Bai Yi was stung by Xu Zifan's words, her face turning extremely ugly. She looked at him as if he were an unreasonable, sulking ex-girlfriend, and said impatiently, "Beastmen and females have always chosen the best match. We're not engaged, so why can't I change my pursuit? Xu Zifan, you have no right to blame me. Blame yourself for being too weak and not good enough for me."
It's true that people in this world speak very bluntly, but Bai Yi's words were just irritating. Xu Zifan walked past him toward the tribe, saying, "Are you done? From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. You can marry whomever you like. I won't pay attention to you anymore. That's it. Right now, I just want to go back to the tribe to recover from my injuries."
Bai Yi snorted, transformed into beast form, and lay down in front of him. "Get on."
Normally, orcs only allow their chosen females to ride on their backs as a sign of closeness, but in exceptional circumstances, helping to transport someone is not unacceptable. Xu Zifan was in pain, with scrapes, cuts, and bruises covering his entire body, and his clothes were tattered; walking back would indeed be arduous. Without a word, he mounted the tiger's back, his back straight, as if he were using Bai Yi as a mount, and said, "Let's go."
Bai Yi stood up and ran towards the tribe. It was the same road. Not long ago, he had found Xu Zifan and brought her back to the tribe. He had high expectations for this female, always feeling that he had found something special. But now, he was only impatient and wanted to get back as soon as possible to get rid of this burden. He didn't want to have any more entanglement with Xu Zifan. What puzzled him was that Xu Zifan didn't say a word the whole way and completely ignored him.
Xu Zifan had flown on a sword countless times in his previous life, so the feeling of rapidly gliding through the forest was nothing new to him. Even riding a tiger, the sensation was similar to those of the demonic beasts in his past life. Along the way, he sensed the spiritual energy around him, wondering if cultivation was possible in this world since the beastmen resembled demonic beasts.
Unfortunately, he didn't sense any spiritual energy even after they returned to the tribe; cultivation was impossible in this world.
When the tribespeople saw Bai Yi bring Xu Zifan back, they all cast strange glances at him, perhaps with a hint of disdain. They thought he was weak, clinging to the young chieftain, always trying to show off, and recklessly running around—a terrible female. However, females were always outnumbered by beastmen, and any beastman who paired with a female had to take good care of her for the sake of procreation. So the beastmen didn't say anything, they just didn't approach him.
The females were different. They were born knowing how precious females were and enjoyed being pursued by orcs. The more suitors the better. They were extremely disgusted with Xu Zifan, a female who had once had so many suitors. As soon as Xu Zifan reached the outside of the Great Shaman's wooden house, a beautiful female named Mu Ci stopped him and loudly warned, "Bai Yi and I will be engaged soon. Don't bother him anymore."
Bai Yi pulled him back and said, "Mu Ci, I just went to find him. It's nothing to do with him. Don't overthink it. Let me take you to pick fruit."
Mu Ci glared at Xu Zifan relentlessly, "Of course you don't care about him, but he's still thinking about marrying you. I want him to say it himself and that he won't bother you anymore."
Xu Zifan frowned in annoyance. "I will absolutely not get close to either of you. As long as you two stay away from me, there will be no more entanglement. From now on, I will not speak to you when we meet, and we will take a detour. Is that alright? Otherwise, please ask the clan leader to set some rules and see how to satisfy the future young clan leader's wife? Or do you not tolerate me and want me to leave the Tiger Clan tribe? That's fine too, I can leave now."
"You! Bai Yi, look at him!" Mu Ci couldn't find the words to retort, and her face turned red with anger.
Bai Yi was about to say something when Xu Zifan lifted the curtain and entered the Great Shaman's wooden hut. Bai Yi grasped Mu Ci's hand and said impatiently, "Alright, I'm tired from going out. Stop arguing and let's go."
Mu Ci, having gained no advantage, felt utterly humiliated by the stares of so many onlookers. To make matters worse, Bai Yi didn't stand up for him, so he angrily shook off Bai Yi's hand and ran home. He thought Bai Yi would chase after him to coax him, but Bai Yi was also feeling annoyed and simply went home herself. The others exchanged bewildered glances, vaguely thinking that Mu Ci was quite willful and petty. With so few females available, he had almost driven Xu Zifan away. Shouldn't a future young clan leader's wife be more tolerant and magnanimous?
