Everyone in the tent stood up abruptly. While Hongjile frantically dodged that ghost-like meat cleaver, he shouted loudly, “Who! Who! Someone! Someone—”
But Klie had already started laughing. His slender, gleaming golden eyes narrowed, truly cunning and nimble like a fox, saying leisurely, “You arrived so quickly…”
He gently pushed away the slave woman who had already fainted from pain, clapped his hands and stood up, casually stepping over her body, laughing, “Our Prince of Shunyi and Grand Consort have graced us with their presence. Everyone, shouldn’t you hurry to welcome them?”
The chieftains had by now also reacted, their expressions all somewhat uncomfortable. The thin Kuercha’s expression changed, his gaze turning toward Hongjile, but Hongjile was still busy dealing with that cleaver—the blade seemed stuck to him, pursuing relentlessly. He jumped up and down, extremely bedraggled.
“A pack of wolves kneeling to worship the moon are mostly hoping to gain more prey.” Helian Zheng’s utterly unconcerned voice was instantly at the tent entrance. “On our grasslands, we’ve truly raised too many insatiably greedy wolves!”
The tent flap lifted and Helian Zheng strode in. Without even glancing at the iron-faced chieftains who’d stood up not knowing what to do, he walked with large strides to the seat of honor and plopped down in the position Hongjile had vacated to avoid the flying blade. Casually cutting off a piece of dripping fatty lamb tenderloin, he ate it while saying, “The man’s despicable, but the meat’s roasted pretty well!”
“Zhadalanyin!” Hongjile finally had a flash of inspiration and hurled a table to intercept the flying blade. The knife swooshed into the table, stopping just inches from his nose. He shakily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, set down the table with a bang, and said grimly, “You dare intrude upon the Golden Alliance tent!”
“You dared to kill the grassland’s king, so I dare intrude upon the Golden Alliance tent!” Helian Zheng slapped the leftover meat onto his face. “I also dare to kill you!”
“Within ten miles of the Golden Alliance location, killing is forbidden—violators become enemies of all the grasslands!”
“You’ve already made me your enemy first, so what do I care about being everyone’s enemy or not?” Helian Zheng smashed the table with a slap, glaring fiercely without yielding an inch. “I’ll just stab you all to death with one blade each! Kill one, that’s one! Let the grasslands behind me be thrown into chaos!”
The chieftains fell silent, staring dumbly at Helian Zheng’s murderous expression. Just looking at his eyes, they knew he absolutely wasn’t bluffing. In their memory, the Prince of Shunyi’s heir had been magnanimous, cheerful, fond of smiling with a touch of roguishness—they hadn’t expected to see his true colors today.
They exchanged glances—the Golden Alliance tent’s location was a narrow valley surrounded by mountains on three sides with an extremely small exit. The exit faced a deployment of the ten chieftains’ various armies, surrounding it so tightly not even water could leak through. The other three sides were slippery rock mountains that even the so-called interior’s martial arts experts might not be able to climb successfully. Truly one man guarding the pass against ten thousand—yet there were also warriors guarding inside the valley. How had Helian Zheng and these few people entered without anyone knowing?
According to this strict vigilance, Helian Zheng shouldn’t have been able to break in. But since he had broken in, it meant Helian Zheng was absolutely not to be trifled with. If he truly went mad, disregarding consequences to break the Golden Alliance rules, dying while dragging several people down as his burial companions, they could only consider themselves unlucky.
Rules, when it came down to it, were all set by people. Rules had always been meant for violent breaking. When rules met those who didn’t follow rules, they became nonsense.
“Ignorant brat, who are you trying to scare!” The Canglang Tribe chieftain, friendly with Hongjile, Luzan roared loudly. “This is Wanya Binggu Valley. Outside the valley are ten families’ guards totaling thirty thousand troops. Inside the valley there are also over a thousand guards. If you want mutual destruction with us, you’d better consider whether you’re qualified!”
Helian Zheng braced both hands on his knees, silently staring at Luzan. His truly dark-night-wolf-like eyes made Luzan involuntarily shudder.
“Boom.”
Just as Helian Zheng glared murderously at Luzan, staring until Luzan couldn’t sit still and was barely maintaining a brave front, staring until the tent fell into deathly silence with everyone trying to smooth things over, staring until Hongjile’s eyes rolled as he was about to speak—suddenly an explosive sound erupted.
