Barbarian Tribe?

Walking between three people who looked like monsters, Bai Yang's heart was in turmoil. He always felt like they could tear him apart like a piece of paper at any moment, and every step he took was filled with dread.

Because of the language barrier, he couldn't figure out their identities, so Bai Yang could only distinguish them by their builds. The strongest young man was labeled 'Number One Barbarian' in his mind, followed by the older, burly man as 'Number Two Barbarian', and the last one as 'Number Three Barbarian'.

Much later, after Bai Yang learned the local language, he found out Number One was called Zhu Zi, Number Two was Zhao Shi, and Number Three was Hu Zi...

These three monster-like people showed Bai Yang what violent beauty meant.

Take the helmet that had been on Bai Yang's head—a metal piece. Whether it could stop a bullet, Bai Yang didn't know, but if he wanted to destroy it himself, even swinging a sledgehammer would take some effort. Yet, when 'Number Three Barbarian' curiously examined it, he accidentally crushed it into a lump...

Bai Yang's mouth twitched involuntarily. Facing the other's slightly embarrassed look, he could only put on an expression that said, 'Go ahead, I really don't care.'

Next, the metal military shovel ended up in 'Number Two Barbarian's' hands. Being older, he was quite curious about this multi-purpose tool that could chop, dig, and saw. He swung it to cut some old vine branches, dug a hole in the ground, then wound up and slammed it into a big tree. The shovel handle snapped, and the blade part flew off somewhere unknown.

"Go ahead, I really don't care," Bai Yang said, forcing a casual smile, not caring whether the other understood or not.

'Number One Barbarian's' eyes kept wandering between the electric baton in Bai Yang's hand and the pouches on his clothes. One, he wanted to play with the baton; two, he wanted to know if Bai Yang had any more good food in his pockets. Bai Yang miraculously read both meanings in those eyes.

There was no way he was giving the electric baton to the other. Though he hadn't used it yet, walking with these three humanoid monsters, the baton was the only thing giving Bai Yang a shred of security. As for food, he had none on him. He could go back to get some, but being watched by three barbarians made that obviously impossible. So he just ignored those eyes.

Number One Barbarian's weapon was a huge long staff—the one that had knocked out the wild boar's head. Number Two used a large bow. Number Three also had a weapon; he was the one riding the wild boar earlier, but his weapon had been lost somewhere. When he picked it up, Bai Yang saw it was a big blade taller than himself.

"So barbaric. What kind of people are these? That bow—the arms are as thick as my arm, how does he draw it so easily? That staff—one poke and it leaves a hole in the ground, must be a couple hundred jin? And that blade—isn't it just a door panel?"

Bai Yang felt completely off. With these guys around, he seriously doubted he could survive even a minute...

But what shocked him more came next. That wild boar, two meters tall and nearly five meters long, must have weighed over a ton, right? Number One Barbarian let out a breath, grabbed one of the boar's legs, hoisted it onto his shoulder, used the long staff to balance it underneath, and still managed to walk freely through the jungle...

Bai Yang had no idea how to describe his state of mind toward these monster-like people. These were just the first three people he'd met in this world. Who knew what terrifying creatures were out there?

"What kind of world is this? Did these three brothers crawl out of some barbarian tribe from the age of savagery?"

Swoosh... A sharp sound whizzed past Bai Yang's ear, followed by a gust of foul wind, and then a dull thud came from over ten meters to his left.

Number Two Barbarian walked past Bai Yang as if nothing had happened, then dragged out a python as thick as a thigh from behind the bushes. The python's head was gone. He casually slung the nearly six-meter-long snake over his shoulder and kept moving.

Bai Yang swallowed hard. He couldn't figure out how 'Number Two Barbarian' had spotted that snake...

Maybe already sure Bai Yang couldn't understand them, the three barbarians stopped trying to communicate and instead started discussing him among themselves.

"That black stuff was really delicious—fragrant, sweet. I want another piece..." Number Three Barbarian said, carrying his door-plank-like blade with a dreamy look of lingering aftertaste.

