Everyone knows the truth, but without evidence, no one can judge right or wrong. So the military leaders involved in the mediation could only try to smooth things over. Fortunately, the Yi family did not overreact, which made the leaders think that the matter was over. They even praised the Yi family for their noble character. Little did they know that Yi Potian had already decided to seek out Lin Yao and then take revenge. He was afraid of losing people, as the Jiang family still owed the Yi family hundreds of lives over the decades.
Of course, Lin Yao was unaware of Yi Potian's decision, because he had already left the small town.
When Lin Yao mentioned that he had learned a technique from the Miao people that could further enhance the strength of the Yi family members, Yi Fei went crazy. He reported to Yi Potian and decided to send a full force to sweep through the Daika Miao people in western Hunan. Although Lin Yao was still given medicine while his face was covered when he left the valley, Yi Fei knew the specific route clearly because the poison was ineffective against Lin Yao and he could "see" the terrain and location even while covered.
Twenty days had passed since Lin Yao was poisoned by the Gu, and Lin Yao's opinion of the Miao people of the Daika tribe had changed.
The Miao people are simple and straightforward, and are very polite to their elders and peers. They also have very strict etiquette rules in their daily lives.
But all of this is just a facade. There are not simple-minded people among the Daika tribe, represented by the old fox; the kind and gentlemen who are simple and kind to their own people are often fierce, bloodthirsty and horrific when they go out and have conflicts with other tribes. Lin Yao personally experienced such a scene, which shocked him so much that he was speechless.
"Are these the same polite, peaceful, and helpful Daika people we usually see? Or is it an illusion? The duality of human nature?"
Lin Yao was conflicted. He suddenly remembered a report he had seen online before, which described how conflicts and fights broke out in some rural areas over the ownership and water rights of a certain drinking water ditch. Farmers who were usually as docile as sheep fought back with carrying poles, buckets, and kitchen knives, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
This may be the duality of human nature; foolish simplicity can often lead to great slaughter.
"Zhuoka, we have to wait. Chief Jinka is entertaining guests and probably won't have time to see us for a while." Baka was the leader of this procurement trip and was giving his routine report after returning to the valley. Lin Yao was the one whose results he had to show in his routine report, so he pulled Lin Yao along to wait by the cave.
"It's alright, I'll sit down and rest for a bit, I'm tired anyway." Lin Yao casually picked a rock to sit on, thinking that since a distinguished guest who couldn't be seen by others had arrived, he would definitely have to spy on him.
The tendrils of the grass and Lin Yao's senses penetrated the rock and entered the stone house inside the cave where Jin Ka was located. The content he heard as soon as he entered the stone house shocked him greatly. He was glad that he had returned in time, otherwise he would have missed the opportunity to escape.
"Clan Chief Ma, the elders will arrive at the valley tomorrow. I hope you can accept the conditions offered by the Jiang family." A strange male voice rang out. Lin Yao detected that the man who claimed to be from the Jiang family was at the early stage of the Earth Rank.
The Jiang family? Isn't that one of the four great families in the south? And they happen to be the Yi family's mortal enemies. No wonder my itinerary was investigated so thoroughly. If it's the Jiang family, it makes perfect sense. After all, the Jiang family has a lot of influence in the military system. They have the qualifications and means to plot against Yi Fei, control some families, and invite the Yi family elders as guests.
Looking back at everything, Lin Yao found the answer: when a series of coincidences happen one after another, the power behind them becomes apparent, and the Jiang family is the perfect target that fits the criteria.
Lin Yao also learned another piece of information from the conversation: the Miao surname of the Daika people is Ka, but the corresponding Han surname is Ma. However, this information is no longer of much value and can be considered redundant.
"No way!" the old fox refused outright. "We had an agreement beforehand: if he stayed with me, the medicines he refined would be given priority to your Jiang family. How can you go back on your word?"
"Chief Ma, the situation has changed. We've discovered that the Yi family in Yanji has mobilized in full force, and those who didn't leave Yanji have all dispersed into the countryside. Yijia Town is now a ghost town." The Jiang family man's voice was very calm. "This means they've discovered your whereabouts, which is why they've all come to western Hunan."
"When did this happen?" Jinka's voice was low, revealing his inner turmoil.
"Noon, just a short while ago," the Jiang family man said calmly. "You don't need to doubt my information. Although I've been in the valley all day, I have a satellite phone with me, so I can contact the outside world at any time."
Jin Ka's expression immediately changed, wondering if Lin Yao had already escaped. Suppressing his shock, he slowly looked at the Jiang family man and said, "Mr. Jiang Wei, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."
Jinka rushed out of the cave and saw Baka and Lin Yao sitting idly on the rock. His expression immediately relaxed. He thought that perhaps the Yi family's move was not to Xiangxi, but to go to the factory to fight the Jiang family. He could not give in at this time, otherwise he would miss Lin Yao.
After assigning several tasks to send Ebakar and Lin Yao away, the old fox returned to the cave to negotiate.
Having obtained enough information, Lin Yao didn't stay in the cave; he headed directly towards the temple. At this point, Lin Yao had more freedom of movement. As long as he was alone in the valley, no one would restrict him much, since Dika was being watched by several people, including Nika.
"Yaoyao, we need to act now, or it will be too late," Xiaocao's voice rang out.
