Chapter 107 – Contest
Translated by Sunyancai
When the task was completed, Shao Xuan allowed the already impatient Chacha to fly away.
If you thought about it, you’ll find that Shao Xuan was taking advantage of the rules, and it was a form of bullying the others. However, now it was under a special occasion. The other party was constraining the twins to do things that were beyond their power. In the past, all the kids would make an exception, and no one had really climbed the stone tree in such a season.
Meanwhile, Shao Xuan knew the twins well. They had a persistent character. Although they had Chacha help them now, but after winter ends, the first thing they would do would be to climb up the stone tree to touch their stone plates which had their names. That would provide them with a sense of relief, which meant that they were qualified, right and proper.
As expected, when Chacha flew away, Ah-Guang gave a slight ‘hum’ at Meng’s gloomy face and said: “If we do not awaken by the end of this winter, we will climb up again. Just wait and see!”
Ah-Yang nodded by her side: “I promise to do so as well.”
Although Chacha already flew away, the earlier situation had left an image in many people’s hearts. The impact may not be very deep, but in the future when they encounter similar tasks, they might think of this again.
Kids accept new things better than adults. Altering people’s minds should always start with kids. Also, by the end of this winter, Shao Xuan planned to take Caesar out for a few hunting missions. He hoped that people would gradually accept his way of training wild animals.
The pictures that the ancestors painted on the walls in the stone room of the orphan cave consisted of scenes which showed that they hunted with hounds. Perhaps one day in the future, that grand scene will reappear. The Shaman also held the same opinion.
“Okay, now since things are handled, I’ll head back.” Shao Xuan said to the twins.
“Don’t go brother Xuan! Later we will have a duel, and I’ll also be joining the contest!” Said Ah-Guang.
Kids from Meng’s side instantly began to yell at Ah-Guang’s words.
“You can’t join the contest Ah-Guang!”
“Yes, indeed! You can ask Ah-Yang to take your position!”
“I agree! Ah-Yang, how can you allow your sister to join?”
Earlier when they were messing with the twins, they did that out of two reasons. Firstly, the two parties were fighting over the training place, of course they would like to do something to upset the other party. Secondly, and more importantly, Ah-Guang was a girl and was born with strength. And if a girl with that strength entered the combat, Meng would have no proper person to fight with her. Now that someone said that Ah-Yang should fight the combat instead of Ah-Guang, many other kids began to second the proposal.
Shao Xuan looked at the bunch of kids and was smirking in his heart. What foolish kids they are! They were totally tricked by the twins. Just now, when someone said that Ah-Yang should join the combat, both the twins couldn’t help but smile a little.
It was a best of three game, and each party would send out three kids for the combat.
Shao Xuan, Mao and the others were watching the combat from afar.
The non-awakened kids had a very simple way of fighting each other. No stone tools allowed, as they would fight empty-handed. All the moves were learnt from their parents and other adults. However, due to the lack of real hunting experience and the lack of body strength, together with the fact that they were wearing too many clothes…the momentum of the fight was very much weakened.
Shao Xuan stood aside, watching kids from two opposite parties fighting each other. With that many clothes, they looked like fat dumplings colliding with each other. Shao Xuan almost laughed out loud, but the combat was something serious in the eyes of all the kids here. So, Shao Xuan tried hard to control his facial expression.
As Shao Xuan expected, two breaths after Ah-Yang joined the battle, he hit his opponent to the ground three times. On the fourth time, he punched his opponent on the face as he pinned him down on the ground, until his opponent admitted defeat. It seems like Ah-Yang had been holding back his temper for quite some time, and now he finally let it out.
Looking around, Shao Xuan found that aside from those who had known Ah-Yang well, all the others were looking funny.
In the end, Meng was the only one that won in his party. The other two, both were defeated, which meant that for the next twenty days, they should not enter the training place.
There was one merit about people in the tribe, which was that they won’t find any excuse for failure. Also, after the defeat, they won’t play dirty to set traps against the winners. If they fall, they rest and then stand up from where they fell. If they lose, they improve themselves and then fight back in the future.
The twins cheered with the others, and began discussing about bringing more stone tools to the training place.
The young warriors who were watching the combat intended to leave as well. But just when Shao Xuan was about to turn around, he heard someone from the other party shout: “Wait!”
“What? Do you have anything to say after being defeated? Unless you want to fight with someone, Lei?” Mao sneered.
This ‘Lei’ that Mao talked to was the one who was standing behind Meng earlier.
