The news that their Young Master was the chosen one on a mission to acquire the True Scripture was the last to reach the Xiong Ba clan.
For a time, the elders in the clan sighed heavily, the robust men were moved to tears, and the young girls cried themselves into a faint. Everyone expressed their reluctance to let the Young Master risk his life on an adventure, all while anxiously inquiring when he would set out.
It wasn't that they feared future calamities; they were simply curious to know what the True Scripture of the Star God looked like.
Wu Wang had considered leaving in secret, but after some deliberation, he realized that if people discovered the Young Master's absence from the clan year after year, it would surely lead to all kinds of speculation.
Using 'going out to study' as an excuse could easily lead to attacks from other clans, who might accuse him of turning his back on the Star God's embrace.
The current approach had the least impact, was convenient for his return at any time, and would appease the entire clan.
If the Star God dispatched him to seek the True Scripture, wouldn't they protect him along the way?
Wu Wang had not told any clan members, other than his parents, that his destination was the Human Domain to the south. He also tried hard to downplay this, to avoid giving the impression that the Xiong Ba clan was allying with the Human race of the Human Domain...
He had to consider all aspects. Although the position of Young Master seemed glorious, it came with many responsibilities and restrictions.
But it was quite exhilarating.
That day, General Xiong San came to ask Wu Wang when he planned to leave the Northern Wilderness, and Wu Wang set a deadline of one month.
In the following month, Wu Wang wanted to spend more time with his parents. After all, until he became a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator and acquired a magic treasure that allowed him to travel through the air for extended periods, it would be difficult for him to return to the Northern Wilderness.
Although Wu Wang was confident that he was no less capable than any of his peers, the nature of cultivation was unpredictable, making it impossible to set a definite return date.
To the outside world, he would declare, "Acquiring the True Scripture is full of challenges, and it's uncertain which year or month I shall be able to return."
Sheesh, it had a bit of an imperial younger brother vibe.
The experiences of Ji Mo and Ling Xiaolan's group deeply affected Wu Wang.
Clearly, Ji Mo's teacher, the middle-aged scholar who had appeared briefly on the ship, was nearby. According to his mother, this man was at least at the True Immortal Realm and carried a hidden injury.
Yet the man did nothing, allowing more than a dozen cultivators with decent talent to be slain.
The key point of this trial was actually Ling Xiaolan and Ji Mo; Ling Xiaolan's slow reaction, unable to make full use of her Jumping God Realm abilities, was the main reason for the trial's failure.
Why didn't they save them?
Are the so-called trials really more important than human lives?
Wu Wang found this somewhat hard to accept. As a result, he had no favorable impression of the forces behind Ji Mo and those 'Elders,' which further cemented his resolve to alter his identity and practice cultivation discreetly upon reaching the Human Domain.
Of course, Brother Ji Mo was quite decent. Aside from concealing the fact that he was accompanied by an 'old mentor' figure, his interactions were mostly sincere.
The important point was, he knew how to conduct himself.
According to Lin Suqing, the Human Domain was stable, peaceful, and incredibly prosperous. Ordinary cultivators, as long as they didn't court death, could safely reach their personal cultivation bottlenecks. They could then either dedicate themselves at the frontier or find a peaceful place to live out their days.
But the vision of the Human Domain that Ji Mo and his companions presented to Wu Wang was brutal and permeated with a profound sense of anxiety—yes, anxiety.
Wu Wang spent a day and a night thinking, and after integrating all the information he knew, he finally came up with a reasonable guess.
The reason the trials in the Human Domain were so brutal was that there was an urgent need to cultivate 'great generals' who could stand on their own.
In other words, the decision-makers in the Human Domain faced tremendous pressure, while ordinary cultivators, unaware of this circle, still lived in a falsely prosperous era created by the former.
Combine that with the rumors heard even throughout the Northern Wilderness: the current Human Emperor of the Human Domain had not shown himself for over eight hundred years, and a new Human Emperor had yet to rise...
Wu Wang shook his head internally.
This was a series of problems caused by unclear succession of a significant power in the Great Wilderness environment.
He spent half a month alone on Big Snow Mountain, enduring his mother's nagging for just as long.
Wu Wang found that he and his mother still had endless topics to discuss. These included the structural upgrades of the Star God Cult, how to balance the various clans in the Northern Wilderness, and how to minimize the differences between the Human race and other species to avoid the emergence of human supremacy in the Northern Wilderness.
Doing so would invite endless trouble.
Cang Xue's eyes always held a boundless tenderness, yet behind that tenderness hid the Star Sea, filled with too many inscrutable things.
Before leaving Big Snow Mountain, Wu Wang solemnly handed his mother the notes he had written on how to decipher the Star God's blessings.
Cang Xue did not say much, only raised her hand to stroke the ice crystal membrane outside Wu Wang's head.
Wu Wang smiled and said, "Mother, I'm grown up now."
