Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 42: A Major Enemy at the Gates?

As if you’re worthy! A few ants dragged a dead beetle across the rotting leaves, leaving a trail of tiny footprints. After the tide of wild beasts had passed, it was always these little creatures that were the first to come back to life. “No one followed us!” Song Guo stood on a pine branch, her small hand shielding her eyes as she gazed into the distance behind her; any further, and she would be leaving the boundaries of the Fengjing Ruins. Xia Ye was drinking water and resting against a bronze chest. The chest was very heavy; although he still had energy to spare, he didn’t want to use it all up—otherwise, he’d be in trouble if they came under sudden attack. The little girl sat dejectedly on the chest, swinging her legs back and forth as she ate a cookie, occasionally glancing longingly behind her. “Sit down!” Xia Ye reminded her. “Okay!” Song Guo understood what her big brother meant and sat down on the ground, leaning against the bronze chest—at least this way, she wouldn’t have to worry about arrows flying at her from behind. Generally speaking, this position was the hardest to defend. “Want a drink?” Xia Ye waved the water skin in his hand at Song Guo. Seeing the little girl nod, he tossed it her way. Gulp! After taking a few sips, the little girl leaped onto the chest in one bound and shouted at the top of her lungs, “We’re right here! Come and hunt us down!” “Hey, aren’t you being a little too cocky?” Xia Ye chuckled. He knew he should proceed with caution, but after winning several skirmishes in a row—and making a killing in the process—he couldn’t help but feel a bit cocky. “Hmph, no one’s here!” The little girl pouted in frustration, looking just like a great demon lord surveying his territory, ready to slaughter a few minions for fun, only to find not a single soul in sight. “So what if I’m getting a little cocky!” Having subdued the Headless Battle Spirit and the Undead Hero, and having obtained the legendary sword Tai’a and the Great Wasteland Sutra of Ten Thousand Spirits, Xia Ye felt he was, at the very least, a dominant force in Fengjing. He figured he was entitled to act cocky for a bit—and then he got his comeuppance. Whoosh! A feathered arrow whizzed past, grazing his head before striking the bronze chest beside him. Clink! The arrow bounced off. “Take cover!” Xia Ye rolled aside, swiftly drawing the Tai’a sword from its sheath in front of him. Just as he was about to charge, the ambusher stepped out into the open. “Shouting so loudly—do you think we’re not here?” Cao Xiong, wielding his battle axe—which was as big as a wagon wheel—spun it in a flourish and eyed Xia Ye with disdain: “Yelling like that in the forest—you really are a dumbass. So, tell me, how exactly did you trick the Cao Bing troops into their doom?” “Hey, nice to see you again!” Cao Xu raised his birch longbow in a greeting. For an archer, moving the arrow away from the enemy’s body without taking aim isn’t stupidity—it’s a blatant provocation, signifying absolute confidence in one’s ability to kill the enemy. This was the team’s rendezvous point. He hadn’t expected his companions to show up, but by lying in wait, he’d stumbled upon a member of the Xia clan—a stroke of good luck. Song Guo was quite bold; instead of approaching Xia Ye, she kept her distance as much as possible and kept her crossbow trained on Cao Xu to keep him in check. “Just the two of you?” Xia Ye scanned the surroundings out of the corner of his eye—partly to determine the number of enemies, and partly to assess the terrain and familiarize himself with the battlefield. “To kill you, I’m more than enough on my own!” Cao Xiong spat out a thick glob of phlegm. Why had they come out instead of launching a surprise arrow attack? It was because they were certain of victory. By the way, how did the Cao Bing soldiers die? “That’s a bold claim!” Before Xia Ye could reply, a mocking laugh rang out from the woods, and Xia Xiong emerged, a longbow in hand. Beside him stood Xia Li, a young shaman girl holding an oak staff. “Ha, I wonder who it was just a few days ago who was chased around like a stray dog by us!” Cao Xiong sneered. His menacing expression, combined with his 1. 