31: Chapter 31 The White Wolf's Past

After the white wolf retreated, a bonfire was lit in the tribe. The people of the Deer Clan sat around the fire, drinking Deer Bone Wine and celebrating their narrow victory. Several young men carried a Roasted Whole Sheep and distributed the meat, creating a festive atmosphere. Chen Yuanji did not join the celebration. He sat under an ancient tree, leaning against the trunk with his eyes closed to rest. That punch just now had consumed a lot of his blood and Qi; he needed time to recover.

Lu Yao approached, carrying a bowl of hot wine, and handed it to him. "Drink some, it will warm your body."

Chen Yuanji took the bowl and took a sip. The wine was strong, and a surge of heat rose in his belly after drinking it, which felt quite comfortable.

"Why did the white wolf want to eat Lu Ming?" he asked.

Lu Yao sat beside him, hugging her knees, and remained silent for a while.

"Aunt White... her name is Bai Xue, and she was my mother's Contracted Beast. Twenty years ago, my mother saved her during a Yao Beast tide, and she has been by my mother's side ever since, inseparable."

"What happened then?"

"Later, my mother fell in love with a member of the Human Race." Lu Yao's voice lowered. "That human was a merchant passing through the Mist Forest who was injured and saved by my mother. They lived in the tribe for three months, and then that human said he had to return to the Zhongyuan Region to handle his business. He told my mother to wait for him. She waited for three years, but he never returned."

Chen Yuanji did not speak.

"Mother couldn't wait any longer and went to the Zhongyuan Region to find him. Half a year later, she returned covered in wounds, and Bai Xue was also seriously injured. Mother only said one thing—'he lied to me'—and never mentioned that man again. Two years later, mother died of a broken heart. Before she died, she told Bai Xue to return to the Mist Forest and never go to the world of the Human Race again."

"Bai Xue didn't listen."

"No." Lu Yao shook her head. "She guarded my mother's grave for three years, and then she began attacking the Human Race. She hates all humans, believing that it was that human who caused my mother's death."

Chen Yuanji was silent for a moment. "What was that human's name?"

"I don't know. Mother never mentioned it."

Chen Yuanji drained the wine in his bowl and stood up. "Tomorrow, I'll go talk to Bai Xue."

Lu Yao was stunned for a moment. "Are you crazy? She'll eat you."

"She can't eat me," Chen Yuanji said calmly. "She remembers that punch from today."

The next morning, Chen Yuanji left the tribe alone. Lu Yao wanted to follow, but he refused. He wasn't sure if Bai Xue would attack him, and bringing Lu Yao along would only make her a burden. Bai Xue's territory was in a White Birch Forest, about twenty li from the Deer Clan Tribe. When Chen Yuanji entered the White Birch Forest, a faint scent of blood permeated the air. Several carcasses of Yao Beasts lay on the ground, torn to pieces; they were likely Bai Xue's prey.

"What are you doing here?"

Bai Xue walked out from behind a white birch tree, her golden eyes looking at him coldly.

"Let's talk." Chen Yuanji stopped, maintaining a distance of thirty feet from Bai Xue.

"There is nothing to talk about. You are of the Human Race, and I hate the Human Race."

"The one you hate is one person, not the entire Human Race," Chen Yuanji said. "You hate that man for lying to your mother, so you kill other humans to vent your anger, but would your mother want you to be like this?"

A cold light flashed in Bai Xue's eyes. "You know nothing, do not presume to judge."

"I know more than you think." Chen Yuanji looked at her. "My mother was also killed by someone. On the day my father told me the truth, I also wanted to kill. But what after killing? Can my mother come back to life?"

Bai Xue fell silent.

"Is that human still alive?" Chen Yuanji asked.

"I don't know," Bai Xue's voice lowered. "I've searched for him for many years but haven't found him."

"If you found him, what would you do?"

"Kill him."

"And after killing him?"

Bai Xue did not answer.

Chen Yuanji looked at her and said slowly, "Your mother told you to return to the Mist Forest not to hide, but to live well. What she was most worried about before she died was not whether you would get revenge, but whether you were doing well."

Tears welled up in Bai Xue's eyes.

"What do you know... you don't understand anything..."

"I do understand," Chen Yuanji said. "Because my mother died the same way."

