Chapter 111: Resting the Heart
Chapter 111: Resting the Heart
“Gao Jing!”
Shan Guoer was back.
Seeing Gao Jing safe and sound, she burst into tears and laughter, alternating between sobs and smiles. Tears mixed with snot ran down her face as she sat perched on Shan Tai’s shoulders.
When Shan Tai set the little girl down on the ground, she immediately sprinted towards Gao Jing.
She threw herself face-down right in front of him!
“You’re okay, great!”
Shan Guoer said between sobs, “I… I ran back. I called everyone.”
Following Shan Tai were more than a dozen Totem Warriors.
They were the core strength of the Shan Yue Tribe.
They had all come to rescue Gao Jing.
“Don’t cry anymore.”
Gao Jing felt a tug at his heart seeing Shan Guoer’s tear-streaked face.
He quickly pulled a napkin packet from his pocket, took out a few sheets, and gently wiped away her tears and snot.
“I’m fine, really fine!”
At that moment, a warm feeling welled up inside Gao Jing.
Ever since his grandfather passed away,
he hadn’t tasted this kind of feeling for a long, long time.
The flavor of kinship – being remembered, missed, cared for, and worried about!
Unable to help himself, Gao Jing patted Shan Guoer’s cheek and said, “Come on, get up.”
“Hmm.”
The little girl stopped crying.
She nodded, straightened up, and stretched out her hand towards Gao Jing. “Come.”
Gao Jing smiled faintly, hopping into her palm.
She placed him onto her shoulder.
Gao Jing had just settled there.
Shan Tai beside them couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Gao Jing, did you kill this guy?”
His voice was thick with disbelief.
Actually, Shan Tai had wanted to ask from the moment he arrived; it truly seemed unbelievable.
The Giant whom Gao Jing had bashed to death with rocks lay quietly on the grass about ten meters away.
Its head was completely misshapen.
One of the tribal warriors was examining and searching the body.
“Yes.”
Gao Jing pointed in another direction. “There’s another one over there. I burned him to death.”
He explained, “I used the Protective Talisman the Shaman Chief gave me, and also a Witch Artifact granted by my own tribe.”
“Oh.”
Shan Tai suddenly understood.
He didn’t doubt Gao Jing’s story at all.
In his mind,
relying solely on Gao Jing’s own strength, it would have been impossible to kill a strong Giant.
But using Witch Artifacts made perfect sense.
“Brother Shan Tai.”
The tribal warrior searching the body had found a jade-like object.
He had also discovered a brand on the corpse’s neck.
Before Outcasts were banished to the Wilderness, they were always branded on the neck with a special mark.
This brand could not be removed.
Except by cutting out a huge chunk of neck meat – which was basically suicide!
This proved beyond doubt that this Giant was an Outcast.
The tribal warrior handed the jade pendant to Shan Tai. “Look.”
Shan Tai took it, examined it, and shook his head. “Never seen it before.”
He glanced around warily before saying in a low voice, “This place isn’t safe anymore. Let’s head back and talk.”
Shan Tai was the mightiest warrior in the Shan Yue Tribe, courageous and feared nothing.
He was still very young.
But his nature was not reckless.
Faced with this situation, Shan Tai’s first thought was the Elder Shaman Shan Yan.
He had to consult the Shaman Chief before deciding anything.
The others naturally had no objections.
And so, the whole group began the journey back.
The warriors maintained vigilance the entire way.
No trouble occurred.
After they safely reached the Village Fort, Shan Tai, along with Shan Guoer and Gao Jing, went together to Shan Yan’s wooden house.
They woke the Elder Shaman who had been deep in meditation.
The safety of the entire tribe was involved, and the wisdom of the elder was greatly needed.
“You child.”
After understanding the situation, the Elder Shaman first sternly scolded the little girl. “Do you realize your mistake?”
Shan Guoer’s eyes reddened.
She tugged at the Elder Shaman’s robe and said timidly, “Grandfather, I know I was wrong.”
The Elder Shaman sighed. “It’s fortunate nothing bad happened this time, otherwise…”
He shook his head.
Tears welled up in Shan Guoer’s large eyes. “I… I won’t dare do it again.”
Gao Jing couldn’t bear it. “Shaman Chief, I think Shan Guoer has learned her lesson. Don’t scold her further.”
“Hmm, hmm.”
The little girl nodded vigorously.
“Sigh.”
The Elder Shaman reached out and patted her head. “Go play outside. I need to discuss some matters with Shan Tai and Gao Jing.”
Shan Guoer obediently left the wooden house.
Actually, in Gao Jing’s heart, he hoped the little girl would stay the way she was before.
He didn’t want her to be affected by this incident.
