Chapter 25: Blood Vine Warriors
If Old Bal were to go along, the nature of the situation would be different. If Su Xiao went alone, Old Bal might be using him, but going together changes things.
Su Xiao temporarily abandoned the idea of forcibly seizing the compass. Not because of Old Bal's proposal, but because Old Bal had been giving him an uneasy feeling all along.
The other party's aura was peculiar—sometimes it was a single stream, other times it suddenly split into two, as if something was residing within his body.
"Three days later... that's acceptable."
Since he couldn't leave the Red Earth Region for now, Su Xiao decided to explore the area instead.
Old Bal's face lit up with joy. He stood up and walked out of the stone house without telling Su Xiao not to mention this to outsiders. Su Xiao couldn't understand the Yasenman tribe's language anyway.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, sidling up to Su Xiao with a look that seemed to say, 'Master, I smell a conspiracy.'
"Even you can see it, how could I not?"
Patting Bubu Wang's head, Su Xiao pieced together the clues in his mind.
Blood Vine Warriors, totems, vines, Soul Crystals, black seeds, Old Bal, blowpipe native Barry, brotherly grudges, large tribes.
The more Su Xiao thought about it, the more intriguing it became.
"What exactly is hidden here?"
Su Xiao had a vague feeling that if he uncovered the secret of this place, he would gain a massive amount of World Source.
Realizing this, Su Xiao was in no hurry to leave the Red Earth Region. As long as he left within the last five days, he had plenty of time to explore.
But one thing was certain: he needed to get that compass as soon as possible.
For the rest of the afternoon, Su Xiao wandered around the 'Yasenman Tribe.' Old Barry didn't stop him, nor did he assign anyone to watch him.
The tribe was quite large, housing over 400,000 people. Most were children, with tens of thousands of adult female natives and even fewer male natives. The male natives usually only stayed in the tribe after losing limbs.
Though these disabled natives didn't have to fight, their faces were sallow, and their eyes were sunken—clearly, they had made great sacrifices for the tribe's continuation.
After strolling among the low stone houses for a while, Su Xiao looked toward a large mountain behind the tribe.
This mountain blocked the rear of the Yasenman tribe. The outer side of the mountain was a steep cliff, making it impossible to enter the tribe from behind.
The mountain was closely connected to the Yasenman tribe, or rather, the tribe was built leaning against this mountain.
Su Xiao walked toward the foot of the mountain. The base was blocked by a row of tightly packed stone houses. To approach the mountain's base, one had to enter through the front entrance.
The front entrance was guarded by dozens of red-skinned natives. These natives had dull expressions, and even when insects landed on their faces, they ignored them.
Getting close to the back mountain seemed unlikely, but Su Xiao had a general direction—the secret should be there.
After wandering for an afternoon, today's survival was surprisingly easy. The Yasenman tribe was a dominant force in the Red Earth Region, so no beasts dared approach.
At 7 PM that evening, Old Bal invited Su Xiao to the stone house in front of his home.
A bonfire had already been lit in front of the stone house, surrounded by men, women, and children—Old Bal's wife, sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and so on.
Though the Yasenman tribe had another name, the nature was similar.
Of Old Bal's seventy-two sons, sixty had died in battle. Ten were still on the battlefield, and two were injured and disabled. When Old Bal was away from the tribe, his two sons would manage things.
Dozens of people gathered around the fire—this was Old Bal's family.
Su Xiao had a question earlier: if Old Bal's son A died in battle, would son A's wife remain a widow?
Su Xiao vaguely remembered Old Bal's surprised look at the time. Old Bal's answer was: "How could that be such a waste? Of course, the other brothers would continue to use her."
This made Su Xiao glance at the nearby cemetery. He suddenly felt the grass there was even greener, gleaming with a glossy sheen.
The natives around the bonfire danced and sang, chanting songs Su Xiao couldn't understand.
Old Bal handed Su Xiao a large piece of roasted meat. After confirming it was safe, Su Xiao cut half of it for Bubu Wang.
Dinner was settled. As Su Xiao ate the roasted meat, Old Bal brought over 'another dish.'
It was a black round cake, seemingly fried in animal fat, very crispy, and emitting a strange fragrance.
Su Xiao examined the suspicious cake, took a bite, and found it quite tasty.
Bubu Wang smelled the aroma, poked its furry head over, and swallowed the black cake in one gulp, chewing happily.
"What kind of cake is this?"
"A cake made from stinging scorpion brains. Tastes good, right?"
Old Bal enthusiastically pushed a large plate of black cakes toward Su Xiao, but he didn't notice Su Xiao's expression.
Recalling the ugly, pungent stinging scorpions, Su Xiao's stomach churned.
Beside him, Bubu Wang's dog face turned green. Su Xiao had only taken a small bite, but Bubu Wang had swallowed the whole cake.
Su Xiao's gaze toward the other 'snacks' turned wary. He wouldn't eat anything suspicious-looking again.
"Pududu, fama ah (unknown language)."
A loud shout came from afar. Old Barry's face changed drastically upon hearing it. He stood up abruptly and sprinted toward the back mountain.
Su Xiao quickly got up, grabbed Bubu Wang, who was still gnawing on a bone, and ran toward the back mountain.
When Su Xiao reached the back mountain, he found a crowd already gathered.
At the center of the crowd, a male native lay on the ground convulsing, foaming at the mouth, as if having an epileptic fit.
Old Bal rushed forward, chattering rapidly with a nearby native. The native nodded quickly and then ran into the back mountain.
Su Xiao looked at the convulsing male native. If he remembered correctly, this native was the guard at the back mountain during the day. His weapon was a stone spear, easy to recognize.
Old Bal pressed his hand on the stone spear native's chest, and the convulsions eased slightly.
Soon, the native who had run into the back mountain returned, holding a bamboo tube filled with a mercury-like liquid.
The liquid was extremely cold, emitting a chill. Judging by the native's shivering, it was freezing.
Old Bal took the bamboo tube, indifferent to the extreme cold, and poured the liquid into the stone spear native's mouth.
After pouring most of the tube, the stone spear native stopped convulsing.
"Ulaqigaga (unknown language)."
A female native ran forward, tears streaming down her face. The native on the ground was her spouse.
Old Bal shook his head, seemingly unsure of the outcome.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
"Ah!!"
The stone spear native's body jerked up, letting out a scream. His mouth opened wide, and his hands curled like chicken claws.
Hearing the scream, Old Bal turned and ran. Not just him, but all the surrounding natives did the same.
"Waa~."
The female native knelt on the ground, wailing. No matter how much those around her pulled, she desperately tried to get closer.
Su Xiao also retreated with the crowd. Soon, only the stone spear native's spouse remained beside him.
"Ah!!!"
The stone spear native's scream echoed through the valley. Light shone from his mouth, and his chest began to turn transparent.
At that moment, the stone spear native's body glowed like a red-hot branding iron. Blood vessels, bones, and internal organs were all clearly visible.
It was as if a small sun had appeared inside the stone spear native's body.
The stone spear native's spouse rushed forward and hugged him. A terrifying event occurred.
Sizzle~.
The spouse's body quickly turned to charcoal, burning to ashes within seconds.
"Ah!!!!!"
An even louder scream rang out. Su Xiao instinctively covered his ears, his ears ringing from the shock.
Boom!
The stone spear native's body exploded. Blinding light turned night into day, and everyone present closed their eyes.
When the light faded, the stone spear native had vanished without a trace. In his place was a large crater, its surface glassy—a sign of intense heat.