Chapter 9 The Riverside Tribe

How intense it is when long-suppressed emotions burst forth in an instant. Ji Ning stood by, silently watching the anguished Heiya, not saying a word.

“Since you already know, young master, I won’t hide it. Come with me.” Heiya rose and walked out of the house.

Ji Ning and Qiuye followed.

Heiya led the way, all the way to the rear of the tribe. At the back, the wooden fence had a small gate. Through the gate and further on… lay a graveyard, row upon row of graves, many of them fresh, clearly newly made.

“Young master?” Qiuye looked at Ji Ning, a trace of unease in her eyes.

Ji Ning held his breath. He understood where Heiya was taking him.

“Here.” Heiya pointed to a seemingly ordinary grave. In front of it stood a tall stone, carved with just a few words: Daughter, Miwa, erected by Father Heiya.

“Chuncao.” Ji Ning gazed silently at the grave.

In this grave lay one of the most important people in his life.

In life, there was rarely heart-wrenching emotion. In truth, compared to heart-wrenching and passionate feelings, Ji Ning preferred the plain, gentle warmth that seeped into the heart. In the daily companionship of every year and every day, that kind of affection gradually permeated the depths of each other’s souls.

Plainness is truth!

In life, they became part of each other’s existence. At least during his childhood and youth, Chuncao had spent more time with him than his parents. When she was alive, Ji Ning didn’t feel it much, but the moment he realized she was dead, it felt as if a part of his heart had been cut away.

It hurt!

“Heiya.” Ji Ning stood there, looking at the stone tablet, and said slowly, “Tell me everything. Tell me all that happened after Chuncao returned.”

Heiya nodded.

“When I brought her back, she was sad all the way, sad to leave you, young master.” Heiya sighed. “But after returning to the tribe, seeing her two younger brothers, Miwa was clearly much happier. She often played with them… and life was very joyful. At that time, Miwa also hoped that you would come to see her someday.”

“But then!”

Heiya’s voice turned low. “One day, the Winged Serpent demon came. Like a nightmare, it brought countless deaths and injuries to our tribe. Among them was my son, Linshui.”

“The death of her younger brother Linshui made Miwa very sad.”

Ji Ning recalled the animal-hide letter from before. On it, Chuncao had written about trivial matters after returning to Heiya’s tribe, many of which were stories about her two younger brothers. Clearly, Miwa loved her two brothers very much. This made Ji Ning silently decide: he would help Chuncao’s only surviving younger brother, to comfort her spirit in heaven.

“The attack of the great demon Winged Serpent plunged the entire Heiya tribe into pain and panic! The tribesmen were terrified, afraid that the great demon would strike again. Some even left the tribe quietly to join other larger tribes.”

“The tribe was in turmoil.” Heiya continued quickly. “People kept leaving. After the great demon’s attack, our tribe’s population had already fallen below a thousand. Now with more fleeing… at this rate, the Heiya tribe would soon disband.”

Ji Ning nodded.

“I had gone through endless hardships to rebuild the tribe; naturally, I didn’t want it to fall apart like this.” Heiya said. “Chuncao felt sorry for me too, so she brazenly wrote a letter and had a tribal warrior deliver it to the young master when he went to West Prefecture City, hoping you would help our Heiya tribe.”

“But soon news came back—the young master had already gone out to adventure and roam.” Heiya shook his head.

Ji Ning gritted his teeth.

Yes.

He had already set out to adventure before the great demon Winged Serpent reached innate perfection. Of course they couldn’t find him.

“The tribesmen proposed that our Heiya tribe seek the protection of the super-large tribe, the Riverside Tribe.” Heiya said in a low voice. “If we could gain the protection of the Riverside Tribe and temporarily live within Riverside City, we would be safe.”

“Riverside City?” Ji Ning murmured to himself.

As one of the overlords of Yanshan Land, the Ji clan naturally controlled the countless tribes within its territory. No tribe could have a population exceeding fifty thousand! If it did, it might threaten the Ji clan’s rule, and the Ji clan would take brutal measures to intimidate the surrounding areas.

A tribe of fifty thousand was considered a super-large tribe. The Riverside Tribe was such a tribe! Because of its size, the tribe’s defensive walls were built from huge rocks, like a small city. Though it couldn’t compare to a large city like West Prefecture City with its hundreds of thousands of residents, it was still very strong among the countless tribes.

Generally, such a tribe would have an innate lifeform as its guardian.

“Riverside City has two great innate lifeforms; even great demons dare not enter.” Heiya said. “Our Heiya tribe has only a few hundred people. If we could just live in Riverside City! Once the great demon Winged Serpent is subdued by the Ji clan, everything will pass.”

“We went to pay respects to a great figure in Riverside City, Jiang He, offering treasures to beg him to take in our Heiya tribe and let us escape this calamity.” Heiya gritted his teeth. “But that Jiang He had high standards; he looked down on the meager treasures we offered. Instead, he set his eyes on Miwa.”

