CoPW 154 – Enthusiasm
Translated by Jon
This place was filled with many crocodiles. Looking at them all, Shao Xuan thought of the scratches he had seen on the stones when he first landed.
However, these frightful looking beasts appeared to live harmoniously with the people of the tribe.
The strangest thing Shao Xuan noticed was that the eyes of the tribe’s people all seemed cold and distant, as if they were without any emotions. This fierce, evil feeling felt very similar to that emitted by the crocodiles.
Were they people? Or crocodiles?
In this world, Shao Xuan had only seen people from his tribe. He had lived his days on the other side of the river, so he had hardly any understanding about this world. Even though he had looked at the animal hide scrolls left behind by the ancestors, many of their accounts weren’t detailed, which left a lot for others to figure out on their own.
Shao Xuan could only rely on his own eyes to see what the world was actually like outside his tribe.
Chacha didn’t fly in the sky since Fu Shi had explained that the people of his tribe were extremely vigilant towards birds. And so, until they received permission from the tribe they were advised not to fly or they might be attacked.
Due to this, Chacha could only follow behind, taking one step at a time.
The surroundings were littered with small resting crocodiles. As Shao Xuan and Chacha came closer, they would quickly dash back into the pools of water.
Seeing Shao Xuan staring at the crocodiles, Fu Shi said, “Our treasured fish are alway wary of outsiders. Luckily, the bigger fish have already left, leaving only the small ones behind. Otherwise, you guys would need to be even warier. If you want to go out or wander around, you need to be accompanied by a tribe member, or else you’d probably be attacked.”
Fu Shi told Shao Xuan that they had to be cautious when dealing with the crocodiles, to make sure they don’t infuriate them.
Listening to Fu Shi’s explanation, Shao Xuan felt relieved. Thankfully, these people weren’t crocodiles, but rather they lived harmoniously with these creatures, calling them their “treasured fish”. From this, it could be seen how important the crocodiles are to the tribe.
Shao Xuan warned Chacha not to treat these small crocodiles as food, or else the tribe would disapprove, or even attack them.
Like the tribe’s people, the crocodiles were also split into two kinds. One had tan eyes with dark brown scales down their back, with a lightly yellow belly. The color on these younger creatures was a bit dull, since they lacked concentration. The other kind of crocodiles had black spot patterns all over. Even if they were younger, the scales on their back were extremely visible, and they grew a horn on their head. This was something that Shao Xuan had never seen before, not even in his previous life.
The tan eyed crocodiles seemed to have a vicious temperament since they always looked like they wanted to attack. They also grew much bulkier than the brown eyed crocodiles. If an outsider was carelessly walking around the tribe and came across these creatures, the crocodile would take the initiative to attack.
However, the brown eyed crocodile, with the more detailed scales, had a milder temperament compared with their counterparts, resembling the brown eyed members of the tribe.
It looked like the tribe worshipped these animals.
Shao Xuan kept the words that Fu Shi had told him in his heart. Right now, the bigger crocodiles weren’t here, but they would return quickly. In such a strange place, not paying attention could lead to death.
Looking at the crocodiles, Shao Xuan recalled the move Chen Jia had pulled on him. Wasn’t it just like a crocodile’s “death roll”?
As they entered the central area of the tribe, instead of bringing Shao Xuan to his house, Fu Shi first found the chief.
Everyone soon knew of their arrival as the information quickly spread around the tribe.
Many people gathered outside the chief’s house as they curiously looked at Shao Xuan and Chacha. However, their eyes still appeared icy, making Chacha shake his wings, wishing he could fly away. Luckily, Shao Xuan noticed it and managed to placate him.
Fan Mu, the chief, was a middle aged man with tan eyes. While observing Shao Xuan, he gave off a vibe similar to that of the beasts in the forest; one that oppressed everything standing in his path.
“Welcome to the tribe.” Fan Mu greeted.
There was not a hint of friendliness. Of course, not smiling was good, as it was better than the “smile” that Fu Shi constantly had on his face.
“Flaming Horns tribe, Shao Xuan.” Shao Xuan formally introduced himself. He had discussed the best way to introduce himself with the Shaman just before leaving the tribe.
“He’s called Chacha. My friend has been standing for too long and is itching to fly. I hope the chief will permit him to do so for a while.” Shao Xuan continued.
“He can.” Fan Mu responded, turning towards the people on the side to tell them not to attack Chacha, but also to keep a close eye on him.
As soon as Chacha flew off, Shao Xuan followed Fan Mu up the stairs.
Inside the room stood a person with dark brown eyes, who appeared to be a few years older than the chief.
“This is our tribe’s Shaman.” Fan Mu introduced.
“Hello, I am Shao Xuan, from the Flaming Horns tribe.”
“Welcome to the Drumming tribe.” The Shaman said as he smiled a little, making Shao Xuan feel more welcome.
Although these words were also said by the chief, when it came out of the Shaman’s mouth, it felt a lot more comfortable. Moreover, when the Shaman smiled, there wasn’t any sense of terror that scared people stiff.
