Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Itinerant Merchant

Time passes like the fallen leaves in the forest outside the village, drifting away with the wind.

At the age of five, Xiahou had already practiced the Xuanwu True Solution to the second level, reaching the stage where his qi condensed into beads and his body felt as strong as iron. By now, he stood over five feet tall, much larger and sturdier than other children his age. His earthy-yellow skin seemed somewhat peculiar, and the aftermath of practicing the Xuanwu True Solution was gradually manifesting: his shoulders were half again as wide as normal, and his arms were showing signs of developing into long limbs resembling those of a gorilla. His muscles were extremely well-developed, and when he moved, they rippled powerfully, exhibiting astonishing strength and beauty.

Chihu Xiu watched his son, Xiahou, grow so robust and was delighted beyond words, muttering incessantly about finding a good wife for Xiahou. Consequently, he led a group of tribesmen into the deep mountains every day, and no one knew how many fierce beasts had perished at their hands. The gorgeous and heavy animal skins hung on the walls of Xiahou's house like a series of colorful paintings.

Xiahou paid no attention to this. He only wanted to strengthen himself continuously, to enhance his abilities so that he could survive in this strange and barbaric world. Only by staying alive could he find the possible path back home. Although he never understood why there was a planet where his star chart matched Earth exactly.

"Ah, if only I had some astronomical instruments. Alas, my university studies were in archaeology and ancient literature, and I can't even make a piece of glass. Useless as a scholar."

Clutching his two extraordinary arms, Xiahou stood in the dense forest on the outskirts of the village, sighing deeply to the sky. "If I had known this day would come, I would have studied industrial manufacturing, firearm design, biological science, high-energy physics, or even steelmaking and ironmaking. Anything would be more useful than playing with those worthless historical relics."

In the forest, a group of wolf-like creatures, with teeth sharp as knives protruding from their lips and eyes flashing with a faint blue light, growled softly as they slowly surrounded this "muscular and tender" little boy. Xiahou, however, stood there sighing to himself, almost shedding tears, paying no attention to these ferocious wolves.

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed in the sky, and a white figure soared through the air with a whooshing sound. Leaving several remnants in its wake, the white figure lightly leveraged itself against a tree trunk several meters high, and in a few leaps and bounds, it was hovering over the group of wolves. "Aoo~~," the white figure suspended in the sky for a moment, beating its chest and emitting a roar that resonated for miles.

The group of wolves, who had just been plotting mischief, trembled all over and cowered on the ground. They recognized this as the roar of a Pi Xiu, a king of the mountain forest, compared to which the wolves were mere trifles. They could only prostrate themselves on the ground, hoping that this Pi Xiu would follow the rules of the forest, eat and drink his fill, and then let the remaining pack leave.

The white figure, taller than Xiahou by a fist, landed fiercely from the sky, sitting squarely on the back of an old tooth wolf. With a snap, it smashed the wolf's spine into a dozen pieces. Dragging its two long arms, the white figure walked in a circle among the nearly hundred wolves, casually grabbed a young and strong one, tore off its skull with one claw, and sucked out its brains. The wolf screamed twice, but its brain was eaten clean. The white figure then ripped open the wolf's belly, pulled out its heart and lungs, and chewed them messily. Satisfied, it walked over to Xiahou and sat obediently.

Xiahou looked at the blood-soaked white figure, shook his head, and wiped away the residue of heart and lung from its mouth, reprimanding, "Next time you finish eating, go wash yourself by the stream. Last time you scared several Ahms."

Bai grinned and let out a few loud howls, then leaned into Xiahou, rubbing his head against him, smearing the blood from his face onto Xiahou's fur coat, before finally bursting into laughter.

Xiahou rolled his eyes at him, gave him a pat on the head, and together, with strange smiles on their faces, they approached the group of tooth wolves.

Sensing the chilling aura emanating from Xiahou, the tooth wolves that had just considered using him for an extra meal began to shiver. According to the unspoken rules of the forest, Bai should let them leave, but how could this two-legged human be on the same side as that fierce Xiongwei? Did he want to break the rules of the forest and exterminate them all?

It was as if Xiahou was selecting watermelons in a melon patch as he sized up the tooth wolves, feeling them up one by one. "This one's too fat, too greasy to eat; this one's too skinny, will get stuck in your teeth; this one's too old, its bones are too tough, only good for making soup; but this one, hmm, not too old, not too young, just right in terms of size, roast it for lunch, it'll be perfect."

Grabbing the stout tooth wolf, Xiahou slapped it, knocking it unconscious, and when Bai saw that Xiahou had already chosen the lunch target, he let out a loud roar to the sky. The tooth wolves, as if granted a pardon, jumped up, tucked their tails, and ran off. These tooth wolves, about two meters long, ran extremely fast, disappearing in an instant.