He could only blame those hateful Outcasts, and Gao Jing felt that killing them once wasn’t even satisfying enough.
“Shaman Chief.”
Shan Tai passed the jade pendant found on the Outcast’s body to the Elder Shaman: “Look at this.”
The Elder Shaman took it, squinting his eyes to examine it carefully.
“This totem looks a bit familiar.”
He thought about it and said: “The enemy might have some background, we must be more alert.”
This pendant had a carved totem pattern on it, like an identity tag.
Even though the work was very crude, it showed these two Outcasts likely belonged to some group.
A disorganized mob wouldn’t need something like this.
It wasn’t edible or useful, and no one would carry such a burden along.
If a well-organized Outcast gang appeared near Shan Yue Village Fort.
That would be a big problem!
“Autumn is here, winter isn’t far away.”
The Elder Shaman said solemnly: “Many Outcasts come to raid at this time. Tell the tribe’s hunting teams to be careful—don’t spread out too far into the woods; it’s best to stay together in groups.”
“And the women going out to gather must have warriors protecting them, and not go too far from the Village Fort.”
“It’s fine to bring back less game, safety is most important!”
The worst part about Outcast gangs was that they loved to ambush warriors and women out hunting from the Village Fort, weakening the tribe bit by bit, and finally seizing a chance to attack the fort all at once.
They were like hyenas on the plains, without the courage and strength of lions or tigers.
But they were much more sneaky and cunning.
And the Shan Yue Tribe had only moved here and settled not long ago, meaning they weren’t firmly established yet.
To the Elder Shaman, every person in the Village Fort was very precious!
There was no room for any carelessness.
“I understand.”
Shan Tai clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming fiercely: “If they dare attack our people, I’ll show them the strength of the Shan Yue Tribe!”
“Better to be safe than sorry.”
The Elder Shaman said: “Go and arrange it.”
“As you command.”
Shan Tai stood up, bowed to the Elder Shaman, and then left the wooden house.
Only Shan Yan and Gao Jing remained in the room now.
The Elder Shaman said to him: “Gao Jing, you shouldn’t leave the Village Fort either recently, stay safe.”
“Mhm.”
Gao Jing nodded.
He wasn’t a stubborn rascal who ignored advice, so of course he knew right from wrong.
“Thank you for saving Shan Guoer.”
The Elder Shaman sighed: “If something had happened to her, I truly would have shamed myself facing her parents after I die.”
The Great Wilderness Humans believed that after death, people turned into ghosts and heroic spirits.
They thought their ancestors’ heroic spirits always watched over their tribe members.
“It was only right to do.”
Gao Jing said: “If you hadn’t given me that Talisman Placard, I couldn’t have dealt with those two Outcasts.”
The Elder Shaman smiled: “I’ll make another Protective Talisman for you.”
“Thank you.”
Gao Jing bowed respectfully: “Shaman Chief, I have one more request.”
The Elder Shaman nodded: “Speak.”
Gao Jing said: “I want to rent a spot in Shan Yue Village Fort to build a few houses at the very back of the valley. I’ll pay the rent with salt or other goods. I hope you’ll agree.”
This was the place where his heart felt at peace.
In Gao Jing’s mind, he already thought of this as his home in the Great World.
For a long time ahead, he would live and train here.
Until he was fully grown.
Before that, Gao Jing wanted to truly put down roots in Shan Yue Village Fort.
So that if someday in the future he had to leave here.
He wouldn’t be rootless driftwood anymore.
The Elder Shaman understood Gao Jing’s meaning.
He replied seriously: “You like it here, you can stay as long as you want. The Shan Yue Tribe never refuses true friends.”
“I agree to your request.”
Gao Jing’s heart filled with unspeakable joy right away.
After this whole event.
He felt his reputation in Shan Yue Village Fort had clearly reached a respectful level!
The look in Shan Tai and others’ eyes before, and the Elder Shaman’s attitude now.
Said it all plainly.
“Wonderful.”
Amid his joy, Gao Jing couldn’t help but ask the question in his mind: “By the way, Shaman Chief, don’t you want to know what method I used to kill those two Outcasts?”
Since their bond had grown closer, he finally asked it out loud.
To avoid any misunderstanding later.
The Elder Shaman smiled faintly: “Whether among Great Wilderness Humans or Ancient Remnant Clan members, everyone can have their own secrets.”
“I only need to know you won’t harm my tribe members—that’s enough.”
Gao Jing was speechless and bowed to him once more.
Gao Jing knew.
The other could probably guess some of his secrets.
But he also realized now.
This Elder Shaman had a sea-deep kindness in his heart!
There was no need to keep testing things later.
This was Gao Jing’s good fortune.