Becoming a Leader in a Primitive Otherworld - Chapter 2

Xie Yu realized that in her memory, “contracting” was similar to marriage.

The Old Priest meant for her to bond with Yun Nai, but Xie Yu didn’t have deep feelings for Yun Nai, and she didn’t know if casually contracting with someone might have unforeseen consequences.

Xie Yu frowned almost imperceptibly and turned to look at Yun Nai.

The cold stone walls, illuminated by the firelight, took on a warm hue. The light reflected off Yun Nai’s snow-white profile, but she seemed indifferent, remaining silent.

As the next Priest, Yun Nai had only appeared before the Tribe three times in the past six months.

The first time was when she entered the Tribe’s territory and was taken as a disciple by the Old Priest.

The second time was a few days ago, when the Tribe’s hunting team suffered severe injuries, and she stepped forward to heal the warriors.

The third time was now, facing the contracting ceremony.

Thus, Xie Yu had only met Yun Nai three times.

“Chief, after contracting, Yun Nai will belong to you, and you will belong to Yun Nai,” the Old Priest explained, glancing between Yun Nai and Xie Yu.

The Tribe members’ eyes shone as they stared at the trio. Xie Yu cleared her throat, adopting the Chief’s authoritative demeanor. “Lower your heads.”

Most of the people immediately bowed their heads, no longer daring to look.

The howling wind outside seemed to mock Xie Yu, whispering in her ear that there was no going back.

The others lowered their heads, their eyes fixed on the ground with a flicker of hope. Ke, gathering her courage, spoke up, “Chief, we believe in you.”

“Yu, if you don’t want to, let Du be Chief. Then she can Contract with the Priest,” a woman crouching in the corner suddenly suggested, her eyes darting around. The Old Priest had only said the Chief and Priest must Contract, not that it had to be Chief Yu specifically.

“Jiu!” Ke roared, hearing her younger sister Jiu’s words, convinced she had lost her mind.

Reminded by Jiu’s words, Xie Yu frowned, recalling her half-sister Du.

Du had been found by the previous Chief—Xie Yu’s Amu—during a hunting trip. She was thirty-two fu younger than Xie Yu, roughly a year.

Now, Du was considered one of the Tribe’s most capable warriors, second only to Ke, with several warriors loyal to her.

For years, Xie Yu and Du had coexisted peacefully. But after Xie Yu inherited the Chief’s mantle from Amu before winter, and Amu passed away shortly after, Du’s ambition began to surface.

In recent days, Du had been secretly slipping away with her two newly recruited lackeys, their purpose unknown.

Xie Yu turned to Jiu, who met her gaze without flinching.

This was a provocation, Xie Yu thought, narrowing her eyes.

Jiu’s attitude reflected Du’s intentions.

Before Jiu could react—

Whoosh!

A stone, roughly a quarter of a palm wide, hurtled from Xie Yu’s direction with unimaginable speed, striking the ground half an inch in front of Jiu’s foot with pinpoint accuracy. The impact left a deep dent in the earth, scattering debris.

It was Yu’s habit to conceal stones beneath the outer layer of her animal hide, always prepared for any eventuality.

A cold sweat broke out on Jiu’s forehead. If the stone had struck her foot, she would have been crippled. Being unable to walk in the dead of winter was no different from being sent to Apam.

The others dared not speak, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

In this moment, only those with sufficient power had the right to speak.

“What should you call me?” Xie Yu asked with a faint smile.

Ke and another man, Li, glared at Jiu. “Jiu!”

Jiu stumbled backward, trembling. She should have waited for Du to return.

She glanced at the two Priests, hoping to see some sign of opposition to Xie Yu on their faces.

The Old Priest kept his eyes closed, while Yun Nai’s icy gaze made Jiu’s head feel suddenly heavy, her shoulders hunching forward. She had to bend over to ease the pressure.

“Chief…”

Xie Yu nodded with a smile, continuing to ponder the matter of Contracting.

Having lived in this environment for years, her body’s senses were remarkably sharp. Her vision, hearing, and even sense of smell were far superior to what she had possessed in her previous life.

Thus, Xie Yu could clearly detect the faint scent in the air—the lingering metallic tang of bl00d emanating from the still-healing wounds of those injured during the recent hunt.

Memories of the original owner of this body surged back.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter—the Tribe had endured countless cycles. She couldn’t let their legacy end with her.

Since she couldn’t return to her former life for now, she would stay and clean up this mess. She couldn’t stand by and watch them perish, especially since her own survival was intertwined with theirs in this harsh environment.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Xie Yu accepted her situation with remarkable swiftness.

“I agree. Does the Cloud Priest?” she asked, meeting Yun Nai’s gaze.

The other members of the Tribe pricked up their ears, their eyes wide with anticipation as they awaited the Priest’s answer.

A Chief asking for consent before Contracting? This was unheard of.

Even the previous Chief, Song, who had three Contracted partners, had never bothered to ask for their consent.

“Yun Nai agrees,” the woman standing beside them spoke, her voice as cold as ice yet as clear as a flowing spring.

Her pronunciation was impeccable, almost identical to Xie Yu’s, a clear and pure voice.

Xie Yu was surprised by her immediate response, as if she hadn’t even needed to think.

Hearing Yun Nai’s answer, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated, replaced by low, rumbling cheers: “Woo-yay! Woo-yay!”

