The so-called 'Brother Miao' was naturally referring to Miao Yi.
He didn't even look at the current Cave Master of East Arrival Cave. Instead, he was paying attention to the former Cave Master. It was somewhat awkward.
Even Yuan Fang and Lai Yuhan were glaring at Gongsun Yu with hostility. The two of them were now part of East Arrival Cave as well. Gongsun Yu's words and actions were more or less insulting to East Arrival Cave. After all, Yan Xiu was now representing East Arrival Cave whenever he went out.
However, Yan Xiu knew that he was the sheep head of a sheep selling dog meat, so he wasn't unhappy. He replied, "I'm currently cultivating in seclusion."
Gongsun Yu replied with an "Oh." When he came into contact with the cold gazes of the two Blue Lotus experts, his heart trembled. Without saying anything else, he turned his dragon steed around and led his men towards Mount Calming Sea.
Yan Xiu also led his men and left.
When they arrived at Mount Calming Sea, the two of them were once again led by Little Auntie Lu Liu to the loft where Mountain Chieftain Qin Weiwei handled the daily affairs of Mount Calming Sea.
After the handover of the annual tribute was completed, Qin Weiwei held onto the jade archive of East Arrival Cave's memorial. However, she casually asked, "Did Horse Deputy Miao Yi not cooperate with you?"
Gongsun Yu, who was standing at the side, immediately stared at Qin Weiwei with a slightly judgmental gaze, observing the changes in her expression.
Yan Xiu laughed bitterly in his heart. Even though he was the Cave Master of East Arrival Cave in name, it was obvious that the one who was truly worthy of everyone's concern was still Miao Yi.
However, it couldn't be helped. The East Arrival Cave under Miao Yi's command had turned the tide of the enemy's attacks twice, and had even attacked Mount Shaotai twice. It could be said that his military exploits were glorious. His name was well known in the two Manors, and even in Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor. Speaking of East Arrival Cave, everyone seemed to 'approve' of the previous Cave Master. Yan Xiu could naturally feel it when he was temporarily replacing East Arrival Cave and interacting with the outside world.
Faced with the Mountain Chieftain's question, Yan Xiu replied, "Steed Deputy Miao has fulfilled his duties diligently and cooperated with me."
Qin Weiwei nodded, then asked, "Did he come with you this time?"
Yan Xiu replied, "No."
Gongsun Yu, who had been silently observing all this while, seemed to have caught a hint of peculiarity from Qin Weiwei's gaze. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that she was disappointed that Miao Yi didn't come. What was she disappointed about? Could it be that she wanted to see Miao Yi?
Gongsun Yu's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to have realized something.
Qin Weiwei raised her head and asked, "What has he been doing for the past year?"
Yan Xiu replied, "Apart from the matters related to my duty. He almost never leaves his house and has been cultivating in seclusion. "
For a moment, Qin Weiwei was a little hesitant to speak. Miao Yi, who had always been dishonest, was actually so honest. She couldn't help but wonder if he was still holding a grudge over his demotion to Steed Deputy, and was feeling unhappy about it. He was expressing his protest with silence, but he didn't say anything strange in the end.
However, to Gongsun Yu, she seemed to be a little too concerned. Was a mere Steed Deputy of an Immortal's Abode worth such concern from a Mountain Chieftain?
Hong Mian and Lu Liu also secretly glanced at each other...
Yan Xiu, who had completed the year's tribute mission, didn't have the qualifications to accompany the Mountain Chieftain to escort the tribute to South Edict Manor. However, he did bring back a piece of bad news for Miao Yi.
Xiong Xiao seemed to be seizing the time to cultivate as well. His cultivation had broken through once more, and he was now at Blue Lotus First Grade!
"Got it! Don't forget to send a copy of Mount Returning Loyalty's compensation list every year. "
Miao Yi wasn't the least bit surprised that Xiong Xiao's cultivation had broken through to another realm. Almost a year of peaceful cultivation seemed to have calmed his mind quite a bit.
He only came out to give some simple instructions, met with everyone, and distributed the salary that everyone had been anticipating. Then, he went back into closed-door cultivation.
Yuan Fang and the others, who wanted to find out more, couldn't find the opportunity to do so, because they usually couldn't even see Miao Yi's face.
Miao Yi had truly entered into a state of closed-door cultivation. Now, he had enough Orbs of Will, and a temporarily safe cultivation environment. He also had a group of subordinates to protect him, and a hundred thousand followers to provide him with other cultivation resources. He also had handmaidens to serve him. Needless to say, he didn't have to worry about basic necessities, and he didn't have to waste his time dealing with matters that required his status as a Cave Master. With Yan Xiu around, it could be said that he had nothing to worry about, and could focus on his cultivation!
This kind of cultivation state was something that many Loose Cultivators, or perhaps disciples of various sects, dreamed of. Miao Yi, who had calmed down, could feel it himself.
Those Loose Cultivators didn't have the protection of a hundred thousand followers. First of all, the security environment was worrisome. In order to plunder the limited cultivation resources, the loose cultivators did not dare to plunder the people under the Six Saints System under normal circumstances. They could only plunder from each other among the poor. As the cycle continued, it became more and more vicious, and the situation became more and more difficult. Not to mention having sufficient Orbs of Will, unless they had the backing of a powerful force.
This was also the reason why many independent cultivators dreamed of joining the rules. At the very least, they would not have to worry about their safety, and they would also be able to obtain a certain amount of cultivation resources.
Even if the situation of the disciples of the various sects was slightly better than that of the loose cultivators. However, a sect also needed a source of cultivation resources to raise those disciples. Not to mention doing odd jobs, it was normal for them to run around for the sect, fight, mine, or collect spirit herbs. Otherwise, no sect would have cultivation resources that fell from the sky to support them.
