Becoming a Leader in a Primitive Otherworld - Chapter 38

After the bronze arrowhead model was fired, the pottery kiln workers produced a large batch based on it. Initially, the quality varied, but as they made more, the process gradually became standardized.

Xie Yu combined the pottery kiln and bronze smelting teams, barely managing to gather enough people. She then ordered the molten bronze to be poured into the molds one by one, allowing them to cool before removing the finished arrowheads.

The molds consisted of two halves that could be opened without breaking, so the most time-consuming steps were the cooling process and the initial firing of the ceramic blanks.

The tribespeople worked diligently without constant supervision. Xie Yu only inspected the batches after they were completed.

Xie Yu considered the pile of red copper. Though the quantity wasn’t large, each arrowhead required only a small amount of molten bronze, allowing them to produce over two hundred arrowheads.

“Once these are all fired, take them to Gan and Zhi to assemble the complete arrows,” Xie Yu said, stroking an arrowhead. “We must cherish these arrows.”

The pottery kiln workers acknowledged her instructions, and Xie Yu left.

According to her calculations, today should be the day Ping and her group returned. They might arrive earlier or later, but knowing Ping, she would likely push her team to return before nightfall.

In another day or two, winter would set in.

Xie Yu instructed the tribespeople manning the watchtowers to remain vigilant and immediately notify her of any movement.

It wasn’t until the sun and moon had exchanged places that the tribespeople finally glimpsed Ping and her group’s silhouettes.

The guard at one watchtower signaled to the other to notify the Chief, while he remained vigilant.

Yun Nai and Xie Yu hurried to the edge of the village, but they had barely taken a few steps when they saw Ping’s party approaching.

Lian bounded toward them, grinning widely. With a practiced flick of his arm, he smoothly shifted the basket from his back to his front.

He pulled out a snow lotus from the basket and handed it to Yun Nai. “A beautiful flower for the Priest.”

Yun Nai smiled warmly. “Thank you, Lian.”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow. “What about me?”

“Sorry, I only found one. Besides, even if I gave it to the Chief, she’d just give it to the Priest anyway.” Lian shook the basket, its contents heavy and rustling. “Look how many there are! It’s so heavy!”

Ping and the others had now reached them, unloading their baskets from their backs.

Dozens of baskets filled with tung tree fruits were piled on the ground. Some of the fruits were rotten, their brown seeds exposed, giving off a heavy, earthy scent.

“They’re back!” The other tribespeople rushed forward to greet them.

Ke stood behind Xie Yu, her heart racing at the sight of the small slave girl in the middle of the group. Yet her face remained impassive, betraying no emotion.

Yuan stole a glance at her, only to be caught.

Yuan sensed her Master was still angry.

“Come here,” Ke mouthed to her.

Only after the young slave approached did Ke casually glance at her. “Still looking weak,” she remarked.

“That’s how it is, Master,” Yuan replied, bowing her head obediently.

Xie Yu didn’t notice their interaction, but Yun Nai did, shaking her head. Ke’s words could sometimes be quite exasperating.

Xie Yu clapped her hands, signaling the welcoming Tribespeople to split open the tung tree fruits and collect the seeds inside.

These tung trees were actually oil tung trees, and their fruits were inedible. Xie Yu had warned everyone before they set out, and Yuan kept a watchful eye on the group, ensuring no one foolishly tried to eat the fruits.

While tung tree seeds had a high oil yield, the extracted oil wasn’t suitable for consumption. It was typically used for treating wood surfaces. Xie Yu stroked her chin, realizing they still needed to find an alternative source of edible oil.

Flax seeds could also be pressed for oil, but that would be extravagant, and flaxseed oil wasn’t suitable for high-temperature cooking.

The Tribe’s current oil supply consisted solely of animal fats, and even those were scarce.

“Go back and rest well,” Xie Yu dismissed the returning group, granting them leave. Despite their absence, the Tribe had worked diligently, leaving only the Kudzu Vine collection task remaining.

“Hey, we caught two wild chickens a few days ago!” Lin called out to them. “Come take a look!”

Lian and Yan sprinted after her across the river, disappearing in a flash.

Ping shook her head helplessly as she watched them go. She picked up Lian’s discarded basket and led the others toward the storage shed.

The day after Ping and the others returned, heavy snow began to fall. A biting wind howled, and the world was soon draped in a pristine blanket of white.

The first sounds to break the silence were the joyous shouts of the cubs. Unlike previous winters, their cries now carried no trace of fear.

“It’s snowing!”

