Mo Qi scurried away in embarrassment.
Under the starlit sky, Shui Han flashed a dazzling, world-shattering smile.
Many beautiful things in the human world require one to discover them slowly.
Regrettably, Mo Qi did not see her smile; otherwise, he would have fainted on the spot.
Mo Qi first entrusted the matters concerning Shui Han to Wei Li, then went to research weapons.
An army, without its own weaponry, would find it difficult to be invincible.
In the New Savage Lands, he won battles using the Nine Heavens Divine Arrows.
However, here, he could not refine Thunderbolt Pills.
Therefore, he needed to find an alternative weapon.
The myriad spirit stones of the Demon Realm became the foundation for this new weapon.
From these spirit stones, he selected some with special effects to be used as projectiles, and the catapults were improved versions of mortal catapults.
The key was to increase speed!
Mortal catapults utilized the principle of levers, resulting in slow speeds, which were useless against immortals.
To increase speed, the method of propulsion had to be changed. He thought of spiritual energy.
To launch with spiritual energy, a magical artifact similar to the Nine Heavens Divine Arrows was needed, but with a much larger capacity.
Thus, he began to forge the projectile artifact.
The first step in forging the projectile artifact was to find spirit stones with high impact force.
Then, a larger, container-shaped iron artifact would be used as the base material, transferring the spiritual energy of these impact-force spirit stones to it.
After searching through countless spirit stones, scouring the entire Mianjiang Mountain, and even visiting the Beigou mine, he finally found a type of spirit stone called the "Slingshot Spirit Stone," which perfectly met the requirements.
Consequently, Mo Qi ordered the soldiers to collect Slingshot Spirit Stones in large quantities and summoned artifact refiners to forge the projectile artifact according to his specifications.
The next day, Mo Qi found Li Junren, who was still working with others to build fortifications.
The first time Li Junren saw Mo Qi yesterday, he was very excited. He had never imagined that such an important figure had once lived in his home.
He had wanted to approach Mo Qi and speak to him several times but had held back.
Mo Qi was always busy, and he didn't want to disturb him.
Moreover, given his current status, he doubted Mo Qi would pay him any attention.
Unexpectedly, Mo Qi approached him today, inquiring about his well-being with great warmth, which moved Li Junren to tears and left him flustered.
Mo Qi first asked about his detoxification progress and then about his eldest son, who had also been poisoned.
Li Junren replied that his eldest son, Li Daxiong, had been brought for detoxification yesterday.
Reassured, Mo Qi then asked Li Junren to guide him, as he wished to visit Xin'er.
Li Junren readily agreed and led the way towards Wolf Smoke Valley.
Li Junren led Mo Qi into the valley.
To avoid suspicion, the Wu tribe people lived interspersed among the human population.
Therefore, the valley was not exclusively inhabited by the Wu tribe; there were also humans.
However, the few human families were situated on the periphery of the Wu tribe's settlements, forming a protective formation that implicitly safeguarded the Wu tribe's safety.
Any gatherings or discussions held by the Wu tribe were kept secret from the surrounding humans.
When Li Junren brought Mo Qi to Xin'er's home, Mo Qi was somewhat surprised.
He had expected mountain dwellings to be thatched huts or stone houses, but instead, several large houses stood there, with multiple courtyards. They featured high walls, separate courtyards, red walls, green tiles, and intricate carvings, exuding the air of a wealthy family.
Such architecture was rare in the Demon Realm; these seemed to have been transplanted from the mortal world.
Xin'er's house was one of these grand residences.
The housekeeper, upon seeing Li Junren, hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.
At this moment, Mo Qi saw through a gap in the door that Xin'er was chasing and playing with another little girl in the courtyard.
Mo Qi immediately called out, "Young Lady Xin'er!"
Upon hearing the voice, Xin'er ran towards the main gate, with the little girl following behind, clinging to her clothes and emitting tinkling laughter.
Xin'er, seeing Mo Qi through the gap in the door, seemed surprised. "Why are you here? I went to Er Gou's house to find you yesterday, but you weren't there."
"Looking for me? What for?" Mo Qi asked, somewhat astonished.
As Xin'er was about to speak, she glanced at Li Junren and suddenly fell silent.
Mo Qi turned to Li Junren and said, "You can go back now. I can go in by myself."
Li Junren obediently left.
The housekeeper ushered Mo Qi inside.
As they walked in, Xin'er told Mo Qi, "My father asked me to find you. He wants to see you."
At this point, the little girl, following Xin'er, stumbled and nearly fell.
Mo Qi quickly picked her up and continued walking inside.
The little girl glanced at Mo Qi timidly, then, surprisingly, did not cry or fuss, allowing Mo Qi to hold her.
"Did you tell your father that I am from the Wu tribe, which is why he wants to see me?" Mo Qi inquired.
"Yes, I suppose so," Xin'er replied vaguely.
Entering the living room, Xin'er asked Mo Qi to sit down and told the little girl to get down. However, the little girl clung to Mo Qi's embrace and refused to leave.
This angered Xin'er. "You stubborn girl, Wan'er! You let someone you don't even know hold you. Be careful, or you'll be sold."
She then forcefully pulled the child away.
