Chapter 7: It’s Not That I Want to Be Savage

"The taste is… erm…" Just as Su Bai was about to answer honestly, he saw Yan Hua’s red eyes flickering with expectation.He was not a brick without emotions. He at least had some tact and was perceptive enough, so he changed his words, "It’s exceptionally delicious. The boiled meat has a subtle sweetness. Of course, it would be even better if some of the gaminess could be removed."

"Great! I knew I didn’t cook it wrong!" Yan Hua got the satisfactory answer and instantly straightened her back, feeling that cooking meat wasn’t so difficult at all.

"Hurry and eat." Su Bai made a wry smile. [Though this girl usually has an icy expression and looks to be quite mature, she actually has the temperament of a little girl that’s a little too prideful.]

"Then I’ll eat?" Yan Hua first scanned the surroundings. Seeing no one was paying attention, she quickly went to the stone pot and used the stone knife to cut the meat.

Su Bai finished a chicken leg in a few bites and watched the bull-horned girl’s sneaky actions.

He asked curiously, "You’re really afraid of others finding out?"

Yan Hua hurriedly stuffed the meat in her hand into her mouth and glared with her red eyes, retorting, "I’m not afraid at all. After all, you were the one who told me to eat it."

"Is it because of my identity?" Su Bai probed.

"…" Yan Hua fell silent for a while before saying, "Everyone gave this meat for you to eat. I shouldn’t be allowed to eat it."

"It’s fine. I told you to eat it." Su Bai waved his hand and looked at the meat in the stone pot – two pheasants and one rabbit. How could he possibly finish it all?

"Okay. That’s what you said yourself." Yan Hua ate the meat in big mouthfuls. Even when she got scalded, she was reluctant to spit it out. She slurped and exhaled, "It’s so delicious! It’s even tastier than what my mother cooks."

Three minutes passed.

"…" Su Bai was speechless, staring dumbfounded at the bull-horned girl. He turned his head to look at the one remaining pheasant in the stone pot.

"Huh? Why aren’t you eating?" Yan Hua’s cheeks were bulging as she held rabbit meat in her hands, as if she hadn’t eaten in three days.

"I…" Su Bai cast aside his politeness and quickly stood up. Using a wooden stick, he fished out the remaining pheasant from the stone pot and started gnawing on it.

He now understood that the restraint, courtesy, and yieldings he brought from Earth were useless in this primitive society. Politely declining would likely be taken seriously by others.

It wasn’t that he wanted to be rude, but that everyone was just that stright-forward.

Ten minutes later.

"Burp!" Su Bai let out a full belch, his whole body feeling languid. With his stomach filled, he felt his strength had returned.

Yan Hua was picking her teeth and said disdainfully, "You eat so slow."

"…" Su Bai rolled his eyes, unable to refute.

"Are you from a big Tribe?" Yan Hua suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Su Bai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head in denial, "No, I come from a faraway place."

"If you don’t want to say, then no need to." Yan Hua got up and stretched lazily, her tone softening, "Go back and sleep. I’m going on patrol later."

"Okay." Su Bai nodded, oddly glancing at the bull-horned girl. [Why did it feel like she isn’t as guarded against me as before?]

He took a half-burned stick from the bonfire, intending to make a small fire pit in the Teepee. Otherwise, it would be pitch black and he probably wouldn’t even be able to find the bed.

"I’m leaving. Be careful on your patrol."

*Tap tap tap…*

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Yan Hua watched Su Bai’s gradually receding back, the corners of her mouth slightly curling up, "He eats meat so slowly, he must be from a big Tribe that doesn’t worry about food or clothing."

Indeed, the attentive bull-horned girl sensed incongruity from Su Bai, as if he was from a different world than them. His behaviour, tone and such all felt out of place. So when she saw Su Bai eating meat in big mouthfuls, she felt a hint of affinity and less sense of unfamiliarity.

*Crack…sizzle…* The firewood under the bonfire burned and snapped, causing the stone pot to suddenly flip over.

"…" Yan Hua abruptly turned to look at the stone pot, staring blankly at it. Then seeming to think of something. She looked down at the large pile of bones and scraps under her feet, glanced at the place Su Bai was sitting before which only had a small pile of bones.

She swallowed and hoarsely said, "I-I seemed to have eaten a bit too much."

"Ahem… it’s because he told me to eat, it’s not my fault." Yan Hua gave a guilty light cough and furtively glanced around. She quickly lifted her foot to sweep the bones into the bonfire, swiftly destroying the ‘evidence’.

At this time, a shout came from the distance, "Yan Hua, what are you doing? It’s time to go on patrol."

"Coming, coming." Yan Hua responded guiltily. She lowered her head to see the bones had completely disappeared before feeling completely at ease.

…

When Su Bai arrived at his Teepee and lifted the door flap, which functioned as a door, he discovered there was already a small fire pit inside. The pit was even surrounded by stones and there was firewood not far away.

He turned and exited the Teepee, scanning the surroundings of the Tribe. He noticed that a minority of Teepees had fire inside.

"It seems only a small number of people get this treatment." Su Bai sighed.

Class exists everywhere, it was just a matter of how obvious it was. The class system in primitive society was the law of the jungle. Those Teepees with fire inside must belong to the Totem Warriors and other capable individuals.

Su Bai entered the Teepee and laid on the pile of hay. He tossed and turned. He found that he couldn’t fall asleep. He laid on his side and stared at the fire pit, his mind wandered far away.

"Tomorrow, I will receive the Shaman Inheritance and become the Tribe’s Shaman. This is basically making me the Village Chief."

He felt a bit apprehensive inside. It was his first time becoming a leader. He had never even been a class monitor in school, so he inevitably felt a bit nervous and melancholic.

[Forget it, I’ll take it one step at a time. It can’t get much worse anyway.] Su Bai thought of the Flame Dragon Tribe’s current situation. [Could it get any worse? This is just an impoverished village already.]

“Ahh…" Su Bai yawned drowsily, his eyelids slowly getting heavy. Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

Over ten minutes passed and the Teepee door flap was suddenly lifted by someone.

"He’s asleep." Cang Shi poked his head in to look, then stepped inside. His footsteps made no sound as they landed.

He was carrying a large piece of meat in his hands, about the size of three palms. Just as he was about to hang it on a wooden support pillar…

Yan Jiao appeared outside the Teepee at some unknown time and softly warned, "Cang Shi, take the Ferocious Beast Meat back. Don’t disturb the Successor."

"Alright." Cang Shi acted as if he had been aware Yan Jiao was there and took the Ferocious Beast Meat as he withdrew from the Teepee.

Yan Jiao’s red eyes flickered with light as he calmly said, "Once he becomes the Shaman, he won’t lack meat to eat."

"Right, right, seems so." Cang Shi had a sudden realization and patted his head. He asked, slowly, "You’re on night watch tonight?"

"Yes, the Shaman’s health is getting worse." Yan Jiao turned his head to look at the huge Teepee. Under the illumination of the fire, a figure could be seen busily working with his head lowered.

"Is the Shaman preparing for the Inheritance Ceremony?" Cang Shi pursed his lips.

"Mm, he wants to leave as much as he can for the Successor." Yan Jiao said in a deep voice.

"…" Cang Shi fell silent.

The two quietly stood in the darkness, as if guarding something.

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