Chapter 1164: Target

From behind, more white hairs could be seen on his father’s head. His shoulders were slightly hunched forward, and his back was no longer as straight as it once was. The wounds he bore made the hero look aged before his time.

A Xun felt this was very bad and deeply unsettling. The plains were vast, yet the path available to the Ying people was growing narrower and narrower.

“I heard the elders say that even if the coalition forces had taken Luotai Mountain back then, the Yao Kingdom wouldn’t have fallen immediately. To defeat the Yao Kingdom would have taken at least several more years of drawn-out fighting, not like that ignorant, foolish woman made it sound so easy,” Mengmeng said. “The Yao Kingdom is so powerful, and behind them, there’s also... If we had fought for several more years, what would we have eaten or drunk? When the chief withdrew from the coalition, it immediately brought us food and supplies from the Yao Kingdom, saving countless tribesmen.”

Why was the Luodian Kingdom, also considered traitors, doing well, while they struggled so much?

Just then, his father returned from the market, beckoned to him, and interrupted his thoughts: “A Xun, come.”

Mengmeng said seriously, “Six years ago, during the famine and snow disaster, the coalition forces still demanded our troops. While they were fighting on the front lines, we, the women and children back home, were starving to death!”

Seeing his father’s expression, A Xun knew something was amiss: “Where is it now?”

“Jing Mountain.”

“The last imperial palace of the Glimmering Gold Empire?” A Xun didn’t believe it. “Father, this information of yours...”

“Very reliable.” His father began to cough from excitement. Three years prior, his lung had been pierced in battle, and ever since, his voice lacked strength. A Xun immediately poured him water.

After finally stopping his cough, his father didn’t drink the water. Instead, he took a small cloth pouch from his robe and opened it. Inside lay three plants, resembling both fungi and moss. They were mottled grey and white, with a unique rhomboid, serrated shape, tightly packed together with almost no gaps.

“Snake skin? No, that’s not right.” At first glance, A Xun didn’t think they were plants but rather shed skin from some kind of python.

“This is Dragon Scale Fungus. Before ancient times, it only grew within the territory of the Dragon Clan. Very few people nowadays have seen it or recognize it; I learned about it from an obscure ancient text,” his father whispered. “Guess where my informant found it?”

“Jing Mountain?”

“Yes, Jing Mountain!” The chief smiled. “When I was your age, I saved a Celestial Master. But his injuries were too severe, and he died a few days later. Among his belongings, besides the Celestial Master’s daoist techniques, there was a booklet specifically recording the strange events he personally experienced. One secret in it mentioned that Dragon Scale Fungus likely also grows around the Rosengauntlet.”

“Now that Dragon Scale Fungus has appeared on Jing Mountain, it means the Rosengauntlet has returned there,” he said solemnly. “I will set off tomorrow. All tribal affairs will be entrusted to you.”

A Xun hesitated: “Father, do you truly believe that armor can make its wearer invincible? If that were true, why did the last monarch of the Glimmering Gold Empire fail?”

“Later wearers of the Rosengauntlet also achieved great feats. If they could do it, why can’t we?” The chief chuckled. “Don’t forget, we are also descendants of the Glimmering Gold Empire’s royal family! The Rosengauntlet rightfully belongs to me; of course, I am qualified to wear it.”

They had simply changed their surname along the way. After the collapse of the Glimmering Gold Empire, the royal Pang family descendants changed their surnames to avoid misfortune.

A Xun scratched his head. These were all legends, impossible to verify. Who wouldn’t want to glorify their ancestors? After all, if one’s ancestors were renowned, being a descendant of a famous family would bring immense prestige.

Of course, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to argue against this. He merely said: “But this armor possesses powerful dark energy...”

His father was full of confidence: “The key lies with the wearer. As long as my will is firm, I can control this armor.”

“Outsiders don’t understand us, and your second uncle covets my position. My health hasn’t been great these past few years, and the Yao Kingdom...” At this point, his father sighed deeply. “The Yao Kingdom has assigned us more and more tasks, either demanding payments or ordering assassinations, effectively using us as their enforcers.”

A Xun also fell silent. Other tribes harbored enmity towards the Ying people, viewing them as traitors, and conflicts had been frequent in recent years. On two occasions, other tribes even united to launch punitive expeditions against the Ying people. To protect themselves, the Ying had no choice but to reluctantly seek refuge with the Yao Kingdom. But seeking shelter under the wing of a powerful entity came at a price.

The Yao Kingdom frequently assigned tasks to the Ying people, which A Xun and his father could not refuse. However, completing these tasks only deepened their animosity with surrounding powers. They became increasingly passive and alienated more people. The vicious cycle was an unbreakable knot.

The tribesmen had strong opinions about this, and the chief’s younger brother, A Xun’s second uncle, had openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the chief more than once. Without the intervention of a powerful force, this vicious cycle could not be broken. From this perspective, his father’s search for and reliance on the Rosengauntlet was understandable.

“If I find the Rosengauntlet, at least your second uncle won’t dare to act rashly; and when I go out to battle, I can return to my peak!” The chief patted his son’s shoulder. “Given our tribe’s current situation, I cannot afford to be wavering!”

“Father is the chief, bearing great responsibility,” A Xun immediately said. “I’ll go get it for you!”

