Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 21: The Shaman Xia Wa

The spore virus had cleansed the world; civilization had collapsed, and all living creatures had perished. As time passed, the primeval forest stretched across the land, like a primordial beast crawling across the earth’s surface. Hundreds of millions of years passed before humanity quietly took its first step. The world remained the same, yet in Xia Ye’s eyes, it had been completely transformed. The once-familiar cities had vanished entirely, swallowed up by forests, mountains, rivers, and basins. Humankind clung tenaciously to survival, taking their ancestors as totems and living in clans and tribes. Watching Song Guo lead the way ahead, occasionally picking a wild berry or rummaging through a bird’s nest, Xia Ye’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed. When he asked her where she came from, Xiao Song Guo simply lowered her head and said nothing. But it didn’t matter—what trouble could such an innocent little girl possibly cause? “Ah-woo, a squirrel!” Song Guo suddenly let out a shriek, dropped her stone hammer and small bundle, and, like a monkey, used the tall trees in the forest to leap up with a few bounds, then gave chase. “Watch out!” Xia Ye watched, his heart pounding with anxiety. The birth of “Genki” had endowed people with robust physiques, becoming the very foundation that allowed them to survive in these harsh times. “Ah-woo!” Xiao Song Guo leaped down from a tree branch more than ten meters high and trotted back. She held out her little fist in front of Xia Ye, opening it as if presenting a treasure. A handful of plump pine nuts was piled up in her palm like a little mountain. “Eat one—they’re delicious!” Song Guo tilted her head back, looking up at Xia Ye with a sweet smile; her row of neat, beautiful white teeth almost dazzled Xia Ye. “Mmm!” Xia Ye didn’t hesitate to help himself. “Hehe!” Seeing that Xia Ye had accepted the food, Song Guo was delighted. She popped a few pine nuts into her mouth, crunching them to bits, and hopped around like a happy little bear. “Isn’t that heavy?” Xia Ye really didn’t think much of Song Guo’s weapon—it was just a wooden stick over a meter long with a large stone tied to the top using dried vines. It was clearly homemade. The stone hadn’t been polished at all; it was sharp-edged and still bore dark red bloodstains—it seemed quite a few animals had fallen victim to it! “It’s not heavy!” The little girl shook her head, hoisted the stone hammer onto her shoulder, and as she walked, the small bundle hanging from it swayed back and forth. “Here, it’s yours!” Xia Ye took off his combat axe and handed it to her. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo’s face lit up—it was a bronze weapon, and a very sharp one at that—but just as she reached out, she pulled her hand back and shook her head. “It’s too expensive!” The little girl knew her place and wouldn’t accept a gift like this. “Take it. Yours is way too big—it’s just a waste of energy. What good is it, anyway?” Xia Ye laughed. “Big, huge, super awesome!” Song Guo pouted—that was her sense of aesthetics. “All right, once we get back to Xia City, I’ll have someone forge you a bronze warhammer!” Xia Ye took out a bag of candied hawthorn on a stick and handed it to her. These were meant for her older sister, but who knew she’d secretly slipped them into her backpack. “Mmm!” Little Song Guo cheered, beaming with joy. This was her absolute favorite—she took a bite, and with a crisp snap, the sugar coating cracked, revealing the sweet, then tangy fruit flesh. “Ouch!” The little girl winced—it was really sour! But then came the cool red bean paste, bringing another burst of sweetness. The soft, fluffy texture piling up on her tongue made her reluctant to swallow it. “Hehe!” Xia Ye chuckled softly and was just about to pull out the map to check how far they were from the Fengjing Ruins when his expression suddenly changed. Just as Song Guo leaped over a thick, ancient tree root protruding from the ground, three earth ghosts suddenly darted out from the side, sending leaves and dirt flying. “Damn it!” Xia Ye silently cursed his own carelessness, though it wasn’t entirely his fault—the forest floor was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, and since Earth Ghosts were masters of concealment, they were truly hard to spot. Thud! Xia Ye pushed off with