Bai Xue lowered her head, her body trembling slightly. Chen Yuanji said no more and turned to leave. After a few steps, Bai Xue's voice came from behind him.

"Chen Yuanji."

He stopped in his tracks.

"If... if you find that human, kill him for me."

"Why should I help you?"

"Because..." Bai Xue looked up, her golden eyes full of sorrow, "Because I cannot bring myself to do it."

Chen Yuanji was silent for a moment.

"What is that human's name?"

"Zhou Xuanji."

Chen Yuanji's pupils constricted slightly. Zhou Xuanji!

"I promise you," he said. "But I need time."

"I can wait." Bai Xue turned and walked into the depths of the White Birch Forest. "I have waited for twenty years; I don't mind waiting a few more."

Her figure disappeared among the white trunks, leaving only a trail of shallow footprints. When Chen Yuanji returned to the Deer Clan Tribe, it was already afternoon. Lu Yao was waiting for him at the village entrance, and seeing him return safely, she let out a long sigh of relief.

"How was it? Bai Xue didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"

"No," Chen Yuanji said. "She just wanted someone to talk to."

In the following days, Chen Yuanji continued to recover from his injuries in the Deer Clan Tribe. His blood and Qi recovered day by day. Half a month later, his Dan Power had fully recovered, and it was even a sliver stronger than before he was injured.

Lu Yao's Stake Training was also becoming more and more solid; she could now stand for two full hours without trembling. Chen Yuanji began to teach her the Five Elements Fist. "The Five Elements Fist is the foundation of Xingyi Fist. Splitting, Crushing, Drilling, Pounding, and Crossing correspond to Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth." Chen Yuanji stood in the courtyard, demonstrating each move. Lu Yao studied seriously, practicing every movement dozens of times until Chen Yuanji was satisfied.

"You learn very quickly," Chen Yuanji said. "Faster than Xiao Hu."

"Who is Xiao Hu?"

"A friend from the Yao Race, with a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox Bloodline. She is currently in Heavenly Demon City."

That night, while Chen Yuanji was practicing in his room, he suddenly heard the sound of something breaking through the air. He opened his eyes and walked to the window. Under the moonlight, a grey stream of light streaked across the sky, falling toward the Deer Clan Tribe. It was Shen Wuchang! Chen Yuanji quickly walked out of the house and caught Shen Wuchang at the village entrance. Shen Wuchang's face looked very pale; the bandage on his left arm had been replaced with a new one, but there were several more wounds on his right leg. His clothes were covered in blood—some from others, some his own.

"Old man, you're not dead yet?" Chen Yuanji supported him.

"Almost," Shen Wuchang grinned, revealing teeth stained red with blood. "That old fellow Zhou Xuanji chased me for half a month, from the Mist Forest to Heavenly Demon City, and then back from Heavenly Demon City before I finally shook him off."

"You shook him off?"

"I shook him off. Although that old fellow's cultivation is higher than mine, his brain doesn't work very well." Shen Wuchang patted Chen Yuanji's shoulder. "Kid, how are you? Is your Dan Power complete?"

"It's complete."

"Good!" Shen Wuchang laughed loudly. "This old man's life wasn't risked for nothing."

The two walked into the tribe, and Lu Yao came out to meet them. Seeing Shen Wuchang's injuries, she hurried to find the physician. An old woman bandaged Shen Wuchang's wounds and brewed a bowl of medicine. After Shen Wuchang finished the medicine, he lay on the bed and let out a long breath.

"Kid, this old man has some news for you."

"What news?"

"Elder Xuan is still alive."

Chen Yuanji's heart jolted. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, but the people from the Tiandao Sect are looking for him, which means he's not dead." Shen Wuchang looked at him. "Elder Xuan is tough; he won't die easily."

Chen Yuanji was silent for a moment and then nodded.

"Elder Shen, I have a question for you."

"Speak."

"How much do you know about Zhou Xuanji?"

Shen Wuchang's expression became solemn.

"Middle Stage of the Void-Piercing Realm, an Inner Elder of the Tiandao Sect. He has lived for five hundred years and is ruthless and unscrupulous." He paused. "Why are you asking about him?"

"He owes a debt, and I'm going to collect it."

Shen Wuchang looked at him, silent for a long time, and finally sighed.

"Kid, you can't beat him right now."

"I know. But one day, I will be able to beat him."

Shen Wuchang said no more and closed his eyes to rest.