Even for a shaman, this was far too frail. The young man before him looked barely past adolescence — thin arms and legs, an ugly face, the kind of wretched appearance where a single flick of the finger ought to send him flying.
"The strength of A Niu is not something you can comprehend!" A Hu sneered repeatedly.
The surrounding villagers also gazed at the barbarian warrior with mocking contempt.
They had once felt the same way about A Niu — that he was weak as a reed, even inferior to children of thirteen or fourteen. But the beast tide invasion a few days prior had thoroughly shattered that perception.
That was a terrifying combat power beyond their reach and an unstoppable bravery they could only admire from afar.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, it would have been impossible to imagine that such immense strength could be hidden beneath that kind of frame.
The barbarian warrior of the Rage Flame Tribe let out a derisive snort, indifferent to A Hu's words. He clearly didn't consider them the slightest bit threatening. He simply turned and said, "Lord Ya is waiting for you inside. Follow me."
As he spoke, he took the lead and headed forward.
Yang Kai stepped after him, with over a hundred villagers following close behind.
Entering the canyon, A Hu and the others looked around. They could see the archers of the Rage Flame Tribe stationed along the cliffs on both sides, shadowing their every move. Their bows and arrows were never lowered — an unmistakable warning that any rash action would be met with a devastating volley.
Before long, the group reached the deepest part of the canyon. In the flickering firelight, over a hundred members of the Rage Flame Tribe looked especially grotesque and terrifying.
The warrior who had led them arrived before a bonfire and murmured something to a burly barbarian seated cross-legged on the ground. That barbarian then raised his gaze slightly and looked Yang Kai over, along with the villagers behind him.
This was their shaman!
Yang Kai had seen him through the Eagle Eye technique before, so he recognized him at once.
Ya studied Yang Kai quietly, a flicker of unconcealed surprise passing through his eyes. Like the warrior before him, he clearly felt that Yang Kai looked absurdly weak. Although shamans among the barbarian tribes did not particularly emphasize the cultivation of physical strength — spending most of their time in meditation, so their bodies were inevitably a notch below those of other tribe members — this was the first time Ya had ever seen someone as soft-skinned and delicate as Yang Kai.
"What should I call you?" Ya asked, examining him carefully for a moment.
"A Niu." Yang Kai gave a slight smile, neither servile nor arrogant.
"Then Shaman Niu… may I ask what brings you here?"
Yang Kai replied, "I've come to reclaim my spoils."
Ya's brow furrowed. "Your spoils?"
Yang Kai pointed. "Those you've got roasting over the bonfire, and the ones laid out over there — those are my spoils."
The Rage Flame Tribe members, who had been looking at Yang Kai with sneering amusement, erupted into fury at his words. They shot to their feet and glared at him, clearly intent on beating him to death on the spot.
Ya frowned, then broke into a smile. "You're saying all these dead beasts are your spoils? What proof do you have?"
Yang Kai shrugged. "I don't really have any particular proof." He paused, then added, "A few days ago, our village was attacked by a beast tide. The villagers fought it off with great difficulty, and I pursued the stragglers into this valley and slaughtered every last one of them. Unfortunately, I was alone and couldn't carry all that meat back, so I had to return for help. I didn't expect you lot to get here first."
Ya's expression turned quite interesting as he stared at Yang Kai in astonishment. "Did you just say… you chased them here alone and killed every last one of these beasts?"
"That's right." Yang Kai nodded, then added, "Oh, and there was one barbarian beast as well."
"One barbarian beast?" Ya's expression grew even more colorful.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" The Rage Flame Tribe members surrounding them suddenly burst into uproarious laughter, as though they had heard the funniest joke in all the world. Even Ya couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head repeatedly.
If Yang Kai had banded together with the other villagers and managed to defeat the beasts in this canyon, that would have been barely believable. But he actually claimed to have killed over three hundred beasts and a single barbarian beast — all by himself!
Anyone with even a shred of reason would never buy such a claim.
The warrior who had led Yang Kai and the others in suddenly cast a mocking look at A Hu. "Is your shaman a fool?"
"What did you say? Say that again!" A Hu was instantly enraged.
A shaman was the leader of a village, its chief. Any shaman was the supreme symbol of their settlement. To insult a shaman was to insult the village and the tribe that shaman belonged to!
How could A Hu and the others possibly tolerate that?
"A Hu!" Yang Kai called out and shook his head at him.
A Hu gritted his teeth and swallowed his fury back down.
"Very well, I think I understand your intentions in coming here." Ya smiled faintly, composed and unhurried, clearly accustomed to dealing with brash young men like Yang Kai who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. "How about this — seeing as you're fellow tribesmen and have come from far away, I won't make things difficult for you…" He turned to the Rage Flame warrior. "Give them ten. Let them go."
The warrior heard the order and, though visibly reluctant, had no right to refuse a command from the shaman. He could only obey.
"Ten… Lord Ya is most generous." Yang Kai smiled faintly, showing no gratitude whatsoever.
"Young man, don't test my patience." Ya's expression suddenly turned grave. "The name of our Rage Flame Tribe should not be unfamiliar to you. If this were back in my day, you'd already be lying on the ground. So… take what you can and leave while you still can."
Yang Kai nodded. "I'll remember Lord Ya's advice. However… I maintain that Lord Ya should return all of my spoils. They don't belong to you."