With one hand holding the top of the tooth wolf's head and dragging it towards the village entrance, Xiahou looked at Bai, who was following him step by step, and hesitated a bit before asking, "Bai, do you think tooth wolves can be tamed like giant pigs? Tooth wolves have good noses, and if we can tame a pack of tooth wolves, it'll make hunting a lot easier for Dad and the others."

White's eyes rolled, bloodshot, and blood flowed through the gaps in his sharp teeth as he fiercely pounded his chest a few times and let out a few howls. Xiahou nodded knowingly, a sly smile appearing on his face. "Oh? You mean you can tame them? That's great. Tomorrow, come here and catch a group of adult tooth wolves. Take them out to roam in the forest every day. Can you handle that?"

Bai danced around excitedly, roaring loudly, saliva spraying from the gaps between his sharp teeth. Obviously, Bai was not pleased with Xiahou's suspicion and felt his pride had been challenged. Taming a batch of tooth wolves? It was too easy of a task. If it were a group of saber-toothed tigers, Bai wouldn't dare to guarantee that he could surpass them, but a group of tooth wolves? Was this even a challenge?

His eyes darted around, and his crimson tongue licked the blood at the corners of his mouth incessantly, as if calculating that if he could tame a batch of tooth wolves, he would have fresh blood every day. As he thought about it, Bai's mouth filled with saliva again, and his bloodshot eyes stared at a few lazy pigs walking around inside the village walls, a sly smile appearing on his face, just like Xiahou's.

Growing up together with Bai and having a thorough understanding of his temperament, Xiahou rolled his eyes and muttered, "Go ahead, feast on it. After you eat the pigs raised by others, just wait for Dad to skin you alive and return you to them."

Bai shook his body abruptly, immediately putting on a serious expression. He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, then graciously took the tooth wolf Xiahou was dragging and hoisted it onto his shoulder. With one arm hanging over Xiahou's shoulder, they walked into the village together, shoulder to shoulder.

Along the way, the villagers, who had become accustomed to Xiahou and Bai's peculiar intimacy despite their nearly identical appearances, greeted them warmly. "Ah Yi from the Xiu family, come to our house for lunch. We've made some fresh pancakes," one would say, while another would mention newly picked fruits or freshly harvested vegetables. The children who were the same age as Xiahou or two years older continued to act silly, swinging heavy wooden sticks around, but none dared to approach Xiahou and Bai.

Xiahou smiled at the villagers and waved his hand. "Maybe next time. My Mom has made soup, so I'll go back and clean up this tooth wolf."

Then, a group of villagers began to chatter, praising Ah Yi from the Xiu family for being so capable, being able to hunt at the age of five. Of course, there were also some who disagreed. In the eyes of some villagers, Xiahou's spoils were all thanks to Bai. Anyone who could have a Xiongwei as a companion from the age of five was bound to be formidable.

On the roadside, two boys aged eleven or twelve murmured discontentedly, "Ah Yi from the Xiu family only catches prey every day because of that PiXiu, right?"

"Yeah, it's just because he grew up with that PiXiu. Everyone knows that when a PiXiu is born, it considers whoever it sees first as its parents. Ah Yi from the Xiu family just lucked out."

"If we're lucky, we might also find a newly born PiXiu. Hmph!"

"When our PiXiu grows up, even the fiercest beasts won't be a threat. Ah Yi from the Xiu family just lucked out."

Xiahou just smiled at the two boys and ignored their deliberate provocations. However, Bai gave them a cold stare, memorizing their faces. Bai pondered whether he should visit the homes of these two boys tonight and devour all the pigs they raised. If there were leftovers, he could capture them and keep them in a cave outside the village, slowly enjoying them as snacks.

With a slurp, White sucked in some saliva, cracking a sinister grin.

Suddenly, from the three-story watchtower at the village entrance, a villager who was on lookout duty shouted, "A large group of people is approaching! Women and children, go inside, men, grab your weapons and prepare for battle!" Three crisp sounds of bowstrings echoed, and the villager on the watchtower had already fired three long arrows, shouting, "Are the approaching people friends or foes? If you're friends, state your origin. If you're enemies, then be prepared to face death."

The Amms from each family didn't utter a word, instead, they grabbed their children and hurried back into their houses. Of the eighty men remaining in the village, who stayed behind while the hunting party left, they grabbed their weapons and rushed to the village entrance, lying flat against the walls, shouting loudly. "Friend or foe? Come out, someone speak!"

With a gleam in his eyes, Xiahou swiftly grabbed a steel axe used for chopping wood from outside a wooden house and dashed to the village entrance. Bai hesitated for a moment, glanced at the wolf lying on his shoulder with its eyes now open, then clamped his teeth onto the wolf's neck, vigorously shaking its head several times, almost tearing its neck apart. Then, with a grin, he transformed into a streak of white light and followed Xiahou.

