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Mi Jin nodded noncommittally, yet puzzled, he asked, “Quelling the Red Cloud Village issue isn’t a big deal, but how to defy the Du Clan?”

“The Sect Head is unaware.” Mi Zhen, brought up this issue with such emotion that his voice involuntarily rose, “This morning, I went to Red Cloud Mountain and tried to entice the Du Clan with extremely generous conditions, but Du Sha kept making excuses. So, I set another appointment for tomorrow. Just now, I heard that without turning down the Mi Clan’s approach, Du Sha agreed to Tang Luo’s plan for civilian recruitment, which has enraged me!

The stewards in the council hall, while busy with their own tasks, listened in. Finally, they understood why Third Elder was so furious.

Having heard Mi Zhen’s words, Mi Jin pacified him in a soft voice, “Third Elder, calm down. In this Sect Head’s opinion, now is not the right time to move

against Red Cloud Village.¹

“Why?” Mi Zhen frowned, “Red Cloud Village lies on the largest mountain range in the east. Since the flooding of Xiling City is now inevitable, it’s of strategic importance to Xiling. Are we supposed to just yield it to the Tang

Clan?”

“Third Elder, you are mistaken.” Mi Jin gave a bitter smile and shook his head, explaining, “Red Cloud Mountain is a contested land for both clans, yet Third Elder presumes that because Du Sha is willing to shelter civilians, he has sided with the Tang Clan. My opinion differs. Ever since Du Sha burst onto the scene, the prominent families of Xiling have been trying to recruit Red Cloud Village for a full decade. Even the Mi and Tang Clans have repeatedly shown good faith, but this formidable person ignored us all. At first, I thought it was due to his aloof nature, but having thoroughly examined the archives of Red Cloud Village for hundreds of years, I realized it wasn’t so.”

Upon hearing Sect Head Mi Jin’s words, the previously angered Mi Zhen blushed. The task of recruiting Red Cloud Village had been delegated to him because of his acquaintance with Du Sha, hence he thought he almost had it in the bag. He certainly had read the archives of the Du Clan in Red Cloud Village, but only within the last century.

Unexpectedly, Sect Head Mi Jin managed to read all the archives of Red Cloud Village spanning several centuries amidst his busy schedule. It seemed he put more effort into it than the elder assigned to the task. How could this not put one to shame?

“Third Elder, please don’t misunderstand.” Seeing the embarrassment on Mi Zhen’s face, Mi Jin quickly consoled him, “The Sect Head was just curious about why Red Cloud Village wouldn’t accept the recruitment attempts of all the clans. Especially Du Sha of this generation, who is impermeable to influence. But after searching through the archives of Red Cloud Village for hundreds of years, I finally found an answer.

Mi Jin looked at Mi Zhen, his eyes as if seeing everything. After pausing between words, he said, “The descendants of the Du Clan in Red Cloud Village have lost their ability to bear children; I’m afraid their clan is on the brink of

termination.”

“What!?” Mi Zhen turned pale, “Extinction??”

“Yes.” Sect Head Mi Jin nodded with regret, “At the peak of its power, the Du Clan had a population of 5000, with six members in the Fierce Realm. Armed with the formidable Red Cloud Skill, they were by no means inferior to the typical prestigious families in Xiling. But now, the Du Clan’s population is less than a thousand. Du Ziteng, the current generation, is the only male in the Du Clan, and there hasn’t been a newborn for ten years. Initially, I thought the backlash of the Du Clan’s Red Cloud Skill was similar to that of the Cao Clan. But now it seems that although the Red Cloud Skill is more powerful, it is also more malicious.”

Although the Du Clan is not as dominant as it once was several centuries ago, no one dared to belittle its reputation, largely due to Du Sha’s eminent status. But to see such a clan nearing its end invokes sighs of lament.

“Does that mean it’s impossible to recruit them?” Mi Zhen widened his eyes, somewhat at a loss.

No wonder Du Sha scorned the generous offer from the Mi Clan. Though it was well known that the Red Cloud Skill was a Bridal Clothes Technique, no one expected such horrific side effects. It deprived the practitioners of their fertility within several centuries. What a ruthless sect created this technique?

For a formidable person like Du Sha, the lack of constraints is what the clans feared the most. If he didn’t crave for battles, even the Combined Attack Technique of the Fierce Realm couldn’t guarantee his demise. If he went berserk, even the Mi Clan would have to consider the safety of its common members.

The recruitment seemed instantly impossible.

“Not necessarily.” Mi Jin laughed lightly, “Young Master Tang has just demonstrated a good example for us.”

“What do you mean?” Mi Zhen asked in confusion.

“Third Elder can’t possibly think that this mere child can dominate a renowned powerhouse like Du Sha,” Mi Jin smiled, “In my opinion, Tang Luo and he have only reached a temporary consensus. Du Sha agreed to shelter the civilians in the prohibited mountain, while Tang Luo was in charge of spreading the news of the flood warning across the city.”

“So you mean…” Mi Zhen’s face suddenly lit up with excitement, “Du Sha has not yet joined the Tang Clan?”

“Exactly.” Mi Jin nodded, “If the Du Clan had already formed an alliance with the Tang Clan, Tang Luo wouldn’t have widely broadcast the flood warning. On the surface, the announcement alerts the people of Xiling to seek refuge from the imminent flood. In reality, it’s aimed at the prestigious clans of Xiling. He wants all of Xiling to believe that the Du Clan of Red Cloud Mountain has joined the Tang Family. If we send troops to attack Red Cloud Mountain now, Du Sha will certainly fight back desperately, and the Tang Clan will surely send aid. This would indirectly push this powerful person into the arms of the Tang

Clan.”

“This child has such deep plots!?” Mi Zhen couldn t believe it.

Tang Luo was only fifteen years old, no older than Mi Clan when they received the news. It’s impressive how he thought up such a deep-schemed plan in such a short time, it was somewhat chilling.

“Of course he doesn’t.” Mi Jin spoke with a cold, expressionless face, “But I don’t think the same can be said about that scoundrel Tang Zhi. The battle at Jiang Lin ended with the death of Mi Chu; there were too many signs of a scheme in play. Tang Luo as the giant completely restrained Chu’s current beast soul and bloodline. The only one who could have hidden beneath the ground and outsmart Chu’s every move was Tang Zhi. Only he could have discerned from a single order given to the Beast Taming Sect that the Ml Clan had spent trillions on nurturing Chu. Though Chu died at the hands of Tang Luo, fundamentally, it was all down to Tang Zhi’s machinations!

No one understood better the intricacies of Tang Zhi than him. As the head of the Mi Clan, they often quarreled over external resources. Tang Zhi’s scheming tactics and endless nefarious tricks had caused him countless headaches. But he had also gained a deep understanding of Tang Zhi’s strategic style through continued confrontation.

“To exchange flood news for a top Xiling powerhouse, Tang Zhi’s calculation is indeed accurate, even Third Elder almost fell into his trap!” Mi Jin was somewhat triumphant. Had he not gone through the archives of Red Cloud Village last night, he would have also assumed that Du Sha had taken Red Cloud Village to join the Tang Clan. Although it was partly due to chance that he was able to uncover the opponent’s plot, it turned the tide from being passive to active, which was somewhat gratifying.

Mi Zhen also came to his senses, but Tang Luo had taken the initiative, and he was still in the dark about how to win over Du Sha afterward. So he asked Mi Jin, “What should we do?”