Chapter 248
Chapter 248: A Halidom of the Blackwolf Tribe
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“Your Excellency, you’re excessively merciful. If I were you, I would have beaten that bastard to death!”
“Even if he doesn’t die now, he’s ashamed of staying here!” Junior Leopard gave a brittle laugh. “This guy’s arrogant. Where did he foster such a nasty temper? That such a person should still be alive today. Amazing!”
Thinking of Wang Hua’s attitude, Junior Leopard felt very surprised. Wang Hua, a Junior Master of martial arts who had just reached Bone-Forging Realm of Level Four was so aggressive before him, a famous Level Seven expert in Jianghu. A fool was not enough to describe him. He had no brain!
“That’s not strange. All the well-known families act like that!”
“They all act like that?” Junior Leopard became dazed for a second. “Are you sure? I know a guy of the Li Family in Pingzhou. He’s a direct descendant, and he’s much better!”
“You Excellency, you know the descendants of the Li Family in Pingzhou?!”
“Don’t forget that in the past I was a personal guard to Admiral Li. He was also from the Li Family. I never saw such arrogance from them then!”
“That’s rare given that the descendants of those millennium families are infamous for being overbearing. Ordinary family servants dare to yell at the local officials. Even a housekeeper could ride a horse quickly in the city and kill someone, nobody would pay attention to that!”
“That means, in this world, he’s not the only one who doesn’t have brains. Many other people are also idiots?”
“Your Excellency, if you thought in this way, it’s almost the same,” Jiangxiao said and laughed. “However, Your Excellency, it’s not a good thing to offend those powerful barons!”
“I’ve already pissed one off, I don’t care to affront one more,” said Junior Leopard. “The Wang Family in Cenzhou is the same as the Meng Family in Ningzhou. These are two biggest, well-known families in the Great Jin. They made great contributions in the conquest of Northern Yuan and were awarded large fiefs respectively. The well-known families’ fiefs are given in a way of family. The contributions made by their descendants are attributed to the families. How did Wang Hua receive a fief separately? A land of 100 kilometers. Did he perform some deed of merit?”
“This… I’m not clear about this,” Jiang Xiao said and shook his head. “However, according to what I know, many indirect descendants of the well-known families received fiefs. Instead, those direct ones got nothing!”
“It seems that it’s a method used by the imperial court to divide those families and foster the collateral branches against the direct ones?” Junior Leopard’s eyes glinted slightly. “One family’s fief is large, but it only has a plot of land. There are many collateral descendants. Decades later, fights for fief will be bound to happen. Thus, the power will decrease by itself. If the collateral descendants boom, it’ll be hard to lead. For the direct line, that’s a worry!”
“Your Excellency is right. Those people are accustomed to competing for power and enjoying the misfortune of others,” Jiangxiao said. “It seems that the imperial court is well prepared this time!”
“The person in the imperial court is playing chess. We’re just one of the inconspicuous chess pieces. We just need to take care of ourselves,” Junior Leopard said softly. “Well, is there any news about Wang Hua’s escaped slave?”
“Zhu Ba is investigating with Little Du. I suppose the news will come soon!”
Before Jiang Xiao’s voice had died away, they heard a pleasant laughter outside the tent. “Your Excellency, we found him!” That was Zhu Ba’s loud voice.
“Bring him in,” said Junior Leopard.
He took a skin roll from the inner side of his coat and handed it to Jiang Xiao. “This is the fortification map from Old Kelsang. Have a look first. We’re bound to need it for the fortification in the future!”
“Yes!” Jiang Xiao nodded and put it in his arms.
The tent curtain was opened. Carrying the emaciated person, Zhu Ba walked in and threw her on the ground. “Your Excellency. That’s her, the Wang Family’s escaped slave!”
“I’m not an escaped slave. I was just forcibly captured by them!” The tiny figure struggled to get up and shouted.
“A girl?” Hearing the thin voice, Junior Leopard knitted his brows. He had never expected that the escaped slave should be a girl.
“You’re dressed in the exclusive clothes of the Wang family’s slaves and fled to my territory due to being pursued by the fool Wang Hua. You’re still denying that you’re the Wang family’s escaped slave. If you’re not, why are you here?”
“I’m Cole Khan’s daughter, the princess of the Blackwolf tribe!” The slender woman cried. “You’re damn evil. Grassland God will punish you!”
“Your Grassland God has already died!” Hearing her voice, Junior Leopard closed his eyes, raised a hand and moved her body in the air. “Wang Hua said that you had stolen his treasure. What’s on earth is that?”