Upon seeing the High Priest, Xu Zifan bowed slightly, a gesture of etiquette typical of females in this world. "High Priest, I've sustained some injuries. Do you have any herbs here?"
The high shaman was dressed in a long-sleeved robe and skirt made of animal hide, adorned with jewelry made of wild animal teeth and bones around her neck and wrists, and a crown of various feathers on her head. She held a bone scepter in her right hand and sat there with her eyes closed, truly resembling a witch. The high shaman slowly opened her eyes, scrutinizing Xu Zifan with sharp eyes for a long while before rising and taking a few herbs from a row of herbs beside her, giving them to her. In a cold, hard voice, she said, "The young clan leader has already chosen Mu Ci. They will be a couple approved by the Beast God, bearing the strongest offspring. You cannot disrupt their union."
Xu Zifan accepted the herbs with both hands and nodded. "I will not harm anyone. Great Shaman, may I ask how one can become a Great Shaman?"
The high shaman narrowed his eyes. "You want to become a high shaman? To serve the Beast God for life? You must know that a high shaman cannot have personal feelings, nor can he have any offspring. He must be absolutely devout to the Beast God."
"Yes, I have thought it through very carefully. I wish to serve the Beast God for the rest of my life. Please tell me, Great Shaman, what I should do."
The high shaman turned and walked back to his seat, saying calmly, "One must kneel before the Beast God and be chosen by him to become a high shaman. If you wish, go and pray before the Beast God, and he will appear to give you guidance."
The original owner had no relevant memories. Xu Zifan left the high shaman's house in a daze, looking towards the tall altar in the center of the tribe. On the altar were beasts...
A deity statue? Could it be that kneeling and praying would actually bring forth a beast god? Is it really that miraculous? He's been in the cultivation world for over a thousand years and has never seen a real deity.
He decided to inquire further and returned to his small wooden hut. His hut was very simple, with only an animal hide laid on the floor inside. This hut was built by Bai Yi and several beastmen when the original owner first arrived. Here, beastmen courted females by building them houses, providing game, wild fruits, and beautiful bone jewelry, and finally, proposing with a beast's tooth. The more powerful the beast, the more prestige the beastman and the female gained.
Xu Zifan lowered the curtain and took out some external wound medicine from his spatial storage, applying it to all his wounds. This medicine was made from herbs from the cultivation world, extremely effective for these kinds of external injuries; he estimated it would heal in a day. Then he crushed the herbs he'd obtained from the Great Shaman and applied them to his wounds. The people here usually chewed the herbs before applying them; luckily, he had plenty of supplies in his spatial storage. Having no food, he ate a spiritual fruit from his storage and lay down on the fur to rest.
This body is just an ordinary person's body; he needs to train to become strong first, it's too weak.
The next day, Xu Zifan tried to cultivate using the spiritual energy from spirit fruits, spirit stones, and pills, but it didn't work; his body couldn't absorb the spiritual energy. He then asked Shao Hua to find cultivation techniques for demonic beasts, but that didn't work either, because he was a female in this world, not a demonic beast. The beastmen could cultivate demonic beast techniques, but who cared about them? He had no friends here.
In the end, he could only do exercises like push-ups and sit-ups, diligently working out his body. When he was hungry, he ate the food from his spatial storage, and when he was tired, he slept. For three days in a row, he stayed indoors, resting and recovering, and his injuries healed. Only then did he lift the curtain and go out to find a kind, elderly female to inquire about the appearance of the Beast God.
"If one wishes to become a high shaman, how does one gain the approval of the Beast God through prayer?"
The older female looked at him in surprise. "Zifan, you're so handsome, why... I'm not saying being a high priest is bad, but you had someone you liked before, so it's clear you didn't want to be a high priest from the beginning. You need to think this through. You can't impulsively choose this path because of a moment of anger. This is a very serious matter that you can't regret, otherwise you'll be blaspheming the Beast God."
Xu Zifan smiled, looking at him earnestly, showing him her determination and resolve. "I've thought it over carefully. I don't like Bai Yi. I'm grateful to him for bringing me back, and I thought we'd be a couple when he pursued me before, that's all. Now that he's fallen for someone else, I don't need to worry about him anymore. I've always wanted to be a Great Shaman, I want to help others, and I can heal people. I'm very determined to serve the Beast God for life."
