Mo Sang

"Oh? What did you figure out?"

Grandpa opened his eyes and looked at Su Ming.

"I can't kill Sikong! Given his status, even if he's the son of the Black Dragon Tribe chief, he couldn't have wielded the power of the tribe's protective spear. Most importantly, he couldn't have kept his pursuit of me a secret from the entire Black Dragon Tribe and come after me alone!" The more Su Ming spoke, the more alarmed he became. Cold sweat broke out across his body.

"On the surface, it looks like he came after me alone, but in reality..." Su Ming's pupils contracted.

"In reality, the Black Dragon Tribe's Barbarian Duke and chief probably both knew he was pursuing me! They didn't stop him. They let things play out!"

"And... they might even have been following behind, watching my fight with Sikong with their own eyes!" Su Ming drew a sharp breath. He wasn't afraid of anything else. What frightened him was the possibility that the other side had seen the power of moonlight. But the more he analyzed things, the more alarmed he became, as though a vivid painting were slowly unfurling before him.

But soon, Su Ming furrowed his brow, confusion in his eyes.

"You're wondering why, if the Black Dragon Tribe's Barbarian Duke or chief was following behind, they let you take that spear so easily, aren't you?" Grandpa said calmly, voicing the question that troubled Su Ming most.

Su Ming didn't answer. He pondered for a while, then gazed at the boundless landscape in the distance and spoke slowly.

"The one secretly following Sikong and me couldn't have been the Black Dragon Tribe's chief. Otherwise, when he saw Sikong injured, he wouldn't have been able to hold back.

"I think the one following behind must have been... the Black Dragon Tribe's Barbarian Duke! But I still don't understand why the Barbarian Duke let me take that Barbarian Artifact spear."

"Exactly! The one following you was clearly Lesu, the Black Dragon Tribe's Barbarian Duke!" Grandpa's eyes gleamed with approval.

"Your analysis is right. If the Black Dragon Tribe's chief had been following you, how could he have watched you bully his son? As for your question, Grandpa can answer it!

"This looked like a pursuit, but in truth, the Black Dragon Tribe wasn't going to kill you! You did save Bai Ling. If they repaid your kindness with treachery, they'd completely enrage our Wu Mountain Tribe. Especially at this crucial moment, they wouldn't do that!" Wisdom flickered in Grandpa's eyes as he explained it to Su Ming.

"They were trying to intimidate me?" Su Ming's expression showed understanding, but it soon turned troubled.

"Haha! They were trying to scare off you, the fellow eyeing a girl from their tribe! They wanted you to be so frightened that you'd never dare go near the Black Dragon Tribe again!

"Sikong didn't know that. His killing intent was real. I suspect he had feelings for Bai Ling, and Lesu used his anger to her advantage. If you couldn't beat him, you'd at most have been injured. She would have stepped in secretly, making it seem as if you'd barely escaped with your life.

"You're still too young to see through this. If it were Grandpa, I wouldn't have run at all. I'd have gone straight to the Black Dragon Tribe, openly and without shame, and sought out the girl I liked right in front of them. You're her savior, and you're my child. Would they dare hurt you so easily?" Grandpa said with a laugh, patting Su Ming's head.

Su Ming froze for a moment, regret showing on his face.

"This may also have been a test from the Black Dragon Tribe. After all, the girl you like is Lesu's granddaughter." Grandpa smiled at Su Ming.

"Grandpa, that Barbarian Duke from the Black Dragon Tribe is too cunning!" Su Ming grimaced. After Grandpa's explanation, he finally understood what had happened.

"Don't be discouraged. Apart from failing to see through their intentions, you did quite well. I doubt Lesu expected you not only to hold your own against Sikong's pursuit, but to subdue him!

"As for why Lesu let you take that Barbarian Artifact..." Grandpa's eyes flashed.

"She saw that she hadn't scared you off, so she deliberately let you take it. She wanted to tell me that the spear repaid your kindness in saving Bai Ling! The Black Dragon Tribe is a little different from us, especially Lesu. She isn't skilled in Barbarian Arts; she's skilled at making Barbarian Artifacts—not genuine ones, but imitations!

"For example, the spear you got is an imitation Barbarian Artifact, modeled after the Blood Scale Spear, one of the three great Barbarian Artifacts of the Wu Mountain Tribe in years past." Grandpa raised his right hand and tapped Su Ming's arm. A cool sensation flowed into him, and soon a black line slowly emerged on his right arm.

"Grandpa has already adjusted this spear for you, making a few changes. The Black Dragon has become a black eagle, and now it can merge with your body. When you need it, just think of it, and it'll appear." Grandpa raised his right hand and spoke with a smile.

Su Ming stared at the black line on his arm. He hesitated, then was about to speak.

