Captive of the Wild People

Lynn drew his Longsword and took the lead.

He gave the reins a light flick, and his steed let out a whinny, galloping swiftly toward Salt Mountain.

Second Brother rode abreast with Lynn, while the remaining eight Horse Bandits followed closely behind, skillfully splitting into two groups to flank Salt Mountain from the left and right.

The sound of hooves, like a dense roll of drums, shattered the silence of the forest and startled a flock of birds into flight.

The Wild People on Salt Mountain soon sensed that something was wrong.

Three Wild People stopped their digging and looked warily toward the forest where the commotion originated.

One of them even opened his mouth to let out a harsh, shrill cry.

As the distance closed, Lynn noticed that two of the Wild People had already reached the foot of the mountain and were preparing to flee toward the forest to the north.

He immediately issued an order: "Second Brother, follow me to chase the ones at the foot of the mountain! The rest of you, surround Salt Mountain!"

Lynn and Second Brother had the most magnificent mounts, which were also the fastest; the mounts of the other Horse Bandits were of a slightly lower grade.

"Understood!"

The Horse Bandits responded in unison, gripping their horses' flanks tightly with their legs to accelerate their charge.

When Lynn's group was still five hundred meters from Salt Mountain, the Wild People began to scatter and flee.

The two Wild People at the foot of the mountain scrambled toward the dense forest to the north, while the one who had first raised the alarm fled in a panic along the slope.

But how could they possibly be fast enough?

The area around Salt Mountain was barren and flat, the perfect stage for knights.

Lynn's gaze was like a torch, quickly locking onto one of the Wild People fleeing into the forest.

He could already make out the Wild Person's signature blue hair, the patterns on his animal-hide clothing, and the animal-tooth Short Dagger hanging at his waist.

"This one is mine!"

He kicked his horse's flanks hard. The white steed let out a long neigh, its hooves flying and kicking up dust as it chased after the Wild Person like a bolt of lightning.

Before the Wild Person could escape into the forest, Lynn had already caught up from behind.

He swung the flat of his blade lightly, like a gust of wind sweeping past, and the Wild Person immediately lost his balance and stumbled to the ground.

By the time the Wild Person fought through the pain to scramble up and continue fleeing, Lynn had already dismounted and held his Longsword against the man's neck.

"Don't move. Move again and you die."

Lynn used the Wild People's language with practiced ease to threaten his captive.

Back in that small southern city, he had learned some conversational Wild People language from an old scholar out of pure interest.

Today, it had finally come in handy.

The captured Wild Person turned his head, his young blue pupils already filled with terror. He asked in disbelief:

"Are... are you a Wild Person?"

Only when the Wild Person spoke could Lynn confirm that his captive was a young male.

The captive was filthy and lean, and the animal-hide clothing he wore was so thick that it was difficult to distinguish his gender or age at a glance.

"No, I just happen to speak the language."

Lynn held his sword in one hand and lifted his visor with the other, revealing his ink-colored eyes and a few strands of brown hair.

In the History of the Founding of the Northern Kingdom written by the Nameless Priest, the author detailed the physical characteristics of the Wild People.

All pure-blooded Wild People possessed azure hair and eyes, making them very easy to distinguish.

The captive stared at Lynn for a long time, a flash of disappointment crossing his eyes. He swallowed hard and asked with a trembling voice:

"Then who are you? Why do you speak our language?"

"I am the Baron of White Bear Territory. I suppose you could call me your neighbor."

With that, Lynn pulled a coil of hemp rope from his waist and tossed it in front of the captive. "Tie your own neck."

The young Wild Person knew he could not escape. He crouched down, his hands trembling as he picked up the rope, tied a knot around his neck, and then voluntarily handed the end of the rope to Lynn. "You're quite obedient. Don't worry, as long as you listen, I have no interest in feeding my sword with your blood."

Lynn took the rope and led the captive and his mount toward Salt Mountain.

On the way, he ran into Second Brother, who had also been chasing a Wild Person.

"Big Brother, I'm sorry, I couldn't catch him. That guy was too agile in the woods. In the blink of an eye, he climbed up a tree. It was really impossible to catch him."

Second Brother looked at the captive behind Lynn, feeling very ashamed.

Lynn comforted him: "It's fine. We've already caught two. We aren't trying to drag them back to the territory this time; getting some intelligence out of them is enough."

"Hey, Big Brother, is this a Wild Person? He looks quite unique." Second Brother soon noticed the young man's striking azure hair.

Although it was dirty, the hair actually reflected a faint azure fluorescence under the setting sun, which was quite peculiar.

The young Wild Person shrank back in fear; Second Brother's gaze held the implication of wanting to gut him open.

But Lynn gave him a more comfortable feeling. Although he held a sword to his throat, the blade didn't exude much killing intent; instead, it carried an inexplicable softness.

When the three returned to Salt Mountain, the eight Horse Bandits had already captured the Wild Person who had been holed up on the mountain alive.

However, this captive was treated much worse.

Because he had fought like a cornered beast, the Horse Bandits were forced to use their weapons. His animal-hide clothing was slashed in several places, and streaks of blood were faintly visible.

In the end, he was knocked unconscious by the flat of the Horse Bandits' blades and tied up like a dumpling.

Second Brother stared fixedly at the conscious young Wild Person, excitedly twirling a sharp dagger: "Big Brother, let me handle the interrogation. I guarantee I can get anything out of him!"

The young Wild Person sitting on the ground turned deathly pale, thinking that these Southerners were finally unable to resist the urge to devour him alive.

In his memories, his elders always taught him that the invaders from the south were extremely evil monsters who ate people.

"You don't speak their language. Keep an eye on the unconscious one; I'll handle the questioning."

Lynn knew very well that Second Brother could certainly get information, but the price might be a few limbs off the captive.

"Big Brother, you even know their language?"

"A little."

The roaring bonfire dispelled the darkness and illuminated the fear on the young Wild Person's face.

Although he hadn't felt any obvious killing intent from the armored man who captured him, he had ultimately become a prisoner of the invaders, and his fate would surely be miserable.

The image of his fiancée's face and her laughter flashed through his mind, and a look of despair appeared in his eyes.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to ask you a few questions. As long as you answer honestly, I will let you go."

Lynn had already taken off his helmet and Chainmail, sitting cross-legged opposite the captive.

He had deliberately created an environment where they were alone and carried no weapons or equipment, just to make the captive lower his guard.

"Then untie the rope first. I promise I won't run, and I can't run anyway." The young Wild Person looked at the horses behind Lynn, signaling that he had no intention of fleeing.

Lynn smiled slightly and asked: "What is your name? Which tribe are you from?"

According to the history book he had given to Lao San:

Before the invasion by the Southerners, the Wild People were divided into Nine Great Tribes, each with a population ranging from ten thousand to over a hundred thousand.

"...Suo Wade."

The young Wild Person was silent for a moment, stating only his name without revealing any information about his tribe.