Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 306 The Child of the White God

Meanwhile, Zhang Chengdao and He Yu followed the black line drawn out from the Three Altars Temple, traveling south from the Yellow Springs Road in the Underworld until they stopped at Longwei City in Kunmi River.

This is the territory of the Bai tribe. Further south is the Heibopu tribe, to the southwest is the Jinchi tribe, and to the southeast, beyond the Mengle Mountains, is the Puzi tribe.

South of the Heibopu tribe, including the Jinchi tribe, the Puzi tribe, and further south the Wang and Mang tribes, were all tributary territories of the Da Changhe Kingdom. Their tribute and taxes were rarely recorded in the Ministry of Revenue. Strictly speaking, it was a form of disguised regional separatism, with each region managing its own finances. Moreover, the regional military governors were hereditary leaders of local tribes and were only nominally subject to the control of the Da Changhe Kingdom.

However, in the Central Plains it is called regional separatism, but in the context of local tribes still in the slave society period, it is tribal autonomy, a local political model that has been passed down for thousands of years.

Therefore, the area directly controlled by the royal family of Da Changhe Kingdom, the Dong clan, was only one-tenth of the kingdom's territory.

The Bai tribe, like the neighboring Hei tribe, was originally directly governed by the Da Chang and the royal family. In fact, the Gao clan, who controlled the Bai tribe, was originally from the Central Plains. Their ancestor was a Jiedushi (military governor) during the Former Zhou Dynasty. Later, they gradually settled in Kunmi River, interacted and intermarried with the Bai tribe, and gradually gained control of the Bai tribe.

When the Dong clan established their kingdom, the Gao clan of the Bai tribe was the first to respond. Because of their marriage ties with the Dong clan, they took the initiative to coerce more than a dozen tribes, including the Bai and Hei tribes, to offer up their land and become Dong clan's retainers.

However, after more than a thousand years of changes, the Gao and Dong families had long since drifted apart, and the Gao family was no longer the only one that wanted to replace the Dong family.

This time, the Gao clan made almost full preparations for their uprising. Unlike local tribes where everyone would gather together to discuss things and then set off in a lively manner, the Gao clan formed a well-organized local army. The Gao clan chief even required all participating tribes to send a team of at least two thousand local warriors, which was the "soldiers" for this uprising.

When Zhang Chengdao and He Yu arrived at the Kunmi River outside Longwei City, they deliberately concealed themselves, only to unexpectedly encounter several tribes arguing.

A burly, dark-skinned man, wearing a black tie-dye patterned vest and exposing his strong arms, his dark face flushed a deep red with excitement, spoke rapidly in the language of the indigenous tribe that Zhang Chengdao and He Yu could not understand: "The brothers and sisters who fell in the war are not dead. They can rise again and fight alongside us!"

Fortunately, both of them were quite skilled in cultivation. Even though they couldn't understand the language, they could roughly grasp its meaning. So, after listening for only a few sentences, they realized that these people were arguing about "divine witchcraft".

The man adorned with ivory ornaments angrily condemned the burly, dark-skinned man, saying, "Brother An! Your heart is as black as the dye from the Woga! For the sake of the White Tribe's ambitions, you've prevented all our fallen brothers and sisters from finding peace! Hundreds of our Mengshe tribe brothers and sisters have died! Yet for so long, the chieftain has not only forbade us from consulting a sorcerer, but has also desecrated their corpses! Brother An! You've been bewitched by this so-called 'divine sorcery,' turning yourself into a stone!"

The burly, dark-skinned man called "Ango" retorted loudly: "Huobu Wucuo! Don't talk nonsense! The White God has said it! Those brothers and sisters who fell in the war have not fallen into eternal sleep, but their souls have simply fallen into slumber! When everything settles down and the White God regains his divine power, our brothers and sisters will be reborn!"

Huobu Wucuo also shouted, "I'm not talking nonsense! My sister's body is already rotting! Yet you still want to force her to take up weapons, that's blasphemy! Your White God is no longer the White God! He doesn't care about the White Tribe, the Mengshe Tribe, or even the Midu Tribe or the Yuexi Tribe... He is not the White God at all!"

