The Glory of the Tribe

Feng Fu pinched his beard and said, "The Jiang tribe has a serious power gap. Below Jiang Xuan, the strongest are only at the mid-Innate stage, and there are no more than a dozen adult men. The rest, a few dozen to a hundred, are all children. The only adults who are numerous are the women, who also manage the tribe's affairs."
"So what?" Shen Taiping frowned slightly.
"Beautiful women bring disaster. Isn’t it easy to stir up some trouble with these beautiful women?" Feng Fu grinned. "Then we can anger the entire Jiang tribe, but they’ll be powerless to do anything. They’ll have no choice but to make Jiang Xuan step forward to make a decision!"

"But there are Black Armor Guards in the earthen city!" Shen Taiping’s frown deepened.
No one dared to cause trouble in the Jiang tribe's earthen city, even though hundreds of outsiders had arrived, all of them at the Innate stage, capable of flattening the city with ease. But in the past twenty days, no such conflict had occurred, all because of the Black Armor Guards.
The geniuses from Feixue City never considered any tribe a threat.

But no one dared to look down on the Black Armor Guards!
Those were Lord Lei Hong’s personal guard!
"These Black Armor Guards were originally only tasked with guarding the earthen city during the three days of the life-and-death battles every month. For the rest of the time, they simply stayed here. However, they’ve been rotating here for over half a year, and they’ve built many connections with the Jiang tribe. Some even have a very close relationship with Jiang Xuan. If we stir up trouble, I’m afraid..."

Shen Taiping was concerned that the Black Armor Guards might intervene in their personal capacity, and he did not want to provoke them.
"Besides, Lord Lei Hong..." Shen Taiping added.
"If we kill a few members of the Jiang tribe, that’s definitely not possible. It would be too big of an issue, and the Black Armor Guards would definitely intervene!" Feng Fu quickly responded. "But if we handle things well and start with some 'small matters,' we can still provoke Jiang Xuan! As for Lord Lei Hong, didn’t he return to Feixue City yesterday? He hasn’t come back yet... By the time he does, we’ll have already made peace with the Jiang tribe."

"Small matters..." Shen Taiping seemed to be thinking, then hurriedly asked, "What exactly do you mean?"
"Can’t you just be a little rogue?" Feng Fu succinctly suggested.
"This..." Shen Taiping hesitated.

He was the number one genius of the second family in Feixue City, the Shen family, and had great renown under the rule of Feixue City! He was fighting to claim the title of the top genius of Feixue City! Acting like a rogue? Like some undisciplined scoundrel?
Such shameless acts were beneath him!
"I’m not really asking you to act like a rogue." Feng Fu, seeing Shen Taiping’s hesitation, added, "It’s a fake!"

"But once it gets out, it will be true," Shen Taiping responded.
He looked at Feng Fu as though saying, "You’re shameless, but I need you."
"Perhaps I could arrange something, stir up a little trouble—not too big, not too small. As long as I can anger Jiang Xuan, and he dares to come to see me, I can pressure him and make him lose face," Shen Taiping thought out loud. "I’ve heard the men of the tribe love to show off. It won’t be hard to provoke him into fighting me!"
Shen Taiping was acknowledging Feng Fu’s idea but didn’t want to take on the blame himself.

"This is a bit complicated. Will we have time to set it up this afternoon?" Feng Fu reminded. "Lord Lei Hong might come back tomorrow."
"That..." Shen Taiping hesitated again.
Feng Fu smiled at Shen Taiping.

Seeing Feng Fu’s expression, Shen Taiping suddenly understood.
"Old Feng, you have another brilliant idea? Hurry up and tell me!" Shen Taiping said, his eyes lighting up. He even picked up the teapot and poured tea for Feng Fu.
"Let me play the rogue. You protect me," Feng Fu smiled. "Anyway, my reputation is already bad, I’ve long been used to it! I’m your family’s guest, and from the family’s perspective, protecting me is understandable. If Jiang Xuan wants to move against me, he must first defeat you!"

Shen Taiping’s eyes brightened, his excitement growing.
"Hahaha, brilliant! Old Feng! Brilliant! Then this time, I’ll reward you handsomely when I become the top genius of Feixue City!" Shen Taiping laughed loudly.
"It’s my duty to ease the Young Master’s worries," Feng Fu laughed, then picked up his teacup. Shen Taiping followed suit, and they clinked their cups before drinking.

