Translated by Lesyt Team
Edited by Ilesyt
Putting the stone into the animal skin bag, Shao Xuan looked at Fu Shi and asked,
Is there something wrong?
Oh, yes!
He had just seen the crocodile give the stone to Shao Xuan so he paid attention to this and almost forgot to tell what the chief had said.
The Drumming tribe was no longer in danger and in at least one year it would not see a huge change. Hearing that in a few days the Flaming Horns tribe would leave, the chief, Fan Mu, intended to invite several important figures of the Flaming Horns tribe to a feast.
This was a custom of the Drumming tribe. They would serve important guests with the best food as a token of their appreciation. However, there were too many people of the Flaming Horns tribe that came here, so it was impossible for them to invite all of them. They only invited the seniors of the Flaming Horns tribe and warriors who played an important role in this event. As for other people, they would send some food to them, even though they could not invite them.
Shao Xuan led Fu Shi to meet Ao and the Shaman, and they accepted the invitation. They would go to the central area of the Drumming tribe tonight.
The event was held at night rather than during the day, because Fan Mu wanted to decorate with the water moonstones to show their great sincerity. They couldn’t see the beauty of the stones during the day.
In the evening, Ao brought fifty people there with the Shaman, and Shao Xuan was included.
In order to help those of the Flaming Horns tribe find the way, they placed the water moonstones from the fleet to the place where the dinner party was held. In this way, the stones could emit light so they could see the surrounding places clearly.
Currently, the moonlight was bright enough, but the light of the water moonstones was not weaker than the moonlight. Walking in the woods, Shaw Xuan felt that there werestreet lamps.
There was an open area in front of Fan Mu’s house and there were fire piles on the ground. There was meat roasted over the fire and soup was cooked next to it.
The water moonstones were piled on the wooden pillars, which lit up the surroundings.
It was a very simple dinner party, but in this place it was a grand one.
The warriors of the Flaming Horns tribe did not mind. They were used to gathering around the fire. They sat in a circle, chatted, and roasted food so they enjoyed themselves.
This dinner party was held to show their appreciation, and Fan Mu also asked about whether the Flaming Horns tribe needed to go to the Pu tribe to participate in the trade. Soon after the Water Moon Festival, the Drumming tribe would send a trading team to the Pu tribe to exchange for something.
Hearing that they could trade with other tribes, all the warriors of the Flaming Horns tribe present here looked at Ao with sparkling eyes and expected his agreement.
Chewing the meat, Ao was silent for a few seconds, and said,
Not all but just ten go there.
Then Ao ordered ten people to go there, including Shao Xuan. After all, Shao Xuan knew much about the situation there, which made Ao felt assured.
Chief, me, me!
Ke Ke was not ordered so he hurriedly reminded him.
Ao glanced at him, but did not said anything. He always felt he was unreliable.
Ke Ke made quite a lot of contributions in this defensive war, and the number of his
prey
ranked the top five. The people of the Flaming Horns tribe didn’t falsely report their amount of prey. They did not dare to do that. No one had ever told a
lie
or delivered a
false report
to the chief, the Shaman or the team leaders, unless someone did not know how to count numbers. In general, the numbers reported were true and credible.
Ke Ke felt disappointed for he couldn’t follow them to trade with others even though he had made such a great contribution. When the dinner party ended, and the Flaming Horns tribe returned, Ke Ke still tried to ask Ao for permission.
Before they left, Shao Xuan went after Ao and others, he wanted to learn bout the situation of the Pu tribe from the leader of the Drumming tribe’s trading team.
After Shao Xuan finished asking and then left, Ao and the other people had already returned to their resting place and got ready to sleep.
Shao Xuan walked in the woods alone, the water moonstones around had not been put away, which looked like street lamps in a row on one side of the road. The shadow cast by branches was swinging on the ground.
Raising his head, Shao Xuan looked to the night sky. In the dark sky, the two moons begun to wane without stars around.
There were no electric lights, no pollution, no mechanical tools, and no comfortable hotels. He could breathe in the damp air of the forest and the beauty of the nature feasted his eyes.
The breeze was blowing, and the leaves in the trees were rustling. Shao Xuan could clearly feel the change of the airflow when the wind blew the trees.
Closing his eyes, he couldn’t see anything but he could sense more acurately.
He could hear the noise made by the rubbing of leaves, the laughter of the Drumming tribe people afar, and the sound of crocodiles moving in the pool.
The changes of the wind speed, the direction of the air flow, and the acute sense helped Shao Xuan confirm where the trees and blockades were. He didn’t need to open his eyes to accurately find the way out.
He avoided the tree trunks, bypassed the bushes, and went across the prominent soil lumps on the ground.
Shao Xuan walked faster and faster, and more and more smoothly. Everything around him formed a three-dimensional picture in his mind. In this picture, he could accurately determine the locations of the obstacles.
He even felt that if he had enough time he could even count how many ten-meter tall trees were next to him, how many branches as thick as an arm, and how many leaves.