“I… I didn’t steal his treasure. He wanted to snatch the halidom of our Blackwolf tribe!”
“Blackwolf tribe’s halidom?” Junior Leopard smiled slightly. “Well then, take out your Blackwolf tribe’s halidom and show me!”
“No way!” The woman’s face was covered by dust, but her eyes were bright. She fiercely stared at Junior Leopard and did not show weakness. “It’s a halidom passed on for more than 10,000 years in our tribe. I won’t give it to evil people like you!”
“A strange strength wave. Why? Why am I familiar with it?” Junior Leopard thought.
Junior Leopard raised his eyebrows mildly as if he found some surprising thing. “Do you think that I can’t find it even if you refuse to show the halidom?”
“Hum!” The girl gave a cold snort and turned her head away.
Junior Leopard loosened his hand and hurled her on the ground again. “Blackwolf tribe, in the previous Northern Yuan, could be considered as a formidable tribe. This tribe’s halidom must be a good stuff!”
Junior Leopard’s eyes lingered on the woman as he spoke. He noticed that a contempt flashed through her eyes and could not help laughing. “According to what I know, the Blackwolf tribe was breached by Jin Dawei along with soldiers, a subordinate to Governor Ma. All of the tribe’s treasures were sent back to Great Jin. Jin Dawei was famous for his cautiousness. How could he miss out such important stuff? Moreover, you, the princess, before the Blackwolf tribe was conquered, the patriarch had burned his whole family. How could you survive? You just said you’re the Blackwolf tribe’s princess. Do you have any evidence?”
“I don’t need to prove it. I’m the Blackwolf tribe’s princess! Believe it or not. Hum. I know Central Plains people are sly. Don’t cheat me into taking out the halidom in this way!”
“You’re Northern Yuan people, but you speak standard Central Plains language. People like you are rare in Northern Yuan. You must not be in a low position in Northern Yuan. As for whether you’re the princess, I don’t want to know. About your halidom, I know a little bit now. So, I don’t need to goad you!” Junior Leopard smiled, slowly bent forward, extended his hand and gently lifted her chin.
“You’re only average-looking. I happen to need a maidservant now. You can be my maidservant. Zhu Ba, bring her out, let her have a bath and change her clothes. From now on, you serve me in my tent!”
“Ah?” Zhu Ba did not predict that Junior Leopard would make such a decision, so he was dazed for a second.
“What? Action!”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Zhu Ba’s face showed a hint of ambiguity. “I know, I know.”
An hour later, Zhu Ba brought the girl back to the tent. Now she looked much cleaner than before. She was about 15 years old. As Junior Leopard just said, she was just average-looking. Even if she was the princess, how could there be so many beautiful princesses in this world?
This Blackwolf tribe’s princess had already changed into a maidservant clothes, but her eyes were filled with stubbornness and resentment. She suddenly fell down from her princess position, became a sinner and even lost her freedom. It was no wonder that she was exasperated.
For her, an offspring of nobility in Northern Yuan, she had unforgettable hate for the Great Jin.
“Alright, Zhu Ba. You can leave now. The princess serves me here, so I don’t need you!”
“Ah. Oh. OK. Your Excellency!” Zhu Ba said and quickly receded from the tent, faster than a rabbit.
“You… what do you want to do?” After Zhu Ba had left, only Junior Leopard and the girl were in the tent. Obviously, the girl seemed to be scared, so she stepped backward a few steps to the threshold of the tent. It looked as if she would flee away once Junior Leopard made some offensive behavior.
“Take it easy. I’m not interested in you!” Junior Leopard felt embarrassed and touched his nose. “Do I look like a lady-killer?”
The girl kept silent and put her arms before her chest, implying her answer in her heart.
“Well. Even if I’m a lady-killer, I won’t be keen on you!” Junior Leopard shook hands speechlessly as if he wanted to disentangle him. “I’m only interested in beauties. However, you are ugly—”
“You’re ugly!”
All women were seemingly sensitive to this topic. However, Junior Leopard was not chivalrous when he said that the girl was not good-looking in front of her without scruples.
Junior Leopard did not care about his manner. What he cared about was the Blackwolf tribe’s halidom. Extremely useful stuff intrigued him.
Why?
Junior Leopard felt a wave of the Flickering Light Evil Qi from this girl.
Flickering Light Evil Qi!
It did not possess great power. Actually, it was not powerful at all. It only worked on the space.
