Pursuit of the Truth
chapter-114

The teenager’s calmness did not seem fake, as if there truly was no hint of panic in him. That sort of attitude was not rare on an old person, but if a teenager could show such calmness, then it showed just how extraordinary his status was.

He looked at Su Ming, and his eyes did not shine, nor did they waver. Yet when he looked at Su Ming, he cast a discreet glance over his entire body, as if trying find where Su Ming came from through the miniscule clues on his body.

Su Ming sat there with his entire body covered by the beast skin robe. The teenager’s actions once he woke up made him look at the teenager with a hint of praise. Yet even so, it was impossible for the boy to find clues on his person.

"You’ve had those wounds on your body for many years." Su Ming did not answer the teenager’s question, but instead spoke slowly with a slightly hoarse voice.

The teenager maintained a stoic demeanor and looked at Su Ming. He did not speak because he knew that the more he spoke the more likely he was to make mistakes. It was better for him to know what was the motive of this person who had captured and brought him here.

"It should have been left behind on purpose by a powerful Berserker not long after you were born…" Su Ming continued speaking unhurriedly.

The teenager was shocked, but his face remained unchanging and blank.

"Go on and sense the injuries in your body. See whether there are any changes."

Su Ming spoke calmly, the tone of his voice not once rising. Once he finished speaking, he closed his eyes.

The teenager was momentarily stunned. He cast a glance at Su Ming warily, then hesitantly closed his eyes and circulated his Qi. He did not notice it once he woke up, but once he started circulating his Qi, he opened his eyes abruptly. During that instant, he could clearly feel that the injuries in his body had healed slightly.

He might be shocked, but he forced himself to be calm. He knew that he was wounded when he was five, and someone cast a Berserker Art on him, but that person had made sure he would not die, just be gravely wounded. With this, the caster could detain his father’s training, causing his father to need to waste a large amount of Qi once in a while so that the teenager could continue living.

These injuries were incredibly sinister. Over the years, he had consumed many herbs, yet it only allowed him to continue living, but did not heal him. Even the tribe leader, the Elder, and the others could not do anything to help him. They had once said that if he wanted to recover, then the only way was to find the person who had cast that Berserker Art and kill him so that the Berserker Art would become unstable. Only then could it be dispelled.

Now, however, the injuries in his body had healed a little. This was something he had not expected. His breathing quickened slightly. He lowered his head hastily, and as he checked the injuries in his body once again, he hid away the light in his eyes.

He had begged the heavens to make him recover countless times in the past. He did not want to hold his father back, yet over the years, as he looked at his father’s face becoming older, he started wanting to die. If it were not because he still had some worries left, he would have left the world behind a long time ago.

This time, the people in the tribe had come to this rainforest to gather herbs for the tribe. He came with them, not to heal his injuries, but to prove that he was also a member of the tribe.

Yet the protection provided by the tribe on the way made him sigh internally.

He lowered his head, and a thought appeared in his mind. He lifted his head, no longer hiding his emotions. Instead, he looked at Su Ming dumbly, and on his face was excitement and a desire to live.

"You…" The teenager took a deep breath, and his voice trembled slightly.

"The injuries in your body are too great. I can’t heal you completely, but I should have at least made you slightly better."

Su Ming opened his eyes. He looked at the teenager as if he could see through his thoughts, with eyes hidden under the robe. His voice was bland.

The boy felt as if he had been seen through by Su Ming’s one glance. He had always been intelligent since he was young. He had revealed his excitement and desire to continue living on purpose earlier. When he heard Su Ming’s words, he let out a breath of relief in his heart. If Su Ming had been certain, he would not have believed him.

He was well versed in his own condition.

"What do you want?" The teenager fell momentarily silent before his expression returned to a blank look. He hid his nervousness away and looked at Su Ming as he spoke softly.

"Where is this place?"

Su Ming did not bother with any ploys and schemes. He simply stated his question. The information he wanted would let others get an inkling about him right from the get go, so he might as well not hide.

"This is Wide Han," the teenager said softly, but then a thought appeared in his head and he continued speaking. "Wide Han Forest is very big. This place is just a part of the forest. If you continue deeper and go over the mountains in the province, then you’ll find yourself in a much bigger rainforest. As for how far away it goes, I’m not sure.

"I only know that if you go from where I came from, then in half a month, you’ll reach Han Mountain City. This city is built using mountains. You’ll definitely pass through this place if you want to go to the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky. It’s a very prosperous city."

The teenager spoke in detail. There were questions in his heart, but he did not show it.

"The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky…"

Su Ming frowned and let out a sigh internally. The farthest place he had ever gone to since he was young was Wind Stream Tribe. He had never even heard of other tribes before.

"The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky is one of the two big tribes in the Land of South Morning."

The teenager cast a glance at Su Ming and started explaining. His questions regarding this person became greater. He could somewhat tell that Su Ming was not from this place. This guess made his animosity towards Su Ming lessen by a great deal.

What he was worried about the most were the people who held ill-will towards his tribe. Through the clues he obtained from this person, he gradually began to let his guard down.

"Which tribe does Han Mountain City belong to?" Su Ming’s tone was casual. If he hadn’t wanted to let this boy feel at easy so that he could obtain more information, he would not have revealed so many hints and clues about himself.