"Grandpa knows what you're going to say. Tell me, now that you've taken a Barbarian Artifact from the Black Dragon Tribe as repayment for saving Bai Ling, what do you intend to do about it?

"Will you return the spear and gain a chance to see that girl, or keep it and never see her again?" Grandpa asked with a smile.

Su Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Sikong put up this spear as collateral for the five thousand stone he owes me. Naturally, I can't return it. As for Bai Ling... I'm her savior, after all." Su Ming blinked.

Grandpa laughed heartily and tapped Su Ming on the head, his eyes full of approval.

On the middle section of the giant Black Python's body, Bei Ling sat cross-legged. He watched Grandpa and Su Ming's backs. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he saw Grandpa's smile and Su Ming's grin. Bei Ling lowered his head.

A flash of jealousy passed through his eyes.

"Su Ming, if you were a Barbarian Warrior, that would be one thing. But when you first underwent Barbarian Awakening, you didn't even have a Barbarian Body. How could an ordinary person like you not only win Ah Xin's favor, but, more importantly, earn such kindness from Grandpa? Just because Grandpa took you in!!

"You have no blood ties to him, while I'm the tribe's hope. Yet Grandpa has never smiled at me... Even Father often sighs that you have the makings of a Scout Leader!

"Su Ming, if you weren't here, Chen Xin, Father, and even Grandpa wouldn't treat me the way they do now. Su Ming, you've always thought I was cold to you because of Chen Xin, and you've always wanted to explain yourself. But you don't know that I don't want to hear your explanation!! You're a child Grandpa took in, not one of the people of the Wu Mountain Tribe, and you don't even seem like a Barbarian. What right do you have to explain yourself to me? What right do you have to make me waste my time listening!!" Bei Ling's breathing grew ragged. It took him a long while to calm down. When he raised his head, everything was back to normal: still cold, still proud.

Bei Ling's father, the Scout Leader of the Wu Mountain Tribe, stood not far away. His brows furrowed slightly. He glanced at Bei Ling, then at Su Ming's back, and let out a quiet sigh.

At the tail of the Black Python, Shan Hen, the hunting party's leader, sat beside Lei Chen. An odd glint passed through his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking. He was usually so quiet in the tribe that few could read his thoughts.

Time passed quickly. Traveling on foot from the Wu Mountain Tribe to Fengzhen Tribe would have taken Su Ming nearly two days. But riding on Grandpa's Black Python, they needed less than an hour before a vast tribe appeared in the distance below.

At the tribe's very center stood a massive city of mud and stone. It looked small from the sky, but as the Black Python descended, it came clearly into view before Su Ming.

The imposing Mud Stone City contained many mud-and-stone houses, laid out in neat rows. It was nowhere near as magnificent as the Fire Barbarian Tribe Su Ming had seen in the distant past, but it far surpassed his own Wu Mountain Tribe.

The Wu Mountain Tribe could never have possessed a city like this.

The city walls stood several zhang high. A person at their base had to crane their neck to look up, and even from his place in the sky, Su Ming felt shaken by the sight. Lei Chen was sprawled on the Black Python as well, peering down in awe and envy.

Wu Long was the same, staring blankly at the enormous Mud Stone City. She had never seen anything like it. Only Bei Ling remained calm.

The huge city seemed large enough to house several thousand people, with plenty of room to spare. At its very center stood a towering, pitch-black altar shaped like a pentagon. It rose more than ten zhang high, faintly decorated with bird and beast totems, and exuded a primitive aura. It was the most striking sight in the city.

But a single Mud Stone City wasn't enough to show the strength of the local overlord, the tribe that ruled in every direction, accepted offerings from countless small tribes, and was the only tribe with members able to contact those of a higher rank. The might of Fengzhen Tribe was clear from what surrounded the city: six tribes just like the Wu Mountain Tribe!

All six were directly subordinate to Fengzhen Tribe and had now become part of it.

Su Ming stared blankly at the vast tribe below. The strength of Fengzhen Tribe exceeded anything he'd imagined. To him, a tribe like this was practically as vast as the sky itself, capable of crushing any enemy.

As the Black Python drew nearer, Su Ming saw many members of Fengzhen Tribe looking up at them. These strangers' expressions seemed to hold a hint of arrogance, though he couldn't be sure it wasn't his imagination.

"This is Fengzhen Tribe!" Grandpa's voice echoed from atop the Black Python.

"Our Wu Mountain Tribe's former vassal tribe. Now... it's the strongest tribe in all eight directions!"

"Grandpa, was our Wu Mountain Tribe once as big as Fengzhen Tribe?" The one who asked was the girl called Wu Long.

Grandpa didn't answer. A trace of gloom crossed his eyes.

Just then, a warm laugh rang out from within Fengzhen Tribe.

"Mo Sang, it's no small thing for you to come to my Fengzhen Tribe!"