Xu Mu's Generosity

It was none other than the fox spirit Asi, whom they had encountered before.

She and several dozen of her fellow tribespeople were sitting on the ground, surrounded by a few experts.

The Xianling and Pang clans had been very powerful even before, and besides their leaders, they also had other experts who had broken through to higher realms.

Xu Mu immediately walked toward the slope ahead. Xianling Nan and Li Chenshuang, who were beside him, followed closely behind.

When they reached a low-lying area ahead, Xianling Nan was the first to spot the fox spirit Asi in the distance.

"No wonder you suddenly walked so fast. Looks like you two have some kind of telepathic connection."

Xianling Nan flashed a bright grin, but that grin was quite unsettling.

"I just sensed a bunch of powerful figures gathered here and thought something had happened."

Xu Mu glanced at Xianling Nan.

"Holy Maiden!"

An elderly man in the distance spotted Xianling Nan's return and hurried over. "We were scouting farther out and found the Fox Servant tribe, so we captured them."

"Xu Mu!"

Asi from afar saw Xu Mu and ran over as well. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Xu Mu said with a smile. "I'm working with them now."

Asi's calm face was filled with surprise when she heard this. She couldn't understand why a Yanhuang man would be cooperating with the White Stone tribe.

But she wasn't the type to press for answers. Since Xu Mu was fine, she felt relieved.

"What happened to you? Didn't I tell you to run? How did you end up captured again?"

Xu Mu asked with a curious expression.

"We were heading west, but we noticed experts fighting in that area. Even the shockwaves from the battle injured some of our people. We had no choice but to turn back and hide in a mountain forest."

Asi paused, then turned to look at the elderly man beside her. "After that, they caught us."

"I sensed experts fighting over there too, so I went to check it out, but by the time I reached the destination, the battle was already over."

The old man explained. "Later, I discovered them."

Xu Mu nodded slightly after hearing this, then said to Xianling Nan, "Let them stay. These old, weak, women, and children pose no threat to you. Besides, they were planning to surrender anyway."

"No way! I'll let her off, but she has to say it to my face: the Lao Jie tribe is trash and deserves to die!"

Xianling Nan pointed at Asi.

"Don't force her. I'll say it for her, alright?"

Xu Mu stepped in front of Asi.

"Get out of my way! I want her to say it!"

Xianling Nan grabbed Xu Mu's arm, trying to push him aside, but Xu Mu grabbed her wrist instead.

"Do you still want to cooperate with me or not? Asi is a good person. I won't let you bully her."

Xu Mu said coldly.

[Affection +10]

[Affection -1]

The affection increase came from Asi, while the decrease was naturally from Xianling Nan.

"What good person? I think she's just a fox spirit, putting on a weak act."

Xianling Nan crossed her arms and said coldly.

Li Chenshuang smiled faintly, watching it all. She certainly understood what was on Xianling Nan's mind—to put it simply, jealousy.

"Xu Mu, I'll say it."

Asi stepped forward on her own, coming out from behind Xu Mu. Before she arrived, she had already made up her mind. To ensure her tribe survived and avoided total annihilation, she felt this was nothing.

Asi looked at Xianling Nan, her eyes neither servile nor arrogant. "The Lao Jie tribe deserves to die."

"And what about our Xianling tribe? I remember you once said we deserve to die too."

Xianling Nan continued to press.

"Enough."

Xu Mu pushed Xianling Nan aside. "You're both from the White Stone tribe. Don't go too far."

"Hmph!"

Xianling Nan pouted and turned away.

Xu Mu then looked at Asi. "Take your people and settle down here. They won't target you."

"Thank you."

Asi smiled and quickly walked back to her tribe.

Xu Mu let out a breath and went to sit on a distant slope.

Li Chenshuang followed and sat beside him. "By the way, are you really that confident in your friend?"

"What do you mean?"

Xu Mu glanced at Li Chenshuang.

"Chen Xuan. He's only at the Grandmaster level right now, and you let him go with two Breakthrough-level experts to fight another Breakthrough-level one. Don't you think history might repeat itself, like what happened with Xianling Nan before?"

Li Chenshuang spoke, noticing Xianling Nan approaching from afar.

Xu Mu understood what Li Chenshuang meant—that the enemy would pick the weakest target. Just like when Wu Tu had tried to kill Xianling Nan earlier.

And neither Xianling Qi nor Pang Xun had Xu Mu's kind of techniques, nor would they risk themselves to save a stranger like Chen Xuan.

But that was just how outsiders saw it. Xu Mu saw things differently. As the protagonist, Chen Xuan would never die in a place like this. With all his destiny energy, it was like he had countless lives to turn danger into safety.

"Xu Mu, I haven't given you the rings yet."

Xianling Nan walked over, holding a few rings, and handed them to Xu Mu.

Li Chenshuang, seeing this, also took out the rings she had and placed them all on the grass in front of Xu Mu. "Let me be clear—I didn't hide any."

"I don't believe you. Who knows, maybe you stashed some rings in some blessed land like those other women."

Xu Mu grinned at Li Chenshuang.

"Bah! Disgusting!"

Li Chenshuang rolled her eyes at Xu Mu.

Xu Mu took the rings and inspected them one by one. Finally, he pulled out an Earth-grade cultivation technique and tossed it in front of Xianling Nan.

"This is for you. It should boost your combat strength quite a bit."

"Xu Mu, are you serious? This is an Earth-grade technique, and it's not even exclusive to the White Stone tribe—no racial restrictions."

Xianling Nan caught the technique, disbelief in her eyes.

[Affection +20]

"Take it. Why are you being polite with me?"

Xu Mu took out another Earth-grade technique and handed it to Li Chenshuang beside him. "Here's another Earth-grade technique for you."

Li Chenshuang was stunned. There were only two techniques in total, and Xu Mu was giving them both away. What would he keep for himself?

This wasn't Yellow-grade or Mystic-grade—this was Earth-grade. She couldn't believe Xu Mu didn't want it.

"Are you sure you're giving this to me?"

Li Chenshuang asked uncertainly.

"It's for you. If you don't take it, who will?"

Xu Mu said, then turned to examine the remaining rings.

Li Chenshuang looked at the technique in her hands and finally stored it in her space ring.

She realized something. She remembered that when she had traveled with Xu Mu before, he had been this generous. But if he was always like this, how could his strength progress so quickly? If he gave away all his treasures, how could he improve?

Unless...

He was only generous with her? Or with someone he liked?

[Affection +20]

Li Chenshuang took a deep breath. Coming here had been a massive leap for her. She had seized two larvae of the Sacred Gu Parasite, obtained a puppet corpse stronger than herself, and now received an Earth-grade technique.

Treasures like these—even if she didn't cultivate them herself—could fetch an enormous price if she sold them.

"I don't want the ninth-grade heavenly treasures they gave us afterward, Xu Mu."

Even someone as thick-skinned as Li Chenshuang couldn't bring herself to accept any more treasures.

Besides, in her view, an Earth-grade cultivation technique already surpassed a ninth-grade heavenly treasure.

After all, the range of ninth-grade treasures was too broad—some were useless despite their rank, offering little real benefit.

But an Earth-grade technique was different.

"Brother Mu!"

Just then, a cheerful voice came from a distance—it was Chen Xuan returning.