"He wanted Miwa to become his woman, and then he would help the Black Tooth tribe once. Miwa was too proud to agree, of course, and was about to leave!" Black Tooth's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "But Jiang He ordered his men to seize Miwa, trying to take her by force."

"However, Miwa was very strong and skilled in swordsmanship. Jiang He's servants were beaten half to death... Miwa even said, 'My master is a young master of the Ji clan. Jiang He, do not go too far!"

"But Jiang He laughed loudly and said, 'Even if you are a maidservant of a young master of the Ji clan, you are still just a slave. If you could summon your young master, you wouldn't have come to me. Besides, how could a servant of a young master of the Ji clan end up in such a small tribe?'" Black Tooth ground his teeth. "Jiang He also said... 'Become my woman, and I will protect the Black Tooth tribe! Otherwise, just wait to die.' Then we left Jiangbian City."

Qiuye was furious: "How could Chuncao agree to that!"

"Chuncao wouldn't agree." Ji Ning shook his head, looking at Black Tooth.

"Right, Chuncao was unwilling." Black Tooth shook his head in pain. "But seeing the tribe in panic, with clansmen fleeing one after another, and seeing my suffering... for my sake, she struggled inwardly for three days, then agreed."

"How could Chuncao be so foolish!!!" Qiuye was frantic.

Ji Ning closed his eyes.

He could imagine Chuncao's inner struggle over those three days. Was it worth it for her father?

"Miwa became Jiang He's woman." Black Tooth's voice trembled slightly. "But Jiang He, while she was off guard, struck her dantian with a palm, dispersing all her inner energy, and sneered, 'You foolish woman, there are plenty of tribes begging for the protection of my Jiangbian tribe. Did you think becoming my woman would make me help you? Hahaha, dream on!'"

"Damn him!" Qiuye trembled with rage.

Ji Ning clenched his teeth.

Chuncao, oh Chuncao!

Why did you believe that bastard? Why did you have to sacrifice yourself for your father? Why?

"The matter of the great demon Winged Serpent was soon settled. The Ji clan quickly confined it to Winged Serpent Lake, so it dared not come out again." Black Tooth said. "Once the Ji clan's announcement spread, the tribes soon calmed down. Our Black Tooth tribe's morale stabilized, and even some who had fled returned."

"Worried about Miwa, I went to see her." Black Tooth said in a low voice. "When I searched, I learned something had gone wrong. I managed to meet her alone. As soon as she saw me, she burst into tears! Wailed!"

Ji Ning closed his eyes.

He could imagine Chuncao's pain, regret, resentment, and sorrow at that time.

"She said it was her own fault, her own foolishness, and that she didn't blame me, her father—everything was her choice." Black Tooth said painfully. "She also said... she didn't want you, young master, to know, and didn't want to make you sad, so she made up the story of marrying a traveling merchant and left a letter for you."

"After giving me the letter, Miwa died. She died by poison." Black Tooth said softly. "I know my daughter was deeply anguished. Death might have been a release. In fact, when she died, she also murmured about you, young master, and didn't want you to know the cause of her death."

Ji Ning nodded slightly.

He understood.

He understood.

Having grown up together day and night, how could he not understand Chuncao's thoughts?

She wanted to leave a happy, joyful Chuncao in Ji Ning's heart... She didn't want him to know about these humiliations!

"Every woman has a fated man. The moment I saw him, I knew he was the one. Seeing him smile made me happy; seeing him frown made me worry. When he practiced swordsmanship tirelessly, I would watch from the side. Just watching him was a gift from heaven..."

"I was truly, truly happy. Chuncao is just a maidservant, yet the young master came all the way to the Black Tooth tribe to see her. At least... Chuncao occupies a small place in the young master's heart... Chuncao is very, very happy. Really, very happy."

Ji Ning opened his eyes, tears glistening in them.

He walked silently to the grave, sat down, took out a bamboo tube, and said softly, "Chuncao, you always poured wine for me. This time, let me pour for you." He poured the fruit wine from the tube before the grave.

"I know. I understand. I know you were always the happy Chuncao, always happy!"

"Your foolishness was truly endearing."

Ji Ning smiled, but tears were in his eyes. "I know what happened to you, and I don't despise you. How could a younger brother despise his elder sister? Though my sister was a bit foolish, she will always be my sister, Ji Ning's eternal sister."

Hearing the word 'sister,' Qiuye covered her mouth and sobbed.

"Sister is too tired. Sleep, sleep, have a good rest." Ji Ning said softly. "Those who bullied you, those who made you sad—I will not let a single one off. Not a single one."

"Let's go."

Ji Ning put down the bamboo tube and stood up. "To the Jiangbian tribe. I want to meet this Jiang He."