Lie Xin's expression grew somewhat despondent upon hearing this.
Lie Zhao quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Lie Xin spoke in a low voice, "Mother... had another child, just half a month ago."
Lie Zhao fell silent. He understood this. His legitimate wife had strong desires, and he had sent a few men to satisfy her needs, but it had been a reluctant decision.
Now that he had returned to the Fire Ant Tribe to take up the position of clan leader, his legitimate wife remained in the Holy Ant Tribe, undoubtedly indulging herself and living in lavish revelry day and night.
The child born now, clearly, was not his own flesh and blood.
"Mother... doesn't really care about me. I rarely eat with her. She's much more concerned with my two younger brothers."
Lie Xin spoke softly.
Lie Zhao could only remain silent. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Xin'er, would you prefer to stay in the Holy Ant Tribe, or remain in the Fire Ant Tribe? As long as you wish, I'll have someone bring your belongings over, and you can stay here from now on."
Lie Xin shook her head. "I just wanted to see you this time. I'll stay in the Holy Ant Tribe. Grandfather arranged for you and Mother to marry because he saw that she's the granddaughter of the Fifth Elder of the Holy Ant Tribe.
I have the bloodlines of both the Holy Ant Tribe and the Fire Ant Tribe. There, no one will bully me. If the tribe needs any rare resources, I can help collect them in the Holy Ant Tribe and have them sent here. Staying there will be more useful to you, Father."
Upon hearing this, Lie Zhao couldn't help but look at Lie Xin again, a few more times. Although he had many children in name, Lie Xin was the only one born of his legitimate wife.
His three older sons were from concubines, now cultivating in the Fire Ant Tribe to break through to higher levels. As for Lie Xin's younger brothers, it went without saying. None of them carried his bloodline.
In the past, he had never considered that his daughter, a girl, could bear the weight of his vision for the future. But now, hearing his daughter speak, he was for the first time struck by the realization that he had perhaps underestimated her all these years.
"Xin'er, how old are you this year?" Lie Zhao suddenly asked.
"I'm twenty-four," Lie Xin replied.
Lie Zhao felt a wave of emotion. He had only married his legitimate wife from the Holy Ant Tribe when he was forty. The following year, Lie Xin was born.
"How many Insect Orifices have you opened?" Lie Zhao asked again.
Lie Xin's expression darkened slightly, "Father, how could you not know even this?"
Lie Zhao awkwardly smiled, "I can't remember."
Lie Xin spoke softly, "I've opened two Insect Orifices, but the third one is half open. I'm already a silver intermediate Insect Master. I'll soon surpass you, Father."
Lie Zhao nodded. "Xin'er, would you like to open another Insect Orifice?"
Lie Xin was stunned. "Another Insect Orifice? How is that possible?"
Lie Zhao explained the situation with the Orifice Opening Scripture.
Lie Xin's eyes widened in surprise, "Father, you haven't told anyone about this, right? And you haven't passed the Orifice Opening Scripture on to anyone else?"
Lie Zhao shook his head. "No, I haven't."
"My father, your grandfather, only passed on the Orifice Opening Scripture to his most trusted subordinates. Before your grandfather died, all those subordinates were gone as well. Now, only you and I know of the Orifice Opening Scripture's existence."
Lie Xin spoke with great seriousness, "This secret must never be leaked. Unless there is someone with incredibly powerful means to completely control another person, the Orifice Opening Scripture should never be taught to them. Otherwise, anyone could betray us, even blood relatives. Once the Orifice Opening Scripture spreads widely, we will all die."
Lie Zhao was taken aback.
At that moment, his daughter did not seem like a twenty-year-old girl, but rather like a seasoned leader with years of experience.
Lie Zhao pondered for a moment and asked, "The Holy Ant Tribe has the ability to mutate. Do you know of any insects that can control others?"
Lie Xin thought for a moment and then said, "The Holy Ant's breeding method can create a type of demon insect called the Heart-Eating Ant. Through the Heart-Eating Ant, one can control an Insect Master completely. If they leak even a word of the Orifice Opening Scripture, the Heart-Eating Ant will turn on them and consume their heart. However, the Insect Master who cultivates the Heart-Eating Ant is already branded as an evil insect master by the Holy Ant Tribe. The breeding method of the Heart-Eating Ant has been tightly sealed away, and no one can see it."
Lie Zhao sighed lightly. "It's fine. I was just curious. Come with me. I'll pass on the Orifice Opening Scripture to you. Study in secret within the Holy Ant Tribe and don't expose your level."
Lie Xin covered her mouth and giggled lightly. "Don't worry, Father. How could I expose myself so easily?"
Lie Zhao chuckled softly, realizing that his daughter's will was indeed firm, even more so than his own. She would certainly not expose herself.
Yet, he still didn't mention the existence of the magic mirror. That was the greatest secret his father had passed on to him. He had yet to choose his successor. The only person who could know the secret would be the successor.
After Lie Xin left, Lie Zhao once again buried himself in his work, attending to the heavy matters of the tribe.
Chu Xuan had been observing everything.
Lie Zhao's abilities, character, and qualifications were clearly not as remarkable as those of the former Lie Yong. Now he understood. Lie Yong had chosen Lie Zhao as the successor because of his good daughter.
"I hope this Lie Xin will bring me some surprises in the future." Chu Xuan smiled softly.
Five years later, in the Cave World, an unexpected event occurred.
The thirty-sixth leader of the Fire Ant Tribe, Lie Zhao, succumbed to the toll of years spent hunched over his desk, laboring tirelessly.
One day, he suddenly began vomiting blood and could not stop. After three days of lying in bed, with medicine proving useless, he passed away in the dead of night, his life extinguished in an instant.
At the time of his death, Lie Zhao was only seventy-two years old. As a Silver Insect Master, he should have lived to around one hundred and ten. His untimely death was a tragedy, and worse still, he had not named a successor, unlike his father, Lie Yong.
Lie Zhao had three sons within the Fire Ant Tribe and a daughter and two sons in the Holy Ant Tribe. Though the two sons in the Holy Ant Tribe were not his bloodline, no one knew this.
Therefore, the question of who would inherit the leadership of the Fire Ant Tribe became a pressing problem. According to the tribe's rules, all of his offspring had the right to vie for the position of chief.
What made matters even more complicated was that Lie Zhao's three sons were all similarly powerful, each backed by a different elder. This created a stalemate, leading to fierce competition for the position of chief. The Fire Ant Tribe quickly descended into chaos.
...
Holy Ant Tribe.
Lie Xin was reading through books, having already perused the entire collection of the Holy Ant Tribe. Now, she was exploring the libraries of various mid-sized tribes.
"Xin'er, your father is dead."
A large, muscular woman suddenly approached Lie Xin and spoke, her tone casual.
Lie Xin froze, springing to her feet. "What?"
The woman smiled lightly. "I said, your father is dead. Now, the Fire Ant Tribe is without a leader. Your fifth brother wants to try his hand at being chief. You should bring him back. These six Insect Masters will ensure your safety. Of course, there will be those who oppose, but don't worry. Just kill them."
Lie Xin turned to look at the young man standing nearby.
The young man was tall and handsome, and his name was Lie Qing, her fifth brother. The two of them shared half of the same bloodline.
"Sister, let's go," he said, grinning widely. "That's the leader of a mid-sized tribe! I've been looking forward to this day!"
Lie Qing smiled broadly, showing no trace of grief over their father's death. Instead, his eyes gleamed with eager ambition for the position of chief.
Lie Xin suppressed the pain in her heart and, with a calm face, replied, "Alright, we'll go. The position of chief is meant for you, Fifth Brother."