Like Gonggong ramming the mountain, like Ao Guang overturning the sea, like the gods battling in the nine heavens toppling heaven and earth—the entire ground shook with a rumbling tremor, directly flipping over several chieftains sitting on the ground.
“What’s happening!” Hongjile’s alarmed cry hadn’t left his mouth when a figure flashed at the tent entrance. A guard rushed over with panic all over his face, shouting loudly, “Bad news—landslide! Landslide! Landslide—”
A hand covered in gleaming golden rings shoved him aside, cackling with laughter. “Jinpeng Tribe subordinates are all idiots, can’t even speak a complete sentence. Collapsing collapsing collapsing—what’s collapsing? Better let this Grand Consort personally lift the curtain so all the lords can see clearly.”
Grand Empress Dowager Peony Flower smilingly lifted the curtain herself. When the tent door opened, they immediately saw the narrow valley exit directly facing the tent entrance.
There, amid billowing smoke, black mountain rocks continuously rolled down. The exit had already been filled level with those rocks large and small. Rocks still kept falling from the mountain, hitting the guards below who scattered in all directions. Alarmed cries and screams became complete chaos.
“We didn’t do much.” Liu Mudan said modestly. “Just blasted a small section of mountain to block up this exit.”
Hongjile’s mouth hung open as he looked at the exit piled high with mountain rocks, momentarily forgetting what to say. Luzan’s face turned ashen. Only now did Helian Zheng withdraw the gaze he’d been fixing on him, dusting off his robe and saying with breezy nonchalance, “Now, am I qualified for mutual destruction with you?”
“…”
The silence in the tent at this moment was even more unbearable. No one had expected that when Helian Zheng became ruthless, he would completely disregard consequences. Using gunpowder to blast the mountain, blocking the exit, trapping himself and everyone inside this valley with no way in or out—that posture made it clear: you bite me once, I’ll exterminate your whole family, life and death don’t matter, losing my life is fine.
Before, they’d vaguely heard he’d exterminated the Pixiu Tribe clan, but everyone hadn’t believed it. Now seeing this youngster’s ruthless style—fiercer than wolves, more violent than leopards—they knew it couldn’t be false. The Pixiu Tribe chieftain had arrived early to participate in the alliance and wasn’t certain about his clan’s situation. At this moment, the expression on his face could no longer be described with words.
Helian Zheng sat smilingly in the seat of honor, looking around, imitating Feng Zhiwei’s expression, feeling they looked quite like a married couple.
“Zhadalanyin! Don’t be impulsive!” After a long silence, Kuercha stepped forward as an uncle to angrily rebuke him. “Don’t cause irreparable trouble! I order you in my capacity as clan chief—”
Helian Zheng tilted his head, looking at him askance.
That gaze made Kuercha tremble. The words he’d prepared suddenly stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
After a long while, Helian Zheng asked curiously, “Who are you?”
“…”
Kuercha stood frozen on the ground, both his hands and lips trembling together, unable to shake out a complete sentence. But Helian Zheng had already withdrawn his disdainful gaze, sitting high in the seat of honor, lowering his eyes, slowly wiping his waist blade. “Zhadalanyin Yin’erji’s eyes can only see people. As for beasts…”
He smiled and shook his head.
“The whole hall is empty of people…” He looked up with a long sigh, full of regret.
The entire hall of “beasts” turned deathly pale. Even Klie, who’d been standing near the tent entrance blocking Feng Zhiwei, not even glancing at the mountain collapse, only concerned with examining her from head to toe, had his gaze flicker slightly as he turned to look.
However, his gaze quickly returned, frowning as he looked at Feng Zhiwei again, sighing once more, “Ugly, ugly.”
Feng Zhiwei didn’t even spare him a glance, only focusing on Helian Zheng. Hearing his statement about the hall being empty of people, she couldn’t help smiling, thinking the heir had gone to the interior once and learned quite a few roundabout cursing skills.
Klie had originally turned away in disappointment, but seeing this smile, his eyes lit up. He felt this yellow-faced woman, when she smiled, had graceful elegance, her hazy eyes rippling with flowing light—she possessed a charm ordinary people rarely achieved. He couldn’t help praising, “When you smile, you look like a beauty…” Reaching out to touch her face.
“Smack.”
A yellowish object shot out like lightning, thundering straight toward Klie’s brow. Such a small thing at such short distance actually produced a howling, violent wind sound. Before Klie’s fingers even extended, that object had already pressed upon his vital point.
