The Coming-of-Age Ceremony and New Arrangements

In the last few days before the heavy snow arrived, the weather was exceptionally clear. The sun shone warmly, there was no wind, and even the air felt lazy. The distant mountains were clearly visible, and the nearby fields were empty—the crops had all been harvested, leaving only neat field ridges and crisscrossing ditches.

The Fire Tribe's headquarters camp was unusually lively today. From the morning, people kept gathering in the open space in the center of the camp. The elderly, women, children, and even the warriors who were not on duty all came to watch the excitement. In the center of the open space, a high platform was erected, covered with brand-new animal hides, and flags were planted all around. Below the platform, three hundred teenagers stood in neat rows.

They were dressed in brand-new linen clothes, their faces showing excitement and nervousness. Some stood up straight, their eyes fixed straight ahead; some secretly looked around, trying to see if their family members had come; some whispered to the people next to them, encouraging each other.

Yan stood at the front of the line, wearing a linen robe sewn by Qingye herself, with an exquisite leather belt around his waist and new animal skin boots on his feet. His hair was also specially styled, making him look exceptionally energetic. Next to him stood Gubang, Gubang was also wearing a new outfit today, made overnight by his mother. He was already tall, and the new clothes made him look even more dashing.

"Boss," Gubang whispered, "I'm a little nervous."

Yan glanced at him and smiled.

"What's there to be nervous about? It's just getting a badge and having a meal."

Gubang scratched his head. "I don't know, it's just... it just feels different today."

Yan nodded and didn't say anything more. He was actually a little nervous. From today onwards, he was officially an adult, and from today onwards, he was a true warrior.

Just then, a horn sounded, and everyone's spirits lifted. Jianshi looked up at the high platform. Jian Shi walked up to the platform. He was dressed exceptionally formally today, in a brand-new leather robe with a bronze sword hanging at his waist. He exuded an air of authority. Behind him were Qingye, Dali, Dabang, Jianya, and other leaders. Jianshi walked to the center of the platform and stood still.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the teenagers, and then he spoke.

"Today," his voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him clearly, "Is our Fire Tribe's coming-of-age ceremony."

The audience was completely silent.

"Three hundred children," Jianshi continued, "Are officially coming of age today."

His gaze softened.

"I remember when some of you first came to the Fire Tribe, some didn't even have clothes to wear, some didn't have enough to eat, and some didn't even have names. Now, you've all grown up."

He paused, then raised his voice slightly.

"Now that you've grown up, you must shoulder responsibilities. From this day forward, you are the warriors of the Fire Tribe, the backbone of the Fire Tribe, and the future of the Fire Tribe rests on your Shouhu!"

The three hundred youths responded in unison, "Yes!"

Jianshi nodded in satisfaction and began distributing adult identity tags, a unique rule of the Fire Tribe. Each adult tribesman would receive a wooden tag engraved with their name and number, serving as their identification. Yan was the first to step forward, Jianshi looked at him with eyes full of satisfaction.

"Yan, you've grown up."

Yan nodded. "Father."

Jianshi picked up a wooden plaque and handed it to Yan. Yan took it and looked down. The plaque had a single character engraved on it—"Yan"—and a line of smaller characters below it, which was a number.

"Do a good job," Jianshi said.

Yan nodded emphatically. "Yes!"

Next, one by one, Gubang and the others walked up to the platform and received the wooden plaques from Jianshi. Each of them had excitement and pride on their faces. Three hundred teenagers, three hundred wooden plaques, it took a whole hour to distribute them. After the last person received his plaque, Jianshi spoke again.

"Today is a special day. I've had a sumptuous feast prepared. Everyone, please enjoy your meal!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the audience. Soon, a long table was set up in the center of the open space, laden with food—golden-roasted mutton, tenderly stewed pork, fresh fish soup, steaming rice, and various other dishes whose names were unfamiliar. Three hundred teenagers sat around the long table, eating heartily and laughing loudly.

Their family members also came and sat beside them, looking at their children with smiles on their faces. Yan sat in the front, with Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai next to him.

"Boss," Gubang mumbled, his mouth full of meat, "This meat is delicious!"

Yan smiled and pushed the piece of meat in front of him towards him.

"Eat more! It's rare to have so much good food at the Deer Tribe."

Gubang paused for a moment, then put down the meat in his hand.

"Boss..." His voice was somewhat low, "I can't bear to part with you all."

Yan patted him on the shoulder.

"You have to go, even if you don't want to. It's your duty."

Gubang lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes shining with determination.

"Don't worry, boss! I'll do my best over there and I definitely won't let our Youth Team down!"

Yan nodded and smiled.

"Okay! I'll wait until you achieve something!"

Daya and Zhuangchai also came over to help, taking the opportunity to chime in.

"Gubang," Daya said, "Don't forget about us when you get there."

Gubang glared at him. "I can't forget it!"

Zhuangchai Chai chuckled, "Once you've finished your work, maybe we can get over there too."

Gubang said, "Then hurry up and come! It's so boring for me to be over there alone."

Everyone laughed. After a while, Yan stood up.

"You eat the Gubang first, I'm going to do something."

He left the long table and walked towards the high platform, where Jianshi Shi was talking to several leaders. Seeing Yan approaching, he waved.

"Yan, come here."

Yan walked over, Jianshi looked at him with eyes full of affection.

How are you feeling today?

Yan said, "It's fine."

Jianshi nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"Yan, you're an adult now, and I have a few things to tell you."

Yan listened attentively.