What a beautiful sight!
Feng Fu didn’t have much of a background, but through careful planning and scheming, he had gathered enough resources to cultivate and reach the top of the Innate Realm, becoming unmatched in fame. He often felt that the children of great families were rather foolish—just by flattering and deceiving them, a large reward could easily be obtained!
Just like this time!

He would soon become the biggest contributor to Shen Taiping claiming the title of Feixue City’s number one genius! Not only would Shen Taiping reward him, but the Shen family would also reward him in the future!
And what had he sacrificed?
Just a little bit of public humiliation.

"Chen Yuanxuan visits Jiang Xuan every few days. She must be acting as a mediator for her brother," Feng Fu reminded. "She might succeed in convincing Jiang Xuan at some point. If you want to beat Chen Yuanzhou to the punch, we must act quickly."
"Old Feng! Brother Feng! Then please take care of it! The sooner, the better!" Shen Taiping eagerly poured another cup of tea for Feng Fu.
"Hahaha! Alright! For you calling me 'Brother!' Just wait and see!" Feng Fu laughed, raising his cup. "Let me congratulate you in advance! The title of Feixue City’s number one genius belongs to Young Master Shen Taiping!"

"Hahaha!" Shen Taiping laughed loudly.
The two clinked their cups and drank together.
In the afternoon, as the sun began to set.

The temperature was pleasant, marking the season of mild weather. The back mountain was picturesque, with flowers in full bloom and birds chirping. On the edge of an open area, there was a beastskin blanket on the ground, covered with various food boxes. In addition to different types of pastries, there were exquisitely cooked birds and beasts, making for a truly lavish feast.
"My brother lost to Shen Taiping again this morning," Chen Yuanxuan said, standing aside with a cold expression.
"With their current strength, both of them should be in the top thirty of Feixue City. Although they’ve only just comprehended the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth, they are prodigies. Once they break through to the next realm, their strength will definitely be at the top of that stage!"

"Here, have a bite." Jiang Xuan handed a piece of beast milk pastry to Chen Yuanxuan.
"I’ve had lunch already," Chen Yuanxuan coldly declined.
"It won’t hurt to try one bite. It’s delicious, you’ve probably never had anything like it," Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Come on, let me feed you."

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
In fact, the tension between the two had started to build up a half month ago. Jiang Xuan had even scolded her for not finishing the food in her bowl.
This wasn’t the first time Jiang Xuan had fed her.

Chen Yuanxuan straightened her legs, slowly bent down, brushed aside her long hair, and opened her mouth to bite the pastry. Her red lips brushed Jiang Xuan’s fingertips, and she quickly withdrew.
"Mm, it’s not bad," Chen Yuanxuan straightened up, ate the pastry, and then continued as if nothing had happened.
There was now a certain layer between them, a layer neither of them was willing to address.

It was a small interlude.
Jiang Xuan continued eating, and Chen Yuanxuan continued talking.
"I will find an opportunity to persuade my brother not to persist in challenging you," Chen Yuanxuan said. "He and Shen Taiping are both true prodigies. Two years from now, they will both enter the Tribulation Realm. Challenging you is just a matter of pride, wanting to make one more name for themselves before they enter the Tribulation Realm. Whether they challenge you or not won’t affect their future breakthrough."

"But if you lose, it would have a huge impact on you! Everyone will know you didn’t have the strength to defeat the Ge brothers. I’ll persuade my brother, but as for Shen Taiping... you don’t need to bother with him."
"You sold out your brother for a wild man like me?" Jiang Xuan teased as he glanced at Chen Yuanxuan.
"Why do you speak so harshly?"

Chen Yuanxuan scolded him, "And I’m not doing it for you. During my stay here, I’ve really come to like your tribe. So many women, united and strong! They need your protection, and your reputation now cannot be tarnished! So stop deluding yourself. I..."
"Here, this is good too." Jiang Xuan interrupted her by offering another pastry.
Chen Yuanxuan bent down once more to take it.

"Xiao Xuan! Clan leader! Xiao Xuan!"
Suddenly, a panicked voice echoed.
Chen Yuanxuan immediately stood up, turning her back and covering her mouth as she quickly ate the pastry, then pressed her lips together and, as if nothing had happened, turned back around.

"Something’s wrong! Clan Leader!"
Jiang Qianhe came rushing over, gasping for breath. "A big problem has occurred! You need to go check on it!"