The story splits in two.
As the yellow-robed middle-aged man chose to pursue Zhou Chun, it meant Mu Ziying was now out of danger.
Knowing the urgency of the situation, she, despite her worries for the Mu Family Cultivators and Zhou Chun's safety, galloped towards Biyun Mountain without stopping.
After nearly two hours of relentless riding and changing horses, she finally returned to the Mu Family.
Without waiting for the Cultivators guarding the Mu Family's gate Array to ask for details, she hurriedly informed them of the Mu Family Cultivators and Zhou Chun's peril.
Upon hearing that several Mu Family Clan Members were in danger and that Zhou Chun, a distinguished guest invited by their family was also at risk, the Cultivators guarding the gate Array realized the gravity of the situation and quickly rang the alarm bell, awakening several of the Mu Family Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage who were in mid-cultivation.
"Quick, Ziying, come with me to save Taoist Friend Zhou, Great Elder, you go to Wild Wolf Ridge first to assess the situation. After I join you, we will make further decisions!"
On Biyun Mountain, after learning the full story from Mu Ziying, Clan Leader Mu Xuanfeng's face changed drastically, and he immediately made a decision to rescue them.
He and Great Elder Mu Jianghe quickly departed on their Magic Artifacts, splitting up and flying away from Biyun Mountain.
Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage flying full-force on Magic Artifacts far surpassed the speed of those in the Qi Refinement Realm. They would not need two hours to cover a distance of two to three hundred miles.
Following Mu Ziying's guidance and with the advantage of an overlooking view from above, Mu Xuanfeng quickly found the charred corpse of an Ink Scale Steed, as well as bloodstains left by the yellow-robed middle-aged man on the ground.
"The blood hasn't dried yet, and there are no traces of burning the corpse. It seems that Taoist Friend Zhou has fled."
Mu Xuanfeng looked at the bloodstains on the ground and the traces left by Zhou Chun's departure, quickly making his judgment.
He raised his hand and cast a thread of Mana, drawing a clump of blood-stained soil into his hand. Then he pinched a magic seal and chanted an incantation, using the scent of the blood on the soil as a medium to cast a tracking secret technique.
Such secret techniques, based on tracking residual scents left on hair, clothing, and other objects, were considered a measure of a Cultivation family or sect's heritage.
Families or sects possessing such techniques could, should any of their members be harmed outside, potentially find and catch the assailant, provided that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could reach the scene in time to trace the assailant's residual scent, assuming the assailant hadn't fled too far away.
Of course, this was predicated on the assailant not possessing countermeasures to such techniques.
As the secret technique was applied, Mu Xuanfeng soon sensed the direction of the assailant through the technique.
"He went that way!"
His gaze shifted towards the direction the assailant had taken, and without delay, he and Mu Ziying set off in pursuit.
After chasing for dozens of miles, Mu Xuanfeng's eyes turned icy as he looked down at a certain mountain peak below.
"Hmph, thinking you can escape by hiding in these desolate mountains? Naive!"
With a cold snort, Mu Xuanfeng led Mu Ziying to a secluded cave entrance on the mountain peak and then strode into the cave.
Before long, the yellow-robed middle-aged man, his clothing stained with blood and unconscious, was dragged out of the cave by Mu Xuanfeng.
Exiting the cave, Mu Xuanfeng turned to Mu Ziying following behind him and said, "Ziying, as you just heard, Taoist Friend Zhou should be safe. Now it's up to you to take on the arduous task of shouting and searching for him in the mountains. I need to meet the Great Elder at Wild Wolf Ridge."
"Yes, Ziying obeys," she replied.
After Mu Ziying acknowledged the command, she saw Mu Xuanfeng, holding the yellow-robed middle-aged man, soar into the sky and quickly disappear from her sight.
Then, thinking of Mu Xuanfeng's instructions, she too started moving through the surrounding mountains, calling out Zhou Chun's name loudly as she went.
According to the confession of the yellow-robed middle-aged man, after bandaging his wounds and chasing Zhou Chun for a while, he lost track of him in this mountain range.
Because of his injury and fearing he might encounter Mu Family Cultivators sent to support at Wild Wolf Ridge, he hid in the mountains.
He had never imagined the Mu Family would value Zhou Chun so highly, to the point that Clan Leader Mu Xuanfeng would personally come to search for and rescue Zhou Chun.
Thus, while hiding in the cave, he became trapped with no escape, like a turtle in a jar.
After learning this, Mu Xuanfeng surmised that Zhou Chun must have used some technique to conceal his breath and was hiding nearby in the mountains.
This was why Mu Ziying was now shouting and searching throughout the mountains.
Although somewhat simple and strenuous, this method was indeed very effective.
From underneath a pile of rocks and soil caused by a landslide, Zhou Chun, upon hearing the familiar voice of Mu Ziying, hastily had the Rock Earth Turtle that was covering him move aside a little and crawled out from the pit.
Previously, he had hidden in this pit, relying on the Rock Earth Turtle's innate ability to conceal its breath, which covered his own, to evade the search of the yellow-robed middle-aged man.
For a Qi Refinement Realm Cultivator, the range of Divine Sense they can extend outwards is limited and is significantly impeded by obstacles like soil and rock.
Also, when the Rock Earth Turtle enters a state of quiescence, it becomes indistinguishable from a still boulder, completely lacking in characteristics of a living being, such that even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Divine Sense might fail to recognize it without careful attention.
