Pursuit of the Truth

”Oh? What is it that you have now understood?” The elder opened his eyes and looked at Su Ming.

”I cannot kill Si Kong! Even if he was the tribe leader’s son, he would not have been able to activate the long spear that was defending the tribe! More importantly, he would not have been able to hide the fact that he came out and killed me on his own from the entire Dark Mountain Tribe!” The more Su Ming spoke, the more shocked and fearful he became. His body was already drenched in cold sweat.

”It may have seemed like he came out to chase me on his own but in reality…” Su Ming’s pupils shrank in fear.

”But in reality, the Elder and tribe leader of Dark Dragon Tribe probably knew about him coming out to kill me! But they did not stop him. Instead, they let it happen!”

”Also… they were probably right behind him all along, watching the fight between Si Kong and me!” Su Ming took a sharp breath. He was not afraid of all that. He was only afraid of someone witnessing him using the power of the moon. The more he analyzed the situation, the more terrified he became. The whole picture was slowly revealing itself right before his eyes.

Shortly after however, Su Ming frowned. His eyes were clouded with bewilderment.

”I suppose you don’t understand why the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe or the tribe leader allowed you to take the spear so easily even though they were following the two of you?” The elder spoke calmly and revealed Su Ming’s biggest doubt at that moment.

Su Ming did not speak but he continued thinking. After a while, he looked at the vast world beyond them far away and spoke slowly.

”It could not have been the tribe leader following Si Kong and me. If it had been him, he would not have continued hiding when he saw Si Kong being wounded.”

”I believe the one who followed us was… the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe! But I don’t understand, why did the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe allow me to take away that Berserker Vessel?”

”That’s right! The one following you was the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe, Lei Su!” The elder’s eyes glowed brightly with praise.

”Your analysis is correct. If it had been the tribe leader of Dark Dragon Tribe, he would not have stood by as you bullied his son. As for your question, I can give you the answer!”

”This may have seemed like a pursuit after your life but in reality, Dark Dragon Tribe would not have killed you! After all, you saved Bai Ling. If they killed you after you did them a favor, it would have incited the wrath of Dark Mountain Tribe. They would not do that especially since we’re at such a critical moment right now!” The elder’s eyes shone with wisdom as he helped Su Ming continue with his analysis.

”Were they trying to scare me?” Su Ming’s eyes were filled with understanding but in a matter of moments, worry replaced it.

”Haha! They wanted to scare people like you who have eyes on a girl from their tribe. Once you’ve been scared off, you won’t approach Dark Dragon Tribe anymore because you’re afraid!”

”Si Kong did not know about this. His killing intent was real. Lei Su, the Elder from Dark Dragon Tribe must have used his affection towards Bai Ling to incite his anger. If you were not a match for him, you would have been injured at most. Then she would act in secret, making it seem as if you escaped from death.”

”You’re still too young. You can’t see the entire picture. If it was me, I would not have ran. I would have sauntered into their tribe and searched for the girl I liked right in front of their faces. You are her savior and also my child. How could they dare harm you?” The elder smiled and spoke as he patted Su Ming’s head.

Su Ming was stunned. His face was filled with remorse.

”This might have been a test from Dark Dragon Tribe for you. After all, the lass you like is Lei Su’s granddaughter.” The elder was still smiling as he looked at Su Ming.

”Elder, that Elder from Dark Dragon Tribe is too sly!” Su Ming’s face was bitter. When the elder explained everything to him, he finally understood what happened.

”Don’t feel so disheartened. Besides not understanding their motive, you did pretty well. Lei Su must not have expected this. Not only were you not battered by Si Kong’s pursuit, you also managed to win against him!”

”As for why Lei Su allowed you to take that Berserker Vessel away…” The elder’s eyes twinkled briefly with understanding.

”Since you weren’t scared off, she must have let you take it on purpose. Letting you take the spear was for the purpose of telling me that they’ve repaid their debt to you for saving Bai Ling! Dark Dragon Tribe is slightly different from us, especially Lei Su. She is not that familiar with Berserker Arts but she is good at creating Berserker Vessels. They are not true Berserker Vessels but counterfeits!”

”Take for example, that spear of yours. It’s a counterfeit Berserker Vessel. It was created based on one of the three great Berserker Vessels in the old Dark Mountain Tribe, the spear – Blood Scales.” The elder raised his right hand and slapped Su Ming’s arm. Immediately, he felt a chill traveling into his arm. Instantly, a black line appeared slowly on his right arm.

”I have already groomed the spear for you and made some changes. I’ve changed the dark dragon into a black eagle. It can now fuse into your body. And if you want to, you can summon it by thinking about it,” The elder raised his right hand and smiled as he spoke.

Su Ming looked at the black line on his right arm and was about to speak after a moment of hesitation.

”I know what you want to say. Let me ask you, when you took the Berserker Vessel that Dark Dragon Tribe gave you as payment for saving Bai Ling, what were you thinking?”

