Chapter 945
Nobody Stopped Us?
He handed the dagger to an older hunter beside him, then opened the wound medicine and smelled it.
"For treating injuries?"
"Apply externally to stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration."
Wu Chen nodded: "Okay. But you have to follow the rules when you enter the tribe."
"What rules?"
“You can’t just enter the bone-sacrificing shrine, you can’t touch a child’s forehead, you can’t ask about a woman’s bone patterns, and you can’t whistle at night.” Wu Chen paused, “Also, you can’t use cultivator techniques in the tribe.”
Zheng Yi asked, "Why can't we blow the whistle at night?"
Chi Ya's expression changed: "You don't even know this?"
The older hunter beside him whispered, "Blowing the whistle at night will summon the Snow Soul."
Zheng Yi looked at Wu Chen.
Wu Chen said, "You don't have to believe me, but don't brag about it."
Zheng Yi nodded: "Okay."
Wu Chen then sheathed his short sword: "Then come with us."
Red Fang couldn't help but say, "Headhunter, are we really taking him back? Grandma will scold us."
Wu Chen said, "Grandma was scolding me, not you."
Red Fang immediately shut his mouth.
……
The people of the Black Rock Tribe walk very fast.
They had no horses or sleds, relying solely on their two legs to swiftly traverse the snow. Each carried heavy prey, yet their steps remained remarkably steady.
Zheng Yi followed behind, at a leisurely pace.
Chiya looked back at him several times.
On the fourth time I turned back, I finally couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you tired?"
Zheng Yi said, "It's alright."
Red Fang snorted and quickened his pace.
After walking another three miles, he turned back again.
Zheng Yi was still seven or eight steps behind him, his breathing perfectly steady.
Chiya was a little embarrassed, but he gritted his teeth and continued to speed up.
Wu Chen didn't stop him, only saying calmly from the front, "Don't fall."
Red Fang said, "I won't!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a thin layer of ice beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, and he sank down abruptly.
Zheng Yi moved his sleeve.
An invisible force supported Chiya's back, gently pushing him back from the edge of the pit.
Chiya staggered two steps to regain his footing, his face flushing red.
"I don't need your help!"
Zheng Yi said, "Then don't drop it next time."
The hunters nearby immediately burst into laughter.
Chiya was even angrier: "You!"
Wu Chen smiled and said, "Being stubborn won't work. Snow Pit doesn't listen to stubbornness."
Chiya walked forward with his head down, never looking back.
As darkness fell, a dark shadow appeared behind a snow-covered slope in the distance.
At first glance, it looked like stone, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was a low wall built of massive black rocks. The wall wasn't high, but it was extremely thick, and it was covered with animal bones, dead wood, and some bone bells that swayed in the wind.
When the wind blows, the bone bells make a low ringing sound.
It wasn't a crisp, ringing sound, but rather like bones rubbing against each other.
Inside the walls were dozens of low houses, most of them half-buried under the snow, their roofs covered with thick animal hides and frozen earth, only the chimneys showing. White smoke rose slowly from the chimneys and was dispersed into the night by the wind.
There were two guards at the entrance to the tribe.
They saw Wu Chen and his group from afar, first gesturing with their hands, then their gaze fell on Zheng Yi.
One of them immediately gripped the bone spear tightly.
Wu Chen raised his voice and spoke a few words in the wilderness dialect.
The two men glanced at Zheng Yi, then at the Snow Nightmare Flesh on everyone's backs, before putting down their bone spears and moving aside a piece of snowwood blocking the doorway.
As Chi Ya carried the meat inside, he deliberately bumped into Zheng Yi's shoulder.
As a result, he felt a numbness in his shoulder and almost dropped his arm.
Zheng Yi glanced at him and said, "Be careful."
Chiya gritted his teeth: "I know!"
The people from the tribe quickly gathered around.
Old people, women, children, and many shirtless teenagers carrying stones in the snow.
The boys wore only short skirts made of animal skins, their chests and arms red from the cold, yet none of them shivered. They carried rounded black stones on their shoulders, running in circles around the clearing.
