Chapter 361- Fierce and Ominous vs. Pretend Weak but Actually a Big Boss (27) END
However, Wu Po, standing nearby, had heard every word Mu Xuan said loud and clear—talk of an engagement and an elopement. Could it be that if nothing had gone wrong back then, Mu Jin would really have married this woman?
The thought that Mu Jin had once been engaged to someone else filled Wu Po with jealousy. He glared fiercely at Mu Xuan, his expression so menacing that it seemed he wanted to kill her on the spot.
Noticing the strange looks from those around her, coupled with Wu Po’s murderous gaze, Mu Xuan instinctively shrank back, not daring to utter another word.
With that, everyone’s attention shifted back to the group from the Gao Shan Tribe.
The Pingshan Tribe leader, observing the defeated and dejected captives, turned respectfully to Mu Jin and asked, “What do you plan to do with them?”
Mu Jin lowered his gaze to the sweat-drenched, yet still defiant, Lang Wei. A faint smirk played on his lips as he addressed the group:
“We’re already close to the Gaoshan Tribe’s territory, aren’t we? These individuals here are among their tribe’s most outstanding representatives sent to the gathering.”
“Yet, they kidnapped the young clan leader of the Pingyuan Tribe, drugged the members of the Pingshan Tribe, and nearly caused all of you harm. It’s only fair for the Gaoshan Tribe to know what their people have done. If they want to ransom them back, they’ll have to pay a price.”
Hearing Mu Jin’s words, the surrounding crowd finally understood his true intention behind setting up this elaborate trap. Their faces broke into smiles, appreciating the cleverness of his plan.
The Gaoshan Tribe had sent a sizeable group to this year’s gathering, and, as was tradition, each tribe selected its most promising young members to attend. However, among the Gaoshan contingent, there was one youth whose abilities were subpar.
That youth happened to be the Gaoshan Tribe leader’s child. Physically weak from a young age, he lacked the capability to succeed as the next clan leader, which had allowed others to exploit the situation.
The Gaoshan Tribe’s leader, upon receiving the news, hurriedly arrived with his people, visibly anxious. After a round of bargaining, Mu Jin managed to extract a considerable amount of valuable items from the Gaoshan Tribe.
For years, the Gaoshan Tribe had relied on their iron weapons to raid and plunder weaker tribes. Mu Jin decided it was time they tasted their own medicine. He not only confiscated all their iron weapons but also uncovered the location of their iron mines.
Mu Jin then arranged for members of the Pingshan and Pingyuan Tribes to take control of the iron mines, ensuring that even if the Gaoshan Tribe produced iron weapons in the future, they would no longer be able to use them to oppress other tribes.
Once the agreement was finalized, Mu Jin kept his promise and allowed the Gaoshan Tribe to reclaim their people.
As for the female lead, Mu Jin knew she no longer posed any significant threat and had no intention of keeping her around to annoy him.
Neither the Pingyuan Tribe, which she had initially fled, nor the Pingshan Tribe, which later took her in, wanted anything to do with her now. Both regarded her as a plague to be avoided. Left with no other choice, Mu Xuan had to return to the Gaoshan Tribe with Lang Wei.
However, life didn’t improve for Mu Xuan after her return. Lang Wei, who had spent years indulging in a hedonistic lifestyle with countless lovers, had been rendered impotent by Wu Po’s devastating kick.
Whenever Lang Wei thought about how all his misfortune stemmed from Mu Xuan’s ill-conceived schemes, which led him to provoke such a formidable enemy, he vented his anger entirely on her.
Though Lang Wei had lost his ability as a man, he found countless other ways to torment Mu Xuan. His cruelty knew no bounds—he even disfigured her face and took pleasure in abusing her daily.
After enduring Lang Wei’s relentless torment, Mu Xuan finally reached her breaking point. Seizing an opportunity when Lang Wei let his guard down, she poisoned him to death, finally freeing herself from his abuse.
