Desolate Era (Book 1 - Book 5)

“Yes.”


Immediately, two guards charged forward, grabbing the child and leaving with him. But that child continued to wildly struggle while staring at Ji Ning, his eyes filled with hate.

Ning only stared back calmly at the child. When he was very young, his father, Ji Yichuan, had him train in courage by having him go kill some prisoners. He had seen far more terrifying glares before. The slave markets of West Prefecture City…he had seen numbness, despair, insanity, hatred, supplication. He had seen every sort of gaze there was.

“Hang him up at the highest point of the city.” Mowu had two black armored guards help.

River He was completely tied up in metal chains, and his hair was a mess. The nearby tribesmen watched, some of their eyes filled with pity. Others delighted in his misfortune. This humiliation caused River He’s entire body to shake constantly.

“Young master.” Mowu said softly towards Ji Ning. “That son of River He’s…when cutting grass, you must tear out the roots!”

Ning glanced coldly at Mowu.

Mowu hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to say anything else.

“I will spend the next few days at Riverside City.” Ning looked at the nearby River Sansi and Aunty Snow. “No need to trouble you. I will stay at the place where the black armored guards are stationed. I will watch as River He slowly dies. After he is dead, I will leave.”

The bodies of the surrounding core members of the tribe all shook. All of them could sense the hatred within Ning’s voice.

––––––-

At first, River He didn’t have too many problems, baking there in the sun. Afterwards, when some crows began to feast on his flesh, and when the sun began to cause his skin to dry and crack, revealing his red flesh, the pain he went through was absolute hell.

Because of the ki in his body, River He’s life force was very strong, but this now became a source of agony to him.

He was baked in the sun until his skin cracked and his flesh congealed. In the midst of this agony, he moaned for three days and two nights before finally dying.

This entire time, Ning remained at Riverside City.

After the black armored guards reported that River He had died in agony, Ning finally took a cold look at River He’s tattered corpse, then turned and led Mowu and Autumn Leaf away, mounted on their black beasts.

–––––—

Ning left Riverside City at night.

Riverside Sansi was currently seated in front of a table, quietly drinking wine from a beastskull cup.

There was a toddler kneeling within the courtyard.

“Cai, child.” Sansi lifted his beastskull cup. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Do you want to kill young master Ji Ning?”

“I don’t dare. Cai doesn’t dare.” The kneeling toddler said hurriedly.

“Alas.”

River Sansi shook his head. In a soft voice, he murmured, “The hatred you feel will be a disaster to my Riverside Tribe.”

“Servants!” River Sansi called out.

“Master.” A servant entered and knelt down.

“Alright.”

River Sansi said coldly, “Execute all of those servants of River He. None of them are to be spared! River He’s women are to be sold off at the slave markets!”

“Clan leader.” The toddler grew frantic. One of them was his mother.

“And him.” River Sansi looked coldly at the toddler. “River He’s only son…he is to be sold off at the slave market as well!”

“No.”

“No!” The toddler hurriedly kowtowed. “Clan leader, spare me, spare me!”

“Yes!” The servant replied respectfully, and then stepped forward, grabbing the toddler, then departing.

The toddler continued to struggle, sob, and cry.

Slave?

Why!

Why had this happened!

Watching as the toddler cried and called out in agony, River Sansi was silent.

“Master, you are going to sell River He’s women and children as slaves?” A human figure appeared within the dark corners of the room.

River Sansi nodded. When River He had been undergoing the suspension punishment, Sansi had sent people to secretly ask River He…and only then did he understand that the source of this problem came from the Miwa of the Blacktooth Tribe! River Sansi had even sent people to the Blacktooth Tribe to speak with Blacktooth to clearly understand what this was about. And then, he had put to death all of the servants who knew anything about this affair at all.

“Ji Ning doesn’t wish for Spring Grass’ affair to spread out.” River Sansi said calmly. “Spring Grass had once said that she was the servant of young master Ji. Everyone who heard these words needs to be put to death.”

“There’s no point in keeping River He’s women either.”

“River He’s sole child, Cai…he has too much hatred towards Ji Ning. I asked him several times. Although he verbally stated that he wouldn’t seek revenge, how could a toddler like him deceive me? I could see straight to his heart in a single glance. His hatred of Ji Ning is bone deep.” Sansi shook his head. “At such a young age, he has already learned to cover up his thoughts. In the future, once he rises to a position of great power within the tribe, given the hatred he feels for Ji Ning, I fear that he might act in a way that would cause our entire Riverside Tribe to be destroyed!”

“Everything that I am doing is to ensure that the Ji clan knows that our Riverside Tribe is loyal!”

The man in the darkness was silent.

“Breaker Three.” River Sansi spoke out.

“Master.” The man in the darkness replied.

“Send out Breaker Nine.” River Sansi said. “Take Cai away in the darkness and send him to the territory under the control of the Ironwood clan and have him just join a small tribe at random. Make him give Cai good training! If Cai has talent and always works hard, give him good tutelage. If Cai quickly forgets his hatred and doesn’t train hard, then kill him and have Breaker Nine return.”

“Yes.” The figure in the darkness nodded.

“Hatred…is a source of strength as well.” River Sansi murmured softly. “Our Riverside Tribe, compared to the Ji clan…we’re too weak, too weak…”





* * *





Book 3, Chapter 12 - Serpentwing Lake


The three black beasts were travelling through the desolate terrain.

“Young master.” Autumn Leaf couldn’t help but speak out. “That son of River He has tremendous hatred towards you. If we let him grow up, in the future, it will most likely be detrimental to you, young master.”

Ji Ning cast a sideways glance at Mowu.

Autumn Leaf hurriedly said, “It wasn’t Mowu who said this to me. I knew that you wouldn’t be happy, but after thinking about it for a long time, I felt I had to say this.”

Ning let out a sigh. “My enmity was with River He. I have no enmity with his son. I went to get revenge. Why do I have to harm his child as well?”

“But when tribes engage in battles against each other, we generally utterly destroy any remaining threats…” Autumn Leaf wanted to speak.

“I understand.” Ning nodded. “For the sake of the tribe’s survival…any sort of measures and means can be used! But how can a small child like him possibly affect my Ji clan? My Ji clan controls this area, and has put countless people to death. Who knows how many people secretly hate our Ji clan? The reason that my Ji clan is able to remain in command isn’t because we didn’t offend people, but rather because we ourselves are powerful!”

Autumn Leaf begun to understand a bit.

“Even if we don’t offend others, if we aren’t powerful, others will still come and destroy you.” Ji Ning said calmly. “But if we are powerful, then those secret enemies might secretly feel resentment, but publicly they will still be very respectful. Most likely, a century later, their sons and grandsons will have truly become loyal subjects of our Ji clan.”

“In addition, when experts train, the heart and mind is very important.” Ning said.