Startled but not flustered, that fox-like man’s reaction was also fox-like in its cunning. He sharply tilted his head to evade the first wave of attack, ignoring the walnut hidden weapon that immediately turned to pursue after missing. Instead he reached to grab Gu Zhixiao in Gu Nanyi’s arms, his spread five fingers gleaming with iron-blue dark light.
Gu Nanyi indeed immediately floated backward holding his Zhixiao. The walnut fell to the ground. At the same time, a coil of silvery-white hair also scattered and fell—just from the passing wind force of that round walnut, it had severed a section of Klie’s hair.
If Klie’s reaction had been slower, his martial arts lower, if he hadn’t attacked Gu Nanyi’s must-save target, at this moment what was severed might not have been just hair.
This exchange, seen by the tent full of chieftains, immediately shocked them into even deeper silence. But Feng Zhiwei finally looked at Klie properly—just now these two moves seemed simple, but Klie’s displayed extraordinary martial arts and accurate adaptability were alarming. He could actually tell at a glance that her martial arts weren’t low, so he didn’t attempt to attack her to coerce Gu Nanyi.
Their gazes met—one slightly smiling, one charmingly smiling, each with their own calm depths. Then Feng Zhiwei leisurely turned her gaze away, but Klie’s expression changed slightly.
“Klie sweetheart…” Liu Mudan rushed over, extending wolf claws to touch Klie’s face. “Haven’t seen you in so long, your godmother’s missed you to death. Come let me touch…”
With a wave of his sleeve, Klie brushed away her hand covered in oily powder, swooshing backward three feet, laughing, “Godmother, in just a few days you’ve become so youthfully radiant, so beautiful that I, Klie, can’t stand before you…”
“Really?” Liu Mudan beamed, touching her own face, half wistful, half proud. “Aiya, getting old, getting old. My husband’s dead, Zhadalanyin’s even taken a wife…”
“With your husband dead, things are conveniently easier. Zhadalanyin’s even more irrelevant—didn’t he have a wife when he was ten? Half the people in this tent are his fathers-in-law…” Klie smiled while glancing at Feng Zhiwei.
“Bah!” Liu Mudan smacked out with a slap. “What convenient fathers-in-law! Klie, stop changing the subject. Come let Mama feel you—has your little garlic braid grown into a garlic bulb yet?”
“…”
The two advanced and retreated, chased and fled, actually exiting the tent just like that. Feng Zhiwei stepped back several paces to lean against the tent entrance, watching with interest as her Peony Flower entangled the white fox—leaving a hooligan to a lovestruck fool to grind down was most suitable. Meanwhile thinking, already having a pile of wives at age ten, no wonder Helian Zheng couldn’t go three days without visiting the courtyard before wanting to tear off the roof—developed like a little wolf, certain aspects truly received enlightenment too early…
“Zhadalanyin!” Inside the tent, unable to pay attention to the farce over there, Hongjile’s angry shout had already lost some of its confidence. His gaze kept glancing toward outside the tent. “The Golden Alliance is for chieftains to deliberate—even as Prince of Shunyi you have no authority to interfere. Hurry and withdraw!”
Helian Zheng didn’t even look at him, holding a wine cup, unhurriedly descending from his seat.
“Uncle Hutejia.” His tone changed again—from the initial murderous disregard for others when he sat down, to cold mockery and veiled attacks, to now this warm reminiscence, speaking gently.
“Uncle Hutejia.” He took up the pitcher, filling the cup of a blue-robed, red-faced man, his tone leisurely. “Thirty years ago in the Haidongqing Battle, Yue attacked into the grasslands, fighting all the way to Kunjia River. That night Yue raided the camp. Countless died by Kunjia River’s banks. My father-king was just an ordinary soldier in the Lion clan then. With a broken leg, he fell beside you. You carried him out thirty miles on your back, escaping enemy hands. This debt of gratitude, father-king mentioned to me constantly, never forgetting even unto death.”
The wine cup filled to the brim, gently offered. Hutejia’s expression was complex, staring at the wine cup without accepting it. Helian Zheng’s smile didn’t change, showing no embarrassment. The hand holding the cup remained steady as before.
A moment of silence filled the tent.