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Therefore, Qi Refinement Realm cultivators can only spot a Rock Earth Turtle in a state of turtle breath if they are close enough to see it with the naked eye.
However, the place where Zhou Chun was hiding was at the bottom of a mountain cliff, surrounded by weeds and shrubs.
It wasn't just that the yellow-robed middle-aged man himself was physically disabled, even if he were able-bodied, it would be unlikely for him to walk all the way to the end of the cliff just to look at a bunch of stones.
At this moment, Zhou Chun came out from his hiding place, listened carefully for a while, and then loudly responded to Mu Ziying's call.
Before long, he saw Mu Ziying, dressed in purple, appearing on top of the mountain cliff.
"Taoist Friend Zhou, I'm so relieved you're okay, that person chasing us has been captured by the Clan Leader, and it was the Clan Leader who specially instructed me to look for you in these mountains," Mu Ziying, still with sweat on her brow, smiled at Zhou Chun after he used the "Wind Control Skill" to reach the top of the cliff, and went on to recount the events that had transpired.
After hearing her account, Zhou Chun also felt relieved and nodded, "I see, you've had quite the trouble, Taoist Friend Mu."
"What's this trouble in comparison? If it weren't for Taoist Friend Zhou leading that person away, Ziying might have turned to ashes by now, it should be Ziying who thanks Taoist Friend Zhou," Mu Ziying said, and sincerely bowed to Zhou Chun to express her gratitude.
Seeing this, Zhou Chun had no choice but to accept her gesture of thanks.
The two then walked back to Biyun Mountain together.
By the time Zhou Chun and Mu Ziying returned to Biyun Mountain, they quickly noticed a change in the atmosphere among the Mu Family Cultivators.
All the Mu Family Cultivators they encountered looked solemn, as if burdened by something, and even those who greeted him were fewer in number.
This instantly made him realize that the situation at Wild Wolf Ridge was probably far more severe than he had imagined.
It was very possible that the Mu Family's strength was insufficient to settle the matter.
Sure enough, as soon as it was known that he and Mu Ziying had returned, Clan Leader Mu Xuanfeng personally summoned him.
"This time, Taoist Friend Zhou was put in danger due to our Mu Family's negligence, which was a violation of the promise made to Clan Leader Zhou. On behalf of the Mu Family, I owe Taoist Friend Zhou an apology," Mu Xuanfeng said in the Clan Leader's office hall, standing up and clasping his hands towards Zhou Chun immediately, foregoing other topics and expressing his apologies first.
Zhou Chun was faced with an apology from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he certainly couldn't afford to be as casual as he was with Mu Ziying.
He quickly dodged to the side and waved his hands repeatedly, "Elder Mu is too polite, I am neither worthy of such honor nor capable of deserving such a gesture."
Seeing his reaction, Mu Xuanfeng did not insist further, simply nodding his head lightly, "An apology alone indeed serves no practical purpose when a mistake is already made."
He then looked at Zhou Chun with a hint of relief and sighed, "Fortunately, Taoist Friend Zhou is blessed with good fortune and clever methods, preventing the Mu Family from making a grave mistake and giving me and the Mu Family the opportunity to apologize and make amends to Taoist Friend face-to-face!"
This remark truly struck a chord with Zhou Chun.
Verbal apologies were just noises to the ear, far less useful than tangible compensation.
Of course, he couldn't reveal this inner thought on his face, but instead he also showed an expression of relief and said, "I was indeed lucky this time, if that man hadn't been careless and allowed my Spirit Pet to injure his legs, I might not have been able to hold out until Elder Mu arrived."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xuanfeng's eyes flashed coldly, and he said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Taoist Friend Zhou, that scoundrel is now imprisoned in the Mu Family dungeons. If Taoist Friend wishes, the Mu Family will allow you to personally behead him as retribution."
He then waved his hand, and a Storage Pouch flew from a rack in the hall into his hand, which he handed to Zhou Chun.
"Additionally, this Storage Pouch belonged to that scoundrel, containing all of his belongings. Consider it compensation from me and the Mu Family for the shock you have experienced, and I ask that Taoist Friend Zhou please do not refuse it."
Refusing was out of the question.
After experiencing the battle he'd just been through, Zhou Chun was acutely aware of the gap between his strength and wealth and those of the later-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
The few Magic Artifacts possessed by the yellow-robed middle-aged man had left a profound impression on him and were undoubtedly precious items.
Now that all these items were his, how could he possibly refuse?
He even dispensed with modesty on the spot, immediately grasping the Storage Pouch and bowing deeply to Mu Xuanfeng, "Thank you for your generous favor, Elder Mu, then I shall humbly accept it."
As for dealing with the yellow-robed middle-aged man, Zhou Chun naturally would not presume to intervene.
He believed that the Mu Family would certainly not let the man off easily.
"It's good that Taoist Friend Zhou is willing to accept," Mu Xuanfeng waved his hand, then looked intently at Zhou Chun and slowly said, "The Mu Family may soon face some issues. If Taoist Friend Zhou continues to stay with the Mu Family, we may not be able to provide adequate care. Therefore, I would like to ask Taoist Friend Zhou to return to the Zhou Family first."
"As for the transmission of the Beast Taming Technique, it can be discussed between our families at a later time."
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