Chapter 77: The Territory of Fengli

Gazing at the slowly approaching golden orb of light, the once frenzied and grief-stricken Little Gold Crystal gradually calmed down. It sensed a familiar aura within the orb, and so offered no resistance as it drew nearer, simply staring at it with unwavering eyes.

The golden orb circled around Little Gold Crystal once, and then suddenly darted toward its small head, merging directly into it and vanishing without a trace.

Little Gold Crystal did not resist at all. Once the golden orb entered its head, it froze, motionless, as golden rays began to radiate from its body.

Du Long stood silently atop a tree, eyes shut, focusing on every change in the image of Little Gold Crystal within his mind. Time passed slowly—over an hour elapsed before the little creature finally stirred.

It threw its head back and let out a long, mournful howl, its sorrow palpable in the cry. The lake's surface churned violently once more, though not to the extent of launching water skyward as before.

In the vision, Little Gold Crystal opened its eyes, gazing longingly at the massive skeletal remains at the lake's bottom. After a long moment, it reluctantly darted toward the surface.

With a splash, a golden figure emerged onto the lake, transforming into a streak of gold that shot straight toward Du Long. By now, Du Long had opened his eyes and spread his arms wide to welcome the little one's return.

"Brother Du Long!" Little Gold Crystal cried out in the air, flying into Du Long's embrace and weeping loudly.

Du Long cradled the little creature in his left arm, gently stroking its smooth golden scales with his right hand, saying nothing—offering comfort through his actions alone.

"Sob... Brother Du Long! At the bottom of the lake, there is a set of bones—it turns out to be my mother's remains!" After crying for a long while, Little Gold Crystal finally lifted its head to explain.

"Sigh," Du Long breathed softly, then asked in a deep voice, "Little Gold Crystal, what was that golden orb just now?"

"That was an energy left behind by my mother, containing some information. Besides special cultivation techniques unique to our clan, there were some blurry images. I could see a vague scene of a human wielding a long spear, killing my mother!" Little Gold Crystal replied sorrowfully.

"Oh! Can you make out the killer’s appearance?" Du Long pressed, his expression stern.

"No, the images are too unclear. Unless I meet the culprit face to face, I won’t be able to recognize them," Little Gold Crystal answered, eyes burning with hatred.

"I think there might be a way! Little Gold Crystal, quickly retrieve that long spear you threw away before. With this spear, our chances of finding the murderer increase greatly!" Du Long quickly realized the importance of this clue.

"Alright! I'll go fetch it. Hmph! If not for searching for clues, I’d have tossed that cursed spear into the filth pit for ten thousand years!" Little Gold Crystal gritted its teeth and dove back into the lake, soon emerging with the ancient, silver long spear.

Du Long took the spear, examining it by the light of stars and moon. Upon the shaft was carved a silver, one-horned dragon, and the weapon was scarred all over, evidence of fierce battles past.

Apart from the dragon, the words "Ice Soul" were engraved upon the handle.

Gripping the chilling silver spear tightly, Du Long muttered, "Ice Soul Silver Spear… This is no ordinary weapon. With a name like this, it will be much easier to trace its origin."

"Brother Du Long! Do you know where this spear comes from?" Little Gold Crystal asked eagerly when Du Long spoke its name. Truth be told, avenging its father had become the little one's lifelong goal.

Du Long shook his head with a wry smile. "I’ve never heard of a silver spear named Ice Soul! But now that we have its name, finding its owner will be infinitely easier than having no clues at all."

"Oh," Little Gold Crystal replied, disappointed that Du Long didn't know its origin.

"Little Gold Crystal, don’t be impatient. The owner of this spear was strong enough to slay your mighty mother—there’s no way you can face them yet. Remember: revenge can wait ten years," the elegant spirit within Du Long's mind finally offered comfort.

"I understand! I’ll devote myself to cultivation, so that when the time comes, I will have the strength to seek vengeance!" The little creature’s eyes, once full of disappointment, now blazed with fervor and a burning desire for revenge.

Du Long flipped his hand, storing the silver spear within the ring’s space, and finally spoke, "Let’s go! Time to return. For now, leave your father’s remains at the lake’s bottom—no outsiders will disturb them in such deep waters."

The little one nodded tearfully. Even as Du Long departed, it gazed back at the receding lake, weeping without pause. Soon, man and beast disappeared behind the mountain, speeding toward the distant Chen Manor.