Unluckily, Junior Leopard now only knew three special techniques and skills regarding space. These include the Three Realms Division, the Space Division Skill and a way used to open the space. This way was researched based on the Hollow Magic Carpet; he temporarily did not know its name.
However, now he had access to a new celestial device. The Flickering Light Evil Qi was waving. He did not need to guess. It must be a celestial device relating to space.
When good luck befell someone, it could not be resisted!
In those days, he had always been researching the Space Division Skill, the Three Realms Division and that magic formation on the Hollow Magic Carpet. The research was not only about the utilization, but also a deeper understanding of the secret skill about space.
Yes. His understanding was only about the secret skill of space, not about space. Space and time were the two most abstruse systems in the universe. Based on his current level, he was not even qualified to take a look at it. How could he touch that?
The whole thing was based on the principle of the Hollow Magic Carpet. There was a formation on the carpet!
The formation more or less had a relation to the space. For example, the Yin and Yang Dust Formation which had been obtained by Junior Leopard was a formation integrating illusion, sword technique, space, time and even other basic principles between the earth and the sky. It was a synthesis. However, the formation on the Hollow Magic Carpet was another thing—a specific formation about the space.
Junior Leopard did not have enough energy to study that formation. Instead, he took advantage of his Three Realms Division and Space Division Skill to break the formation. Finally, he reached a surprising conclusion that this formation was not similar to the Three Realms Division which was exclusively used for shuttling in space. Its real effect was to build a fixed passageway between two specific points.
In other words, it was a Space Portal!
Nevertheless, the so-called Space Portal merely existed on the basis of theory. To set up a stable passageway between two points, one would first have to maintain an unimpeded gateway at both sides. It was not like building a house, for which two pieces of wood could construct a gateway. Supporting the entrance and exit in a space needed special material. As for what kind of material it was, Junior Leopard did not know, he had never heard it.
However, this formation brought many verifications and experiences for Junior Leopard to study the Three Realms Division and the Space Division Skill. Meanwhile, a new idea popped up in his mind.
Now he used the Space Division Skill to separate a small space and put his two Big Iron Hammers in it. Some sundries could also be piled in it. However, this space was connected with his spirit, and only he could put things in the space. That behavior was too eerie. For instance, whenever he wanted, he just motivated his divine thoughts, and the two hammers could be conjured from the space. Although it was convenient, this method was very weird. Others would immediately know that he understood a special space controlling technique when seeing that.
Special techniques, differing from celestial devices, could be learned as long as one understood the way, so they provoked much more greed among people than celestial devices. If Junior Leopard could open a unique gateway from the space which he had separated, he may as well set up the gateway at positions like Gate Gourd or Gate Jade Vase. In such a way, when he took things from the gateway, others would just think that he had a spacial celestial device. Spacial celestial devices were precious and could attract covetous eyes, but they were much better than special techniques.
However, as far as he could see, it was just a conception. For him, a space technique beginner, this conception was unattainable.
However now, he saw hopes from this Blackwolf tribe’s princess.
“No need to be frightened, nervous or even scared. Useless!” Junior Leopard stood up from the chair and strode to the girl in one step.
He moved quickly, which shocked the girl and made her step back again; she was almost backed out of the tent.
Junior Leopard extended his hand straight to her chest.
“Ah…” A sharp cry sounded. The girl put her hands over her chest and shouted. “What are you doing!”
“I want your Blackwolf tribe’s halidom!” When saying this, his hand rudely reached to her chest and slightly pulled. After his hand drew back, there was a necklace in it. The necklace, with a ruby pendant on it, was made from platinum; it looked very common.
“That’s my neacklace, not the halidom!” The girl yelled.
Junior Leopard had a look at the ruby pendant over and over again. Then he turned his head around, walked to his chair and had a seat.
“Don’t conceal it from me. You can’t hide it successfully,” Junior Leopard said. “Your Blackwolf tribe’s halidom is this ruby pendant.” His finger lightly lifted and slowly rubbed the ruby pendant. A strange thing happened. His finger, after touching the pendant, looked like it was going through a door which was made of waves, clicking into the door directly.
“Good design. The most important part is this ruby!” Junior Leopard smiled. “It’s not jade, but a special material. Am I right?”
“You…” The girl pointed at him, showing a panicked face.
“In fact, your Blackwolf tribe doesn’t have any halidom. What you have is only an independent space which had been separated at an unknown time. The space harbors treasure that had been plundered by your Blackwolf tribe for several dynasties. Even if the Blackwolf tribe was extinct, there’s a hope for your tribe to recover as long as the pendent exists. The ruby in the pendent is the gateway to that independent space. Am I right?”
