Roland saw the unfamiliar Mengya and Xu Zifan and looked curious. He smiled and said, "Hello, I am Roland, the seventh prince of the Mermaid Clan. Are you from the Leopard Clan?"
Xu Zifan considered carefully and said, "Mengya is from the Tiger Clan. Now I'd like him to protect me as I go to see the other clans."
Roland was somewhat surprised. A female wanted to visit other tribes? What were they going to see? Sada quickly recounted Xu Zifan's background to him. Roland listened while maintaining his elegant smile and gestured for him to go. "Then please, Wise One, visit our seafood. If Wise One can facilitate our trade with other tribes, our Merfolk will certainly repay you."
Xu Zifan nodded and followed him into the merfolk's tent. He saw many familiar seafood items such as crabs, mantis shrimps, mackerel, and kelp, only they were three or four times larger than they had been on Earth. He wasn't very good at cooking, but he knew how to prepare medicine, and Shao Hua had a vast collection of recipes, so he knew how to remove the fishy smell. Xu Zifan immediately asked Mo Wen for some medicinal herbs, took out the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns he had collected along the way, prepared a seasoning, and then threw the seafood that could be cooked directly into the stone pot to boil.
Then he took two mackerel, removed the bones, sliced the meat, and made a pot of boiled meat. The aroma filled the trading area, and almost everyone gathered around to see what they were doing. Xu Zifan then took the meat of the ferocious beasts that Mengya had hunted, skewered it, and grilled it by the fire. The simplest version of barbecue and hot pot was thus made; this was the best he could do.
As soon as the skewers were cooked, Sada took the first bite and her eyes lit up. She sat down next to Xu Zifan excitedly and asked, "Zifan, this is delicious! Can you cook anything else?"
Xu Zifan said righteously, "You'll have to use your own brains in this regard. I'll only tell you what you can eat and how to eat it. If you just do whatever I say without thinking, you'll be puppets and won't survive. So I'll show you the way, and the rest is up to you to cooperate."
Sada and the others agreed. It was normal for their chieftain to not teach them everything step-by-step when giving instructions. Xu Zifan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, successfully overcoming the "poor cooking skills" label. He could now just wait to discover the gourmet of the orc world. Anyway, Shao Hua had the recipes, so his directions were definitely correct.
When Roland saw that everyone had come over, he smiled and distributed the food to everyone. Everyone praised how delicious it was, but after the beastmen ate, they shook their heads and said, "This little bit isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap. Isn't it too much trouble? The females should like it, right?"
Orcs are not particular about their food, they even eat raw meat, so they are not very willing to spend time cooking. But Sada is a complete foodie. As soon as he heard this, he put the remaining meat into his own bowl, with a smile on his face. "If you don't like it, don't fight with me for it. I love it. Zifan, let's make some more. Roland, I'll give you your reward later. Let me have a big meal first."
Roland smiled and said, "It's alright, it's my treat for everyone, so you don't need to be shy. I can afford to treat you to this meal."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zifan grilled some oysters and yellow croaker nearby. Mo Wen savored the herbs in the soup, glancing thoughtfully at Xu Zifan, her heart tipping slightly in his favor. Besides, these things weren't difficult to prepare; they could really exchange for more seafood to take back for the females. However, Xu Zifan then added that seafood spoils easily, and under current conditions, it was best to dry it for preservation. Fresh seafood could only be stored in the colder parts deep inside the cave, which would be another problem to solve later.
Xu Zifan's words left everyone confused, prompting them to inquire about his identity. Thanks to Sada's deliberate propaganda, news of Xu Zifan's background and his past conflict with the Tiger Clan quickly spread throughout the base. When Xu Zifan and Mengya stayed in the Leopard Clan's tent that night, everyone became even more certain of this; otherwise, wouldn't this be a slap in the face to the Tiger Clan? However, their reaction to the wise man's appearance was mixed. Some believed that no one would dare lie about the Beast God, and that listening to Xu Zifan would ensure a good life. Others feared that Xu Zifan might make unreasonable demands, causing conflict between their tribes, or even that tribes would go to war over him—all things they had to guard against.
Almost no one slept well that night, including Mengya and Sada in the tent next to Xu Zifan's. Xu Zifan, on the other hand, slept quite soundly. With Shaohua watching over him, no one could do anything to him.
The Tiger Clan arrived early the next morning. They had been searching for Xu Zifan, but hadn't found him and had rushed back to trade goods before setting off. In order to bring Xu Zifan back, the Tiger Clan chief and the Great Shaman came, along with Bai Yi and eight other beastmen. They were the only tribes where the chief and the Great Shaman were present, and there were so many people.
The people at the trading post had already heard about Xu Zifan the night before, and seeing so many Tiger Clan members, they were already half convinced. The Tiger Clan chief's expression wasn't good. After greeting the other tribe's young chiefs, he asked Roland, who was the most good-natured, "Your Highness, have you seen a female with black hair and black eyes?"
Roland's eyes flashed, and he smiled in denial, "I didn't pay much attention. Why is the clan leader in such a hurry? Has something happened?"
Bai Yi thought Xu Zifan really hadn't come, and couldn't help but put his hat on Xu Zifan's head, saying, "He's my fiancée, but he secretly ran away with Mengya. The Tiger Clan can't tolerate this kind of thing."
