Chapter 105 - 95: Gongyang of Jiangnan’s 800-Li Campaign to Save His Wife
Chapter 105: Chapter 95: Gongyang of Jiangnan’s 800-Li Campaign to Save His Wife
The Jiangbei Wilderness bordered the North Sea to its north and the South Desert to its south.
To the east lay Jiangbei City.
To the west, Ping City.
And farther south, beyond the South Desert, a great river flowed down from the distant heavens, winding along the desert’s edge before meeting the sea.
South of the great river was Jiangnan.
North of it was Jiangbei.
North of the great river, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but sand-filled deserts and a Wilderness of cracked earth. But south of the river lay fertile plains and vast, vibrant forests.
In terms of resources,
Jiangnan was far richer than Jiangbei.
In terms of cities, Jiangnan had several famous ones, while Jiangbei didn’t have a single decent city to its name.
Therefore, those from Jiangnan had always looked down on Jiangbei, calling it a poor and remote backwater.
And at this moment—
Two people stood atop the highest branches of a tree in a Jiangnan forest.
One wore a green robe, the other was dressed in sackcloth.
"How should I address you?"
"The Jiangbei Old Demon?"
"Or... do you have a name you can share?"
The old man in sackcloth, his head full of white hair and his face a mask of weathered wrinkles, spoke calmly as he gazed at the distant horizon.
Jiangnan’s rainy season had not arrived early.
The weather was calm and sunny.
But looking toward the distant horizon, a mass of black clouds, like a punishment from the heavens, loomed over Jiangbei.
Before the man in the green robe could reply,
the old man continued to speak slowly.
"The city below is called Hidden City. It is the foundation our ancestors built for us. We chose this name to signify our intent to preserve ourselves in this world, to lie low until the Eternal Night recedes."
"The Eternal Night descended several hundred years ago. Before that, there was no Eternal Night. Regardless of its cause, it will recede one day."
"The Eternal Night is an anomaly, not the norm."
"The highest-Level Life Workshop in the city is already Level 7 and can produce exquisite and luxurious clothing. Yet, all of us from the Jiangnan Sheep Race still wear sackcloth as a constant warning to ourselves."
"This world is no longer our world."
"It is the world of Ghost Objects."
"Even if we seem to possess power, we are fragile in the face of a true crisis. There is only one thing we must do: survive like ants, not leap about like fleas who think they’ve jumped a little higher than usual."
"When you look up at the sky,"
"you will realize that the height you were so proud of reaching is utterly insignificant compared to the heavens."
"In half a month,"
"Jiangnan, too, will enter its rainy season."
"You intend to take my daughter to Jiangbei in the winter, two and a half months from now."
"Do you know what that means?"
"That means the sole heir of the Jiangnan Sheep family, my only daughter, could die in Jiangbei."
The man in the green robe, standing on the treetop with a blade of foxtail grass dangling from his lips, shook his head with a cynical smile. "I don’t want her to come along either. It’s inconvenient to have a woman around when you’re killing people. It’d be great if you could convince her to stay in the city and not run around."
"..."
After a long silence, the old man in sackcloth spoke softly.
"I don’t know your name, nor do I wish to."
"But—"
"Last night, my daughter told me in all seriousness that she wants to go with you, even if it means dying in Jiangbei."
"I have never seen her so resolute."
"Many families are torn apart by succession disputes. I don’t want my family to become like that after I’m gone. Over the years, I’ve purged all destabilizing elements. Today, the Sheep Race is exceptionally united."
"If you are willing to stay,"
"you can take over the Sheep Race. All you need to do is have your child take the ’Sheep’ surname to inherit it. Bloodlines don’t mean much these days; they’re just a way to gather people together to huddle for warmth."
"Don’t be so quick to refuse."
"I know you’re a martial fanatic."
The old man paused for a moment before continuing, "Every faction has its secrets, and the Sheep Race is no exception. In the very core of Hidden City, there is a... Training Room."
"As long as you stay,"
"you can use this Training Room as you please. Once you have complete control over the Sheep Race’s power, it won’t be too late to seek your revenge."
"..."
The man in the green robe, who had been smiling cynically the whole time, suddenly had his pupils contract. He spun around uncontrollably to stare down at the city hidden in the forest below, his composure completely shattered in a way never seen before.
’A Training Room!’
’A faction that possesses a Training Room! If word got out, it would attract countless people to flock to their side!’
’And without exception, only the most renowned major factions could possess a building like a Training Room. The Sheep Race, while not weak, was not worthy of having such a thing.’
"How about it?"
Seeing his reaction, the old man couldn’t help but smile. "Not many people use this Training Room. After all, our faction has not yet hit a bottleneck, so we have no need for it at the moment."
For developing a faction, spending Ghost Stones on buildings offered the best return on investment.
But as buildings reached higher levels, they encountered all sorts of restrictions, requiring various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Exotic Treasures, and the like to upgrade. When buildings could no longer be upgraded and Ghost Stones could not be spent, that is when a Training Room became truly useful.
"I don’t really understand you martial fanatics."
"You are currently a Level 9 Cultivator."
"That’s a very respectable level of Cultivation, not just in Jiangbei, but even in all of Jiangnan."
"But—"
"So what?"
"On my City Wall below, I have a full 48 Level 5 Cannon Towers. Would you dare to face the attack of even a single one of them head-on?"
"You couldn’t take it."
"Daring to try would mean death."
"The only purpose of a Cultivator is to become the extended arm of their family after leaving the family’s territory. But that’s not important. As long as you’re willing to stay, this Training Room is yours."