Chapter 17
"Please go ahead."
On the quiet and secluded ancient road, the old clan chief bowed and invited the distinguished guest to walk forward.
Yinglong and Jia'er walked ahead at a leisurely pace. They had just left the broadleaf forest and, led by the old clan chief, were climbing upwards along the source of the stream.
After climbing to a certain height, a small path suddenly appeared in front of them. There was nothing there, just a lonely road without even a tree. Yinglong looked at it and guessed that this was the entrance to their Muyun tribe.
The group marched along the road in a grand procession. The leader walked very enthusiastically, but the rest of the group lagged behind, looking quite far ahead...
The numerous wounded behind them helped each other up, staggering and limping as they walked forward.
They've learned their lesson and are all behaving themselves now, no longer daring to make a sound.
Their elder chieftain also became very attentive, leading the way while repeatedly saying "please".
The further we went, the wider the ancient road became, and the secluded feeling disappeared, with some noise starting to reach our ears.
There were sounds of talking, knocking, and footsteps... it sounded quite lively.
After walking another eighty meters or so, a majestic gate slowly appeared on the ancient road. The gate did not seem to be a simple gate, but rather a barrier, because it automatically rose after hearing the voices of their group.
Yinglong approached and looked at the plaque above the gate, which clearly read "Muyun Clan". Looking to the side, he saw that the gate was wide and the eaves were high, looking magnificent, but upon closer inspection, it was made of straw.
The group did not linger there, and the old clan chief still bowed and invited them inside.
Yinglong knew that once he entered this gate, he would have truly stepped into the Muyun Clan.
They continued walking in, with the rest of the group following one after another.
From the moment you enter this gate, you can clearly feel that you have entered a tribe, and the atmosphere of daily life around you becomes increasingly strong.
Everything was peaceful and serene, and Yinglong sensed that there was no danger around him.
Jia'er excitedly followed behind his mother, running around and around, his footsteps never stopping—from the way they came to the place they entered, the most excited person was this little dragon cub.
He was curious about everything; he had never seen anything like this before.
As he walked and looked around, a picture of life slowly unfolded before Xiaolong's eyes after he was about a hundred meters away from the gate.
As you walk in, you see people practicing martial arts, chopping wood, carrying water, building houses... all sorts of people are busy, each doing their own thing in an orderly manner.
The sounds of conversation, shouts, and laughter filled the air, creating a harmonious neighborhood atmosphere.
Besides, in the open space of this residential area, many young children were running around chasing and playing, their laughter echoing all the way...
Jia'er was stunned by the scene; his eyes were wide open, his gaze fixed intently on the running figure...
This was probably the core area of the Muyun Clan. The old clan chief led them here and stopped, then waved to the people who had come.
The monsters here have all transformed into human form, and even the children have transformed into human form, although they still retain the characteristics of their monster form on their heads and faces.
Yinglong and the child's arrival hadn't initially attracted attention, because the clan leader was with them. Most people, even if curious, only dared to steal a glance while they were working.
But this clandestine observation was soon shattered.
As soon as the group of injured tribespeople approached, the entire village fell silent upon seeing them.
A sense of shock and eeriness spread among the villagers, and in the blink of an eye, they had gathered in large numbers.
From the deliberately suppressed gasps and gasps of the crowd, Yinglong could clearly sense a strong sense of grief and indignation rising within them.
This grief and indignation only grew stronger and stronger, until it became so intense that it could not be dissolved or dispersed.
More and more eyes are focused on Yinglong and Jia'er, scrutinizing and examining them, while the cloudy eyes of the older generation hold an even more obscure meaning.
Jia'er felt a little lost as he watched these people staring intently at him and his mother.
He was very happy when he first arrived, but now he's become a bit quiet.
Yinglong initially thought that these tribesmen were distressed for the wounded, but after looking into the distance, she understood why they were so shocked and indignant.
In the distance, the training grounds were filled with mostly young, inexperienced children who were just beginning to grow up. There weren't any older children; they were all naive and immature teenagers.
Yinglong then realized that when they encountered the holy water outside, they had triggered the alarm bells of the Muyun Clan. In a moment of panic, the clan leader led all the able-bodied young demon beasts of the clan out in one go, leaving only some old, weak, women and children behind in the clan.
On the one hand, all the elders had gone out, leaving the clan unguarded and vulnerable to invasion; on the other hand, almost all the demon beasts that went out were severely injured, and even if they returned, their clan's fighting strength was almost wiped out. Under these circumstances, the entire clan was in a very dangerous situation.
No wonder the peaceful and joyful scene when I first arrived is gone, replaced by such a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.
It goes without saying who did it; there was no one else but these strange faces who suddenly appeared.
