Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 50 Above the Rock, Below the Rock

The wooden yoke broke at this moment, seemingly by chance, but also as if it were a premonition.

Wanyan Yue's hand, gripping the dagger, trembled even more violently.

Her father once said that the most important gift in the Northern Plains was not gold, cattle or sheep, or women, but the "Blood Seal Alliance".

The warrior of Kitahara knelt on one knee, staining the snow with his blood, entrusting his life and his sword to another.

If the other party agrees to form an alliance, they will be inseparable, through thick and thin. If they do not agree, their life will be left to the other party's judgment, without any resentment.

Throughout the history of the Northern Plains, very few people have followed this alliance.

The people of Kitahara are born with pride; they would rather die in battle than entrust their lives to others.

She was willing to perform this solemn ancient ritual today not out of a sense of humility or to beg for mercy, but because the white wolf before her was an envoy of the Eternal Heaven.

It deserves this gift.

From the top of the rock, Zhang Nanfeng saw everything clearly.

Although a sense of awe gradually arose in the girl's eyes, what she did was completely different from Meng Jinchuan kneeling on the ground and weeping as he worshipped the "Golden Toad Ancestor" in the past.

Meng Jinchuan's piety stemmed from the legends of his ancestors and from placing all his hopes for the family's revival on "God." It was a kind of subservience, worshipping Him as master and willingly becoming His slave.

Although Wanyan Yue also placed her hopes on herself, she never had any intention of bowing down and submitting.

Zhang Nanfeng lowered his eyes, his gaze falling again on the bright red bloodstain in the snow.

She was practically pressuring him.

Force him to form an alliance, force him to make a decision.

He would either stand shoulder to shoulder with her from now on, or he would end her life with his own hands and sever this bond.

A strange feeling flashed through Zhang Nanfeng's mind.

Could this be another legend?

Wanyan Yue saw the white wolf standing motionless on the rock, and the lack of response only intensified her anxiety.

The veins on the back of her hand holding the dagger bulged, and the tip of the blade was half a step closer to her throat. Blood instantly seeped from her snow-white skin, sliding down her neck and disappearing deep into her collar.

In that instant, Zhang Nanfeng saw it clearly.

The gilded thread did not dim because of her desperate act; on the contrary, its golden light grew even brighter, so intense that it seemed to ignite a fire in the snow-covered landscape.

Zhang Nanfeng was puzzled, but he no longer hesitated.

He leaped down from the three-zhang-high cliff and landed steadily in front of Wanyan Yue.

Wanyan Yue tensed up, but did not back down or show any fear.

Zhang Nanfeng slowly paced around her, looking her up and down.

The girl knelt in the cold snow, her back straight, letting that deep gaze sweep over her.

After pacing around three times, Zhang Nanfeng stopped.

He raised his right claw, hovering it over the bloody palm print, paused briefly, and then pressed it down heavily, causing the palm prints to overlap.

Wanyan Yue felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders.

The dagger slipped from his hand and embedded itself in the snow and mud. He leaned forward slightly, panting heavily.

After a long while, she propped herself up on her knees, looked up at the white wolf in front of her, and was about to speak.

"I......"

Before he could finish speaking, a thunderous sound suddenly came from his stomach.

"Gurgle—"

Wanyan Yue froze, instinctively clutching her lower abdomen. The resolute and ruthless expression that had just been etched on her face instantly cracked with an awkwardness.

She stole a glance at Zhang Nanfeng, her ears turning bright red.

Zhang Nanfeng:

"..."

He was speechless. He shook his head, and the white figure disappeared behind the ridge after a few leaps.

Wanyan Yue stared at the departing white figure for a moment, then chuckled softly.

She hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, picked up the dagger, and got up to stretch her stiff limbs.

Not long after, Zhang Nanfeng returned, carrying a plump gray rabbit in his mouth. The rabbit was still kicking its legs when he tossed it to Wanyan Yue's feet, splashing up a cloud of snow.

Wanyan Yue was neither polite nor coy or pretentious.

She bent down and grabbed the rabbit's ears, her short dagger whirling and flashing as she skinned and gutted it in one swift motion, her movements as nimble as if she had done it a thousand times before.

She peeled off the rabbit skin in its entirety and laid it out on the rock. The internal organs were scrubbed clean with snow and discarded some distance away. The meat was chopped into several pieces, skewered with dry twigs, and arranged neatly.

Then they found some dry grass and soon lit a warm fire.

Zhang Nanfeng stood three zhang away, watching quietly.

The young girl started the fire, racked the meat, and turned it over in a smooth, efficient manner.

The firelight illuminated her face, which was covered in blood and snow, revealing a hint of resilience.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of genuine approval.

His deepest consideration in forming a blood pact with the girl was indeed the gilded line of destiny. This might be the key to helping him find his "origin."

Even though he had high hopes, he didn't want to have a burden who needed his care in everything.

Her ruthlessness in killing the pig-man yesterday and her efficiency in handling wild animals today prove that she is by no means a weak and useless person.

As for her true purpose in forming the alliance, Zhang Nanfeng knew perfectly well. She simply wanted to use his power to avenge their past blood feud.

As Zhang Nanfeng pondered this, the rabbit meat began to sizzle as it roasted.

The oil dripped into the fire, igniting a fragrant aroma. The rabbit skin was scorched golden by the charcoal fire, while the inside remained tender. The steam carrying the aroma of the meat wafted far away in the cold wind.

No salt, no seasoning, only the sweetness of wild game tamed by fire.

Wanyan Yue removed the roasted rabbit meat from the fire, burning herself as she switched hands, but couldn't bear to put it down. She picked up a piece and began to devour it with gusto.

No one competed with her for the food, and she continued to eat until her cheeks were bulging, looking just like a puppy guarding its food, displaying her adorable clumsiness.

Looking at her like this, Zhang Nanfeng narrowed his long, wolf-like eyes and found it somewhat amusing.

This girl is quite lively... and interesting.

Wanyan Yue devoured the entire rabbit leg like a whirlwind, then tore off a piece of rib, until she could no longer eat. Only then did she lick the grease off her fingertips with a satisfied smugness and pat her lower abdomen gently.

She looked up and saw Zhang Nanfeng still standing in the distance, not having come any closer to the fire.

Wanyan Yue hesitated for a moment, then carefully picked out a piece of tender rabbit meat and pushed it toward him.

Zhang Nanfeng glanced at it indifferently, without making a move.

She had no choice but to awkwardly withdraw her hand, scoop up the snow to wash the oil stains off her face and hands, straighten her fox fur coat, and then stand up and walk step by step toward Zhang Nanfeng.

She stopped and slowly squatted down when she was just a step away.

For a wolf, this distance was extremely close. She could even smell the scent of snow and blood mingled on Zhang Nanfeng's body, and see the two eerie lights deep within his pupils.

Wanyan Yue swallowed hard, suppressing the instinctive fear in her heart, and said:

"Adachi".

"My mother... is still alive."

She looked directly into those wolfish eyes, her tone firm:

"I have to go save her."

"But that place is far away. If I walk there, I'll freeze to death halfway there. I need to... I need to find a fast horse."

After saying that, she quickly added, afraid that the blood oath she had just made might cause discord:

"Don't worry, I'll figure out the horses myself. What I need is for you... to come with me after I get the horses."