Inside the silent quarters, Miao Yi stood like a statue, while outside, time flew by quickly.
Another year of the annual tribute had arrived. Yan Xiu was still the one leading the way. Miao Yi was still nowhere to be seen, as though he was slowly fading out of the sights of the people from the two Manors.
He had suddenly become so low-key, so low-key that he was practically undetectable. Mount Calming Sea first sent Hong Mian to inspect him.
When the people of East Arrival Cave were gathered, Miao Yi appeared for a moment, and hid at the back of the crowd. He was completely silent, as though he really was a lowly Steed Deputy. Hong Mian felt her teeth ache when she saw him.
Once Hong Mian left, Miao Yi continued his seclusion.
When Hong Mian returned to Mount Calming Sea, she was immediately questioned by Qin Weiwei, "How is the situation in East Arrival Cave?"
"In reply to Mountain Chieftain, everything is normal."
"Miao Yi didn't cause trouble for Yan Xiu, did he?" Qin Weiwei always beat around the bush, using this excuse to probe about a certain someone's situation.
Hong Mian could more or less guess her thoughts, and knew what she was concerned about. She replied, "No. What I saw was that Yan Xiu was in charge of everything in East Arrival Cave. He is very low-key, so low-key that he doesn't even want to meet me face to face. It seems like he doesn't even have the intention to talk to me."
Qin Weiwei fell silent. After a long period of silence, she muttered, "Look at him. Does he seem to hold a grudge against being demoted to a Steed Deputy?"
Hong Mian shook her head, "I can't tell. His words and actions, his entire being is very calm."
Qin Weiwei furrowed her brows, "Then could it be that Yan Xiu has completely taken control of East Arrival Cave beyond our expectations? Could it be that Yan Xiu is suppressing him?"
Hong Mian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She thought to herself, 'If you want to go and take a look, then go and take a look for yourself. Even though you are the Mountain Chieftain, there's no need for a woman to be so stubborn. If you want him to know something, then just say it directly. If you don't say it, how will you know his attitude? If you are always so stubborn, how will he know your attitude?'
Lu Liu was also a little helpless. Even though she had already guessed Qin Weiwei's intentions, it wasn't appropriate for her to ask directly. She was afraid that she would scare this Mountain Chieftain, who appeared to be unyielding on the surface, into shrinking back.
"I can't see any signs of him being suppressed. Even though he is very low-key, I can see that everyone's attitude towards him is still very respectful. I can see that even though he is keeping a low profile, his position in East Arrival Cave is very high. The Cave Master's mansion doesn't belong to Yan Xiu, and is still occupied by him," Hong Mian replied.
Qin Weiwei lightly tapped her red lips with her pearly white teeth, and remained silent...
Not to mention her, even Manor Head Yang Qing was a little surprised.
Even though Yang Qing favored Miao Yi, to him, he had to face the entire two manors. He couldn't always pay attention to a mere Miao Yi. There were still many people and matters within the two manors that were more important to Yang Qing than Miao Yi.
However, since he hadn't heard any news about Miao Yi for a long time, he would naturally realize it one day. He asked Qin Weiwei a little, but Qin Weiwei wouldn't reveal anything strange in front of him. She only said that Miao Yi was very honest, and that there was no unusual news.
Yang Qing was instantly baffled, so Qing Ju once again unconsciously went to patrol East Arrival Cave.
Just like when Hong Mian arrived at East Arrival Cave, Miao Yi was still hiding behind the crowd at all times, keeping an extremely low profile. He didn't have the slightest intention of meeting Qing Ju face to face.
Qing Ju's personality was obviously much more cheerful than Qing Mei's. Relying on the fact that the two of them knew each other, she took the initiative to stop him and strike up a conversation. "How does it feel to be a Steed Deputy?"
Miao Yi politely replied, "It's alright."
"It's alright?" Qing Ju's bright eyes flickered, and she smiled sweetly. "Do you want me to put in a good word for you in front of the Manor Head?"
Miao Yi shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Little Auntie. I'm fine as I am now."
No matter how Qing Ju asked, Miao Yi always maintained his polite attitude of replying. He was a little stubborn, and didn't let Qing Ju probe any of his thoughts.
After Qing Ju returned to South Edict Manor, her report to Yang Qing was similar to Hong Mian's.
Yang Qing was immediately baffled. "Has this kid really changed, or has he been beaten into a good boy by me …."
It didn't matter what outsiders thought. To Miao Yi, he had to seize the time to improve his own strength.
Reinstatement was nothing. He no longer cared about the position of Cave Master. If he wanted to do it, he would be a Mountain Chieftain.
There would come a day when the resources on hand would be exhausted. He couldn't go to the Sea of Constellations to plunder again. Only after going there once did he truly understand that he wouldn't be lucky enough to escape from the Sea of Constellations every time. It was better to first secure a stable position with a high income, such as the position of Mountain Chieftain.
He also knew that he was at a disadvantage because his cultivation base was insufficient. Now he had to seize the opportunity of the surrounding environment stabilizing to quickly raise his cultivation base. Only when he had actual strength would he truly have the capital. Otherwise, it wasn't a long term solution to maintain a group of troops to protect him. He wouldn't be able to afford it either.
However, he also knew his advantage. As long as he had enough Orbs of Will, his cultivation speed would be much faster than an ordinary person's. He still had a high chance of getting rid of Xiong Xiao.
And after experiencing some things, he had also gradually matured. He had a long-term plan in mind. The next time he made a move against Xiong Xiao, it wouldn't be as simple as just getting rid of him. There was no need to take advantage of others. If he got rid of Xiong Xiao now, he would only be helping others. The next time he ascended to the position, he would have to offend him again. So why bother?
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