However, by this time, the female lead’s face had been disfigured, her youth had faded, and she lacked any useful skills. She was left with no choice but to live a poverty-stricken life in the communal caves of the Gaoshan Tribe.
Of course, that is a story for another time.
At this moment, Mu Jin, having successfully dealt with the Gaoshan Tribe, was brimming with joy as he returned to the Pingshan Tribe with Wu Po. Together, they prepared to hold their bonding ceremony.
The decision to hold the ceremony in the Pingshan Tribe was deliberate on Mu Jin’s part. Wu Po had grown up there, and Mu Jin wanted Wu Po to stand proud before everyone, letting the tribe know that Wu Po was the one most favored by the gods.
On the day of their ceremony, Wu Po’s father and several members of the Pingyuan Tribe attended to celebrate. The ceremony was officiated by one of the Pingyuan Tribe members rather than the Pingshan Tribe’s elder priest.
Although the elder priest wore an expression of deep regret, clearly eager to take part in hosting the ceremony, Mu Jin was adamant in his decision.
After all, even if the priest’s past actions were unintentional, his words had once caused Wu Po to endure years of ostracization. Mu Jin was not one to easily forgive or forget. If officiating this ceremony was such a prestigious honor to the elder priest, Mu Jin was determined to deny him that privilege.
Instead, a skilled orator and apprentice priest from the Pingyuan Tribe took on the role, perfectly suited for the task.
On the day of Mu Jin and Wu Po’s bonding ceremony, they stood together on a specially constructed platform in the tribe. Before the gathered crowd, they exchanged cups of floral nectar and then shared a sweet kiss, sealing their union.
After drinking the floral nectar, Wu Po felt that Mu Jin’s lips were even sweeter than usual. Today, he had finally fulfilled his wish of holding a bonding ceremony with his partner under the witness of the gods. From this moment forward, he no longer needed to worry about being separated from Mu Jin.
But then, something extraordinary happened. The flowers arranged around the ceremonial platform suddenly began to grow wildly. Before long, the plants climbed up the platform, transforming it into a breathtaking sea of blossoms.
The onlookers, witnessing this divine miracle, couldn’t help but fall to their knees around the platform. They prayed with fervent devotion, proclaiming this as a blessing from the gods.
Seeing this, Mu Jin did not stop them. Instead, he turned to Wu Po with a tender gaze, pulling him into a gentle embrace. Whispering softly into Wu Po’s ear, he said, “Wu Po, I’ve always told you that you are the one favored by the gods. Believe me, we will always be together, and our life will be filled with happiness.”
Hearing Mu Jin’s words, Wu Po nodded firmly. He believed wholeheartedly that his future would be spent alongside this person, and their life together would be filled with endless joy and sweetness.
Mu Jin and Wu Po lived many years in this world. Mu Jin did not deliberately interfere with the natural progression of their primitive society. While he taught them some methods to improve their quality of life and ensure plentiful food, he mostly allowed them to explore and develop their world on their own.
Eventually, as the tribes began connecting with one another, Mu Jin finally realized his dream of living in a proper house. He used iron pots for cooking, acquired a variety of seasonings, and enjoyed the delicious meals he had longed for.
Although Mu Jin couldn’t find crops equivalent to the grains from his original world, he managed to ferment fruits into fruit wine. The wine wasn’t very strong, but it had a delightful taste. Thanks to Mu Jin’s efforts, this fruit wine became popular among the tribes and ultimately one of the most cherished beverages in their world.
Not long after Mu Jin and Wu Po became partners, Wu Peng and Wu He also held their bonding ceremony. This surprised Mu Jin a bit—he hadn’t expected the two of them to end up together.
However, seeing Wu He and Wu Peng standing on the ceremonial platform, their eyes filled with love for each other, Mu Jin couldn’t help but think they made a great match.
What’s more, after they became partners, Wu He and Wu Peng thrived together, building a happy and prosperous life. When the leader of the Pingshan tribe grew old, Wu Peng succeeded him as the tribe’s leader, managing the tribe with great order and effectiveness.