Zheng Yi stopped in his tracks.
Wu Chen noticed his gaze and said, "I will train myself. Once in the morning and once in the evening every day."
Zheng Yi asked, "It's so cold, aren't you afraid of getting sick?"
Wu Chen said, "I'm afraid, that's why I have the medicinal soup."
As he spoke, he pointed to several large stone pots next to the open space.
A bluish-black flame burned beneath the pot, inside which a murky broth bubbled and churned. The aroma was pungent, carrying the scents of animal blood, grass roots, bone meal, and some kind of spicy plant.
A boy was running when his legs gave way and the black stone on his shoulder rolled off.
An old woman with a wrinkled face immediately cursed, walked over with her bone cane, and slapped the boy on the back.
The boy shuddered in pain but dared not cry out.
The old woman started cursing again.
Chi Ya whispered to Zheng Yi, "She said she got up before her leg was broken."
Zheng Yi asked, "Who is she?"
Red Fang said, "Bone Woman. She is the oldest person in our tribe and also the one who is best at maintaining her health."
The Bone Woman seemed to hear the noise and turned her head.
She was short, with a slightly hunched back, and her face was lined with deep wrinkles like cracked tree bark, but her eyes were frighteningly bright.
Her face darkened the moment she saw Zheng Yi.
"People from the south?"
Wu Chen walked over and explained in a low voice.
The more the Bone Woman listened, the more her brows furrowed.
Finally, she walked up to Zheng Yi, leaning on her bone cane.
She looked up at Zheng Yi, her nose twitching as if she were smelling his scent.
"Cultivator."
Zheng Yi nodded: "Yes."
The Bone Woman sneered, "You don't smell of meat on your body, only of wind and cold iron."
Zheng Yi said, "I want to learn your methods of enduring physical strain."
The Bone Woman stared at him: "What's the point of cultivators learning this? Don't you know how to absorb the energy of heaven and earth? Don't you summon fire and lightning with a wave of your hand?"
"A strong physical body is never a bad thing."
The old woman said, "You southerners always want everything."
Zheng Yi did not refute.
The bone-mother asked again, "What will you offer in exchange?"
Wu Chen handed over the dagger and medicine.
The old woman glanced at it, but her expression didn't soften much.
"The iron is good. The medicine is good too. But a body that's been sculpted isn't something you can just take away after a few glances."
Zheng Yi said, "I won't peek. I'll learn as much as you can teach me."
The Bone Woman narrowed her eyes: "Can you endure hardship?"
"can."
"Can you take a beating?"
"can."
"Can't you do it without using your cultivator's aura?"
Zheng Yi paused for a moment, then said, "If it's just about staying healthy, that's fine."
Bone Granny immediately seized on this statement: "It's not allowed in the training ground."
Zheng Yi said, "Okay."
Red Fang suddenly perked up: "Bone Woman, let me try him!"
Wu Chen glanced at him: "Didn't you fall enough just now?"
Red Fang exclaimed urgently, "That's a snow pit! It doesn't count!"
Bone Granny nodded: "Alright. Let Red Tooth try."
Wu Chen frowned: "He just arrived."
Bone Granny said coldly, "If you want to learn the Black Rock Tribe's body-strengthening technique, first let the Black Rock Tribe see how hard your bones are."
Zheng Yi asked, "How do we test it?"
Red Fang had already tossed the flesh on his shoulder to someone else and stretched his neck as he walked to the center of the open space.
"Wrestling."
Zheng Yi asked, "Just wrestling?"
He grinned, "Are you scared?"
Zheng Yi took off his cloak and handed it to Wu Chen: "Don't get it dirty."
Wu Chen took the cloak and watched him walk into the open space, and couldn't help but say, "Chi Ya is quite strong."
Zheng Yi said, "I can tell."
Hearing this, Chi Ya became even more indignant.
People quickly gathered around.
The boys carrying the stones stopped and watched excitedly.
Someone shouted a few words in the wilderness language.