Su Ming’s question made the teenager even more at ease. A smile appeared on his face.

"Han Mountain City does not belong to a tribe, but three tribes – Puqiang Tribe, Lake of Colors Tribe, and Tranquil East Tribe. The city is controlled by these three tribes.

"I’m from Puqiang Tribe. Senior, if you have a Berserker Art that could heal my injuries, why don’t you join Puqiang Tribe? You can become a guest there. We from Puqiang Tribe are courteous towards our guests. If you agree to it, you can find a place to rest there as well as understand the land better. If you have the chance, you could even obtain the chance to get into Freezing Sky Clan!"

When the teenager spoke about this, he seemed to cast a casual glance at Su Ming, scrutinizing him.

"Getting into that clan is too hard."

Su Ming’s expression was calm. He could understand all the boy’s actions and see through his thoughts. Compared to Su Ming, this person was just a young La Su.

The teenager touched his nose and smiled sheepishly as he spoke. "You’re right. Getting into Freezing Sky Clan may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Ten years ago, a person from Han Mountain Tribe managed to pass the test and become a Berserker of Freezing Sky Clan."

Su Ming was momentarily silent before he stood up. He could tell that everything the boy said was mostly true besides his own status. This information was not some sort of secret to begin with, so there was no need for him to lie to him.

Once he sorted out the information in his head, Su Ming obtained a vague outline of the place. This place was indeed a completely different region from where he came from.

In truth, when he looked at the stars in the sky at night, he could already tell that there was a sense of something wrong with them, though they were still somewhat familiar to him.

Once Su Ming got up, he did not look at the boy. He did not even bother to ask for his name. Even if the boy had not told him that he belonged to Puqiang Tribe, Su Ming would not have asked. Not that Su Ming believed that the boy belonged to whatever tribe he spoke of.

While the teenager was smart, he was still naïve like a chick that had not experienced storms in life compared to Su Ming. Su Ming felt that he was looking at himself when he looked at the boy.

The teenager was completely stunned when Su Ming walked into the rainforest. He had already pictured multiple scenarios and what he would say for each one of them in his head. All of them were for the sake of ensuring his own safety. Yet all these preparations were for nought when Su Ming leisurely went into the distance.

‘He only asked about the information about this area… This person is really strange, but he has no ill-will…’

The teenager touched his nose. In truth, he had already noticed that there was an astringent feeling in his mouth when he woke up, as if he had been fed something.

Once he combined the facts that his injuries became better and that Su Ming left without a word, the teenager became certain that the person before him truly had no ill intentions towards him.

‘If he wanted to harm me, then there would’ve been no need for him to heal my wounds. I would still have told him everything that did not involve the secrets of the tribe…

‘But he didn’t. He chose to heal my wounds first instead… He must have also lured in that Black Sting because that beast was around the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm. Big brother Ah Meng could handle it, and none of my people would die because of it.’

Thoughts flew quickly through the teenager’s head. When he saw that Su Ming was about to vanish into the forest, he quickly got up and ran towards him.

"Senior, please hold on!"

His voice traveled in the rainforest, but Su Ming did not stop. With one move, he disappeared from the teenager’s eyes, vanishing into the distance.

The teenager ran down the path for some time, but he found nothing. Regret appeared on his face.

‘Ah, how could he walk so fast? I was too careful, and now I missed my chance to be healed.’

The more the teenager thought about it, the more regretful he became. Hesitation appeared on his face, as if he had a tough time making a particular decision.

At that moment, rustling sounds came from within the rainforest. The teenager did not move. He could tell that his people were approaching him. Before long, the man at the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm charged out, and behind him were all his other tribe members. None of them had died.

When they saw that the teenager was safe, these people let out sighs of relief. The man called Ah Meng moved towards him and asked a few questions in a whisper, but the teenager simply shook his head. He did not speak, neither did he talk about his conversation with Su Ming. He had his own thoughts in his heart. There was no longer any hesitation in him. He had made his decision.

Su Ming walked quietly through the rainforest. He had taken down his robes and was walking towards the mountain range located before him with an uncertain expression on his face.

‘The Land of South Morning.

‘Han Mountain City.

‘The Great Tribe of Freezing Sky… Freezing Sky Clan!’

Su Ming did not know what Freezing Sky Clan was, but from the boy’s words and expressions, he had a vague understanding regarding the tribe.

‘This Freezing Sky Clan should be a different existence compared to a tribe...

‘This is the Land of South Morning. How far is it... from my home..?’

Su Ming let out a light sigh. He remembered that the person in black robes had mentioned that Dark Mountain was part of the Alliance of the Western Region, and Wind Stream Tribe was a weaker branch of Miao Man.

Translator’s Note:

Regarding Lake of Colors Tribe and Tranquil East Tribe.

The very first occurrence here is actually not Lake of Colors (顏池) or Tranquil East (安東), but 顏戈 and安方, which is, roughly translated, Shade Halberd and Peace Square respectively. However, from the next chapter onwards, the names for these two tribes change to 顏池 and 安東. Since the names 顏戈 and 安方were only used once in this chapter and were changed to 顏池 and 安東 next, I decided to keep to 顏池 and 安東 instead.