At the village entrance, a group of people could be seen approaching slowly. There were probably about three to five hundred individuals, herding dozens of carts pulled by oxen. An old man with a white beard shouted from afar, "Friends from the Cheetah Tiger tribe, it's me, the Golden Eagle of the grasslands! Have you forgotten your old friend? It's been several years, you must have had many more little ones, right?"

The people from the Cheetah Tiger tribe burst into laughter, dropping their weapons and walking out to greet the visitors. The Fire Fox from the Cheetah Tiger tribe opened his arms from a distance, laughing heartily. "It's you, old bird! It's been six years since you last visited our tribe, right? We've missed your fine wine and fine cloth. You old bird!" He embraced the old man tightly.

The Shaman also sluggishly emerged from his stone house, weakly saying, "Is it the Golden Eagle of the grasslands? Long time no see, please come in, please come in." His voice, feeble as it was, could be heard throughout the village. This voice served as a signal to lift the alarm, and the Amms from each family came out, laughing together.

Xiahou's Amm ran out with a thick wooden stick in hand, running angrily towards Xiahou and raining blows upon him. "Aya, why don't you come inside? Do you think you're already a fierce tiger of the forest, all grown up? What's that you're holding in your hand? An axe? What do you want to do?"

Bai emitted a sharp, unpleasant laugh, mocking Xiahou for being scolded by his Amm. Hearing Bai's laughter, the Amm abruptly turned around and, facing Bai's head, struck him several times with the stick, forcefully knocking him to the ground. Bai grimaced, clutching his head, and obediently lay down. His eyes darted around, filled with only one question: why was he getting beaten when Xiahou was the one who started the trouble? Moreover, the number of blows he received far exceeded those Xiahou received.

The Golden Eagle had already led his group into the village and, upon seeing Bai lying on the ground, as well as Xiahou's lack of sincerity in dissuading his Amm from beating Bai, his eyes lit up. "A Pixiu? And a tamed one at that? By the gods, this is a fantastic find. Shaman, are you selling this Pixiu?"

Xiahou caught the stick from his Amm's hand and effortlessly crushed it, his eyes gleaming with a yellow light as he pulled Bai up from the ground. Glaring fiercely at the old man, Xiahou said coldly, "Sell? Why not? As long as you can handle him, of course, I'll sell."

The Golden Eagle was astonished, then suddenly burst into applause. "What an impressive kid. Heh heh, this Pixiu thing is quite a troublemaker. It only eats blood, and a Pixiu this big, I can't tame it either. Not buying, not buying." Shaking his head, he pulled out a steel sword, about a foot wide, from the cart and threw it to Xiahou. "Good lad, here's a sword for you. Anyone who can be with a Pixiu must be a good man."

Xiahou remained silent, grabbed the four-foot-long, roughly sixty-pound steel sword, and swiftly danced it in the wind, creating a flourish. With the swordsmanship he learned in his past life, he unleashed a fierce strike, cleaving a three-foot-high boulder beside him in half, sparks flying everywhere. The men of the Cheetah Tiger tribe and the visitors brought by the Golden Eagle cheered loudly, praising him.

The Shaman wore a proud smile and spoke slowly, "The young lad from the Pixiu family is indeed impressive. When he was just born, he absorbed the soul force of a Saber-Toothed Tiger clean. None of the other kids can compare to him. Amm of the Pixiu family, don't be upset. Your Aya is no weaker than an adult now, especially with Bai accompanying him. What danger could he face?"

Xiahou's Amm showed a happy smile, dropping the broken half of the stick that Xiahou had crushed in his hand and said in a simple tone, "What the Shaman said is true, but after all, Aya is still a child."

The Shaman waved his bone staff, making a decision, "Other kids can only stay in the village until they're grown, but your Aya is different. You'll go with him. Golden Eagle, come to my house. With such a large caravan you brought this time, you must have some good stuff, right?"

The old Golden Eagle stared at Xiahou for a moment, then lingered even more on Bai, before nodding reluctantly, "Nothing much, just a few carts of old wine, a cart of fine cloth, and the rest are weapons and pottery. We're old friends, so I'll trade with you at half price. This time, I'm collecting herbs, all sorts of herbs."

He reached out and touched Xiahou's head, then followed the Shaman towards his stone house. Faintly, he could be heard saying, "On the grasslands, the Nine Snakes and Willow Tigers tribes are locked in a deadly battle, with heavy casualties. It looks like it's going to continue. I'll take the opportunity to collect some herbs to trade with them. Their wounded warriors need herbs to survive. Especially the Bloodvine, gather more for me."

