Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 17: Face Tattoos and Makeup—The Warrior Sets Out!

Xia Ye drew well water with a wooden bucket, poured it over himself, and rubbed on some soapberry pulp. After repeating this three times, he sat down at the wooden table. Xia Lingyue had already prepared the dyes—natural pigments extracted from plants—which were essential for every tribal warrior. Neither of them spoke; their expressions were solemn. Xia Lingyue used a length of yellow hemp rope she had braided herself to tie Xia Ye’s shoulder-length black hair into a high, single ponytail. She then mixed the dye, dipped an animal-hair brush into it, and carefully applied it to his face. Half an hour later, Xia Lingyue took two steps back and admired her work with satisfaction; she had been secretly practicing for a long time in preparation for this day. Glancing at the basin of water, Xia Ye’s expression turned miserable. “Did it really have to be purple?” Xia Ye was speechless. When warriors set out on a journey, they would paint various patterns on their faces and bodies—a practice known as facial and body painting. It was a sacred tribal ritual symbolizing thoughts of family, prayers for a safe return, and hopes for victory! The design Xia Lingyue had drawn consisted of two upright crescent moons, starting at her eyebrows, sweeping across her eyes, and extending to her cheeks—perfectly symmetrical. The lines were simple, yet with just a few strokes, they captured the essence of a moonlit night. Paired with Xia Ye’s delicate, slightly soft features, an aura of coolness, elegance, and gentleness washed over him. “I’m going to kill people—why paint my face this gay purple? It’s so effeminate!” Xia Ye didn’t like it. Face paint and tattoos also served to intimidate enemies, so most designs featured ferocious, savage, and terrifying beast motifs; some warriors even tattooed the number of decapitations they’d performed on their faces. “What do you mean, ‘gay purple’? Don’t talk nonsense!” Xia Lingyue smacked Xia Ye on the head. This was a sacred ritual—nonsense was not permitted, or one would lose the ancestors’ protection and die on the battlefield. “Take a closer look!” Xia Ye looked down; the water’s surface rippled slightly. He noticed that the lower part of the crescent moon was accented with red dye, and combined with the shading technique, it looked just like thick, viscous blood—as if it were about to drip but hadn’t quite yet. “Whoa?” Xia Ye gasped in surprise. Looking at them from below, the two crescent moons resembled the fangs of an ancient, blood-dripping behemoth—as if it were choosing its prey to devour, or had already torn its victim to shreds. A subtle, restrained killing intent washed over him. “This is the sap squeezed from a violet—it took me ages to find it!” Xia Lingyue had one more thing to say: its floral meaning symbolizes eternal longing and love! “Impressive!” Xia Ye smacked his lips. Only by admiring it closely could one truly appreciate the essence of this tattoo—it was simply superb compared to those shallow motifs of dragons, tigers, and leopards. “Perfect. Add some black and purple—apply it around my eyes.” “Huh?” Xia Lingyue knew her younger brother all too well. She paused for a moment, then realized what he meant, and immediately gave him a good-natured tap on the forehead. “It’s a tactic!” Xia Ye protested. He actually wanted to paint two thick black circles under his eyes to look utterly exhausted, so he could use that to deceive his opponents during battle. “Don’t go scribbling all over my face!” Xia Lingyue refused. Even the most reckless fighter wouldn’t mess around with something like this, because every facial tattoo had its own significance. Soon, everything was ready. “You don’t need to see me off!” Xia Ye picked up his leather backpack, giving Xia Lingyue no chance to refuse, and strode out of the thatched hut. “Alright!” Xia Lingyue kept smiling: “I hope you return victorious!” It wasn’t until Xia Ye’s figure disappeared at the end of the long street that Xia Lingyue could hold back no longer; tears streamed down her face. She was so worried, but she hadn’t dared to cry in front of her younger brother, afraid it might affect him. Before it grew completely dark, Xia Ye arrived at Peach Blossom Spring. He first surveyed the area to make sure there were no footprints, then began preparing five days’ worth of food—any more would be a burden, and besides, he could always hunt in the wild. Before going to sleep, Xia Ye practiced the “Dragon-Taming Return” incantation three times, determined to master the first level as quickly as possible! It was early morning in the woods, filled with the chirping of insects and birds. “If only I had a cup of hot milk!” After frying a bird’s egg with scallions and eating it, Xia Ye set off, still craving more. Once he had his own tribe, he vowed to find a way to raise a dairy cow no matter what. To the northwest of the Cao clan lay a vast expanse of low-lying hills crisscrossing the landscape. Because it closely resembled a chessboard, the area was named “Chessboard.” The Fengjing Ruins lay somewhere within these hills. In those days, there wasn’t even the simplest form of industry; everything was incredibly primitive, so there was no question of environmental destruction. Thus, nature was the undisputed master of the Earth. The primeval forest stretched out like a boundless green ocean, exuding an air of ancient wilderness, as if a giant beast were crouching there. Once inside Chessboard Mountain, Xia Ye became much more cautious; aside from the threats of wild beasts and venomous insects, there was also the possibility of encountering patrols from the Cao clan. This wasn’t the Cao tribe’s territory, but the overbearing Cao people had established a stronghold here; anyone wishing to scavenge at the Fengjing Ruins had to pay a toll. In the past, the Cao clan had amassed a fortune through such tactics, but with over a century of frequent exploration, the Fengjing Ruins had long since been stripped of their potential, and the number of scavengers coming each year had dwindled. “They haven’t even built a dirt road, and they still have the nerve