The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

After the four exchanged greetings, Mu Jin immediately gave a report on the situation on the island.

Mu Yusheng nodded, his gaze falling on Li Ping, and said approvingly, "Good lad, well done."

"If it weren't for you, my Mu family would have been defeated by the Hong family this time."

Li Ping quickly cupped his hands in humility and said, "Elder, you flatter me. It's just my duty."

Seeing his respectful attitude and proper words, Mu Yusheng nodded.

"Tell me your plans."

"With our strength, it's not difficult to destroy the Hong family; the difficulty lies in not letting a single one of them escape."

If they charge straight in, the Hong family will definitely arrange for their core members to evacuate once they realize something is wrong.

In the chaos of battle, they might actually manage to slip away unnoticed.

At this point, Li Ping's eyes narrowed: "Therefore, to destroy the Hong family, it is best to break through from within."

"The idea is correct, but the difficulty lies inside. How do we get in? My Mu family has no spies within the Hong family," Mu Yusheng said in a deep voice.

"Elder, you may not know this," Li Ping said calmly. "I have an Ironback Whale. We can ride it and use its power to go straight into the heart of the Hong family's territory, bypassing their island protection formation."

"If they attack from within, they'll definitely catch the Hong family off guard."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the courtyard nodded in approval.

Even Mu Rou, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them, her gaze flickering as she looked at Li Ping.

"The plan is good, but the key lies in the Ironback Whale." Mu Tongshou said, his tone filled with doubt. "This beast is unruly and extremely difficult to tame. The Hong family's few were all forcibly controlled using secret techniques."

"Li Ping, are you sure you can trust that iron-backed whale of yours?"

"I forgot to tell the elder that my iron-backed whale was originally raised by the Hong family. It escaped many years ago and has been wandering around this area ever since."

"It has harbored a grudge against the Hong family for a long time, and this time it is even more eager than we are to wipe them out," Li Ping said calmly.

After hearing these words, all the doubts of the people in the courtyard were dispelled, except for Mu Tongshou, who still looked thoughtful.

He frowned slightly, as if thinking of something, and suddenly spoke:

"Speaking of which, the Ironback Whale is a master at transporting goods. If my Mu family can obtain it, it will save us a lot of trouble when traveling between the three workshops in the future."

Li Ping, after this, are you willing to offer it to your clan?

Li Ping was taken aback upon hearing this, never expecting that Fu Hai had been targeted.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he felt quite embarrassed.

At this moment, Mu Rou suddenly stood up, and looked coldly at Mu Tongshou: "How can you take something from a junior by force?"

"Ancestor, I was only thinking of the clan's best interests..."

"Shut up." Mu Rou interrupted sharply, then turned to Li Ping, her tone softening slightly: "The clan has always acted fairly. If you're willing to give this Ironback Whale to the clan, we'll buy it at market price. If you're not willing, you're welcome to refuse."

Li Ping felt a warmth in his heart, realizing that this ancestor was not only handsome but also kind-hearted.

"To be honest, I have been with that iron-backed whale for a long time, and it is really hard for me to part with it."

Mu Rou nodded and looked at everyone: "Did you hear that? Nobody should even think about it anymore."

Seeing that Mu Rou was about to sit down, Li Ping quickly added, "By the way, my Ironback Whale agreed to take us to the Hong family this time, but it had one more condition."

"Tell me about it," Mu Rou said.

"All the iron-backed whales kept by the Hong family must be released."

Mu Rou hesitated, lost in thought.

Upon seeing this, Mu Tongshou immediately advised, "Ancestor, you must not agree."

Those iron-spined whales were the Hong family's most valuable possessions. If we release them all, we won't have gained anything substantial this time.

Mu Yusheng, who was standing next to Li Ping, glanced at him and saw that he looked troubled. He immediately asked, "Is this trip to destroy the Hong family, or to plunder?"

"Mu Tongshou, don't bring your petty, treasure-guarding mentality into such an important matter."