“How did you know? How could you open it? That’s my tribe’s halidom. Except the Elder Shaman…”
“Of course I can open it!” Junior Leopard ridiculed her. “Do you think that just the tribe’s Elder Shaman can open it? Only small tribes like you living in the north have such a narrow outlook. Such a thing should be a rare thing for you. It’s not something hard to get. In the Central Plains, many people have the capability to open it. Otherwise, why do you think that the Wang Family was in hot pursuit of you?”
“You…” At this time, the girl was so astonished and pavid that she could not utter a word.
“Enough! You don’t have a chance at all. Either the enfeoffed lords in the north or Great Jin in the south won’t give Norther Yuan an opportunity to let it bob up like a cock. It’s impossible to return the Blackwolf tribe to its previous state. I suggest that you give up and stay with me tamely. Be my maidservant, marry a good man and live out your days in peace and security!”
“You… you’re a demon!”
The girl screamed and rushed to Junior Leopard, trying to fight with him.
“How silly you are!” Junior Leopard touched the girl with a finger to make her pass out. He said loudly, “Zhu Ba, come in!”
Zhu Ba came in with a forced smile.
…
It was peaceful in territory in the following more than ten days. Zhu Ba brought a group of right-hand surbodinates back. In the whole territory, among those who accompanied Junior Leopard from the Central Plains to this place, there were only Zhu Ba, Jiang Xiao and four other carefree soldiers left. However, Old Kelsang surprised him once again with the advantage that he was familiar with the close terrain and tribe characteristics, he had recruited 100 herdsmen to roam the prairie. They entered Junior Leopard’s territory, including more than ten post-adolescents. Under Old Kelsang’s guidance, they built temporary residences at the foot of Jilei Mountain which had been marked on the map.
Fortification was a dream to every tribe on the prairie. The reason was that only those most powerful tribes were qualified to build fortifications and city walls and moats. Although those city walls and moats looked very simple and crude, they were the symbols of power. Now that Old Kelsang’s tribe had been destroyed, if a city wall and moat could be constructed on their own land, it was a reassuring thing to him.
In recent days, Junior Leopard was not off guard. On the one hand, he appointed Jiang Xiao to arrange several people to keep watch on Wang Hua’s territory. He did not believe that Wang Hua, with his temper, would easily give in since he had suffered a great loss from him. On the other hand, he had been dedicated to digging into the space connected with the ruby pendent.
The space was segmented by the Space Division Skill. But it was much bigger than what Junior Leopard had separated. Its space area amounted to his two tents. Fortunes that had been amassed over the past years by the Blackwolf tribe were stacked in it. There were many rare pearls and wondrous precious stones, which dazzled Junior Leopard. Certainly, those were not the whole treasure. Golden stuff and priceless gems were just the things of lowest value. It also contained many Spiritual Stones, Genuine Weapons, costly medicinal herbs and some other things which could not be recognized by Junior Leopard.
The Blackwolf tribe was one of the few big tribes on the prairie. In particular, it had dominated in the north of Dragon-pressing River for about 3,000 years. The best things that had been accumulated for about 3,000 years were stored in this space. Therefore, this time the stuff that Junior Leopard gained greatly exceeded what he got in the Cool Breeze Gang.
“Wealth should not be exposed before others. It’s a large amount of treasure. Of course I won’t reveal it. There is too much. I can’t spend it in a short time. I’d better keep it.”
That was Junior Leopard’s plan. As a matter of fact, in the past few days, he was always trying to merge the space that he had cut by using the Space Division Skill with the small space connected with the ruby.
If he could succeed, the merits were apparent. His Space Division Skill could divide a much larger area; meanwhile, he could also use that ruby to cast a mist before the eyes of others.
That ruby was a mysterious object, not a common jade. It had not been fostered from stone. Instead, it had been grabbed from a certain beast, similar to Junior Leopard’s Poison-absorbing Green Bead. Although it looked like a dead thing, it had intelligence. It owned a faint but tough life spirit, or the spirit of a soul. Regrettably, it was so weak that it could only link with that independent space.
Junior Leopard succeeded. After dozens of attempts, he successfully connected the two spaces. It was not perfect because there were still much room left for improvement at the point that joined the two spaces. However, given enough time, he would merge them totally. Regarding the ruby, he had already cast it into a ruby ring and wore on his left hand.