Chapter 204: The Cannibals—A-Mang Arrives
Nan Xun wasn’t as carefree as Little Eight thought. In fact, she had been worrying about A-Mang all along.
She didn’t know whether A-Mang could eat his fill and keep warm in his own tribe.
Other tribes didn’t have a chosen one like Chu Xue—could they survive such a harsh winter?
Did they have enough food to last through it?
Today, A-Yu had once again successfully trapped two honchi beasts using a trap he’d set up himself. His prestige within the tribe was growing by the day, while Chu Xue was deeply loved and supported by the clanspeople thanks to her various inventions and discoveries.
As for Nan Xun? Aside from having a reputation for bravery, the chieftain’s daughter barely had any sense of presence at all.
It was already late summer. The leaves in the jungle would soon begin to yellow. The initial tension within the tribe gradually eased, and unlike previous years, no one was anxious. Everyone felt confident about surviving the winter.
Leaves turning yellow meant that barter trade among the nearby tribes was about to begin. The chieftain was already old and didn’t want to travel anymore, so this time he decided not to go personally. Instead, he sent A-Yu, A-Shi, and several capable warriors to represent the tribe.
“A-Da, big brother, I want to go too,” Nan Xun said.
A-Shi immediately objected. “What’s the point of a woman going? Only women being traded are taken to Ala Mountain by men.”
At that moment, Chu Xue stepped forward. Her current status in the tribe made even the men treat her with respect.
“A-Shi, A-Yu,” Chu Xue said, “I want to go have a look too. This time we’re trading pottery, salt, and bamboo products—things they’ve never seen before. I’m afraid you won’t be able to explain how good they are, so I have to go.”
In the end, after some discussion, A-Shi and A-Yu decided to take both Chu Xue and A-Xi with them.
Chu Xue was essential; A-Xi was along for the ride. The round trip would take nearly a month, and it would be good for the two women to keep each other company.
The group consisted of eight strong men and two women, carrying pottery, salt, bamboo items, and baskets on their backs as they headed for the Ala Mountain tribe.
It was the largest tribe in the area, with three to four hundred people. Every year, the trading grounds were set there, and tribes of all sizes brought what they wanted to trade to gather at Ala Mountain.
Nan Xun’s group traveled for a full twelve days before finally arriving at Ala Mountain.
The Ala Mountain people were generous and hospitable, already clearing places for the visiting tribes to rest.
When they arrived, seven or eight other tribes had already made it there. Some had even completed their exchanges and were planning to leave after another day or two.
Nan Xun looked around, almost examining every man she saw.
She didn’t see A-Mang.
He hadn’t come.
A deep sense of disappointment rose in Nan Xun’s heart.
Little Eight snickered. “You kept staring at the men just now—people might think you’re interested in them. Look, look! That young guy from that tribe can’t take his eyes off you. He definitely thinks you’re here to be traded!”
A-Yu and the others had come to exchange pottery, salt, and bamboo goods for women. Ala Mountain had the most women; on average, each man there could have two or three.
The pottery and strange bamboo products quickly caught the attention of the other tribes, but no one showed interest in the salt. Nan Xun understood—after all, they hadn’t personally tasted how delicious roasted meat with salt could be.
Sure enough, midway through the trading, the young man Little Eight mentioned came over with a large amount of food, intending to exchange it for Nan Xun.
A-Shi’s face turned ugly, and he nearly threw a punch.
A-Yu responded with just two simple words: “Not for sale.” The young man left with a look of regret.
Nan Xun: “…”
Chu Xue did an excellent job as the negotiator. Very quickly, she sold off the pottery, salt, and bamboo items they’d brought, exchanging them for two women.
Just as the trade was halfway done, a man standing guard outside the Ala Mountain tribe suddenly rushed in, panic written all over his face. “Chieftain, this is bad! The cannibals are here!”
The moment those words fell, everyone from the various tribes present changed expression.
The cannibals were another nearby tribe. Although they numbered only about a hundred, every one of them was savage by nature. They liked to eat raw meat—and they even ate their own people.
It was said that once, a small tribe that had clashed with the cannibals was wiped out entirely—dozens of people killed. Aside from the women, even the children were slaughtered, chopped into pieces, roasted, and eaten.
Nan Xun’s eyes nearly filled with tears when she heard this.
So brutal. Why would such a beautiful world contain a tribe this savage?
Everyone tensed, staring straight ahead.
It was said the cannibals had just chosen a new chieftain. No one knew if this new leader was even more vicious and cruel.
If the cannibals started a war, the surrounding tribes would band together to eradicate this savage tribe once and for all!
In the distance, twenty to thirty sturdy men were approaching with spears in hand.
These weren’t ordinary sharpened wooden sticks. People noticed that stone spearheads, carefully ground, were fixed to one end of thick wooden shafts, looking incomparably sharp.
Other tribes had considered mounting stone knives or spears onto wooden poles, but stone weapons were heavy. After holding them for a while, arms would ache, let alone carrying such spears while hunting—it would greatly slow them down.
But the cannibals had managed it. Their limbs were stronger than the average person’s. It was said each of them could carry a four- to five-hundred-jin honchi beast, and they ran much faster than ordinary people.
The man at the front looked very young. His muscles were powerful and solid, his black hair neatly kept—unlike other savages, whose hair was messy like a bird’s nest.
Around his waist was an apron made from the striped pelt of a saber-toothed tiger, one of the hardest beasts to hunt. He casually carried a long spear, its ground stone head heavy yet razor-sharp.
The corners of his mouth curved slightly upward. His pitch-black, keen eyes narrowed just a little, giving off an extremely dangerous aura.
Nan Xun, who had been looking toward the cannibals with everyone else, nearly dropped her jaw.
This man was A-Mang—damn it!
Holy shit, holy shit—she was completely shocked!
A-Mang was a cannibal? And not just that—the new chieftain of the cannibals?!
It wasn’t Nan Xun’s fault she’d never connected A-Mang with the cannibals. The descriptions she’d heard were far too exaggerated—claims that cannibals were hideously ugly, with skin as dark as the deepest night and muscles bulging like small mountains.
After hearing that, how could she possibly link the two?
A-Mang’s sharp gaze swept over the crowd. When his eyes landed on Nan Xun, they clearly paused—then flared with heat. His gaze seemed to sprout invisible hooks, relentlessly drawing Nan Xun toward him.
