Chapter 144

Looking for someone? Who?

The lithe girl, like a leopard, wanted to go around Tie Dajian's burly body.

Tie Dajian stepped sideways, blocking her path, not letting her go around him to face Wu Tie directly.

The girl's pair of charming almond eyes flipped, and suddenly a black leather whip appeared in her hand; with a crisp 'crack', the whip writhed like a vicious snake, bringing a piercing splitting-wind sound as it lashed at Tie Dajian's cheek.

"You idiot, this is Wa Valley!" the girl shouted, extraordinarily proud and extraordinarily overbearing.

This is Wa Valley; the direct descendants of the Wa tribe have always done as they pleased, and no one has ever dared to stop them from doing anything.

Beneath Tie Dajian's deep silver skin, a faint golden light flickered; he had cultivated his sixfold golden body to the utmost, preparing to block the whip with his face.

As a veteran mercenary who had roamed north and south, Tie Dajian well knew the Wa tribe women's overbearing and domineering nature.

Taking a whip lash would, for him, not injure his muscles or bones; it would only be a bit embarrassing, but as a veteran mercenary, Tie Dajian could endure this loss of face.

But if he didn't let this girl whip him… the situation that followed could become troublesome.

The women of Wa Valley are adept at stirring up trouble, skilled at turning a sesame-seed-sized matter into something as big as a water vat.

Tie Dajian even actively turned his left cheek toward the girl's whip tip.

Wu Tie made his move, stepping next to Tie Dajian in a single stride, extending his left index finger for what seemed a light, casual flick. It felt like a playful child flicking dew off a lotus petal—so effortless it seemed he hadn't used any force at all.

With a sharper, more piercing 'crack', an explosive sound rang out.

The whip in the girl's hand, made primarily of flood-dragon skin and dozens of rare metals drawn into high-strength alloy filaments, woven thus, could shatter even divine weapons.

From tip to handle, it shattered instantly; the girl's right hand was left empty, her middle finger remaining with large black fragments.

Wu Tie's left index finger's first phalanx emitted a faint glow, and immediately the second phalanx shone with the same dim light. Wu Tie even felt a sense of satisfaction from those two phalanges; the alloy filaments inside the whip were of fine quality, containing a great deal of metallic essence and 'nourishment'.

Threads of heat flowed from the two phalanges to the palm bones; at that moment, Wu Tie clearly sensed that his left index finger's second phalanx had transformed to be completely identical to the first.

"I'm looking for Wu Jin." Gazing at the dumbstruck girl, Wu Tie coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "I am Wu Jin's younger brother; I've come to find Wu Jin… Miss, it's not proper to hit someone on first meeting—that shows you're overbearing and ill‑bred."

Tears glistened in the girl's eye sockets; this was her most beloved whip.

But upon hearing that Wu Tie had come to find Wu Jin, she sniffed, forcing back the moisture in her eyes.

Her lips twitched as she was about to ask Wu Tie what his relation to Wu Jin was, when Wu Tie suddenly dealt her a harsh blow—he actually said she was 'overbearing and ill‑bred'?

The girl drew a deep breath, tightly shut her eyes, and after a moment flung them open.

Her almond eyes widened, pupils contracting as a glint flashed; the girl sneered, sizing Wu Tie up and down: "You're here to find Wu Jin? Hmm? You're his brother? No, I heard… all his brothers are dead…"

Wu Tie's heart clenched; Wu Jin was indeed in Wa Valley, and this girl truly knew news of him.

He spoke hurriedly: "I'm not dead, I'm alive… I am Wu Tie, his youngest brother… Wu Jin…"

The girl gave a soft 'hee-hee' laugh, extended her right hand, and opened and closed her fingers forcefully; strands of black dust drifted down with a 'shush-shush' sound.

She looked at Wu Tie and said unhurriedly, "You're Wu Tie? Wu Jin's brother? Then you should call me elder sister. Heh, heh, how nice—upon first meeting you destroyed my most beloved whip."

When Wu Tie struck and shattered the girl's long whip, the few girls behind her and dozens of warriors suddenly spread out, assuming attack postures.

But after Wu Tie revealed his identity and chatted with the girl, those girls and warriors exchanged glances, then lowered their weapons and gently shook their heads.

"I'll compensate." Wu Tie gave a dry laugh, helplessly flicking his left hand.

This was a habit Wu Tie had developed from constant fighting over a long time. When the girl swung her whip, he sensed no killing intent, so he didn't draw his weapon; he merely wanted to stop her from lashing Tie Dajian.

Yet when facing the girl's whip, Wu Tie habitually used his left hand, employing that index finger whose power cannot be gauged.

