Chapter 7 The Black Tooth Tribe

Three black cunning beasts galloped wildly across the wasteland, and the faces of Ji Ning and his companions could not hide their joy. At any rate, they had finally returned from the remote borderland of the Eastern Mountain Marsh, drawing closer to West Prefecture City.

"Young master." Qiuye called out.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning looked over.

Qiuye quickly said, "On our way to Serpentwing Lake, we'll pass by Chuncao's Black Tooth Tribe. Why not stop by the Black Tooth Tribe first? I haven't seen Chuncao in a long time, and I miss her dearly."

"Chuncao?" Ji Ning was startled, and a wave of longing surged in his heart. Chuncao and Qiuye had grown up with him since childhood, like elder sisters to him. Though he had been reluctant to let her go, he had allowed her to reunite with her father to spare her sorrow. Now, at the mention of Chuncao, Ji Ning couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement and anticipation. "Alright, we'll make a detour to see her."

"Thank you, young master." Qiuye said gratefully.

"Actually, I want to go too." Ji Ning smiled faintly, patted the black cunning beast's head, and steered it slightly off course.

Though they said it was on the way to Serpentwing Lake, passing by the Black Tooth Tribe, it was actually a bit of a detour.

…

Beneath a cliff face were some chiseled caves, surrounded by tall wooden palisades. Armor hung inside the caves, and long-haired beasts were tied to stakes nearby. Strong men, most bare-chested, sat around casually chatting and laughing, roasting the meat of a wild beast.

At the entrance, ten black-armored guards stood watch.

"Someone's coming!" one of the black-armored guards shouted. The men who had been eating and drinking all turned to look. One bare-chested man stood up and walked over, frowning slightly.

Three dark shadows rushed swiftly from deep in the forest. Seeing that it was three people riding black cunning beasts, they immediately relaxed.

But the bare-chested man's face changed drastically. He shouted, "The young master is here! Why aren't you saluting? Hurry, all of you, get up!" He then rushed forward, knelt on one knee before the gate with utmost reverence, and called out respectfully, "Young master!"

Whether bare-chested or armored, all knelt down in unison and shouted, "Young master."

"Rise." Ji Ning dismounted from the black cunning beast and smiled at the leader of this black-armored guard outpost. "Have you seen me before?" He had been about to take out his token.

"I, Wu Zhan, was fortunate enough," said the rough, burly man, a scar on his face making him appear even taller and sturdier. "When the young master once selected some Nine-Fang warriors for sparring, I had the honor of sparring with you. That's how I recognized you at a glance. The one behind you should be your maidservant, Miss Qiuye. I know her too."

Ji Ning smiled.

So that was it. He had often sparred back then, and most of the Nine-Fang warriors among the black-armored guards had crossed fists with him. It wasn't strange to encounter one stationed here.

"I have something to ask you," Ji Ning said. "About Serpentwing Lake. Come, let's talk inside."

"Yes." Captain Wu Zhan quickly replied. "Young master, please follow me."

Wu Zhan led Ji Ning into a spacious stone house.

"Some time ago, the great demon Serpentwing ran amok everywhere. We're not far from there, and it even affected our area." Wu Zhan sighed with a wry smile. Just then, a black-armored guard brought in a basin of fruit. Ji Ning casually picked one and took a couple of bites. "It reached your outpost?"

"No. If it had, we'd be dead." Wu Zhan shook his head. "But we were all terrified at the time. Against the great demon Serpentwing, we black-armored guards were helpless. We escaped disaster, but many tribes suffered calamities. It was truly tragic! I prayed then that the old serpent demon would be slain by our Ji clan, but unfortunately…"

Ji Ning nodded.

In the end, Poison Vulture Ridge stepped in to negotiate with the Ji clan, merely confining the old serpent demon to Serpentwing Lake for a hundred years.

"Is the old serpent demon always at Serpentwing Lake?" Ji Ning asked. "And is it at the bottom of the lake or on the island in the middle?"

"At the bottom, of course." Wu Zhan quickly replied. "It wouldn't dare stay on the island, for fear of our Ji clan making a move."

"The bottom?" Ji Ning nodded thoughtfully.

It seemed killing the old serpent demon wouldn't be so easy.

"Wu Zhan," Ji Ning continued, "do you know of a small tribe called the Black Tooth Tribe in the vicinity?"

"The Black Tooth Tribe?" Wu Zhan nodded. "Yes, of course. The chief of the Black Tooth Tribe is a man with some skill, able to build a tribe from scratch. Those who can establish a tribe are no ordinary people. Unfortunately, the great demon Serpentwing ravaged many tribes, including the Black Tooth Tribe."

"What!" Ji Ning's face changed drastically, and his heart trembled.

Could it be…

According to what he knew, before the great demon Serpentwing had struck at him, it had annihilated a small tribe, killing everyone. It was only from the tragic state of the corpses that they had determined the great demon Serpentwing was responsible.

