Chapter 465: ‘The Wait’
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
When he entered the tent area, sounds of clamor reached his ears.
“Wolf King took a detour. I suspect he’d return to take revenge on Narisu.” Meng Qi used his clumsy grasp of the prairie language to explain his inference with much difficulty.
Initially shocked, Te Mu’er soon burst into laughter. “Impossible! Wolf King has never retaliated on the spot! He’d run far away after discovering traps or danger before abruptly taking revenge a few months or even years later. Like the most brutal of wolves, he’d catch his targets off guard.”
Te Mu’er’s speculation was in line with the assassin image that Wolf King had been showing the world. Wolf King would instantly run far away when he couldn’t kill his target with one strike or fell into a trap. He would never hang around or get sidetracked by his emotions. He was cautious, alert, and would rather pass on an opportunity than make a mistake.
The only exception was his second attack on Meng Qi at Happycloud Heights. However, that was because of the Myths’ aid. The situation was clear and suitable for him to strike.
That had also been Meng Qi’s impression on Wolf King, and it would have remained so if not for the latter leading him in circles.
“But shouldn’t he be running far away if he’s not planning to take revenge?” questioned Meng Qi once again when they returned to Dari Achi’s tent.
“Perhaps he’s heading south? Haven’t he went to the Central Plains before?” explained Te Mu’er with a smile.
Agula wasn’t around as he had returned to settle the goods from the South. Dari Achi nodded and said, “Tie Sheng’s a bloodthirsty assassin, but also a cold and calm one. He’ll do things like taking revenge but never at the expense of his life.”
“Brother Zhe Bie, you’ve followed him for some time. I’m sure you both sensed each other. Even if he can’t tell your identity, he should still have got an estimation of your strength. Coupled with our strength, you think Tie Sheng that mongrel will dare to come?”
“Tell my identity…” Meng Qi thought, finding Dari Achi’s words to be a little strange. “Could they have guessed my identity?”
Anyway, he wasn’t too concerned about it. In fact, if they knew his identity, they would be able to confirm that they shared the same goal. The reason why he hid his identity was to avoid the attention from the Myths, so it wouldn’t be a big problem for only a handful of people to find out.
Dari Achi seemed to have sensed Meng Qi’s concerns, so he said with a laugh, “Our Wolf-slaying League only has two rules. First, you must bear a grudge against Wolf King. Second, you must never harm a fellow member. Since you’ve taken the oath, we’ll not ask you about your background. Well, that’s enough. Go and rest, you two. Killing Wolf King is a long and arduous task. We still need you to contribute in the future.”
“Brother Zhe Bie, though I still don’t know your true identity, I know for sure that being able to escape Wolf King without dying means you’re definitely someone famous.” said Te Mu’er with a chuckle as he glanced at Meng Qi while leaving the tent.
He turned around and headed for his own tent, leaving Meng Qi to stare at him as he walked away.
“Huh. There are truly only a handful of people who managed to escape unscathed from Wolf King in recent years…” Meng Qi didn’t know whether he should feel proud or upset.
He put aside his emotions and his expression became solemn as he was deep in thought again. Even if Wolf King’s usual conduct was contradicting his judgment, even if Dari Achi and Te Mu’er rejected his inference, he believed that his first instinct back then wasn’t unreasonable. When a person was in danger and planning to escape, he would always go for the safest option. That was unless he had some other idea and was subconsciously unwilling to stay away.
Meng Qi took a deep breath and decided to believe in himself. Besides, it was just a small matter that wouldn’t waste too much of his energy.
He quietly made his way to somewhere nearby Narisu’s tent and returned to the spot where he was hiding earlier. He remained still, allowing the snow to cover him.
From noon to evening, from evening to night, all was calm. Nothing out of ordinary happened.
Could his judgment be wrong? Or did Wolf King’s patience surpassed that of ordinary people? Meng Qi stared at Narisu’s tent and couldn’t help doubting himself.
He exhaled a white wisp of air in order for his irritation and doubt to slowly disappear. Finally he was able to focus on his surveillance once again.
When midnight arrived, a dark shadow swiftly approached the tent. Meng Qi was initially excited but he was soon frowning. It wasn’t Wolf King. It was Dari Achi!
Judging from the person’s figure and how his manner suggested a hint of the power of heaven and earth, Meng Qi recognized him to be the messenger of the Wolf-slaying League, Dari Achi.
“Why would he meet Narisu this late at night?”
