Translated by Joycelyn
Although Shao Xuan was puzzled about the slaves and slave master that appeared here, first he still had to settle down with the travel team before he could talk about anything else.
That slave master had quite a few housings here. At such an intersection, it was a common sight to see many people come and go. Every day, many travel teams like the Pu tribe settled here, he would then charge a certain ‘fee’ on them.
Everything that was said was done by the slaves though.
But Shao Xuan had discovered that the slaves that had been despised by the Pu tribe, their body condition may be poor, but compared to those wanderers, they seemed to have something else.
Yes, power. It’s power!
Those slaves somehow had more power than the wanderers! It wasn’t necessarily strength, it could be something like speed, reaction speed or something else.
There was pain on the slaves’ faces. Some were so numb that they could turn a blind eye to the contempt in the eyes of the surrounding people.
Becoming a slave, they had abandoned all their beliefs they had in the past, and from now on, there was only one belief they could have: their master.
The night deepened.
Fan Ning did not talk more to that slave master as he still had a team to arrange.
For now, the place where they had settled down didn’t have very good conditions. The area was small, with everybody squeezing together. But this was still better than having been bitten by mosquitos by the river side. Also, when its night time, the outside was not very safe. Who’s to say that you won’t be cut down by the wanderers; it is always good to have preparations, so it is still better to huddle together.
As for Chacha, there was absolutely no need for Shao Xuan to worry. This brat could survive even when they were hunting. Here, those beasts were not any threat to him. Even if he met with any danger, he would also look for Shao Xuan.
At this time, in the surrounding area, the differently shaped houses that Shao Xuan had seen before, each had started building fires. The people who had gone out came back with the results of a day’s worth of labour. Some came from the forest, some came from the river where the travel teams stayed. They knew how to do rough work, however their rewards were small.
A slim figure walked in the nightfall. The wooden stick in his hands waved like in a dance. The buzzing mosquitoes were driven away like a big slap by it.
Coming to a not very big wooden house, he moved away a block of thick wood, and in a flash he went in. In the same way, he quickly put up that block of wood again to keep the mosquitoes away.
You’re back!?
In the house, there was a similarly skinny women inside, carrying a young child sitting there. Her face showing exhaustion. The child in her arms sleeping.
In the corner, there was a piece of wooden plank. That was a bed. On it was the figure of a skinny young child.
En.
The man who had just returned put his beast skin bag, that had many holes, at the side, and took out today’s harvest.
It was a fruit, a fish and a rabbit from the forrest area.
The surrounding beasts that could be hunted had already been almost wiped clean. They had limited strength, if they went any further out, they would die. There was not much else but fruits, many of which were still not ripe or had been picked by others already. Today was still counted as a lucky day, he found some big fruits at a not easily found area in a corner.
Seeing the fish and the rabbit, the woman’s eyes lighted up. This was already very good.
The woman laid the child carefully onto the wooden plank. She cooked the fish and the rabbit, as they were already cleaned up when they were slaughtered outside, there wasn’t any need to do any more treatment to them. They could be directly cooked.
After having them cooked, she came back and took a bite from one of the fruits, and after a while, the woman then chose a fruit with more juice in it and placed them on the wooden bed near the one year old child’s mouth.
Having food, that child also didn’t care to sleep. Just hugged the fruit and chewed quietly.
The woman then again placed two fruits on the wooden bed with her daughter on it and said:
First eat a little.
How was today?
The woman asked.
The man sighed and shook his head.
At first, there were his family and ten more other people. Three among them had joined other tribes, one managed to successfully stay behind, while two others were driven away and did not survive; four formed a group and went to the mountains to hunt and were forced to stay behind forever by the beasts; two had become slaves. The remaining one joined their family and had always stayed here, almost for ten years already.
If it is really impossible, I plan to find people to leave together. We should change to some other place, I have already spoken with them today.
The man said.
While talking, a few knocks sounded on the block of wood that was blocking the entrance.
Yan Shuo, open the door!
Once hearing the guy’s voice, the man immediately relaxed his originally tense muscles, letting go of the stone knife, that was full of notches on it.
The person who came in was shorter than Yan Shuo by a little, skinnier than Yan Shuo too, like he was only wrapped in skin. HIs two eyes were bloodshot, breathing unstably, looking like he had just made an important decision.
What is wrong?
Yan Shuo asked.
The guy came in and suddenly raised his head. Because he was too excited, the expression on his face became a little distorted.
Yan Shuo, I….decided to……go over!
The guy exclaimed while looking in another direction.
Yan Shuo eyes opened wide due to the surprise.
I …. Really can’t stand it any more! Today I met them again, they had power once again.
That guy burst out.
Yan Shuo knew who the ‘they’ were. They were the ones that came together with them earlier, those that became slaves. The area in front, where that guy was looking at before was where the slaves were living at now.
Yan Shuo gaped, not knowing what to say. He had originally wanted to leave with everyone and find a nice place to stay, work hard to live on. However, who would have thought that the other had already given up, couldn’t endure it anymore. Having no power really made people feel oblivion.
