Inter-tribal trade involves each tribe sending representatives to specific locations at fixed times, bringing their abundant resources to exchange for things their tribe lacks. For example, the Tiger tribe, with its dense forests and plentiful prey, typically trades game and pelts. Coarse salt is only found among the Mermaid tribe, the Snake tribe has abundant herbs, and the Fox tribe, skilled in sewing, makes beautiful and comfortable clothes and jewelry; the females are also more numerous and particularly attractive. These are all items they trade.
This time, the chieftain sent Bai Yi to lead the team, accompanied by three orcs. Besides the many prey they had hunted, their trade also included several recipes favored by the females, as well as the vegetables used in those recipes. This was their advantage; if other tribes were interested, they could then approach the Tiger Clan for further trade, thus generating revenue for the Tiger Clan.
On the eve of his departure, Xu Zifan approached the clan chief and said bluntly, "I'm going to this trade fair too."
The clan chief was taken aback, and his first reaction was to object, "Wise one, the journey is too arduous and tiring, how can we let you suffer? If you want anything, you can ask Bai Yi and the others to bring it back, there's no need for you to make this trip."
"The Beast God is watching my every move. I've vowed to change this continent. I can't just refuse to see the other tribes; the Beast God won't agree to that. Mengya, just take me. I'll go check on the resources of each tribe. There's no need to prepare anything. I'll set off with the team tomorrow. Chief, get some rest." Xu Zifan's attitude was completely businesslike. He didn't give the chief a chance to persuade him further before turning and leaving.
"The Wise One! The Wise One?!" The clan chief was anxious. Seeing that he couldn't get Xu Zifan to come, he quickly found Bai Yi to go and discuss the matter with the Great Shaman.
"Great Shaman, you must think of a way! The wise man has descended upon our Tiger Clan, so naturally he should help us become stronger. Now he wants to go to the trade fair to see other tribes. What does this mean? What if he thinks the other tribes are better than us? Then... we can't let him leave!" The chieftain frowned and paced back and forth in the room in frustration.
The high shaman glanced at Bai Yi and shook his head, saying, "No one can defy the beast god's will, and we cannot control the wise man's wishes. If the wise man is unwilling to stay, there is nothing we can do, after all, the wise man had a very unpleasant experience in the tribe before."
The clan chief walked up to Bai Yi and scolded, "How could you be so impatient? You've turned such a good opportunity into an enemy! If... if... sigh!"
The thought that Xu Zifan almost became his daughter-in-law made the clan chief feel suffocated, and he couldn't stand his son no matter what. What kind of luck was this? His son picked up a wise man, won his heart, and then abandoned and offended him. How could he not be annoyed?
Bai Yi lowered her head and said somewhat defiantly, "I'll go beg him, apologize to him, and ask him to forgive me..."
The great shaman frowned and interrupted him, "No, if we anger the wise man, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Bai Yi retorted indignantly, "What consequences could there be? All he does is find food, right? But look at those vegetables he grows—that's all for the females. The beastmen can't even get enough to eat. What's the point? What can you do with those dozen or so Lulu beasts? You'd be better off hunting and stockpiling more before winter. What are you afraid of him for? He doesn't have any divine power. Can he possibly harm us? If you don't want him to go, Father, just lock him up. Why are you so afraid?"
"Bai Yi! What nonsense are you spouting? The Beast God commands us to obey the Wise One!" the clan chief shouted sternly.
Bai Yi scoffed, "If the Beast God really cared, he would have been punished when I said that. I'm fine now, isn't that enough to show that the Beast God doesn't care about these things? We've already listened to the Wise Man. He told us to farm and raise Lulu Beasts, and we did it all. We just didn't want him to get tired from the long journey. Isn't that for his own good?"
The clan chief and the high shaman exchanged a thoughtful glance. Bai Yi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and lowered his head. He'd had enough. Xu Zifan had been riding high lately, while he was the subject of gossip and whispers. Countless people secretly laughed at his stupidity, and even his father had his share of complaints. He was clearly the young clan chief, yet his life was becoming increasingly stifling. He didn't want to continue like this, and he didn't think Xu Zifan was anything to fear. He didn't think what Xu Zifan had created was important; it was a complete waste of time.
The clan chief was terrified that Xu Zifan might never return, and even more afraid that he would hold a grudge against Bai Yi and Mu Ci, which would be detrimental to the Tiger Clan. In the end, he was persuaded by Bai Yi and whispered, "Not letting the wise man leave is to protect him, after all, it's so dangerous outside..."
The three discussed the matter until late into the night. They were understandably apprehensive about keeping the Wise One, but they were even more afraid that Xu Zifan would turn against the Tiger Clan because of what had happened before. Weighing their concerns, they decided to keep Xu Zifan. Even if the Beast God pursued the matter, they hadn't harmed the Wise One, so the punishment shouldn't be severe. Thinking this way, they felt somewhat reassured and less worried.
Xu Zifan hid 500 meters outside the Great Witch Gate, concealing himself with a concealment talisman to avoid being detected by the orcs, while Shao Hua monitored their plot in real time. Seeing that they had made their decision, Xu Zifan quietly went to Mengya's house.
"who?"
As soon as Xu Zifan lifted the curtain and entered the room, Mengya jumped up alertly.