"Brother Du Long! I’ve inherited my father’s energy and many secret martial arts of my clan—I must work hard to absorb them quickly!" On the road to Chen Manor, Little Gold Crystal withdrew its gaze from the lake and shared its plans.

"No problem! Whenever you have nothing else to do, devote yourself to cultivation. If you want food or drink, just come out—I’ll try not to disturb you," Du Long agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you, brother!" Little Gold Crystal replied gratefully, then slipped into the pouch Du Long had prepared especially for it.

The night passed quietly. Early the next morning, villagers helped prepare breakfast. The old village chief had distributed the gold coins Du Long gave the night before. For these villagers, who usually counted every copper coin, silver was rare, and few had ever seen gold coins before.

Receiving such a generous reward, everyone eagerly helped with breakfast preparations.

After the meal, the group of over two hundred mounted their warhorses. After bidding farewell to the old village chief and his party, Du Long led his men southwest, urging their horses onward at a swift pace.

With experience, the team now planned their schedule carefully, aiming to rest and eat within county cities whenever possible. After two more days, on that afternoon, they finally arrived at the border of Fengli County in Xigu Prefecture.

Three days of hard travel had brought Du Long to Fengli County, but now that he had reached its territory, he slowed the pace, leading his group to savor the customs and scenery of Fengli.

From the capital to Fengli County, the initial villages and towns along the way had been prosperous, but the further southwest they traveled, the poorer the settlements became.

Upon entering Xigu Prefecture, the group first passed through Yongye County, where they immediately noticed that its cities were much poorer than those they had seen before.

It was only upon arriving in Fengli County that they realized Yongye’s residents were far luckier than those in neighboring Fengli. The villages here were sparsely populated, homes were dilapidated, and most fields were overgrown with wild grass—only a small portion grew actual crops.

"Strange! Why do the people of Fengli County leave so many fertile fields fallow, choosing instead to farm the barren hillsides?" Su Jinbao remarked, puzzled, at the sight of abandoned farmland and villagers working on rugged hills.

His question made everyone realize just how odd the scene was.

Surveying the territory, poorer than he had imagined, Du Long frowned and addressed the two captains, "Sun Lin, Wang Shun—have everyone rest here. Old Ma, you and a few others come with me to the nearby village."

"Yes, sir!" Sun Lin, captain of the Du family guards, and Wang Shun of the Imperial Guard, respectfully complied, organizing the men for rest as Du Long led his friends and Old Ma toward the village.

Midway, Du Long changed his mind, spurring his horse up a hillside, where several villagers, taking a break from farming, sat beneath a tree drinking and chatting. Upon seeing a dozen warhorses approach, they turned pale and sprang to their feet.

Du Long reined in his horse, dismounted, and greeted the anxious villagers with a courteous bow. "Please don’t be afraid! We are merely travelers passing through, hoping to borrow some water and ask a few questions."

"So that’s it! Ha, we thought the officials had come," the villagers visibly relaxed. One man, seemingly more talkative, spoke up cheerfully.

"Officials? Why are you all so afraid of them?" Du Long asked.

"Sigh! Young master, you all look like wealthy nobles—how could you know the hardships of us common folk?" The man glanced at their fine attire, sighed bitterly, and continued, "We only farm these hillsides out of necessity."

"I wondered about that myself! Why leave the fertile fields below unused, and instead farm these barren hills?" Du Long asked, puzzled.

"You may not know, young master! It’s not that we don’t want to farm the good land. The corrupt officials have left us no choice. Forced up here, our harvest each year is meager, but at least we can eat a few meals. If we farm the fertile fields below, not only would we work for nothing, we might even end up owing grain to the government. Who would go down there to farm?"

"What do you mean by that?" Du Long still didn’t understand the villager’s words.

"Let me explain simply. The land below is taxed; these hillside plots aren’t—but they’re technically illegal. Do you understand now?" The man sighed and explained.

"Still unclear! Everywhere under heaven, farming land is taxed. Does the government here expect you to hand over your entire harvest each year?" Du Long shook his head, still confused.

"The problem is, our damned officials set up a model plot in the good fields, then every year everyone must pay half their harvest as tax, based on that model plot. Isn’t that absurd?"

"Given the same region and climate, that method isn’t unreasonable. Many places use it for tax collection," Su Jinbao interjected.

"Nonsense! Fengli County borders the Beast Forest. Every year, monsters may show up unexpectedly. Just one or two visits, and our crops are wiped out. The government’s fields are protected by soldiers, so they never suffer, but how can we pay such tax?" The villager replied indignantly.