Chapter 4 — Thanh La Phong Nguyet Ky

The mother's eyes were slightly gloomy. She was silent for a long time, then took out a soft-colored jade pendant from her lap and placed it in my hand. As soon as Ngoc touched the skin, it became warm. The surface is also engraved with strange lines. "This is something my father left behind. He... before he left, he vaguely said that there were some things... that weren't what we saw on the surface. But he didn't have time to say it clearly... now it's useless to repeat it. I'm keeping it, as a little memorial." I tightly grasped the warm piece of jade, feeling a familiar breath that did not belong to my mother but to my father, and my heart was filled with thousands of emotions. I secretly made up my mind - I must try harder to practice. 18 My cultivation never improved at all, and I didn't dare to tell anyone directly, so I had to go to the Archives every day to see if there were any related classics. That day, I went to the Storehouse again. This place stores countless scriptures: animal skins, jade slips, most of which record cultivation methods or mountain geography. We carefully review and select each book. Unintentionally, my waist touched the piece of jade—suddenly I realized it was so hot that it burned my hand. I picked up the jade piece. Not only did the temperature not decrease, but it also slowly guided my hand towards the corner of the wall, where there was an old wooden shelf that not many people noticed. There were several tattered rolls of animal skins piled up on it, and even the book's title was so faded that it was impossible to see. Here… why is there anything important? Why did father's jade pendant lead me here? I bent down and gently brushed away the moldy and crushed scrolls. His finger probed deep into the narrow gap between the wooden shelf and the wall... finally touching something cold and hard. This place… what secret does it hide? I kept prying, it took a while to get it out. A scale as large as the palm of your hand, black as ink, cold as ice, emitting a suffocating aura. This is absolutely not an item of the fox clan! 19 I held the scale tightly in my hand, and while I was confused, the jade pendant became hot again. A pale light flashed, pointing towards a roll of animal skin being used... as a chair leg. I pulled it out, opened it and looked at it - the handwriting on it was so familiar that my heart seemed to stop beating. It's my father's autograph! "...the legend of Xich Dong, I'm afraid it's not nothing... Today, Ho Luc mentioned the sacred item of the wolf tribe again, saying that it contains positive energy, which can compensate for the shortcomings of the fox tribe's yin veins, wholeheartedly advising me to go investigate... My heart is uneasy. That day, I saw him secretly talking with a black-robed monk, in that person's hand holding this very same scale, the evil spirit is overwhelming... This is too strange, I'm afraid it's not just the enmity between the two races... Tonight, I have to find Ho Luc to ask clearly..." At this point the words suddenly stopped, as if someone forced them to stop writing. Ho Luc... is the name of Elder Ho! A chill ran straight down my spine. The hand holding the scales and animal skin trembled uncontrollably. Why did Elder Ho want his father to investigate the sacred relics of the wolf tribe? What is this flake? What did father intend to question that night? Father's death... is it not simple? At the exact moment my mind panicked, a gentle voice suddenly rang out behind me that sent chills down my spine: "Chuoc Hoa, what are you... looking for here?" 20 I was startled. It's... Elder Ho! It is absolutely impossible for him to find out! I tried to stay calm, turning around slowly. Elder Ho didn't know how long he had been standing behind hour. His face still has that familiar gentle smile... but looking at it now makes me shiver. “Elder!” I tried to keep my voice calm, tightened my hands on the scales and ash, and hid it directly in my sleeve. "I encountered difficulties in my practice and felt a bit restless... so I came here to find a method to calm my mind." Elder Ho lightly glanced at the position I was just standing at and smiled: "It's normal for the path of cultivation to be bumpy and arduous. Being hasty is not good." He paused for a moment, his voice still as gentle as spring water in early spring: "There are old things... like rotten meat. Digging deeper will only spread the bad smell. Chuoc Hoa, you are a smart child, you must know what to touch... what not to touch. Don't let... go into your father's footsteps." He... knows. 21 My back was immediately drenched in cold sweat, and the wolf fangs in my sleeves suddenly became hot! “It seems that that wolf cub is also very affectionate… but he still managed to come all the way to this place.” The gentle smile on Elder Ho's face finally disappeared, revealing a cold and sinister look. "Unfortunately... none of you can leave here today! Give me those scales!" He waved his sleeve, powerful magic like an avalanche rushing straight towards me! Not far away, there came a fierce demonic force and an angry wolf roar. Lang Thuong is here! “Hmph, seek your own death!” Elder Ho snorted coldly. “Hoa Nhi, go quickly!” Her mother's voice suddenly rang out from the dark place. She rushed out and used all her strength to hit Elder Ho's back! “Mother!” I glared until I wanted to crack. Elder Ho turned around and slapped down with a fierce palm. My mother was like a kite whose string had been broken. She was thrown hard into the cliff. She was immediately seriously injured and fainted, appearing pale and weak. “I don't know how to control myself!” Elder Ho's eyes were as dark as an abyss. 22 The Forbidden Storehouse was torn apart by a force, and Lang Thuong appeared. As soon as he saw the scene before him, his eyes immediately changed color. “Old thief!” With sharp claws and terrifying wind power, he rushed straight at Elder Ho. "Bring your mother away! Chuoc Hoa!" Lang Thuong used his body to block the attack, tightly wrapping himself around Elder Ho, as if he wanted to exchange his life to keep him at bay. I don't hesitate anymore. Following the direction of his father's jade pendant, embracing his mother, using all his magic power, it turned into a stream of blood light and rushed towards the forbidden area between Thanh La Son and Bac Canh. “A Tranh, come here quickly!” Behind me was Elder Ho's angry roar and Lang Thuong's heart-tearing sound transmission: "Come to Co Uyen! Wait for me!"