Many peaceful years passed in this way. With Mu Jin no longer hindered in his ability to monitor the world through 003, he remained aware of the female protagonist’s situation.
The moment Wu Wei disfigured Mu Xuan’s face, the small world trembled slightly. Mu Jin understood this as a reaction from Qian Sha, sensing that its chosen protagonist had completely lost her role and suffered a secondary major blow.
Having lost her “golden finger” and now her beauty as well, Mu Xuan was no longer able to enchant anyone. She was destined to live as an ordinary woman in this world, and no other tribes would ever experience turmoil because of her again.
With this, Mu Jin felt completely at ease. He found great joy in this peaceful way of life and spent his years in the small world as an advocate for peace. On rare occasions, when conflicts arose between tribes over resources, he didn’t hesitate to display minor miracles to resolve them.
The people of the primitive tribes, who had unwavering faith in the gods, naturally believed that peaceful coexistence would make their lives better.
The only regret was that even after Mu Jin and his beloved left this world, Qian Sha still hadn’t revealed its true intentions.
The shadow energy that Qian Chen had deliberately left on Shadow earlier seemed to have no effect. Qian Sha still chose to remain in hiding. However, its attempt to drain the fortune of the small world failed, leaving it even more gravely wounded.
After Mu Jin completely detached from this world, the voice of Teng Gen echoed in his sea of consciousness, saying to him, “Mu Jin, I can sense that Qian Chen has fully taken over this small world and set it back on the right path.”
Hearing Teng Gen’s words, Mu Jin let out a sigh of relief. A distorted small world forced to choose unsuitable protagonists was prone to chaos.
Now that Qian Chen had taken control, Mu Jin believed the world would soon produce a new, rightful person to inherit its fortune, ensuring no future disruptions.
Still, recalling how neither Shadow nor Qian Chen appeared in the previous world, Mu Jin found himself curious about their current circumstances.
At that moment, the two people occupying Mu Jin’s thoughts were locked in a confrontation.
In a temple floating in the void, Shadow stood helplessly as Qian Chen kept an unwavering gaze on him, refusing to leave his side for even a moment.
Shadow vividly remembered the memories of the previous small world and had come to terms with his feelings. After two lifetimes of deep connection, love, and growing old together, Shadow’s heart now belonged entirely to Qian Chen.
Yet, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat stifled. Because of Qian Sha’s prior schemes against him, Ying found himself under Qian Chen’s watchful eyes since leaving the world. It was as though Qian Chen couldn’t bear for Ying to be out of his sight for even a second.
Knowing that his constitution was especially prone to attracting Qian Sha, Shadow wanted to ease Qian Chen’s burdens. He couldn’t help but suggest, “Qian Chen, perhaps I should…”
“No!” Qian Chen interrupted Shadow’s words sternly. Even though Qian Sha had been injured in the last world and failed to absorb any fortune, Qian Chen still refused to let Shadow take any risks.
Yet, deep down, Shadow still felt guilt toward Mu Jin and Qiong Qi. He understood that if it weren’t for Qiong Qi, he himself would never have come into existence in this world.
After several lifetimes spent living within small worlds, Shadow was no longer naive. He now understood right from wrong and recognized that, in his earlier ignorance, he had indeed made some mistakes.
Now, seeing these two take risks for his sake, Shadow couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Qian Chen, noticing Shadow’s gloomy demeanor, instantly understood what was on his mind. But the mere thought of his beloved being in danger was something Qian Chen could not tolerate.
Seeing Shadow so downcast, Qian Chen could only gently coax him, saying softly, “Don’t worry. They will definitely succeed in defeating Qian Sha. I’ll protect them well and make sure they come to no harm.”
Hearing Qian Chen’s reassurance, Shadow opened his mouth to speak but ultimately swallowed his words.
If worst comes to worst and there’s truly no other option, I’ll secretly act as bait myself…