to charge money? Even highwaymen should have some professional ethics, for crying out loud!” Xia Ye gripped his dog-leg knife, occasionally hacking at the branches and leaves ahead; the vegetation was too dense, hindering their progress. The Fengjing Ruins were the main city of the Fengjing Tribe. It is said that hundreds of years ago, they were a renowned great tribe of the North. Their unique Giant Spirit God architecture could give birth to a type of melee unit called the Giant Spirit God, whose combat power was overwhelming and whose might dominated the era. “I wonder which tribe ended up with them?” Xia Ye curled his lip. All these years, he’d never heard of any tribe possessing a Giant Spirit God—though that made sense. If he were in their shoes and had such a powerful unit, he’d certainly keep it hidden away and never use it unless the tribe’s very survival was at stake. He casually plucked a green fruit from a nearby branch, wiped it on his clothes a couple of times, and took a bite. A tart, astringent flavor immediately spread across his taste buds. “Pfft! Xia Ye frowned and tossed the fruit aside. Just as he was about to pull out the map Mo Wu Heng had collected to check the route, he faintly heard the sound of a flock of birds flapping their wings as they flew away. “Something’s up?” Xia Ye immediately slowed his breathing, looked up at the sky to confirm the direction the birds had flown, and simultaneously quickly drew his crossbow, nocking an arrow. At the ten o’clock position, about two hundred meters away. After confirming the location, Xia Ye immediately raised his crossbow and moved toward it swiftly. Throughout this process, he kept his movements to a minimum, doing his best to minimize any noise. “Hurry up, go over there and cut them off!” A teenager clad in animal skins, his face beaming with excitement, drew his bow and fired an arrow, sending a wild boar charging wildly in all directions. “Ming, keep your voice down. It’ll be trouble if we attract the Cao clan’s mountain patrol!” Xia Chong was speechless. “Stop blabbering! Just do as I say. If those patrolmen dare show up, I’ll chop them to pieces!” Xia Ming snorted, clearly displeased with Xia Chong’s timidity. “Ugh!” Xia Chong sighed in exasperation. He’d just wanted to find a companion to try their luck at the Fengjing Ruins together, but who knew Xia Ming would be such a stubborn fool, dragging his feet the whole way. “Hurry up!” Xia Ming urged him, “These wild boar tusks are great—they’ll make a perfect necklace!” Tribal people had a custom of making jewelry from the bones of beasts they’d hunted themselves and the feathers of birds—partly for aesthetic appeal, and partly to showcase their battle achievements. If one possessed an ornament made from an ancient colossal beast, it would be a top-tier luxury item on par with Hermès, guaranteed to turn heads. Xia Chong was just hesitating about whether to break away from the group and go it alone when his ears suddenly twitched. He raised his bow toward a thicket and roared, “Who’s there? Come out!” Xia Ming reacted quickly, immediately abandoning the wounded wild boar and darting forward to secure advantageous ground, joining Xia Chong to form a pincer movement. Whoosh! Xia Ming released an arrow—a warning shot. Xia Chong was on the verge of losing his temper—if it turned out to be one of the Cao clan’s mountain patrols, this would be a direct provocation to start a fight. But he didn’t complain, because that would have weakened his momentum. For tribal people venturing out to clear land and hunt, it’s all about the law of the jungle—the strong prey on the weak! “Don’t worry—he’s one of us!” Xia Ye stepped out, holding his crossbow. Phew! Seeing the Xia clan emblem on Xia Ye’s chest, Xia Chong breathed a sigh of relief. Every tribal warrior who set out on a journey would paint their faces and bodies and wear the tribal emblem on their chest; some would even tattoo the tribe’s battle flag or crest onto their bodies. This was not only to seek the protection of their ancestors but also to identify themselves and intimidate enemies. The more powerful the tribe, the more intimidating its emblem and battle flag. From their conversation, it seemed these two were led by that burly, animal-skin-clad youth, Xia Ming. However, Xia Ye’s gaze fell upon another youth who was even frailer than himself. It was him—the one who had spotted him first. His hearing was almost too good to be true. “Hey, what’s your name?” Xia Ming was annoyed. The other guy was sizing up Xia Chong—wasn’t that a blatant way of saying he was a nobody who didn’t deserve any attention? How could his proud and arrogant nature possibly tolerate that? Xia Ye shot Xia Ming a glance but couldn’t be bothered to answer. Running around recklessly and shouting in the forest—no matter how strong he might be, he was still nothing but a brute. “Do you think I’m reckless? Let me tell you, it’s because I’m incredibly powerful! Third-stage Body Tempering Realm, with 300 shi of strength!” As he spoke, Xia Ming pounded his chest heavily. “Brother Ming, calm down!” Xia Chong tried to calm him down. “Get lost!” Xia Ming snapped, glaring at Xia Ye: “Hey, don’t push your luck—or are you just a nameless bastard?” Within the tribe, calling someone a bastard was a grave insult. Xia Ye’s gaze immediately turned fierce. “What’s the matter? Don’t like that, you bastard!” Xia Ming sneered defiantly. Just as Xia Ye raised his crossbow, ready to teach this guy a lesson, a smile flashed across his face: “Heh, I see. So you want my weapon, don’t you?” Xia Ming narrowed his eyes, revealing a calmness that stood in stark contrast to his earlier brute-like demeanor. Yes, he was deliberately provoking Xia Ye, goading him into striking first—that way, he’d have a reason to kill him. Although the tribe had no explicit rule forbidding members from killing one another, everyone tried to avoid it—otherwise, their reputation would be ruined. After all, if there’s a first time, there might be a second. Who would dare team up with someone who kills even his own kin? The moment Xia Ye emerged from the bushes, the crossbow in his hand stirred a deep sense of greed within Xia Ming.