Shadowwind Returns: Who Won, Who Lost?

As the sun rose into the sky, Aisha Mudclaw prepared food for her family as usual. Unlike usual, however, she cooked the porridge while weeping.

The previous night, her most beloved younger brother had left her. Hunger and illness had taken the child, and Aisha's heart was now filled with grief and pain.

She did not know who would be the next to fall. Would it be her parents, or herself? Though she did not know who it would be, she knew that if they did not obtain food soon, she and her family would all collapse upon this land—the land of the Shadowwind Clan.

This was the Mudclaw Clan's camp outside Shadowwind Village. The Mudclaw Clan was the westernmost tribe in the Land of Zuldazar, and they had been among the first to suffer attacks from the Angu Iron Cavalry. Now, after fleeing all the way here, fewer than a hundred of the Mudclaw Clan's people had survived. The Mudclaw Clan stood on the brink of annihilation.

By the time Aisha Mudclaw finished cooking the thin porridge, she was already dizzy and weak. In truth, there were barely any grains of rice in the so-called porridge; calling it rice water would have been more accurate. Hunger plagued Aisha, just as it plagued the Mudclaw Clan.

Sitting on the ground, Aisha and her parents quietly drank rice water and ate wild fruits.

There was not a sound inside the tent as they ate and drank. Aisha and her parents all wore bleak expressions, their eyes utterly lifeless. Repeated hunger had nearly drained their spirits. Now, all three hoped only to preserve a little strength and avoid becoming cold corpses.

There were still two days until the next food distribution, while the food the clan had handed out at the beginning of the month had long since been eaten. With no way out, there was nothing left to say. Perhaps the ending was already foreseeable.

"Aisha, Aisha, my dearest sister, come out quickly! The Sage has distributed food! Bread, fresh bread..."

Just as Aisha finished her final mouthful of rice water, she suddenly heard a voice. Turning around, she looked toward the tent entrance. Outside stood a young female Pandaren in leather armor, holding a bamboo pole and laughing loudly. It was Aisha's good friend, April Mudclaw.

"April, what happened to you? Your eyes..." Aisha put down her bowl, hurried to her feet, and walked up to April with a startled cry.

Blood mixed with mud, and the female Pandaren named April looked utterly bedraggled. Her eyes were bloodshot as well, yet despite her miserable state, her face was filled with joy.

"Aisha, the Sage and the Shadowwind Clan are about to sign an alliance pact. The corrupt Sage will be removed. The time for change has come. Now, the Mudclaw Clan has gained the recognition of the Shadowwind Sage. We will become the Shadowwind Sage's allies... allies..."

April was so excited that she could barely speak clearly, but her eyes shone with a light called faith. Though she looked disheveled, her eyes gleamed like gemstones.

"Bread, bread, eat quickly! I still need to deliver the news to the next household! Aisha, I'm leaving..." April Mudclaw took a bag of bread from the riding goat behind her, wiped her face, and could not help smiling again.

"April, then I'll come see you tonight, all right?"

"Aisha, on any normal day, I'd be happy if you came to my home, but not tonight. Maybe not for the next few days. I have to protect the Sage. I have to defend our clan's honor! Aisha, don't forget—I'm a warrior!"

No one knew that the blood and mud on April's face came from falling off her goat while rushing to deliver the news. She was eager to distribute food to the clan's descendants, eager to return to the Mudclaw Sage's side, eager to defend the clan's honor. She had not thought of anything else at all.

"April, the Sage is..."

Before Aisha could finish, April Mudclaw mounted her goat and raced toward the clan granary.

"The Sage, the Great Shadowwind Sage... what exactly is going on? Will the Sage be in danger? What should I do now? Maybe I should become a warrior like April?" Holding the bag full of bread, Aisha's thoughts drifted far away.

Outside Shadowwind Village, Lingclaw Clan camp.

Within the camp, a Pandaren warrior dressed in martial attire fought ten Lingclaw warriors. As the two sides exchanged blows, neither gained the upper hand. Fighting ten alone—could that be Ji Feng?

"Ha..."

Suddenly, both sides separated. The ten Lingclaw warriors were sent flying, while the Pandaren in martial attire remained completely unharmed. Unexpectedly, he was Yao Shi Shadowwind.

Kang and Yao Shi had chosen different methods. Kang visited the clans one by one, urging them to ally with the Shadowwind Clan, while Yao Shi displayed his strength and gathered these exiled clans beneath the Shadowwind Clan's banner. At this moment, Yao Shi was subduing his third clan.

Mudclaw and Firepaw—Yao Shi had already taken two clans. In this area, the Lingclaw Clan was the largest clan. As long as he took the Lingclaw Clan, Yao Shi's "trial road" would be half complete.