He hadn't expected that a mere flick would shatter the girl's whip.

It was an inadvertent mistake; Wu Tie truly did not mean to do it.

"Well…" the girl curled the corner of her mouth into a smile and said leisurely, "That black flood-dragon whip is worth thirty thousand gold snake stones, but it's kept me company for so long that I'm attached to it, so…"

"Fifty thousand gold snake stones." Wu Tie nodded bluntly: "My fault, I'll compensate—"

Wu Tie felt the heat in the five phalanges of his left hand, and inwardly mused, not knowing whether the materials of that black flood-dragon whip were easy to obtain; he also wanted to buy large quantities of them to thoroughly nourish his bones.

With his left hand behind his back, Wu Tie clenched his fist tightly.

The bones of his left hand were strengthening, becoming harder and more supple; when he clenched his fist, the skin, muscles, tendons, and vessels were squeezed hard, waves of intense pain continually assailing him.

Wu Tie relaxed his hand, smiling at the girl as he said, "I'll compensate, fifty thousand gold snake stones, I'll compensate… Wu Jin, where is he?"

The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Thirty thousand gold snake stones—that was already the amount she had calculated in her bill; in truth, that black flood-dragon whip was worth only about ten thousand gold snake stones. She had intentionally meant to fleece Wu Tie for a tidy sum, and the extra coins could easily be used to reequip her retinue with finer weapons.

Yet Wu Tie, without hesitation, directly agreed to compensate fifty thousand gold snake stones.

The girl's eyes lit up a little; the anger and resentment over her ruined whip vanished instantly, and she gazed at Wu Tie with smiling brows, warmly reaching out with both hands to pat his left and right shoulders firmly.

Wu Tie was much taller than the girl; when she patted him, her whole body nearly lunged into his embrace.

"Hahaha, I never expected, Younger Brother Wu Tie, that you're quite the moneybags…" the girl exclaimed enthusiastically: "I am Wa Qing'er; uh, I know Wu Jin, and I'm a year older than him, so you should call me Sister Qing'er—"

"Eh, I get along best with your sister Wa Xi in daily play… Ha, but never call her Wa Xi when you see her—she hates that name, she renamed herself Wa Xiao xi, though the sisters still call her Wa Xi, Wa Xi…"

Wa Qing'er smiled at Wu Tie with a hint of malice, eyes narrowed: "After all, Wa Valley rarely has such an ugly name—Wa Xi, Wa Xi, heehee!"

Wu Tie's face twitched violently.

Wa Xi, Wa Xi, the 'xi'? Which 'xi'? The 'xi' in gold, silver, copper, iron, tin?

That's right, it's definitely that character.

There's no getting around it; only Wu Zhan could come up with such a name. It does follow the same line as Wu Tie and his brothers' names, but the problem is, calling a little girl 'Wa Xi'… indeed it's the ugliest name in Wa Valley.

The few girls behind Wa Qing'er also gathered close, each making a 'tsk-tsk' sound as they sized up Wu Tie.

Their gazes at Wu Tie were full of inscrutable meaning, having nothing to do with male‑female feelings, purely out of curiosity—truly just curiosity.

They all knew Wu Jin, and knew what his life in Wa Valley was like.

Who would have thought that Wu Jin's youngest brother, Wu Tie, would be such a little moneybag? Being able to produce fifty thousand gold snake stones at once truly exceeded their expectations.

"Sister Qing'er, where is my elder brother?" Wu Tie interrupted Wa Qing'er's cheerful muttering, urgently asking her for news of Wu Jin.

Wa Qing'er furrowed her brows, glanced at Wu Tie, and nodded: "I'll take you to Wa Valley; go ask… the third aunt."

Wa Qing'er stepped back a few paces and began issuing orders to the warriors behind her.

A group of warriors swiftly rode out of the stone cave, and they heard the 'thud-thud' of the poisonous spider's hard exoskeleton hitting the ground fade quickly into the distance, until it could no longer be heard.

I brought people out on patrol, so only this small nearby area remains. When my attendants return, I'll take you to Wu Valley. Wu Qing'er laughed a few times, then suddenly slapped her own forehead hard.

She once again sized up Wu Tie from head to toe, pulled from her sleeve a piece of bone polished to an oily sheen that emitted a strange aura, softly chanted a spell, and that bone, polished like a round mirror, emitted a beam of Blood Light that swiftly swept over Wu Tie's body.

The bone trembled slightly, and Wu Tie only felt a faint warmth spread through his body.

