NOVPUBLi Muyang’s awakening not only allowed Jiang Yunhe to breathe a sigh of relief, but even the group of Puppet Masters behind him visibly relaxed.
Clearly, the rampaging Jie Zijiu, as well as Princess Pingyao, who was left uncontrolled and driven purely by instinct, brought immense pressure to the Jiang Family.
Judging from the state of the valley, it seemed that before regaining clarity, Li Muyang and Princess Pingyao had caused considerable destruction here.
Hopefully, there weren’t any casualties…
Li Muyang thought guiltily, then asked, "Excuse me, Festival Wine, what’s the current situation? How did I end up back in Red Leaf Valley?"
This is the ancestral land of the Jiang Family as well as the sanctuary of the Puppet Masters.
It’s quite far from the capital city of the Great Zhou.
Li Muyang hadn’t expected that Jie Zijiu, after wandering in an unclear state for thirty-three days, could somehow return to Red Leaf Valley.
The journey between these two places, even with normal travel, would barely be possible in thirty-three days.
How did Jie Zijiu get here?
Li Muyang felt a bit surprised by his current predicament.
Jiang Yunhe sighed and began to explain the situation to Li Muyang.
It turned out that after Jie Zijiu escaped from the capital city of Great Zhou, he wandered in the wilderness for a while before being encountered by Puppet Masters of the Black Feather Pavilion.
The Black Feather Pavilion had long hated Li Muyang to the bone, pursuing him high-profile and aggressively, and during those pursuits, many of their Puppet Masters were killed by Li Muyang.
Now that the Black Feather Pavilion caught sight of Jie Zijiu in his frenzied, unclear state, they naturally sought to settle both old and new scores. They immediately gathered their forces to encircle Jie Zijiu.
But the level-99 Princess Pingyao was far too formidable. After days of encircling Jie Zijiu, not only did they fail to kill him, but dozens of Puppet Masters were petrified by Pingyao’s demon eyes.
A large-scale mobilization like this by the Black Feather Pavilion was hard to keep hidden from outsiders.
Fortunately, Puppet Masters from the Jiang Family happened to be in that area and noticed Li Muyang’s perilous situation. They urgently called for help from the Red Mountain Academic Palace.
Ultimately, Puppet Masters from the Jiang Family who were part of Red Mountain Academic Palace arrived and temporarily negotiated a truce with the Black Feather Pavilion, allowing them to escort Jie Zijiu in his unclear state back to the Red Mountain Academic Palace.
This was why Li Muyang woke up to find himself in Red Leaf Valley.
After listening to Jiang Yunhe’s explanation, Li Muyang was momentarily dazed, his heart filled with astonishment.
The Jiang Family’s treatment of him was simply unparalleled.
Previously, their actions could only be considered friendly gestures—offering a bit of guidance, gifting a clay jar containing Grandpa Wu to help point the way—all still within the bounds of amicable understanding.
But now, they were standing up against the pressure from the Black Feather Pavilion to protect him. This kindness was truly towering.
Just then, a familiar, cheeky voice sounded from behind Jiang Yunhe, drawing Li Muyang’s attention.
"Hey! Kid, you’ve woken up? You’re such a rotten grandson, simply unbelievable! You left us behind amidst that crowd of monks without a care. If not for Grandpa Wu’s quick thinking and timely notification of the Jiang Family to come fetch me, we’d have been doomed in the capital city because of you!"
The clay jar containing Grandpa Wu appeared, carried by a Puppet Master, and Grandpa Wu was grumbling and cursing incessantly.
The moment he saw the clay jar, combined with the wary expressions of the surrounding Puppet Masters, Li Muyang instantly understood.
But he didn’t say much—instead, he only said to Grandpa Wu, "Staying in that small shrine was perfectly safe. I intended to return later to pick you all up."
Given the circumstances at the time, having Grandpa Wu, Deng Bo, and Ding Liang escape alongside Li Muyang would have posed the gravest risk.
Meanwhile, the small shrine established by Miao Fengjun in the capital of Great Zhou effectively isolated the inside from the outside. Hiding inside made it impossible for the monstrous monks to find them, making it theoretically secure.
And so, Li Muyang followed the Puppet Masters of the Jiang Family into Red Leaf Valley, once again arriving at the Red Mountain Academic Palace.
Soon, Li Muyang reunited with the elderly servant Deng Bo and the driver Ding Liang, who had been relocated into Red Mountain Academic Palace.
Seeing Li Muyang safe and sound, everyone’s emotions ran high.
However, the cheerful reunion didn’t last long. At the respectful invitation of Jiang Yunhe, the Festival Wine, Li Muyang entered the depths of the Red Mountain Academic Palace, arriving at an ancestral temple that housed the statues of Jiang Xiaoyu and Fairy Qinghe.
In front of the shrine’s altar, a chair had been placed, and Jiang Yunhe, humble and courteous, invited Li Muyang to take a seat.
Inside the ancestral temple, the other Puppet Masters of the Jiang Family stood quietly.
"Mr. Jie, if you need anything, feel free to ask of us," Jiang Yunhe said sincerely. "The Jiang Family is willing to serve you."
Once an old friend, now the Festival Wine of the Academic Palace, Jiang Yunhe displayed a remarkably deferential attitude.
Li Muyang understood that the Jiang Family had learned his true identity.
After all, the false Great Bright Buddha had openly called out his true name, Jiang Xiaoyu, in front of Grandpa Wu. Now that Grandpa Wu had returned to Red Leaf Valley, the Jiang Family naturally learned Li Muyang’s real identity as well.
However, the Heavenly Eye Earth Monarch looming over the skies was omnipresent. Any act exposing Li Muyang’s origin from the Mortal World would immediately draw Evil Power.
The Jiang Family could only cautiously and discreetly express their filial respect for Jiang Xiaoyu as their progenitor.
Li Muyang understood their intentions but didn’t make any excessive demands. He simply requested that the Red Mountain Academic Palace invite his second uncle from Qingshan Village to visit him here.
As one of the few remaining blood relatives of the Nightwalker clan, his second uncle, despite having lost his Power, might be able to assist Li Muyang if he were willing.
After all, his second uncle had once traveled with Jie Zijiu’s parents, was worldly-wise, and had inherited the Puppet Master legacy of the Nightwalker clan.
In stark contrast to Li Muyang’s self-taught and unconventional path.
Perhaps his second uncle had never anticipated that Jie Zijiu, who merely wanted to explore and search for his missing parents, would genuinely uncover clues and grow to such immense stature within less than a year.
If he had known how capable Li Muyang could become, his second uncle might never have let him leave alone.
And so, as people from the Red Mountain Academic Palace went to fetch Jie Zijiu’s second uncle, Li Muyang settled down at the palace.
Every day, he immersed himself in the library, rapidly flipping through the palace’s collection of texts.
Red Mountain Academic Palace, being the sanctuary for Puppet Masters, housed a detailed record of puppet lore. During his last rushed visit, Li Muyang barely had time to study; now, he finally had the freedom to delve deeper into their archives.
As for the filial respect from the Jiang Family, Li Muyang didn’t make any requests.
He rationally understood that solely relying on his title as an ancestor could earn the Jiang Family’s reverence and respect.
But ultimately, he was merely a progenitor from ten thousand years ago, with no direct interest ties to the present Jiang Family—he held only an empty title of ancestor.
The Jiang Family’s willingness to recognize him made him their ancestor.
If he asked too much, jeopardizing the Jiang Family’s interests, he’d be courting disaster.
The Jiang Family had already gone above and beyond, incurring significant costs and losses for him.
Li Muyang didn’t want to drag the Jiang Family into his own troubles.