Red Fang roared back.
Zheng Yi couldn't understand, so he looked at Wu Chen.
Wu Chen said, "They'll hold you down for a few breaths."
Zheng Yi asked, "How much are you betting?"
Wu Chen's lips twitched: "The maximum bet is ten breaths."
Zheng Yi looked at Chi Ya: "What do you think?"
Chiya pounded his chest: "Five breaths!"
The Bone Woman slammed her bone staff into the ground.
"start."
Chiya charged forward instantly. He was much faster than he appeared, his feet leaving two deep craters in the snow. He was like a young, wild bull, his arms outstretched, reaching straight for Zheng Yi's waist.
Zheng Yi did not use his spiritual power.
He only took half a step to the side.
Chiya's hands rubbed against the hem of his clothes, but he missed.
Before Chi Ya could turn around, Zheng Yi placed a palm on his back and pushed him away.
boom!
Chiya fell face down into the snow.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
Chiya raised his head from the snow, his face covered in snow powder, his eyes glazed over.
Zheng Yi stopped: "Want to try again?"
Red Fang suddenly jumped up: "Come on!"
The second time, instead of rushing headlong into the fray, he lowered his center of gravity and circled around Zheng Yi halfway.
Zheng Yi stood still.
Suddenly, Chi Ya swept his foot towards Zheng Yi's calf, while simultaneously grabbing his shoulders with both hands.
The movements were much more skillful than before.
There was a hint of approval in Zheng Yi's eyes.
This young man has a fiery temper, but he's quick-witted.
He raised his foot to avoid the sweeping leg, his shoulder slightly lowered, which allowed him to disarm Chi Ya's hands. Then he grabbed Chi Ya's wrist with his other hand and twisted his foot.
boom!
Chiya lay down in the snow again.
This time, he's lying face up.
Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chiya was so angry that his ears turned red.
The Bone Woman, however, did not laugh.
She stared intently at Zheng Yi's technique, her gaze growing increasingly serious.
"Again!"
Red Fang pounced for the third time.
This time, he didn't use wrestling, but punches.
The fist whistled through the air as it struck Zheng Yi squarely in the chest.
Wu Chen's expression changed slightly: "Red Fang!"
Zheng Yi did not dodge.
He met the attack with a punch of his own.
There is no spiritual power.
It's just physical strength.
The two fists collided.
"boom!"
Chiya groaned, his entire arm went numb, and he staggered back five or six steps, almost falling over.
Zheng Yi also took a half step back.
He looked at his fist, somewhat surprised.
This Red Fang has a very strong blood and qi, and if we only consider physical strength, it is even tougher than many Qi Refining Perfection cultivators.
Chiya looked at him as if he had seen a ghost.
"You didn't use your cultivator's aura?"
Bone Woman immediately looked at Wu Chen.
Wu Chen shook his head: "No."
The old woman's brows furrowed even more.
Chi Ya didn't believe it: "Impossible! What southerner has such a hard fist?"
Zheng Yi said, "People from the south also practice boxing."
Red Fang gritted his teeth and was about to charge again when Bone Granny struck him on the shin with her staff.
"enough."
Red Tooth jumped in pain: "Bone Granny!"
"Haven't you lost enough face yet?" the Bone Woman cursed. "You fell three times and were even beaten back in the end. Go drink some soup and run twenty laps."
Red Fang's face turned green: "Now?"
"Now."
Chi Ya glanced at Zheng Yi, hesitated for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "You wait."
Zheng Yi said, "Okay."
Chiya picked up a black stone and ran around grumbling.
The way people looked at Zheng Yi finally changed.
Just now, I was more wary and curious.
There's a bit more acceptance now.
The people in the wilderness are simple.
A hundred words are not as effective as a fall.
The old woman turned around, leaning on her cane: "Come with me."
Zheng Yi took the cloak that Wu Chen handed back, put it on, and followed.
Wu Chen walked beside her and said, "The fact that Bone Granny is willing to let you into the house means that she acknowledges you even slightly."
