Chapter 1176: His Name

Axun never imagined his father would want to attack Zini!

But the Patriarch had his own reasoning:

"Zini is rich and fertile, with a thousand miles of arable land. Once we conquer Zini, we'll never have to worry about food again. With grain produced in the east and horses bred in the west, our tribe will become powerful within three to five years!"

Axun, standing nearby, suddenly asked, "And then?"

"And then?"

"Even with abundant food and money, Father, you won't be satisfied, will you?"

"Only my son truly understands me!" The Patriarch burst into laughter. "As long as we are stronger than the Luodian Kingdom, these tiny surrounding states will no longer dare to look down on us. By then, there will be many mineral-rich territories nearby. Why shouldn't we seize them?"

"Father, you've certainly thought it all through," Axun said, taking a deep breath. "Then how many more years of war will we have?"

"I've planned it all out," the Patriarch declared confidently. "Just another three to five years."

"Zini has 700,000 people, and their garrison numbers over 6,000," Axun said in a low voice. "It won't be an easy fight."

How many people were in their tribe? Were they going to pit a few hundred warriors against a garrison of six thousand?

The Ying people were stunned into silence.

"Furthermore, Zini maintains good relations with its neighbors and supplies grain to several nations. These countries likely won't stand by and do nothing." By then, the Ying people would face an enemy force far greater than six thousand.

Even the bravest warriors would probably lose heart upon hearing such a comparison.

The Patriarch, however, snorted.

Second Uncle also angrily retorted, "You're truly mad! Last time, when multiple nations attacked Yao, you wanted us to turn our spears against them, saying the Ying people would become strong within three to five years. And look at us now! Are we rich? Are we powerful? Where is the food for people and horses tomorrow?"

The Patriarch's eye twitched twice. He said grimly, "So, in your opinion, what should we do?"

Second Uncle stumbled over his words. "This, this is all your mess! Do you expect me to clean up after you? Ever since you took on that mission to kill for the Yao Kingdom, things have gotten increasingly bizarre... No, that's not right. It's the armor you're wearing that's gotten increasingly bizarre. Take it off and then talk to us!"

The Patriarch said blankly, "If we're discussing tribal matters, let's discuss tribal matters. Why bring up my armor? I'm the one talking to you, not this armor!"

Second Uncle sneered, "I see you've long been controlled by the Rosheng Armor, just like the last emperor of the Glimmering Gold Plains. It wants us dead, it wants us to have no descendants. You are its accomplice!"

He turned to face the tribesmen and shouted, "The Patriarch has been controlled by the evil armor; he is no longer himself and cannot think for the good of the entire tribe. If we attack Zini, we will surely die. Now, only I..."

Before he could finish, the tribesmen opposite him showed signs of alarm, and the sound of rushing wind came from behind him. Second Uncle knew something was wrong. He gripped his hammer and turned to parry.

As expected, the Patriarch charged forward without a word, his great axe splitting directly towards Second Uncle's forehead.

Even for his own brother, he showed no mercy.

"Is the position of Patriarch something you can covet?"

"Are you even worthy?"

The Patriarch hurled two accusations and delivered two powerful cleaves.

The brothers' strengths were originally quite similar, and due to the Patriarch's old illness, he was weaker than Second Uncle. Yet, with these few cleaves, the Patriarch managed to force Second Uncle back three zhang, leaving his arms trembling.

The clear disparity in their martial prowess was evident at a glance.

Second Uncle barely managed to block three axe blows, his arms too numb to raise them. Amidst the tribesmen's cries of alarm, the Patriarch lunged forward, his axe whistling through the air, aiming straight for Second Uncle's neck!

He was even trying to kill his own brother!

At that moment, only Axun dared to rush forward and grab his father by the waist, "Stop!"

His father was not wearing the armor at that moment, but as soon as Axun touched him, he felt that strange sensation again.

It was as if the Rosheng Armor was demanding of him again:

"...You come..."

The Patriarch shoved him aside. Second Uncle had already been helped to his feet and stumbled back.

Everyone looked at the Patriarch with eyes full of terror.

The Patriarch had truly gone mad!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Patriarch slowly regained his composure. He raised his axe and said to his second brother, "If you provoke me again, you'll lose your head!"

Then he addressed the tribesmen, "Send scouts to Zini to gather intelligence. Everyone else, prepare horses and provisions! After our great victory, I want all the Zini people to plant grain for us!"

The Ying people dared not disobey.

The tribal elder, who had been quietly cowering in the back, cast a meaningful glance at Axun.

That night, Axun secretly visited the tribal elder.

"Father has been controlled by the Rosheng Armor, and his actions are becoming increasingly perverse. You said we needed to find a way to free him."

"I managed to get my hands on the Celestial Master's notes your father has. They are indeed very detailed. Alas, if it weren't for this, he wouldn't have even thought about finding the Rosheng Armor. However, the notes also mention an old tale: there was indeed someone in the past who managed to break free from the Rosheng Armor's control with the help of a certain treasure. The people I sent out have just returned, and they've finally uncovered information about this treasure in the central plains." The elder finished speaking and then whispered a few words into Axun's ear.

"Did you understand?"

Axun nodded vigorously.

"Go," the elder said, gripping Axun's shoulder, "Before your father brings utter devastation upon the entire tribe — you must stop him!"

"Yes!"

"The outside world is hostile towards us, and since you are the Patriarch's son, you shouldn't use your birth name when traveling. I recall your mother gave you a Yao Kingdom name."