Wu Qing'er then laughed: 'As expected, you possess the Wu clan's bloodline and have even activated the bloodline divine ability… Hee, I was really clueless; good thing you're not an enemy, otherwise if you had just sneak‑attacked me, I would have been at a disadvantage.'

She shook her head, then nodded again, and Wu Qing'er continued her arrogant, overbearing mutter: 'But on Wu Valley's territory, who would dare impersonate a descendant of the Wu clan's bloodline? Who would dare ambush us? You agree, right, Wu Tie… little brother?'

Wu Tie gave the round‑mirror‑shaped bone in Wu Qing'er's hand a deep glance, smiled, and said nothing.

These direct‑descendant women of the Wu clan possess a mysterious, one‑glance confidence; Wu Tie also doesn't know where their confidence comes from, but… Wu Tie only wants to see his elder brother Wu Jin, and that would be enough.

As for other matters, Wu Tie couldn't be bothered to think about them for now.

But what happened to Wu Jin? Why is Wu Qing'er unwilling to plainly state his condition?

Could it be that Wu Jin has encountered another danger?

Wu Tie laughed as he took out ingot after ingot of gold he himself had forged from his bracer, and he and Wu Qing'er began to reckon the accounts. Each ingot's worth in gold‑snake stones, Wu Qing'er and the several girls' eyes flickered with a hazy gold light; somehow they produced a small scale and, gritting their teeth, argued with Wu Tie.

Wu Tie chuckled and haggled with Wu Qing'er and the girls over a discount of one or two gold coins.

He deliberately avoided thinking about Wu Jin's affairs.

He feared hearing bad news from Wu Qing'er's mouth, and would rather keep this doubt until he reached Wu Valley, until he saw his… mother!

Wu Tie's body trembled slightly; although he forced himself to stay calm, his body continued to shudder uncontrollably.

He worried about Wu Jin, fearing that Wu Jin might have encountered something else.

He also worried… whether he would really get to see his own mother? Mother, and the youngest sister left behind in Wu Valley.

Wu Tie's mood was a bit off; even the dull‑witted Lu Ji noticed that something was amiss with Wu Tie. They quietly gathered behind him, watching Wu Tie and the carefree Wu Qing'er and a few girls weigh the gold ingots.

Wu Qing'er happily stuffed the gold ingots into her own cosmos bag, laughing until her eyes narrowed into slits.

After gathering enough ingots to equal fifty thousand gold‑snake stones, Wu Qing'er vigorously patted Wu Tie's shoulder and loudly said: 'Wu Tie little brother, once you reach Wu Valley, if Wu Yao that girl dares to give you trouble, report my name… just watch me not beat her until she cries heaven and earth.'

'Hmm, but don't clash with her like Wu Jin did… Ninth Aunt she… has a bad temper.' Wu Qing'er furrowed her brows and twisted her mouth.

Wu Tie smiled like a figure in a painting, his smile thin and false.

He etched the three characters 'Ninth Aunt' deep into his heart… So, does this so‑called Ninth Aunt have bullied Wu Jin before?

Hmm, good… and there's Ninth Aunt's daughter, presumably her daughter? Wu Yao?

Hehe.

Wu Tie's smile was so fake that even the Demon Chapter King could see the thick pretense in it; he twisted his mouth, glanced at the oblivious Wu Qing'er and her companions, and lightly shook his head: 'Really just a bunch… simple little girls… tsk, if they were out there they'd be sold off and still have to count the money for others.'

After waiting about half an hour, Wu Tie and Wu Qing'er chatted about various Wu Valley matters; the squad of warriors rode back, Wu Qing'er whistled, everyone mounted their steeds, and the large group departed the stone cave, heading toward Wu Valley.

Along the way there was no talk; Wu Tie didn't continue to inquire about Wu Jin's news, and Wu Qing'er didn't bring it up either.

However, regarding the situation in Wu Valley, Wu Tie learned quite a bit.

For example, his mother, the Third Aunt Wu Mu mentioned by Wu Qing'er, is the current lord of Wu Valley, holding great power and enjoying a lofty status.

Also, as Wu Qing'er said, the Ninth Aunt Wu Xiu is one of the three great priests of contemporary Wu Valley, likewise wielding great authority, yet she has enormous conflict with Wu Mu, a relationship that turns hostile at the first meeting.

The elders of Wu Mu, Wu Xiu, etc., the Wu Valley experts and Elders, are wholeheartedly in secluded cultivation; the daily management and operation of Wu Valley are controlled by the handful—six or seven—of Wu Mu, Wu Xiu, and the like.

With Wu Qing'er leading the way, encountering no obstacles along the road, after a little more than a day, Wu Tie's party arrived at Wu Valley.