Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 44: Double Kill

Xia Xiong’s expression of wild joy froze in an instant. It was as if a drowning man had desperately grabbed at a last-ditch lifeline, only to realize—just as he thought he was saved—that the straw was nothing more than a hallucination before death. This was even more agonizing than dying outright—the chance to survive was right before his eyes! “Brother Xia, Master Xia, Dad Xia!” Xia Xiong’s cries grew louder with each one: “Isn’t it enough that I’m your son? Save me!” Xia Ye paid him no mind. “Xia Li, stop crying—you’re safe now. Hurry up and save me!” Xia Xiong screamed in desperation; his leg was broken, and if he kept waiting like this, he’d bleed to death. “Ah!” Xia Li was dazed. Struck by an arrow, he knew he couldn’t escape. Cao Xiong’s eyes darted about, and he charged at Xia Li with all his might, intent on taking a hostage. Song Guo pulled the trigger. Whoosh! The crossbow bolt flew through the air. “Ah!” Seeing the bronze crossbow bolt whiz past her face and head straight for Cao Xiong, Xia Li’s hair stood on end with shock. Then she saw Xia Ye sprinting toward them and leaping over her. Dirt from his long deerskin boots was kicked up, some of it splattering onto Xia Li’s face, leaving it damp. “Xia Li, what are you staring at? Hurry up and save me!” Xia Xiong roared. Xia Li finally grasped the situation, stumbled to her feet, and made her way toward Xia Xiong. “Xia Ye killed that archer without a scratch, and now he’s even got that so-called bear under control? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Xia Li turned around just as she caught Xia Ye’s gaze fixed on her—sharp as an arrow, bone-chilling as ice—causing her to freeze in her tracks, too afraid to move. “Hurry up! Come save me!” Xia Xiong urged. Xia Li saw Xia Ye’s lips move slightly. Though he didn’t speak, she guessed what he meant: he wanted Xia Xiong dead. “No, it’s not that I won’t save you—it’s that he won’t let me save you!” Xia Li cried out. “What? What did you say?” Xia Xiong was desperate. “Hey, don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do!” Xia Ye laughed: “By the way, you just ran off and left your companion behind. If this guy goes back, your reputation will be ruined.” Xia Li shuddered and began crying even harder. “Stop crying—come save me!” Xia Xiong had lost too much blood; his head was spinning more and more, and all that remained was a dying wail. “Stop whining—you look as pathetic as a stray dog!” Xia Ye curled his lip, his remark carrying a double meaning—and taking a dig at Cao Xiong as well. “Hmm!” Song Guo nodded in agreement, but then shook his head and ran his hand over the black bear pelt he was wearing: “No, it should be a homeless bear!” “Just those two? Do they even deserve it?” Xia Ye sneered. Cao Xiong didn’t even have the strength to retort; all he could think about was how to escape. It wasn’t until they clashed that he realized just what kind of enemy he was facing. The spot where he’d been struck by the arrow was throbbing with excruciating pain, severely hampering his combat effectiveness. In fact, even without the injury, he might not have been able to defeat him. Cao Ang was right—the Cao Bing were being slaughtered by this half-blind man. How ridiculous that he hadn’t believed it. If he hadn’t been so careless, he and Xia Xu could have teamed up to kill him just now, and he’d be the one laughing last right now. Whoosh! A sword slashed through the air—a severed arm flew through the air, and a battle axe clattered to the ground. “Damn it!” Cao Xiong roared in fury, glaring at Xia Li. She was supposed to be his female slave—if he’d only brought her back to the tribe, she would have been the envy of all his peers. Now, it was all over. “Bye-bye!” Xia Ye said, swinging his long sword. Whoosh! The sharp blade sliced through Cao Xiong’s neck; his head tumbled to the ground, spinning as a jet of blood spurted out. “Ah!” Xia Li screamed in horror, her pupils dilating instantly. The 1. 9-meter-tall, muscular corpse crashed to the ground, sending dust swirling—and her heart gave a jolt. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo crouched beside the corpse and began stripping off the clothes. This leather armor was pretty good—it’d fetch a decent price. Oye! She even found about ten Fengjing knife coins in his pockets. It had to be said that, compared to the Xia Tribe squad, these Cao clan members had actually made quite a haul. “Dead? Is he really dead?” Xia Li stumbled over, not caring about the filth. She grabbed Cao Xiong by the hair and yanked his head up. Seeing his eyes, wide open in death, she recalled the fear she’d felt moments ago when he’d bullied her, and spat right in his face. Pah! Xia Li tossed his head onto the ground and kicked it viciously once more, only then feeling a sense of relief. “Are you done venting?” Xia Ye asked. Xia Xiong had stopped making noise; he was probably dead. “Uh!” Xia Li flinched, turned stiffly to face Xia Ye, and a smile unconsciously spread across her rather pretty face. “Xia…” Xia Li had intended to call him by his name, but the words on her lips turned into a respectful form of address: “Brother!” “Don’t be so familiar—I’m not your brother!” Xia Ye brushed her off, drinking water, eating, and making the most of his time to rest. “Heh!” Xia Li looked embarrassed, but inside she was seething with resentment. Just because he’d won one round by a fluke, what did he think he was? “Xia Xiong is dead. Are you going to take his body back?” Xia Ye looked at Song Guo and called out, “Leave everything except the bronze weapons and knife coins!” The leather armor Xia Xu was wearing was probably worth one or two Knife Coins, but the journey back was too long, and Xia Ye couldn’t be bothered to carry it—after all, he already had two large chests to haul. “Huh? I don’t want it!” Xia Li’s gaze immediately darted over, but as for the mention of Xia Xiong, she