Li Xing and Xiang Lin, who had agreed to be guests of the Haiyue clan, followed Haiyue Chuan to a place resembling a ninja village. It had flowers and trees, and at first glance, it truly looked like a paradise.
"I never expected there to be a village here. It seems there are more people than just the Haiyue clan. They must be descendants of those who accidentally entered this place," Li Xing exclaimed at the village entrance.
Haiyue Chuan was not surprised by Li Xing's reaction. Most outsiders reacted this way on their first visit. He simply smiled and introduced the village to Li Xing.
"Mr. Li Xing, our Haiyue clan was merely the first group to settle here. Establishing a village was primarily for the continuation of our lineage, as we Haiyue clan have a special mission."
Li Xing paid little attention to the old man, instead pulling Xiang Lin to closely observe the surrounding flora. He found it strange how plants could survive here. Did the artificial sun not only emit light? The air here was not thin either. Everything about this place was perplexing.
"Mr. Li Xing, what are you doing? These are just ordinary plants. If you are hungry, we can kill a pig to entertain you."
Hearing Haiyue Chuan's call, Li Xing stopped dwelling on the plants. After all, he himself was not bound by scientific laws. In the world of Naruto, being able to spew fire and unleash lightning was also unscientific.
"Then let's go! We'll go see your clan."
...
Entering the village and arriving at the Haiyue clan's dwelling, Li Xing realized how few livestock there were. This meant that few people here could afford to eat meat. Eating meat was a luxury reserved for festivals. It seemed Haiyue Chuan was sparing no expense to win over strong individuals.
That evening, at the dinner table, Haiyue Chuan explained the current situation to Li Xing. The radical faction was growing in numbers, and if this continued, no one would reinforce the seal. He then invited Li Xing to join their faction.
"Patriarch Haiyue, are you perhaps out of your mind? Everyone who arrives here for the first time is focused on how to leave. You invite me right away. Do you think I would agree? I suspect all your previous invitations were rejected?"
Haiyue Chuan smiled helplessly. "Mr. Li Xing, I understand what you're saying. However, if I didn't do this, my son would have already taken everyone away, and I wouldn't even have the chance to extend an invitation."
"Moreover, everyone who has come here before was heavily injured, unlike you, Mr. Li Xing, and your companion. Not only are you unharmed, but you are also very strong. Otherwise, you would have been forcibly taken away by that group today."
Li Xing's curiosity was piqued. The patriarch of the Haiyue clan and his son were at odds—a father-son conflict. Thinking this, Li Xing decided to observe for a while. If nothing significant happened, he would leave with Xiang Lin. After all, he had already collected the ore, and there was nothing else interesting here.
"Since that's the case, we'll stay here for a while. As for your request to reinforce the seal every year, we'll consider it. For now, please prepare a room for us to rest. Remember, don't have any ulterior motives towards me, and remove those people you have outside monitoring us."
Haiyue Chuan was overjoyed. Finally, he had found someone reasonable. In the past, people would directly refuse and then be invited by the radical faction, forcing him to assassinate them. Otherwise, as the radical faction grew, the seal would eventually be destroyed by them.
"That's a given, Mr. Li Xing. I will take you to rest immediately. Please don't mind the people outside; they are only here to protect me."
Li Xing was indifferent. Protecting the old man? Who would believe that? It was clearly a plan to assassinate him after being rejected. Did they think he was a child?
...
"Star Lord, I don't think these people are good. I can sense the darkness in their hearts. They are the ones using the excuse of reinforcing the seal to win you over to the Haiyue clan, all in the name of the world's common people. Bah!"
Xiang Lin and Li Xing went to a room to rest. As soon as Haiyue Chuan left, Xiang Lin immediately began to complain, hoping Li Xing wouldn't be fooled.
Li Xing looked speechless. Did he look like someone foolish? Did she really think he would believe the old man's words?
"Xiang Lin, if you can see through it, do you think I can't? What do you take your husband for? I think you want to be punished!"