Jianshi said, "The first thing you need to do is report to the new recruit camp tomorrow. Dali will be in charge of the camp for now, so you'll work under him and get familiar with things. Next spring, Shibang and Yingmu will be with you."

Yan's eyes lit up.

"The two of them?"

Jianshi nodded. "Yes, they both made significant contributions. I've already arranged for them to be commanders of a thousand men. Then you'll have two thousand men under your command."

Two thousand men! Yan felt a surge of excitement. In the Fire Tribe, only a few people, such as Dabang, Dali, Dazhuang, and Jianya, could lead two thousand men. His father had given him two thousand men to manage as soon as he joined the Hunting Team, which was already a very high starting point.

"The second thing," Jianshi continued, "You will continue to be in charge of the Youth Team. Leave the specific tasks to Daya and Zhuangchai; just check on them when you have time."

Yan nodded.

Jianshi looked at him meaningfully and said, "The Youth Team will grow bigger and bigger in the future, and there will be more and more adult children. Having the title of captain will be beneficial to you in the future."

Yan understood his father's meaning; this was a plan laid in advance.

"Don't worry, Father," he said earnestly, "I will definitely do my best."

Jianshi nodded in satisfaction.

I trust you to handle things.

He patted Yan on the shoulder again.

"Go ahead and have a good time with your buddies. You'll be busy starting tomorrow."

Yan nodded, turned and left, returning to the long table where Gubang had finished eating and was sitting there chatting.

"Boss," Gubang asked, "What did the leader say to you?"

Yan sat down beside him and repeated what he had just said. After listening, Gubang's eyes widened in surprise.

"Boss, you're going to be in charge of two thousand people?"

Yan nodded.

Gubang's face flushed with excitement. "That's great! If I do well in the Deer Tribe, I might even become a commander of a thousand!"

Daya and Zhuangchai were incredibly envious.

"Boss, when can we start managing people?" Daya asked.

Yan laughed, "What's the rush? Let's manage the Youth Team first. If we manage the Youth Team well, there will be plenty of opportunities later."

Daya and Zhuangchai nodded repeatedly. The group chatted for a while longer, and as darkness fell, a campfire was lit, illuminating the entire camp. People sat around the fire, singing, dancing, drinking, and eating meat. Yan sat by the fire, watching all this, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. This was the Fire Tribe, his home.

The next morning, Yan went to the new recruit camp, which was located in a corner of the camp. It was a row of newly built wooden houses where newly adult teenagers lived. They would receive training here for a period of time before being assigned to different places. Dali was busy in the camp when he saw Yan coming and strode over to greet him.

"Yan is here!"

Yan clasped his hands in a respectful greeting. "Uncle Dali, I've come to report for duty."

Dali laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay! For the time being, you'll be working with me in the new recruit training camp."

He led Yan on a tour of the camp and explained the situation: there were three hundred teenagers in the new recruit camp who had come of age yesterday.

"These people," Dali said, pointing to the boys who were preparing for training, "Will all be warriors of the Fire Tribe from now on. You and I will take good care of them."

Yan nodded. "Uncle Dali, don't worry, I'll definitely do my best."

Dali said, "I know you can do it, but you're just starting out. Take it slow and don't rush."

Yan nodded again. After spending the morning at the camp, he had a general understanding of the situation. At noon, he went back for lunch and encountered Gubang on the way. Gubang was carrying a bundle and was preparing to set off on horseback.

"Boss!" Gubang dismounted and ran over, saying, "I'm leaving."

Yan looked at him, feeling a pang of reluctance, but a smile remained on her face.

"Go ahead and do a good job."

Gubang nodded emphatically. "Don't worry, boss! I'll definitely do a good job!"

Yan patted his shoulder, turned and left. After a few steps, he looked back. The Gubang was still standing there, looking at him. Yan waved and continued walking. Behind him, he heard the Gubang's voice.

"Take care, boss!"

Yan didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand and waved. After Yan left, Gubang also embarked on the road to the Deer Tribe. He rode a dwarf horse, followed by several guards, and headed towards the Deer Tribe along the mountain road. Along the way, he felt both excited and apprehensive. He was excited because he could finally take over his brother's position, but apprehensive because he didn't know if he could do a good job. By the afternoon of the next day, the Deer Tribe camp was already in sight.

From afar, Gubang spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the Deer Tribe camp: Shibang, who was riding a horse and looking in their direction. Upon seeing Gubang excitedly spurred his horse forward to greet him.

"Gubang!"

Gubang spurred his horse forward to meet them. The two met in the middle of the road, dismounted, and embraced tightly.

"Brother!" Gubang's eyes welled up with tears.

The Shibang released him and looked him up and down.

"Good lad, you've grown taller! You look like a grown-up now!"

Gubang grinned. "That's right! I'm an adult now!"

Shibang patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Come on in, let's go inside. I'll treat you to a welcome dinner!"

The two mounted their Deer Tribe and galloped toward the deer tribe's camp. Inside, a campfire was already lit, and the warriors sat around it, chatting and laughing. Shibang led Gubang to the largest wooden hut and had food brought to them.

"Come on, have something to eat first, and then I'll take you to see the mining area."

Gubang nodded and began to eat heartily, while Shibang sat beside him, watching him eat with eyes full of affection.

"Gubang, study hard and do a good job. I'm leaving this place to you from now on."

Gubang raised his head and said earnestly, "Don't worry, brother, I'll do my best and never let you down!"

Shibang smiled; he knew that his younger brother had grown up.