Xie Yu yanked open the door, a snowflake landing on her forehead. She quickly slammed it shut as the warmth inside slowly melted the flake. The icy water trickling down her face jolted her awake.

Yun Nai, amused by her dazed expression, pulled her close and gently wiped her face. “You’re not just a fool, you’re a dimwit too.”

“Time flies,” Xie Yu grinned foolishly, even as she was being scolded. “Last winter, I had just arrived here. You came before me… were you waiting for me?”

“Yes,” Yun Nai agreed. “I was waiting for you.”

Xie Yu saw through her evasiveness with a sharp glance. “Who were you waiting for?” she pressed.

“I was waiting for you, for Xie Yu.”

“Who were you waiting for?”

“I was waiting for you.”

After asking repeatedly, Xie Yu finally felt satisfied. She leaned down and said, “I came to find you.”

Yun Nai took the opportunity to kiss her.

In truth, Xie Yu didn’t understand what Yun Nai was saying. She simply sensed that Yun Nai had genuinely come to find her.

Without Yun Nai, merely surviving here seemed pointless.

Xie Yu took Yun Nai’s hand and pressed a bamboo fire cage into her palm. “Hold this carefully,” she said, her tone unusually firm and resolute.

“I’m opening the door now. Are you ready?” she asked Yun Nai solemnly, as if about to undertake a momentous task.

“Ready.”

With a joyful tug, Xie Yu pulled open the door.

Snow immediately swirled around them, cold and biting, yet Xie Yu’s heart felt warm.

Perhaps when one’s heart is ablaze with passion, even the harshest weather seems like a beautiful, clear day.

The cubs cheered and leaped about, building snowmen and pelting each other with snowballs, their laughter echoing through the air.

As Xie Yu led Yun Nai past the group, a snowball struck Xie Yu’s leg with a soft thud.

Xie Yu regarded the suddenly silent cubs with a half-amused, half-stern expression.

The cubs exchanged nervous glances. This was no different from defying the Chief. Lin, leading the group, shuffled forward, fear and embarrassment written on his face. “We were wrong,” he mumbled.

“Just be careful next time. Go play now,” Yun Nai said, patting the back of their heads to send them off.

“No wonder everyone likes you,” Xie Yu said, her tone shifting to one of Chief-like dominance as she wrapped her arms around Yun Nai’s waist, a smug look on her face. “But the Priest likes me best.”

Yun Nai, encircled in Xie Yu’s embrace, playfully tapped her cheek. “Who told you that?”

Xie Yu’s expression froze, her eyes welling with unshed tears. “You wouldn’t… you wouldn’t…”

“Go on.”

“You wouldn’t be thinking about Wu, would you?”

Wu hadn’t visited Yun Nai in a long time. Gan had mentioned that Wu and her group had nearly repaid their debts.

While Wu’s ideas seemed absurd to Yun Nai and Xie Yu, they weren’t considered strange by others in this world.

Fortunately, despite her eccentricities, Wu was a decent person.

Yun Nai adored Xie Yu’s silly side.

She nipped Xie Yu’s chin, then tilted it up with a possessive gesture. “I like you best. I haven’t been thinking about her. And you’re not allowed to think about her either.”

“I’m not thinking about her,” Xie Yu said, catching Yun Nai’s slender fingers and kissing them. “I’m thinking about you.”

They walked toward the fish pond, its surface already frozen over. Fat fish swam beneath the ice.

In a few more days, the snow would fall even heavier.

The fish pond was well-stocked, enough to last through the winter even with heavy consumption, supplemented by the wild vegetables and fruits stored in the cellar, along with the remaining game meat.

No one would starve this winter.

One of winter’s advantages was its natural preservation.

“In a few days, we’ll cut down those trees over there. Next spring, we’ll plant tung tree seeds.”

The felled trees would serve as firewood for the winter.

“It takes about five years for tung trees to bear fruit,” Yun Nai said, squeezing Xie Yu’s hand. She noticed Xie Yu’s hand wasn’t very warm either, so they shared a bamboo fire cage.

“Let’s have fish today,” Xie Yu said, tugging Yun Nai closer. “If you want fish, either ask someone else to catch it or let me do it. Be careful not to fall into the pond in this freezing weather.”

Yun Nai playfully punched her.

During winter, the Tribe’s pace slowed. The Tribespeople rarely ventured out to hunt, mostly staying in the camp, taking turns boiling Kudzu Vine.

Paradoxically, winter was often more lively than spring, summer, or autumn.

Yet the Tribespeople also tended to huddle indoors for warmth, leaving their doors mostly open.

