"What is it? Out with it!" the burly man said impatiently.
"Well, it's like this. My elder sister previously handed in two bundles of arrows. According to the tribe's rules in the past, shouldn't we have received a lot more grain than this...?"
As Yi Yun spoke, he raised the light grain sack in his hand, looking genuinely puzzled. He did not look like he was questioning them at all.
The burly man let out a scornful laugh. "What tribal rules? Whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules! Whatever I say is the rule!"
The burly man spoke arrogantly. Yi Yun sneered inwardly. This idiot is being so arrogant that he's walking right into my trap.
Yi Yun put on a wronged expression and said timidly, "B-big brother, it's fine for you to set the rules, but you have to leave everyone some way to survive."
Those words from Yi Yun dragged everyone into it. The burly man's earlier declaration that "whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules" had already grated on many people's ears.
For a moment, tribesmen behind Yi Yun could not help echoing him. "That's right, big brother soldier. I handed in six leather armors, but I only got this little grain in exchange. I want an explanation too."
"Why is there so little grain this time? We want to know too."
"I'm an old man with a whole family to feed. This grain isn't nearly enough!"
The tribesmen of the Lian Clan all wore bitter expressions. They all had thoughts of resisting the tribe's rulers, but the difference in strength was simply too great. With no one taking the lead before, none of them had dared to step forward. Now that Yi Yun had been the first to stir things up, they could not help growing restless.
The burly man's face darkened. He had not expected a single sentence from this boy to cause such a commotion. Seeing the situation growing worse and worse, he was beginning to lose control.
"Damn it, all of you shut up!" the burly man roared.
Yet his roar had very little effect.
"Give us an explanation! We want an explanation!"
"Why is there so little grain!"
The law did not punish the multitude. The first person to leap out had feared being "specially dealt with," but once the scene descended into chaos, everyone found courage.
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a clear voice rang out. "I can give you the explanation you want!"
That voice seemed to contain an invisible energy, instantly silencing the previously turbulent crowd.
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a young man clad in Silver soft armor, holding a Longsword, slowly walking over.
"It's Young Master Lian Chengyu!"
"Lian Chengyu!"
When they saw the youth, everyone was startled. Lian Chengyu was the only person in the tribe who might become a Purple Blood Warrior. It was said that Lian Chengyu's talent would be first-rate even in a large tribe!
Once the Lian Clan produced a Purple Blood Warrior, everything would change!
By then, Lian Chengyu alone would be able to support the entire tribe!
If Lian Chengyu advanced another step, he might even attract the attention of some super tribes, gaining enough qualifications to lead the Lian Clan into a city.
A city!
To many people in the tribe, human cities were the most beautiful paradises in this chaotic world. Building a city in this wilderness was unbelievably difficult. Cities were too large a target, with their concentrated populations certain to draw attacks from powerful Giant Beasts!
Without human experts as their backing, cities would be trampled to pieces by Giant Beasts!
Every human city was filled with experts. They had thick, towering walls and ancient, profound foundations. Under a city's protection, people could live and work in peace, with ample sources of food. They no longer had to worry about starving or being killed by Giant Beasts. Who would not yearn for such a beautiful life?
Lian Chengyu was the hope of the Lian Clan. His status in the tribe even surpassed that of the clan chief!
When Lian Chengyu stepped forward, everyone fell silent.
"Great-Grandfather."
Lian Chengyu first greeted the tribe's clan chief, who was none other than the Yellow-robed Elder.
"Mm, Chengyu. Since you've stepped forward, I'll leave this to you."
In the tribe, plenty of men married at sixteen. At seventeen, Lian Chengyu was already old enough to stand on his own.
Lian Chengyu did not speak to the tribesmen immediately. Instead, he turned toward Yi Yun and revealed a meaningful smile.
"You're Yi Yun, right?"
Yi Yun's brows twitched. Lian Chengyu's first words to the tribe's people had actually been directed at him. Although Lian Chengyu was smiling at him, Yi Yun sensed a dangerous aura within that smile.
This disturbance among the people had actually been stirred up by Yi Yun. He had merely done his best to make it seem as though he had provoked everything unintentionally.
Intentional or not, as a representative of the tribe's ruling class, Lian Chengyu was highly likely to vent his anger on him because of this.
"You're quite impressive. You're only eleven or twelve, but you don't look like a child at all. Perhaps you'll accomplish great things in the future!"
