The Glory of the Tribe

Under the moonlight, in the forest behind Earth City of the Jiang Tribe.
Lei Hong appeared out of nowhere before the mysterious stone. He couldn’t discern the secret of the stone itself, and as he gazed at the cultivation marks on the ground nearby, he frowned slightly. He didn’t sense Jiang Xuan’s aura nearby.
Whoosh!

Lei Hong appeared in another part of the clearing, still unable to sense anything.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Lei Hong shifted locations several times, finally stopping. As he looked down at the objects on the ground, his expression suddenly became strange. He saw a shoe, and with his level of perception, he could instantly recognize it—it was Jiang Xuan’s.

He raised his gaze slightly and looked further.
Lei Hong then saw an outer robe carelessly discarded in the grass, which also seemed to belong to Jiang Xuan.
With a flash, Lei Hong moved over.

As he looked around again, this time, he saw another shoe, a woman’s shoe! This made Lei Hong’s expression change dramatically. If he wasn’t mistaken, this shoe had once been worn by Chen Yuanxuan. But he couldn’t be certain; there were other women’s disciples and guards from the Stars Pavilion in Feixue City.
"Chen Yuanxuan is proud and aloof, she doesn’t even regard Xie Hanjie highly. Jiang Xuan, though impressive, has a significant age gap with her. He’s also a tribesman. Although Jiang Xuan has been acting like a true man, he’s only sixteen, still a youth, and Chen Yuanxuan is a… real woman. She wouldn’t… it couldn’t be her…"
Lei Hong was startled.

He followed the discarded items further into the forest. After walking a short distance, he stopped again, then bent down and picked up a hairpin from the grass. This hairpin, made of "Swallowing Source Red Jade Crystal," had appeared five years ago at an auction in Feixue City, and was eventually bought by the Chen family for twelve thousand middle-grade Yuan Crystals.
After that, this hairpin had occasionally been worn by Chen Yuanxuan.
It was incredibly expensive and unique!

Lei Hong looked at the hairpin before returning it to its original place. He didn’t continue searching—there was no need to. If he found them now, it would be awkward. What if the two were still... even if not, Lei Hong could deduce they were both undressed.
"Well, this really is…" Lei Hong didn’t know how to assess the situation.
But he wasn’t the type to meddle.

Since Jiang Xuan was currently unavailable, he would leave it for later.
Lei Hong disappeared into the forest and left the back mountain.
Far to the east, below a cliff, surrounded by dense vegetation and tall trees, there was a hidden hot spring.
In the back mountain of Jiang Tribe’s Earth City, there were many breathtaking or unique places—small lakes, waterfalls, rivers crossing through, and two hot springs in total. This one was the smaller of the two, located far from the Communication Stone but still the closer of the two.

The two were soaking in the hot spring.
Only their necks were visible above the water’s surface.
Jiang Xuan leaned against the side, while Chen Yuanxuan rested her head on his chest. Below the water, their hands were intertwined. From the afternoon until now, they had shared a thorough connection—both physically and mentally. In between, they had spoken a lot.

But now, they didn’t want to speak.
They just wanted to enjoy the quiet of the night, the warmth of the water, and the company of each other.
"By the way, there’s something else..." Jiang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, "Do you know Jiang Qinghong?"

"Mm, I’ve heard about her twice. Didn’t she run away from the tribe?" Chen Yuanxuan, seeming a bit sleepy, didn’t open her eyes and spoke softly.
"Grandma Jin has ordered that no one in the tribe is to talk about her, especially to outsiders," Jiang Xuan continued, "But do you know… what our relationship is?"
"She’s a few years older than you, right? I heard you’ve always admired her, secretly in love?" Chen Yuanxuan said. There were people in the tribe who spoke carelessly, but they had also hidden the most crucial information from her.

"We got married." Jiang Xuan said.
Chen Yuanxuan fell silent, then opened her eyes. She leaned forward, leaving Jiang Xuan's embrace, turning around to face him. The moonlight cast on her face, and her eyes seemed to spell out two words—scoundrel!
"Why didn’t you say anything before forcing me?" Chen Yuanxuan asked coldly, her eyes dark with emotion.

"Isn’t this more exciting?" Jiang Xuan said, his expression one of understanding.
Chen Yuanxuan’s breath caught for a moment as she stared at Jiang Xuan, then her expression softened and became indifferent.
"Forget it, we’re never going to have a future anyway. I can stay in Jiang Clan for a few months, half a year, or even a year as long as I claim I’m learning swordsmanship from Lord Lei Hong… but any longer, and people will figure out our relationship."

"My family is set on finding me a husband. I can delay it, but I can’t delay forever…"
"Are you planning to marry someone else?" Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"I’ll leave Northern Hongzhou, find a place where my family can’t find me, and pursue my path to becoming a god and demon." Chen Yuanxuan said seriously. "Don’t think I’ll stay for you. That would only harm you. The only way my family will accept you is if you agree to join by marriage, but that would require my extreme efforts to convince them. But you can never join... I have no issue marrying into the tribe, but my family will never approve."