A caravan! A caravan traveling across the land! A caravan from the grasslands outside the forest! This meant that their knowledge of this world must far surpass Xiahou's and even the Shaman, who had spent his whole life in the mountains without leaving.

Xiahou and Bai entered the Shaman's stone house together.

The Shaman, the Golden Eagle, and several old men under the Golden Eagle sat around the fire pit, drinking from horn cups. When they saw Xiahou and Bai walk in, these old men didn't mind. They casually shifted their positions, making a little space for Xiahou and Bai. The Shaman pointed to a wine jar and said, "Aya of the Pixiu family, pour us some wine." With this sentence, he acknowledged Xiahou's legitimate right to stay in the stone house and listen to their idle chatter, while also unceremoniously conscripting Xiahou as a temporary servant.

Naturally, Xiahou wouldn't do these chores. He sat cross-legged by the fire pit, holding a horn cup like an adult. Only Bai, with a strange look in his eyes, grumbled something, holding the wine jar and slowly circling the fire pit. Whenever he saw someone's horn cup empty, he filled it up.

The Golden Eagle chuckled, "Interesting, interesting. They say Pixiu are extremely intelligent, and it seems to be true."

The Shaman smirked, "Hey, is it true that the Nine Snakes and Willow Tigers are really going to war? They're the two biggest tribes on the grasslands, after all."

Taking a sip of wine and wiping the liquid from his mouth with his sleeve, the Golden Eagle spread his hands and said, "They're going all out, no holds barred. Both tribes have thousands of strong warriors. When they fight, rivers of blood flow. And with the Willow Tiger's territory so far away, there's no one to stop them. It seems they'll continue fighting. I, Old Golden Eagle, am just a wandering merchant. If they go to war, I'll sell them herbs, which is a good thing in a way."

The Shaman shook his head with a sigh. "Two big tribes, but at this rate, both might decline. Shouldn't their shamans intervene?"

One of the old men beside the Golden Eagle shook his head. "Well, the cause of the conflict was the Nine Snakes shaman accidentally killing the child of the Willow Tigers shaman. Although it was accidental, it gave their chief a reason to go to war. When the chiefs and elders decide to go to war and the two shamans hold a grudge against each other, there's no room for mediation."

The Shaman's expression turned grim as he lightly rubbed the bone staff in his hand. He said ominously, "So, these two shamans will probably face punishment. But before the Great Shaman's orders are issued, I'm afraid there won't be many left in either tribe." His tone grew darker, "Mutual killing and slave raiding among hostile tribes are widely accepted. But if it leads to the decline of two tribes, that would violate the rules."

The old men continued to ramble on, but Xiahou found it uninteresting. They were just idle chatter about how much profit the Golden Eagle could make by selling herbs to the two tribes and what punishment the two indifferent shamans would receive.

The only useful information Xiahou gleaned was that it seemed all tribes' shamans came from the same organization or religious system, with clear hierarchical relationships among them. However, these relationships were known only to the shamans themselves, and even the experienced merchant like the Golden Eagle couldn't explain it.

After a while, the outside clamor had died down, and the people from the caravans had been settled. Xiahou looked at the several old men who had fallen into silence and asked, "Grandfather Golden Eagle, you've traveled to many places and seen a lot. So, how big is the outside world?"

Both the Shaman and the Golden Eagle looked at Xiahou in surprise. The Shaman waved his bone staff and laughed, "Hehehe, the young man still wants to venture beyond the mountains before reaching adulthood?" He chuckled happily, "Indeed, for this forest, young man, it's too small, can't contain you. You have the potential to become a senior warrior; this forest can't contain you."

The Golden Eagle, with a smile on his face, twirled his beard and casually placed his horn cup on the ground. "The outside world, ah, it's very big, young man."

He looked wistful, "Your Chihu tribe is considered large in this forest. When you add up all the tribal members, your Chihu tribe has thousands of strong warriors. But in very distant places, there are even more powerful tribes. I've been to a tribe called Shengong, and they have tens of thousands of warriors."

Tens of thousands of warriors in a tribe? Xiahou mused dreamily. Perhaps there, he could escape the fate of being a barbarian, hunting for pelts in the forest, finding a wife, and having children who would do the same.

"I must accelerate the cultivation of the Xuanwu True Solution to explore the world beyond the mountains." Though the Golden Eagle's words were somewhat vague, they left a deep imprint in Xiahou's mind. Strengthening his own power, then venturing into the world beyond the mountains. He thought of those finely crafted weapons; the world beyond the mountains must be incredibly exciting, right?

However, for now, he still had to stay in the village. Faced with the dangers and uncertainties of this barbaric unknown world, Xiahou wouldn't act rashly until he had enough strength.