”Are you going to return the spear in exchange for a chance to see that lass again or are you going to keep it and not see the lass ever again?” The elder grinned as he asked.

Su Ming fell into silence for a moment. Then he laughed suddenly.

”Si Kong pawned off this spear for 5,000 coins. Obviously, I can’t return it. As for Bai Ling… I am her savior.” Su Ming winked.

The elder laughed out loudly and patted Su Ming’s head. His eyes were filled with praise.

Bei Ling sat cross-legged on the middle section of the dark python. He was facing the elder’s and Su Ming’s backs. He did not know what they were talking about but as he saw the elder grinning and Su Ming smiling, he lowered his head.

His eyes flared with jealousy.

‘Su Ming, if you were a Berserker, I wouldn’t have minded. But when you went through your first Awakening, you were proven to not possess a Berserker Body. Why does Ah Xin like a normal person like you? More importantly, why is the elder so good towards you? Is it because you were adopted by the elder?!

‘You are not even related by blood. I am the hope of the tribe but the elder has never smiled at me before… Even my father is like this. He always says you have the potential to become the Head of the Guards!

‘Su Ming, if you weren’t here, Chen Xin, my father and even the elder would not treat me the way they are treating me now. Su Ming, you thought I was cold towards you because of Chen Xin and you wanted to explain to me. You don’t realize that I don’t want to hear your explanations! You’re just a stray child. You don’t even belong to Dark Mountain Tribe. You don’t even look like a member of the Berserker Tribe! What right do you have to try and explain your situation to me? Why should I even waste my time listening to your explanations?!’

Bei Ling’s breathing quickened with rage. It took a long while before recovering. When he lifted his head again, he was just like before, cold and aloof.

Bei Ling’s father, the Head of the Guards of Dark Mountain Tribe, who was standing not too far away from Bei Ling was frowning. He glanced at Bei Ling, then at Su Ming’s back and sighed quietly.

A strange glow appeared briefly in Shan Hen’s eyes. He was standing at the tail of the python right beside Lei Chen. No one knew what he was thinking about. As someone who had always maintained a stoic personality in the tribe, very few could actually see into his thoughts.

Time began to pass by quickly as they traveled from Dark Mountain Tribe to Wind Stream Tribe. If Su Ming had chosen to run on foot, he would have taken almost two days to travel from Dark Mountain Tribe to Wind Stream Tribe. On the elder’s python, they managed to see the outline of an extremely big tribe far inthe distance in less than two hours.

Right in the middle of the tribe was a giant city made of mudstone. The city did not seem big from the sky but as the python descended, its entire form was revealed clearly before Su Ming’s eyes.

The majestic city was filled with many houses made of mudstone. It did not look messy and was very tidy. It could not compare with the ruins of the Fire Berserker Tribe Su Ming saw but it was still much stronger than Dark Mountain Tribe, where he was staying.

That moat alone was not something Dark Mountain Tribe could own.

The city walls were several feet tall. If a person stood on the ground, he would have needed to lift up his head to see it. Even though Su Ming was in midair, his heart trembled as he looked at the walls of the city. He was not the only one affected. Lei Chen, who was also leaning over the python and looking downwards, was filled with admiration as well as awe.

Wu La was also the same. She looked at the giant city made of mudstone with a dumbfounded expression. She had never seen anything like it before. Only Bei Ling remained calm.

Thousands of people could stay within the big city and there would still be space left. In the middle of the city was a humongous pentagon-shaped altar. It was completely black and dozens of feet tall. There was a vague picture of a bird carved on it. It gave off an ancient feeling and was the most striking feature in the city.

The mudstone city alone could not show the might of Wind Stream Tribe as the ruler of the region and conqueror of the area, capable of receiving tributes from the numerous small tribes around them. It was also the only tribe qualified to communicate with celestial beings. To top it off, there were also six other tribes like Dark Mountain Tribe around the mudstone city!

The six tribes were originally only affiliated to Wind Stream Tribe. At that point, they had already become a part of Wind Stream Tribe.

Su Ming stared at the gigantic tribe on the ground with a dumbfounded expression. The might of Wind Stream Tribe had far surpassed his imaginations. A tribe like this was as powerful as the gods to Su Ming. The tribe could destroy any enemy who came their way.

As the python approached the area, Su Ming saw many of the tribe members from Wind Stream Tribe lifting their heads as if they were looking at them. Su Ming was not sure whether it was just in his imagination but among the unfamiliar faces, he saw a sort of arrogance in their demeanor.

”This is Wind Stream Tribe!” The elder’s voice echoed from above the python.

”The affiliated tribe from Dark Mountain Tribe in the past has now… become the most powerful in the area!”

”Elder, was Dark Mountain Tribe as powerful as Wind Stream Tribe in the past?” Wu La asked.

The elder did not speak but there was a dim look in his eyes.

At that moment, a gentle laughter traveled from within Wind Stream Tribe.

”Mo Sang, thank you for coming to Wind Stream Tribe!”