Chapter 145 Su Yuyao's First Exploration of Qinggan's "Territory" - The Four Little Peaks
Sahan raised a glass of warm liquor and called out, "Ningbao! Come on! Daddy will have a drink with you!"
“Okay!” Su Yuyao readily agreed.
"Wah—! Wah—!" Wei Ming suddenly started crying again.
"Bai Er! Give Wei Ming to me! You can rest too!" Madam Sa took Wei Ming and walked towards the snow cave.
Su Yuyao picked up the wine jar and was about to bring it to her lips when she heard Weiming crying heart-wrenchingly. Even Madam Sa was a little puzzled and gently coaxed, "Weiming, be good! Mother will feed you milk now, and then we'll go to sleep!"
"Wah—!" Wei Ming cried until her face turned purple and her little hands clenched into fists.
Su Yuyao noticed something was wrong with Weiming's voice, thought for a moment, put down the wine jar, and said loudly, "Sister won't drink anymore! Weiming, please go to sleep, okay?"
Weiming seemed to understand, and gradually lowered his crying, then shook his little head and looked for milk on Mrs. Sa's chest.
Su Yuyao smiled, sat cross-legged next to Sa Hanyi, and said, "I don't know why, but Weiming started crying nonstop as soon as he heard I was going to drink!"
Sahan stroked his beard, looked at Su Yuyao who was slurping up a lamb bone, and laughed, "This kid! He's so young and already knows how to care for his older sister! You really don't want to drink?"
"I'm not drinking anymore!" Su Yuyao said loudly, then glanced at the snow cave and lowered her voice, "I'll secretly drink it after Weiming falls asleep!"
"Huh? Hahahahahahaha!" Sahan laughed loudly.
"By the way, Dad!" Su Yuyao pointed to the spot where the children had been sitting and asked, "What's the background of these children?"
"Oh, these guys! The tall, skinny black boy is called Shadow. He's fast and agile, and he's always the first to run away when he gets punished for slacking off! The slightly shorter, fairer one is called Ghost. He's a pure white snow wolf, without a single stray hair. It always takes me a lot of effort to find him when he's hiding in the snow! The quiet one is called Rat, and he's the most cunning, always coming up with bad ideas! The last one is called Sandstorm. He's incredibly ruthless, and he has a kind of silly, loyal streak!"
“Shadow, Ghost, Rat Diviner, Sandstorm.” Su Yuyao murmured the names of several people, then asked with a smile, “Did Father deliberately leave these people to me because he thought they could be used by me?”
Sa Hanyi wasn't surprised. He smiled, raised the wine jar, took a swig, then rubbed his lips and asked meaningfully, "Ningbao, why do you think these children are left to you by me?"
"I played with them on the snow slope this afternoon. Their speed, ability, and teamwork were all fine! Although I can't tell how intelligent they are, their obedience is excellent!" Su Yuyao glanced at the quiet snow cave; Weiming should be asleep by now.
She gently lifted the wine jar, tilted her head back, and gulped down a mouthful of wine.
"Father, how could it be such a coincidence that they were all punished at the same time when I went to the training ground?" Su Yuyao asked with a smile in her eyes.
Sa Han was both surprised and delighted. "Ningbao! You are indeed smart! That's right! These children were specially chosen by your father to assist you! If you want to take on the leadership position as soon as possible, you need someone to help you! Just like Lord Xuanfeng's eight generals!"
Upon hearing Xuanfeng's name, Su Yuyao paused for a moment, then picked up the wine jar and took another sip.
Sahan, oblivious to Su Yuyao's emotional fluctuations, continued, "Currently, you have too few capable people around you! Bai'er, though loyal, is still just a girl and can't handle big responsibilities! Ruixue is capable and loyal, but he's not very bright and can't help you with decision-making! Besides..."
Sahan glanced back at Ruixue and Baier, who were expressing their love for each other, clicked her tongue, and said, "In their situation... their minds are even more unclear!"
Looking at the silly Ruixue and the blushing Bai'er, Su Yuyao couldn't help but laugh, "Indeed! Father is so thoughtful!"
"Ningbao!" Sahan turned around and looked at Su Yuyao seriously, saying earnestly, "I'm a rough man and don't understand your schemes, so this is all I can do to help you! Think carefully about what else you need or what arrangements you need, and I will definitely arrange everything for you!"