The older female looked at him with sympathy. "Bai Yi, that child… sigh, if you really want to make up your mind, you should find some good things to offer as sacrifices, kneel down and pray to the Beast God sincerely. If the Beast God chooses you to be the Great Shaman, he will appear in a phantom on the altar and give you the power to communicate with the Beast God. If he doesn't choose you, after a day, you will have to give up."
Xu Zifan nodded thoughtfully, glancing at the statue on the altar. He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate when faced with such a miraculous event. If the Beast God didn't choose him, he could always find a way to make the clan leader hesitant to pair him with someone else, by taking out some array plates and talismans from his spatial storage and pretending to be a charlatan.
Xu Zifan thanked the elderly female and prepared to go find something, but the elderly female stopped him and said, "Offerings cannot be made without game. Let my grandson hunt for you."
Accepting prey from the orcs was not an option, so Xu Zifan quickly refused, "Thank you, but I'll figure something out myself first. I want the Beast God to see my devotion."
He smiled at the older female, then took the furs from the house and went outside. They didn't know how to weave baskets, so they used furs as bundles to carry things. The prey was simply carried or dragged back by the orcs, which was very inconvenient. However, Xu Zifan didn't plan to teach them anything so early; at least he needed to change his own image first.
Bai Yi was about to spar with the other orcs when he accidentally saw him. His first reaction was to stop him, "What are you trying to do now?"
Xu Zifan took two big steps back. "I'm going to pick wild fruit. Please step aside, Young Clan Leader. I don't want to be criticized by Mu Ci anymore."
Bai Yi was taken aback. "That's not what Mu Ci meant."
Xu Zifan simply walked around him, taking a ten-meter detour, saying, "Young Chieftain, please stay away from me, thank you." With that, he strode away from the tribe and disappeared from everyone's sight.
Several orcs chuckled. "Bai Yi, the little female you picked up is rejecting you, huh?"
Hearing this from afar, Xu Zifan sneered and ran even faster into the forest.
[Shaohua, carefully scan your surroundings and warn me if there's any danger. Also, help me see which direction has small prey; I'll set a trap.]
[Shaohua: Scan enabled, map icon enabled.]
Xu Zifan saw the wild fruits marked on the map and immediately ran over to pick them. With no one nearby, he placed the harvested fruits directly into his spatial storage. Then he began collecting various plants, intending to study their medicinal properties or whether they could be eaten as wild vegetables. The flora and fauna of this world were all entirely new to him, and his knowledge of herbs was useless now. However, once he confirmed their medicinal properties, he could re-formulate medicines accordingly, which wasn't too difficult. Ideally, he could also find suitable food to cultivate, ensuring a sufficient food supply for human survival.
One advantage is that he had previously placed the medicinal herb fields from the boundless forest into his spatial dimension in wooden troughs, and experiments confirmed that it was possible to grow things in the space using spirit stones to supply spiritual energy. Now, he doesn't need to make a big fuss about what he wants to research; he can simply cultivate and study in his space privately.
Xu Zifan walked while collecting plants and wild fruits. After walking for about a kilometer, he heard Shao Hua's voice reminding him.
[Shaohua: There's something that looks like a rabbit at the ten o'clock position.]
An animal, but three times larger than a rabbit.
The creature resembling a rabbit is a long-eared beast. It has sharp teeth, can bite, and looks quite fierce, unlike the soft and cute appearance of a rabbit. However, compared to other animals, the long-eared beast's attack power is relatively low. Xu Zifan crouched down and quietly advanced, finding a ditch in the ground. He placed the beast cage inside, opening the door upwards, then covered it with a layer of grass, placed a spirit fruit on top, and then entered his spatial dimension.
The spiritual fruit exudes spiritual energy, which is naturally very tempting to ordinary animals. As soon as Xu Zifan put the spiritual fruit down, the long-eared beast raised its head and sniffed around. After finding a direction, it carefully ran over and looked from a distance. When it found no one, it quickly pounced on the spiritual fruit and immediately fell into the monster cage.
Xu Zifan came out of the space and closed the cage. The long-eared beast was raging inside, so he strangled it with a rope.
He looked around, packed away the rest of his belongings, tied the long-eared beast to a vine, wrapped some wild fruit in the fur he had brought, and returned to the tribe with these items. As a female who was considered very weak, the fact that he had brought back a bag of wild fruit and a long-eared beast all by himself immediately attracted everyone's attention.
