Chapter 859: Shu Pi! I’m Shu Pi! I Have rit!
Chapter 859 – Shu Pi! I’m Shu Pi! I Have rit!
As soone who had once lived in the Green Sparrow Tribe for a period, Shu Pi imdiately recognized one of the tribe’s three great leaders—the Eldest Senior Brother.
Though he had left the Green Sparrow Tribe many years ago, having lived there for only a few months, the man before him now wore clothes different from what he once had. Shu Pi still recognized him.
Why the Green Sparrow Tribe suddenly had so many people, why they had beco so powerful, why these people could block their path and fight with such overwhelming strength—Shu Pi couldn’t understand at all.
But that did not stop him from acting as he did now.
If possible, he would have preferred to crawl before the frail-looking Divine Child, for he knew that within the entire Green Sparrow Tribe, the most significant authority lay with the Divine Child.
But since he didn’t see the Divine Child here, nor the old witch either, he could only prostrate himself before Eldest Senior Brother, who stood as the commander.
In his mind, that old-looking Shaman must surely have died already. After all, it had been so long since he left the Green Sparrow Tribe.
The Eldest Senior Brother glanced at the man sprawled in the dirt, still clutching a severed head, lying not far from the first collapsed trap. Then he looked toward the forked ridge, where the enemies had all cast down their weapons and now stared back at them in helpless terror. His expression grew complicated.
Truthfully, none of this was what he had expected.
Earlier, upon witnessing this man’s actions, he had entertained so thoughts, waiting to see how things unfolded. But never did he imagine events would develop into what now lay before him.
“Citizens, block the valley mouth. Archers, ready your bows.
Slaves, go in and bind them all. If anyone dares resist, kill them outright!”
Unexpected though it was, Eldest Senior Brother quickly recovered and issued commands as calmly as ever.
He did not send all into the valley, only the slaves. Fully ard citizens remained blocking the gorge, weapons in hand, while others kept their bows aid as a constant threat.
At his orders, the people moved swiftly. The slaves of the Green Sparrow Tribe, long impatient, seized their temporary weapons, ropes coiled around hands and waists, and filed along the narrow paths left between the trench-like traps. They entered the forked ridge, approaching the trembling enemies who had surrendered.
“Bind him as well!”
Watching closely, Eldest Senior Brother noticed the slaves ignored the prostrate man with the head. He imdiately ordered otherwise.
At once, three slaves rushed to Shu Pi. Two pinned him down while the third bound him with quick, practiced motions.
Shu Pi’s slaying of the Blackstone chief and brandishing of the severed head had terrified the coalition—but it held no sway over the Green Sparrow Tribe, not even over their slaves.
First, they didn’t even know who the Blackstone chief was, or what deeds he had done.
Second, their faith in their own tribe was unshakable.
Before, seeing him lying down obediently, they hadn’t bothered tying him. But now that their leader had spoken, they showed no hesitation.
Shu Pi never expected this. After such a great deed, shouldn’t he be rewarded, given special treatnt? Why was he also being tied up?
He instinctively tried to resist—until he raised his head and saw several arrows pointed his way. At once, he beca docile, not daring another move, and let them bind him.
In monts, his arms were trussed behind his back.
His legs, too, were bound—but not tightly together. Instead, they left a gap of about thirty centiters: enough to walk, impossible to run.
After many mass captures, the Green Sparrow people had beco skilled at such practical bindings.
Soon, Shu Pi was tied fast.
mories surged up—long ago, when he followed his chief to attack the Green Sparrow Tribe, his tribe had been utterly defeated. Later, that sa Green Sparrow chief had crushed his tribe, binding and hauling them away as captives.
Now, years later, though he was no longer that ignorant youth, though the coalition this ti was far larger and stronger, he still found himself bound in ropes.
But unlike before, he felt far calr.
For one thing, experience told him that being captured by the Green Sparrow Tribe did not necessarily an death—in fact, it might lead to a better life.
For another, he was confident in his own rits.
After what he had done, surely he would be treated well.
anwhile, the Blackstone coalition had utterly lost heart. When their weapons fell, so too did their courage.