“Father! You have done enough! This morning, I visited all the clansmen in the surrounding area and made some inquiries. There are more than 800 people on Chengma Peak. Among them, about 100 people are distributed around Guangyu Hanyao, and the rest are scattered in various parts of Chengma Peak. It seems that the clansmen here are mostly scattered.”
Su Yuyao twirled her fingers and thought for a moment, "I think it's not appropriate for our wolf clan to show off too much since we're new here, so we should keep a low profile, but we can't close our eyes to everyone... So I thought we could take advantage of the fact that our clansmen are widely distributed but not far apart, and divide the surrounding clansmen into four groups to form a network. When transmitting information, instead of reporting it level by level, we can transmit it directly by region. This way, the message will reach me as quickly as possible!"
"Hmm! I have an idea! So what are your specific plans..." Sahan asked with a relieved smile.
"Father! This is where the people you helped me find come in!" Su Yuyao took another sip of wine and said, "The area east of Snow Mountain is small and the farthest from the Heavenly Palace, so I want to put Sandstorm in charge. First, he's simple-minded and can only process a limited amount of intelligence; second, he's loyal enough not to stab me in the back!"
Sahan nodded approvingly.
Seeing that Sa Hanyi agreed with her idea, Su Yuyao continued, "Although there are no sects or people in the northern Immortal Mountain, there are several cities outside the Immortal Mountain boundary after crossing the cliffs of the snow mountain! I've inquired and there aren't many native inhabitants there anymore. Most of the people in those cities are from Ruixin Jun's clan. I haven't had much contact with Ruixin Jun, but I think he's a good person. So, when gathering intelligence from there, we need to be highly discreet. Ghosts are the best choice!"
"The situation in the south is the most complicated. The intelligence is bound to be a mix of truth and falsehood, making it hard to tell. But Rat is cunning and will surely be able to see through which information is usable!"
"As for Shadow, who runs fast, let him be in charge of intelligence in the west! The Heavenly Palace is on the west side of the Immortal Mountain, and news from there can't be delayed for even a moment! So..." Su Yuyao raised an eyebrow at Sa Han and said with a smile, "The people you chose for me are just right!"
"Hahahaha!" Sahan laughed loudly, "Father was right about you!"
Su Yuyao looked at Sa Hanyi with a cryptic expression, "Father! Are you really just a rough man?"
After saying this, she picked up the wine jar, knelt on one knee, and solemnly offered it to Sahan Yi, "Father! How could I not know that you are willing to cultivate me? Please rest assured, Father! I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
"Get up quickly!" Sahan helped Su Yuyao up. He sensed the unusual aura emanating from Su Yuyao and knew very well that this child was probably someone the wolf clan couldn't keep.
“Ningbao,” Sahan’s eyes reddened, “Your future is bright, don’t let anything hold you back! And don’t get stuck on things! As long as you live in this world, you will always encounter some setbacks, just treat them like a fart! Let them go! Don’t hold them in, don’t make things difficult for yourself!”
Su Yuyao nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Sahan glanced at the cave entrance and asked softly, "You and Lord Xuanfeng..."
Su Yuyao's heart skipped a beat again. She turned and sat by the campfire, warmed the wine jar, took a sip of hot wine, and then smiled at Sa Han, saying, "Father! There's nothing more to say about Xuanfeng and me..."
“Oh…” Sahan smiled awkwardly and sat down, then tentatively guessed, “Although Lord Xuanfeng is a Heavenly Lord, he is still a man. Unlike us wolf people, who are born with a tradition of being devoted to one another, he is not like us wolf people. So… even if he makes a mistake, shouldn’t we… give him a chance?”
Sahan cautiously glanced at Su Yuyao's expression and found that Su Yuyao was just looking down and poking the campfire with a stick. Oh, I guessed wrong! What else could it be?
“Ningbao,” Sahan rubbed his hands together and began to speculate again, “Lord Xuanfeng… is very busy with official duties. Sometimes a patrol of the mountains can take a month or two, so… shouldn’t we try to understand…”
Su Yuyao put down the wooden stick in her hand and turned to Sa Hanyi, "Father, what exactly do you want to say?"