Lian Chengyu smiled and casually patted Yi Yun on the shoulder. This scene left many people astonished. What kind of status did Lian Chengyu have? He had actually taken the initiative to pat a lower-class pauper on the shoulder?
And this praise was far too high!
Lian Chengyu had actually said that this poor boy would accomplish great things in the future! Was that possible?
Although they thought little of it inwardly, these words had come from Lian Chengyu. Somehow, this young man had clearly struck it lucky and earned Young Master Lian Chengyu's favor. Perhaps he would even be given a position as a lackey in the future. Becoming Young Master Lian Chengyu's lackey was a position many people dreamed of!
"Young Master, you flatter me."
Yi Yun forced a stiff smile, but his heart tightened slightly. After meeting Lian Chengyu, he had remained highly vigilant the entire time. Just now, at the instant Lian Chengyu patted his shoulder, he felt a momentary numbness there. Then, it seemed as if a warm current flowed across his shoulder before vanishing instantly.
If Yi Yun had not possessed such a keen mind and heightened vigilance, he would probably have thought the sensation was an illusion, or the result of excessive nervousness after Lian Chengyu had patted his shoulder.
What is this Lian boy trying to do? Could he have secretly tampered with me somehow...?
Yi Yun did not believe Lian Chengyu would pat him on the shoulder in public for no reason, nor praise him so highly for no reason. No matter how he looked at him, there was something dangerous in his gaze.
"Give them some more grain."
Lian Chengyu turned and spoke to the burly man in charge of distributing the grain. Jiang Xiaorou was still too young. She had to be raised for another two years before he could make his move, so he could not let her starve to death.
"Yes, Young Master!" The one who answered was the burly man Yi Yun had punched in the waist earlier. He was furious inside, but now that Lian Chengyu had spoken, how could he dare disobey?
The burly man hesitated before taking out a fifty-pound sack of grain and handing it to Yi Yun.
Yi Yun grew even more vigilant, but his face took on an expression of gratitude. He accepted the grain sack and said insincerely, "Thank you, Young Master."
Though his lips offered thanks, Yi Yun inwardly wished he could beat Lian Chengyu into a pulp. This grain had been earned by Jiang Xiaorou's arrow-making in the first place, and originally, they could even have exchanged it for a piece of meat. Now they had only received a sack of coarse grain, yet he still had to offer thanks. What kind of reason was that!
When one's strength was inferior to others, one was inferior in every way. In this world, strength was reason!
I really want to give him two black eyes... Yi Yun thought, yet his face revealed not the slightest flaw.
Seeing Yi Yun receive two or three months' worth of grain in one go, everyone felt envious and jealous. But this was a reward from Lian Chengyu, so they did not dare say anything. They only called out, "Young Master Lian Chengyu, explain why so little grain was distributed today!"
"That's right, Young Master Lian Chengyu, you have to uphold justice for us!"
By then, Lian Chengyu was already standing atop the platform, smiling broadly at everyone. It seemed that his praise of Yi Yun just now had been nothing more than a trivial matter, and he no longer cared about it.
He smiled and said, "My fellow clansmen, you've worked hard all these years!"
Lian Chengyu's first words did not go straight to the point. Instead, he soothed the crowd. In Yi Yun's eyes, such a show was clumsy, but Lian Chengyu's status spoke for itself. With only a few polite words, he made many impoverished people feel flattered beyond measure.
"You want an explanation. I'll give you one. Bring it up!"
Lian Chengyu waved his hand. Behind him, six burly men used three thick wooden poles to carry over a long, large wooden chest. Yi Yun remembered this chest. Before the envoy from the large tribe, the man known as Lord Tao, had left the Lian Clan after collecting the weapons, he had left this chest behind. It contained something from a large tribe!
"Open it!" Lian Chengyu ordered calmly. The contents of the chest could not be concealed. Refining them would require the labor of many people.
Two burly men wielded their knives and pried open the chest in full view of the crowd. Brilliant streams of light flashed through the air, and beautiful patterns intertwined out of thin air.
The onlookers could not help crying out in alarm. When had they ever seen such a sight?
At this moment, Lian Chengyu stepped forward and took a small, fiery-red stone from his robes, waving it over the glowing patterns.
The patterns rippled like a disturbed water surface and slowly vanished.
Then, a wave of icy air poured out!
Before you continue