Chapter 401: Dealing with Ma Tian of the You Su Tribe

Dusk hangs low, the blood-colored setting sun.

On the tribe's Sacrificial Altar a man without any clothing is bound with grass rope; his body is covered with whip marks, a sight that is shocking.

Ji Lei holds a whip in her hand, striking as if she were beating a beast!

"How dare you be so bold as to set fire to our street; who sent you?"

The man, unable to endure the beating, pleads incessantly, "Stop beating me; I set the fire myself, it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Yourself, are you from the You Su Tribe?"

"Exactly, he is from the You Su Tribe."

Ayina recognizes the You Su Tribe's totem—a snake; she has seen it before!

"I am not, I truly am not."

"Then why did you set our street ablaze? Speak!"

"I..."

The man can no longer speak; Ayina sneers, "Ji Lei, beat him hard; see if he talks."

The onlookers among the tribe grow even more furious; this street is where they hope to secure a better life, and this kid came to burn it down—unforgivable in their eyes.

We must kill him!

Burn him to death!

"Burn him, burn him!"

Everyone unanimously calls for burning the man; trembling with fear, he remains terrified. Ji Lei's whip does not cease, "If you don't speak, I'll beat you to death. How dare you come to our Tribe and cause trouble—truly ignorant of death."

Because they need to force the mastermind to reveal himself, Ji Lei does not dare to kill the man; otherwise she couldn't answer Ying. So she strikes hard but not to death!

"Stop!"

Suddenly Ying's voice comes from behind; the crowd quickly surrounds the two couples, "Ying, we've caught the one who set fire to our street—it's this kid. Kill him."

The tribe members are furious; A Mu steps forward, looking at Ying and Nan Qinghuan, "Ying, this person is not from the Lasi Tribe; seems to be from the You Su Tribe."

In fact, Ying had already guessed, and Nan Qinghuan had guessed as well.

He walks step by step with Nan Qinghuan toward the man; the man trembles as Ying approaches.

He is still very afraid of Ying!

Ying squints slightly, straightens his posture, and looks at the man before him; the man hangs his head, unable to speak, "I know nothing, I don't know."

Ying glances at him, "Tell me, where is Ma Tian?"

"Ma Tian?"

The man looks astonished, staring at Ying, "It has nothing to do with the chief; I did it alone. Yesterday, while I was trading here, I quarreled with someone and wanted to vent, I…"

"I'll ask you again, where is Ma Tian?"

Ying is no fool; a You Su Tribe member came here to burn his Market street, and at that moment the Lasi Tribe arrived, making them think the fire was set by Luosang.

Ying then realizes that Ma Tian originated this idea.

Interesting, he truly intended to use his own hand to eliminate the Lasi Tribe.

The You Su Tribe and the Lasi Tribe often clash over river disputes; now Ying understands the situation.

It seems Ma Tian should be eliminated.

"If you won't speak, Ying, release your Wolf Pack and let them devour him."

Nan Qinghuan, her belly swollen, speaks coldly as ice; this frightens the man, and before life and death he dares not lie.

He only hopes Ying will spare his life.

"Ying, if I'm killed, I say it was Ma Tian who did it."

Boom!

These words shock the tribe; what, Ma Tian did it? How could that be? Yesterday Ma Tian came to the street to trade with them, and he even delivered Cotton. How could he be responsible? Why would he do this? "Ma Tian, why did you make them do this? Tell me, and I might consider sparing you."

Ying speaks very slowly, giving the man a chance; soon, the man fully confesses.

"I say, it's like this: Ma Tian knew that once this street prospered, the Lasi Tribe would come to trouble you. He told me to wait for them and then burn the street, so you would be sure it was the Lasi Tribe who did it. With Ying's skill, they would surely wipe out the Lasi Tribe, and we would have one less enemy. That Lasi Tribe's Luosang is already old, yet still covets Ma Tian's females; Ma Tian has always kept that score in mind."

So that's it!

Upon hearing this, Nan Qinghuan had already understood, but she didn't expect Ma Tian to be so ruthless.

He actually devised this scheme to eliminate the Lasi Tribe; fortunately they're clever, otherwise they'd be used by others. She had always thought the Ancient People were simple, but now realizes that people are people—whether ancient or modern, they can be extremely terrifying.

When there is a heart, purity disappears; this is a world of plunder, the law of the fittest, and for that they will do anything to achieve their aims.

They call it protecting their own tribe, but it's really all for themselves.

"I understand; he wanted to use us to eliminate the Lasi Tribe. Too bad, his scheme has failed. Speak, where is Ma Tian?"

Dusk hangs low, yet within the forest beyond the woods, bonfires blaze brightly.

Ma Tian brings people here to admire what they have traded for; he obtained a fine Iron Knife and some usable weapons. Now he wants nothing else, only weapons.

With weapons, they can prepare for the future!

"Is the Roasted Meat ready?"

Now he no longer eats raw meat; he has learned to eat Roasted Meat like Ying's Tribe, and the flavor is superb. Moreover, he has also traded for pepper powder and chili sauce, wanting to taste them.

From within the forest comes a fragrant wave of Roasted Meat aroma; Ma Tian's stomach growls, making him impatient.

A subordinate quickly tears off a piece of chicken leg for him, "Here, chief, try it?"

He bites into the chicken, feeling immense satisfaction; the taste is truly delicious.

"Had we known it was this tasty, why eat raw meat?"

The tribe members glance around, still worried, "Chief, A Tian hasn't returned yet; could something go wrong?"

"A problem? What could happen? He just lit a fire and ran. Rest assured, he's the fastest runner in our Tribe, nothing will happen."

Ma Tian now has his own scheme; he waits for A Tian to return, waiting to hear that Ying will attack the Lasi Tribe tomorrow.

As long as that Luosang is destroyed, their Tribe will then be able to use the river's water alone, with no more disputes; his idea is very good, using Ying to help her eliminate the Lasi Tribe people.

The subordinate, upon hearing this, was still a bit worried; suddenly, a sharp wind rose within the forest, seeming to carry some snowflakes drifting in.

The temperature also dropped sharply.

The long‑awaited winter has arrived.

The severe cold's test for the tribe's people has only just begun!

The subordinate, frozen and shivering, spoke with a tremor, constantly rubbing his hands and exhaling, "What if Ying doesn't attack, what shall we do?"