They annihilated the Muyun tribe's fighting force, and now, the tribespeople must be wondering what their feelings are as they face them.
The fact that they haven't launched a full-scale attack suggests they've already shown extreme restraint.
Jia'er couldn't figure it out; he just felt a little confused. He scratched his head blankly, while Yinglong had no time to care what his people thought.
She didn't kill any of the demons here. The so-called injuries were just that they would recover after a period of rest. She didn't even use her full strength to leave them with missing limbs...
In other words, if they had spoken peacefully by the stream and hadn't attacked first, they wouldn't have been injured at all.
However, since the deed was already done, none of that mattered anymore. Yinglong looked around and carefully examined the tribe.
The Muyun Clan has been living in seclusion for a long time, and people haven't seen any trace of them for many years. Now that she has come here by chance, she does feel that they do have a somewhat peaceful and uncontested appearance.
The clan chief was very polite and wanted to introduce this "demon" to his people, but after thinking for a long time, he didn't know how to begin.
"Gentlemen, this is the person we met by the holy water... May I ask your honorable name, Venerable One?"
Yinglong curled her lips. Even she, the Supreme True Dragon, didn't know. She had truly been living in seclusion for too long and was ignorant!
“My mother is—my mother! She’s the most amazing mother in the world!” Jia’er interjected at the opportune moment, standing proudly next to Yinglong.
How can someone not recognize his mother? How utterly ignorant!
...
These are just childish words, the things Little Dragon said...
Everyone stared at the mother standing there aloof from the world, and the arrogant little dragon standing with his hands clasped in his arms, and they were all... baffled.
"Yinglong." In the end, it was Yinglong himself who revealed his name.
"Oh, everyone, this is the Venerable Yinglong we met by the holy water. It was she... who safely brought our people home..."
This clan leader truly lives up to his title; he can lie without batting an eye.
Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces became even more hesitant. How could it be that all the able-bodied men in the clan were injured?
Before the old clan chief could explain, he was startled and stopped.
Yinglong saw in the distance of the tribe, a few lines of silvery white on the mountain peaks, shimmering slightly in the sunlight, like rock candy that had been licked and melted, seeping out fine watery light. The watery light was initially fine and small-scale, but as more white waves surged in, it gradually gathered into a vast expanse, forming a towering torrent that rushed down the rock wall.
The water was so swift and powerful that it created a white mist as it crashed down from a great height.
That's the snow-capped mountains in the distance melting.
Yinglong saw it; it was the place she was looking for, and she immediately took a step to go there.
"Venerable One, where are you going?" The clan leader stretched out his hand, blocking Yinglong's path.
The old clan chief was dignified and solemn. Although it was also injured, it did not go to heal its wounds. Instead, it still fulfilled its responsibility as the clan chief and diligently guarded the two outsiders.
When the tribespeople saw the direction Yinglong wanted to go, they were terrified. Without any instructions, they spontaneously blocked the road ahead, preventing Yinglong from going forward.
It seems that the place where the water vapor is billowing in the distance is indeed the lifeblood of this tribe.
The more they tried to stop Yinglong from going forward, the more determined he became. Jia'er obediently clung to his mother's clothes, staying close to her side.
More and more people gathered. Seeing that there was no way forward, Yinglong did not want to make a move here. She listened carefully to the sounds in the village, and in no time, she discerned the direction of the river after the snow melted.
Taking another step forward, feinting and fooling everyone into continuing, she suddenly turned and headed straight for the rushing water.
Unable to stop her, the crowd chased after her, causing chaos in the village. People chattered amongst themselves, wondering why they hadn't dealt with the two yet. In the past, anyone who dared to trespass into their territory was always quickly dealt with by the tribe's experts, but this time... judging from their chief's fear of this woman, she was definitely not a kind person.
Yes, she also injured most of their people...
With their own thoughts and feelings, everyone ran and chased after them. By the time they caught up, Yinglong and Jia'er had already been by the rushing stream for some time.
The water here is gurgling, and the sound is clear and pleasant. Occasionally, the water vapor will hit your face, which will feel very refreshing.
Jia'er even touched it without permission. As soon as she touched it, three bells rang out from an old house in the distance. It seemed that the stream they had encountered outside was a branch of this river. So after they went into the water, the monsters in the village were immediately alerted and promptly organized all the young and strong warriors to set off.
Yinglong looked back at the old house that had made the sound. The old house was built in a magnificent manner, with soaring eaves, just like a temple. It was located at the highest point of the Muyun tribe, and could overlook the villagers' houses below.
That must be the place of worship for the Muyun tribe.
Yinglong had no interest in the place of worship. She turned around and continued to look back at the rushing river.
The tribespeople gradually arrived behind her, all with expressions of fear on their faces, afraid that this woman might do something to harm the tribe.