"No matter how old you are, you're still my child," Cang Xue said softly. "Take good care of yourself out there. I will not see you off that day. If things don't go your way outside, come back to the Northern Wilderness."
"Yes," Wu Wang replied. "You take care as well, Mother."
Cang Xue nodded with a smile, and Wu Wang bowed his head in a salute before he turned and exited through the wooden door, leaping onto the back of a snow eagle.
The night Wu Wang returned to the Royal Court, the Chieftain's procession also made its way back. However, Xiong Han refused to see his only son, leading to a standoff between father and son for half a month.
Tomorrow was the day of departure, and as the sky barely darkened, General Xiong San hurried over again.
"Young Master, how many people are you planning to take with you on this journey to seek the True Scripture?"
Wu Wang said, "It will just be Suqing, Elder Zuo Dong, and me."
"You aren't bringing anyone else?" General Xiong San's eyes almost popped out. "You have to take me at least! If you don't bring anyone and you encounter a strong enemy, you will be outnumbered. How can you manage that!"
Wu Wang laughed and said, "If I encounter a strong enemy, I'll just spread my wings and fly away."
"And who will pour your wine and serve your water?"
"Not bringing anyone."
"What about entertaining with music and dance?"
"Not bringing anyone for that either."
"You still have your strange ailment!" General Xiong San exclaimed, almost whistling in exasperation. "If you encounter a woman with malicious intentions toward you, I could be at your side to punch her away! If you faint, it's all over!"
Wu Wang said seriously, "I have a significant mission to fulfill and must not betray the Star God's trust in me. Moreover, General Xiong, look."
As he spoke, Wu Wang took out two masks from his chest and placed them in front of General Xiong, demonstrating his 'ice crystal membrane' protective measures.
Both masks were of the same style—half-masks covering the upper face. They were made of some special material that looked very smooth yet had a matte texture when touched.
Wu Wang put on a mask, and his face seemed to 'swell' by a third. He also, right in front of General Xiong San, made his physique bulkier by a third and tied his long hair into a Daoist topknot.
His aura, facial features, and physique completely transformed.
"How about that?" Wu Wang smiled. "As long as I keep a low profile and don't get involved in any commotion, who could recognize me? Besides, only a handful of people in the Human Domain have ever seen me. Even if I leave our clan's territory without a mask, few would recognize me. General Xiong, you needn't worry. I value my life a great deal."
The most important reason for not bringing guards was that the path of cultivation is inherently lonely, adhering to the philosophy: 'In the mountains, there is no calendar; in cultivation, one loses track of the years.'
I can maintain dual practices, cultivating immortality with the Praying Star Technique, continuously increasing my Lifespan. Spending a hundred years or so on cultivation is no issue for me.
But the Lifespan of the guards who would follow me is limited; it would be too unfair to them, and too cruel to their spouses, to waste their prime years in the Human Domain.
General Xiong San frowned and scratched his head. "This..." He finally sighed, bowed his head, and walked away.
Wu Wang cautioned him not to divulge any information, and General Xiong San repeatedly assured him.
What else needs to be prepared?
Wu Wang, sitting behind the desk, looked around the wooden hut. The bookcase and the wardrobe had nearly been emptied.
After so many years, the feeling was indeed a bit wondrous.
And now the time to part had come again.
A few images drifted through Wu Wang's mind: him in an ordinary, low-roofed house, fiddling with a specially configured meal box, looking at two photos laid out before him.
He had stood out among the volunteers not only because his training scores were among the top but also because he had few ties holding him back.
Everyone knew that this mission was most likely a one-way trip, facing the unknown.
But there was no choice; with insufficient technological power, they could only use the limited resources to undertake relatively risky explorations.
What brought Wu Wang a little peace was the last feedback he received after entering the wormhole: it had stopped approaching Blue Star and rapidly collapsed.
"Young Master?" Lin Suqing poked her head in, asking, "Is there anything else to pack? I still have two storage magic treasures empty here."
"No need." Wu Wang exhaled, squinted his eyes forcefully, and then rubbed his nose. "Go rest."
"Oh," Lin Suqing blinked, slowly closed the wooden door, and quietly returned to the hut next door.
However, it wasn't long before...
"How can you go without guards! How can you not take guards!" Xiong Han's shouts rumbled from outside the wooden door. Wu Wang hurried to the door to wait, welcoming his father—whose face screamed 'I'm furious'—into the hut.
Xiong Han was still greatly opposed to Wu Wang going to the Human Domain, but since the head of the household had spoken, he couldn't stop it.
And now, the entirety of the Northern Wilderness was buzzing with tales of 'Xiong Ba, the Scripture Seeker.' Xiong Han could no longer hold back his son.
As soon as he entered, Xiong Han slapped the table and sat down in silence. Only father and son remained in the room.
Wu Wang naturally served tea and poured water, massaged his father's shoulders and kneaded his legs, all with a smile to appease him.