The Yao Kingdom was powerful, so some people in the surrounding areas would take an additional Yao Kingdom name besides their birth name, hoping for a chance to visit the Yao Kingdom in the future.

"Yes, I have a Yao Kingdom name too," Axun said.

"My name is Fu Tianlin."

Early the next morning, he took a few subordinates and rode west from Chigu.

With no stars or moon, the world was plunged into darkness.

Where the bat demon puppet landed, it was naturally a desolate mountain wilderness, with whistling winds and withered vegetation.

There was almost no path in the forest ahead, only a half-buried boundary monument standing beneath an old locust tree:

Jing Mountain.

Cross the boundary monument, and you're in Jing Mountain.

Naturally, nothing happened there; crossing the monument was like stepping over an ordinary stone, and no anomaly appeared in the forest.

Dong Rui pointed ahead, urging his companion, "Hurry. Only after we cross Jing Mountain will we find a new way out."

That's why they came in this direction. If they could use the power of the Snail Toad, would the Yao people even think of catching them? Heh heh, they'd be left eating dust!

As the two walked and chatted with the fox clan, they inquired about the reason the Yao Kingdom was pursuing Sanwei.

Because human nations were generally weak, the Glimmering Gold Plains had become a haven for powerful demons and monsters. He Lingchuan had originally assumed that this den of fox demons would follow the White Bear King's path: establishing themselves as rulers of the mountains, dominating the area, and eventually posing a threat to surrounding humans.

Sanwei replied unhappily, "Human flesh isn't much tastier than deer or rabbits, and it has little fat! We've lived in these mountains for a long time and originally wished to live in peace with humans, but they constantly disturb us by entering the mountains, which is incredibly irritating! I have several descendants with bounties on their heads in the nations below the mountain."

Dong Rui deliberately asked, "For so many years, the Yao Kingdom showed no reaction. Why are they suddenly attacking you now?"

If the Yao Kingdom hadn't turned hostile, the fox demons wouldn't have needed to relocate.

"We're not sure why," Sanwei replied. "The Yao Kingdom suddenly claimed we devoured thousands of its citizens, but my children were clearly staying quietly on the mountain for the two nights it happened, not going out to hunt at all!"

"Every single one?"

"Even if one or two left the mountain, do you think they could kill over a thousand people?" The fox demon flicked its tail. "Besides, for years, I've kept my children from entering the Yao Kingdom's territory; they wouldn't overstep their bounds!"

"Could it have been other passing monsters?"

"The Yao Kingdom says the killing method is very similar to ours — both vitality and internal organs were drained — and the incident happened at the foot of Baimao Ridge!" Sanwei said ominously. "This is a frame-up!"

This great demon clearly had a sharp mind.

"I wanted to go down the mountain to investigate the truth, but then another problem arose a few days ago," it said slowly. "Princess Ya of the Yao Kingdom was suddenly killed in a temporary palace less than thirty li from Baitou Ridge, and her manner of death was identical to that of the thousand-plus people."

"So, the Yao Kingdom came to trouble me." Such things were impossible to dispute. "I had no choice but to leave this place."

No matter which demon killed the Yao people, the Yao Kingdom would pin the blame on it.

Either way, they couldn't stay at Baitou Ridge.

He Lingchuan took the opportunity to inquire, "Have you ever clashed with General Chongwu, who is leading the troops surrounding this place?"

"No, I heard he always led troops outside," Sanwei replied. "Judging by the Yao army's reactions these past few days, this fellow is meticulous and ruthless, but not reckless."

He Lingchuan nodded.

General Chongwu's methodical approach was designed to encircle the fox demons, gradually forcing them into a desperate situation.

This method was time-consuming but minimized losses.

Baitou Ridge was right on the border of the Yao Kingdom, making it a home-turf battle where the Yao army held every advantage. It was a very cost-effective strategy.

Furthermore, General Chongwu would skin every captured fox and display it as a warning, unsettling Sanwei's mind and forcing it into making mistakes. This fellow was clearly someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

He Lingchuan felt this fighting style was somewhat familiar.

Yu Zecheng of Beijia and General Wulu of Ya Kingdom seemed to favor this kind of tactic.

This current mission was a rescue, and He Lingchuan did not want to engage General Chongwu in a direct confrontation.

At this point, Lingguang interjected, "General Chongwu's spear pierced the leg artery, but it's not a major issue; the wound has already contracted."

The fox demon's self-healing ability was astonishing, likely possessing some healing powers.

"But this old wound from three months ago is quite troublesome."

The wound was in the shoulder joint, only the size of a copper coin, but the fur there had already fallen out, revealing a dark brown circular patch.

Upon closer inspection, something seemed to be wriggling inside the wound, but when Lingguang actually inserted a silver needle, he couldn't extract anything.

"This is a type of supernatural ability called 'Bone-Adhering Maggot,' not an actual living maggot," Lingguang explained, asking Sanwei, "Can't fox fire burn it away?"

"No."

Fox fire was one of the gentlest true fires, used by fox demons to treat wounds, preventing damage to the surrounding flesh.

"Then it might be a variation," Lingguang mused, stroking his chin. "Let me think, let me think!"

Dong Rui, meanwhile, said, "Just treat it as if you're extracting maggots."

The man and the monkey squatted together, chattering to themselves, discussing the treatment plan as if no one else were present.

He Lingchuan knew that although Dong Rui's methods were unorthodox, his medical skills were exceptionally high. Having two master physicians in a team of three was truly a bit luxurious.