fifth Elder?"
When the Third Elder, Lu Youdan, saw that the Fifth Elder was still trying to talk, he interrupted him and shut him up.
"You can't even raise a Gu gu, what's the point of saying all this? You really think you're something special."
The Fifth Elder curled his lip in disdain. Of all the elders, the one he looked down on the most was the Third Elder. He was someone who was born unsuitable for raising Gu, yet he occupied the position of Third Elder. It was truly a case of someone who was occupying a position but not doing his job.
"Fifth Brother, what exactly are you trying to do?"
The Second Elder, seeing that he was still unconvinced, looked at him with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to stare a hole through him.
"I... fine! I'll shut up! It seems there's nothing more for me to do now, so I won't join in your fun. Goodbye!"
Tian Dequan was speechless for a moment, then clicked his tongue and turned to leave.
"Second brother, you are the leader of Yin Gu. I suggest you replace this scumbag. Otherwise, it will hurt you. The Tian family is not without people. Tian Dequan is not the only one who can be an elder. Isn't there also Tian Guisong? I advise you to think it over carefully."
As the First Elder watched Tian Dequan's retreating figure, he kindly patted the Second Elder's shoulder and gave him a meaningful reminder.
"Brother, you've thought this through. If Tian Dequan continues to cause trouble, I, your second brother, will personally deal with him. As for the others, you shouldn't worry about them. You should focus on the King and the Gu King's affairs."
Luo Hu's reminder did not move the Second Elder in the slightest. His gaze was sharp and probing, clearly suspecting that the First Elder had ill intentions.
The Yin Gu and Yang Gu factions have been locked in a life-or-death struggle for hundreds of years, so reconciliation is not so easy. He could naturally hear the unspoken meaning behind their words.
"You people who practice witchcraft are truly unreasonable."
After seeing the Fifth Elder's sinister face, the Third Elder had no choice but to endure the back-and-forth bickering between the two smiling tigers, the Elder and the Second Elder. Finding it pointless, he left alone without saying a word.
He bumped into his son right when he got home.
As soon as Lu Duling saw him, she couldn't help but ask:
"Father, why are you back? The King in the palace..."
"Why did you say I came back? The Miao region is now at a critical juncture of life and death. It's a pity that those old fogies from each family are still fighting each other. And we Lu family members have never raised Gu, so why are you worrying about it? Go to sleep. Your father hasn't slept in ages, so don't bother me!"
Lu Youdan gave his son a look of disappointment and anger, vented his frustration, and then went into his room to sleep.
Lu Duling glanced at her energetic father, her raised hand froze for a moment, and then she prepared to go out.
But just as he reached the door, he ran into Tian Ying, the one from the Fifth Elder's household who practiced Yin-nourishing and Gu-curing techniques.
Lu Duling was most afraid of seeing her, but now there was nowhere to hide, so she could only awkwardly greet her.
"Tian Ying!"
Where are you going? I'm looking for you.
Tian Ying smiled warmly, her silvery laughter making her two little tiger teeth look especially beautiful. It was a pity, after all.
"What do you want?"
After calming herself down, Lu Duling asked indifferently.
"You know I like you, so why have you been avoiding me?"
Tian Ying grabbed him, preventing him from leaving.
“Tian Ying, there is an unwritten rule in Miao territory that people with the talent for raising Gu cannot marry those without it. So we are not suitable. Please do not come looking for me again. Our statuses are not equal. Du Ling is not good enough for you. Besides, Tian Ying, don’t forget that you have already promised yourself to someone else, and that person is not me.”
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