Chapter 495: Chapter 3: Trouble Caused by Restless Feet (5th Update)
Lin Yu indeed came with friendly intentions, but...
She hadn’t expected these attacks to be so weak. Seeing that all those things were directed at Lin Yun, her first reaction was naturally to show no mercy. As a result, the aftermath cleared the field, leaving both sides in the conflict stunned.
The situation became extremely awkward for a moment. In a flash of quick thinking, Lin Yun jumped out and said, "My friends, no need to be tense. We were just passing by and accidentally triggered a trap. How about you continue?"
Lin Yun was spouting classic nonsense, and only then did both sides seem to realize what was happening.
"Despicable Chief of Bajiao Stronghold, you actually had Central Plains People help you in this sacred duel and came up with such a lame excuse!" an angry man clad in white clothes exclaimed, clearly the leader of the White Clothes Camp.
The leader of the Black Clothes Camp, however, was a woman. She stood at about one meter sixty—a bit short compared to Central Plains Cultivators—but she was voluptuous and moved with a seductive grace. Her glances were coy and full of charm.
"You’re talking nonsense. This person is not someone we invited."
"If it wasn’t you, then it must have been us, right? In the duel just now, you were about to lose!"
This was a fact, but as long as they hadn’t lost, they could deny it. It was just a disadvantage, after all.
The Black Clothes beautiful matron glanced at Lin Yun and found the young man very handsome, developing an instant liking for him. She was just about to send him an inviting look when she met Lin Yu’s stern gaze.
Lin Yun had just said that he often looked at Fang Yu because Fang Yu was...
Humph!
Now, whenever she saw another woman of the same kind, she felt a surge of irritation.
The Black Clothes woman could tell at a glance that Lin Yu was not someone to be trifled with. To be able to destroy all the Gu with one sword, such cultivation level must also be outstanding in the Central Plains. The arrival of such a strong dragon here was not to be taken lightly.
"My two friends, I am Chief Gao Qing of the Bajiao Stronghold. Why have you disrupted our duel?"
Gao Qing? Do you raise horses?
The spirit of SP within Lin Yun began to make snarky comments again. Upon hearing that the other party was the Chief of the Bajiao Stronghold, Lin Yu looked at them with newfound respect.
She had seen the Chief of Bajiao Stronghold when she visited here decades ago; it was an old woman who was probably this woman’s mother.
Lin Yu clasped her hands in greeting, then replied, "The interference just now was indeed an unintentional mistake. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to everyone. We can compensate for all damages at their full value."
"Compensate? Do you know how long it takes to cultivate a Gu Worm from a Gu seedling?" the man in white clothes said angrily. Lin Yun, with a friendly smile, then asked, "Then, sir, how would you like to resolve this?"
That indeed left the other party speechless.
The person wasn’t a fool; they knew that Lin Yun and Lin Yu weren’t easy to provoke. If people from the Central Plains came here so boldly, they must be capable, especially since Lin Yu had just shown her skill.
They couldn’t possibly kill them over a few Gu Worms, and the key issue was they might not be able to beat them. The only option was to let them compensate.
However, those Gu weren’t valuable; the Southern Border didn’t have much else, but common poisonous insects were not scarce.
The main issue was missing the opportunity to duel with Bajiao Stronghold.
This was an opportunity that Qingfeng Stronghold had finally gotten after much difficulty.
Bajiao Village used to belong to the White Wind Tribe but later defected to the Black Wind Tribe.
Ever since, the White Wind Tribe had been constantly suppressed by the Black Wind Tribe in battle, and the only reason they hadn’t utterly collapsed was because of their leader, Bai Jing. Bai Jing was the strongest member of the White Wind Tribe with a high cultivation level and in possession of one of the three peculiar Gu Worms—the Poison Dragon Gu Worm.
The leader of the Black Wind Tribe had an even higher cultivation level, but out of fear for the White Wind’s Poison Dragon Gu Worm, he did not dare press the White Wind Tribe too hard, lest they become desperate and embark on a mutual destruction tactic.
With the Poison Dragon Gu Worm, Bai Jing could achieve this, so the top fighters from both sides kept each other in check, leading to frequent interactions among those below them.
For the White Wind Tribe, there was a strong desire to pull Bajiao Village back in, especially since they had been their own people, who had been betrayed for the sake of a woman. That betrayal had led to the slaughter of the loyal and the strong in the village, and they had subsequently received considerable support from the Black Wind Tribe.
Now, Bajiao Village had completed the transformation where a woman was in charge of the household.
The White Wind Tribe was not willing to accept this and thus sent out Qingfeng Village to duel with Bajiao Village.
The stakes were the fundamental essence of the villages: the loser would join the other side.
For Qingfeng Stronghold, defeat meant that men from other villages could freely climb into the beds of their women—and of course, they could also bed women from other villages.
The Minotaur rejoiced on the spot, but Qingfeng Village was unwilling to accept this outcome. Therefore, they focused on preparation for battle and were on the verge of winning when the incident disrupted their efforts. The strength difference between Qingfeng Village and Bajiao Village wasn’t significant. Next time, with Bajiao Village prepared, Qingfeng might not win.
A one-time chance slipped by, and how could Qingfeng Village not be enraged!
"You have no idea what was at stake in our duel. Having failed to secure victory, how can we even face the people of our village on our return!"
Upon saying this, Lin Yun truly worried that the speaker might commit suicide on the spot.
"Fellow villager, please don’t panic. Take your time to explain, and we will find a way to solve your problem. We will certainly be realistic and analyze the specifics of your current situation to come up with effective policies to ensure satisfaction for both parties, how about that?"
It must be said that after hearing what Lin Yun said, the emotions of the people from Qingfeng Stronghold stabilized quite a bit.
"Let me explain, this duel ultimately decides the fate of our two villages..."
Gao Qing interrupted and took over the conversation midway, quickly explaining the conflict between the two tribes and the current situation, before concluding, "According to the rules, since the duel was inconclusive due to unforeseen circumstances, we can consider it a draw or choose another date to fight. Our friends who have come from afar need not worry too much. Here at the Southern Border, we do not wish for the Central Plains People to meddle in our affairs."
Gao Qing was polite and courteous as she clarified the situation and stated the expectations for Lin Yun and Lin Yu.
The Central Plains People had come, but it would be best for everyone if they did not stir up trouble here.
They supported a rematch because they were close to losing this time. If Lin Yun and Lin Yu were persuaded by Qingfeng Village to take their side, it would add complications. It was much simpler to indicate that they did not need Lin Yun and Lin Yu to take responsibility and to delay the date of the duel, allowing them to plan their strategy as well.
The arrival of these two nobles was indeed timely!
Lin Yun felt helpless. He and Lin Yu had come to seek a remedy for a poison and had no desire to stir up trouble, yet they’d found themselves mired in this mess from the start.
As for the local customs, Lin Yun refrained from judgment. Let them be with their unique traditions—it was not a newcomer’s place to comment.
Still, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat guilty toward the people of Qingfeng Village; after all, their fate weighed heavily upon them...
Had he known beforehand, he would not have taken that step.
He had seen the trap, but curiosity had gotten the better of him: what would happen if he stepped on it?
His brain had just begun to contemplate this when his foot acted instinctively.
And thus his impulsive foot had landed him in trouble...