Looking at Su Yuyao's slightly sad face, Sa Han couldn't bear to ask any more questions, but he was also very worried, so he cautiously said, "Ningbao... this time... even your father can see that there is some misunderstanding between you and Lord Xuanfeng. What exactly happened? Why don't you tell your father and let him help you analyze it?"
Su Yuyao turned her head and stared blankly at the firelight. A misunderstanding?
Was it a misunderstanding that he killed my parents and Green Ivy?
Was it a misunderstanding that he assaulted me when I was completely defenseless?
He knew about my hatred, yet he still made me fall in love with him. Was it a misunderstanding?
Sa Han saw Su Yuyao's expression and knew he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly tried to make amends, "Oh... Ningbao, Dad was just asking casually, don't take it to heart! Come on! Let's drink!"
Su Yuyao smiled bitterly, raised the wine jar, and drank the wine in one gulp. "Father, don't worry, I just didn't want to be tied down by him anymore, so I divorced him!"
Sahan gradually realized that the rift between Su Yuyao and Xuanfeng was not as simple as their usual quarrels.
So he turned cold and said seriously, "Ningbao! Whoever it is! Anyone who hurt you! Tell your father, and I will do everything in my power to get justice for you!"
Sa Hanyi's words instantly brought tears to Su Yuyao's eyes. "Thank you, Father..."
Her loneliness finally found a harbor on the vast sea. Although she would not let Sahan Yi and the entire wolf clan get involved in her hatred, Sahan Yi's attitude gave Su Yuyao great support and confidence!
"Ningbao! Get up early tomorrow, Daddy will take you hunting!" Sahan said, ruffling Su Yuyao's hair.
"Okay!" Su Yuyao perked up immediately at the mention of hunting. "I haven't hunted in ages! I'm going to have a blast tomorrow!"
"Hahahaha! Good!" Although Sa Han didn't know what had happened, he was very clear that Su Yuyao wouldn't forgive Xuan Feng anytime soon, and there was no use in persuading her. He could only let nature take its course!
"What are you two talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?" Mrs. Sa finally got Wei Ming to sleep and came over, rubbing her shoulders.
Su Yuyao rushed over, inhaling the lingering scent of milk, and said sweetly, "Mother... Mother, please lull me to sleep too!"
"Oh my! My little darling! You still want your mother to coax you? Aren't you ashamed!" Madam Sa affectionately hugged Su Yuyao and led her towards the snow cave.
"Hey? Madam! Um! Hurry up! Come back soon!" Sahan reminded softly...
The hunting trip over the past few days has completely relaxed Su Yuyao. She rides Ruixue and chases wild beasts on the snow-capped mountains. She keeps her deer tendon slingshot fully drawn and swings her crescent-shaped divine knife at the right time. Whether it is wild boar, jackal, goat, or yak, Su Yuyao stabs them in the throat with a single stroke.
Hot, fresh blood sprayed onto Su Yuyao's body, hands, and face, and the strong stench of blood and animal hide gradually replaced Su Yuyao's original peach scent.
Bai Er was so disgusted by Su Yuyao's stench every day after she returned from hunting that he simply went into Madam Sa's room to help take care of the children and ignored Su Yuyao.
Seeing that Bai Er had finally stopped forcing her to wipe herself and take a bath, Su Yuyao was quite happy and carefree.
"Father! Let's go!" Early in the morning, Su Yuyao was all ready to go, riding on Ruixue and waiting for Sa Hanyi.
"Ningbao! Be careful!" Madam Sa instructed.
"Don't worry, Mother!" Su Yuyao responded loudly, then looked at Bai Er, who was holding the dimly lit baby at the cave entrance. "Bai Er! Take good care of the child! I'll bring you a good animal hide to make clothes when I come back!"
Looking at Su Yuyao, who was covered in dirt but looked very energetic, Bai Er said with a mix of anger and helplessness, "I don't want your animal skin! Just come back properly! I haven't spoken to you for days, and you really haven't taken a bath or changed your clothes! You have to take a good shower now that you're back!"
"Oh dear! What are you saying in front of so many people!" Su Yuyao said, blushing. "There are so many people here, and you're the only one who's looking down on me! You're still my personal maid!"