The Blue Bear Tribe Hutejia ranked fourth among the twelve tribes as a major clan. The men of the tribe were brave warriors with excellent ground-fighting skills, always an important part of the Huozhuo tribes. Blue Bear Tribe’s style matched its name—steady and solid, not siding with either faction. Only later, because the clan’s population exploded and pasture resources were insufficient, during the competition process they’d had disputes with the old king. So for this Golden Alliance, the Blue Bear Tribe chieftain had also come.
Helian Zheng had immediately targeted the pivotal, most difficult Blue Bear Tribe. Beyond surprise, everyone couldn’t help but feel some admiration, yet felt the wet-behind-the-ears Zhadalanyin absolutely couldn’t move the stubborn Hutejia. Unconsciously their gazes burned intensely, their breathing becoming heavier.
After a long while, in the complete silence, Hutejia said in a deep voice, “You haven’t finished that story. Back then I carried him out of the corpse pile, but halfway there, enemy troops pursued. When I drew my blade to turn and fight desperately, your father grabbed me and threw me down by the water. Two of us pretended to be corpses. The Yue army was cautious—after pursuing, they weren’t reassured and stabbed every corpse by the stream again. That blade pierced your father’s waist and ribs. He gritted his teeth and didn’t move throughout. Only then did the Yue army leave. I was pressed beneath him and only suffered light injuries… So that time, he saved me, not me saving him.”
“Is that so?” Helian Zheng smiled. “Thank you, Uncle Hutejia, for still remembering.”
Hutejia looked at his sincere smile, his gaze flickering. Finally he reached out to accept the wine cup, silently draining it in one gulp.
Slight commotion stirred in the tent. Hongjile’s expression changed drastically.
“Uncle Hu’en.” Helian Zheng had already walked to an elderly white-haired man. That person had a scar on his face, grotesquely slashing from his left eye corner to his right eye corner. After healing, the skin around the wound contracted, pulling his face into an unrecognizable mess—a heart-stopping sight.
Seeing Helian Zheng actually approach this person, Hongjile revealed a cold smile.
Hu’en wasn’t the steady, honest Hutejia. He didn’t share that battlefield comradeship with Old King Kuku of supporting and preserving each other. This man, because of extremely tragic early experiences, had an extremely volatile temperament and was extremely sensitive about his scar. No matter who mentioned it, they would suffer his crazy retaliation.
Helian Zheng was young and impetuous, not knowing proper limits. He only knew Hu’en’s Iron Leopard Tribe had unmatched endurance and must be won over. If he touched Hu’en’s taboo—heh heh…
Moreover, Hu’en was also his relative by marriage…
As expected, Helian Zheng gazed calmly at Hu’en’s face, saying softly, “Uncle Hu’en, your injury…”
Hu’en made an “Mm?” sound, the tail of his voice rising high. His broken, shattered face twitched slightly, frighteningly ghost-like.
His hand hidden beneath wide robes slowly moved toward the blade at his waist.
Some sneered coldly, some felt pleased, some remained silent. Hutejia looked over with some unease. Helian Zheng seemed completely oblivious to those strange movements, continuing, “Father-king always kept it in his heart…”
Hu’en froze. His fingers about to grasp the blade paused.
“The night before I went to the interior, father-king summoned me, saying the interior was vast and resourceful, the Imperial Capital’s products complete. No matter what, I must find the Fire Heart Sacred Lotus that Uncle Hu’en needed while in the interior.” Helian Zheng took out a small box from his bosom, bowing as he respectfully presented it with both hands before Hu’en. “But the Sacred Lotus that could completely cure uncle’s injuries has become extinct in the world. The Fire Heart Lotus also has only a few plants remaining. The Fire Heart Lotus cannot completely heal uncle’s injuries, but this one is said to be top grade. At minimum it can relieve uncle of some suffering… Zhadalanyin failed to complete the task father-king entrusted… I’m sorry…”
The box opened. A three-petaled dark red dried flower-like plant lay quietly within. Hu’en stared at that Fire Heart Lotus, his eyes slightly churning.
His childhood experiences had been extremely tragic, leaving a body full of injuries and illnesses. For many years he’d suffered torment, resulting in his strange temperament. All these years searching for the Fire Heart Lotus he needed, who knew how much effort and money he’d spent. Never mind the Sacred Lotus—even the Fire Heart Lotus, over decades he’d only found one single-petal lotus, already exhausting his abilities. He hadn’t expected this matter was actually kept in Old King Kuku’s heart, and even more so brought by Zhadalanyin—this sought-after spiritual medicine!