“If Narisu had long betrayed Wolf King, why did they arrange Te Mu’er and himself to keep an eye on Narisu?”
“Could they be putting on a show to trick Wolf King?”
Both of them were Half-step Exterior Scenery masters, so Meng Qi didn’t dare to eavesdrop on them. He could only tell that they were talking through their shadows imprinted on the tent.
After some time, Dari Achi stealthily exited the tent and swiftly left.
Meng Qi once again suppressed his excitement and continued to monitor Narisu’s tent patiently.
Narisu was pacing in his tent, appearing somewhat frustrated. He only slept when it was close to dawn. Everything else was normal.
Just then, Meng Qi heard a pained cry that was exceptionally clear in the darkness before dawn.
“Was that Dari Achi?” Meng Qi’s ability to distinguish different sounds had improved after opening his nine acupores.
His heart jolted, finally realizing what he had neglected. He could no longer worry about staying hidden and instantly jumped out of his hiding spot. He immediately rushed to Dari Achi’s tent.
He was the fastest but Te Mu’er’s tent was only nearby. The two of them reached at nearly the same time and saw that Dari Achi’s tent was open. There was an opening opposite, where cold wind was drifting in.
Dari Achi had collapsed at the edge of the tent with his face facing upward, etched with fear and fright. There was a sword wound from between his brows to his abdomen, it was so shallow as if the skin was barely broke into, yet he had lost all vitality.
“Wolf King…” Meng Qi spat out the two words that frightened Te Mu’er the most.
This was unlike Wolf King’s usual practice of killing, so Te Mu’er couldn’t tell it was him at first. It wasn’t until Zhe Bie had confirmed it that he recalled something. In the early years, Wolf King had been intercepted by many masters of superior strength but he managed to kill all of them, leaving behind this exact wound!
Looking at the sword wound, Meng Qi instantly thought of the sword that Wolf King had created out of his being.
“The target of his revenge wasn’t Narisu, but Dari Achi?”
“Anyway, I have to give it up to the number one on the Ranking List of Young Masters. Coupled with his ability to ambush his target, he even managed to kill a Half-step Exterior Scenery master without making a sound…” Meng Qi sighed inwardly. He had to admit that Wolf King was close to achieving a breakthrough, judging from his strength.
Generally, an assassin would make his move when his target was at his weakest or less on guard, thus allowing for a weaker person to kill a stronger opponent. Coupled with Wolf King’s strength, Dari Achi’s death was truly inevitable.
Te Mu’er appeared stunned. “He… He actually came and took revenge!”
He felt like he was in a dream—a nightmare!
Agula came rushing over before long. The Exterior experts of the Hirasu tribe leaped into the air, barricading Gegengol to look for Wolf King.
This time, however, Meng Qi believed Wolf King had long escaped far away!
He breathed a sigh of relief, dismissing his feelings of frustration and dejection. He started heading for Narisu’s tent.
“What are you planning to do…” Before the guards could get the words out of their mouths, Meng Qi struck them, causing them to spin incessantly.
When he entered the tent, he announced, “Dari Achi is dead.”
Being a well-informed person, Narisu had already heard of this, but Meng Qi’s confirmation still turned him pale in the face. He took a few steps backward and sat on a cushion.
“He found out… He didn’t come back for revenge. He came back for confirmation…” murmured Narisu.
“What happened to him?” Te Mu’er asked, having followed Meng Qi.
Meng Qi took several steps forward and sat in front of Narisu. He lowered his head and met the latter’s eyes. “I’m not interested in your secrets. Tell me where I can find Wolf King.”
“He… He’ll definitely return to that place! The Bayan Valley in the Toronsu Sea!” Narisu’s voice became agitated.
“The Toronsu Sea is the lake you’ve seen earlier, the Bayan Valley is located in…” Te Mu’er instantly explained, knowing that Meng Qi wasn’t familiar with the terrains here.
Without a word, Meng Qi turned and left.
“He’d only return once! He’d ruin that place and never return again!” Narisu added, raising his voice. Dari Achi’s death seemed to have spooked him.
Meng Qi didn’t stop. He opened the tent and stepped into the night.
With Agula’s help, he and Te Mu’er left Gegengol overnight, and headed for the Bayan Valley in the Toronsu Sea.
Bayan was a word with the meaning of “wealth”. The valley bordered a low mountain and was covered in a variety of fertile weeds. Even in winter, even with snowstorms, one could still vaguely see lush spring in the valley.