After a long silence, Xiong Han hesitated several times to speak but swallowed his words each time, finally whispering:
"Is the Human Domain really that great?"
"Dad, calm down." Wu Wang tapped the wall. Next door, Lin Suqing immediately activated the soundproofing array, enveloping their hut as well.
He leaned in to grip his father's shoulders, as hard as rocks, and said with a smile, "Dad, I'm going to find a way to live longer; perhaps I can even help you and Mom live for a few thousand more years."
"What's the use of that? Wouldn't that just make us immortal old fogeys?" Xiong Han grumbled.
"When my cultivation level is higher, coming back will be easy. I'll sneak back to see you and Mom. Dad, you know my aptitude; reaching the Nascent Soul Realm and such will be a piece of cake."
"Pah! Do you think your father doesn't know how difficult it is to reach the Nascent Soul Realm?"
"I have a friend named Ji Mo, who advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm in just a few decades."
Xiong Han retorted, "Even so, you still shouldn't go without guards!"
"Dad, bringing guards isn't conducive to staying hidden," Wu Wang said. "Before I even reach the Human Domain, I plan to separate from Suqing and her master. Then, I'll sneak into a major Sect to acquire their Cultivation Methods. And Dad, have you looked at the plan I wrote for you?"
"I glanced at it. What nonsense is that you've written!"
Xiong Han muttered, "Why insist on choosing young men and women from our clan to send to the Human Domain? Cultivation takes a long time, and the power gained isn't that much stronger than what's obtained from the Praying Star Technique by praying to the Star God."
"But this power is essentially different," Wu Wang said. "Take someone like you, Dad—strong, with vigorous vitality, able to lift mountains. That's all due to the Star God's blessing, an extension of the Praying Star Technique. But have you ever considered this: what if, one day, the Praying Star Technique stops working? How would we fight fierce beasts then?"
Xiong Han shook his head and said, "In the Northern Wilderness, not following the will of the Star God will lead to serious trouble."
"That's why I want you to secretly send people, people we can trust," Wu Wang said. "There's no need for them to come back, just consider it a long-term investment."
"I'll think about it." Xiong Han sighed. "You... just go then. Your mother has agreed, so what more can I say."
With that, Xiong Han stood up.
"Leave stealthily to avoid being noticed and attacked on the road."
"Yes," Wu Wang responded, his voice slightly trembling. "I am an unfilial son..."
"As long as you come back to us when your mother and I are old, it's not unfilial. Here, take this."
Xiong Han took out a Longsword from his bosom and threw it on Wu Wang's desk.
"Picked it up by the roadside. Many in the Human Domain use swords. Using a mace or an axe might reveal you're from the Northern Wilderness. Stay out of trouble if you can, and try to avoid fights on others' turf. If you face hardship, just endure it. Alright, alright, I have to go patrol the border."
After speaking, Xiong Han hurriedly bowed his head and left, his robust figure quickly merging into the night, leaving behind only a long, drawn-out sigh.
Wu Wang bit his lip, stood quietly in front of the house for a while, then moved forward and turned back to look at the two wooden huts.
Raising his hand, the sheathed Longsword flew into his palm. He drew it three inches from the scabbard, and a clear sword-hum resonated around him. The word 'Snow' was inscribed on the blade, which shimmered like silver-white glaze, with strands of starlight flowing across it...
A Treasure Sword forged from star ore just lying by the roadside?
CLANG.
The sword returned to its scabbard, and Wu Wang said to Lin Suqing, who was standing at the doorway of the next wooden hut:
"Let's go."
Shortly after, the two wooden huts by the river went up in flames, serving as a goodbye to those in the know.
Wu Wang and Lin Suqing were sitting at the back of the wooden boat controlled by Zuo Dong Taoist, swiftly disappearing into the night sky.
「At dawn, aboard a large southbound ship.」
Wu Wang stood on the aft deck, gazing north. As the night sky faded, his mood gradually settled into serenity.
Suddenly, he saw a carriage racing along the shore, with four Frost Wolves pulling it to a cliff by the sea, their howling continuous, as if calling him back.
From afar, he could still see his mother's figure standing among the clouds, but as the wind from the Northern Wilderness gently blew, that figure quietly faded away.
...
[End of the first part of "The Winds of the Northern Wilderness," to be continued.
Preview of the next part of the plot:
FIRST: "I, Wu Wangzi, am but a humble cultivator. As for why I am sitting in your bathtub, young lady, I think you can give me a moment to think of a proper excuse."
"You are, a man?"
"Hahaha! Brother Xiong, what brings you here? Does the Women's country also have a connection?"
SECOND: "Thank you, Wu Wang, thank you for being with me these years..."
"Wait for me, I, Wu Wang, swear, I will find you! Even if I have to travel over mountains and rivers, I will find you! I'll introduce you to a few of my friends, I'll take you to meet my parents! Wherever you were born, wait for me there!"]