At that moment, Ji Feng stood outside the Lingclaw Clan's camp, watching Yao Shi. From this high slope, he could see everything.

After choosing a spot for the stream, Ji Feng went live.

"Brother Feng, Brother Feng, didn't you say you'd stream last night? Why didn't you go live..."

"Brother Feng, what event is this today? Why are there Pandaren everywhere? Are we back at Shadowwind Village?"

"Streamer, you stood us up. We Americans are very unhappy. So blue, so mushroom..."

The moment the stream began, Ji Feng was met with unanimous condemnation from the chat. Everyone harbored deep resentment over not getting to watch his stream the previous night. In truth, Ji Feng had not stood his viewers up for one day, but three. Most new viewers simply did not understand the Time Adjustment System.

"Brothers and sisters, as a streamer with integrity, my streams have to have substance, all right? What you're about to see today will definitely be better than anything you've watched before, no exaggeration! You're all getting a bargain by watching today's stream."

No matter when it was, Ji Feng's streams were always the best, all right? A braggart streamer naturally had to start by bragging.

"Dumbass..."

"Ding, deep hole card? Is the veteran driver finally about to get moving?"

"Brother Feng, isn't it a bit much to start bragging before you've even shown anything? Are you streaming a food program today? What about the promised Twelve Flavors?"

"Brother Feng, I'm planning to watch the stream with my boyfriend today, so don't go too far! After all, he's just a boy..."

"The person above is going too far!"

While bragging with the chat, Ji Feng explained the day's stream content. What he planned to show today was on an entirely different level from what the viewers were talking about.

"Viewers, you're still too young, too simple. Today, I'm going to gather the Pandaren around Shadowwind Village. Today, I'm streaming the founding of a clan, all right? Stop trying to criticize me all the time. I'm someone who once chatted and laughed with Wallace."

"Wallace's fast-food restaurant?"

"There's an idiot upstairs. I don't know how much more sophisticated I am than you people. I chatted and laughed with him..."

"Brother Feng, even chat messages need to follow the basic law..."

"Brother Feng, stop trying to make big news all the time! Isn't it good to stay alive?"

"If it benefits the nation even at the cost of life, how could one avoid it for fear of fortune or misfortune? Brother Feng has recently done only a little work, but to sum it up, there have been three major events..."

"Damn it, you started the usual routine after just one sentence. This isn't the world channel, after all. You'll have to take responsibility for what you say in the future. You're still too young, sometimes even childish. You lack life experience. Learn to make a fortune quietly."

Sure enough, that leader's fans were everywhere. Even without mentioning his name, everyone knew who they meant!

That was the true power of fans.

"Ahem, everyone, calm down. Don't derail the chat! Today's stream is about founding a clan. Of course, I can't accomplish something like this with my own strength alone..."

"Right now, Kang and Yao Shi are helping me. Once they can't handle the exiled clans here, I'll step in... For now, let's watch their methods first!" It was not yet time for Ji Feng to show himself, nor had the main event begun. He still wanted to keep his viewers in suspense.

"Oh, right, don't forget to join the prediction. The first hundred viewers to make a prediction will receive double rewards..."

There was a prediction option beneath the Storm Live platform. Viewers could wager points on the outcome, though they could only guess victory or defeat. Ji Feng had turned "subduing the exiled clans" into a match, with Kang and Yao Shi as the contestants. The viewers could now bet on their preferred contestant.

Regardless of age or gender, whenever gambling was mentioned, everyone's emotions inevitably rose.

"Streamer, I like Kang more than Yao Shi. Shouldn't you show us what Kang is doing now? I'm going to wager 10,000 points on him."

"Brother Feng, Kang and Yao Shi are both helping you establish a clan, while you're hiding here alone. Isn't that a little unfair? When are you planning to enter the field? By the way, who do you favor, Brother Feng? Let me place a bet first."

"Dumbass, you actually opened predictions. Wagering 100,000 points on Yao Shi..."

"Brother Feng, I was planning to switch channels... but then you opened predictions at this moment. Fine, I won't switch. Wagering 30,000 points on Yao Shi..."

Seeing the viewers place their bets one after another, a faint smile appeared on Ji Feng's face. Unnoticed, he let out a breath of relief.

On the surface, he wanted Kang and Yao Shi to help him subdue these exiled clans, but that was not the truth. Right now, he had troubles he could not voice.

90%. That number was still stuck at the griffin's leg.

(Ji Feng had returned to the clan. The curtain had risen on Pandaria's era, and the exciting parts were about to begin. Please bookmark! Thank you to every reader who has supported me, and thank you all for your tips.)