Bai Er smiled and said, "I know! It's all my fault, please go now!"
The howling of wolves echoed, and snow fell in abundance. The sky, which had been clear just moments before, was suddenly swept by a strong wind, and snowflakes began to fall.
Su Yuyao and Sa Han led the wolf pack into a mountain cave to avoid the wind and snow.
"Father! Where are the four snow-capped mountains of Qinggan?" Su Yuyao asked, sipping her warm, strong liquor.
"It's not far from here, but none of us have been there. Firstly, we're afraid of getting into trouble, and secondly, there's no point in going!" Sahan said with a smile. "They call them four snow-capped mountains, but they're actually just four small peaks connected to the westernmost part of our Chengma Peak! It's just that the climate there is warmer, so the aquatic products are more abundant, and that's where Qinggan has taken over!"
“Interesting…” Su Yuyao pondered, “Dad! Let’s not go hunting today, let’s go for a walk in those snow-capped mountains! I want to see what they’re like!”
“Alright!” Sahan stood up, looked at the snowstorm outside, and said, “Hunting isn’t possible in this kind of snow, but it won’t delay our journey! Ningbao! Shall we leave now?!”
"Let's go?! Fine!" Su Yuyao stood up and kicked Ruixue, who was resting to the side. "Let's go!"
The group, who had originally planned to go hunting, marched in a grand procession toward the place occupied by Qinggan.
It turns out that there is a wide plain beneath these four small snow-capped peaks.
Although the snow-capped peak is small, it blocks most of the cold air. The southwest side of the snow mountain is spring-like all year round. Therefore, in this border area, a beautiful place with clear water and singing birds has been formed.
"Wow! I didn't expect Qinggan to be so good at picking places!" Su Yuyao took off her animal skin cloak, dressed lightly, and stepped into this territory that even Xuanfeng rarely set foot in.
The mountain road was flat and wide, without a single weed. On both sides of the road were grasses that rippled in the wind, and in the grasses were small, shimmering pools of water.
Halfway up the mountain, one can clearly see the grand mansion with smoke rising from it, and it is easy to tell from the exterior of the house that the people living there are very prosperous.
"Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!" A very unfriendly voice came from behind. Su Yuyao looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man dressed in coarse gray linen clothes sitting on a stone in the roadside weeds with his legs crossed, scrutinizing them.
Su Yuyao stepped forward, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and bowed slightly, saying, "I am Sa Ningbao, the leader of the Snow Mountain Wolf Clan!"
"What?!" Upon hearing this, the man jumped to his feet, sizing Su Yuyao up and down. "You're the leader of the Snow Mountain Wolf Clan?!"
"yes!"
"What are you here for?" the man asked cautiously.
Su Yuyao glanced at the extremely impolite man, then put her hands behind her back, strolled around, and said leisurely, "I am the leader of the wolf clan, and the snow mountain area is our territory, so I must come and take a look!"
"But this is Lord Qinggan's territory..."
"Qinggan's territory?" Su Yuyao sneered. "The entire Immortal Mountain was bestowed upon Lord Xuanfeng by the Mother Goddess! Snow Mountain is part of the Immortal Mountain, and this place is a branch of the Snow Mountain range! If anything, it should belong to Lord Xuanfeng or the Mother Goddess! By what right do you assign this place to Qinggan? Are you... planning a rebellion?"
"I didn't rebel! Don't talk nonsense!" The man was clearly flustered.
Su Yuyao stomped her foot hard on the ground and shouted, "Ruixue! Take some people up ahead and take a look!"
"Awoo!" Ruixue howled and led a pack of wolves into the fray.
"Everyone's been holding back for ages, haven't they? The grass's so wide open, wouldn't it be a waste not to run around?! Let's go for a stroll in groups of three!"
"Awoo! Awoo!" The wolf pack automatically formed a bond and scattered into the grassland in the blink of an eye.
"No! You... wait? You can't come in!" The man tried to stop them, but it was too late. The wolf tribe had already rushed into the grass and disappeared.
"Don't panic!" Su Yuyao said with a wicked smile, "I'll spare your life. Go back and find your King of Monuments! Talk to me personally!"