“Good,” Elder Priestess Luo opened her eyes, her voice thick with an ancient accent and reverent tone. “This contract must be forged before Apam’s face.”

Apam’s face? Could they actually see this totem named Apam now? Xie Yu expertly concealed her surprise and nodded in agreement with the priestess’s words.

“Apam embraces all power,” the priestess said, her eyes gleaming with fervor as she leaned closer to the flames.

The power of the flames was undeniably immense.

“Let Apam in the fire witness all!”

“Let the Contracting take place in this cave,” Elder Priestess Luo exhaled a breath of stale air.

The Shadow Tribe currently had five caves: one for the Chief, one each for the two Priests (though these were quite small), and two larger caves for the rest of the Tribe.

With most of the tribe gathered in this cave, now was the perfect time to perform the Contracting ceremony.

“Let’s begin,” the Old Priest said, picking up a concave stone from beside him and scooping a little water from a larger, similarly shaped stone basin filled with water.

He poured the water over the animal bone to cleanse it, then took two long, green leaves draped over a pile of rocks and wrapped them around the bone.

In the next moment, the Old Priest reverently placed the bone into the fire. Flames licked at his hand, yet he showed no reaction, as if he felt no pain.

The bone, now at the heart of the fire, was quickly engulfed. The Old Priest withdrew his hand and tapped the stone floor in front of the fire with a wooden stick.

“You two, come here.”

Xie Yu and Yun Nai stepped forward and knelt.

The coldness of the stone seeped through their knees, spreading along the contours of their skin, the sensory stimulation making the moment feel even more real. Xie Yu glanced at Yun Nai beside her.

She was kneeling perfectly straight.

The Old Priest scooped another bowl of water. “Extend your hands.” He then used a small stone knife to make tiny cuts on the tips of their index fingers.

The bl00d dripping from the cuts landed in the stone bowl with a ting, dispersing into the water and blending seamlessly.

The animal bone was retrieved from the flames without any burns to the Old Priest’s hands. The flattened bone was coated in ash, forming strange, symbolic patterns.

“Apam has nodded,” the Old Priest said with satisfaction, pouring half the water from the stone bowl onto the fire.

“Wuye! Wuye! Wuye!” The Tribe members cheered, pounding their chests in jubilation.

Instead of extinguishing the flames, the water caused them to burn even more fiercely. Suddenly, a tongue of fire erupted from the heart of the blaze, shooting upward and instantly illuminating the entire cave.

The firelight reflected in everyone’s eyes, and the cold seemed to recede.

The bowl of water was handed to Xie Yu. She accepted it with both hands, her memory reminding her to drink half of it.

The water, now mingled with their bl00d, flowed down her throat and into her body. She felt as if she were burning from within, her resistance to the cold noticeably strengthened. The scar on her arm began to fade at an unnervingly rapid pace.

Yun Nai finished the remaining water, a shimmering drop clinging to her thin lips.

The Old Priest spoke solemnly.

“Yu, Yun Nai, you have formed a bond under Apam’s watchful eye. Apam has descended, bringing forth the First Light.”

Xie Yu listened attentively as the Old Priest explained the nature of the First Light. After a moment, the Old Priest fell silent.

She looked up, meeting the Old Priest’s gaze. His cloudy eyes held a mixture of hope and reassurance. Xie Yu suppressed her burning curiosity.

“You,” Xie Yu rose to her feet and turned to face the Tribe. Noticing they were still bowing their heads, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Raise your heads.”

Xie Yu’s earlier display of strength had temporarily quelled any dissent within the Tribe. No one dared to challenge her now.

A sea of eyes turned to stare at her in unison.

“From now on, you will treat the Priest as you treat me,” Xie Yu declared, gesturing to Yun Nai beside her. “Her words are my words.”

“Yes,” the Tribe members responded, their voices varying in volume.

Xie Yu released Yun Nai’s hand, her fingers brushing against the Priest’s cool fingertips—as cold as her voice.

Xie Yu glanced down, the stark contrast in their skin tones immediately apparent. She coughed to mask her awkwardness.

With the Contracting ceremony concluded, a series of rumbling sounds erupted. One stomach growled, and another responded in kind, echoing through the cave.

The reverberations lingered, refusing to fade.

The person whose stomach had betrayed them lowered their head, clutching their belly in embarrassment.

“We still have some wolf meat left,” Xie Yu said. “Ke, distribute the remaining meat.”

The harsh winter had its advantages: the frozen conditions preserved the food perfectly, preventing spoilage.

The remaining wolf meat would last them four meals, meaning by midday the day after tomorrow, they would face starvation again if they didn’t find new food.

Ke led a group to carry the wolf meat, while Li remained to guard the cave.

Li was a towering figure, Xie Yu estimated his height at around 1.95 meters. He was also a member of the hunting team.

As Xie Yu pondered their next move, the Old Priest’s staff struck the ground. He addressed her and Yun Nai, “You two, come with me.”

With that, Luo slowly approached the cave entrance, pushed aside the concealing branches, and stepped outside.

“Priest,” Xie Yu said, deferring to Yun Nai.

Yun Nai nodded slightly, likely in acknowledgment.

Xie Yu breathed a sigh of relief. So this Contracting shouldn’t be a big deal. The two of them were practically strangers, just with an added layer of connection.

As she followed behind, about to exit the cave, she glanced back at Jiu. Seeing the girl still huddled in the corner, she didn’t look again.