: : The Last Tribesman
Trantor: 549690339
For Du Sha, neither the Tang n nor the Mi n, nor any prominent family in Xiling were forces he wanted to rely on. He’d seen too much he didn’t want to witness through his years of chivalrous adventures.
Why had the majority ofmoners in western Longzhou heard of the reputation of the peaceful city of Xiling, yet local bandit threats remained copious? Despite the Tang and Mi ns being so powerful, were they unable to eradicate these bandits and maintain peace in the surrounding viges and towns?
As formidable as the Tang and Mi ns were, it wasn’ t a struggle to protect the surrounding hundred-plus viges and towns. If they truly wished to, they could vanquish all the water bandits and mountain robbers across western Longzhou, but they did not.
Some bandits hadirs right in the forests around Xiling, a fact the Tang and Mi ns were well aware of, but they never sent people to eradicate them.
Why? Because with these bandits around, the local viges and towns were dependent on the martial power of Xiling. Every autumn harvest, they would go to Xiling to ask the Tang and Mi ns to send soldiers to eliminate bandits.
But like leeks, bandits which were cleared out each year appeared again the next.
Could it really be that bandits were so efficient in training martial arts, quick enough to produce a new batch each year?
For Du Sha, this question that had bewildered him since he was young was finally answered during a campaign to wipe out a gang of mountain bandits: All the banditry around Xiling, shockingly, was fostered by the prominent families of Xiling.
The prominent families annually recruited hordes of wandering martial artists who then became bandits and ravaged western Longzhou. When it came to “clearing out” banditry, it was not the bandits who were killed but the martial artists protecting the viges and towns.
Bandits looted counties and small towns and decapitated the warriors of justice. When it came time for the two ns to return their dues, they handed over these heads and perished the hideout.
This farce was performed each year. The Tang and Mi ns took in an untold wealth and yet, the following year, the bandits would return under new names. The entire region along the Lingjiang was a stage for the elites of Xiling. This year, a powerful rogue from the south named Ma San appears; next year, it would be a bandit from the east called Hu Ye. It seemed like the banditry was endless, but the true megalomaniacs were these noble ns of Xiling.
The bandits crushed amidst the remains of their den had no fear of the Red Crystal Giant’s might. The bandit chief arrogantly said to him, “Chief Du, find your own way out. This is the den of the Wan n, don’t tarnish yourself.”
In the eyes of themoners, the famous Wan n of Xiling was exceptionally good, yet behind the scenes, they fostered bandits who piged the viges.
This absurd scene infuriated Du Sha, who initially thought of his Dao Heart as unyielding as a rock.
The Red Crystal Giant crushed the den. One hundred and ny-seven bandits were in without any attempts at concealment. Traces of the Red Cloud Skill littered the entire den. He waited for the Wan n toe for him.
Several years have passed, and it seems as though the Wan n has forgotten that event. That den had also been abandoned, but this year was still teeming with banditry. Leaders from several counties had already travelled to Xiling for help before the autumn harvest.
The further Du Sha travelled on the path of being a chivalrous and righteous knight, the more powerless he felt. ying a band of bandits was no difficult task for him, but when the benefactors of banditry were the noble ns, he would need to eliminate these ns to cleanse western Longzhou of banditry. Otherwise, even extinction would not eliminate the bandits.
Would he let the Red Cloud Vige rely on these people?
Even if a profound-level skill and a pile of resources wereid before him, Du Sha couldn’t do it. He reasoned that his Red Cloud Vige was different from the ns of Xiling: “If there’s a war between the two ns, I will close off the mountain.”
“Naive!” Mi Zhen’s expression turned frosty. He felt he had been more than respectful to Du Sha, yet thetter was ungrateful. With a flood impending, his patience was wearing thin. “How can one afford to let another sleep beside one’s couch? Neither the Tang nor the Mi n will allow the Red Cloud Vige to sit on the fence. Friend Du, your cultivation is remarkable, which naturally gives you confidence. But you also should think about the hundreds of nsmen at the Du n. The problems with the Red Cloud Skill do not need to be borated by me. Without an alternative technique, the Du n will decline in three generations.”
If you were to ask which family in Xiling feared war the most, the answer should be the Du n. Their total poption was fewer than four hundred. Although the Red Cloud Skill had incredible might, their sparse poption doomed them from conducting any wars like a normal noble n.
Common noble families mainlyprised cultivators in the Mediocre Realm, which meant they suffered dozens to hundreds of casualties every time they waged war. But with such a thin poption like the Du n, a loss of one hundred Mediocre Realm cultivators would signify their annihtion.
“Mull over it today, friend Du. I will visit again tomorrow,” Mi Zhen rose and left.
Du Sha remained like a stone Buddha, sitting in his chair, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly lost in contemtion, as if he had not even breathed a breath.
He clearly perceived the thinly veiled threat in Mi Zhen’s words. Yet, he was not worried in the least.
This wasn’t due to the Du n bing so powerful they feared nothing, but because the Du n had nothing left to lose.
Due to the Red Cloud Skill, fertility had be increasingly difficult for the current generation of the n. The Du n had not had a newborn for a full ten years.
Among Du Ziteng’s generation, the Du n only had two daughters. Du Ziteng, who had married at fifteen, still did not have an heir.
Although he was loath to ept it, Du Ziteng’s generation might well be thest of the Du n.
Since they had nothing to lose, they naturally had nothing to fear.
If, a hundred years ago, the Mi n was willing to offer such a profound-level technique, the Du n would certainly have bowed in gratitude. But now, it wasn’t required anymore.
Whether it was the Tang n or Mi n, there was no difference to the Du n now that they had reached a dead-end.
Perhaps dying in battle provided a better end for the Du n.
“Pitter-patter.”
Light footsteps disrupted Du Sha’s contemtion. Liu Chan, who had just seen Mi Zhen out, led the most famous young master in Xiling into the conference hall.
After the Battle of Jianglin, the universally acknowledged strongest Mediocre Realm cultivator, Tang Luo, famously known as the First Young Master, unexpectedly appeared here. Du Sha was somewhat surprised, but aligning with Du Ziteng’s words several months ago, Tang Luo’s purpose was clear.
This Pride of Xiling intended to recruit the Du n of the Red Cloud Vige as his vassal, aligning with the purpose of Mi Zhen’s visit.
Upon realizing this, Du Sha was sure of himself. His expression remained apathetic. He indifferently said, “Why does the esteemed Tang Tianjiao grace us with his presence?”
Despite knowing the obvious answer to the polite question, he was already resolute. Regardless of whatever terms the Tang n offered, it would be meaningless to the current Du n. The conviction of the head of the Du n was unshakeable.
“A flood ising,” Tang Luo earnestly told Du Sha, whose face changed dramatically. “We only have three days.”
None of themoners across the various mountains of Xiling could go there, as even if they took refuge on the mountains, they would be driven away by the noble ns. Only the Red Cloud Mountain Range could provide a haven for the people of Xiling.
Among all the noble families in Xiling, the only one truly deserving of the words “benevolent” and “righteous” would probably be this mountain guardian before him.
Thus, Tang Luo did not make any formal requests but directly shared the most crucial information.