Yes!
This feeling was more and more distinct.
In such a state, Shao Xuan slowly immersed himself in the woods. Walking in this unfamiliar forest, he could close his eyes with ease.
While walking, Shao Xuan found that there were bright spots in the three-dimensional picture in his mind. Most of these spots were slightly away from him, and the moving spots were as white as the water moonstones.
Those were the people of the Drumming tribe?
Shaw Xuan felt it carefully and found some people that he was familiar with, such as Fu Shi, Qing Yi, Fan Mu… etc.
Some of them didn’t leave the party and some were patrolling in the woods. Only one was… abnormal!
In the front, there was a moving spot coming towards him. This spot was not as white as the people of the Drumming tribe. Instead it was an unobtrusive gray. If he was not careful enough, it would’ve been easy for him to miss this spot.
Not a person of the Drumming tribe?
He was very strange. Naturally he was not a member of the Flaming Horns tribe.
So who was he?
Shao Xuan opened his eyes and looked to the front.
There were almost no footsteps, but he was approaching.
Shao Xuan stood still with a sword in his hand, looking at that place quietly.
Probably he had noticed Shao Xuan found him, so he no longer hid himself. His footsteps became loud, but he still controlled the sound and rhythm. It sounded as if a patrol warrior of the Drumming tribe walked at such a speed and made such noise.
A strong figure came out. Judging from his stature, he looked and dressed like many warriors of the Drumming tribe.
Are you a member of the Flaming Horns tribe?
The wild voice of the man showed randomness and familiarity, as if the people of the Drumming tribe said to those of the Flaming Horns tribe.
Shao Xuan also saw his appearance as the man slowly approached.
He looked like a person of the Drumming tribe.
You are a patrol warrior? What is your name?
Shao Xuan asked.
The man smiled, and it seemed he was a bit embarrassed to tell him.
I was just, being lazy and taking a rest, and just going for a…
The man said slowly and finally he stopped before finishing the sentence.
Really keen.
The man glanced at Shao Xuan’s sword in his hand. He noticed that Shao Xuan did not have confusion so he knew that he was recognized. He no longer made any excuses, and even his tone changed.
Actually, I am just a bystander.
He said. His voice didn’t betray his age or gender.
Crack, crack, crack…
With sounds of several cracks of bones, Shao Xuan saw that the man’s body shape was changing. He had been burly but now became thin. His face was also changing. He no longer looked like a member of the Drumming tribe.
Bang!
It was like the sound of a wooden pillar falling down.
The man suddenly pushed off his feet, his legs were as lean a wet wood. However, it seemed that they were as hard as the steel. Shockwaves were caused by such a powerful force, and everything touched by his feet scattered around. The weeds on the ground were torn into small pieces, and that slightly dry soil in the bush instantly smashed to dust.
The man stamped, jumped, and rushed towards Shao Xuan. His entire leg that swung to him was as cold as a sword, and showed its arching orbit in the air. It attacked Shao Xuan with great strength.
Shao Xuan did not intend to resist this attack directly, but he chose to retreat to avoid it.
Missing the target, the man did not stop. Like a snake biting others, he stamped and bounced again, and it seemed he wanted to try once again.
However, beyond the expectations of Shao Xuan, this time, after stamping, he disappeared. He didn’t hid himself, but ran away.
Shao Xuan:
…
The man only took two steps since he was discovered.
In the first step, he tried to kick Shao Xuan, and looked as vicious as a beast’s claw and a serpent’s teeth. It seemed that he had intended to kill Shao Xuan. However, in the second step, he suddenly changed his strategy and then ran away.
Shao Xuan did not follow him for the man acted in such a strange manner. He could run so fast that it was not easy to catch up with him. Moreover, he was so powerful. In addition, Shao Xuan did not feel that the man attempted to kill him even if he had just tried to kick aggressively, but he had failed. He did so in order to frighten Shao Xuan and retreat immediately.
Shao Xuan looked at the man disappear in the distance, and wondered who on earth he was.
When he had stayed in the Drumming tribe before, he had encountered someone who was good at camouflage. He was not a member of the Martyr tribe.
Could he be the man what the people of Drumming tribe called
Thief
?
His purpose was to steal water moonstones? But he couldn’t be. There were so many water moonstones along the way and none was stolen.
So, as he said, was he just a bystander ?
Encountering such a strange person, Shao Xuan naturally would not keep it as a secret. He took out the wooden whistle and blew it. Hearing the whistle, the patrol warriors closest to him came here, and so did those who had not left and stayed with Fan Mu. They didn’t know the meaning of the whistle of the Flaming Horns tribe, but they knew Shao Xuan would not just whistle for no reason.
Not only the people of the Drumming tribe, but also those of the Flaming Horns tribe who had just returned to the temporary shelter immediately rose, but they did not go look for Shao Xuan at once. They looked around with vigilance first, because they knew meaning of the whistle of Shao Xuan. They just needed to be alert, rather than go there.
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