4 Chapter 3 Humiliation_1

[The clan leader has released a new book. For those who are no longer interested in the old one, you may want to check out the new one, "Humanity Uprising". This new book ameliorates the various flaws of the old one and presents a fresh tale of the Great Wasteland!]

As the sun sets and the moon rides high, the perilous vast land becomes even more fraught with danger, teeming with the threat of impending harm. The Gu Yuan Tribe, enveloped under the veil of night, seems particularly striking on this open land.

In front of the tribe's entrance, women gather together in small groups, standing on either side of the open space with anxious expressions, their eyes darting amongst the crowd of hunters returning from their hunt, their faces filled with worry and anticipation.

However, upon seeing their men emerge from the darkness bearing their game, they'll inhale deeply in relief, then start glancing around as if they've done something secretive they do not wish to be seen. Assured that no one noticed their small actions, they would placate their pounding hearts and stride toward the crowd.

After the hustle and bustle subsided, the busy Gu Yuan Tribe quietened down. On the pitch-black streets, warriors on patrol would occasionally appear, as the tribe was always on the brink of danger, in constant fear of assault from foreign tribes.

Crack! Crack!

A series of sturdy and powerful footfalls resounded along the silent road. Under the dim moonlight, two robust figures emerged. One was full-bearded with a scar like a caterpillar near his eye- a textbook model of a mountain king.

The other was not as exuberant in appearance but didn't look handsome either, with his darkened face revealing a lifetime's worth of experiences, having clearly been through many hardships.

The two arrived in front of Xiao Chen's door. They looked at each other, their round eyes hinting mutual indecision, neither willing to knock first.

Inside his stone house, Xiao Chen was organizing the martial arts techniques he practiced. After all, the old saying goes, to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools.

The path of martial arts is about seizing the essence of heaven and earth for oneself, refining oneself to elevate one's life levels. There can't be the slightest mistake in this process, as seen with warriors who have fallen into madness due to improper cultivation, who may end up breaking their meridians and becoming crippled, or, worse still, losing their lives and vanishing into thin air.

As the original young chieftain, Xiao Chen was one of the important figures of the Gu Yuan Tribe, hence he held some privileges. He didn't have to practice the ordinary popular techniques like the rest of the tribe. Instead, he was practicing the Barbaric Bull Roaring Sky Technique, a mid-tier human class technique from the tribe's collection. Unfortunately, this technique was incomplete. It was said that if complete, its grading could potentially reach the terrestrial tier.

Legend has it that the Desolate Wilds Behemoth Bull is a ferocious beast from the ancient times, naturally possessing unparalleled strength. Upon maturity, it was said to have the strength of a million catties, capable of slaying both immortals and demons. The Barbaric Bull Roaring Sky Technique was created by earlier generations by observing this ferocious beast, Desolate Wilds Behemoth Bull. Additionally, it comprised three parts of spear techniques.

On the Desolate Wild Continent, martial arts techniques vary in three tiers: heaven, earth, and human, each further divided into three levels: high, mid, and low. Generally speaking, even low-tier human martial arts techniques are hard to come by. Just like in the Gu Yuan Tribe, where they only had two mid-tier human class techniques, adding up all the low-tier human techniques and even lower-quality ones would not amount to more than a dozen. This was the result of the tribe's accumulation over nearly a thousand years. As for techniques of mid-tier human ranks and above, the entire Gu Yuan Tribe had never owned any. To them, such techniques only existed in legends.

After finishing his practice, Xiao Chen exhaled deeply, stood up, walked toward the door, and smiled at the two figures outside, "Why don't the both of you come in? Is there something dangerous inside my house that's making the two brave warriors who wrestle beasts hesitate to enter?"

Although the two didn't say anything outside, Xiao Chen, being a martial artist who has reached the Perfect Bone-Tempering Realm, and having considerable influence in the tribe, could sense their presence as soon as they arrived.

"Ha! Ha! I told you, my old mate, that the chieftain would notice us. What's the point in all this sneaking around?"

Upon hearing Xiao Chen's words, the scar-faced sturdy man grinned with a raucous laughter.

The other person did not respond to his words but bowed politely to Xiao Chen before saying, "Greetings, clan master."

"You're too kind, sirs. You're both elders in the tribe and my superiors. If my father were to find out, he would surely give me a severe scolding". Seeing the sturdy man bow, Xiao Chen quickly stepped forward to stop him from doing so. Xiao Chen's ability to maintain his chieftain position after the old chieftain's disappearance had a lot to do with the whole-hearted support of these two men.

"Ceremony must not be abandoned. You are now the chief of our Gu Yuan tribe. Every move you make represents the prestige of the tribe". Although Xiao Chen advanced to help the sturdy man named 'Iron,' he was immovable, maintaining his respectful bow and sternly eyeing the other sturdy man.

"Lin Shan pays respect to the clan master". Under Iron's intense gaze, the other sturdy man finally gave in, succumbing under Iron's gaze.

Luckily, none of them were sticklers for formality. After a brief exchange of greetings, they were invited into the house.