"Is the Black Tooth Tribe still there?" Ji Ning asked urgently.

"It's still there." Wu Zhan nodded. "This time, the great demon Serpentwing ravaged various places, slaughtering wantonly in a tribe and then leaving. It didn't seek total annihilation. After all, wiping out a tribe takes more time, and it risked being caught by our Ji clan's Xiantian lifeforms. Though the Black Tooth Tribe wasn't wiped out, more than half of its members died. Truly tragic."

"More than half?" Ji Ning's heart clenched.

"Do you know Chuncao?" Ji Ning asked urgently. "My maidservant Chuncao—is she still alive?"

"Chuncao?" Wu Zhan said doubtfully. "I know Chuncao. You only have two maidservants, young master. Isn't Chuncao still with you?"

Few knew that Ji Ning had set Chuncao free.

"No, I freed her. She is the daughter of the Black Tooth Tribe's chief." Ji Ning said quickly.

"I wouldn't know that." Wu Zhan shook his head. "Though I've met Heiya, I don't know about his daughter."

Ji Ning took a deep breath.

Worry!

Unease!

The Black Tooth Tribe had lost more than half its people—so many dead. Chuncao could be among them.

"She must, must be fine." Ji Ning gritted his teeth, then strode out of the stone house.

Outside, Qiuye and Mowu were sitting with some black-armored guards, sharing roasted meat.

"Young master." Qiuye and Mowu both looked up.

"Let's go." Ji Ning barked.

Qiuye and Mowu exchanged puzzled glances. Why the sudden hurry? But they dared not question him; they quickly got up, stopped eating, and mounted their black cunning beasts.

"To the Black Tooth Tribe." Ji Ning's face was dark. He nudged the black cunning beast's belly, and it shot forward.

The three black cunning beasts swiftly plunged into the distant forest.

"Captain, what's wrong?" The other black-armored guards were bewildered, while Wu Zhan, who had stepped out of the stone house, frowned and gazed into the distance. "Chuncao? The daughter of the Black Tooth Tribe's chief?"

…

Ji Ning was burning with anxiety. Chuncao and Qiuye were maidservants in name, but in truth they were like sisters to him. He remembered when he was little, pointing at words in books and babbling questions. Chuncao and Qiuye had been tormented by their young master into answering obediently.

"No."

"She can't be dead." Ji Ning was frantic.

"Young master." Qiuye, worried, pressed him. "What's wrong?" She saw how grim his face was; rarely had she seen him so angry.

Ji Ning barked, "The Black Tooth Tribe was attacked by the great demon Serpentwing. More than half of its members died."

"Ah." Qiuye was shocked. "Then Chuncao…"

"We'll know when we get there." Ji Ning said coldly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three black cunning beasts sped through the woods. As the sun set in the west, they burst into a sparse forest, and in the distance, a tribe came into view.

"Stop." Ji Ning shouted.

The three black cunning beasts halted abruptly.

"Young master?" Qiuye's face was flushed with anxiety.

"Over there." Ji Ning pointed. In the distance, dozens of men in crude animal hides were swinging axes, chopping dead wood, presumably for firewood.

"They should be members of the Black Tooth Tribe. Let's ask them." Ji Ning rode his black cunning beast over, with Qiuye and Mowu following.

Soon.

Ji Ning reached the dozens of animal-hide-clad men chopping dead wood. The men grabbed their spears and knives, eyeing the newcomers warily.

"I ask you." Ji Ning flipped out his token, which bore the character 'Ji'.

"The Ji clan?"

The tribal men were startled.

"Does your tribe have a woman named Chuncao, the chief's daughter?" Ji Ning demanded.

"The chief's daughter?" A one-eyed man quickly said, "Our Black Tooth Tribe has no one named Chuncao. Our chief's daughter is called Miwa!"

Ji Ning was taken aback, then quickly said, "Right, she's called Miwa. Is she still alive?"

"Dead."

"Miwa is dead." The tribal men all spoke up.

Ji Ning's face changed drastically. Beside him, Qiuye turned deathly pale, swayed, and fell headlong from her black cunning beast. Mowu leaped down and caught her. Qiuye's face was bloodless, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"How did she die?" Ji Ning demanded. "Was it the great demon Serpentwing?"

"The great demon Serpentwing killed many in our tribe, including one of the chief's sons." The one-eyed man said. "Many tribesmen died then. Many others were hit by flying rocks, frozen by ice… Though they didn't die at once, they were injured. Later, their wounds festered, some fell gravely ill, and they lingered on until death. Many of the severely injured died that way. Miwa also died of illness later."

"Chuncao!" Qiuye wailed.

Ji Ning's face was grim. The violent turmoil in his thoughts made the earth and trees around him tremble.

"Great demon Serpentwing!" Ji Ning gritted his teeth and roared, "I, Ji Ning, swear I will kill you! I will kill you!!!"

…