"Ango" was so angry at Huobu Wucuo's words that his nostrils flared wide. He was panting heavily, waving his fists, and his eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as he shouted, "You are questioning the Three Altars God! You are a traitor!"

Huobu Wucuo panicked for a moment when accused of being a "traitor," but he quickly regained his composure and said defiantly, "I didn't! The Three Altars God is the Three Altars God, not your White Tribe's White God! It's no longer the White God! It doesn't deserve to be the Three Altars God!"

"Ango" punched Huobuwucuo, yelling, "I'll kill you! You're a traitor!"

Huobu Wucuo had no choice but to raise his arm to block, but "Ange" did not give up after missing his punch and started swinging his fist again. The two were immediately locked in a stalemate and even rolled on the ground to entangle.

This stirred up a hornet's nest. "Ango" was the son of the Black Tribe chief and a candidate for the next Black Tribe chief. He was originally waiting for the Mengshe Tribe and other tribes to join him so they could catch up with the main force to the northeast.

Although the Mengshe tribe was small in number, it was not a small tribe either, and it had always maintained good relations with the surrounding small tribes. Huobu Wucuo, as the chief of the Mengshe tribe, was a well-known good-natured person. So, because of a quarrel, he was threatened to "beat to death" by "Ange". Several tribal chiefs who were listening nearby felt chilled and stepped forward to mediate.

Once the natives of the Kunmi River start fighting, how can they stop anytime soon? Several tribes quickly descended into full-blown armed conflict.

"Kill him! Huobu Wucuo is a traitor!"

"The Mengshe tribe has betrayed you! You were deceived by the Central Plains people and lost your homes, yet you still dare to defy the Three Altars God! Traitors!"

"Ango" brought quite a few people from the Black Tribe, and even a minor nobleman from the White Tribe led several hundred men along. As members of the White Tribe's Gao Clan's interest group, these people certainly couldn't accept outsiders questioning the White Tribe, much less questioning the White God. The situation grew increasingly out of control until a resounding shout rang out—

"Stop—all of you!"

Upon hearing this voice, Zhang Chengdao and He Yu, who were hiding in the shadows, were immediately invigorated and exchanged a glance.

These three syllables are from the Central Plains Mandarin, specifically the Mandarin spoken in the Qin region!
Upon hearing this voice, the burly, dark-skinned man called "Ango" froze in place as if he had been frozen in place. Many people from other tribes were the same, especially the White and Black tribes. Almost everyone was frozen in place, their limbs stiff, just like "Ango."

At the same time, because the sound was extremely loud and carried spiritual power, those who were not immobilized fell to the ground, unable to move, and some even had blood flowing from their mouths and noses.

"White God, please calm your anger! White God, please calm your anger!" The crowd was frozen in place for only a moment. As soon as the power disappeared, "Brother An" was the first to kneel on the ground, weeping and loudly repenting, "White God, please calm your anger! I will never dare to do it again! I will never dare to do it again!"

The voice rang out again, as if it came from the heavens: "The people of Kunmi River must unite to break free from the enslavement of the Central Plains people. Why are you fighting amongst yourselves here!"

"Ango" turned pale with fright. In his panic, he quickly shifted the blame, pointing at Huobu Wucuo who was lying on the ground unable to get up, and said, "White God, please calm down! It was them! It was the people of the Mengshe tribe! They were the ones who questioned you and your power! I was just angry for a moment, that's why I wanted to teach them a lesson..."

The voice spoke again: "I am the White God, one of the Three Altar Gods of Kunmi River. Why do you question me?"

This time, it was probably addressed to tribes such as Huobuwucuo and Mengshe.

The authoritative voice made everyone hold their breath, and many people had blood on their faces, making them look terrifying, as if this "white god" was punishing unfaithful believers.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and many eyes turned to Huobu Wucuo, seemingly waiting for his reaction.

