Chapter 346: Primordial Governance... Which Family is Strong?

“Ha, stand still obediently!”

In a small Wu Clan tribe nestled among the icy pine forests, hundreds of robust figures—men and women clad in animal skins, wielding mostly damaged weapons—charged forward, intent on hacking to pieces those two despicable 'Yao Clan' demons!

This contemptible tactic of poisoning preyed on the Wu Clan’s fondness for meat, and they had fallen for it too many times before. They absolutely wouldn't be fooled by such crude tricks again!

The Wu Clan would never be duped!

Yet, the armored, bearded man, the male 'demon,' chuckled lightly, swept his left hand, and sent a wave of water-blue ripples through the forest, freezing the rushing figures in place...

Ding Shen Shu.

Thus, these hundreds of Wu Clan members remained stuck in their mid-charge poses, watching helplessly as the two 'demons' feasted heartily, drinking and eating meat.

The hundreds of Wu Clan warriors were indignant, tears of grief streaming from the corners of their mouths!

This was bullying the Wu Clan too much!

Li Changshou and Zhao Gongming chatted casually, paying no attention to the hundreds of Wu Clan members nearby.

Instead, when a dozen or so Wu Clan children rushed over, yelling and each holding chunks of boulders, Li Changshou casually tore off more than a dozen pieces of roasted meat, wrapped them in his immortal power, and tossed them through the air into the children’s mouths.

The group of Wu Clan members was shaken!

But they could only express their anxiety with their eyes!

The children paused in unison, initially thinking of spitting out the meat to show the spirit of Wu Clan youths, but...

It was just too fragrant.

These little ones blinked simultaneously, dropped the stones they were holding, and started munching on the roasted meat in their mouths.

After devouring it in a few bites, they eagerly gathered around the grill, each biting their fingers...

They seemed generally not as clever as human children.

“Go over there,” Li Changshou said warmly, sending three paper figures from his sleeve that transformed into two men and one woman. They quickly got to work on a nearby clearing, setting up a grill and preparing the meat.

Soon, the forest echoed with the admiring exclamations of these young Wu Clan members.

The hundreds of Wu Clan adults stared wide-eyed, baffled by the situation.

Before long, heavy footsteps sounded from all around, as large groups of Wu Clan members rushed in from the north, northwest, and northeast directions!

But this somewhat 'eerie' scene in the forest left the Wu Clan crowd puzzled.

Although the Wu Clan was generally straightforward, a few among them were quite sharp-minded, and those with good brains typically held some authority in the clan...

Several great shamans immediately shouted orders, and the incoming Wu Clan members halted several hundred zhang away, watching the scene from afar.

Li Changshou’s immortal sense swept the area, detecting figures racing toward them across the vast wilderness within ten thousand li.

Clearly, the Wu Clan remained highly vigilant, with swift reactions.

Zhao Gongming, in the midst of drinking, furrowed his brow slightly and said in a low voice:

“Be careful, the Wu Clan has experts on the way.”

Li Changshou glanced at the dozen or so children feasting nearby and smiled. “Old brother, release the Ding Shen Shu.”

“Very well.”

Zhao Gongming lightly pushed with his left hand, and the hundreds of immobilized Wu Clan members staggered back, most tumbling awkwardly.

Just then, the ground trembled gently, and a 'thump thump' sound came from deep within the earth. The two to three thousand Wu Clan members already gathered in the forest all bowed their heads.

An old woman, leaning on a cane, emerged from a stone hut several thousand li away. Though she appeared incredibly frail, she took two steps, and the ground slid swiftly beneath her feet.

In just two steps, she arrived in the forest here, covering thousands of li as if it were nothing...

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow. This was...

Suo Di Cheng Cun?

No, it wasn’t a Qian Kun escape technique.

The Wu Clan didn’t use spells, but they had divine abilities. The twelve Ancestral Witches once controlled the twelve primal laws of the universe, similar to the divine powers of the Heavenly Court today.

This Wu Clan grandmother was using a Wu Clan battle art, akin to mastery over the earth.

Just this one divine ability made her a formidable figure.

Li Changshou didn’t dare be careless. He set down his wine cup and roasted meat, stood up, and bowed with hands clasped toward the old woman.

“I am a disciple of Ren Jiao and the Water God of the Heavenly Court. Today, I came at the request of a friend. If we have caused any offense, I ask the Wu Clan not to take it amiss.”

The old woman nodded slowly, murmuring a few words in the Wu language. From various parts of the forest, most of the Wu Clan members turned and left, leaving only about a dozen tribal leaders and contemporary great shamans, who approached Li Changshou and Zhao Gongming.

They subtly formed an encirclement.

From afar, whistles echoed as the Wu Clan members who had been heading here either stopped in place or turned back to their tribes.

The dozen or so young Wu Clan children eating meat were carried away by their parents, and as they left, they grabbed the half-cooked meat from the grill...

Truly, straightforward yet shrewd in their own way.