9-meter height and bulging muscles, made him quite intimidating. “Attacking outnumbered? What kind of hero is that?” Xia Xiong’s face turned slightly red with embarrassment, and he roared loudly, “Do you think I won’t shoot you dead right now?” Cao Xu’s arrow immediately locked onto him. “Are you stupid?” Xia Li couldn’t help but think to herself, “You’re supposed to have Xia Ye draw the enemy’s fire—why are you trying to steal the spotlight?” So she quickly spoke up to save the situation: “Xia Ye, looks like you’ve made quite a haul!” That single sentence drew all four of their gazes back to the chest. Bronze was so expensive—and yet it was used merely to make a chest. Wouldn’t the contents inside be even more valuable? A flash of greed crossed Xia Xiong’s eyes as he walked toward Xia Ye: “If it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t even be alive. So, according to the tribe’s unwritten rules, half of this spoils belong to me and Xia Li!” Bam! Xia Xiong slammed his palm down on the bronze chest and glared menacingly at Xia Ye. “Is half enough?” Xia Ye asked. “After all, we’re family!” Hearing this, Xia Xiong thought Xia Ye had backed down, so his expression grew even more smug. His gaze involuntarily drifted to the long sword in Xia Ye’s hand, and he whistled. “Made entirely of bronze? You’re one lucky kid. Come on, let me take a look!” Xia Xiong reached out to grab the hilt—he claimed he just wanted to look, but he had no intention of giving it back. Did Xia Ye dare ask for it back? If so, he’d smash his head in. Xia Ye didn’t let go. “Huh? You won’t give it to me?” Seeing Xia Ye clutching the sword so tightly, Xia Xiong grew annoyed and raised his voice: “Do you get it? Without me, Xia Xiong, to protect you, you’re as good as dead. Let go now!” “What? Xia Xiong? Do you even deserve to have the character ‘Xiong’ in your name?” Cao Xiong’s eyes widened. When it came to naming people in the tribe, even those with some education believed that fierce beasts like dragons, tigers, and leopards sounded more imposing, so such names were common. Xia Xiong was only 1. 7 meters tall and had hardly any meat on his bones—and he dared to call himself “Xiong”? Cao Xiong felt that the character had been insulted, and that his own status had been diminished as a result. So, raising an eyebrow, he was about to chop Xia Xiong to pieces to vent his anger, but just as he lifted his foot, he froze. “Let go!” Seeing that Xia Ye wasn’t obeying, Xia Xiong swung his fist toward his nose, determined to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. Xia Ye was even faster. Clenching his right fist tightly, he twisted his waist and swung his arm, landing a punch squarely on Xia Xiong’s face. Boom! The immense force sent Xia Xiong’s head snapping back, and bright red blood spurted from his nose like a fountain. “Huh?” Xia Xiong was momentarily dazed, his face a mask of astonishment. It took him a moment to realize he’d been beaten—and that he’d been beaten by a half-blind good-for-nothing. His astonishment quickly turned to rage. “Fuck, hell, damn it…” Before Xia Xiong could finish his curse, Xia Ye shut him up with a punch to the mouth. Thud! Xia Xiong staggered backward. He opened his mouth to curse, but instead spat out a mix of blood and broken teeth. It wasn’t over yet—Xia Ye lunged forward and slammed another right fist into him. “I…” Bam! “Fuck…” Bam! “Ugh…” Thud! Xia Ye’s punches grew heavier with each strike, so hard that Xia Xiong couldn’t even get the swear words out of his mouth. “No way…” Cao Xiong and Cao Xu were a bit dumbfounded—how could you guys start fighting among yourselves? “What are you doing?” After her initial shock wore off, Xia Li was overcome with rage and screamed, “Are you crazy? With a major enemy at our doorstep, why are you causing an internal fight?” “A major enemy?” Xia Ye chuckled softly, glancing at the two Caos. “Do they even count?” “Who are you talking about?” Cao Xiong flew into a rage and was about