After all, everyone carried a bamboo fire cage, and Xie Yu worried that keeping the doors closed for too long could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning from the smoldering charcoal.

The two women strolled leisurely through the camp.

 

Ke clapped her hands, her brow furrowed as she paced back and forth in the room, replaying Ping and Lian’s words in her mind.

“We didn’t talk much on the way here, Ke. Your slave has a lot on her mind,” Lian had said, chewing on a piece of meat and kicking Ke’s heel. “That’s why we don’t want your things. We didn’t take good enough care of her.”

“Oh, all right,” Ke replied.

Yuan lowered her head, waiting for the man to ask questions.

But Ke didn’t ask anything for a long time. Instead, she simply asked if Yuan was cold.

“No, I’m not cold,” Yuan replied obediently.

Ke was waiting for Yuan to speak first.

After another tense moment, Yuan finally ventured, “I’ve thought about it. I’m willing to tell Master.”

“You’ve thought about it, and you’re willing. Only then will I listen,” Ke repeated.

“Yes, I’m willing to speak. Master, please ask.”

“In the Snake Tribe, did she treat you well?” Ke asked, referring to Yuan’s former master.

Yuan lowered her gaze. “In the Snake Tribe, I was treated much better than the other slaves. My former master never punished me.”

“How did she protect you? And why was she so kind to you?”

“When I was captured, I still had the Bone Stone Chain that Amu, the woman who took me in as a child, had given me. My former master liked it very much, so I offered it to her.”

“What about me? Have I been good to you?”

“Of course, Master has been good to me. I’m very fortunate.”

“Am I better to you than she was?”

“My current Master is better.”

“Look up. Why won’t you meet my eyes? Are you angry with me?” Ke pressed, her tone relentless.

“I wouldn’t dare be angry with Master.”

“Slave, slave, Master, Master. Slave, slave, Master, Master,” Ke muttered, her face darkening. Yuan lifted her head at the sound of Ke’s words, but the moment their eyes met, she flinched away as if encountering a predator.

“Don’t avoid me,” Ke’s expression grew even darker. “If you insist on fearing me simply because you’re a slave…”

She recalled Xie Yu’s words: Because of her status, she doesn’t dare speak to you.

Ke suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Stand here and don’t move.”

She darted to a pile of miscellaneous items and pulled out a small bundle containing Slave Tokens. Seizing Yuan’s hand with barely restrained anger, she dragged her—not too fast, not too slow—to the campfire burning at the center of the camp. She forcefully pressed a Slave Token into Yuan’s palm.

Startled by Ke’s sudden movement, Yuan felt her body go weak. “Master, what are you doing?”

Ke wrapped her arms around Yuan from behind, took her hand, and raised it over the fire. “Drop it,” she commanded.

Yuan was momentarily bewildered. “What?”

“Drop the Slave Token in your hand.”

Yuan was stunned again and again. “Master?”

“Drop it. Now.” Ke tightened her grip on Yuan’s hand, repositioned her fingers to release the token, and forced her to throw it into the flames.

The wooden token was devoured by the fire, vanishing completely in moments.

“We’re no longer master and slave,” Ke declared, still simmering with anger. She glanced triumphantly at the roaring fire, as if watching it burn could erase her displeasure.

“And you’re not anyone’s slave either.” Remembering the “original master” Yuan had mentioned, Ke felt a surge of fury. She let out a cold, dismissive snort, feigning nonchalance. When Yuan didn’t react, Ke turned and strode away.

Yuan stared blankly at Ke’s retreating figure, her heart suddenly pounding like thunder. The heart that had been as still as stagnant water now throbbed with a violent, unfamiliar rhythm.

If she was this kind of person, what reason did she have to lie?

So she followed after Ke.

Sensing footsteps behind her and a tug on the corner of her robe, Ke smirked triumphantly.

She really did come after me, the adorable little slave.

The Chief taught me well—strike at the heart first.

“I… Master, please don’t be angry,” Yuan blurted out, instinctively calling her “Master” before quickly correcting herself, remembering Ke’s dislike of the term.

Ke nodded coolly. “Speak.”

Yuan poured out her entire story, leaving nothing unsaid.

From the moment she could remember, she had been with the Tong Tribe. It wasn’t until she grew older that she learned she had been abandoned by another tribe.

One winter, Amu and the other tribespeople were out hunting when they heard her crying amidst a small thicket.

They took her back with them.

After the Snake Tribe conquered the Tong Tribe, Yuan was assigned to Yao, her original master.

