Gan Qie decided to temporarily settle in the Flaming River Castle, inside Shao Xuan’s original secret underground chamber. Meanwhile, Shao Xuan arranged another secret room for his own use.
Perhaps it was due to the changes in his body. Gan Qie no longer wanted to eat beast meat. Now, he preferred beast blood over meat. Thus, fresh beast blood would be collected daily at the slaughterhouse and sent to the secret chamber.
To some people, if they were unable to eat such delicacies, they would definitely feel that it was a pity, but to Gan Qie, these did not matter. He could work with whatever was most convenient and as long as it could keep him alive, anything else did not matter.
Gan Qie did not like the sun and preferred the shadows or places like the underground chamber. He only lied down inside the wooden coffin and he basically had no need for sleep. If he lied down, he would only silently contemplate inside the coffin.
Gan Qie would come out every night to listen to the Flaming Horn soldier’s conversations. Shao Xuan and Zheng Luo both agreed to let him listen to these soldier’s chats. Sometimes they would talk about the mainland and he would just listen to them talk. He was like an artifact and his language could barely be understood by most. He didn’t even know what pottery was.
Perhaps he had been buried for too long and had slept for ages. He could not communicate smoothly and sometimes had a strange accent. Listening to others speak might help him improve his speaking.
On the other hand, the Flaming Horn soldiers had not completely trusted Gan Qie. He belonged to another tribe after all and he was too dangerous. Most of them weren’t in the best mental states at night, so they thought it was best for Gan Qie to be somewhere visible instead of the shadows. This would make them feel safer.
The guards were initially nervous in front of Gan Qie because they all heard the roars from the other night. They never thought this roar came from another human, but gradually they got used to his presence. Gan Qie was actually quite amiable and rarely spoke. Even if he did speak, he would only say a few words. If the Flaming Horns ever needed any help, he would also go and lend them a hand. He even helped catch a few people who were trying to sneak into the castle at night. His senses were much keener than those guards after all.
Shao Xuan already told Gan Qie about the Rain tribe and their current situation.
They were the bitterest enemies and Gan Qie did not like them at all, but after he found out about their current situation, he thought about his shaman’s regretful and scornful look and wondered, ‘perhaps they wouldn’t have ended up like this if they never went to war.’
Now, Gan Qie’s hatred was mainly directed towards the desert and Rock Hill City. His emotions weren’t as strong as before, and since the Rain tribe were on good terms with the Flaming Horn tribe, he wouldn’t do anything to harm them since he was relying on the Flaming Horns.
On the other hand,what Shao Xuan told him about the mainland had a stronger impact on him.
Some tribes would disappear after they merge their fire seed?
And disbanded tribesmen could form new gangs?
Gan Qie couldn’t believe this. It completely contradicted everything he knew. As someone whose thoughts still belonged to an ancient time, Gan Qie was quite curious about this. He couldn’t understand those who left their own tribes and decided to gang up with others who weren’t from the same tribe. How would they feel?
It was rare that something could distract him so much. Shao Xuan thought about it and asked him, “If you’re really interested in what’s happening on the other side, we can go ask someone about it.”
“Who?” Gan Qie was doubtful. He really had too much he wanted to learn about. This was a whole new world for him. All the different handicrafts from pottery to metal weapons, and even evolved forms of the fire seed! These changed everything he knew about the world.
He had learned a lot from listening to the Flaming Horn warriors’ conversations.
There was actually land on the other side of the sea! These two continents had drifted closer due to a previous disaster, and people were travelling between the two continents.
“There are people in the trading point who came from the other side. I can introduce you to them.” Shao Xuan looked out and checked the sun. It was noon. The sun was shining brightly. Even though Gan Qie did not like to move around in the day, he knew that most people slept at night.
Gan Qie no longer enjoyed walking under the sun, but if he could find out more about this, he could bear the heat for a while.
He wrapped a cloak around him and hid under its cover. Following Shao Xuan, they left for the trading point.