"The reason for your late night visit, I suppose, is regarding the outrageous demand by the Black Mountain Tribe during the daytime?"

Entering the room, everyone took their seats. Seeing the hesitancy on the faces of the two men, Xiao Chen understood they were concerned about damaging his pride and were uncertain of how to voice their thoughts.

The two of them were the trusted companions of the previous tribal chief and had watched Xiao Chen grow up. They were like his closest subordinates, bearing nothing but sincere affection towards him, so he decided to bring up the subject himself.

During the day, when the young tribal chief of the Black Mountain Tribe caused a commotion in Gu Yuan, neither of them was present. To protect the tribe from attack, they had been out hunting with Ironstone while Lin Shan guarded the tribe from any possible raids. After hearing the news, they held off telling Xiao Chen for fear of dampening his spirit, which is why they ended up standing awkwardly outside his room that night.

"Heh heh, my dear Chief... your wisdom sees through all. My little tricks cannot hide from you," Lin Shan coughed twice, rubbing his palms together seemingly unconsciously.

"Since it's come to this, we won't beat around the bush any longer. We came here today to discuss this matter," Ironstone began, pausing momentarily as if to collect his thoughts.

Xiao Chen did not interrupt their dialogue, but rather leaned forward attentively. In a short while, Ironstone resumed, "Chief, your martial arts talent is not extraordinary but it's above average. At the age of twenty, you've reached the Peak of the Bone-Tempering Realm, which can be counted within the top ten of our tribe's history. With our tribe giving you full support even if it means tightening our belts for the next two or three years, you might well reach the Blood Refining Realm. By then, it will be our tribe's time to rise. Even leading our tribe to become a medium-tier tribe is not out of reach."

"We know that you do not wish for our people to be humiliated. But now, with the old chief missing, our tribe is like a chunk of fresh meat surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. What we lack now is time, so achieving an alliance by means of marriage, to grant the tribe two years, is crucial."

"We, too, are aware of the hardships the child, Mu Qing, suffers—our women are treated unjustly. It's a failure on Gu Yuan's part; as warriors who can't protect their own people, their own women, it is a disgrace! A disgrace to all the men of Gu Yuan! Such humiliation! We would rather take up our war sabers and fight to the death against the foreign tribes than tolerate this shame. Even if we die in battle, we will die without regrets. But if we die, then who will protect our tribe, which is teeming with the old, the weak, women, and children? If they fall into the hands of foreigners, they would be better off dead. Alas!"

It seemed like he was venting, his voice progressively transforming into an agonized bellow. The usually stern and tough warrior's voice began to tremble. His eyes, brightly glimmering in the firelight, looked bloodshot.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

"It's our fault! We were entrusted by the old chief to take care of the tribe and you when he was leaving, and look at the mess we've created within a year. Not only were you badly injured in an ambush, even punks from other tribes had the audacity to step on our territory! We're useless! We're completely useless! We've had to depend on a feeble woman to tide the tribe over this crisis!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lin Shan raised his right hand and struck his own face hard.

"Stop! Stop it! Uncle Lin, Uncle Iron, please allow me to speak before you make such rash decisions."

Seeing Lin Shan's desperate actions, Xiao Chen, who was initially composed, was taken aback and hastily put a stop to his self-imposed punishment.

Seeing their reactions, Xiao Chen realized that he had taken things too far. Once their feelings had settled somewhat, Xiao Chen sincerely said, "I apologize, uncles. I've been too reckless in acting without consulting you both."

"Are you saying you already have a solution to this, Xiao?

"Uncles, this matter is of an utmost importance, I will need to ask for a little more patience. For reasons I can't explain right now, I ask that we delay this for a few days. In that time, everything will become clear. Please forgive me for this."

After weighing his options, Xiao Chen decided not to reveal his secret. He firmly believed in the saying, 'When the king is no longer secretive, then his subordinates can't be trusted; when subordinates are not secretive, then their leader can't govern.' In simpler terms, the confidentiality of a matter must be maintained until it is resolved; this should apply to everyone involved, in order to achieve the goal of keeping a secret. Ultimately, there holds true another saying, 'There is no wall under the heavens that leaks no wind.'

If one less person knows about it, then the Gu Yuan Tribe is that much safer. If the news of his imminent breakthrough into the Blood Refining Realm were to leak, someone might take advantage of the situation and eliminate him before he can fully mature.

Xiao Chen's words left the two burly warriors dumbfounded. They hadn't expected him to respond in such a way. Xiao Chen had grown up under their watchful eyes, and they were very familiar with his habits. The shift in his tone caught them by surprise, leaving them barely enough time to react.

"Uncles, our tribe is currently being severely tested, and the hearts of our people are in turmoil. Although the majority of our people share the same anger and collectively guard against foreign enemies, we can't deny that there are always a few treacherous individuals who act contrary to the interests of the tribe. Therefore, I ask that you both assign extra manpower to keep an eye on them over the next few days, and prevent them from causing further turmoil. Sooner or later, we will have to round them all up."\p>

Xiao Chen had anticipated their reaction and decided to seize the moment. He continued to speak before they could regain their bearings.