Chapter 124

The shamaness sat on Wu Tie's shoulder.

Wu Tie sat on the back of a carefully selected giant wolf spider.

Gray rock lizards and giant spiders are both commonly used mounts. Gray rock lizards are stout and powerful, with strong explosive force and great impact, making them suitable for knights to charge in battle.

When it comes to long-distance travel and traversing rugged terrain, giant spiders have an advantage that gray rock lizards cannot match.

Ahead is the passage leading to the outer realm.

Behind him, Shi Tan led over a hundred giants lined up in a row, preparing to use the giants' secret art to summon earth-pulse vibrations and completely seal the passage that the Shi Family's miners had dug out years ago.

Twenty-odd years ago, this passage dug out by the Shi Family's miners allowed the Cangyan Realm and the outer realm to make contact.

Back then, all the major families of the Cangyan Realm thought this was a road to wealth and a road to strength. No one expected that twenty-odd years later, this passage would bring the Cangyan Realm the decline of the three great families and the utter annihilation of more than ten families.

"Elder Shi Tan, goodbye!" Wu Tie raised his hand and waved at a group of giants.

"Be careful on the road… when you're out and about, don't drink beverages given by strangers, don't eat food given by strangers, don't spend the night with strangers… in short, be wary of all strangers." Elder Shi Tan stood with hands on hips, looking down at Wu Tie from above.

On his rough, weathered face lay a hint of worry.

Elder Shi Tan reached out and lightly tapped Wu Tie's head: "The earth's spirit will bless you… wishing you a safe journey."

A nimble snake-pattern lizard darted over. Compared to the gray rock lizard, its size is much smaller, but its movements are more agile and dexterous; when traversing various complex terrains, its agility can rival that of a giant spider.

Lao Bai wore a neat set of leather armor, carried a small bundle, sat on the snake-pattern lizard's back, and came over to Wu Tie with a smiling face.

"Wu Tie, let's go together." Lao Bai laughed happily at Wu Tie: "I've already passed the chieftain's position to my eldest son… the things I never did when I was young, now I finally have a chance to go wild."

Lao Bai smiled at Wu Tie and said: "When this passage was just opened, I wanted to leave the tribe and see the outer realm. But back then I was afraid of death, and the tribe faced a survival crisis; I was my father's only surviving son, so I couldn't leave."

"But now, with the Shi Family's protection, the children will be fine." Lao Bai smiled contentedly: "I've fathered so many sons and grandsons, the tribe has expanded greatly… and having you, Wu Tie, an expert, as a companion has made my courage much greater."

Lao Bai enthusiastically exclaimed: "Cangyan Realm, I've wandered with my children across the entire Cangyan Realm these past years… I want to see a broader world."

"People say we ratfolk are short-sighted, only knowing the three inches before our eyes, only knowing to lower our heads to look for food… I, Lao Bai, want to see a broader world. Perhaps, many years from now, my reputation will let all ratfolk brothers under heaven hear of it."

Lao Bai laughed heartily at Wu Tie, his bright front teeth reflecting the torch's light. One could tell that before heading out, this old fellow must have carefully sharpened his teeth with a whetstone.

Wu Tie clearly remembered that Lao Bai's teeth had been earthy yellow before, and he didn't know how long it had been since he last brushed them.

Before Lao Bai finished speaking, another giant wolf spider came rushing over.

Wearing soft armor and looking dashing, Yan Hanlu rode a giant wolf spider up to Wu Tie, first glaring at him fiercely, then said in a lukewarm tone: "Wu Tie… you stole my Blaze Triple Calamity Fruit. So I also want to leave the Cangyan Realm and see the outer realm."

"Along this journey, you are the guard I hired with three Blaze Triple Calamity Fruits. Do you have any objections?" Yan Hanlu pressed her lips tightly, staring hard at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie hesitated for a moment, suspecting that Yan Hanlu had run away on her own.

But when he glanced down the passage, he saw several members of the Yan family standing together, looking over here; it seemed Yan Hanlu's departure from the Cangyan Realm had received unanimous consent from the Yan family. After all, her father, Yan Mo, is still the head of the Yan family.

"You also want to go outside?" Wu Tie looked at Yan Hanlu: "You've made up your mind; Elder Shi Tan and the others have sealed this passage, so you may not be able to return for many years, and you won't see your family…"

Yan Hanlu rudely interrupted Wu Tie's words: "Our family members are mostly dead anyway; the few left, seeing them or not makes no difference."

