Chapter 682: The White Wolf (Part 4)

Chapter 682: The White Wolf (Part 4)

"He actually killed his own mother? He’s truly a monster!"

"Elder, such a matricidal beast cannot be allowed to live..."

The whispers grew louder and louder.

Tuoba Xiao had already been enlightened and understood the meaning behind their words.

He wanted to defend himself.

But the voices of the elders and the tribal chief ultimately prevailed.

"Ci Yun accidentally fell off the cliff, and no one is to mention this matter again. The Emperor already knows of Xiao's existence and is coming north. Do you... want to risk the annihilation of our tribe?"

As soon as the words fell, the others looked terrified and dared not speak again.

Tuoba Xiao turned around, looking at each face that shifted with self-interest, and suddenly, he no longer wanted to explain.

Morality, shame, etiquette, and rules were just tools people used to deceive and constrain others. In the face of interest, people would abandon morality, shame, etiquette, and rules, becoming the servants of self-interest.

They were worse than the beasts they despised.

He gave everyone a cold, weary look with his blue-green eyes, offering no explanation.

Those who had just been filled with disgust for him quickly masked their disdain and returned to their previous respectful demeanor.

"Young Master Tuoba Xiao, it's time to go back..."

The group swiftly departed.

Tuoba Yi, hiding in the corner far away, didn’t catch a single word the elders spoke. He only saw from a distance that Tuoba Xiao and Ci Yun had a struggle, and then Ci Yun fell off the cliff.

He assumed Tuoba Xiao had pushed her, his eyes wide open. Only after everyone had left did he dare to run over and take a peek at Ci Yun's body.

He shook violently for a moment and suddenly, he bolted in fear.

The tribe never spread the news of Tuoba Xiao's matricide, so he could only bury this matter deep in his heart, not daring to tell anyone.

In the following years, he grew up almost entirely in Tuoba Xiao’s shadow.

Tuoba Xiao was a warrior born with divine strength, the favorite of the chief father and the elders, and the figure all the men in the tribe revered. As he arrived in the capital, he became the number one warrior of Dongrong, and at the age of twelve, he was appointed as a general. The combined authority of the entire Wolf Hunting Tribe paled in comparison to his.

He formed an alliance with the wolves, the natural enemies of the Wolf Hunting Tribe, and ordered everyone not to hunt wolves. Naturally, there were many who opposed this at first, but by then, they realized that the child everyone once trampled on had long become an existence they could not defy.

While Tuoba Yi was still at the age of competing in the tribe, Tuoba Xiao was already representing Dongrong in diplomatic missions to the Great Sheng.

That year, Tuoba Xiao had already studied for several years.

The truly frightening people in this world are not those who are fierce and ruthless like beasts, but those who, after reading books, learning words, and even understanding etiquette, remain ruthless and brutal. Such people seem to lack the ability to empathize and love, despising humanity and devaluing human life.

Such a person, with supreme power and top-notch abilities, could easily decide a person's life and death, truly a killing machine.

Although young, he had already accumulated a lot of blood debt over the years, and with his uncontrollable madness, few in Dongrong dared to oppose him.

Only when he came to the Great Sheng that year did a little girl dare to stand up to him.

Both of them had explosive tempers. At their first meeting, she clashed with him over his disdainful remarks about the Great Sheng. Naturally, he was displeased, and the two found each other disagreeable, with every meeting brimming with tension.

He still remembered that time when others liked to call this annoying girl by her pet name.

Although she had a fiery personality, her pet name was sweet and endearing, requiring lips and tongue to murmur closely to call out "Nuan Nuan." Tuoba Xiao, of course, would not be so sentimental as to call her that, so he insisted on calling her "Su Youyue" repeatedly.

It wasn’t until he discovered that she actually had some talent in horsemanship and martial arts, and wasn’t just boasting, that he began to see her in a slightly better light.

A boy of twelve or thirteen, still oblivious to romantic feelings, even when seeing a girl of the same age, wouldn’t develop any particular feelings. He would only think about whether she was strong or weak, and if she was a match for him.

Besides, at this time, he and this argumentative girl were indeed bitter rivals, finding fault with each other everywhere.

That day, they raced horses, neck-and-neck, with no clear winner. However, he lost the wolf tooth that was most important to him. Halfway through, he stopped his horse and desperately searched for it.

Although the girl disliked him, seeing that he seemed to truly value that item, she stopped caring about the race. She jumped off her horse and sincerely helped him search.

During the search, both were so focused they didn’t notice each other, and their foreheads collided hard. He was nearly frantic with worry, and his anger flared up. He was about to grab her and scold her when he heard her exclaim excitedly, "Tuoba Xiao, look, is this it?"

He saw the girl beaming, holding the wolf tooth left by his mother in her small hand.

"Retrieved it" was simply the best phrase in the world.

He grabbed the wolf tooth back.

The girl pouted, displeased, "Tuoba Xiao, you hurt me!"

He had never apologized to anyone before.

Hearing this, he opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.

At that moment, the worried voices of the maids and servants called from a distance.

"Miss, where are you? Miss!"

Hearing this, the girl hurried away from him.

He never got to thank her, swallowing his words.

When they met again, he was even less inclined to thank her.

After all, that girl was truly infuriating, and it seemed like she could never say anything that would please him.

She always had the ability to set him off with just one sentence.

So that day, he was in a fit of pique with her again, challenging her to another race.

She seemed to care about the unfinished race from that day, so she agreed immediately.

But this was still a race without a conclusion.

The race ended abruptly. Shortly after it started, his sword accidentally grazed the horse she was riding, causing it to lose control and charge into the forest.

Although he chased after it with all his might, another boy was even faster.

In the blink of an eye, the boy disappeared.

He was secretly amazed by the other’s superb horsemanship, but soon hesitated at a fork in the road.

He ultimately chose the wrong direction.

When he returned, he saw that the girl had already broken her leg, with large, alarming bloodstains drenching her clothes.

His heart was pierced with pain, and he wanted to rush over to check on her, but he was stopped by someone.

He thought he still had a chance to apologize at her family's residence, but the Su family closed their doors to everyone.

This missed opportunity stretched into many more years.

He rarely had dreams.

Yet, he often dreamed of this day.

A man who had never felt guilt, even after taking a life, found himself ironically consumed by guilt over this matter.

One day, he knew he must apologize to her.

After waiting, he finally got the chance to return to a time of prosperity.