Facing the advancing slaves, they barely resisted. Only a few at the front struggled weakly before being subdued; the rest gave in without even token resistance, quickly trussed up hand and foot.
Their willingness stemd from one discovery: the Green Sparrow slaves were only bound, not killed.
Knowing they would not be slain—for now—made surrender easy.
The Green Sparrow slaves welcod this. For with every new slave taken, the old slaves gained a better chance of being elevated to citizenship.
Thus, while swift, their bindings were not overly rough. So even avoided wounds when tying injured captives, granting small rcies.
One slave, seeing a woman’s arm bleeding freely, used a rope as a tourniquet and pressed chewed herb leaves to the wound to staunch the blood.
Though she couldn’t understand their language, she realized this man was treating her injury, not harming her. Her fear eased.
Acts like this, multiplied in such a tense mont, cald many prisoners.
Even the Grass Tribe’s chief, who had been most anxious, found herself steadier at heart.
Soon, every enemy within the forked ridge was bound.
The Eldest Senior Brother now led the ard citizens through the cleared path into the ridge.
In his hand, he carried a weapon—crude, dark, forged from teoric iron. It was the very blade Shu Pi had used to stab the Blackstone chief.
Compared to their polished bronze, this weapon was rough, even less sharp. But still, it shocked him.
Until now, no tribe besides their own had ever wielded tal tools.
And here was an enemy force, using weapons of iron!
He laughed softly, understanding now why these people had dared attack.
Any tribe with such weapons would indeed be formidable, able to defy many others.
But to challenge the Green Sparrow Tribe, twelve years after the Divine Child ca? Impossible.
Still, the haul delighted him.
He recognized this black stone-like tal—it resembled the iron their Divine Child had once taught them to make using iron bacteria, back before they discovered copper mines.
Finding so much of it among the enemy was a blessing.
The harvest was richer than expected. The Shaman and the Divine Child would be pleased.
So he ordered all iron weapons collected and carried off with the captives. The rest—clubs, spears, even bows—were discarded as worthless.
Thanks to Shu Pi’s sudden act, what might have required more pursuit and bloodshed ended swiftly, with fewer casualties.
This earned Shu Pi so favor—even from slaves. Sensitive as ever, he sensed it and grew calr, proud of his decisive action.
The situation echoed the past: once, he had slain the Blue Flower chief and gained Blackstone’s acceptance. Now, having killed the Blackstone chief, he would surely be accepted again into the Green Sparrow Tribe.
Soon, the bound captives were chained together in lines and marched toward the Copper Mountain settlent.
As they advanced, they passed corpses, blackened bloodstains, and the aftermath of arrows and stones. Closer to the settlent, the carnage worsened.
Yet Eldest Senior Brother felt no sorrow. Capturing slaves was important—but never as important as protecting their own people.
Finally, near the wide-open gates of Copper Mountain, he halted the column.
“Bring him forward.”
At his command, two citizens pulled Shu Pi from the line and dragged him up front.
The captives grew uneasy, but Shu Pi’s heart leapt. Surely this was his reward. Surely he would now be honored before all.
Smiling inwardly, he let them lead him before Eldest Senior Brother.
But then Eldest Senior Brother spoke again:
“Press him down.”
As he spoke, he hefted the very weapon Shu Pi had wielded—the iron blade still crusted with the Blackstone chief’s blood.
Shu Pi’s fantasies were shattered.
He panicked. He struggled—but bound as he was, he could not resist. A kick to the knees sent him sprawling, pinned to the ground.
“@# Shu Pi! I am ￥5!… I have rit #￥!…”
In desperation, Shu Pi finally spoke words of the Green Sparrow tongue he still half-rembered.
He had never revealed his identity before, fearing rejection for being the Shu Pi once expelled. But now, with the weapon raised over him, he could no longer hide it.
The scene mirrored the distant past—when his Bone Tribe chief was dragged before the Green Sparrow Tribe and beheaded by this very man.
Only now did Shu Pi realize: being called forward before all did not always an reward. It could an execution.
His frantic cries startled Eldest Senior Brother. The raised blade froze midair.
For he thought he understood so of the words this man had just shouted…
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