Roland raised an eyebrow and glanced around tentatively. "All the tribes are here, and there's nothing unusual about them. The beast god of our tribe…" He stopped abruptly, took a step back as if he had said something wrong, and smiled. "I still need to sort out the seafood, so please excuse me."
The high priest stepped forward urgently and asked, "Prince Roland, has your merfolk's beast god appeared to you? Did he give you any instructions?"
Everyone looked over, and the high shaman realized he had lost his composure, but he
As the only person who had ever come into contact with the Beast God, he was naturally extremely nervous about this matter, as he did not want the Tiger Clan, whom he had worked so hard to protect, to suffer divine retribution.
Shao Hua used a virtual screen to show Xu Zifan the outside scene. Xu Zifan saw that Sada had passed by and jokingly said, "Bai Yi, your fiancée ran off with Meng Ya? How could someone who likes Meng Ya get engaged to you first? You're not making up lies to frame Meng Ya, are you? Meng Ya is just stronger than you, right? You've been defeated by Meng Ya more than ten times, but you don't need to retaliate like this. The Beast God is watching from the sky."
"Of course I'm not lying..." Bai Yi didn't care much about Xu Zifan's status. From the moment he harbored evil intentions, if the Beast God wanted to punish him, he would have done so long ago. Of course, he dared to lie without hesitation.
Xu Zifan felt the time was right. He went out and, taking advantage of the others' inattention, used a spirit stone to activate a Five Thunder Talisman and threw it at Bai Yi. With a loud "boom," a bolt of lightning struck Bai Yi's head, singeing his hair! He was thrown to the ground by the force of the impact, unable to get up for a moment, and his mind was buzzing, unable to recover at all.
Xu Zifan walked over with his hands behind his back and said coldly, "By the Beast God, do you traitors of the Tiger Clan dare to disobey the Beast God's will again and slander and frame others?"
The tiger clan members were already pale-faced. The high shaman was the first to kneel down, gripping his staff in repentance. "Wise One, we were wrong. Please do not punish the tiger clan. We will obey your orders from now on."
Xu Zifan stepped into the center, and everyone took a step back, except for Mengya, who remained by his side, adopting a defensive stance and watching the crowd. They had heard that Xu Zifan was a wise man, but witnessing firsthand that disobeying him would result in being struck by lightning was quite another matter; Xu Zifan's image in their minds instantly improved considerably.
The chieftain helped Bai Yi up, lowering his head to hide the fear in his eyes. "Wise One, before... you and Bai Yi were indeed quite close. He has developed feelings for you these past few days, and when he saw you leave, he was so angry that he made up stories about your relationship. Wise One, I'm not lying. I chased after you because I was afraid you would be in danger outside, and I didn't want you to leave the tribe."
That wasn't entirely untrue, but it made their relationship seem ambiguous. Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow and pointed to the clear blue sky, "Beast God above, do you really have no other ulterior motives? Have you never thought of imprisoning me in the Tiger Clan tribe to serve you? Do you dare swear to the Beast God?"
The chieftain, of course, dared not. He had just witnessed Bai Yi being struck by lightning. If he, as the chieftain, were struck by lightning, he would lose all face in front of the other tribes. So he pursed his lips, lowered his head, and remained silent. The high shaman hurriedly knelt forward, "Wise One, the Beast God has appeared and personally commanded us, the Tiger Clan, to obey your orders. There were some misunderstandings before, and we promise never to repeat them. Please, Wise One, come back with us."
The Great Shaman completely trusted Xu Zifan's abilities and felt that the most important thing was to directly admit his mistake and ask Xu Zifan to return.
Xu Zifan shook his head. "The Tiger Clan didn't cooperate with my arrangements, and I'm very disappointed. I won't return to the Tiger Clan. I want to clarify something here: I was born in a forest near the Tiger Clan. Bai Yi brought me back to the Tiger Clan. At that time, because I had just come down from the Celestial Realm, my mind was unclear, and I lived like an ordinary female for over a month, only half understanding other things. Later, I left the Tiger Clan tribe and was injured. On the verge of death, I awakened the wisdom of a sage. This can be considered a test from heaven for me. Only after that did I return to the Tiger Clan and ask the Beast God to allow me to change this continent and make you all obey me. Regarding the matter of marriage, I am a sage sent from heaven, without human emotions, and unable to reproduce. I don't like beastmen or females. I will dedicate my life to spreading wisdom and will never marry anyone. No one should mention this matter again. As for which tribe I will go to in the future, I will make a decision after the trade fair. Don't worry, I want to help the people of this continent, not any particular tribe. Sooner or later, you will learn the knowledge in my mind."
Xu Zifan straightened his back, nodded to Sada and the others after speaking, and returned to his tent. His boasting was over; the Five Thunder Talisman should be enough to subdue them. He had hesitated before using the talisman, unsure if the Beast God would protect him after striking Bai Yi. But remembering how the Beast God hadn't intervened when Bai Yi tried to imprison him, he figured the Beast God wouldn't interfere in their petty squabbles. Besides, Bai Yi had indeed lied; he hadn't struck the wrong person. Thankfully, everything went smoothly. The legend of the wise man was likely to begin circulating across the continent; he needed to live up to that reputation.