to charge forward to hack Xia Ye to death, but was grabbed by the calm Cao Xu. “I’m going to kill you!” Having his face beaten to a pulp by a half-blind cripple—and in front of the tribe’s enemies, no less—Xia Xiong’s face instantly turned ashen. With a swift motion, he drew the short dagger from his waist and lunged at Xia Ye, intent on stabbing him right through the heart. Xia Ye charged forward, swinging his sword! “No!” Xia Li screamed. Then, a spray of blood filled her vision as an arm fell to the ground, its fingers still twitching reflexively. Xia Ye landed his strike, then spun around and kicked Xia Xiong squarely in the chest. Thud! Xia Xiong was sent flying, covered in mud and碎叶. He had no time to wipe himself off—only a piercing scream and a head full of cold sweat. “How ruthless!” Cao Xiong and Cao Xu exchanged glances; neither had expected Xia Ye’s killing blow to be so ruthless. After all, this was slaughtering one of his own kind—and he didn’t show even a hint of hesitation! Wasn’t he afraid of being punished when he returned to the tribe? “Here you go—you wanted it!” Xia Ye held out the Tai’a sword, then suddenly realized, “Oh, sorry—I didn’t notice. Your hand’s been severed. But don’t worry—you’ve still got the other one!” Hearing this casual, mocking remark, even Cao Xiong—who prided himself on his cruelty—couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine. “Haha!” Xiao Song Guo laughed. Big brother sure has a sharp tongue. “Are you out of your mind?!” Xia Li was so stunned by the scene before her that she froze for a moment; by the time she came to her senses, she was furious: “It was clearly three against two—we had the upper hand—and yet you went and slashed one of our own. Did you leave your brain at home?” Xia Ye raised his sword and pointed at her. Xia Li, who had been rushing toward Xia Xiong to heal him, froze. His eyes—sharp and clear, black against white—were as calm as a still lake, without a ripple. But the more serene they were, the more they chilled her to the bone. “Don’t you want it anymore?” Xia Ye waved his hand and tapped Xia Xiong’s cheek with the blade of his sword: “What about half the loot?” “I don’t want it! I don’t want any of it!” Xia Xiong kicked his legs wildly and scrambled backward in panic, terrified that Xia Ye would stab him again—what could he do? The guy was a complete madman. With his mouth swollen from the blows, Xia Xiong could barely make out his words; he looked utterly bedraggled. “Are we going to fight?” Cao Xiong shot his companion a questioning glance, but Cao Xu’s gaze was fixed on Xia Ye’s bronze longsword as he asked in confusion. “Why does this sword look so much like Brother Ang’s?” “Huh?” Cao Xiong was startled. “Was Ang Ge robbed?” “No way!” Cao Xu blurted out instinctively. How could that half-blind guy have robbed Ang Ge? But how could that be possible? Cao Ang is so formidable… “Stop overthinking it. Once Brother Ang gets here, we’ll just ask him, won’t we?” Cao Xiong urged him on. He hadn’t even been afraid when they were two against three earlier, let alone in a situation where they held the upper hand. So he couldn’t wait to kill the enemy and admire the spoils of victory. Xiao Song Guo had sharp ears; upon hearing this, she couldn’t resist teasing, “You mean Cao Ang? Sorry, he won’t be able to make it!” “What do you mean?” Cao Xu demanded. “Xia Ye, you’re done for. Just wait until Brother Qingyuan gets here—I’ll see how you explain this!” Xia Li was still angry. He was actually pointing his long sword at her—what was he trying to do? Xiao Song Guo turned her head, blinked her beautiful, big eyes, and spread her hands in a helpless gesture: “Xia Qingyuan? Sorry, he can’t make it either!” “What?” Xia Li looked completely baffled. “Stop messing around—let’s take them out first!” Cao Xiong charged forward aggressively. “It’s all your fault. What are we going to do now?” Xia Li was frantic: “We were trying to help you, but you ended up hurting Xia Xiong!” “What a joke—who asked for your help anyway?” A smile played on Xia Ye’s lips as he leaned forward and charged at Cao Xu at full speed.