One of the orcs asked curiously, "Xu Zifan, who helped you hunt the long-eared beast?"
Xu Zifan continued walking forward without stopping, casually replying, "By myself."
"Huh? You yourself?" Another orc looked him up and down in surprise. "How did you hunt that?"
"I have my own way." Xu Zifan didn't go back to his own room, but went straight to the Great Shaman's wooden house.
The others wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that he seemed to be in a hurry, they didn't. But everyone was watching him, whispering among themselves.
Xu Zifan entered the high shaman's room, placed the items he had brought back on the ground, and asked, "High shaman, are these offerings enough? May I now pray to the Beast God?"
The high shaman looked at the items on the ground and frowned slightly. "Did you get all of this by yourself?"
"Yes, I want the Beast God to see my intentions."
The high shaman was silent for a moment, then got up and walked outside. "Come with me. Before you pray to the Beast God, go to the pool behind the house to purify yourself."
Xu Zifan followed him. Not far from the tribe's outcrop, there was a dense forest with a pool within it. In the original owner's memories, this place was forbidden; it turned out to be related to a ritual. Following the high shaman's instructions, he took off his clothes and went down to bathe. Perhaps because it had been well-preserved, the pool water looked very clear, though a bit cold. He quickly washed himself clean, and the high shaman tossed him a set of animal skin clothes, which he thanked and put on.
The tribespeople, seeing him follow the high shaman onto the altar, sensed something was amiss and gathered around. Soon, Bai Yi and his parents also stepped forward, pushing through the crowd. Chief Bai Yan asked, "High Shaman, what is this?"
The high shaman tapped his scepter and said in a deep voice, "Xu Zifan hopes to become the high shaman's successor and serve the Beast God for life. No one is allowed to disturb him when he prays to the Beast God."
"What?" The clan chief frowned, but seeing that Xu Zifan had already arranged the offerings, he hesitated for a moment and said nothing.
Bai Yi couldn't help but say, "Xu Zifan, stop fooling around!"
Xu Zifan ignored him. He knelt upright before the statue of the Beast God, and in accordance with the way of the Great Shaman, he placed his hands on the ground with his forehead touching the back of his hands, and said earnestly, "Beast God, your subject Xu Zifan is willing to serve the Beast God for life and become the successor of the Great Shaman of the Tiger Clan. I beg the Beast God to grant me permission."
The Beast God statue remained motionless. Xu Zifan's heart skipped a beat. He kowtowed three times to the statue, straightened his back, crossed his hands on his shoulders, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
The high shaman said to the crowd, "Xu Zifan will be praying for a day. Everyone, disperse and do not disturb him." After saying this, he stepped down from the altar and went back to his room.
The chieftain relaxed. The high shaman wasn't old yet, and their tribe didn't lack high shamans; what they lacked were females capable of bearing offspring. Xu Zifan not being chosen by the Beast God suited him even better. However, the prayer period still had a day to go before the result was known. He waved to everyone, signaling them to disperse, and then left with his wife.
Although everyone was surprised, they all dispersed and whispered among themselves, not daring to disturb the Beast God. Mu Ci also pulled Bai Yi away, and Bai Yi said to him in an annoyed tone, "What will others think of me if Xu Zifan does this? They'll think that I betrayed him and hurt him, which is why I want to become the Great Witch."
Mu Ci said angrily, "I knew he was no good. He's been different from us ever since he came to the tribe. He has so many ideas, but he doesn't do his job properly. He's never settled down. I'm not saying this to be mean, but I think people like him should be driven away. Wasn't everything fine before he came along?"
"Alright, Father won't agree, and our tribe needs more females." Bai Yi glanced at Xu Zifan one last time. "Never mind him. Once the Beast God doesn't choose him and Father matches him with a beastman, he'll behave himself."
Shao Hua relayed everyone's reactions and the information she had gathered to Xu Zifan, whose heart sank. Did the Beast God truly not choose him? Why? Was it because he wasn't from this world, or because he lacked a deep-seated reverence for the Beast God?
[Shaohua: Could it be because you killed too many demonic beasts in your past life that the Beast God didn't choose you?]
Xu Zifan was speechless. [How could he know about my past life?]
[Shaohua: Perhaps you have too much murderous intent.]
There's nothing that can be done about it; this can't be made up for.