"Half a step?"
"There's still half a step left. Let's see how well you learn."
The old woman didn't even turn her head: "Wu Chen, you talk too much."
Wu Chen immediately shut up.
……
The Bone Woman's house is located at the innermost part of the tribe.
The doorway was low, requiring one to stoop to enter. The house was much warmer inside than outside, with black charcoal burning in the hearth, and the walls were covered with animal bones, leather scrolls, bundles of grass, and some bone fragments with engraved patterns.
As soon as Zheng Yi entered the room, he smelled a strong medicinal odor.
The old woman pointed to the stone bench next to the hearth: "Sit."
Zheng Yi sat down.
The old woman took out a chipped earthenware bowl, scooped half a bowl of dark red soup from the pot, and handed it to him.
"drink."
Zheng Yi took it and smelled it.
It contained blood, bone meal, potent herbs, and the remnants of several medicinal herbs that he recognized.
This is not the alchemy formula commonly used by cultivators.
It's rougher.
But the medicine is very potent, and the dosage is very precise.
Zheng Yi asked, "What is this?"
"Boil a soup to nourish the body."
"Is this for beginners?"
The old woman sneered, "This is for you to drink."
Zheng Yi didn't ask any more questions and drank it down.
The soup tasted fishy and bitter at first, but after going down the throat, it felt like a ball of fire rolling into the stomach. Then, the heat spread to the limbs, colliding with the lingering coldness in his body, causing his meridians to tingle slightly.
The Bone Woman kept staring at his face.
Seeing that he didn't even frown, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
“Not all cultivators in the south are weaklings.”
Zheng Yi said, "This soup is good."
The old woman snorted, "Not bad? You know how much stuff is in this bowl?"
Zheng Yi said, "Snow Beast's heart blood, Cold Vine Root, Red Spicy Grass, Ground Demon Bone, and a little Fire Gallstone Powder."
The old woman's expression changed: "You can smell it?"
"I can roughly tell by smell."
The old woman stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "You know how to concoct medicine?"
"I know some."
"You can refine pills?"
"meeting."
The old woman sat up a little straighter.
The room fell silent.
The charcoal in the hearth cracked with a snap.
The old woman slowly said, "You want to learn how to cultivate your body, and we also want to learn how to make medicine."
Zheng Yi looked at her and said, "You don't have the methods of cultivating immortality, so you can't learn alchemy and fire control."
“I won’t learn your cultivators’ pill-making techniques,” the bone woman said. “I’ll learn how to reduce the number of deaths.”
That was a very strong statement.
But the atmosphere inside the room suddenly changed.
Zheng Yi asked, "Does staying up late cause many people to die?"
The Bone Woman did not answer immediately.
She placed the bone cane across her knees and stroked the engravings on it with her withered fingers.
“It happens every year.”
"why?"
"The soup is too strong, the bones are too weak. It's been frozen for too long, so the blood can't warm up. It's been thrown around too much, so the internal organs are ruptured. The beast blood is unclean, and drinking it will drive you crazy. And some children are too impatient, wanting to become stronger quickly, so they secretly drink the old soup at night."
Zheng Yi asked, "No one stopped us?"
The old woman said coldly, "How can we stop him? The wasteland doesn't wait for people to grow up. If he can't lift a spear at thirteen, can't catch a deer at fifteen, and can't join a hunting party at seventeen, what will he eat in winter? Rely on others to save food for him?"
Zheng Yi was silent for a moment: "So you can only train harder."
"Yes."
The old woman raised her eyes: "Southern cultivator, if you can reduce the number of children we lose, I will teach you the Black Rock Tribe's Body Tempering Technique."
Zheng Yi said, "I can try."
The old woman said, "It's not a test."
Zheng Yi looked at her.
The old woman said, word by word, "You really want to teach me."
Zheng Yi nodded: "Okay."
The old woman then reached out and took a string of bone fragments from the wall.
Each bone fragment is engraved with a small human figure and lines.
She spread the bone fragments out and placed them between the two of them. (End of Chapter)