"Shh!" Xu Zifan took two steps inside, letting Mengya see him, and whispered, "I'm here to ask you something, don't make a sound."
Mengya sat back on the leather, bent one leg and propped up his arm, showing neither curiosity nor doubt, just looking at Xu Zifan and waiting for him to continue.
Xu Zifan said, "I swore an oath before the Beast God to help the people of the continent improve their lives. You've been with me all this time and have seen how hard I've worked. But now the clan chief wants to confine me to the Tiger Clan, forbidding me from going anywhere else. This is for his own selfish desires and will inevitably endanger the entire continent. From now on..."
"The orcs will become fewer and fewer. Even if I stay with the Tiger Clan my whole life, the Tiger Clan won't develop much. Only through the unity of all the tribes can this change. I came to you because I want you to take me to the trade fair. I can't be kept under house arrest here. I need people who trust me, and the chieftain and the others clearly don't believe in my abilities. Fang, can you help me?"
Mengya watched Xu Zifan remain silent, and Xu Zifan allowed him to think carefully. Mengya lost all his relatives at a very young age; some died in the harsh winter environment, and some died in battle. He grew up safely thanks to his fierce fighting ability and was not interested in anything else because he felt that even if everyone just lived like this day after day, there was no special hope or change.
He had just returned to the tribe when Xu Zifan prayed to the Beast God. He heard Xu Zifan say he wanted to change the continent, allowing his people to live in peace, prosperity, and good health. Touched by this, he followed the chief's arrangement to protect Xu Zifan. He wanted to see what Xu Zifan would do, and he was now the tiger tribe member who knew Xu Zifan the most. The vegetables and Lulu beasts that Xu Zifan cultivated could be cared for by the females. If the tribe had had these, his grandmother wouldn't have died of cold and hunger. Therefore, he approved of Xu Zifan.
He looked at Xu Zifan for a long time before finally speaking, "Okay, I'll help you."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "Let's go now. The clan leader will probably send someone to keep an eye on me soon. But you might not be able to come back later, so why don't you stay by my side and help me? I'll share any good stuff I get with you."
Mengya didn't reply. He simply got up and packed his belongings. He had very few things, just necessities. Then he transformed into his beast form and lay down in front of Xu Zifan. Xu Zifan's things were all in his spatial storage, so there was no need to pack. He quickly sat on Mengya's back, and Mengya silently ran out of the tribe, galloping off in one direction.
When the chieftain and Bai Yi came out of the high shaman's place, they quietly summoned two trusted beastmen to Xu Zifan's wooden house, only to find it empty. The chieftain frowned, "Go check on Mengya."
The group rushed into the Mengya's house, only to find it empty. The chieftain's expression changed drastically. "Damn it! He must know! Quick, send men to chase them! We must bring them back!"
"Yes!" Bai Yi called over a dozen orcs and they chased after them in different directions.
The clan chief gritted his teeth, his face extremely grim. "Ferocious Fang! He actually betrayed the Tiger Clan!"
The high shaman rushed over and, seeing the empty wooden hut, turned deathly pale. "It's over! The Wise One won't forgive us, and neither will the Beast God… The Beast God…" He staggered to the altar, knelt, and began to murmur apologies, hoping to beg for the Beast God's forgiveness, but the Beast God statue remained unresponsive. Beast God statues, regardless of race, rarely elicited responses from high shamans; a high shaman was lucky to see the Beast God appear two or three times in his entire life. The Beast God they believed in wasn't the true Beast God, but merely their tribe's guardian deity. Therefore, the high shaman's pleas at this moment were completely unanswered, only adding to the turmoil in the hearts of his people.
Hearing the commotion, everyone ran out to see what was happening and inquired among themselves. Before long, they heard that Mengya had escaped with the wise man. Little did they know that the clan leader had originally intended to place Xu Zifan under house arrest. They only felt that Xu Zifan, whom they usually obeyed without question, was incredibly difficult to please, especially since he had actually left.
Mu Ci seized the opportunity to say, "Does he want to marry Mengya? But didn't he pray to the Beast God that day, saying he would serve the Beast God for life? Is he trying to go back on his word and running away because he's afraid of being punished by the Beast God?"
"That's possible. Didn't the Wise One also have feelings for Bai Yi before? Mengya is even more powerful than Bai Yi, so it's normal for the Wise One to take a liking to Mengya. But the Beast God is everywhere, so where can they escape to?"
Mu Ci feigned annoyance and said, "We've wasted all this time. Now that he's gone, who knows how to prepare those vegetables? He was like this when he first came. He'd just say a few words and tell us what to do before going off to bother Bai Yi. Now that he wants us to do so much, he's run off with Meng Ya again."
"Mu Ci, don't say that. Even the Beast God acknowledges him as the Wise One. But you, it's not because you offended the Wise One that he left, is it?"
Mu Ci hadn't expected the fire to spread to her, and immediately shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Those things happened so long ago, who would bring them up?"
As their argument grew louder, the clan chief's wife strode over and said displeasedly, "Shut up! No one is allowed to talk about the wise man anymore. Go back inside and don't disturb the high priest's prayers! Go now!"
Mu Ci glared at the person who had spoken to him, muttered something, and went back to his room. But he was actually very happy. That annoying guy was finally gone. No matter what the reason was, he wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.