Okay, i’m going,
That guy walked over the door but stopped again, his back facing Yan Shuo, slightly tilted his head:
Quickly make a decision, also, stop thinking about the impossible stuff anymore.
After the guy had left, Yan Shuo sat inside silently, looked at the fire in the fireplace, and stared wordlessly.
Eyes gazing straight into the fireplace, the muscles on Yan Shuo twitched twice, the meridians on his not stark arm could be visibly seen. The weirdest thing was that the lines on Yan Shuo’s face were not very clear, however, if Shao Xuan were here, he would definitely recognise them immediately. That that was the Flaming Horns tribe’s warriors’ totem pattern on his face!
Only, compared with the Flaming Horns tribe’s totem warriors, the patterns on Yan Shuo’s face were very light. It was not stable either, sometimes it would be clear, sometimes it was completely faded. There were also no other patterns on the upper body or the arms.
Yan Shuo had always thought, his own power was not merely just this. But because they were wanderers, and had no origin flame, therefore he could not become a real totem warrior.
He knew his own ancestors were from the Flaming Horns tribe. The stories passed down from each generation, everybody kept them in their hearts, Flaming Horns tribe, and the totem of the tribe.
Dad had said the Flaming Horns tribe is still here.
Yan Shuo mumbled.
Flaming Horns tribe members, each are strong and big warriors. They can easily lift a bear, sporting the flame’s twin horns totem pattern. They are able to cover their entire body with it, the Flaming Horns tribe flame, it can cover an entire mountain….
Yan Shuo originally only mumbled while talking to himself, his tone was still considered calm, just like narrating a story. But slowly his tone brought along depression, his eyes reddening.
Because of obsession, Yan Shuo’s ancestors has added a ‘Yan’ [
炎
] or a ‘Jiao’ [�[角]n their descendants’ names. This is so that they could always remember their own tribe’s name [�[炎角部]if one day they could find their tribe, their wishes would be fulfilled. Therefore, the descendants were not allowed to join other tribes, not allowed to become slaves. Even if they died, they were not allowed to betray their own tribe.
However, so many years had passed, the Flaming Horns tribe was already no longer remembered by people. The people around had no one who had heard of this kind of tribe. No matter how many times Yan Shuo had said that the Flaming Horns tribe still exists, the totem flame was still burning, the others just would not believe.
But Yan Shuo’s power was indeed stronger than the others, also, he could slightly reveal totem patterns. He could stick around until the present, this was also one of the reasons he could continue.
But now, he felt at a loss.
They came with the other ten people at first, all of them did not manage to endure through, now there was only his family left.
Leave?
If there were not enough people, once their family leaves, before reaching their destination, they would probably die.
Two days ago someone left, but the next day, he had been found by someone in a nearby river. His body drained of blood, it was the deed of those mosquitoes. His bottom half had been chewed up, the deed of the wild beasts that came from the woods at night during their activities. If, let’s say if, another day had passed, he probably would not even have his head intact either.
Even if Yan Shuo was stronger than the rest by a bit, but it was only compared to the other wanderers; against those totem warriors, it was not even able to compare.
Power!
Only when you have power, then can you live a better life in this world.
This was also one of the reasons why the wanderers that could not endure anymore became slaves. Becoming a slave means you lose your freedom and much more, but at least they could be awarded power from their masters!
Only, how to choose?
Is it to continue to endure, keep on looking, or wait for the Flaming Horns tribe’s news to come, or be like those wanderers who gave up enduring and find a tribe to lean on, or become a slave.
No, definitely not!
Yan Shuo’s both hand held his head.
Cannot give up, no! Dad has said that the tribe is still here, definitely here!
The woman sitting on the wooden plank, after seeing her husband this way, hesitantly wanted to comfort him, but she had also wondered if should they should be like the rest and choose another path?
But, when the woman wanted to speak up, the woman realised that on her own husband’s body, there were some patterns along his face, extending to his neck, then his arms; a pattern like flames started appearing from the shoulders down to his entire upper arm, then after some time….
That…..That…..
The woman was overly shocked, no words could come out.
Yan Shuo, who was hugging his head in thought lifted his head up when he heard her. his eyes were still stained with blood red strands. Seeing his own wife being like this, he felt a bit uncertain, but seeing where his wife was pointing at, the moment when he looked at himself, he had also seen the totem patterns that had spread out.
From the moment he was born till now, other than the time when he was ten years old, only translucent patterns had appeared, there were no other such instances. But now, these totem patterns that had appeared….
These patterns, were just like prepared firewood that had not been lit, but today they had ignited, although not clear, but the outlines of the patterns could still be seen
Yan Shuo remembered about what his own father had said:
You must believe, in our blood the power still exists, it is only in a dormant state. When one day, the time is ripe, it will start to slowly be awakened.
At the same time, Shao Xuan, who had closed his eyes to rest in a small crowded room with the others, suddenly opened his eyes, and turned his head sharply to look in the direction of where Yan Shuo was.