The entire clan is now as if it has been wiped out. Even though this outsider has done nothing, everyone present feels uneasy and anxious.
Every move this woman made touched the hearts of all the tribespeople. There was nothing they could do; the young people in the tribe were already half-dead, and what remained were the elderly, women, and children, who were utterly powerless.
All eyes in the room were fixed on Yinglong, wanting to see what she was going to do. They didn't even spare her child, staring intently at her as well.
As it stands, the woman isn't making any unusual moves, while her simple-minded son is happily playing in the water, seemingly without a care in the world.
The clan chief, unable to tolerate such a blatant act of arrogance on his territory, had still come to this important place… He took the lead, stepping forward, his voice low and hoarse as he said:
“Your Excellency, this is a forbidden area of our clan, the final resting place of our ancestors. No clansmen may enter without permission, lest we disturb the peace. Please… move aside.”
The old clan chief had lost some of his previous politeness, and his voice was now much more authoritative.
Yinglong observed the demon beasts opposite him for a long time. He saw that each of them was staring at him with wide eyes, their faces showing confusion and unease. They had been here for so long, and not a single young person had come out to take charge. It was clear that the Muyun Clan had been living in seclusion for a long time, and they didn't even have basic attack and defense capabilities. It seemed that for many years, they had indeed been living a carefree life in this paradise.
Thinking about what she was about to say, Yinglong softened her voice and slowly began:
"Elder Chief, how about you allocate a portion of your Muyun Clan's sacred water to another area?"
Everyone was shocked when they heard this!
The old clan chief was so shocked that his mind was shattered.
"This holy water is the lifeblood of my Muyun clan, nourishing our bloodline since ancient times, spanning millennia... Our clan also depends on this water for survival, protecting it generation after generation, never allowing outsiders to touch even a drop—"
At this point, the old patriarch's weathered voice stopped, and he raised his aged eyes, staring directly at Yinglong, his meaning already self-evident.
This holy water belongs exclusively to the Muyun Clan and is of paramount importance to them. Now this woman has arrived, saying she wants to divide it into a separate branch? Isn't this tantamount to severing the lifeline of their clan?
Moreover, many of our ancestors' immortal bones are buried under this holy water, which has protected them for generations. How can this be destroyed?
This woman is simply spouting nonsense and indulging in wild fantasies. Having just arrived here, she has already come up with such outrageous ideas.
Thinking of this, the clan leader had lost all respect for her; all it wanted was to get rid of this woman as quickly as possible… but it was also wary of her strength… After much deliberation, it forced itself to speak, suppressing its anger:
"This is the holy water of our clan, accumulated over thousands of years. It is truly unthinkable to open a branch. Please, for the sake of the thousands of people in our clan, stop trying to take the holy water and leave us as soon as possible."
These words were quite blunt, but Yinglong didn't care at all. She picked up her child and asked in a gentle voice:
"Have you thought this through? We won't leave unless this river branches off from our original location."
Jia'er was very excited: "We're not leaving."
He can finally play here! — Jia'er looked at all the children across the street…
Upon hearing Yinglong say that he would not leave, the clan leader was furious. His blood boiled, and he began to consider acting recklessly.
The tribespeople behind them also began to feel indignant, and the noise gradually grew louder.
Suddenly, a team appeared above Yinglong and Jia'er without warning, lingering around them for an unknown amount of time. Their attack was incredibly stealthy and swift, aimed directly at their heads.
Even the main target of the attack was not Yinglong, but Jia'er. A destructive impulse quickly rose in Yinglong's heart. She swung her ice hammer and mercilessly smashed the whole group of people to the other side of the river.
"Smack!"
"Smack!"
Several heavy thuds came from the opposite side. The group of more than a dozen people, dressed in black, were almost all severely injured and lay on their backs, unable to get up.
"ah!"
Someone in the crowd cried out and tried to rush across, but a river separated them, and they could only watch helplessly as the people in their arms struggled in pain on the other side of the river.
This move was even more intimidating, and no one dared to speak anymore. Even sobs were very quiet. Yinglong held the ice hammer, his patience completely exhausted.
"Elder Chief, I advise you to reconsider. After all, I will not leave until I achieve my goal."
After she finished speaking, she placed the Panlong Ice Hammer into the rushing river. In an instant, the river, from the ice hammer to both ends, froze completely!
This woman had frozen the entire river! The rushing sound ceased, and the river surface, like a mirror, began to reflect the blue of the sky…
The colors and scenery are so surreal, they don't seem real.
The chieftain stiffly raised his head again, gazing into the distance. In the distance, the melting snow-capped mountains no longer emitted mist, but instead began to shimmer and remain still...
As it looked on, a feeling of despair welled up inside it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