both legs, sprinting forward while swinging his arm with all his might to hurl the tactical axe—which he hadn’t yet holstered back at his waist. Whoosh! A gleam of bronze flashed through the air. Roar! A Earth Ghost screamed, swinging its wooden club and slamming it viciously toward Song Guo’s head, but just as it was about to strike, the tactical axe shot toward him with a whistling sound. Boom!! The sharp tactical axe embedded itself in the earth ghost’s head, sending it tumbling backward. Splash! A torrent of blood sprayed like fine rain, splattering the leaves in splotches. The earth ghost had sharp fangs and a hideous, ferocious face, but Song Guo wasn’t afraid. “Ah-woo!” The little girl, a sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick clenched between her teeth, gripped the stone hammer in her right hand and swung it with all her might. Whoosh! A powerful gust of wind howled, whipping up the leaves on the ground. Before the Earth Ghost could even react, a stone hammer loomed larger and larger in its field of vision, crashing down onto its chest. Thud! The Earth Ghost was like a water-filled balloon struck with full force by a baseball bat; two rows of ribs shattered instantly, and blood spattered outward in a radial pattern from the torn skin. Thud! The Earth Ghost, its entire upper body completely mangled, rolled across the ground in a series of somersaults, scattering fragments of flesh everywhere. The third one didn’t last a second longer; Song Guo swung the stone hammer with a backhand and sent it flying. Squeak! One by one, the Earth Ghosts emerged from their hiding holes, preparing to charge—but upon witnessing this scene, they all froze in place as if turned to stone. They’d seen dead bodies before, but being smashed into a pile of pulped flesh was truly a shocking sight. Holding a stone hammer weighing over a hundred shi, Song Guo seemed as though she were carrying a mere straw. Unfazed, she wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand, picked up a sugar-coated hawthorn, and took a bite. “Red bean paste—so sweet!” The little girl ate with relish: “One, two, three… Oh my, that’s not enough to kill them!” Squeak! The earth ghosts screamed and scattered in all directions. Song Guo didn’t chase after them or look around warily; she jogged over and pulled the tactical axe from the corpse. “Here you go!” The little girl thought Xia Ye looked really cool throwing the tactical axe to take down enemies, so she decided she wanted to make her own hand axe. Xia Ye sniffed the scent of blood in the air and looked at the little girl’s adorable face; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t connect her to the figure who had just smashed the Earth Ghost to pieces with a single blow. The closer they got to the Fengjing Ruins, the greater the chance of encountering enemies. While Song Guo was carefree, Xia Ye dared not be—he was already on high alert. Suddenly, a burst of curses rang out. Xia Ye immediately quickened her pace and crept forward. Under a tall tree, a short-haired girl was leaning against the trunk, panting heavily. She wore a gray linen outfit that looked stained and mottled, with fresh blood seeping through. Two corpses lay nearby, and two men stood flanking her—one on the left, one on the right. Judging by the clan crest on their chests, they were from the Cao clan. “Come and kill me, then?” One of the youths had a streak of blood across his face, making his expression even more ferocious; the other, with long hair, said nothing, his hawk-like gaze fixed on the girl. It was precisely because they had underestimated her that two of their own had died. The girl clutched a stone knife in one hand and a scroll in her left, showing no sign of yielding. Xia Ye raised his crossbow and aimed at the long-haired boy. This kid was better equipped, had suffered fewer injuries, and was extremely cautious—in Xia Ye’s eyes, he posed a greater threat. “I’m going to chop your head off and hang it on the city gate of the Fengjing Ruins!” the bloodstained youth roared. “Then come at me!” The girl’s gaze was fierce, like that of a lone wolf. “You’ve got the guts!” Xia Ye silently admired her. He knew this girl—her name was Xia Wa. She also lived in the slums and had a mother who had gone mad. Come to think of it, Xia Wa had it even harder than he did. To survive, she went out of the city during the day to cut wild grass and