"Wh-what?! Fine! You wait!" The man looked at the arrogant Su Yuyao, then turned and ran away indignantly.
“Ningbao! Aren’t you afraid that doing this will cause trouble?” Sahan asked in a low voice as she watched the man run away.
"Father, do you see this road?" Su Yuyao asked, looking down at the solid road beneath her feet.
"I saw it, what's wrong with it?"
"This road is so well-built!" Su Yuyao exclaimed, looking towards the end of the road. "It's so good... you could trample through a thousand armies!"
Sahan was startled and carefully examined the road beneath his feet. "Indeed! This road is perfectly suitable for both horses and carriages! There are at most four gangs here, how could they need such a good road?!"
"Father! Guess where this road leads?"
"Where?" Sahan gazed at the snow-capped mountains behind the peaks. "Could it be a path to the snow-capped mountains? Is it targeting our wolf clan?"
“The wolf clan has only been here a short time, but they’ve had this road for a very long time!” Su Yuyao said. “Qinggan would never go to such lengths to build a road just to lead to a dead end!”
"So you mean..."
"Let's see if this road leads to the north side of the sacred mountain. If it does, then things will get complicated; if not, we can still talk to them about it!"
Before long, the gate of the house halfway up the mountain opened, and a group of people rushed down.
"This is... Miss Yao'er?!" An elderly man with a long beard, dressed in a gray-white robe, greeted Su Yuyao, bowed slightly, and asked, "May I ask what brings Miss Yao'er here so suddenly?"
Su Yuyao smiled slightly, "I am Sa Ningbao, the leader of the Snow Mountain branch of the Wolf Clan!"
"Ah? Commander Sa?" The old man paused slightly.
Su Yuyao looked the old man up and down, but couldn't remember where she had seen him before, so she said, "Since you can call me Miss Yao'er, you must have been to Yuantun Palace, right?"
"Oh, Commander Sa! That's right, I once visited Yuantun Palace and met you there! Back then, you were still a child, playing with toys on Lord Xuanfeng's throne! It's only been a few days, and in the blink of an eye, you've grown so much!"
Su Yuyao lowered her head and smiled, "After all this talk, you still haven't said who you are!"
"I am Yingchong! I am the King of Steles of the Unreaching Peak Hall!" Yingchong bowed deeply.
"Not reaching the peaks?" Su Yuyao looked up at the distant mountain peaks. "What about the temples on those peaks?"
“Those peaks are Ruoqu Peak, Ruzhuo Peak, and Buqiong Peak!” Yingchong said with lowered eyes. “The branch offices over there are all on their respective mountains, and it will take some time to get there. Why don’t we go and take a look at my branch office first?”
Su Yuyao smiled and said, "Today, we were just passing by and taking a casual look. We'll visit again next time!"
After saying that, he walked towards the grass where the wolves had scattered and said, "Father! Tell them to come back!"
"good!"
A whistle rang out across the sky.
The rustling sounds on the grass grew closer and closer, and soon, groups of wolves emerged from the grass and stood behind Su Yuyao.
Ruixue and the other wolves also ran back from a distance, approached Su Yuyao, and sniffed the top of Su Yuyao's head.
Ying Chong frowned slightly, his face showing displeasure, as he watched the wolf clan members running around in disarray.
Su Yuyao glanced at him sideways and said with a cold smile, "Yingchong, you don't need to be unhappy!"
She tilted her head back and scratched Ruixue's chin. "This place is the territory of the Snow Mountain. As the leader here, it is only natural for me to come and take a look!"
Ying Chong immediately put on a smiling face, "How could I be unhappy? I would love for Miss Yao'er... oh, no! Commander Sa! to come and visit often!"
"Hmph!" Su Yuyao sneered and said, "I will definitely be coming here often from now on. This is my territory, and I have a responsibility to protect it properly!"
Ying Chong's lips twitched imperceptibly twice, and he bowed, saying, "Yes! Commander Sa, you are welcome to come anytime!"
Su Yuyao counted the number of people and said, "Dad! Everyone's here, let's go back!"
"good!"
"Ying Chong!" Su Yuyao clasped her hands in a slight bow, "Farewell! Until we meet again!"
Ying Chong returned the bow with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect, saying, "Take care! Don't bother seeing me off!"
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