Contrary to what Shao Xuan expected, the Shaman looked approachable and easy to talk to.
Regardless of what Shao Xuan felt, on the outside, he displayed a reserved smile, acting like this was the first time he had left his tribe.
Fu Shi, who had led Shao Xuan here, was also called in to inform them of what happened.
Shao Xuan would shed light on the parts Fu Shi was not clear on.
After hearing that Shao Xuan stayed in the river for twenty days, the expression of the chief and Shaman changed.
“How did you stay in the river for more than twenty days?” The Shaman asked.
“By using a boat, paddling, and Chacha.” Shao Xuan told them some of his experiences on the river, including the dangerous perils he faced, but purposefully withheld mention of the sails and Chacha pulling him along.
As Shao Xuan told his story, Fan Mu and the Shaman’s expressions gradually eased up. Evidently, they had some knowledge regarding the river and knew that Shao Xuan wasn’t lying to them. Furthermore, from the way they saw it, after suffering from many dangerous situations, Shao Xuan must have indeed come from far away. However, Chacha’s contributions weren’t small. If they had a bird like Chacha that could pull them along, what would they also be able to do?
“Once our wooden boats go in the water, they sink. Why didn’t yours?” Fan Mu attentively asked.
“Is the wood you use heavy? In our tribe, as soon as we put a piece of wood in the water, it’ll quickly get dragged away by the river.” Replied Shao Xuan.
“Our tribe has the treasured fish!” Fu Shi proudly exclaimed.
Since there were many crocodiles near the shore, there weren’t many other creatures. And so, placing wood on water wouldn’t cause it to sink as there weren’t many insects to eat the wood and pull it down.
“Then how did you do it?” Fan Mu asked.
“After the rainy season, the wood eating insects disappear from the river, enabling us to traverse it. The insects only come back when the water level rises.” Explained Shao Xuan.
“So it was like that?!”
Shao Xuan’s words had shocked the people in the room.
“This is what my tribe’s shaman told me to bring.” Shao Xuan he took out the stone depicting the symbol of the tribe, and handed it over to the shaman.
The totem pattern drawn by the Shaman was quite special, and as a shaman himself, he could feel the power of the totem and the emotions they wanted to express. The stone brought with it intentions of goodwill and hospitality.
“Chacha also has one on him.” Shao Xuan walked to the door, whistling him down.
Naturally, the home of the chief was much more spacious than other people’s, with better construction.
Chacha landed outside the door.
The Shaman of the Drumming tribe carefully looked at the patterns on Chacha’s leg, before confirming it too had received the blessings of the Shaman. For a creature to receive one, it showed how much they valued it, something that was almost impossible to counterfeit.
Moving his hand away from Chacha, the shaman nodded to Fan Mu.
Although his eyes were still cold, the chief eased up a bit.
After talking for a while, the shaman and Fan Mu’s suspicion towards Shao Xuan had significantly decreased. Although they hadn’t heard of the Flaming Horns tribe, after their talk, they expressed sincere goodwill towards him.
Hearing that Shao Xuan was the first person to leave his tribe, the Shaman recommended that he stay for a while.
“After the Water Moon festival, some people will leave to go and trade with other tribes. You can accompany them.” The shaman said.
The people around wanted to say something, but with a raise of his hand, the shaman stopped them.
“It’s decided then. Fu Shi, let Shao Xuan live in your house temporarily.” The chief said.
When the chief said something, other people didn’t dare talk back. Only Shao Xuan’s eyes still carried a bit of vigilance.
“Alright.” Fu Shi agreed.
Fu Shi brought Shao Xuan to his home after leaving the chief’s house.
Generally, outsiders were cared for by the people who brought them into the tribe. Furthermore, Shao Xuan had saved Chen Jia’s life, so Fu Shi had to take even better care of him.
As the sky gradually turned dark, the air turned humid from all the evaporated water during the day.
The two moons in the sky made sure that the tribe wasn’t in total darkness. As the moons grew rounder and rounder, they showed the passing of the hours. In the lightened night, Shao Xuan was still able to see the flora and fauna surrounding him.
Fu Shi’s house was built next to a pool of water, and when Shao Xuan entered, a woman was waiting for them. She was Fu Shi’s wife, Ping.
Standing next to Ping was the obedient Chen Jia. His face was swollen, evidently from getting beaten.
Ping was extremely hospitable and her laughter put people at ease. Her two eyes were like Fu Shi and Chen Jia’s, a tan color.
“Shao Xuan, is it? Thank you for saving Chen Jia.”
After she finished talking, Ping took out a pile of things from outside the house. Everyone had yet to have dinner, since they had to wait for Fu Shi and Shao Xuan. And since they had come back, Ping started to prepare a huge meal.
Within a moment, a deer’s leg appeared in front of him. Although roasted, it wasn’t cooked thoroughly, with blood still visible.
Shao Xuan looked up at the people around him. The family of three had transformed. Their mouths were wide open, doubling in size, and they were tearing at the meat. With each bite, blood spilled out splashing everywhere.
Shao Xuan was rendered speechless.