The Gu Tribe High Priest’s village, despite having “village” in its name, rivaled a major city in both scale and population.
To the northeast of the city, in addition to mining some spirit mines, there were also some special ores here—Jade Dragon Stones. Even though nearly a thousand years had passed since their discovery, almost half of the Jade Dragon Stones remained unmined. Some sealed veins even showed signs of regenerating.
Mo Haitian was the person in charge here. As a Nascent Soul Realm Peak cultivator, he only needed a few more decades before he had a chance to break through to the Soul Formation Realm. At that point, he could be transferred back to the clan to serve as an Elder and enjoy a comfortable life.
In the two hundred years since he had taken office, no major incidents had occurred, especially with the spirit mines. As for Jade Dragon Stones, their sales volume was indeed high, but they were only useful for low-level cultivators. For someone like him, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Today, after completing his routine inspection, Mo Haitian returned to his dongfu and leisurely sipped tea.
Before he could take a few sips, the door was slammed open with a crash.
“Mo Guanshi! Mo Guanshi!”
A young man rushed in frantically.
“What’s all the panic about?”
Mo Haitian calmly took a sip of tea, then slowly said, “In life and in work, you can’t be hasty. Something urgent?”
The young man swallowed hard, caught his breath, and said, “There is something urgent!”
With that, Mo Haitian immediately sat up straight and said seriously, “Did a mining accident happen?”
If a mining accident truly occurred, then as the Guanshi, he would be held accountable, and his promotion to Elder would be as good as gone.
“N-no… not that!”
The young man waved his hands.
Hearing that it wasn’t a mining accident, Mo Haitian’s tense body relaxed.
“Then what is it?”
“Someone has come.”
“Someone has come?”
Mo Haitian furrowed his brow. He hadn’t received any notice of an Elder coming to inspect.
“Which Elder is it?”
“It’s not an Elder.”
“Not an Elder, then who?”
“It’s the High Priest’s personal disciple—Miss Shuanger has arrived!”
…
Swish—
A streak of light flew over and landed at the mining area’s main gate moments later.
The guards immediately became alert upon seeing it. Based on the aura of the arrivals, they were Nascent Soul Realm experts!
A burly scar-faced man draped in animal hide carried a large blade over his shoulder. Judging from the true qi fluctuations emanating from his body, he was at the Golden Core Realm.
“Friend, may I ask what business brings you here?”
The scar-faced man said with a solemn expression.
The light faded, revealing three figures.
Standing at the front was a tall woman with a stunningly beautiful face, dressed in flowing white robes. Just by standing there, she exuded an aura that kept others at a distance—like frost and snow descending from the heavens, akin to a fairy who partook not of mortal dust.
Then there was a young girl. Though her looks were slightly inferior to the white-robed woman’s, she hadn’t fully blossomed yet. Her graceful, upright figure radiated youthful vitality, her jet-black hair cascading to her waist, and her light green attire accentuating her budding figure.
Finally, there was a young man. Well… compared to the two women, he appeared quite plain. His features were delicate, and his frail, slender frame made him seem fragile enough to be toppled by a gust of wind.
“Elder Sister Ruoshuang, leave this to me.”
Lu Shuanger stepped forward a few paces, and the scar-faced man immediately tightened his grip on his blade, warning, “Sir, if you take another step forward, don’t blame my blade for being merciless.”
The scar-faced man didn’t recognize Lu Shuanger. After all, the personnel turnover at this mining area was low to begin with, and he didn’t care much about interpersonal relationships, so he hadn’t memorized Lu Shuanger’s face.
Seeing the scar-faced man’s reaction, Lu Shuanger guessed he didn’t know her. But that was fine—she had something to prove her identity.
“Here, please take a look at this.”
In Lu Shuanger’s hand was a token, crimson all over, with the character “Sacrifice” inscribed on it.
“This is!”
Seeing that token, the scar-faced man’s breath caught. Though he didn’t recognize Lu Shuanger, he definitely recognized this token.
The High Priest’s personal token!
“Sir, may I ask who you are…”
The scar-faced man’s attitude immediately turned respectful.
Lu Shuanger raised her chin and said, “Just tell the Guanshi that Lu Shuanger has arrived.”
“Got it! Sir, please wait a moment!”
The next moment, the scar-faced man rushed off to report the news.
After a short while, a middle-aged man in black robes walked over with a smile plastered on his face.
“Miss Shuanger’s personal visit—what an honor! I apologize for not welcoming you from afar!”
Mo Haitian glanced at the white-robed woman and the young man. The young man was only at the Qi Refining Stage—utterly unremarkable. But the white-robed woman made his eyelids twitch involuntarily. With his cultivation level, he couldn’t even see through hers.
Sensing someone probing her, Qin Ruoshuang turned her gaze toward him.
Mo Haitian met the white-robed woman’s eyes and instantly felt as if he’d been plunged into an ice cellar. He quickly averted his gaze.
When had the Gu Tribe produced someone like her?
Arriving at Mo Haitian’s dongfu, Qin Mu looked around. It was rather frugal.
“Hehe, might I ask what business brings Miss Shuanger here today? Could the High Priest have some orders?”
Mo Haitian asked.
Lu Shuanger shook her head and said, “Mo Guanshi, rest assured. I’m not here on official business this time. I simply wish to take a look at the Jade Dragon Stone mine.”
Upon hearing that it was only to look at the Jade Dragon Stone mine, Mo Haitian breathed a sigh of relief. If she wanted to inspect the spirit stone mine, he truly wouldn’t have the authority to approve it. But Jade Dragon Stones were no problem—after all, they weren’t of much use.
“I see. I’ll have someone escort Miss Shuanger to inspect it right away.”
Mo Haitian waved his hand, and a young man standing at the door walked in.
“Hehe, this lad is named Mo Yongzhi. He’ll be the one to escort Miss Shuanger on her inspection.”
Mo Yongzhi was Mo Haitian’s nephew. After learning that Lu Shuanger had arrived, he had sent someone to summon his nephew over.
His main goal was to score some favor points with Lu Shuanger. After all, she was the High Priest’s personal disciple. Moreover, Mo Yongzhi was handsome and talented—if he could spark a romance with Miss Shuanger, that would be absolutely perfect!
“I am Mo Yongzhi. It is an honor to meet Miss Shuanger.”
The young man smiled warmly.
Mo Yongzhi was eighteen this year, close in age to Lu Shuanger. He was currently at the Qi Refining Stage, Yuanman, and he was confident he would break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage before turning twenty!
Today, after learning from his uncle Mo Haitian that the High Priest’s personal disciple, Lu Shuanger, had arrived, he had been on high alert, preparing to show her his most handsome side.
The Mo family held a certain status within the Gu Tribe, after all—they had a Nascent Soul Realm expert as their pillar, and his own talent was the best the Mo family had seen in nearly a hundred years. So he believed that he was entitled to marry a woman of Lu Shuanger’s standing.
Though he did have a few concubines, he had never regarded those women seriously.
But when Mo Yongzhi first laid eyes on Lu Shuanger, he indeed found her breathtakingly beautiful. The next moment, however, he was utterly stunned by the white-robed woman behind her!
Whether it was her appearance or her figure, it was the first time in Mo Yongzhi’s life he’d seen anything like it. Especially that icy temperament—beautiful yet cold and aloof.