He wore a cloak and his whole body was covered so tightly that he caught the attention of many. At the trading point, he seemed very spooky, but the people here had seen even stranger figures. The only reason why he caught so much attention was because Shao Xuan was the one who brought him here. Everyone in the trading point knew who Shao Xuan was, so when they noticed that he brought a strange person in a mysterious outfit, they couldn’t help but wonder who it was.
Yi Si was busy with some paperwork where he lived. He had two account books in his hand and those belonged to the Flaming Horns. One was a calculation of the things foreign tribes brought over to trade in the past thirty days while the other was a summary of the rental payments. Some smaller tribes that lived nearby were wise enough to already have rented their own shops here, so every thirty days, they would have to pay rent.
Beside Yi Si, the half-beast Grasshopper was sleeping soundly on a stone bench.
Suddenly, Grasshopper tensed up and jumped to his feet. The spikes on his back erected as he nervously observed his surroundings. His eyes finally stopped and fixed in one direction.
Yi Si set his papers down when he noticed Grasshopper’s movements. He frowned. Something must’ve happened again.
Not too long after, Shao Xuan brought the mysterious hooded figure into his house.
“Are you busy?” Shao Xuan asked.
“Nope, these are quite simple tasks,” Yi Si studied the hooded person beside Shao Xuan. His eyes sparked with curiosity because Grasshopper was already on his guard. If it wasn’t because Yi Si was still here, he would’ve run away immediately. This was his first decision in the face of danger.
“This is...?” Yi Si inquired.
Gan Qie lifted his hood and revealed his face. His green-skinned face and bloodshot eyes turned and looked at Yi Si. “I’m Gan Qie from the Han tribe.”
Han tribe?
Yi Si had never heard this name before. He studied a lot about many different tribes and even learned about some tribes that were so small and lived in remote places. He would remember anything he heard immediately, but in his memory, he could not recall a Han tribe. Judging by Grasshopper’s reaction, this person was no doubt very strong, so obviously his tribe would be too, but he had never heard of anyone talking about the Han tribe before.
“It’s been a long time since Gan Qie left his tribe. He wants to find out more about the situation on the other side, so I brought him here. You’re more familiar with the things on that side,” Shao Xuan said.
Even though Zheng Luo and some Flaming Horns also came from the other side, they lived in very remote places within the forest, so there were many things they didn’t know about. Compared to what they knew, Yi Si’s information was more complete.
Yi Si didn’t find this to be a bother at all. He was curious about this person named Gan Qie. This person felt very strange and since he walked in, he hadn’t even taken a single breath of air! If Gan Qie stood still and didn’t move, he could’ve been mistaken as a stone statue.
Yi Si was ready to respond, but suddenly, a noise came from the windows.
“Yi Si, I’m still not satisfied with your answer. You said that the Flaming River Castle...”
Wu He was flipping in from the window, but after scanning the room, his face became pale as he froze, scared to come any closer.
“Sorry, I must’ve entered the wrong room,” Wu He was ready to jump out, but Shao Xuan grabbed him by his shirt and he hung in the air, like a chick that had failed to escape its cage.
The other Chang Le’s behind Wu He noticed what had happened, and frantically darted away. They no longer cared about Wu He. They had to first ensure their own safety before looking for a chance to rescue him. If it were any other Flaming Horns, perhaps they would’ve stood a chance and maybe they would rush to his rescue. However, the person who caught Wu He was Shao Xuan, and they panicked at the memory of the large flame hand that Shao Xuan used to slap them down from the sky.
“I really didn’t steal anything this time,” Wu He hurriedly explained. He knew that he was no match for Shao Xuan and couldn’t escape his grip, so he didn’t struggle. He tried to seem as sincere as he could, “I really didn’t steal!”
“I didn’t ask you this. Why are you so guilty?” Shao Xuan dragged Wu He into the house.
“I’m not...feeling guilty! Definitely not!” Wu He denied.
“Then what did you mean when you mentioned the Castle? Were you planning on sneaking in?” Shao Xuan asked.
