Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
On the 7th day of the ninth lunar month in the 16th year of the Yuanping reign, in the Dark Ram Tribe’s camp on the Gulang Plains…
There was a huge camp that stretched out for more than ten li next to Mount Qiyun. In the huge camp, tents were set up using the skeletons of giant beasts as support and covered with mottled leather. As soon as one entered the camp, white stretched as far as the eyes could see. It was an extremely terrifying scenery even during daytime. From the first day the camp was erected, a large group of deadly vultures hovered in the sky above at all times.
A lake was beside the camp. The melted snow on Mount Qiyun turned into streams that flowed into the lake. From afar, the entire Dark Ram Tribe looked like a black python entrenched at the foot of Mount Qiyun facing the Gulang Plains with its mouth wide open.
From time to time, the Dark Ram Tribe cavalry would come rushing in and out of the camp.
…
“N-No! Let go of me! Let go of me…!” A shackled Shatu man struggled fearfully against a few burly Dark Ram Tribe soldiers as he was being dragged out from his prisoner’s cage by his arms. All of the soldiers had a snake tattoo on their sinister-looking faces. They were dragging the Shatu man toward a tent nearby. The other Shatu people trembled in the prisoner cage when they saw someone being taken away.
The Shatu man who was grabbed out of his cage instantly paled at the sight of the black tent because he knew what would happen to him there. Over the past few days, he’d seen many people who were caught here like him being taken to that tent. None of them came out alive. When they were dragged out of there, their chests had been cut open and their hearts were removed. All of them died horrible deaths.
The Shatu man cried out fearfully. His strong survival instinct gave him a burst of energy. While the Dark Ram Tribe warrior who seized his left arm wasn’t paying any attention, the Shatu man bit him on his arm. The Dark Ram Tribe warrior snarled and cursed, but didn’t let go of him. Instead, he gripped the Shatu man’s jaw with his other hand and instantly crushed it amidst his screams of terror.
The Shatu man was dragged into the tent and fastened on a cold metal table. With his hands and legs tied up, he wasn’t able to move at all. He then saw an old and shriveled man who looked like a shedding hyena coming toward him with a bunch of weird-looking knives and hooks. The old man stretched out his left bony hand to press down on his chest, armpits, and stomach a few times as though he was examining him before an eerie smile crept on his face.
…
Two minutes later, a blood-curdling scream rang out from the tent and lasted for about ten seconds before ceasing abruptly. Not long after that, a Dark Ram Tribe man came out from the tent holding up an exquisite silver tray, then strode quickly to the largest bone tent in the distance.
The bone tent was guarded by many Dark Ram Tribe warriors. When the silver tray was delivered there, one of the guards outside the bone tent took it and went inside.
At this moment, there were only two people in the bone tent. A bear-like man about two meters tall was reclining against a bone chair wrapped with tiger leather. His exposed chest was covered by dark chest hair. He wore a few pure gold snake shaped arm bracelets on his thick arms. In his hand was a wine cup made of human skull embedded with jewels in one hand. While sipping on his wine, he was watching another person, who was as skinny as a bamboo stick, explaining something in front of a huge map in the tent.
The person who stood in front of the map was dressed in a long, gorgeous black robe. He was an old man with gray hair, sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones. His eyes shone eerily like ghost lights in dried up wells.
The bear-like man in the bone tent was Prince Taimiba of the Dark Ram’s Serpent God Tribe. The old man was War Priest Kadar, who had been sent by the Serpent God Tribe to invade the Gulang Plains.
Kadar’s deep husky voice echoed through the bone tent.
“Your Highness, fresh human fruit is served…” The Dark Ram Tribe warrior respectfully set the silver platter before Taimiba, then retreated.
“…The newly appointed Qiyun Protectorate General of the Great Han Empire personally exterminated a small tribe called the Tuli Tribe under the Shatu Seven Tribes’ Coyote Tribe, and hung their chief’s severed head on White Stone Pass. Since the ninth lunar month, the Shatu Seven Tribes are no longer allowed to transport wool into the pass…” Kadar explained while he pointed to the location of White Stone Pass on the map.
