“Fifteen of them! Not bad!” Ye Chu cast an appreciative look toward Xiang Chunan. The people of Xiang Chunan’s village were all ordinary folk. None had cultivated. Yet they had gone to hunt Gold-Peck Birds.
Gold-Peck Birds were a type of bird unique within a thousand li radius of this place. These birds were quite peculiar. Their beaks were extremely hard, like diamond, capable of easily pecking through bluestone.
It was precisely because of this that these birds were extremely difficult to catch. Normally, when Xiang Chunan and the others went out, catching seven or eight was already quite good. He had not expected that this time they had actually caught fifteen.
“We were able to catch so many this time because we discovered a flock of Gold-Peck Birds. That was how we luckily got fifteen. We won’t have such good fortune next time. But Ye Chu, you and Miao Tong and the others should try not to go out these days. Gold-Peck Birds will actively attack people. If you get pecked by that diamond-like beak, it will be troublesome.” Xiang Chunan reminded Ye Chu. These people got along very well with Ye Chu. Especially seeing Tan Miao Tong, a woman like a celestial maiden, their mood lifted every time. They did not wish for such beautiful women to meet with accidents.
“I understand!” Ye Chu smiled and nodded at Xiang Chunan. Ye Chu naturally did not fear these Gold-Peck Birds. With his strength, no amount of Gold-Peck Birds would be of any use. However, Ye Chu would not explain this. Since Xiang Chunan treated him as an ordinary person, he would simply live here as an ordinary person for now.
“Brother Chunan, let’s go back first and give the Gold-Peck Bird beaks to the clan chief. After turning in the task this time, there will still be plenty left over. Perhaps we can forge a weapon from Gold-Peck Bird beaks!” Several youths beside Xiang Chunan were excited.
Gold-Peck Bird beaks were very precious materials. Weapons forged from them were sharp and hard. Even with ordinary refinement, they would not be inferior to Sun-Moon artifacts. They had not cultivated, so obtaining Sun-Moon artifacts would be of no use to them. But if they had weapons forged from Gold-Peck Bird beaks, it would be different. In the future, even if they encountered fierce beasts while hunting in the mountains, they would not need to be too afraid.
“Then let’s go back first to see Grandfather!” Xiang Chunan smiled honestly, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at Ye Chu with a somewhat foolish air.
Ye Chu patted Xiang Chunan’s shoulder, nodded at him, and gestured for him to go ahead.
Watching Xiang Chunan and the others leave, Ye Chu then turned his gaze. He saw several children playing games at the village entrance, grabbing mud and throwing it everywhere. The smile at the corners of Ye Chu’s mouth grew deeper.
Yao Yao also liked to play with mud. Back then in Yao City, he had accompanied Yao Yao for quite some time, and had often been looked down upon as not right in the head. Ye Chu could not help but think of Bai Xuan. He thought that if it were not for the Supreme Will within him, and the need to constantly grow stronger to prevent its loss, he would truly be willing to live in seclusion with Bai Xuan, living such a leisurely life.
“Giddy-up…”
Ye Chu was watching the children playing with mud at the village entrance in a daze, but this daze was quickly broken by urgent shouts of giddy-up. Ye Chu followed the sound and saw a group of people in the distance riding fierce beasts galloping this way. These people looked at the children at the village entrance and actually did not rein in their beasts at all, instead allowing them to charge straight through, their ferocious nature fully revealed.
Several children at the village entrance were frightened out of their wits. They threw away the mud in their hands and fled in panic, their faces pale, wailing and crying loudly one after another.
One child stepped on a stone and did not steady himself, directly falling to the ground. He was about to be trampled by the beast’s hoof. When Ye Chu saw this, he quickly waved his arm, stirring up a force that pushed the child to the side, allowing him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Hahaha…”
The group of people riding beasts over looked at the wailing children and laughed heartily, their eyes full of delight. They reined in their mounts and shouted toward the village, “People of Xiang Family Village, come out quickly to receive the emissary!”
The group stood arrogantly atop their beasts. The beasts let out roars from time to time, frightening several children into even louder wails.
Ye Chu picked up the child who had just fallen, gently patting her back. “Xiang Xin, don’t cry. It’s alright, it’s alright!”
“Brother Ye Chu!” The little girl in his arms, seeing it was Ye Chu, threw herself into Ye Chu’s embrace and cried even harder, her hands tightly gripping the corner of Ye Chu’s clothes. Terror still lingered in those watery eyes.
“It’s alright, it’s alright!” Ye Chu saw the little girl’s pale face and felt a surge of anger in his heart. He suppressed his rage and tried his best to comfort Xiang Xin. This little girl was very lively. Normally, when she saw him and Tan Miao Tong, she would sweetly call out brother and sister. Ye Chu liked her from the bottom of his heart, and had even secretly diluted some sacred liquid for her to consume.
“Good girl! Don’t be afraid. In a moment, Brother Ye Chu will play with you!” Ye Chu smiled at Xiang Xin, trying his best to calm the terror in the little girl’s heart.
…
While Ye Chu was comforting Xiang Xin, the other people in the village were also alarmed. Quite a few ran over to pick up the frightened children and began comforting them.
Of course, among these people, quite a few cast resentful gazes toward the warriors riding the beasts.
The village chief of Xiang Family Village, Xiang Fu, was supported by Xiang Chunan as he walked to the village entrance. Xiang Fu nodded to the villagers beside him, signalling them to step back and protect the children. Only then did he step forward, bowing toward the several people on horseback and shouting, “Greetings, Emissary!”
The several people looked down at Xiang Fu from above and wasted no words, shouting at Xiang Fu, “Enough nonsense. Present this month’s tribute!”
This shout caused Xiang Chunan and the others to instantly glare with rage, their eyes full of resentment, wishing they could swallow these people whole.
The gazes of the Xiang Family Village youths caused the several emissaries to sneer a few times. “What are you looking at? Believe it or not, this emissary will kill all of you!”
“Damn it!” Several youths of Xiang Family Village were at the age of hot blood. They had long been fed up with these people, hating them to the extreme. Seeing them act this way, they rolled up their sleeves one by one, biting their teeth, veins bulging with rage…
“All of you, stop!” Xiang Fu saw these youths about to charge forward and roared. This finally subdued all the youths.
The several emissaries, seeing the group subdued by the shout, looked at everyone with sneers. “I thought you had the guts to rebel. Hmph, Xiang Fu, at least you know what’s good for you. Since that’s the case, hand over the tribute.”
“Chunan!” Xiang Fu shouted to Xiang Chunan beside him. Although Xiang Chunan was extremely unwilling in his heart, he could only grit his teeth and take out a bag, handing it to Xiang Fu with some anger.
Xiang Fu paid no heed to Xiang Chunan’s emotions and delivered the bag into the hands of the several people. “These are the two hundred Gold-Peck Bird beaks the emissary requested. Please inspect them, Emissary!”
The leading man took it and tossed it to the person beside him to check. After counting and confirming, he nodded and smiled. “Now that’s sensible. However, from this month onward, the tribute will be doubled. You are still short two hundred!”
“What?” Quite a few villagers instantly flew into a rage, glaring ferociously at the leading few and roaring, “We agreed on two hundred. On what basis are you demanding we double it!”