Yan Hanlu lifted her head and loudly declared: "From now on, the Yan family's task is to breed offspring and revive the clan… having babies is something a group of men can handle; a man who works hard can father a hundred children in a year. As a woman, I can contribute little to that."

"Rather than that, let me go out for training… perhaps one day I can become stronger than all the masters of the Changsheng Sect. Then I will naturally open a passage back to the Cangyan Realm myself."

Wu Tie and Lao Bai stared at Yan Hanlu in astonishment.

Her words made too much sense, and they found themselves unable to refute them.

Indeed, in the matter of breeding offspring and reviving the family, a man's role is indeed far greater than a woman's.

"Alright then, we are traveling companions." Wu Tie looked at Yan Hanlu, then at Lao Bai, and said with a smile: "I don't know where I'll go or what I'll encounter in the future."

"However, on this leg of leaving the Cangyan Realm, we can travel together. If you later wish to keep following me, then do so; if you find a better goal or a better choice, then continue your own journey."

A low rumbling sound came.

A particularly stout gray rock lizard came charging forward with big steps.

Shi Fei wore a set of heavy armor, with a large battle-axe on his back, and the lizard he rode had all kinds of weapons hanging on its left and right, like a moving arsenal, as it came rushing over.

He raised his head and shouted from afar: "Let's go, let's go together… In a closed Cangyan Realm, my wit and talent have nowhere to be used. Having babies is something that fool Shi Meng with excess energy can just do."

"Actually, I've always been quite curious about the outer realm. But with this body of fat, thinking about going out to walk, there's no good food, no good drink, and when my limbs ache, there's no pretty maid to rub my legs."

"But with so many clansmen dead… I, Second Uncle Shi, suddenly realized that if one's strength is weak, one gets beaten. Second Uncle Shi wants to go out and see what those great powers out there are like, how they live, how they survive, and how they can be… so strong."

A gray rock lizard over fifteen meters long lunged over with a gust of foul wind, frightening Lao Bai's snake-pattern lizard into squeaking and darting away over a hundred meters.

The gray rock lizard landed with a "Boom" in front of Wu Tie; Shi Fei slapped his belly, and the metal gauntlet and the armor on his stomach clanged, producing a "ding-ding" sound. Even through his thick armor, everyone could see his flesh rippling up and down, making the armor shake as well.

"Traveling outside is dangerous; you must be ready to fight people." Shi Fei proudly pointed at the various weapons strapped to his mount: "These are all fine quality weapons I found in the Lu family's armory. Hehe!"

Wu Tie gave Shi Fei a deep look; he never imagined the Shi Family would let Shi Fei come out.

Having experienced this catastrophe, the three great families likely have different thoughts in their hearts. The Yan family sent Yan Hanlu, the Shi family sent Shi Fei—these are the most important and core members of their younger generation.

Going along with Wu Tie to leave, if they die, they will die outside.

If they survive, perhaps after many years they will become experts the Cangyan Realm could never have imagined, returning with honor and experience.

By then, the three great families, having accumulated sufficient manpower, might perhaps usher in a rapid period of development.

Amidst the "ding-ding" sounds, a spider made entirely of metal came dashing over.

A youth only about four feet tall, with a stature much smaller and slimmer than an ordinary person, sat on the puppet spider's back, his face full of sorrow as he hurried over.

"I am Lu Ji… I am of the Lu family." Lu Ji looked at Wu Tie, his tone carrying a hint of weakness as he said: "I… want to go with you."

Lu Ji brought out a metal box from behind him and handed it to Wu Tie.

"This is a token of goodwill from the Lu family; my strength is weak, so along this journey I will have to rely on your protection, Sir Wu Tie."

Lu Ji spoke in a soft, timid voice, his tone weak and nervous; when he handed the metal box to Wu Tie, his face even turned red, as if he had never dealt with people before.

Yan Hanlu and Shi Fei both looked at Lu Ji, then let out a sigh.

Shi Fei with difficulty turned his body, finally managed to stretch his arm to touch Lu Ji's shoulder, and gave him a hard pat.