His father snorted, speaking without reservation: “Your cultivation has progressed quickly, but you are too soft! You don’t kill decisively enough, and you’re too indecisive. With your temperament, you simply cannot touch the Rosengauntlet!” He sighed deeply: “If only A Lei were still here. He was fierce and resolute, truly the best person to retrieve the armor.”

A Xun’s face flushed and paled by turns from his words, and he lowered his head. A Lei was his elder brother, originally the pride of the Ying people and the heir on whom his father had placed great hopes. However, three years ago, he died in a tribal conflict. His father was overcome with grief, aging ten years overnight. A Xun knew that in his father’s heart, A Lei was the warrior most likely to grow into a hero, the most suitable successor. But now he only had A Xun as his son.

“Look, you’re clearly angry, yet you don’t even dare to utter a word of rebuttal. How is that like a warrior of my Ying people!” His father’s face showed disappointment. “You’re more like a Yao person.”

“Father!” A Xun’s face turned completely red, flushed with anger. Comparing his courage to that of a Yao person was truly the greatest insult!

“In any case, while I’m gone these next few days, take good care of the tribesmen and don’t let your second uncle take advantage,” his father said with a smile. “Don’t you like Mengmeng? Her father will only allow her to marry the chief’s son. You take good care of the home, and I’ll be back in a few days. Then I’ll propose on your behalf!”

Upon hearing this, A Xun’s face flushed again.

Just then, it began to rain outside again, pattering against the tent. A startling lightning bolt flashed across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

The Snailtoad emerged from underground, revealing a small town ahead, where a few points of light cast a soft halo in the rain.

Dong Rui yawned: “Where did you say our destination was again?”

“White Head Ridge, supposedly right next to the Yao Kingdom.” Having just emerged from underground, He Lingchuan’s sense of direction wasn’t great. “Where is this?”

“Let’s go ask!” Dong Rui pointed to the town. “We’ve been traveling for three days; one more night won’t hurt. Besides, I want a bowl of hot noodle soup.”

His words made sense, so the two dismounted, put away the Snailtoad, opened their paper umbrellas, and entered the town.

The small town had about two to three hundred households, and only one small tavern. Its facade was dilapidated, and the cloth banner was plastered flat by the rain. He Lingchuan and his companion walked in. The owner was dozing, and though the tavern could fit five tables, there was only one customer. Business was slow. But then, who would be out and about in such a downpour?

Dong Rui rubbed his hands together and stepped forward, startling the owner awake with a slap on the table: “Two bowls of hot noodle soup first! What other good food do you have?”

The owner, still sleepy, mumbled: “Yesterday, a mountain hunter brought down a large deer...”

“Oh?” Venison is very nourishing. Dong Rui was delighted, not expecting to find wild game at a small, rundown tavern in town. “Cut me two plates of venison, with tendons!”

“Sir, I wasn’t finished,” the owner grumbled. “The venison is all sold out, even the deer face is gone. There’s only a bit of rice blood made with deer blood left. Would you like some?”

Dong Rui’s shoulders slumped: “Alright, just bring whatever you have. And a pot of wine for us.”

The hot noodle soup arrived first, two large bowls. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but upon tasting, they were both spicy and sour. There wasn’t much topping inside; the egg strands were almost invisible, though the carrots were sliced as thinly as hair, testament to the owner’s knife skills. However, the sour broth was well-seasoned, the multigrain noodles were chewy, and there was even some mint. Dong Rui took a mouthful of noodles, then a mouthful of soup, slurping a few times before sighing contentedly, feeling much better.

“I entrusted someone to retrieve something for me, to confirm a crucial piece of information.” Markets attracted visitors from all directions, and naturally, news from all corners. Some herders and travelers simply followed the markets as they moved from place to place. His father said slowly, “Information about the Rosengauntlet.”

“The Rosengauntlet?” A Xun was slightly surprised. “That’s just a legend!” Legends about the Glimmering Gold Empire and the Rosengauntlet were probably among the most widespread stories in the western part of the Glimmering Gold Plain.

“Sit.”

“Do you know why I came to this market?”

A Xun shook his head. They usually conducted their trades at specialized horse markets and rarely attended these larger general markets. The Ying tribe also disliked receiving strange looks from others.

The chief entered a small tent, and the Ying people inside immediately withdrew, leaving them space to talk. A Xun nodded goodbye to Qingmei, then followed his father into the tent.

Stories were just stories; few people took them seriously, and children stopped believing them as they grew up.

“How could it be baseless?” his father said gravely. “I’ve been secretly investigating for many years and finally obtained this information!”

“Next time they say something like that, you just curse them back!” The girl winked. “What do they know anyway?”

A Xun smiled faintly; if only it were that simple. She looked at A Xun resolutely and said, “No matter what others say, I don’t think the chief did anything wrong!”

A Xun held her hand: “Thank you.”

Although their defection back then had indeed brought them food and supplies, the situation of the Ying people had not improved in recent years. They had to perform many unsavory tasks for the Yao Kingdom, and had fought seven or eight battles, big and small. Many young, able-bodied tribesmen were killed or wounded, and even just the compensation payments were a heavy burden. As a result, surrounding powers harbored even greater ill will towards the Ying people, making it increasingly difficult for the Ying to conduct trade with their neighbors.