Though Yao was moody and unpredictable, she rarely abused her slaves. Once, Yao took a liking to Yuan’s Bone Stone Chain, and Yuan, eager to please her, offered it as a gift.

In return, Yao gave her a small, polished stone.

So, when she said at the Great Market that she was going to return something, she was actually going to ask Yao if she could exchange the small stone and Bone Stone Chain back.

Ke paused, startled. “Why did you lie and say you were returning something instead of telling me you were exchanging it?”

Yuan’s heart trembled with shame at her own deceit.

“I was afraid you might also like the Bone Stone Chain and want to take it for yourself.”

Ke remained silent.

Concealing the pity in her eyes, Ke yawned and asked, “If what you say is true, our Tribe might be willing to accept you. Think it over and give me your answer tomorrow.”

Yuan’s heart stung again at Ke’s feigned indifference. “I understand.”

Ke tensed, then quickly composed herself. She couldn’t afford to soften. “Good. Go get some sleep. Try to give me your answer tomorrow.”

“I understand,” Yuan repeated obediently, turning back to her small wooden bed.

If Yuan were to join the Tribe, her origins would need to be explained. But since she had been abandoned by her first tribe, Ke feared the Chief might refuse to accept her.

They needed Yuan, and only by joining the Tribe could they truly believe Yuan’s loyalty might lie with them.

 

News of Ke freeing the young slave spread throughout the tribe and reached Xie Yu’s ears. As she pondered this matter, the person in question arrived at her doorstep.

“Chief, I’ve come to confess her past. Yuan has already agreed.”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow. “So quickly?”

“She was abandoned as a child and later taken in by the Tong Tribe. She’s forgotten which tribe she originally belonged to.”

Only when a Priest publicly declares someone unlucky before the entire tribe, fearing they might endanger the community, would abandonment occur. Otherwise, no tribe would easily abandon its cubs.

Ke hesitated before finishing her explanation.

“Chief, will we accept her?” Ke asked cautiously, fully aware of the implications of being labeled unlucky by another Priest.

“Of course we will,” Xie Yu replied, touching the bamboo flute at her waist. “Regardless of who she is, anyone who has achieved such a feat deserves to be accepted.”

Yuan’s birth tribe no longer mattered.

Moreover, since her original tribe had abandoned her due to her misfortune, only for the Tong Tribe’s Priest to later adopt her, it suggested a flaw in the original tribe’s Priest’s judgment.

Priests are particularly adept at discerning a person’s inherent luck, especially those with extreme fortune or misfortune.

Acceptance is often more challenging than abandonment. Therefore, the Tong Tribe’s Priest must have carefully considered the matter before taking her in.

Beyond this reason, though Xie Yu had witnessed the Totem’s divine power, she remained fundamentally a person who refused to believe in fate.

Ke’s tightly pursed lips finally curved into a smile. “That’s wonderful.”

Xie Yu needed to understand the Snake Tribe’s situation and how they had conquered the Tong Tribe.

Although Yuan was just a slave, she had lived among the Snake Tribe for a considerable time. Moreover, she would undoubtedly have a clear understanding of the circumstances surrounding the Snake Tribe’s conquest of the Tong Tribe.

Once Yuan joined their tribe, Xie Yu would observe her for a few days before personally questioning her.

They had to start making plans.

The locations of the major tribes were no longer secrets. Their willingness to openly declare their territories proved their defensive capabilities.

This was why Yao, the Snake Tribe’s second-in-command, didn’t care if her former slaves leaked information.

First, slaves knew very little.

Second, even if secrets were leaked, no one would dare attack.

Third, even if they did attack, they would be defeated and forced to retreat.

Among the tribes Xie Yu knew, the Elephant Tribe occupied the northwestern part of the continent, claiming the largest territory. The Snake Tribe was located in the southwest, while the Tiger Tribe resided in the south.

The Deer Tribe, which she had met at the Great Market, was said by Sha to be situated west of Mount Po, about a nine-day journey on foot.

As for the Fish Tribes, their locations were common knowledge.

Feng’s Fish Tribe was located on the northeastern coast, where three other Fish Tribes were scattered. The largest Fish Tribe occupied the southeastern sea.

From what Xie Yu knew, all the tribal chiefs were seasoned veterans.

She didn’t believe she could easily defeat them.

Feng, being of the same generation as Yu’s Amu, might show some familial affection, but she would never offer help without a clear motive.

Moreover, while the major tribes maintained a delicate balance of power, crushing Xie Yu’s tribe would be as easy as reaching into a pocket. Her earlier assumption that the major tribes wouldn’t let their rivals benefit seemed misguided.

