The Yao Clan disciples held up a painting showing Song Wanníng and the female beast cultivator.
As they asked other Immortals if they'd seen the two, they also pulled out small beads to sense the dragon aura. If the female beast cultivator had been here, she'd have been discovered immediately.
But this was Song Wanníng, someone who could transform her aura infinitely. Seeing several of them walking closer with their beads, she stayed calm and leaned over to glance at the painting.
"Huh, this person looks kinda familiar. I think I've seen her somewhere before," she said vaguely.
Her ambiguous words instantly drew the disciples' attention.
They surrounded her. "Where did you see her?"
"Tell us quickly where she is!"
Song Wanníng pretended to think for a moment, then answered, "It's been a while… I saw her in a city nearby."
"She seemed to be in a hurry, looked really anxious," she added.
"But I saw her buying a map, maybe she's going somewhere." She answered briefly, looking completely honest, then cautiously asked, "If I provide this info, is there a reward?"
Her tone and expression mixed greed with a touch of flattery, making her seem like someone driven by personal gain.
The Yao Clan disciples glared at her. "We don't give rewards for unverified info. But if you give false information, you'll regret it!"
They threatened her briefly before rushing off. Two of them chased outside the city, while the rest continued searching inside. After all, no one would bet everything on a stranger.
"Hah, what did you even tell them? Even if you knew, you didn't need to say anything!"
"Exactly, the Yao Clan's getting more arrogant by the day!"
"Well, they have the numbers to back it up, don't they?"
"Heh heh heh…"
The group couldn't help mocking, their words dripping with disdain for the Yao Clan.
From their conversation, Song Wanníng learned that the Yao Clan had been ruthless for years, bullying countless Immortals.
Their reputation was awful—honor and virtue weren't even in the same universe as them. Yet their population was booming. They had more children than anyone else.
"Do you think the Yao Clan has some secret? Otherwise, how can their clan be so prolific?"
"Tch, a messed-up family. So what if they have kids?"
"Could you accept having children with your own family members?"
"Ugh, I couldn't do it…"
Their disgust deepened as they talked.
Only now did Song Wanníng realize the Yao Clan had a shocking tradition.
They didn't allow marriage outside the clan but arranged unions within. Regardless of rank, if someone had decent talent, they'd be paired to sleep together multiple times. If pregnancy occurred, it didn't matter whose child it was—the clan would raise them all. And this ugly practice had lasted hundreds of thousands of years.
Song Wanníng felt a chill. These were blood relatives… and yet, this chaos somehow kept the population thriving?
It all felt off.
She instinctively linked the Yao Clan to the Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system. Could the Yao Clan also be invaders, receiving special treatment?
A flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes. She decided she had to visit the Yao Clan personally. No matter what, something was wrong with them, and she needed to see for herself.
She started planning, considering using herself as bait to enter the Yao Clan.
In the following days, Song Wanníng bought supplies, refined some pills, and prepared carefully. Only then did she send her clone toward the initial guidance.
She had thought about sneaking in anonymously, but there was no way to reach the secret top level that way. Only by entering in person—or in this case, sending a clone—could she truly uncover the truth.
Danger was inevitable, so sending the clone was safest.
With her time attribute and spatial tearing abilities, escape shouldn't be hard. At worst, if things got deadly, the clone could be sacrificed. At least her main body would survive.
Once the clone set out, it didn't hide its presence. Soon, the Yao Clan received word of Song Wanníng's movements.
A group rushed in, cornering the clone in a dense forest.
The clone's expression turned panicked, immediately transforming into dragon form to resist.
"It's really a dragon!!"
The disciples' eyes glinted as if they'd found some priceless treasure.
"Brothers, charge!"
"Once we catch the dragons, we'll celebrate and hand out rewards!"
Fueled with adrenaline, the disciples attacked the clone without any concern for their own safety, each showing their skills with various techniques.
Song Wanníng's heart sank, but to avoid raising suspicion, she struggled just enough to resist. Soon, she was overwhelmed by the numbers and pinned to the ground with forks.
"Hahaha, I thought dragons were so mighty. Turns out, not so much. No wonder the Yao Clan wiped them out!"
"See, I said dragons were all talk. Otherwise, they wouldn't be extinct!"
The disciples laughed excitedly, tying up Song Wanníng.
Her face darkened. These people were arrogant. The dragons' downfall had nothing to do with the Yao Clan, yet they acted like heroes.
"Move, take her back to the Yao residence before anything goes wrong!"
The leading disciple's expression turned grim, stopping the others' teasing, then led the group back.
Soon, everyone knew the Yao Clan had captured a dragon.
The patriarch naturally got the news. The capture went so smoothly, she were surprised.
After confirming the dragon's identity, a smile appeared on her face.
"Patriarch, now that the dragon's caught, what's your plan?"
An elder's face showed worry. Unlike the patriarch, she feared exposure could leave the Yao Clan without standing in the Immortal Realm.
The patriarch saw her thoughts and laughed lightly.
"Lao San, still as timid as ever. You were timid back then, that's why I chose Lao Er…"
One sentence made the elder flush instantly.
"Patriarch… I…"
"Shh—"
The patriarch held a finger to the elder's lips.
"The past is past. Let it go."
She withdrew her hand, eyes full of emotion and regret, leaving the elder stirred.
Having missed her chance once, she wasn't willing to miss again.