They had been walking along the valley for some time when Meng Qi saw a cave. Even though he called it a cave, it looked more like an earthen house that someone had dug. Three people could more or less squeeze inside.
Near the earthen house were many dead trees. They were all in the state where they had exhausted all their vitality.
Meng Qi found many hand-polished items like stone chairs and tables after searching the area. Some of them were split into two by a great force.
“This looks familiar…” Meng Qi recalled his memories of Wolf King. His heart jolted as he thought of Kill-stopping Cultivator and her tall, elegant nose. She raised her axe and slashed it with great force, breaking the wood. “Did Wolf King went to the Heaven-destined Temple to look for her?”
He looked around and found traces of two to three people once staying in this earthen house. He closed his eyes, feeling as if Wolf King would definitely return to this place.
“I’m going to stay here,” he whispered.
Te Mu’er frowned. “Wolf King won’t be coming back. Since this place has already been exposed, why would he return?”
This was the inevitable choice of the cunning old wolf.
“I’m going to wait for him.” Meng Qi didn’t elaborate on his decision. He found a secluded place where he could keep an eye on the earthen house. He ’embedded’ himself into the crevice of the rock and sat down cross-leggedly, waiting patiently.
Te Mu’er glanced at him, no longer trying to persuade him. He left, shaking his head.
Meng Qi restrained his emotions and acted as if he was secluding himself to cultivate. When he became thirsty, he would take a sip from the fresh water inside the Space Ring. When he became hungry, he would eat the dry food stored inside the ring. He would only leave for a short while after seven or eight days, in order to discount the miscellaneous things that couldn’t be eliminated through his acupore points.
It was soon a month since he started sitting there.
“Wolf King killed someone in the east. He wouldn’t be returning.” Te Mu’er came to see Meng Qi to bring him the news.
Meng Qi remained speechless and motionless as he continued waiting.
“Wolf King killed someone from the northern tribe. He has gone far away from this place…” Half a month later, Te Mu’er came to see him once again. He seemed to be persuading Meng Qi to leave.
Meng Qi’s Energy, Qi, Spirit and Will had become restrained, seemingly having blended into his surroundings. He sat still like a dead piece of wood.
“He’ll return.” His tone was void of any impatience, doubt, or even emotion.
Te Mu’er sighed. “Though it’s a good thing and a basic quality of a hunter to be patient, if your judgment is mistaken, you’re just wasting your life being patient.”
Meng Qi shook his head and said nothing more. “It hadn’t even been two months. How would he know I’m wrong?”
The winter soon passed, ushering in early spring. Te Mu’er’s expression was solemn as he rushed over and said, “Narisu is dead. Wolf King killed him.”
“He’s a patient person indeed,” commented Meng Qi briefly.
Therefore, this was a battle of patience and willpower.
“But he still didn’t come here.” Te Mu’er was still trying to get Meng Qi to leave. The Wolf-slaying League was now thrown into a chaos and desperately needed masters to stabilize the situation.
At the end of February, Agula came in place of Te Mu’er. His voice appeared to be quivering.
“Wolf King has killed Te Muer. He’s too cunning and made a sudden detour…”
“Where is he now?” Meng Qi asked, opening his eyes partially.
Agula gritted his teeth and said, “He went to the west to kill, but he definitely won’t be returning to this place. He’d only retaliate. Brother Zhe Bie, why… why don’t you come and protect me? You’d definitely be able to find him!”
He seemed terrified.
His request had shaken Meng Qi’s resolve. Wolf King never showed up from November all the way to late February. He seemed to have completely abandoned this place!
When all the signs suggested you had made a mistake, and when everyone was telling you it was impossible, who wouldn’t be shaken?
Meng Qi closed his eyes and recalled many different events, especially when Wolf King attacked in the Heaven-destined Temple as well as the condition around the earthen house.
“I’ll wait for him here.” Meng Qi opened his eyes wide, eliminating all his doubt. He was no longer frustrated and his resolution became rock solid again.
“I won’t be looking for you anymore. I have to hide in the tribe. He wouldn’t dare to come with Exterior experts around me,” Agula replied in disappointment.
When he was done speaking, he left in a rush.
At the beginning of March, in the dead of the night, a nightmare abruptly woke Agula from his sleep. He began cursing Wolf King.
Inside the Bayan Valley, Meng Qi suddenly reached for the handle of his saber.
A silhouette—tall, slender, and cold—was standing in front of the earthen house.
“Found you!”
“Your patience was evidently beneath mine.”
A burst of knife light pierced through the still air.