...
Outside the thatched hut, Xu Mu walked out.
The Wine Immortal, who had been lingering for a long time, hurried up to Xu Mu and asked curiously, "Little Xu, what did Senior Brother say to you?"
Xu Mu tilted his head slightly, glanced back at the simple house, and slowly shook his head, saying,
"Nothing."
"True Master Chongming told me two things, and then asked me to go to Tianshi Mountain to have the ancestral court of the Daoist sect return to Baiyun Daoist Temple."
The Wine Immortal was stunned and said with some bewilderment, "How could he give such a difficult task to you?"
"Let alone you, Senior Brother Tianshui and I have tried countless times to persuade them, but all ended in failure. Those old stubborn folks simply wouldn't listen, and even wanted our Baiyun Daoist Temple to submit to Tianshi Mountain. Isn't that a joke!"
Xu Mu looked at the clouds and mist at the foot of the mountain and said with a click of his tongue, "Tianshi Mountain is the ancestral court of Daoism. If all Daoist traditions were to unify, in principle, it should indeed be incorporated into it."
The Wine Immortal nodded and sighed,
"But Baiyun Daoist Temple has developed to this day. The legacy it has passed down is not much less than that of the ancestral land, and the overall strength of the temple is much stronger than Tianshi Mountain. How can it be reasonable for us to submit?"
"However, since Senior Brother has given this task to you, he must have his considerations. Perhaps what Senior Brother Tianshui and I couldn't accomplish, you, a kid, can really do it."
The Wine Immortal led Xu Mu down the mountain path, speaking with a chuckle. So many miracles had already happened to Xu Mu that unifying the Daoist sect might not be too difficult a task for him.
"Perhaps, but I refused," Xu Mu said calmly after a moment of silence.
"Huh?" The Wine Immortal was first stunned, then froze in place. He grabbed Xu Mu's shoulder, his eyes trembling, and asked incredulously, "You mean, you refused the task that True Master Chongming gave you?"
Xu Mu nodded: "Mm."
The Wine Immortal's head ached. With a shocked expression, he asked, "Why? This is clearly something good for both of us. Why did you refuse?"
"And if you refuse, aren't you afraid he'll get angry? Senior Brother's anger is very scary. Even the Sect Master Uncle can't stop him!"
Xu Mu looked at the Wine Immortal and nodded silently, saying, "I know. True Master Chongming is very powerful, and he's a person without much emotion."
"If he were to vent his anger on me, I would have died already."
The Wine Immortal was stunned:
"Then you still dare to refuse."
Xu Mu said seriously:
"I can't help it, because I have emotions, and many of them."
"Since childhood, I've had no friends, and I still have very few friends. So I cherish them exceptionally. I can't ignore the matter of the Nangong family, so I have to put aside the matter of Tianshi Mountain."
The Wine Immortal was silent for a long time, then sighed heavily, looking at Xu Mu helplessly and saying,
"This isn't for your friends; it's clearly for your sweetheart."
"But it's true. At your age, it's the time to fly into a moth to the flame for love. It's normal to make this choice."
Hearing the Wine Immortal's evaluation, Xu Mu became uncharacteristically nervous. He waved his hand and explained,
"My relationship with Miss Nangong is not what you think, at least not yet..."
As Xu Mu spoke, he sighed again,
"Alas, actually, sometimes I don't think I have any other thoughts about Miss Nangong. I just think she's too beautiful."
"I often feel that if I could keep looking at that face, it would make me very happy, which is why I've been helping her."
The Wine Immortal chuckled and shook his head, "You truly live up to your name, you blockhead. Even thinking like this, you still say you have no intentions towards her. Is it that hard to admit you like her?"
Xu Mu was silent and shook his head, "I don't think so."
The Wine Immortal said helplessly, "Keep being stubborn."
"But now, what do you plan to do about the Nangong clan's affairs? The power within the Daoist temple probably can't be mobilized. You'll have to rely on yourself."
Xu Mu frowned,
"The Hunter's Alliance, my relationship with them is quite good. I also know Master Gongsun of Medicine King Valley, and I can borrow some people from the Jiang family."
The Wine Immortal slowly shook his head,
"Just being on good terms is not enough. You need to find some great clans among the hundred clans and have them pour in their entire resources to have a chance of resolving the Nangong clan's crisis."
"As far as I know, although the Nangong family is being besieged by multiple forces, and half of the hundred clan territories are involved, the main forces are actually the three great clans adjacent to the Nangong family."
"Compared to those forces that only sent two domain lords and were just trying to get a share of the pie, those three great clans have gone all out, emptying their coffers and using all their connections and resources to attack the Nangong family's mountain gate. It has reached a point of life and death."
"So, in comparison, other forces, even the royal court, are just supplementary. Therefore, if you want to help the Nangong family, you must find three families willing to go all out, otherwise, it will all be in vain."
"Find three families willing to go all out..." Xu Mu frowned and pondered for a long time before shaking his head slightly.
During his time in the hundred clans, although he had made many friends and had seniors who valued him, it was already the limit to ask them to act themselves, let alone to go all out.
The price was too high, he couldn't afford it.
Seeing this, the Wine Immortal comforted him,
"If it doesn't work, don't get involved in this mess. The Nangong family's battle will likely last for a long time. If you can persuade those old fellows at Tianshi Mountain before it ends, True Master Chongming and the Sect Master might still have a high chance of taking action."
Xu Mu shook his head,
"You can't gamble on such things. Life and death separation, once wrong, you can never see them again."
Seeing Xu Mu's persistence, the Wine Immortal said helplessly, "Then what do you mean?"
"Since I can't persuade other families to help, then let's try to persuade the enemies."
Xu Mu looked at the green mountains, his eyes firm, and said,
"As long as those families can be instigated, the Nangong family's crisis will naturally be resolved."
The Wine Immortal was slightly stunned. He clearly hadn't considered this method, but how could instigating enemy troops on the battlefield be so easy?
Their hands were stained with the blood of each other's loved ones. How could they easily let go?
The Wine Immortal was silent, "It sounds like this will be much more difficult than integrating Tianshi Mountain."
Xu Mu sighed,
"Yes, much more difficult, but there are no other options."
"Worst comes to worst, we'll use the stratagem of 'Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao'."
The Wine Immortal was stunned and asked,
"What does 'Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao' mean?"
Xu Mu looked at the distant mountains, a smile appearing on his lips,
"Replace Wei with Xu, and Zhao with Nangong. That's what it means."
After speaking, Xu Mu walked out of Tianguang Peak.
The Wine Immortal stood there, pondering Xu Mu's meaning, and then seemed to suddenly realize something, his pupils constricting.
Replace Wei with Xu, and Zhao with Nangong?
Doesn't that mean exposing his identity and attracting the world's attention!
The Wine Immortal looked at Xu Mu's disappearing back and followed him with a wry smile.
"I hope it never comes to that."
"Otherwise, even if Senior Brother and the Sect Master acted together, it might be difficult to protect you."
...