"Hu Zi, do you think that delicious thing we ate off the ground yesterday, when we found that bowl, was dropped by him? He actually threw away something so tasty. I really want to slap him to death," Number Two Barbarian Zhu Zi said, carrying the wild boar. Though sweat beaded on his forehead, he could still talk normally—amazing.

"No idea. Brother Zhao said he was going to take that bowl to town and sell it for a good price, but then it accidentally fell into the fire and burned up," Hu Zi scratched his head.

"You two stop thinking about food all the time. Tell me, what kind of person do you think he is? Is it really okay to take him back to the village?" Number Two Barbarian Zhao Shi spoke up.

He had been observing Bai Yang the whole way. Aside from finding his clothes and appearance strange, there was nothing special about him. With his fair, delicate face, Bai Yang looked like a weakling to him—no different from a chicken. In their village, someone like Bai Yang couldn't even find a wife.

"Maybe he's some young master from a town or city. A pampered parasite, no ambition, not even a shred of martial skill. No idea how he survived in the jungle. But the food he carries is really good," Number Three Barbarian Hu Zi said dismissively.

"He might be a cultivator of the Divine Path, not focused on the body," Number One Barbarian Zhu Zi grunted while carrying the boar.

Number Two Barbarian Zhao Shi shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it. Martial Path tempers the body; Divine Path refines the soul. Even without a secret manual, martial arts can still hone the physique, while the Divine Path requires mysterious techniques to cultivate. But there should be some outward signs. We've never seen a Divine Path cultivator, but he doesn't look like he's trained at all."

"Who knows? Let's take him back and see what the village chief decides. I just wonder if this guy is an idiot—can't even talk, just jabbers nonsense," Number Three Barbarian Hu Zi scratched his head.

As he spoke, Hu Zi tilted his head and saw Bai Yang panting from walking. He couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed Bai Yang by the shoulder, tossed him onto his broad shoulder, and quickened his pace...

Bai Yang wanted to cry but had no tears. He had thought the guy carrying the boar was slowing them down, but it turned out he was the one not fast enough...

They walked through the jungle for an hour or two. Bai Yang couldn't tell how far they'd gone. Along the way, the three 'barbarians' kept shattering his understanding. Cliffs four or five meters high—they ran a few steps and leaped up. Ravines seven or eight meters wide—they crossed with ease.

Bai Yang felt nothing could stop them!

Dizzy and disoriented, Bai Yang didn't even know when he was set down. When he finally got a clear look at his surroundings, his eyes went wide.

They were still in the dense jungle, but ahead of them was a village built right in the thick of it. Outside the village was a wall made of thick wooden stakes driven into the ground, at least ten meters high!

Standing at the gate, Bai Yang looked ahead. There were no buildings on the ground. All the houses, big and small, were perched in trees at least twenty meters up. Interwoven branches served as paths between the houses. A clear river over thirty meters wide flowed through the middle of the village. A huge waterwheel sat in the river, lifting water to a massive tank fifty meters above. Bamboo pipes ran from the tank through the air to each treehouse, where a smaller pipe led down to a thicker main pipe. That main pipe, studded with little bamboo spouts, ran across the entire village before slanting into the downstream river—probably for wastewater...

On the ground, a hundred or so half-grown kids were practicing martial arts with shouts and grunts. Up in the trees, some children like monkeys were jumping from branch to branch, making Bai Yang's heart race. Would they survive a fall?

"What the hell kind of place is this?" Only one thought kept flashing through Bai Yang's mind.

The three barbarians who brought him here shouted something at the top of their lungs. Instantly, a crowd of people appeared from everywhere and quickly gathered around, pointing at Bai Yang and murmuring.

But then Bai Yang noticed that the builds of the three barbarians who brought him here were actually within acceptable limits. Because in the crowd, he saw at least twenty people even more muscular than these three.

"God, what kind of crazy world is this?"

Bai Yang's brain couldn't keep up. He seriously suspected he had stumbled into a barbarian tribe from the age of savagery. Were these beast-like people about to throw him into a big pot and boil him alive?