A moment later, a middle-aged man emerged from the inner chambers. He had a full forehead, a prosperous appearance, and piercing eyes, but a dark aura lingered between his brows.
He exuded an aura of inherent dominance, yet it seemed suppressed, giving him an air of discontent and frustration.
The middle-aged man stared at Mo Qi for a while, then found the main seat and sat down, turning his body to face Mo Qi directly.
"Are you of the Wu tribe?" the middle-aged man asked directly after a moment.
"No!" Mo Qi replied crisply.
"Oh," the middle-aged man seemed unfazed. "You're finally willing to tell the truth. Then, where did your psychic power come from?"
"This... I had some fortunate encounters. I learned psychic power by chance. It's nothing significant," Mo Qi said casually.
"Nothing significant?" The middle-aged man's gaze was sharp. "But in my eyes, it's more than just chance. Without the bloodline of the Wu tribe, one cannot cultivate psychic power."
Mo Qi chuckled. "But I absolutely do not have the Wu tribe bloodline."
"Not in this life, but perhaps in a past life."
"That's even more impossible," Mo Qi shook his head. "In my past life, I was sworn enemies with the Wu tribe!"
The middle-aged man scoffed. "Our Wu tribe's divination arts are unparalleled. If you wish to see your past life, I can help you deduce it clearly."
Mo Qi shook his head. "Not interested, or perhaps later. I heard you wanted to see me. Is there something you need?"
The middle-aged man's eyes turned sharp. "I just want to know who you are and why you are here."
To gain someone's trust, one must first be open and honest.
"I am from one of the Four Great Immortal Divisions of the New Savage Lands. Initially, I came to the Demon Realm just to find someone. Now, I wish to represent our newly established Foreign Demon Sect and form an alliance with you to jointly resist the Demon Emperor. The Demon Emperor's disregard for human life is an outrage to both gods and men, an unforgivable offense against heaven's will. I do not believe your tribe can tolerate him."
The Wu tribe people always feared being betrayed, of their identity as the Wu tribe being exposed.
If exposed, they would face the Demon Emperor's relentless suppression.
However, at this moment, Mo Qi voluntarily revealing his opposition to the Demon Emperor eased many of their defenses.
But the problem was, resisting the Demon Emperor was no small matter.
What was this Foreign Demon Sect? He had never heard of it.
A mob of undisciplined individuals!
One could even say that a few stray cats and dogs dared to bark at a tiger.
Was this not seeking death?
"Where do you get the confidence to resist the Demon Emperor?" the middle-aged man asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"The so-called Foreign Demon Sect is about uniting all those who oppose the Demon Emperor to fight against him," Mo Qi stated with a straight face. "I believe many will stand with us."
"Then, you should first solve the problem of those poisoned by the Sparrow Fragment Spirit Stones. If this problem is resolved, indeed, many will stand with you, even rallying widespread support," the middle-aged man said with a half-smile.
"The problem is solved. I have refined the antidote, and I can detoxify them. As you said, there are many in the Demon Realm who are oppressed by the Demon Emperor and suffer from the Sparrow Fragment Spirit Stones. We can detoxify them and, by leveraging their hatred, gather a large force. However, we lack top-tier cultivators to deter the Demon Emperor, nor do we have sufficient influence. I know of your tribe's hidden strength and hope to gain your assistance, so we can have the confidence to deal with the Demon Emperor," Mo Qi said with utmost sincerity.
"You can detoxify them?" The middle-aged man's eyes widened, disbelieving his ears.
"It's resolved," Mo Qi said nonchalantly. "Antidotes are everywhere; it's very easy."
Very easy?
The Sparrow Fragment Spirit Stones, which had recently become a source of dread within the Wu tribe, he described as easy?
"I am the clan leader of the Wu tribe, Wu Qixian!" The middle-aged man stared at Mo Qi for a long time and said, "If you truly have a way to solve this problem, then cooperation is not out of the question."
The clan leader? Could it be such a coincidence?
Originally, Mo Qi had sought out Xin'er hoping she would lead him to the clan leader, but he hadn't expected her father to be the clan leader. Everything fell into place naturally!
To Mo Qi's surprise, Wu Qixian continued, "By chance, there are several poisoned individuals in our tribe. If you can help detoxify them, I can discuss the alliance with them."
At this moment, a group of three people barged in, looking very aggressive.
The housekeeper tried to stop them but was pushed aside.
Among the three were an elder, a middle-aged man, and a young man.
The young man was injured, limping, with bloodstains on the corner of his mouth and one arm in a sling. His clothes were torn in several places, revealing stark wounds.
As soon as the middle-aged man entered, he pointed at Wu Qixian. "Wu Qixian, how do you discipline your son? Look at how you've beaten my son, Li Li!"
Wu Qixian stood up, glanced at Li Li, and frowned. He then said to the helpless housekeeper beside him, "Go and call Wu Hong."
The housekeeper, as if granted a great reprieve, immediately acknowledged and retreated.
Mo Qi felt the intense atmosphere and found it somewhat overwhelming. He stood up and moved back.
The three who had entered seemed to notice Mo Qi at this point, staring at him uniformly with hostile expressions.
Li Qi, with a sinister look, pointed at Mo Qi and asked Wu Qixian, "Who is he?"