The old woman stepped forward slowly, her figure hunched, eyes downcast, as if she were on the brink of death, yet she exuded an astonishing aura of power.

Like a humanoid beast ready to tear the earth apart!

The dozen or so Wu Clan men and women who remained were also incredibly strong, their blood energy surging powerfully.

Li Changshou roughly estimated that each could take on three to five of the Kong Xu Palm Masters.

“Ren Jiao, Heavenly Court... Heavenly Court,” the old woman said slowly in the common language of the Hong Huang era.

She leaned on her cane and bowed slightly to Li Changshou, saying:

“Is the human Heavenly Court already thriving in Beizhou?

Are you the god now in charge of water powers?”

“You are mistaken, Great Shaman,” Li Changshou replied clearly. “The Heavenly Court is not a human Heavenly Court, nor is it like the ancient Yao Court, existing for any race to rule over all spirits.”

Li Changshou declared:

“Today’s Heavenly Court is ruled by His Majesty the Jade Emperor, appointed by the Dao Ancestors, to govern the Heavenly Court, maintain stability in the Three Realms, and protect all living beings.”

Zhao Gongming also stood up, cupped his hands toward the Great Shaman, and smiled. “I am Zhao Gongming, an outer disciple of Jie Jiao, with Tong Tian Jiaozhu as my master.”

The old woman immediately looked up at Zhao Gongming, switched to a full bow toward him, and her voice became much lighter as she said:

“So, you are a disciple of a saint. It is we who have been remiss in hospitality.

I am the Great Shaman of this Wu Clan branch. You may simply call me Shaman.”

As she spoke, the old woman’s hunched figure slowly straightened, and waves of blood energy enveloped her, transforming her from a withered elder into a well-proportioned middle-aged woman!

This difference in treatment...

Li Changshou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. It seemed the Heavenly Court still had a long way to go...

Zhao Gongming smiled again and said:

“Great Shaman, look at the Daoist beside me.

He is the most trusted heavenly official before the Jade Emperor in the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall. He was the one who orchestrated the recent allegiance of the Four Seas Dragon Clan to the Heavenly Court.

He is also a favored disciple of Lao Jun in Dou Shuai Palace, calling Xuan Du Great Mage his senior brother, and he is my closest brother!

Today, he came here...

Oh, right, old brother, what exactly are you here for with the Wu Clan?”

Li Changshou continued: “I came at the request of my friends, the Gou Hun Messengers Niu Tou and Ma Mian from the underworld, to check on how the Wu Clan is faring in Beizhou.

If there are any difficulties, Great Shaman, please speak up.

If there are troubles, please tell me, and I will carefully consider and do my best to help.”

Zhao Gongming blinked at Li Changshou and sent a voice transmission:

“This doesn’t seem like your style, Chang Geng. Why are you offering favors to the Wu Clan? Are you interested in their battle arts?”

Li Changshou just smiled and waited quietly for the Great Shaman’s response.

The Great Shaman, now in the form of a middle-aged woman, had a face that wasn’t particularly beautiful but exuded a sense of heroism and steadiness.

She furrowed her brow slightly and asked, “Niu Tou and Ma Mian?”

“These are their portraits,” Li Changshou said, prepared for this. He took a scroll from his sleeve and unrolled it, revealing images of Niu Tou and Ma Mian without their headgear.

The Great Shaman’s furrowed brow relaxed, and she sighed softly, saying:

“So that’s how it is...

Thank you for coming all this way, Water God. Our Wu Clan is doing alright for now and has no requests.”

Li Changshou smiled. “Great Shaman, would you honor us by joining us for a seat? Surely you’re not worried that the Heavenly Court wants to use the Wu Clan in Beizhou to threaten the underworld? There’s no need for that concern.”

The Great Shaman’s eyes flickered, and she gave Li Changshou a faint bitter smile. “Regarding this matter, Water God, you may not be aware. We don’t want to burden the later generations of our clan...”

“You are mistaken again, Great Shaman,” Li Changshou sighed gently and said warmly. “Allow me to speak plainly.

The Heavenly Court needs the underworld to join its ranks to stabilize the balance of the Three Realms.

The underworld also needs the Heavenly Court’s support to protect the six paths of reincarnation from interference.

Now, it’s the underworld that wants to submit to the Heavenly Court but doesn’t know how to proceed. The Heavenly Court wants to show goodwill to the underworld, so we’ve come here to help alleviate the Wu Clan’s situation.

Great Shaman, listen to what I have to say. If I’m wrong, you can send me away. If I’m right, please talk openly with me today.”

The Great Shaman asked, “What exactly do you want to say, Water God?”

Li Changshou looked at the Great Shaman, his gaze clear and serious, his voice firm and pointed:

“Is the Wu Clan now... infertile?”

Zhao Gongming, who had been sipping his wine and enjoying the show, twisted around and spat out his drink.

What’s going on?

Wasn’t that a bit too direct?

What if the Wu Clan went berserk and drove them out? That would be embarrassing!

