Chapter 9 - Ningjing Tribe (3)

Leng Yan Meng, who hadn't noticed, only realized when the wolf's claw had already scratched her back and made her fall to the ground.

Upon smelling the fresh blood, the beasts became enraged and began attacking her, but just then, a tall, muscular man appeared and swept one of the beasts away with his staff.

When Leng Yan Meng saw that, she immediately stood up and assisted the man, drawing her sword from its sheath while their backs were pressed against each other. The two of them immediately began fighting the beast as if there were no other day in the world.

Not long after, all the beasts that had witnessed the slaughter of their brethren fled the scene in terror.

The two of them, despite their exhaustion, return to the tribe without delay and maintain constant vigilance.

When they arrived at the tribes, Yan Meng's brother was already waiting with a worried face, and after seeing that his sister was fine, he was immediately relieved.

They rush to Yan Meng's house to assist in cleaning his wound. While he was cleaning the wound, the muscular man kept sneaking glances in Yan Meng's direction throughout the entire process. Her sweat-soaked body and the way her back was exposed caused the man to redden.

When Yan Meng's brother sees this, he leaves them alone right away.

When the muscular man sees this, he immediately gets the message. So, with resolve, he appears before Yan Meng immediately and asks if she wants to marry him.

There was no hesitation in her response; they were obviously attracted to each other. However, she didn't want to get married just yet because she had promised her brother they'd go on an adventure together first, and the man's face went ashen at the thought.

And he explains the reason to Yan Meng.

The leader of the tribe wants her to marry the son of the other leader. And hearing this infuriates Yan Meng. At that moment, her brother came in and told her what he was going to do: he was going to marry his sister off to that muscular guy.

At least it was a better outcome than fleeing the tribe, since the penalty for a woman who flees an arranged marriage is death.

So, he beamed and announced that the wedding would take place first thing in the morning. Yan Meng rejected this and said she still wanted to travel with him, but his brother reassured her that he could still travel with him even if he was already married.

By morning, both Yan Meng and the muscular man are dressed in red wedding attire and ready to exchange sacred vows of matrimony.

Following that, they invite all of their other friends who have come to enjoy the drinks with them.

Because he is the groom, the man is not allowed to stop drinking until the evening before he and Yan Meng will consummate their marriage.

Before entering their home and performing the act, Yan Meng stated that he does not wish to have children, and the muscular man, who was drunk, simply nodded his head.

After two months, their father finds out that Yan Meng secretly married without telling him; he has no choice but to resign, so he asks his son to travel the world and take over his position so he can retire in peace.

After hearing that, the three of them feel happy and relieved that their father consented to the marriage, and at long last, the time has come for them to embark on their journey to explore the world. They hastily return and start packing up, but about halfway through, Yan Meng's face turns pale and he begins to feel lightheaded and nauseated.

Following the shaman's examination, they were given the news that they were going to have a child and given their congratulations. Yan Meng's complexion is not good; she is sometimes happy but sometimes sad. Because she knows she can't go with his brother now that she's pregnant.

On the way home, they are unable to speak.

Yan Meng was unable to contain her sorrow upon arriving at their residence and immediately burst into tears. When he sees this, her brother can only let out a long sigh, thinking that fate had decreed it that way, so they had no choice but to accept it.

He immediately poured a few bottles of good liquor from his father's collection to celebrate a happy occasion because he will soon have a nephew.

They keep drinking all night until they can't wake up.

Yan Meng and the muscular man get up at noon the next day to go looking for her brother, who has apparently been gone since the morning.

***

"A few years after your dad had left, almost all of the Ningjing tribe members were given the power of the three emissaries once again. Many assume this power returns because emissaries feel pity for them, but only a select few are aware that it is returning due to your father's efforts." Yan Meng explained her situation.

While listening to a story about their father, Leng Shui and his wife Jia Li experience a range of emotions. Among them, pride and sadness are the most dominant.

"So where is my cousin? Why haven't I seen him earlier?" Leng Shui asked in a doubtful tone while looking at his surroundings.

"Don't worry, he and his sister are going hunting and will be back in a few days."

"Sister? So I have another cousin?"

"Yes, of course. You don't think your aunt Meng will only have one child, do you?" Yan Meng asked with a smile on his face.

After she tells the story about their tribe and his father, Yan Meng asks how his life has been all this time, how his father is, and where he is now.

Leng Shui, upon hearing this, is at a loss for words; his expression is one of sadness.

Yan Meng, who witnessed this, exhaled a sigh as though she already knew the answer.

"Dad is already dead, sacrifice himself to save me, mom, and Jia Li. That day, a dozen people in black clothes came to our house to ask about something; when Dad didn't want to answer them, the black clothes guys began threatening Father with us; Dad fought them and asked us to run away; we waited a month for Father, but he never came to us; Mother died a year later from the stress she endured. Leng Shui answered while sighing.

"There are a lot of questions that I want to ask, such as why, after marrying mom, both of them didn't come back to the tribe, why fathers' bodies always appear to be weak. There are so many questions that I want to ask. But after hearing your story about how Ningjing tribe power returns when dad is gone, I'm convinced that it all has something to do with the four emissaries. And if I wish to know the answer, I must ask the four emissaries directly." Leng Shui said it with a serious face.

There is complete silence in the living room for five minutes before Yan Meng gets up from his seat and walks out into the backyard, where he sits and watches the stars.

"Actually, we can all predict that all of this will happen." Yan Meng said as she wiped her tears away.

"A few years ago, a pigeon suddenly came here to bring your dad's letter. We all read it together, including your dad's friend and me. He talks about how he missed everyone back home, how he met the four emissaries, how Leng's power will return, how he's married and has a son, and how he hasn't forgotten his promise to his best friend Ning Ho to arrange a marriage between their children." Up until that point, Yan Meng had given Leng Shui and Jia Li a sly look.

At that point, there was a brief pause, and then everyone returned to silence before entering the house.

Once inside, Leng Shui remembers the little child that they met earlier and immediately asks his aunt about it.

"Aunt Meng, who was that little child earlier?"

Yan Meng gazed wearily at him.

"After we read the letter that your dad sent, Ning Ho knew that something bad was going to happen to your dad, so he went back home, packed his things, and left his four-year-old daughter and wife behind to go save your dad. However, his wife didn't want to be left behind, so she went with him and left their child with her grandmother. Before they leave, they tell the child to always stay at home and not bother other people because they will be back in two months."

"However, it's been two months, and Ning Ho and his wife still haven't returned. The little girl felt lonely as she waited in her house, but her grandma was there to comfort her. Unfortunately, due to the fact that her grandmother had reached an advanced age, she passed away not long after that. made her all alone. Many members of the tribe have offered to take her in and raise her as their own, and they all want to help, but she has always refused." Yan Meng said it with a sad face.