The man before him held the box with sincere eyes, even containing some regret for not finding the Sacred Lotus. A surge of warmth rose in Hu’en’s heart. He didn’t accept the box but first helped him up, patting his hand. “Did you really exterminate the Pixiu Tribe’s entire clan?”
“Yes!” Helian Zheng answered without evasion, his voice resounding clearly. “Grassland men are honorable and upright. If we kill, we kill openly and properly. Holding the Grand Consort hostage, deceiving me to cross the river, setting ambushes halfway, colluding with Jinpeng—if I don’t exterminate them, who do I exterminate?”
“Good.” After a long silence, Hu’en actually smiled—a grotesquely terrifying smile, yet his tone was gentle. “What bullshit rules. Rules are held in the strong’s hands. Zhadalanyin, you’re very good!”
Helian Zheng smiled, calling loudly, “Naturally!”
Laughing loudly as he accepted the box, Hu’en patted his shoulder again, waving a hand to stop Hongjile who urgently wanted to speak, saying indifferently, “Hongjile, I’m not swayed by this medicine. I’m an old man about to die—how long I live doesn’t matter. The grassland’s survival is more important than how long I live. Though you’re my relative by marriage, in my view, Zhadalanyin as this grassland’s master might even be better than you.”
Part of the chieftains fell into silence. Indeed, in the past when the old king was alive, they hadn’t had much contact with Helian Zheng and hadn’t left deep impressions. These recent days, under Hongjile’s deliberate influence, they all felt having a wet-behind-the-ears youngster in his early twenties as this grassland’s supreme leader wasn’t suitable. But today in Binggu Valley, from the moment Helian Zheng appeared, he’d continuously given them unlimited shock. Truly he could be hard when needed, soft when needed, kill when needed, kneel when needed—compared to the excessively honest old king of those years, he surpassed to another level.
The Golden Alliance could only depose grassland kings who were tyrannical or weak and useless. In the end it was for grassland prosperity. Who wanted to see repeated the scene from years past when grassland tribes constantly warred, causing population decline and continuous bullying by Great Yue? Hongjile had talent and power—supporting him wouldn’t be impossible. However, if the grassland’s new king wasn’t a useless person, then one had to reconsider—was it really worth killing each other in chaos, self-destructing their homeland to let others take advantage?
Feng Zhiwei looked at Helian Zheng with a trace of faint smile in her eyes. Of all the events today, besides her deploying Chunyu Meng’s subordinates to help set up gunpowder to blast the mountain, all other matters were Helian Zheng’s own ideas and handiwork. Helian was a proud person who wouldn’t be willing to accept a woman’s protection. She also didn’t plan to meddle in this. If Helian Zheng couldn’t become this grassland king himself, her forcing him up would actually harm him.
So even she didn’t know when Helian Zheng had prepared this Fire Heart Lotus. However, what she was certain of was that Old King Kuku absolutely had never instructed him to find any Fire Heart Lotus. Because according to what Helian Zheng once let slip when drunk, before coming to the Imperial Capital he’d just had a big fight with the old man and hadn’t spoken for over a month. He’d gone to Ganzhou at the grassland-interior border to relax and received father-king’s order directly from Ganzhou to rush to the Imperial Capital.
In the Imperial Capital, she’d only seen him courting wives, climbing walls, chasing women. She hadn’t expected that beneath that carefree, playful, roguish exterior actually lay an ambitious heart that prepared for rainy days with meticulous thought.
Helian Zheng had already walked toward the next person holding his cup—a yellow-robed man around thirty. Before he arrived, the man whooshed to his feet, raising his own cup, calling loudly, “Brother Zhadalanyin, you don’t need to say more. Even if not for Old King Kuku’s sake, I must give you face—when I was eleven and bitten by a poisonous snake, you were the one who sucked out the poison! Today I came because the clan elders meant for me to—I’m just here to take a look. I didn’t say I definitely wanted to expel you. I’ll drink first!” Saying this, he drained it in one gulp.
Helian Zheng laughed heartily, draining his cup in one gulp, forcefully patting his shoulder. “Good brother! Next time you get bitten by an earth serpent again, I’ll definitely suck hard.”
Liu Mudan stuck her head in amidst her busy schedule, calling shrilly, “The little brat has great strength—back then he nearly sucked off my nipple—”
She was immediately pushed out gently but decisively by Feng Zhiwei.