But the Great Shaman’s brow furrowed deeply, her eyes showing struggle, and she let out a long sigh, filled with endless sorrow.

“You are correct.”

Zhao Gongming’s beard trembled as he glanced at the composed and confident Li Changshou, unsure how to process this...

Well, after all, he was the man his second sister thought highly of—his thinking was indeed unconventional.

Li Changshou gestured invitingly, and the Great Shaman stepped forward, sitting directly on the stone block Li Changshou had summoned.

He then invited the dozen or so Wu Clan village leaders to sit nearby and had the paper figures get back to work.

Soon, the forest was again filled with the aroma of meat...

But this time, it was very quiet, with only the soft conversation between Li Changshou and the Great Shaman, along with the sizzling of the roasting meat.

Zhao Gongming listened quietly from the side and soon found himself peering into a whole new world...

Li Changshou was very serious and didn’t avoid any topic.

He inquired about the changes in the Wu Clan’s birth rates over the past ten thousand years, the number of Wu Clan couples today, and their understanding of reproduction.

To be honest, for a race, this was an incredibly serious and weighty issue.

But Zhao Gongming couldn’t help letting his mind wander, feeling a bit uneasy...

He sensed that if his sister ended up as Chang Geng’s Dao companion, it wouldn’t be the plain and simple kind...

On another note, Chang Geng was young but knew so much.

Before long, Zhao Gongming was listening intently, growing more focused.

And so, in this manner, Li Changshou discussed the issue he had spotted in the Wu Clan with the Great Shaman for quite some time.

Before leaving, he left behind an initial solution, asking the Great Shaman to select two hundred healthy Wu Clan couples to try it and see if it worked.

He would visit the Hall of Marriage and the underworld upon returning to investigate the root cause and make further arrangements...

The Great Shaman and the dozen Wu Clan leaders expressed their profuse thanks and even presented some Wu Clan specialties, insisting he take them to present to His Majesty the Jade Emperor...

These were genuine local products, like rare fruits from Beizhou.

Completely different from the dubious “specialties” from the Wu Clan in the underworld!

On the way back on the clouds, Zhao Gongming hemmed and hawed for a while before asking:

“Chang Geng, did you know about the Wu Clan’s hidden plight in advance?”

“No,” Li Changshou shook his head. “I’d only heard rumors that the Wu Clan was declining, but I didn’t realize it was this severe.

Big brother, you saw it too—along the edges of those pine forests blocking the miasma, there are clearly many abandoned villages, showing that even after effectively warding off the miasma, the Wu Clan’s population is still shrinking noticeably.

In the tribe we visited, there were only about a dozen children, and they were all around the same age, with no newborns.

At first, I thought they might have hidden the babies, but when those children came over for food, I quickly noticed a small issue with them...”

“What issue?” Zhao Gongming asked.

“Their Wu Clan bloodline is impure, almost like Wu people.”

Zhao Gongming suddenly understood and said gravely, “Could it be that pure-blooded Wu Clan members can no longer exist in this world?”

“Perhaps,” Li Changshou replied. “That’s why I played it safe today and didn’t say everything. The initial solution I gave them is just to increase the chances of conception.

After all, I don’t know if someone is scheming behind this. More than ninety-nine percent of the Wu Clan can’t achieve immortality, so if this problem isn’t solved, in one yuan hui, there might be no Wu Clan left on the earth.”

“Ah,” Zhao Gongming sighed. “Recalling the Wu Clan’s glory in the past...

Never mind, it has nothing to do with my Jie Jiao.

By the way, Chang Geng, in your solution, there was something about those Qiu Gong diagrams...”

Li Changshou turned to look at Zhao Gongming, his eyes full of shock, even exclaiming in a hushed voice:

“Old brother, you’re actually interested in such things?”

Zhao Gongming’s face turned red. “I—I’m not... Don’t you dare!

How can you accuse me like that out of nowhere?”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Li Changshou burst into laughter. Zhao Gongming realized he’d been teased and annoyedly moved to tussle with him, but Li Changshou was quick, pulling a treasure pouch from his sleeve.

“The Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Qiu Shui Wu Hen Diagrams, I present them to you, old brother!”

“Oh?”

Zhao Gongming perked up, took the treasure map, and the two exchanged a glance.

Zhao Gongming said seriously: “This matter is known only to heaven, earth, the gentlemen, you, and me.”

Li Changshou nodded immediately. “And make sure Yun Xiao Xianzi doesn’t see it.”

“Agreed!”

“Deal!”

And so, the two clapped hands and hooked arms, riding the clouds toward Nan Zan Bu Continent.

No sooner had they arrived at An Shui City than a purple light shot from the South Sea, stopping just in front of them and transforming into a slightly plump Daoist.

The newcomer glared at Zhao Gongming and scolded anxiously:

“Oh no! Gong Ming, my junior brother! How could you have such feelings for your senior nephew!”

Zhao Gongming was completely baffled, and Li Changshou was equally confused.

What on earth was this about?