pretended not to hear it. In this era, death was all too common; only the bodies of loved ones or warriors who had rendered meritorious service to the tribe were likely to be brought back by their comrades. “Do you want it?” Xia Ye chuckled. Xia Li gave an awkward smile. She’d come to the Fengjing Ruins to farm monsters this time, originally planning to tag along with Xia Qingyuan to make some money and save up for the Blood Survival Trial. But so far, two—or maybe even three—of her companions had died, and she hadn’t seen even half a blade coin yet! “What a rip-off!” With that in mind, Xia Li plucked up her courage, wrapped her arm around Xia Ye’s, and gave it a little shake. “Brother Xia, if you don’t want it, just give it to me. I’ll remember this favor for the rest of my life!” Xia Ye remained silent. “Brother Xia!” Xia Li acted coy, clinging tighter to Xia Ye’s arm—her chest brushing against him, giving him a little taste of her charms. The women of the tribe knew exactly how to use their assets to their advantage. Xia Ye looked down. Xia Li’s leather jacket had been torn, its neckline wide open, revealing a hint of cleavage—but all he could think about was whether he should kill her to silence her. “Brother Xia, I am, after all, a shaman—I’m actually pretty useful!” Xia Li emphasized her value. “All right!” Xia Ye gave up: “Go get your spoils!” “Thanks, Brother Xia!” Xia Li’s face lit up with joy; she looked up and kissed Xia Ye on the cheek, then happily went to search the bodies. She had no idea she’d just had a brush with death. Xia Ye didn’t believe that Xia Li would help him just because he was in trouble. He’d spared her not only to owe her a favor but also to get her back to the tribe so she could spread the word about the Cao clan’s power—after all, he’d personally killed Xia Qingyuan and Xia Yang with his own hands. “Brother Xia, aren’t you going to take the head either?” Seeing that the little girl wasn’t looking at the severed head, Xia Li asked. “Mm-hmm!” Xia Ye nodded. “Then could I…” Xia Li licked her lips—one head was worth a whole Blade Coin, after all. “Here you go!” Xia Ye was very generous; after all, if he left it here, it would either rot or be picked up and eaten by the earth ghosts. “Bro Xia, you’re so kind!” Xia Li let out a cheer, picked up Cao Xiong’s head, and even took the time to wipe it down carefully. “The other body’s over there!” Xia Ye pointed casually in that direction; true to his tribal roots, he showed not the slightest fear of severed heads or corpses. Watching Xia Li draw her dagger and head over to decapitate the body, Song Guo curled her lip in disgust: “She’s just like a hyena!” A bristly dog—that’s what happens when a powerful predator finishes its hunt, leaving the bristly dog to scavenge for scraps from the remains! “What a waste—not even taking the heads. That kid must’ve struck it rich, huh?” As Xia Li hacked at Xia Xu’s neck with her stone knife, her thoughts were on Xia Ye’s two large bronze chests—and, oh right, that long sword as well. “Luck—it must be luck!” Xia Li felt a mix of resentment and confusion. How had he killed Cao Xu? She’d been so busy struggling just now that she hadn’t even seen it. “Never mind, I won’t dwell on it. The most important thing is to bring the head back!” Xia Li had a plan: she would take the head back and pass it off as her own trophy. Aside from the two knife coins in bounty, if Xia Jie took a liking to her, she might even earn his recommendation to join the Sons of the Ancestors. She’d discreetly asked Xia Qingyuan about it: joining the Sons of the Ancestors came with many benefits. At the very least, she could acquire some decent witchcraft and high-quality weapons; if she performed exceptionally well and made a significant contribution to the Sons of the Ancestors, she might even be granted a secret art. These so-called secret arts were closely guarded secrets—the most precious treasures of every tribe and the very foundation of their existence. Just like the secret arts of the Xia clan, only the most gifted and elite young members had the opportunity to learn them. “Are you done yet? We’re leaving!” Xia Ye called out. “Huh? All done!” Xia Li thoroughly searched the corpse from head to toe, confirmed she hadn’t missed anything, stuffed everything into her backpack, and hurried back. Under the shade of the trees, Xia Ye sat on the bronze chest, resting, while the little girl ate another crystal-clear treat—it looked like a hawthorn berry, but what was that outer layer made of? Song Guo shoved the entire sugar-coated hawthorn into her mouth without even biting it, just letting it dissolve in her mouth. “Brother Xia, salt!” Xia Li cupped her hands and handed Xia Ye a chunk of salt the size of a walnut. “Here you go!” Xia Ye glanced at it but didn’t take it; its yellowish color and numerous impurities made it look utterly unappetizing. “Huh? Really?” Xia Li raised an eyebrow. Don’t underestimate this lump of salt—it’s worth ten dao coins, and Xia Ye actually turned it down? Could it be that… “Brother Xia!” Xia Li let out a nervous laugh and gripped the collar of her shirt with her right hand, terrified that Xia Ye might make some inappropriate demands. She didn’t mind giving this half-blind guy a little something to get a small advantage, but if he thought he could sleep with her, he could forget it. “Xia Xiong is dead, and you abandoned him!” Xia Ye spoke bluntly. Xia Li’s expression froze. She thought to herself, Here it comes—he’s making threats. What should she do? Should she really give in to him? Wait—there are no witnesses. Couldn’t she just say he’s lying? But what if he forces himself on her? To be honest, even Cao Xiong—that 1. 9-meter-tall muscle-bound guy—had been cut down. Xia Li really didn’t have the confidence to beat Xia Ye. Xia Li was trembling. Though she hadn’t made a decision yet, her grip on her collar was loosening. Perhaps she could trade her body for a large chest full of loot?