Chapter 52: Idol

As dusk approached, Xu Ziyan saw Zhongdu City from afar. She had already learned from asking passersby that nearly four days had passed since she used the Beast Luring Talisman to lead the Monster Beasts away.

Zhongdu City had already returned to order, and the battlefield had been cleaned up. The city gates were wide open, with crowds of people coming and going continuously. This was because other places had heard about the Beast Tide in Zhongdu City and knew it had receded. Therefore, Zhongdu City must have a large number of Monster Beast corpses, so many merchants and people involved in Alchemy and Talisman Crafting flocked to Zhongdu City, hoping to purchase some.

Xu Ziyan walked casually into Zhongdu City, heading toward the Xu Family Clan. From a distance, she saw the Xu Clan and felt a heavy sense of sorrow hanging over it. Looking toward the main gate, she saw eight disciples standing there. Although they stood tall and straight, their eyes revealed deep sadness.

Xu Ziyan walked up to the gate, and the eight men looked over at her in unison. Xu Ziyan had not been at the Xu Clan for long and had mostly stayed in the Library Pavilion or practiced in her own room, so the eight gate guards did not recognize her.

Xu Ziyan took out her waist token and showed it to the eight disciples. They nodded lightly at her and said nothing. Only the disciple closest to her spoke in a low voice:

“Sister Disciple, please go to the Central Plaza. Everyone in the clan is there now!”

Xu Ziyan was slightly puzzled, not knowing why the clan members had gathered at the Central Plaza, but she felt it was not appropriate to ask. It was clear that these eight disciples were in low spirits. So, after a brief moment of hesitation, she stepped through the gate and walked toward the Central Plaza inside the clan grounds.

Xu Ziyan suddenly remembered the night she left the clan for Tongyou Valley, when her Second Uncle Xu Haobo had come to her residence and they had a deep conversation. During that talk, she learned that the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family in Zhongdu City had joined forces and were planning to deal with her clan.

“Could it be that they are going to war with the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family?”

In fact, at this time, not only the Xu Clan but also the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family were all doing the same thing: holding a memorial service for the clan disciples who had died in battle. After three days of cleanup and rest following the Beast Tide, and after reviewing the list of casualties, each family held a memorial service for their fallen disciples on this same day.

At the Central Plaza of the Xu Clan, the memorial service had reached its final item. The Xu Family Clan wanted to promote a clan hero, an idol who could inspire the clan disciples. It was important to know that for a clan to remain prosperous for a long time, it needed a spiritual leader. Such a person did not need to have a high Cultivation Level, but they must possess a fearless spirit and a willingness to sacrifice for the clan, someone who could move all the Xu Clan disciples. Of course, it had to be a disciple who had already died in battle.

Thus, Xu Ziyan, who had faced thousands of Monster Beasts in Tongyou Valley, stepped forward, sacrificed herself, saved everyone, and led the Monster Beasts away, became the natural first choice.

At this moment, Clan Leader Xu Haoran was speaking with a pained expression and an impassioned tone:

“…Such a person, at a time when the clan’s survival was at stake, when her brothers and sisters faced extreme danger, when over five hundred of the clan’s finest disciples were about to be devoured by Monster Beasts, she stepped forward without hesitation and took all the danger upon herself.”

On the High Platform, Xu Ziyan’s parents had been invited to sit on chairs at the back. Hearing the Clan Leader’s words, they wept bitterly. Xu Haobo, sitting next to them, scanned the crowd below with a somber heart, sighing inwardly:

“Last time, when she left the clan for Tongyou Valley, Ziyan was still standing down there. The clan’s hope! Such a genius…”

Meanwhile, Xu Haoran’s voice continued, steady and full of emotion:

“She is the pride of our Xu Clan! What she demonstrated is the immortal spirit of our Xu Clan! She is our clan disciple, only fifteen years old, Xu Ziyan…”

As Xu Ziyan stepped into the Central Plaza, she heard someone loudly calling her name. She froze in surprise and looked toward the High Platform in confusion.

On the High Platform, Xu Haobo was still lost in thought, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as if reminiscing. Suddenly, his body jolted, his eyes widened in shock, and he almost strained the corners of his eyes from the force. At the entrance of the Central Plaza, he saw a familiar figure.

“Is that her?”

“Could it be Ziyan?”

“It can’t be an illusion!”

Xu Haobo lifted his arm and rubbed his eyes hard, then stared intently at the plaza entrance. It was true! It was Xu Ziyan! Standing there in a daze!

“Xu Ziyan!”

Xu Haobo abruptly stood up from his seat and shouted loudly at Xu Ziyan. Xu Haoran, who was speaking on the platform, was taken aback by Xu Haobo’s sudden shout from behind. But the disciples below, stirred by the Clan Leader’s words, suddenly raised their arms and shouted in unison:

“Xu Ziyan!”

“…”

Hearing the disciples’ chants, Xu Haoran felt very satisfied with Xu Haobo, thinking to himself:

“Second Brother really knows how to set the mood, getting the disciples’ emotions riled up so quickly!”

But Xu Haobo paid no attention to the Clan Leader’s thoughts or the crowd’s cheers. He directly jumped down from the High Platform and rushed toward Xu Ziyan, who was still standing stunned at the plaza entrance.

Everyone on and below the platform was stunned, their eyes following Xu Haobo’s back. Xu Haoguang and his wife were the first to see Xu Ziyan. Trembling with excitement, they stood up from their seats and called out hoarsely, “Yan’er!”

At this moment, Xu Haoran on the platform also saw Xu Ziyan. He was first shocked, then overjoyed, and finally gave a helpless bitter smile. He had only wanted to establish a spiritual leader for the clan and, by leveraging Xu Ziyan’s glory, provide her parents, Xu Haoguang and his wife, with a comfortable environment for their old age. He never expected to have made a huge mistake!

However, Xu Haoran’s heart was still very happy. The fall of a genius was a fatal blow to the clan. When he heard the news that Xu Ziyan had lured the Monster Beasts away alone, Xu Haoran was deeply affected, especially when he heard from Xu Haobo that Xu Ziyan was not only a Talisman Crafting genius but also a Cultivation genius. A great sense of regret had washed over him.

Now, seeing Xu Ziyan standing in the plaza, Xu Haoran couldn’t help but feel emotional. A Talisman Crafting genius, a Cultivation genius, a genius who could safely return from the Monster Beast hordes of the Cangmang Mountain Range! Xu Haoran lifted his head toward the sky, tears filling his eyes, and he called out in his heart over and over:

“Ancestors of the Xu Clan, watch over us!”