Mu Tongshou snorted coldly, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

After a long silence, Mu Rou finally spoke: "In this matter, the overall situation should be taken into consideration. As for the Ironback Whales of the Hong family, we will follow Li Ping's advice."

"Thank you for your kindness, Ancestor." Li Ping bowed respectfully.

Once the plan was set, he took the lead.

They hurried to the underground cavern and saw Tie Fuhai swallowing pills without a care in the world.

"Still eating?" Li Ping roared, snatching away the pills. "What time is it?"

"well……"

"What? Do you still remember what I told you?" Li asked with a flat face.

"I know," Tie Fuhai muttered.

"Repeat it."

Seeing its nonchalant attitude, Li Ping sternly reminded it, "We are going to rescue your people this time, and there is no room for carelessness."

Tie Fuhai sighed, his head drooping: "We can't speak, we can't run around, and we can't change our form or show any supernatural abilities. We have to do everything according to your instructions."

"That's more like it." Li Ping nodded. "Don't worry, as long as nothing goes wrong this time, I'll add an extra bottle of Xuan Shui Pill every month."

"really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Tie Fuhai perked up, flipped over in the water, wagged its tail, and was immediately full of energy.

……

……

The night was deep, the moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and the sea was dark and still.

At that moment, a white line rushed out from Qing Teng Island; it was Li Ping and his group of seven.

Tie Fuhai obeyed Li Ping's orders, his eyes lifeless, and kept his head down as he continued on his way.

The Mu family members standing on its back found it quite novel.

Mu Jin walked on its back, stopping and starting, occasionally squatting down to touch its scales and making surprised noises.

Mu Tongshou went even further, bending down and rubbing his face against the scales, his delight evident.

If Li Ping hadn't known that Mu Tongshou had a Daoist partner, he would have suspected that Mu Tongshou had some kind of strange quirk.

Suddenly, Tie Fuhai's voice came through: "What's this guy doing, groping around like that?"

"He's probably never seen anything like it before, and he's just curious. You should bear with it," Li Ping said awkwardly.

"Touching is fine, but could you please not rub against me? It's so itchy."

"Hmm... just bear with it and it will pass."

Li Ping gave a perfunctory reply, and seeing that Mu Tongshou had stopped, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a shame not to use it for transporting goods, given its thick and smooth skin." Mu Tongshou sighed softly, his face full of regret.

He looked around and, seeing that no one responded, reluctantly sat down to meditate.

At this moment, Mu Jin approached Li Ping and asked, "Brother Li, this iron-backed whale is quite extraordinary. I wonder how it was tamed?"

"There's no such thing as taming it; it's just a matter of chance that it's become obedient to you a little," Li Ping chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin looked suspicious, but Li Ping was too lazy to explain further. He silently meditated and continued breathing exercises, ignoring the matter.

The Hong family's territory is on Wumu Island, about 100 miles from Qing Teng Island.

At the speed of a regular ferry, it would take about three hours to arrive.

But this was a surprise attack, so speed was the priority.

Upon realizing this, Li Ping immediately transmitted his voice: "Fu Hai, speed up."

With a whoosh, the Iron-Covered Sea Spinner suddenly swung its tail and accelerated, as a fierce sea breeze howled in.

The people on his back staggered and almost lost their footing. Mu Tongshou, who was at the back, stumbled and nearly fell into the sea.

"Fu Hai is secretly plotting something."

Li Ping chuckled inwardly, but then met the unfriendly gazes of the crowd. He quickly began to explain:

"As I said, it only obeys my orders, but its specific actions are entirely up to it, and I can't completely control it."

The crowd's expressions remained unfriendly, but they said nothing more. They all sat down cross-legged, pressing their palms firmly onto the scales so they could grip them securely at any moment.

They traveled in silence, and after half an hour, they finally arrived near Ebony Island.

In the distance, the outline of Ebony Island was faintly visible in the night, and the protective formation of the island was emitting a faint spiritual light.