The words had barely left his mouth when several barbarian warriors spun around, hefting stone spears and axes, staring warily at Yang Kai with a chill running down their spines.
Though they had been preoccupied with their comrade's condition moments ago, the instincts of a warrior still lived in their bones. Yet not a single one had sensed someone approaching from behind — it was simply unbelievable. Had the intruder harboured any ill will, they would all have met their end right here.
After all, this was a Shaman!
The woman who had been tending to the wounded also flinched, though her reaction wasn't nearly as violent as the warriors'. She turned around and pressed her hand down in a calming gesture, signalling to her companions to stand down.
Then she spoke: "I know he's been poisoned. I've already cast the Toxin Extraction."
"Not very effective, is it?" Yang Kai tilted his head to look, considered for a moment, then said, "Want me to lend a hand?"
"You?" The woman furrowed her brow, a trace of distrust in her eyes. First, this Shaman was a complete stranger — who knew whether he was friend or foe. It was perfectly common for Shamans and warriors from different tribes to come to blows out in the wild. Second, Yang Kai was only a low-grade Shaman, while she herself was a high-grade Shaman. If she couldn't handle this, what could he possibly do?
Yang Kai shrugged. "Just an offer."
"Which tribe are you from?" the woman asked.
"The Southern Barbarian Tribe!" Yang Kai paused, then added, "You're from the Frost Snow Tribe, aren't you?"
Thanks to the village chief's crash course before his departure, Yang Kai had been able to identify these barbarians' origins. In this primordial world, barbarians of certain tribes bore very distinct characteristics — for example, the Fiery Wrath tribe warriors he had encountered in the canyon before all had flame-petal totem markings painted on their faces, the mark of the Fiery Wrath tribe's Green Lotus Holy Fire.
The Frost Snow tribe members didn't have any obvious facial totems, but when the woman had cast her spell earlier, the elemental attribute of her spiritual energy had given Yang Kai a pretty good guess.
Not every barbarian tribe had such obvious markers, though. The Southern Barbarian tribe, to which Cangnan Village belonged, was one such example — which was why the woman couldn't recognise where Yang Kai came from.
Having been found out, the woman made no effort to hide it. She nodded. "That's right. We're the Frost Snow Tribe. Do you have a way to neutralise the poison?"
"I can try."
The woman frowned. She didn't truly believe Yang Kai had the ability, but at this point she had no choice but to try anything — a dead horse treated as a living one, as the saying went. Although she had used her Shamanic arts to suppress the wound and drawn out some of the toxin, it hadn't been fully purged. The Bone-Eroding Wolf's venom was ferociously potent; even the tiniest residue could turn the mightiest barbarian warrior into a puddle of pus. Left untreated, he would be dead within three days at most.
But three days was no longer enough time for them to return to their tribe.
"Then go ahead!" The woman stepped aside.
Yang Kai walked forward.
A Frost Snow warrior growled, "My lady..."
The woman raised her hand, cutting him off before he could say more.
The stares the other barbarian warriors fixed on Yang Kai were unmistakably laden with distrust.
Yang Kai paid them no mind. He walked straight to the wounded Frost Snow tribesman and crouched down, examining the injury carefully. Even he couldn't help but feel a degree of admiration.
It was fortunate that barbarian warriors were robust and blessed with vigorous vitality; otherwise, an injury like this would have killed him ten times over. Yet here he was — one arm gone, his body saturated with deadly poison — and not a single groan had escaped his lips. His mind seemed perfectly lucid, though his face was pale and twisted with pain.
After studying the wound for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand and delivered several sharp slaps to the barbarian's body — firm but not excessive. Spiritual energy surged with each strike. After a few palms, the warrior's ashen complexion flushed an alarming crimson. He opened his mouth, and a jet of black blood erupted forth.
Yang Kai had been prepared. He dodged the spray without hesitation, then shattered the ice seal on the warrior's severed arm. He placed both hands on the warrior's shoulders, and spiritual energy poured into the man's body.
Under the unblinking gazes of the Frost Snow tribesmen, the wounded warrior's body suddenly began to shudder violently. A moment later, a roar tore from his throat — raw and bestial, like a wounded predator — sending a jolt of alarm through everyone present. The next instant, a torrent of blood gushed from the severed arm. Where it splattered on the ground, it hissed and sizzled, corroding hole after hole into the earth, a testament to the ferocity of the toxin.
The bleeding lasted a full ten breaths. Throughout the entire process, if not for the female Shaman's restraining hand, the other Frost Snow warriors would almost certainly have rushed in to stop Yang Kai.
After ten breaths, Yang Kai withdrew. He turned to the woman and said, "Seal the wound."
The woman responded immediately, raising her hand. A wave of frigid energy surged toward the severed arm, and in the blink of an eye the wound was frozen shut.
The wounded warrior, having lost far too much blood, was now deathly pale — his aura so faint it was barely perceptible, as though he were already dead.
Yang Kai rose and stepped back. The barbarian warriors crowded forward at once to check on their companion's condition.
Before long, one of them looked up. "He seems to be doing much better. Just lost too much blood."
He glanced at Yang Kai, his gaze complicated.
Only then did the female Shaman nod. She turned to Yang Kai and said, "My name is Yu. What's yours?"
"Ah Niu," Yang Kai replied with a gentle smile.
"So it's Shaman Niu. Praise be to the Barbarian God for bringing us together here!" The perpetually cool and composed Yu finally allowed a hint of a smile to grace her face.