If they agreed beforehand on how to divide the spoils of war, the other major tribes wouldn’t fall into the “鹬蚌相争” scenario Xie Yu had imagined. Besides, their meager resources hardly seemed worth fighting over.

Therefore, the Shadow Tribe had no chance of reaping any benefits from the conflict.

Given the current situation, if the stalemate persisted for another decade—or even less—the continent would inevitably erupt in flames and war.

Xie Yu’s temples throbbed twice, and a sharp pain shot through her head. She opened the door to look at the snow.

She didn’t dislike snow; in fact, she rather liked it.

Seeing snow always reminded her of Yun Nai.

At the same time, Yun Nai’s worried expression from the night before yesterday flashed through her mind.

Yun Nai had warned her that something unexpected would happen to the tribe soon, but she couldn’t specify what it was.

Xie Yu could only instruct her people to remain vigilant.

 

The underground cellar was piled high with wild vegetables and fruits, nearly as fresh as when they were harvested. A faint, earthy aroma permeated the air. Each day, the Tribe distributed rations according to population.

The two chickens were equally content, daily pecking at the fodder provided by the Tribespeople and hopping around their coop. Their egg production remained modest, yielding only one or two eggs occasionally.

After completing their communal duties, the Tribespeople busied themselves with personal tasks, maintaining an orderly rhythm to their lives.

In recent days, the Tribe had continued its routine as usual. Yet the more things remained unchanged, the more Xie Yu felt a growing unease.

Suddenly, she yearned for Yun Nai, wanting to rush out and find her. The moment the thought struck, she was already sprinting out of the camp.

Yun Nai wasn’t in the Pharmacy, nor anywhere else. A deafening drumbeat suddenly reverberated from the watchtower.

Lian and several others came running frantically. “Chief!” Lian shouted. “Something’s happened to the Priest!”

Xie Yu followed Lian and the others as they raced out of the camp, listening to her recount the events.

A group of cubs had been playing in the snow, gradually wandering to the edge of the camp. Yun Nai noticed them and called for them to return.

But just as she reached the outer edge of the fence, four wildlings suddenly ambushed her, brandishing machetes and stone spears.

The sentries tried to shoot them down with arrows, but the four figures charged forward with reckless abandon. In moments, their blades were at Yun Nai’s back.

Yun Nai ordered the cubs to flee back to the Tribe and stay inside.

By then, the cubs had already been herded back into their dwellings.

“Was the Priest injured?” Xie Yu asked urgently, suppressing her fury.

“No, no. They seem to be using her as a hostage,” Lian added.

Last winter, she had found her. Could she lose her this winter?

Xie Yu’s panic intensified, a vein throbbing at her temple.

The cubs’ mischief had distracted the sentries, who failed to recall them immediately and didn’t even notice the four intruders. Clearly, the guards had grown complacent.

The group swiftly arrived at the gathering crowd.

“Do you know what punishment the Totem will inflict for killing a Tribe’s Priest? Release her now if you don’t want to face divine retribution!”

“We’re all going to die anyway. Who cares about punishment?” the speaker rasped, his body trembling from cold and hunger.

Refugees? Xie Yu wondered. In this freezing weather, escaping here would be nearly impossible.

Or perhaps not refugees. Normal refugees would only beg for food. How could four of them dare declare war on an entire Tribe?

When the others saw Xie Yu, they were about to call out to her, but she silenced them with a wave of her hand.

The four wildlings ahead—two men and two women—were surrounded. They wore crude garments made of soft tree bark.

The two men stood guard, circling the perimeter defensively, while the two women pressed stone knives against Yun Nai’s neck.

“Release her,” Xie Yu demanded.

“And who are you?”

“Her bonded.”

“Ah, hehehe, you must be very worried then,” the threatening figure sneered, pressing the stone knife harder against Yun Nai’s neck, drawing a faint line of bl00d.

Xie Yu took two steps forward, her voice cold. “What do you want? Release her, and I’ll give you anything.”

“You can’t give me what I want. I only want to speak with your Chief.”

“The Chief has led the hunting party out. I have the authority to handle this. You can speak to me.”

The wildlings’ vigilance was too comprehensive, covering all angles. A surprise attack would be futile and might only provoke them further.

As Xie Yu spoke, she met Yun Nai’s gaze. She saw the faint trickle of bl00d quickly coagulate, and noticed the scrapes on Yun Nai’s hands and legs.

Yun Nai remained composed as always, but Xie Yu couldn’t maintain the facade of calm.