pick wild fruit, and at night she sharpened arrowheads. She’d done every kind of work a teenager could—and couldn’t—do. On the streets, the kids all called Xia Wa “Maggot Girl,” because the adults said she’d barely survived as a child by eating maggots. They even used her as a warning to the children, saying that if they didn’t work hard, they’d end up eating maggots just like her. Right after the wave of wild beasts had subsided, Xia Ye ventured out of the city. He considered himself quite brave, but when he came to the Fengjing Ruins to forage, he still equipped himself with leather armor and weapons for protection. Yet Xia Wa had come wearing nothing but hemp clothes, carrying only a stone knife and a dagger. Judging by the overturned rattan backpack nearby—presumably Xia Wa’s—she didn’t even have any herbs, let alone a full rice ball; there was only half one left. “Die!” The bloodstained youth roared and charged forward, swinging his blade. Even in such a disadvantageous situation, Xia Wa remained remarkably calm. She glanced at the long-haired boy behind her, who showed no sign of movement, then decided against using the scroll and lunged forward alone. Xia Ye pulled the trigger. Bang! The bowstring quivered, and a foot-long arrow flashed past. Thud! The sharp bronze arrowhead pierced the long-haired youth’s neck with ease. “Ugh! The boy clutched the arrow’s shaft and collapsed to the ground in agony. He tried to call for help, but not a single word came out. “Who’s there?” The bloodstained boy startled, his gaze instinctively sweeping over. Xia Wa remained completely unfazed; he accelerated and swung his stone knife. The boy with the bloodstain wasn’t afraid of Eve, but he feared being shot, so he stepped back, on guard. Xia Wa’s lips parted slightly as he prayed rapidly; an arc of blue lightning instantly shot from the long knife in his hand, engulfing the blood-stained boy. Crackle! The Blood-Scarred Boy was electrified, his whole body going numb and his limbs stiffening. Whoosh! The stone blade came down, striking the Scarred Boy’s neck, and his head rolled to the ground. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo screamed and charged forward, swinging her stone hammer, but the battle was already over. After killing the boy, Xia Wa didn’t let his guard down for a moment; he spun around swiftly and fixed his gaze on the spot where Xia Ye was hiding. “Don’t worry, it’s me!” Xia Ye stepped out, carrying his crossbow: “There aren’t any enemies left, are there?” Xia Wa didn’t say a word, but a look of surprise crossed his face. Why was Xia Ye—that good-for-nothing—here? “You’ve become a shaman?” Xia Ye was a bit surprised. There were two types of shamans: one focused on physical combat, and the other—the shaman—who used qi to resonate with the natural elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth to attack enemies. Shamans have always been few in number, as it requires exceptional natural talent. Furthermore, the great shamans of every major tribe all began as shamans. “That guy’s loot is yours!” Xia Wa didn’t answer; he just pointed at the unlucky guy Xia Ye had shot down. “It’s all yours!” Looking at Xia Wa’s hemp clothes—which weren’t even rags—Xia Ye magnanimously waved his hand. Besides, that poor soul was using a stone knife; he probably didn’t have many knife coins on him anyway, so Xia Ye couldn’t be bothered to go through the trouble! “You’d better head back. A group from the Cao clan has issued a ban—anyone entering the Fengjing Ruins will be shot on sight!” Xia Wa thought of how Sister Xia Lingyue had always looked out for him, and his expression softened slightly as he tried to persuade Xia Ye—otherwise, she wouldn’t have cared one bit about this good-for-nothing’s life or death. “Oh!” The other person’s cold expression made Xia Ye lose all interest in continuing the conversation. He shrugged and retreated into the woods—even when dealing with someone from his own tribe, he dared not let his guard down. “Pretty cautious—looks like he’ll live a few more days!” Xia Wa was somewhat surprised—it seemed this kid wasn’t quite as useless as the rumors suggested. But that wasn’t her concern. She quickly cleaned up the battlefield and moved on; she had to get out of there fast, or she’d run into Cao Ang’s squad, which would be trouble. After all, he was a well-known rising star among the younger generation of the Cao clan.