Yeye could only smile bitterly.
With several major clan chieftains successively defecting, today’s alliance was destined to have no result. Hongjile’s expression was extremely ugly. After pondering, his gaze silently swept toward a guard at the tent entrance.
That person was about to shift his feet when Feng Zhiwei, as if completely unintentionally, took a step, precisely blocking that person’s path, smiling broadly. “Where are you going?”
Hongjile shouted coldly inside the tent, “Women are not permitted to speak in the Golden Alliance tent. No matter who you are, get out!”
The chieftains all showed approving expressions, looking at Feng Zhiwei with disgust.
“Oh? Is that so?” Feng Zhiwei looked at those people with a smile. “In the Golden Alliance tent? Women not permitted to speak?”
She suddenly raised her hand.
Black light flashed.
Like a flowing arc crossing the wide tent interior, a tearing sound followed. Then large swaths of cloth and felt came crashing down. The chieftains leaning against the tent’s edge cried out and leaped up, but were still struck full on the head by the tent falling from above.
After the chaos returned to calm, everyone discovered that the smiling, seemingly motionless Grand Consort had actually severed nearly half the tent with one raised hand!
The cutting method was extremely ingenious—the other half of the tent remained perfectly intact. The ground was piled with cloth, felt tent material, and thin wooden poles. The chieftains sitting near the entrance struggled out from the cloth piles to discover the instigator sat perfectly fine in her original position, with nothing falling on her or those beside her.
The woman sitting with dignified posture didn’t even glance at the sacred Golden Alliance main tent she’d destroyed with a raised hand. She only smiled at Hongjile, saying indifferently, “Look, Chieftain, I’m not in the Golden Alliance tent now.”
She indeed wasn’t “in the tent” now—the half of the tent where she sat had been cut away by her.
In the half-tent remained only long and short breathing—even the breathing sounded not quite smooth. If Helian Zheng had given the chieftains unexpected shock, what Feng Zhiwei gave them was a thunderbolt striking their heads.
In the proud grassland chieftains’ eyes, women were all decorations. Interior women couldn’t even count as decorations—like porcelain, shattering at a touch.
Now this Han princess who looked even more fragile than porcelain, smiling gently and softly like clouds draped on grass tips, besides her first words upon appearing making people unable to resist looking at her more, had afterward consistently performed as quiet and ordinary as her appearance. Who knew that with one sudden move, she’d directly teach them what silent fierceness meant.
“Now.” Feng Zhiwei sat upright amid scattered tent fragments, smiling at the chieftains in the opposite half-tent, calmly saying, “I’ve followed your rules. Now it’s your turn to follow my rules—listen well to what I say. I’ll only say it once.”
“You opened this foolish Golden Alliance meeting today, hoping Hongjile Jinpeng would lead you to redistribute pastures, henceforth following water and grass to dwell, bathing in heaven’s wind to grow, children and grandchildren flourishing for generations… truly beautiful dreams.” The black-robed woman’s eyes were dark, containing faint mockery, not looking at the chieftains exchanging dismayed glances. “What grand promises did Hongjile paint for you? Major clans promised fertile pastures, minor clans promised heavy profits in grain and silk, right?”
The entire assembly was silent—clearly it was exactly like that.
“What are you trying to instigate?” Hongjile sneered coldly. “Old King Kuku distributed pastures unfairly, handled matters unfairly. The chieftains have suffered oppression for long. A few casual words of instigation from you won’t work!”
Feng Zhiwei paid him no attention whatsoever, casually using a wooden stick to draw a simple map of the Huozhuo Twelve Tribes’ territories on the ground, saying indifferently, “Come, let’s deduce how the future King Hongjile will promise to allocate your territories. Here, here, and here,” she pointed to several territories near the royal court, “presumably to be left to the Fire Fox, Blue Bear, and Iron Leopard three tribes?”
Several chieftains remained silent. Hu’en frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Very right, very right.” Feng Zhiwei smiled while gesturing. “Mm, according to everyone’s power and role proportions, Iron Leopard will presumably be here. Once Great King Hong occupies the royal court, he’ll definitely unite with Fire Fox and Canglang to exterminate Blue Bird and White Deer clans. Thus Fire Fox will inevitably extend southward, occupying Blue Bird’s original pastures. To the right, Canglang’s power extends north, replacing White Deer. Ah… congratulations, Lord Hu’en. You’ll have wolves on the left, foxes on the right, for ten thousand generations, unifying all under heaven.”
