“Sky Gu Grandma, what’s wrong?”
Hearing her father’s voice, Lina turned her head to see a muscular, tall middle-aged man with rock-hard muscles and angular facial features approaching.
He stood at nine chi tall, towering above the surrounding Gu Clan members by two heads, his upper arms thicker than Lina’s waist. (Author’s note: Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, one chi has been between 29.6 and 31.1 cm.)
As he walked, his eyes were sharp like an eagle’s and vigilant like a wolf’s, exuding an overwhelming presence.
Compared to him, the hunched Sky Gu Grandma looked like a child.
The Sky Gu Grandma raised her head, nodded slightly, and quickly returned her gaze to Lina, saying in a trembling voice, “Girl, speak up, Grandma is waiting.”
Grandma seems anxious… What’s wrong with her? Does she also want to pick up silver every day like Number Three’s friend? Lina felt uncomfortable due to the Sky Gu Grandma’s intense reaction.
As the Sky Gu Grandma refused to move on, the large group came to a halt. The elites of the Sky Gu tribe turned their gaze towards Lina. People from other tribes whispered among themselves, still unaware of what was happening.
The Sky Gu Grandma turned her head and said to a young man from her tribe behind her, “Go inform the leaders of each tribe to take a short break. Come, girl, let’s talk over there… Longtu, you’re not allowed to follow.”
The Power Gu tribe leader named Longtu stopped in his tracks, silently watching his daughter being led away by the Sky Gu Grandma.
The leaders of the other five tribes gathered around Longtu, standing beside him and gazing at the departing old woman and young girl.
“Longtu, what’s going on?”
The Power Gu tribe leader shook his head, “Perhaps you should ask the Sky Gu tribe members.”
The leaders looked back.
“Lina just said something in jest to Grandma, who knew Grandma would be so excited.”
“What did she say?”
“Lina has a friend who picks up silver every day.”
“…”
…
The Sky Gu Grandma held a torch and came to a tree. They were now far from the main group, only able to see tiny lights in the distance.
The crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a pure white glow. The firelight illuminated the Sky Gu Grandma’s wrinkled, aged face. She had now calmed down from her earlier agitation and excitement.
“Girl, tell Grandma carefully, what’s going on?”
Lina pursed her lips and said, “I recently made a friend who said he has a friend who always inexplicably picks up money. He’s troubled by this and doesn’t understand why it’s happening.”
The Sky Gu Grandma narrowed her eyes and asked for confirmation, “How does he pick up silver? How much? Is there anything special besides picking up silver? Tell me everything, no matter how small.”
Lina scratched her head somewhat coyly and apologized, “I don’t know that, after all, it’s a friend of a friend. But I heard from Thr… my friend that it seems just by picking up silver, one can live a comfortable and affluent life.”
Out of curiosity, Lina thought that since the Sky Gu tribe could observe all things and knew many things, she’d casually ask about it.
Who wouldn’t be curious about picking up silver every day?
“Where is that person?”
Number Three is in the capital of Great Feng, his friend should be there too… Lina said uncertainly, “It seems to be in the capital of Great Feng.”
“The capital of Great Feng?!” The Sky Gu Grandma was startled and shook her head repeatedly, “Impossible, it shouldn’t be, it can’t be in the capital of Great Feng of all places… This doesn’t make sense…”
The Sky Gu Grandma furrowed her white brows, sometimes seeming to realize something, sometimes doubtful, her expressions changing constantly.
“Grandma, what’s all this about?” Lina, feeling quite clever, had already sensed something was amiss. If it were just about picking up money, the Sky Gu Grandma wouldn’t have pulled her aside to talk privately.
Nor would she appear so concerned.
But she found it absurd that an amusing incident in the capital of Great Feng could make the Sky Gu Grandma so serious and concerned.
It was as if she had accidentally met a nice friend, only to discover it was the Sky Gu Grandma’s long-lost child.
“Your friend is probably the one picking up silver every day, not the so-called friend of a friend,” the Sky Gu Grandma looked at the naive girl.
Lina’s rosy lips parted slightly, her light blue eyes frozen.
Number Three had lied to her. She never thought he was the kind of bad person who liked to deceive others. She had even thought Number Three was a chivalrous and righteous scholar.
Hadn’t the elders in the tribe said that scholars were all upright and unyielding?
The Sky Gu Grandma sighed lightly, looked up at the moon, and said in a deep voice, “Many years ago, two thieves, for some reason, snuck into a wealthy household and stole a very, very important item. That thing is still missing to this day, and the thieves who stole it have never appeared again.
“In that wealthy household, some people know the thing was stolen, while others still don’t know about it to this day.”
Lina blinked her eyes, “What was stolen?”
The Sky Gu Grandma didn’t explain, just repeating that it was a very, very important thing.
…
Soon, the elite team of a hundred Gu Clan members arrived at the Extreme Abyss, a deep, bottomless ravine.
Poisonous mist permeated the ravine, nurturing toxic vegetation and various poisonous insects and fierce beasts. This was a natural breeding ground for Gu insects, providing an endless supply of “raw materials” for the Gu Clan.
Lina had been here many times, but always stayed on the outskirts to capture Gu insects, never venturing deep inside.
The team moved forward in silence, the insect-repelling powder and poison-dispelling pills on their bodies immunizing them from the poisonous mist and insects’ disturbance.
The Poison Gu tribe members were in their element here, their faces glowing with vitality.
Following the path trodden by their predecessors, they delved deeper into the great ravine. Gradually, the scenery began to change, with deformed and bizarre plants covering the black-brown soil.