Lei had awakened one year before Shao Xuan and Mao. He was also older than Shao Xuan when he was awakened. If you calculate it, you’ll notice that he was two years older than Shao Xuan. He was the most outstanding warrior of his peers, and he always brought back the most game. After two years of being a totem warrior, he was now one head taller than Shao Xuan, given that he was much older than Shao Xuan as well.
Lei glimpsed at Mao, “Whoever of you could be my opponent if I join the fight?” He was saying that disdainingly, as if he would be bullying non-awakened kids if he joins the fight.
Before Mao could say anything back, Lei looked away as he looked at Shao Xuan, “We have someone on our side that wants to have a friendly challenge with Ah-Xuan. Normally, when Ah-Xuan is learning medicine from the Shaman, he is hard to find. Today, coincidentally we are all here. It’s for the best that we have a little combat, so that the other non-awakened kids might have the chance to see what is real combat between totem warriors!”
When he was saying “Totem warriors”, he said it full of pride. Not only Lei, the others were all excited to hear him say so.
Young totem warriors wanted to show off, while the non-awakened kids looked forward to it very much. Their fathers had their battles and competitions, and they had their own among the younger generation.
Just when Lei finished his words, someone from that party stepped out.
“Tai?” Mao frowned at the person that stepped out.
Tai had awakened in the same year as Shao Xuan and Mao. However, Shao Xuan did not know him well, since he was in the other hunting team.
Tai moved his wrists, stared at Shao Xuan, and said, “I heard that you are the most excellent one among our peers, and I have been wanting to challenge you for some time.”
At Tai’s words, someone from Mao’s side could not bear it, “Who said that he is the most excellent one among our peers?”
“Shut up!” Mao glared at the one who spoke.
He was indeed unhappy to admit it, but he remembered clearly about what happened during that hunting mission. Shao Xuan was really doing far better than him. Also, if it weren’t for Shao Xuan, he would probably have ended up in the belly of the Thorn Black Wind. His father also told him that he was the rival of Shao Xuan, for now.
Although, it had been half a year since when Ta had said that, and Mao was making progress in a faster speed than most of kids in the tribe. But he had no idea what Shao Xuan was capable of, because after that one time, he wasn’t in the same hunting group as Shao Xuan anymore. Shao Xuan did not remain in the advance group either. Both Mao and Ta did not know Shao Xuan’s current strength.
Mao did not believe that Shao Xuan made no progress during this half a year. You could see his progress from the game that he brought back after each hunting trip.
“Ah-Xuan?” Mao looked at Shao Xuan, and was asking about his attitude on this.
In fact, Shao Xuan did not really like this way of battling each other, but he could not refuse it. If he said no on this, or made any excuse to avoid the fight, he would be assumed as a pussy.
When someone challenges you, you accept it. It was an unwritten rule in the tribe.
Since you can’t refuse it, then just accept it. Shao Xuan might as well take this opportunity as a chance to see what were his peers were capable of.
Putting down the things he had in his hands, Shao Xuan told the twins to “Keep an eye on my stuff.”
Since Tai stepped forward, people stepped back to make room for him.
Shao Xuan entered the fighting circle, staring at the young warrior of his height.
Tai’s eyes looked unfriendly. He took off his cloak and tossed it aside as he stood in the chilly air with a sleeveless animal skin top. Perhaps he was showing the difference between the physiques of totem warriors and normal kids, or perhaps he was taking the cloak off, in order to move more conveniently. Or, was he maybe trying to show off his totem patterns during the fight?
It was indeed a hobby of the warriors to show off the totem patterns on their arms.
Tai moved his arms around, as well as his wrists, creating cracking sounds. With a loud roar, he stimulated the totem power inside his body, and the totem patterns, which especially belonged to totem warriors, quickly extended from his face to the neck. The totem patterns on his arms were also obvious. The flame-like totem patterns extended from his shoulders to the upper arms for about five to six centimeters.
Seeing the totem patterns on Tai’s body, many non-awakened kids looked very jealous. Every time when warriors were comparing the totem patterns on their arms, they could only watch them from aside.
Among the peers that awakened at the same time, Tai made fast progress. Since he was always someone high-profile, people knew his strength quite well already.
Then, the crowd moved their vision to the other side of the circle. People realized that they knew little about Shao Xuan, who was from the orphan cave in the mountain foot area.
Unlike Tai’s high profile, Shao Xuan just stood there in silence, like a log.