Hu’en’s expression changed, saying grimly, “He wouldn’t dare!”
Feng Zhiwei looked at him with a smile. “Oh? Hongjile wouldn’t dare? Klie wouldn’t dare? If they wouldn’t dare, why would Fire Fox, one of the royal court’s three major direct guard forces, choose betrayal? Where’s the benefit? Just for that portion of Blue Bird’s pastures? Then why is Iron Leopard Tribe arranged here? Ten years ago, Iron Leopard Tribe’s slave woman was given to Fire Fox Tribe’s chieftain and died after childbirth. That child whom both clans were unwilling to claim now serves as Fire Fox clan chief’s child. If someday he feels good, remembers your kindness, and passes a message to someone, converging from Donglin Mountain Valley left and right to pay you a visit… heh heh.”
Before Hu’en, whose facial scars were writhing, burning grotesquely, could speak, she tilted her head again, saying to Blue Bear chieftain Hutejia, “Lord Hutejia, if you truly leave that plot of land on the southern line of Qingzhuo Mountains and choose to relocate to pastures near the royal court, I dare say within thirty years, the majority of your clan’s men will definitely die.”
“What?” Hutejia spun around sharply.
“As we rushed toward Binggu River, we passed through your tribe’s territory,” Feng Zhiwei said. “Someone in our group discovered your tribe’s men have exceptionally stable lower body foundations, truly bear-like in solidity. But the veins in their legs protrude visibly—not like what martial practice would cause. Near your tribe’s pasture territory grows a kind of gold-blue grass called ‘Flame Seven Star.’ Breathing its scent long-term causes increased strength and stable leg power. But over time, poison accumulates in the lower body, damaging life. Fortunately where there’s poison, there’s antidote. In the forest near those pastures grows a type of short shrub that happens to counteract this scent. Your tribe constantly cuts firewood there to burn. The two neutralize each other—not only harmless to the body but making clan members young and old strong with powerful combat ability. But once you leave there without that short shrub, ‘Flame Seven Star’s’ long-accumulated toxins will inevitably rise from the legs. Then meridians will burst—light cases paralysis, severe cases death. Your entire clan will be exterminated!”
Hutejia’s face turned ashen with shock. Hongjile said in a deep voice, “Stop your alarmist talk. Blue Bear Tribe has meritorious service—they deserve the best pastures. My heart toward Brother Hutejia can be verified by heaven. What Flame Seven Star or Flame Eight Star—I’ve never even heard of them!”
“Is that so?” Feng Zhiwei looked at him with her chin in her hand, smiling. “You haven’t heard of it? You truly haven’t heard of it? If you haven’t heard of it, why were you constantly looking outside the tent just now? Who were you watching for?”
As if receiving a reminder, Hutejia suddenly twisted his head to look outside the tent. “Some days ago, Klie came to visit and even mentioned that grass was very pretty…”
Helian Zheng laughed coldly. Hutejia stopped speaking, staring at Hongjile, his cheek muscles gradually bulging tightly.
“The royal court also knows about this matter,” Helian Zheng suddenly said. “A royal court physician once went to Blue Bear Tribe and also discovered it, reporting to father-king. So later when Blue Bear Tribe and Earth Badger Tribe competed for pastures, father-king deployed royal army to prevent it, ordering Blue Bear Tribe to surrender already-occupied pastures. This caused Blue Bear Tribe’s dissatisfaction. Father-king never explained the reason—he feared this news spreading would cause other tribes to covet it, leaving Blue Bear Tribe never a day of peace. So he concealed it until now.”
He sighed slightly. “Father-king once said Brother Hutejia was honest in character, so he had this fortune. Blue Bear Tribe’s valor ranks first. As brothers, he’d rather suffer some misunderstanding than easily let him be taken advantage of by others.”
Hutejia at this moment felt so ashamed he wanted to drill into the ground. His thick large palm roughly wiped his eyes, choking out, “I… I…” Suddenly leaving his seat and rising, he drew his blade with a ring.
Helian Zheng sat motionless, calmly watching him.
“Slash.”