The water in the hot spring rippled.
"It seems you don’t have much faith in me."
Jiang Xuan suddenly moved forward, wrapping his arm around Chen Yuanxuan’s waist.

"I advise you not to have any illusions. Don’t think that just because your parents succeeded, we have a chance. This is different!"
Chen Yuanxuan looked into Jiang Xuan’s eyes. "In the last two to three hundred years, the Chen family has always been the strongest in Feixue City, incomparable to the Wei family. Right now, their overall strength is at least ten times weaker. The first family has the rights of the first family. If you anger them, they can wipe out Jiang Clan, even if it means offending Lord Lei Hong. The Inspectors have fixed terms, and even Lei Hong’s term will end in four years. He’ll leave!"
"The family remains firm, and the Inspectors come and go… I can’t harm you!"

Jiang Xuan didn’t argue with Chen Yuanxuan; her pessimism was expected. He still needed time to prove himself.
"So, you can only stay in my tribe for a year?" Jiang Xuan said, tightening his arm around her waist.
"I’ll try to make it happen." Chen Yuanxuan said.

"Then this year, we..." Jiang Xuan grinned mischievously.
"Do whatever you want," Chen Yuanxuan replied bluntly. Once they crossed that line, Chen Yuanxuan also found herself enjoying it.
"We could dual-cultivate." Jiang Xuan said.

"You know about dual cultivation?" Chen Yuanxuan was surprised. Dual cultivation was very rare; it was said that ancient sects were proficient in it, but most of those techniques had been lost. Even the Chen family, with its vast collection of books, didn’t have any dual cultivation techniques.
"I came across one by chance, though I haven’t fully comprehended it. I’ll teach you in a few days." Jiang Xuan said, not mentioning that the technique could help heal Chen Yuanxuan’s damaged meridians, keeping it as a big surprise for her.
The Chen family had spent years and vast resources, but they couldn’t restore Chen Yuanxuan’s talent.

Jiang Xuan wasn’t sure how Chen Yuanxuan, with her clear-cut emotions and bold personality, would repay him once she received such a huge benefit, but he looked forward to it.
"Are you coming?"
"Yes."

"Want to go to the cliff?"
"Are you afraid of being seen?"
"Who’s going to be here in the wild mountains?"

"Mm..."
The next morning, the scent of the bonfire still lingered in the air, and the usually bustling Earth City was quieter than usual.
Countless people were probably still drunk and unconscious.

In the mansion where Chen Yuanxuan and her brother resided, Chen Yuanzhou was already up, practicing his sword techniques, only focusing on his movements. Though his swordsmanship lacked the innate power to make it seem formidable, the movements were still profoundly mysterious.
Whoosh!
Xie Hanjie appeared out of nowhere in the courtyard, carrying a bag on his shoulder.

He didn’t address Chen Yuanzhou but walked straight toward the western side room where Chen Yuanxuan lived. He stopped at the door and raised his hand to knock, but then frowned and turned back to ask Chen Yuanzhou, "Yuanzhou, where did your sister go early this morning?"
He couldn’t sense anyone inside the room.
"She didn’t come back," Chen Yuanzhou replied.

"Didn’t come back? What do you mean?" Xie Hanjie frowned.
"She went to the back mountain to ask Jiang Xuan for guidance on mastering Robbery Realm techniques," Chen Yuanzhou assumed. "Jiang Xuan practices obsessively, able to retreat for days, and my sister is the same. They’re probably spending the whole night in cultivation."
"Mm..."

Xie Hanjie nodded. "Jiang Xuan mastering Robbery Realm Swordsmanship at such a young age must have been a great motivation for your sister. It’s truly admirable that she’s seeking guidance from him without feeling ashamed to ask."
"Actually, my sister’s ambition is even stronger than mine, but her situation is unique, and no one can compare to her." Chen Yuanzhou said. He rarely spoke so openly about his sister, but since Xie Hanjie was going to be his brother-in-law, he felt comfortable sharing.
"Lord Lei Hong just spoke to me, saying Feixue City is urging me to return. I may need to leave before you," Xie Hanjie looked at Chen Yuanzhou. "I’ll go to the back mountain and say goodbye to your sister. I’m leaving now."

Back in the forest near the Communication Stone on the back mountain.
Jiang Xuan was shirtless, wearing only his pants.
Chen Yuanxuan had already gotten dressed. The clothes and accessories that had been scattered everywhere were now gathered and worn. Her belt had been torn, but she managed to tie it back in place for now, planning to change once back in her room.

They both lay back on a beast skin rug, gazing at the sky.
"Are you hungry?" Chen Yuanxuan asked.
"I’m fine, another hour and someone will bring food," Jiang Xuan replied.

"I won’t stay to eat with you. I need to go back, or Yuanzhou will look for me. I also have to meet with Lord Lei Hong..." Chen Yuanxuan said as she sat up.
Jiang Xuan also sat up.
They looked at each other, and then both reached up to gently touch each other’s face, sharing another kiss.

A figure quietly appeared in the forest nearby.
Then, eyes widened in shock.