Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming stood in the distance. He was just about to leave with Fang Mu to his temporary abode in Tranquil East Tribe when his attention was caught by the sudden resounding boom that came from where the tower was. When he saw the people of Tranquil East Tribe rushing over with shocked looks, together with Fang Mu, who also rushed back with anxiousness and agitation, Su Ming followed them back.

He saw the tower turning to ashes, and the woman amidst the ruins. She was looking at him with a complicated gaze, and then started walking towards him.

Su Ming had the black mask on his face. Everyone else could only see his eyes shining through the slits in the mask from underneath the black robe. They could not see his expression.

As Cang Lan walked over, the people of Tranquil East Tribe standing around Su Ming greeted her respectfully.

Su Ming’s gaze was collected as he looked at the petite and pretty woman before him. She was very beautiful, and there were no signs of time be seen on her face, causing people to be unable to guess her age.

”Aunty,” Fang Mu quickly greeted respectfully from his place beside Su Ming.

Cang Lan did not seem to hear him. She looked at Su Ming with a complicated look, seemingly wanting to speak, but at the same time not. That strange expression made Su Ming wary.

After a long while, Cang Lan spoke in a low tone, and there was a hint of frailty in her voice. ”Brother Mo, could you tell me your real name?”

A light crease appeared on Su Ming’s brows. He did not speak.

”If someday, you remember something… you can come to Freezing Sky Clan to look for me…”

Cang Lan lowered her head and bowed slightly towards Su Ming. She cast a deep look at him once more, but here was no longer a complicated look in her eyes, just pity. She turned around and left.

”What do you mean?”

Su Ming was still frowning. The woman’s strange words had not only baffled him, but for some unknown reason, an empty feeling arose in his heart.

Cang Lan did not turn back, disappearing into the distance instead. She did not answer Su Ming’s question. Perhaps she was still confounded by it herself.

”Senior Mo, She… She is my aunt, Fang Cang Lan. Ten years ago, she successfully challenged the Chains of Han Mountain and became the disciple of Freezing Sky Clan…” Fang Mu whispered after a slight hesitation.

Su Ming nodded. As he looked at the place where Cang Lan had disappeared, a bewildered look appeared on his face hidden under the mask.

Tranquil East Tribe was huge. Even if Su Ming was only on this particular summit, he could still feel just how big Tranquil East was. Fang Mu originally intended to familiarize him with Tranquil East Tribe, but due to Cang Lan’s appearance, a strange agitation rose in Su Ming’s heart. He went straight back towards the lodgings given to him by the tribe and fell into silence, wanting to be alone.

Fang Mu knew that Su Ming was eccentric and loved silence. Once he had people send in food and fruits, he bid respectfully farewell and left.

The room was not big. Since the tribe was built on the mountain, it was not humid. Sometimes, gusts of wind would blow through, making people feel refreshed. Yet Su Ming ignored all these as he sat on the stone bed. The image of Cang Lan’s pitying look came to his mind unbidden. That gaze made him puzzled, and at the same time, it also made him increasingly agitated.

He could not control his agitation. For some reason, he had a feeling that Cang Lan had not told him everything.

‘When I was with Fang Shen in the tower, that woman should have also been there… Once I left, something happened, causing the tower to collapse. The woman was also injured…

‘Her expression did not seem fake, and… with her status, there’s no need for her to pretend before me.

‘Just what did she mean..? If someday I remember something I can go and find her in Freezing Sky Clan… What will I remember?’

Su Ming could not understand it no matter how hard he thought about it. His eyes shone, and he fell into a contemplative silence.

‘Remember something… If I turn it around, then it means I forgot something, that’s why she spoke about remembering things. But what have I forgotten?’

He closed his eyes. His mood should not have been affected by the woman’s words, but for a reason that even he did not understand, due to that sentence and that pitying gaze, he became agitated, as if he had suddenly lost his voice when he wanted to shout loudly.

Su Ming closed his eyes and carefully went through everything that he could recall. He started with his slightly fuzzy memories of childhood to his memories of now. After a long while, he opened his eyes.

‘Just a ton of lies!’

Su Ming laughed coldly. He was still agitated, but he forced himself to not think about it any longer and gradually immersed himself in his meditation so that he could calm down.

Time passed by, and it was soon nighttime. Due to the fog outside, Tranquil East Tribe was no longer lively as it usually was at night; it was silent instead.

During this night, Su Ming tried multiple times to enter a meditative state, but only when dawn was almost upon him did he manage to calm down his heart and get rid of the agitation caused by Cang Lan’s words. However, even if he did manage to calm down, the things that happened that day were buried in his heart like a seed.

Sunlight should have graced the morning on the second day, but it was concealed by the thick fog, causing the land to be shrouded in darkness.

Fortunately, due to the unique location of Tranquil East Tribe’s summit, a person could still see clearly as long as he was on the mountain and was not looking too far away.

When morning arrived, Fang Mu came. He brought with him a piece of news from his father.

Su Ming was allowed to become a guest of Tranquil East Tribe and enjoy all the benefits given to the guests of Tranquil East. He would also join the group entering the tunnel of Han Mountain.