“The Three Altar Gods of Kunmi River are the Three Altar Gods of the twenty-nine tribes of Kunmi River. The White God is also the White God of the twenty-nine tribes of Kunmi River,” Huobu Wucuo slowly took a few deep breaths to calm his churning chest. He spoke with heavy breaths, almost word by word, “But you… are not the White God!”

Upon hearing Huobuwucuo's question, the voice amplified several times over, becoming deafening: "How dare you—"

Because of this sound, Huobu Wucuo's eyes and ears bled!

But Huobu Wucuo didn't care. He lay on the ground, painstakingly wiping the blood from his face, spitting out a mouthful of rusty-tasting saliva, and loudly questioned, "The White God is the White God of the Twenty-Nine Tribes, but why are you speaking the Central Plains language?! You are not the White God at all! You are the evil spirit of the Central Plains! You have blasphemed the White God! You have bewitched the White Tribe, and you have bewitched our brothers and sisters of Kunmi River!"

Upon hearing this, not only the Mengshe tribe, but all the surrounding tribes, and even the Black tribe members who had come with the White tribe, turned pale, their eyes filled with fear and shock.

Before the "White God" could speak again, "Brother An" jumped up anxiously and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about! There are also descendants of people from the Central Plains in our White tribe. What's so strange about the White God speaking the Central Plains language! As long as you live in Kunmi River, you are our brothers and sisters! These are the words left by the Three Altar Gods thousands of years ago!"

"Brother An's" words gave some psychological comfort to the people of the White and Black factions, but doubts still remained in everyone's eyes.

Huobu Wucuo sneered and questioned again, "Since you say your White God can only speak the Central Plains language, then let him speak the language of our Mengshe tribe, the White Tribe, the Black Tribe, the Midu Tribe, the Yuexi Tribe... let him speak! Let him speak!"

"Ango" recalled that he had never heard this "White God" speak the language of the Kunmi River natives, and he felt a little flustered. However, as a member of the Black Clan and one of the earliest to join the White Clan's uprising, he could not and dared not question the White God. So he could only continue his previous ramblings: "You dare to order the White God around! You traitor!"

Huobu Wucuo could easily see "Ango's" panic and helplessness. He took a few deep breaths, then said in a heart-wrenching voice, "Who is the traitor here! 'Ango'! Your Black Tribe is clearly in the most fertile land, why are you so dissatisfied and insist on joining the White Tribe in 'rebellion'? Our brothers and sisters in Kunmi River were perfectly fine, why did you have to listen to the Great Chieftain and go out to die, even your corpses will be desecrated after death!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than several gray mist blades suddenly flew out of the soil and rushed towards Huobuwucuo.

"Disrespecting the Three Altars Gods! He deserves to be executed!"

This time, the voice that rang out was no longer the majestic male voice from before, but a mixture of three voices, one young and one old, speaking together. The combined voices sounded strange and terrifying, echoing across the Kunmi River.

"Uh-"

The gray mist blades crisscrossed, some piercing Huobu Wucuo's body, others slicing towards his throat. Blood gushed from his chest, and a thin, fiery red line seeped from his neck. His mouth was wide open, but he could no longer utter a single syllable.

This scene terrified everyone. The warriors of the Mengshe tribe were both shocked and frightened. Huobu Wucuo's confidants, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly found strength and got up to help Huobu Wucuo, who was kneeling on the ground.

They couldn't find the murderer, nor could they see "White God," they could only glare angrily at "Uncle" before them, their eyes practically spitting blood—

One of the burly men, his face flushed, mustered his courage and shouted, "'The White God' wouldn't kill his own child! Uncle! This isn't the White God!"

With the shout of the bearded man, all the warriors of the Mengshe tribe stood up. Their faces and bodies were stained with blood, but they held their weapons tightly in their hands—simple spears and long knives made of bones, ivory, and thin iron sheets.

Although this "White God" was not the real White God, the warriors of the Mengshe tribe all knew that if he could kill Huobuwucuo in an instant, he could kill them in an instant as well.

However, the White God will not kill his own child, and the White God's child will not submit to the evil god who killed his brothers and sisters!
(End of this chapter)