Blade light carved a snow-bright arc in the tent. In the snow light, blood dripped in a trace. A bloody little finger fell to the ground. Hutejia thunderously knelt before Helian Zheng, raising his mutilated left hand, his voice deep and resolute. “With Eternal Blue Sky above, Hutejia swears with his heart-connected finger—from today, Blue Bear Tribe swears loyalty unto death to the Prince of Shunyi. If we violate this oath, may we all die extinct!”
“Uncle Hutejia!” After his oath finished, Helian Zheng, who’d sat motionless throughout, immediately knelt before him with a bang, gripping his shoulder and crying loudly, “Father-king can rest peacefully in the underworld!”
The two embraced crying with snot and tears everywhere. Hutejia’s was genuine emotion flowing. Helian Zheng’s was impromptu performance—buried in Hutejia’s shoulder, through tear-blurred eyes he winked at Feng Zhiwei.
Feng Zhiwei glared at him with a straight face, but the smile at the corner of her lips held a trace of approval—the youngster was very clever, his reactions astonishingly fast. He’d instantly borrowed momentum to resolve Blue Bear Tribe’s greatest grudge against the royal court over many years. What royal court physician knew long ago? What father-king would rather suffer misunderstanding to protect Blue Bear? Truly talking complete nonsense. Just earlier when passing through Blue Bear territory, when Zong Chen frowned at ‘Flame Seven Star,’ he’d still smilingly leaned over saying this grass looks so pretty, can we eat it!
Blue Bear Tribe swore the most solemn blood oath of loyalty. Iron Leopard Tribe turned to become enemies with Jinpeng. Helian Zheng and Feng Zhiwei joined powerful forces—instantly turning the evenly divided situation toward their side. With the current circumstances, forget expulsion and deposition being impossible—just with the most valorous Blue Bear swearing loyalty unto death, Helian Zheng had the power to battle Hongjile.
After soothing the honest man with a face full of tear tracks, Helian Zheng stood up, looking around at those minor clans allied with Hongjile. Everyone avoided his gaze, eyeballs flying all over the ground. One person cowered behind the crowd, wishing he could shrink into the felt.
“Say, Kuercha, what are you hiding from?” Helian Zheng’s gaze swept past, smiling grimly, suddenly calling out loudly.
That old man stiffly turned around.
“Kuercha, my father’s most valued brother, most trusted elder brother, most intimate person.” Helian Zheng approached him step by step, a savage smile at the corner of his mouth. “To repay his so-called ‘loyalty,’ my father became the first grassland king to relinquish his own clan’s chieftain position, bestowing upon his brother the most fertile pastures, the most beautiful women, the most precious treasures. Even court rewards, he let his brother choose first.” He smiled, staring with eagle-like ferocity at Kuercha who had nowhere to hide. “Then, what did his brother repay him with? Colluding with foreign enemies to kill him on his throne, after his death bowing and scraping to the murderer, plotting to drive away his nephew!”
Disgust appeared on Hu’en’s face. Hutejia spat at Kuercha’s feet.
Kuercha, forced into the tent corner with no retreat, suddenly thrust out his chest, calling loudly, “Just kill me then!”
“Why would I kill you?” Helian Zheng suddenly stopped, smiled, turned with hands clasped behind his back. “Dirty my hands.”
“Everyone.” He didn’t even look at Kuercha, saying coldly, “I, with the king’s decree as the court-conferred Prince of Shunyi, now strip Kuercha of his Golden Lion clan chieftain position, expel him from the royal court and the Yin’erji clan. As for which of you wants to shelter this homeless dog… please, go ahead.”
Complete silence, then Kuercha’s wailing erupted. “No! No! You can’t! I’m an Yin’erji clan chief. You have no authority to strip my chieftain position…”
“From now on, I am the chieftain!” Helian Zheng turned and roared, his purple-glowing eyes deep and grim. “Kindness can’t raise a naturally born wolf cub. From this king forward, the Yin’erji clan no longer needs two masters!”
Kuercha wailed as he drew his blade and charged outward. Hutejia already stepped forward, one kick sending him flying a zhang away, rolling on the ground unable to rise.
“Now.” Helian Zheng no longer paid attention to that group of chieftains, slowly turning to look at Hongjile whose expression kept changing. “Time to settle our accounts.”
“You can’t kill him—” Suddenly a delicate shrill cry rang out. At the same time, a water-red shadow suddenly burst out from behind the royal tent, spreading both arms to embrace Helian Zheng. “Zhadalanyin, that’s your father-in-law, your child’s grandfather!”