"Lu Ji, from now on follow me, Second Brother. Unlike you and your brothers, Second Brother—tsk, if Second Brother gets a mouthful of fat, you'll surely get a piece of lean meat; if Second Brother sucks a mouthful of marrow, you'll surely get a good tendon… In short, Second Brother will take you under his wing."

Yan Hanlu coldly remarked from the side: "Lu Ji, your Lu family really… sent you out? Hmm, how is your mother's health doing?"

Lu Ji chuckled, lowered his head, and spoke softly: "My father brought Mother back, and now she's being nursed with good medicine; there shouldn't be any serious problems. Hmm, Sir Wu Tie?"

Lu Ji repeatedly pushed the metal box in his hand forward, fearing that Wu Tie would not accept his "protection fee."

"Your mother?" Seeing Lu Ji's appearance, Wu Tie readily took the rather large metal box, casually shoved it into his left wristband, and then curiously looked at Lu Ji.

"My mother is a dwarf slave." Lu Ji's face flushed red, and his voice grew increasingly feeble.

Wu Tie's expression changed slightly; he smiled, reached out, and firmly patted Lu Ji's shoulder: "Well, when we're out and about, we look out for each other—from now on, we're brothers."

Lao Bai laughed, raising his two claws, proudly looking at Yan Hanlu, Shi Fei, and Lu Ji: "Brothers!"

Yan Hanlu and Shi Fei gave a faint smile, while Lu Ji, flustered, bowed to Lao Bai: "Uncle Lao Bai… my father said you're best at preserving life; please continue to advise me."

Lao Bai's smile stiffened.

He touched his own face, murmuring softly: "Uncle? Uncle?"

Shi Tu shook his head hard, his voice deep and gruff as he roared: "Alright, kids, get lost… don't die out there, fail to make a name for yourselves, and don't even think about coming back. Get lost— the farther you go, the better; ideally, you'd go to a place we wouldn't even dare imagine… the farther, the better!"

The farther you roll, the better—rolling away takes time; if you want to go farther, you have to roll for a very, very long time!

Shi Tu was blessing them, urging them to survive cautiously, the longer they lived, the better.

The Yan, Shi, and Lu families each had several clansmen standing in the passage.

They silently watched Wu Tie's group, not a single person uttering a sound.

Compared to the impoverished backlands of the Cangyan Realm, they didn't know what the outer domain was like, but judging from the Changsheng Sect, the outer domain was certainly no paradise.

Once they went out, they might die.

Therefore, as Shi Tu said, the farther they roll, the better—off to a place they wouldn't even dare imagine; that would be best.

No matter how many past conflicts, how many upheavals, how many clashes…

Bound by blood, we are all kin.

Yan Hanlu suddenly jumped off his mount and kowtowed three times toward the passage behind him.

Lu Ji stared blankly, then hastily dismounted, imitating Yan Hanlu's solemn three kowtows toward the rear, and suddenly burst into tears: "Mother……"

Tears streamed down as Lu Ji sobbed, unable to catch his breath.

Kneeling and kowtowing was too difficult for Shi Fei; he struggled to rise from the back of his gray rock lizard, then solemnly thumped his chest with his fist and gave a grin to the several Shi clansmen seeing him off.

"Go back now— from now on, your second brother won't fight you for food… eat more, grow stronger, look at how frail you are."

Wu Tie smiled, nodded, gave a shout, and the giant wolf spider stretched its long legs, darting forward swiftly.

Lao Bai let out a cheerful "yahoo," humming a little tune, and without looking back urged his mount to follow closely behind Wu Tie as they departed.

Shi Fei, Yan Hanlu, and Lu Ji all spurred their mounts onward; Lu Ji wept all the way, yet he did not turn back.

Shi Tu and the other giants simultaneously raised both hands, firmly patted their chests, and quietly prayed to the earth spirit they believed in. They turned and walked down the passage toward the Cangyan Realm.

Behind them, the thick rock layers writhed, flashing with yellow light, the strata flowing together like water and swiftly sealing the passage.

They would trek all the way back to the Cangyan Realm; along the route, the passage would be completely blocked by rock layers, and they would also set various traps and measures to shut out any outsiders' prying eyes.

A passage stretching over a thousand li would completely separate the Cangyan Realm from the outer domain—no one would be bored enough to dig a thousand‑li passage just to seek out a single Cangyan Realm.

The Cangyan Realm is isolated from the outside world.

Wu Tie and company officially embarked on their journey.