With that, Li Xing directly picked up Xiang Lin and walked towards the bed. He then set up a barrier to prevent Haiyue Chuan from breaking his word and spying on them. The rest was paid content...
...
The next morning, Li Xing, still asleep, heard a commotion.
"You old geezer! Those two people yesterday killed our Haiyue clan members, and you still dare to entertain them and let them stay as guests? Hand them over now!"
In the main hall of the Haiyue clan, a middle-aged man with a ferocious expression was demanding that Haiyue Chuan hand over the two people from yesterday. This man was Haiyue Chuan's own son, Haiyue Guang, the leader of the radical faction.
Haiyue Chuan naturally refused to hand over Li Xing and his companion to his son. After the father and son split, Haiyue Guang had taken half of the clan members and established his own family on the other side of the village. Two Haiyue families, same surname and roots, but different hearts.
"Xiao Guang, when you separated from the Haiyue clan, you were no longer a member of our Haiyue clan. You rebels cannot bear the surname Haiyue. As for Mr. Li Xing killing Haiyue clan members, that is merely your slander. Mr. Li Xing is a distinguished guest of our Haiyue clan and cannot be handed over to you. You rebels should leave the Haiyue family immediately!"
Haiyue Guang laughed upon hearing this. "You old, useless thing, you will regret this sooner or later. You stubborn old fools, you'll just hide here and wait for death your whole lives!"
After leaving these harsh words, Haiyue Guang led his people away from the Haiyue clan. Once they were all gone, Li Xing pulled Xiang Lin out from the side.
"Patriarch Haiyue, is this the unfilial son you mentioned yesterday? He indeed has the demeanor of a schemer. However, I can tell that you still have some affection for him in your heart, otherwise, you wouldn't call him Xiao Guang, nor would you let him leave like this. For so many years, they haven't been eliminated, and I assume you've played a part in that."
Haiyue Chuan sat on a chair and sighed. "Alas, what father doesn't wish for his son to live a better life? I understand he wants to go out into the world, but guarding the seal is the eternal mission of our Haiyue clan."
Li Xing had never been a father and couldn't understand Haiyue Chuan's feelings, nor why he insisted on this ancestral teaching. It seemed like he had been brainwashed by the Sage of Six Paths.
"Mr. Li Xing, I know you are curious why our Haiyue clan adheres to this ancestral teaching. According to our ancestral records, two colossal beings fought for three months, destroying countless ecosystems, leaving people with no place to live. The Sage of Six Paths taught them the way to survive and founded the Ninja Sect. Our ancestor was one of those saved by the Sage of Six Paths. Our ancestor vowed to follow the Sage of Six Paths eternally and made this a strict ancestral teaching that must never be violated, lest the Haiyue clan be cursed."
"Of course, in later generations, there was a patriarch who did not follow the ancestral teaching. After he became patriarch, he neglected to reinforce the seal. Consequently, the entire village suffered a complete crop failure for a year, and the Haiyue clan nearly went extinct. Later, when that patriarch resumed reinforcing the seal, things slowly recovered. This is a secret passed down orally from each generation's patriarch."
Li Xing was immediately amused. That battle was none other than the one where the Sage of Six Paths and his brother joined forces to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. They destroyed your homeland and then saved you as atonement, yet you treat them like gods. It seems the Haiyue clan simply deserves their fate. As for the curse of the crop failure that year, it was probably just bad luck.
"So that's how it is, Patriarch Haiyue. Thank you for explaining so much. However, I believe it's still important to consider carefully. Since there are nearly six months before you need to reinforce the seal, I doubt you're in a hurry, are you?"
Haiyue Chuan naturally agreed. At least Li Xing was willing to consider it after hearing the explanation. As long as he didn't go to Haiyue Guang, Haiyue Chuan immediately stated that he would not disturb Li Xing until then and that all their food, lodging, and travel expenses would be covered.