“Yes.” Lin Yao sighed. “Although the Jiang family is known for its unorthodox techniques, their individual combat strength is by no means weak. Otherwise, they could not have climbed to the bottom of the four great families. An elder of the Jiang family is either at the Heaven level or at the peak of the Earth level. It is impossible for them to produce so many people at the mid-Earth level like the Yi family.”
"I've heard Yi Yang mention this before. Other aristocratic families, especially the major ones, are very strict about controlling the identities of their elders. The four great families are basically all Heaven-level experts. Of course, because of their hostile relationship with the Jiang family, and because the Jiang family likes to play tricks, they may not necessarily be Heaven-level, but they are definitely at the peak of Earth-level. Every one of the four great families has a Heaven-level expert in their ranks, otherwise no matter how strong they are, they cannot be ranked among the four great families."
“Then we’ll start our operation tonight. You move a little closer to the temple, and I’ll scout it out and familiarize myself with the route.”
Little Grass also became nervous. Although she was not afraid of Heavenly-level experts at the moment, she could not use too much power during her recent seclusion, otherwise this seclusion would be in vain and the second leaf would be out of the question.
Of course, if she obtained the Bright Gold, that would be a different story. However, the magical power in the underground hall was too strong, and Xiaocao was not confident that she could obtain the Bright Gold in such a short time, since she knew nothing about the reason for the magical power generated in the basement.
"Alright, let's make our move tonight." Lin Yao replied through gritted teeth. Xiao Cao's matter was his matter, and he absolutely could not let Ming Jin go. A divine object of the same level as the Earth Mother was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he would regret it for the rest of his life if he let it escape.
Lin Yao didn't have much concern about the "Thousand Mountain Gu" inside his body.
First of all, this kind of Gu is only a deterrent force and cannot be used to torture people and force them to compromise like other Gu worms. There are only two outcomes: either they die or they live well.
In this way, Jinka would never kill Dika easily, because in their minds they would definitely die, a dead person is worthless and would be a waste of all the effort they had put in.
As for using Dika to find out his location, Lin Yao didn't have a solution for the time being. He was hesitant to let Xiaocao kill the Gu worms, so he would deal with it later. Anyway, he wasn't afraid of even a Heavenly Realm expert, so the problem shouldn't be too troublesome.
Lin Yao felt relieved after letting go of his worries. He would be leaving the valley tonight, a place he both loved and hated after living there for more than a month.
What I love is that I learned extremely useful abilities here, which I can use on myself and the Yi family members after returning home to quickly improve my abilities. This method of using witchcraft to strengthen the body is especially suitable for practitioners of the "Yi Jin Jue" because the most critical issue restricting the advancement of the "Yi Jin Jue" is the strength of the tendons and bones, and witchcraft is just right.
Hatred is simple; anyone who gets kidnapped will hate the kidnapper. The kind of plot in movies and TV shows where a kidnapped girl falls in love with her kidnapper only exists in film and television. What girl is that thick-skinned?
If a woman can still appreciate the scent of a kidnapper's masculinity and even develop feelings for him when her life is threatened, then she's either brain-dead or an idiot, the kind of idiot whose IQ is no higher than 30, or simply "a woman who falls for men."
When Lin Yao first arrived in the valley, he thought the people here were nice, except for the old fox, they were all simple and honest. But as time went on, he overturned his previous idea. The people here were ignorant and barbaric, kind to their own people, but uncivilized savages to outsiders.
The savage's assessment excludes Dika, because her behavior earned Lin Yao's trust. Although she had used the Gu poison, it was done under his persuasion and with her mother's tears. Moreover, the situation at the time could easily have misled the girl, and Lin Yao, who had studied psychology, naturally understood her Gu poisoning behavior.
Lin Yao, who never gave up on escaping, naturally wouldn't really like this valley. At most, it could only be considered a summer resort for a few days' stay, and it had no other value.
Should we go check out Deka?
Lin Yao immediately abandoned this idea. The Yi family was already on their way, and the Jiang family elders would arrive the next day. Sooner or later, a head-on confrontation, or even a life-or-death conflict, would break out. Meeting them again would only add to the trouble.
Lin Yao, feeling dejected, completed the final investigation. Xiao Cao was surprised to find that she could extend her tentacles into the underground hall. However, there was a strong magical reaction around Ming Jin, and the extended tentacles were weak and unable to penetrate to obtain Ming Jin. Otherwise, she could have achieved her goal simply by sitting around the temple.
A dark night for murder, a windy night for arson.
Dressed in Miao clothing, Lin Yao disguised himself as a Daika man of similar build and tumbled out of the wooden house like a cat. The gloomy night sky was devoid of stars and moon, which was a stroke of luck.
Carefully bypassing the guards, Lin Yao, with his ability to sense grass and his own senses, moved with ease in the darkness, reaching the main hall of the temple.
Make your move! Xiao Cao instantly placed two ordinary disciples in the main hall. These disciples guarding the temple had not yet reached the early stage of the Earth level. After all, the Daika tribe did not have many experts and could not spare people to take turns guarding, so they did not arouse any vigilance and allowed Lin Yao to reach the seat of the great god Chi You.
Tentacles filled, lock opened. Little Grass, the best locksmith, opened an old-fashioned brass lock in less than ten seconds. The detailed structure of the lock cylinder was clearly visible to her. With Lin Yao's guidance, the unlocking work went incredibly smoothly. Even after Lin Yao entered the underground passage, Little Grass extended her tentacles to cover the passage and relocked the brass lock, also waking up the guard in the process.