“So you are saying that Qiyun Protectorate General is banning caravans from Shatu Seven Tribes from entering the pass?” Taimiba’s voice sounded like he had two rusty iron plates rubbing against each other in his throat. It was indescribably unpleasant to the ears.
“Not really. He only announced that they will monopolize the wool trade. Shatu caravans are no longer allowed to enter the pass and sell wool — they can only sell them to an agency formed by the Qiyun Protectorate’s Office at an extremely low price, about ten copper coins for a jin of wool…”
“Gwahaha! that Qiyun Protectorate Governor is indeed greedy and ruthless. I like him…!” Taimiba laughed loudly, then downed the contents of his skull wine cup. “What are the Shatu people doing now?”
“There is already a big group of Shatu caravans stuck outside the White Stone Pass. Since the Shatu people already know how much their wool can fetch, they naturally wouldn’t be willing to sell them at such a low price to the Han Chinese. So now, both parties are refusing to budge!”
“Is the Qiyun Protectorate General not afraid of those Shatu people stirring up troubles?”
“According to our intel, White Stone Pass is being fortified after the new Qiyun Protectorate General exterminated the Tuli Tribe last month. He ordered his people to start building a huge rock fort on the hill beside the pass. Once done, this will significantly strengthen the defense of White Stone Pass and makes it harder to breach. It seems like that the Qiyun Protectorate General is prepared to fight with the Shatu. He isn’t even afraid that the Shatu will send troops to attack White Stone Pass…”
“So, this is an opportunity for us, the Serpent God Tribe, to win over the Gulang Plains, Kadar!” Taimiba’s eyes sparkled. “If we make our move, the Han Chinese will definitely not provide any help to the Shatu people again…!”
“Precisely. A few months ago, the Great Han Empire was even thinking of sending troops into the Gulang Plains to fight alongside the Shatu Seven Tribes. But now, there are great changes taking place in the Great Han Empire. Their Grand Chancellor was assassinated and it was rumored that their capital city might be destroyed by a catastrophe next year. The Han people are now fearful and are too busy taking care of themselves. Their army has withdrawn. The new Qiyun Protectorate General doesn’t seem like he is an ally of the Shatu Seven Tribes. The relationship between both parties is very tense right now, and a war is about to break out. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the Han Chinese meddling in the Gulang Plains. Once the Shatu Seven Tribes is unable to do business with the Han Chinese, half of their resources will be cut off and they will lose their support. Your Highness, this is an opportunity that the Great Serpent God has bestowed upon us! As long as we defeat the Shatu Seven Tribes, the entire Gulang Plains will be ours…!”
Taimiba’s eyes were glued to an area in the Gulang Plains on the map and his voice turned frosty, “How’s the preparation of blood venom at the Serpent God Hall going?”
The Dark Ram Tribe’s war priest bowed slightly. “They are halfway through the preparation. We will need more blood venom since we are poisoning a large area this time, so preparations can only be done by early next year!”
“Relay my orders to the Serpent God Hall. I want them to speed up the preparation of the blood venom!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“It has been too long since the blades of our Serpent God Tribe soldiers touched blood. If this carries on, they will turn rusty soon. Tell Lazuo I want him to push our frontlines at White Grass Lake another hundred li forward. I will go to White Grass Lake to offer sacrifice to the Serpent God in ten days. By the time I arrive, I want to see him piling up ten thousand Shatu heads at the altar by the lake…!”
Taimiba reached out to uncover the silver tray before him as he spoke. On the silver tray was a bloody ‘human fruit’ which was still beating. Taimiba grabbed that ‘human fruit’ with his hand, then took a bite. Blood immediately squirted out. The moment he devoured the ‘human fruit’, his eyes lit up in bright red. A red projection appeared behind him which looked like two spiralling snakes. His voice deepened. “Out of all these human fruits, I find that the ones from young Han Chinese the best. I heard that the Qiyun Protectorate General is a young man… Hehe…”