“No! Definitely not! I swear! It’s true!” Wu He refused to admit it although he indeed had such plans. He had been thinking about this for the past few days after the incident. He was so curious that after discussing with his companions, he decided to visit Yi Si again to ask for his opinion. Who would’ve expected Shao Xuan to be here? But he would never admit to it. Shao Xuan’s tone sounded calm, but who could guess his actions in the next moment? He could very possibly slap him to death in this house.
Hearing this response, Shao Xuan only muttered two words, “Ha Ha.”
Wu He was anxious when he heard this. Shao Xuan’s eyes were centered on him. Would he be locked in a cave again?
“You guys seem quite free these days,” Shao Xuan said slowly.
“We’re not free. We were planning to leave today.”
Wu He was about to promise to leave the trading point as soon as possible when Shao Xuan said, “I’m afraid you have to stay.”
Wu He’s heart skipped a beat. “What... do you mean?”
Shao Xuan patted him on his shoulder, “I have a task for you.”
Shao Xuan’s pat made him so nervous that he almost fell to his knees. He was so afraid that Shao Xuan might slap him to death, but hearing these words, he was suddenly alert, “What?”
Shao Xuan pointed to the person beside him, “Clear up his doubts.”
Huh?
Wu He turned his head and looked at the stone-like figure beside Shao Xuan. He was being defensive towards Shao Xuan and he didn’t notice this person at all.
Who’s this bald guy?
He seemed like someone who was hard to communicate with. It was better to stay away from people like this.
Wu He categorised Gan Qie as a person he must stay away from. The Chang Le’s were quite observant when it came to these issues. However, judging by Shao Xuan’s looks, if he refused to help, he might not be able to leave by today.
“...Sure. My dear friend, what would you like to ask about?” Wu He took a few steps back from where they were and asked with a careful tone.
“Tell him about the other side. For example, how some gangs came to be, or maybe you can talk about the Chang Le’s too,” Shao Xuan said.
“I don’t want to talk about the Chang Le’s. Can I talk about others?”
“Sure. Gan Qie will ask you if he has any questions.”
“And I can leave after I tell him about these?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, that’s easy then. Here, I’ll tell you about...” Wu He’s hands gesticulated as he began to articulate on some of their enemies (other gangs) on the other side. Everything he said was derisive and insulting.
However, Gan Qie didn’t care about these matters. He just wanted to know how these gangs were formed and how these people felt to be in the gangs.
“He’s the best person to talk about this,” Yi Si chuckled, although he didn’t at all find this funny. He asked Shao Xuan, “You guys brought him back from the desert?”
Yi Si had been curious about the events in the desert, but he had no means of attaining such information.
Shao Xuan was also about to ask about Yi Xiang of the Yi family and what he did back then, but their conversations were interrupted by a sharp whistle that came from afar.
It wasn’t the sharp whistling sound of an alarm. It was a sound that meant someone had arrived at the Flaming Horn tribe.
“We can discuss more about this next time. I have to go take a look,” He turned to Gan Qie, “You can stay here.”
Gan Qie nodded.
After Shao Xuan left, Wu He also couldn’t stay put any more. He got to his feet and was ready to leave to check what was going on outside. Since Shao Xuan, his biggest threat, was not here, his boldness grew again.
Too bad Gan Qie clutched his arm tightly and he was forcefully yanked back.
“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Be gentle! If you have something to ask, we can discuss peacefully.” Wu He retreated back to where he was. He was just about to complain when Gan Qie’s bloodshot eyes caught his. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine.
On the other side, Shao Xuan had arrived at the Flaming River Castle. Zheng Luo and Duo Kang were both on the rooftop, gazing afar through their binoculars.
“What happened?” Shao Xuan asked.
“I can’t see it clearly, but it seems like someone’s here.” Zheng Luo looked up into the sky as a white flash flew down, fast as lightning.
It was Gui He’s snow falcon.
There was a linen cloth carrying a message on his claws.
Shao Xuan opened it and said to Zheng Luo, “I have to go back to headquarters. Help me keep watch over Gan Qie while I’m gone.”
“Alright, hurry,” Zheng Luo also saw the message on the cloth.
The Di Mountain tribesmen are here.