Chapter 118: The Mystery of Ying

The woman, seeing him so fierce and still trying to hit her, was scared of Ying but wouldn't back down verbally, "How dare you hit me? Don't forget I'm your A Mu; if you disrespect me I'll go tell your A Fu and have him punish you."

Ying snorted coldly, "Do as you wish, but I must warn you, A Fu's health is poor; if you make him die of anger, you won't be able to become Oumu of the wolf tribe."

"You……"

The woman, hearing that, indeed restrained herself a lot and glared fiercely at Ying, "Your A Fu will never give you a treasure; you'll never get what you want."

This made Nan Qinghuan understand; indeed the wolf tribe's A Fu is Ying's father, so is he a wolf tribesman? That can't be right? She was about to ask Ying when a terrified voice came from outside, "Oumu is in trouble, the Clan Leader is gone."

The woman named Lei burst in, panting heavily; hearing that her male was incapacitated, she stopped arguing, glared fiercely at Ying and fled.

Lei saw Ying standing clueless, and hurriedly pleaded, "Ying, go check on your A Fu; he's about to collapse."

Ying halted but remained calm and unhurried, lightly saying, "Understood."

Lei saw his inaction made further words unnecessary, but after taking a few steps she turned back to kindly warn, "Don't go to the Stone Cave; many tribesmen there are ill."

After saying that, Lei hurried out, and even a clueless Nan Qinghuan understood what was happening; she wiped the oil from her hand and tentatively asked, "Ying, is A Fu A Mu's man?"

She knew Ying would grasp the meaning of "man"; when Ying saw her ask, his eyes filled with sorrow as he stared deeply at her, a helpless smile tugging his lips—she had never seen Ying like this, why so sad? "Is that so?"

She asked again.

Ying seemed reluctant to let her know his family's troubles; he shook his head, "Eat a bit more, I'll go out for a while and return; don't wander off."

"Don't, take me with you; if he's your A Fu I should go see him too."

Although Ancient People place little importance on etiquette, she still ought to go see him; she knew this A Fu was Ying's biological father, so it made sense she only saw A Mu in the tribe and never knew Ying's father's whereabouts. Now it seemed that man was the wolf tribe's chief.

What about Na Yao? Were they brothers? Nan Qinghuan saw Ying unwilling, prepared to keep urging him; after a moment of silence Ying still nodded, unwilling to leave her alone in the Cave.

He was uneasy, also fearing A Guo and the others would come trouble her.

"Alright, I'll take you there."

What Nan Qinghuan didn't expect was that the wolf tribe lived an even harsher life than Ying's tribe; although they dwelled in treehouses instead of caves, resources were extremely scarce.

The locals were poor at hunting; the only skill they excelled at was iron‑smelting. Indeed, the tribe's spears were made of the earliest raw iron—crude in workmanship, yet for Nan Qinghuan it was an impressive civilization.

At least it showed her that this Ancient People's tribe already knew iron‑smelting.

Ying led her along toward the densest thicket; she had always thought the wolf tribe's settlement lay in a desert, but this turned out to be an oasis.

Along the way, the tribesmen's gazes were odd, as if they both respected Ying yet didn't really welcome him.

Not welcoming him, they naturally weren't very welcoming to her either.

When they arrived, the towering treehouse was already packed with people; a shaman sang and danced at the doorway, and upon seeing this, Ying's steps halted instantly.

A wind brushed by, bringing a chill of desolation.

"He's dead."

His words were drawn out and somewhat feeble; Nan Qinghuan sensed a trace of sorrow.

She stared deeply at Ying's face; his expression was complex, revealing no clear joy or grief, yet she knew what had happened and tightly grasped his hand to give him strength.

"Ying, I'm here."

Because of Nan Qinghuan's "I'm here," Ying's mood improved; he gave her a firm nod, then pulled her toward the doorway. The leading Yao, seeing them arrive, and the tribe gradually cleared a path.

"You're late; A Fu has already ascended to heaven."

Yao's gaze held a hint of reluctance, but more so a lightness, as if A Fu's death let him breathe easier.

Ying gave him a glance without speaking, then stopped and looked at Nan Qinghuan, his eyes still gentle, "Qinghuan, wait for me."

Nan Qinghuan gently released his large hand, nodded, "Go ahead, I'll wait here."

Satisfied with her obedient compliance, Ying strode into the treehouse; Yao immediately walked toward her, his gaze fierce, and in a deep voice demanded, "Do you know Rongdi?"

Her face darkened; indeed Yao was after Rongdi for vengeance.

Remembering Ying's warning, she covered her mouth, coughed, and gently shook her head, "Don't know."

"Don't know?"

Yao, however, didn't believe her; he smiled grimly, a pair of sharp fangs protruding from his mouth, and Nan Qinghuan, seeing the fangs, involarily took a few steps back.

"Damn, those teeth are just like a zombie's."

The man reminded her of Western vampires—those vampires have charming faces but a pair of sharp fangs; once they bite, they drain your blood dry.

Seeing her fear, Yao chuckled lowly, "Nan Qinghuan, you won't fool me; tell me where Rongdi is, or today neither you nor Ying will get away."

The atmosphere grew tense, yet Nan Qinghuan wasn't afraid; she lifted her head to look up at him. Yao was tall and seemed fierce, but before Ying he could only cower.

"Even if you say you can leave, it doesn't count; if I'm not mistaken, Ying should be the leader here, right?"

"What are you saying?"

Yao glared angrily.

"You're acting high and mighty over a child born of a concubine?"

Yao didn't understand what a concubine was, but knew the female was berating him.

"You're courting death."

Yao raised his hand to slap her face, but Nan Qinghuan was unflinching, suddenly producing her secret weapon Pepper Water, "Sheathe your claws; if I spray this Pepper Water, your two eyes will probably be blinded."

"You…"

Yao had never seen such a bold female, daring to confront him; hearing about the Pepper Water, he was somewhat worried, for he had heard that this woman had injured Rongdi with Pepper Water.

He withdrew his hand, somewhat resentful, saying, "Ying would do anything for you; I heard you even took Herbal Medicine?"

The remark darkened Nan Qinghuan's complexion—what did it mean? What had Ying done for her? Seeing her pallor, Yao gave a strange smile, lowered his head to look at her; his massive frame seemed about to completely engulf her delicate body.

Yao's words carried a warning, "A Fu is dead; you'll never obtain what you desire."

"The things you want?"

Nan Qinghuan was bewildered; what did they want? She thought of Ying's injuries—could it be related to her? The more she thought, the more anxious she became, just as she was about to ask, a woman's voice sounded from behind.

"Yao, is she the rumored Heaven's Daughter?"

The woman, having sung the Soul‑Sending Song, had remained standing there; her attire suggested she was the female shaman here.

Yao turned his head disdainfully and gave that woman a glance, "What Heaven's Daughter? If she can't endure Bone Blood, what Heaven's Daughter is she?"

"Yao is right; isn't it just that she looks prettier, and Ying wanting this female means his misfortune has arrived; they will soon face disaster."

The woman who angrily scolded Ying came again; she has no sorrow of a dead man, only the pleasure of berating people, and Nan Qinghuan does not flinch, raising her eyes and coldly glancing at the woman, "Who will suffer disaster is still uncertain; your clan must have caught a plague, so many people falling ill at once?"

"What nonsense are you saying?"

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