”Senior Mo, you don’t actually need to enter the tunnel of Han Mountain… I heard that the place is very dangerous. There are only few people from the three tribes going in, and most of them are guests.

”You’ll usually be battling for your life in there. The three tribes may appear to be in a harmonious relationship, but in truth, we scheme against each other a lot. It’s especially so within the hidden grounds of Han Mountain…”

Fang Mu led Su Ming to the top of the mountain of Tranquil East Tribe where his father and the other leaders of the tribe waited so that they could send the next batch of people into the hidden grounds of Han Mountain.

”Every single time the fog of the Day of Eternal Creation comes and the tunnel of Han Mountain is opened, a lot of people will die. You can tell me what herbs you’ll need and I’ll ask my father to arrange people to get them for you.”

As Fang Mu led Su Ming to the top of the mountain, he continued mumbling lowly. There was restlessness on his face. Though his concern was linked to his own well-being, it was still precious.

A gentle look appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. This young lad before him had entered his good graces during the past four years.

”It’s fine. I’ll be careful when I go in.”

Su Ming’s voice was no longer aloof. He lifted his hand and patted Fang Mu’s head, just like how the elder would pat his head when he was younger.

Fang Mu was stunned by Su Ming’s actions. Clearly, Su Ming’s indifference and unsociable attitude over the years left a deep impression on him, making him rather unused to it. When he heard Su Ming’s reply, he quickly overlooked what had just happened and let out a light sigh.

”If you’ve already made your decision, then I won’t try to persuade you any longer. But senior, you have to be careful of the guests of the other two tribes. No one who enters the tunnel of Han Mountain is weak…”

While speaking, Fang Mu brought out a scroll of bamboo slips from his bosom and gave it to Su Ming.

”Senior, you’ve helped to heal my injuries over the years. Besides searching for herbs for you, I couldn’t do anything else in return. These bamboo slips have some information pertaining to the guests in Lake of Colors and Puqiang. I hope it’ll be of some help to you.”

When Su Ming heard the words, he took the bamboo slips. Once he opened them and looked, he saw densely written words. There were also some portraits.

Some wooden shards also remained on the bamboo slips, signaling that they were carved not too long ago.

”Also, all the guests who enter the tunnel of Han Mountain from Tranquil East Tribe can choose a counterfeit Berserker Vessel. My father told me to tell you that when you choose the Vessel later, remember to choose a whip.”

Fang Mu soon brought Su Ming to the top of the mountain of Tranquil East Tribe, his low voice never stopping for a breath.

The ground was flat here, as if the top had been sliced off. The fog in the area was rather thick, though nine figures could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged at the center of the place.

Seven of them sat surrounding two people in the middle. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but the presence of Qi could be felt coming off them.

Once he sent Su Ming to the place, Fang Mu took a few steps back and took a stand in the distance. With how strict the tribe was in regards to statuses, even if he was the son of the tribe leader, he still could not get closer in these sorts of situations.

Su Ming appeared collected while walking towards the nine people. As he got closer, a serious look appeared in his eyes. All of the nine people here were powerful Berserkers.

It was especially so for the old man sitting right in the middle of the circle of the seven people. This man wore a blue robe and his hair was white. Even if he had his eyes closed as he sat there, his presence was mighty like that of a dragon or a tiger, causing Su Ming’s heartbeat to immediately beat faster.

To the old man’s left was the tribe leader of Tranquil East. The man built like an iron tower looked at Su Ming with brilliant eyes, and a smile appeared on his face.

To the old man’s right was another strong looking man, but that man was not built tall. Even if he was sitting, he was still slightly shorter than Fang Shen, though the presence coming from him was not weaker than that of Xuan Lun’s. It was clear that he had already reached the Transcendence Realm.

Su Ming swept his gaze across the group. Among the seven people sitting in a circle, besides the old and the slightly short man, there was also another person who had reached the Transcendence Realm. This man was also an old man. He wore a black robe and had his back facing Su Ming.

‘Tranquil East Tribe is amazing. From what I can tell, there are already three people who are in the Transcendence Realm… That old man in the blue robes is also giving me a feeling that he has surpassed Xuan Lun… The Qi from the others is also great. They most likely all have above 800 blood veins.

‘Also, this shouldn’t be the full strength of Tranquil East… Are the two people in the center the guests who will enter the tunnel of Han Mountain with me?’

Without even batting an eyelid, Su Ming stopped once he got closer.

”You’re Mo Su?” a cold voice travelled forth slowly.

The person who spoke was a middle-aged man in red robes sitting beside the short man in the Transcendence Realm. This person had an aloof expression on his face. Even with the fog in-between them, the chill in his voice could still be heard as it traveled to Su Ming.

”Yes,” he replied calmly.

”So you’re the person who wanted to become a guest and joined Tranquil East Tribe halfway-through, the one that made that ridiculous request to enter the tunnel of Han Mountain? Even if the tribe leader has agreed to this, a person who suddenly arrives like that must definitely have ulterior motives. He’s even wearing a mask, what a joke! Unless he can prove his worth, then I won’t agree to it!”

The middle-aged man let out a cold laugh. After his initial glance at Su Ming, he ignored him, choosing to stare at the tribe leader of Tranquil East sitting across him instead.