Chapter 1149: May 16: Fission!
In an almost suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere, Lanling and Nini’an, one person and one horse, left the tribe.
anwhile, Suo Mo brought Dina and the little girl back into the castle hall once again.
When Constantine saw Suo Mo, he only asked, “How is your martial prowess recovering?”
“Barely sixty percent,” Suo Mo replied.
Constantine said, “Over twenty days ago, you openly disobeyed my orders on the battlefield and spared the Chief of the Wild Horse Tribe, Duoduo—what should be your punishnt for that?”
Suo Mo replied, “Whatever the Chieftain decides.”
Then, the two fell silent.
At the sa ti, over a dozen skilled warriors from the Chira Tribe slowly entered the castle hall, subtly surrounding Suo Mo and Dina.
The entire hall was as silent as death, so suffocating it was hard to breathe.
Only Sisi, the second wife, waved her hand through the curtain and called out, “Yaya, co here, let Auntie hold you.”
Dina was reluctant but still let go of the little girl. If matters truly turned hostile, the little girl would only be safe by staying by the second wife’s side.
“Go on,” Dina said to the little girl.
The chubby little girl blinked her large eyes, staring at Dina for a long ti.
Today, she was dressed very prettily. Lanling’s reward of Gold Coins for taking the enemy commander’s head had bought many fine outfits for the little girl.
Of course, in the Barbarian Tribe, most fine clothes were made of pelts. Silk was unavailable; only so were made of fabric.
Her delicate, porcelain-like little face stared at Dina for a while, then looked at Suo Mo for a mont before walking toward Sisi.
Trailing behind her was a wobbly little gryphon. It had grown quickly; when first captured, it was the size of a chick, but now it was as big as a cat, though its two wings were still fluffy with down.
“Good baby…” The second wife scooped the little girl into her arms and said, “Oh, Dina has raised her well—she’s grown much heavier!”
Her tone was full of doting affection. Of course, she was honoring her promise to Lanling; even if things turned hostile in the end, Constantine would likely spare the little girl for her sake.
Then, aside from the noises of the second wife playing with the child, the hall fell utterly silent.
They were waiting—if the ssage Nini’an delivered was to kill!
Then Suo Mo and Dina’s fate would be death! A public and righteous execution!
…
“No one move, no one make a sound!” Du Yan shouted. “Rest assured, the sky won’t fall, the Foreign Tribe Army won’t collapse. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up.”
The entire camp of the Foreign Tribe Army turned utterly silent, with only Du Yan’s voice echoing.
The Chira Tribe’s forces had blockaded every exit, every post, and every high ground of the Foreign Tribe Army’s camp.
A full three thousand soldiers surrounded the Foreign Tribe Army’s encampnt.
At any sign of unrest in the Foreign Tribe Army, Constantine’s order would unleash this army of three thousand to storm in and annihilate them.
anwhile, all mbers of the Foreign Tribe Army remained quietly inside the cave, following Suo Mo’s command: no one was allowed to move.
Everything hinged on the final confrontation between Lanling and Nini’an.
If Lanling did not relent—death! Suo Mo would die, Dina would die!
And if Suo Mo and Dina died, could Du Yan control the Foreign Tribe Army? Would the Foreign Tribe Army revolt? These were uncertainties, but rebellion was a real possibility.
If the rebellion occurred, the only outco would be total annihilation.
Thus, everyone awaited the final outco of the confrontation!
…
Nini’an’s martial skills far surpassed Lanling’s, so she didn’t need anyone to protect her.
Most importantly, Lanling had no possible reason to harm Nini’an. After all, with Suo Mo, Dina, and the little girl held hostage in the castle, Lanling would have to be mad to harm Nini’an.
The two of them moved forward, silent, running aimlessly.
Nini’an looked at Lanling’s back with a complex expression. A faint intuition told her that Lanling still wouldn’t yield.
But if he didn’t care for his own life, didn’t he care about Suo Mo and Dina’s lives?
Suddenly, Lanling’s warhorse sped up, heading toward Mount Chira. Nini’an followed close behind.
Midway up the mountain, the horses could go no further, so the two dismounted and climbed on foot, reaching the volcano’s summit.
Lanling reached a stone platform near the crater and sat facing the volcanic mouth!
“Duo Ning sought you out, didn’t she?” Nini’an abruptly asked.
Lanling nodded.
“What terms did she offer you?” Nini’an asked.
“She would marry , treat the Foreign Tribe Army as equals, make my uncle a Tribal Elder of the Wild Horse Tribe, and grant command of most of the Wild Horse Tribe’s forces,” Lanling replied. “And in the future, Duo Ning would beco the Chieftain.”
Nini’an’s beautiful eyes trembled. “Why didn’t you agree?”
If Lanling were shallow, he would have said, “Because I only love you, not her.”
But he only shook his head, his gaze fixed on the magma below.
Nini’an naturally filled in the answer with her imagination: it was because Lanling didn’t love Duo Ning but loved her, Nini’an.
“Do you like Dina?” Nini’an asked.
“I do,” Lanling said. “She is a good woman, a woman who cannot be let down—not like you, a bad woman.”
“What about Ali?” Nini’an asked.
Lanling shrugged without answering.
But that gesture made Nini’an feel it was completely genuine.
She believed Lanling sought out Ali only to satisfy physical needs, cared for Dina out of responsibility, and could not fail her. But what he truly yearned for was her, Nini’an.
Though Nini’an knew herself to be a bad woman, deep down she felt that a man like Lanling could only love a bad woman.
Reviews
All reviews (0)