C19 - Surprise!

A maid took Yin Kai up the stairs and through a hall. As he reached the end, he found a large room with an open balcony overlooking the river's various island gardens.

Princess Su Li was staring out with her arms upon the balcony and her chest spilling out into the cool breeze. The scars on her arms shone brightly from tge sun across the waters.

Her head pulled back, she smiled when she heard Yin Kai step through the walkway.

Yin Kai stopped in the center of the room and faced her. He pulled his hands behind his back and stepped his legs apart.

Princess Su Li walked closer until he was two feet apart. "Yin Kai." She seemed to savor the name as it rolled off her lips.

"Everything is as you said. I and my people are happy. For this, you are the great benefactor of our tribe." Here, she paused.

"In exchange, I promised you a Soul-Refining Worm."

Yin Kai nodded.

"In order to give this to you and be right with my ancestors, I must give you something else as well." At this, she turned around.

She paused a moment, and then cupped Yin Kai's face with her hand. "Will you take my hand and become the chief of our tribe?"

With one hand, Yin Kai grabbed her neck. With the other he turned her hand. "You know who I am?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Then you know that I already have two wives."

She nodded again.

He paused a moment. "I also cultivate a secret art that requires many offspring."

"The Body-Refining Tribe needs more blood." The princess evenly replied, a small smirk on her face.

Yin Kai moved his thumb across her neck. Gently, he placed her hand upon his heart.

"Su Li, will you marry me?"

The princess pulled his hand upon her heart. Reaching for his face again, she asked, "Huo Jai, will you marry me?"

"Yes." He spoke.

"Yes." She smiled, tears on her face.

The two hugged. Shortly after, Bu Tan came over alongside the maid. The two were pulled apart to either sides of the room. They continued staring at each other as they were dragged across the hall.

Finally, they were dragged aside into their respective rooms.

"You know our wedding customs?" Bu Tan's low tone came out through Yin Kai's silent reverie.

"Yes, yes, I do." Yin Kai spoke briefly, lost in his thoughts.

"Good. Then, do you know our customs for selecting our chief?"

"I know that whoever the princess approves becomes chief. Other than that I have no knowledge." Yin Kai lied.

"Good. Kid, if you did, I would punch you."

Yin Kai raised his eyebrow.

The stolid, silent man sighed. "Enough of that. We need to get you ready for the ceremony."

He pointed to a washbin. "Clean yourself."

Yin Kai did as instructed. Undoing the layers of his cultivation robes took some time, but was further quickened due to the painstaking amount of repetition.

As he worked, Bu Tan began to tell him about the ceremony. "Our men must, when they come of age, leave the tribe and return with a wife from outside the tribe. Their sons return to the outside world, and they return their daughters to the tribe. Here is what you must do…"

Taking his robe off, Yin Kai rubbed his muscles and loosened himself up. When he took his pants off, however, he heard a great gasp behind him. "Akhsai!"

Yin Kai barely recognized the curse. A loose translation was, "Holy Dirty Venomous Snake Droppings!!"

The man pointed to his long pole and said, "Yezhi, Yezhi."

In the culture of the southern continent, Yezhi was the favoured goddess.

Yin Kai continued to scrub himself up. After he was cleaned, male servants came and emptied the washbasin.

Once it was emptied, another pair of servants came holding a tray. Upon the tray was a stick of charcoal and a stick of gold-sene.

The servants placed the tray on a nearby table and stood at the door.

Taking the stick of charcoal, Bu Tan began to make runic lines covering the whole of Yin Kai's body.

When he was done, giant swirls and characters marked his frame. He then burned the charcoal stick in the firepit.

"May evil fall upon the enemy of my blood-tribe."

Picking up the stick of gold-sene, Bu Tan began to mark his face.

"May the chief of my blood tribe meet his people with good and kindness."

Saying so, he added some runic lines to the heavy column below.

"And may the blood tribe become as prosperous as the day."

With this, he stared into Yin Kai's eyes. The two attendants left with the tray, and Yin Kai and Bu Tan entered a staring contest.

The two servants reappeared. Without blinking, Bu Tan turned to face them. "Take my tribal chief to his wedding chambers."