Chapter 128: Three Rules

Regarding Feng Zi's telepathic message, Xia expressed a slight hint of surprise, yet it did not attract anyone's attention.

This young chieftain also quickly composed himself—after all, it was Lord Cun Xin; it was not strange for him to do anything miraculous.

After this small interlude, the people of the tribe gathered around the bonfire to hold a feast as usual.

Once full and satisfied, the people carried the remaining food into the cellar and began to study various knowledge and characters as they normally did.

When the bright moon gradually rose, everyone returned to their own dwellings.

Having experienced a whole day of noise, this not-so-small tribe returned to silence once more.

Xia arranged the night patrols and guard duties, took a quick tour of the tribe, and then walked briskly out of the tribal gate.

At this moment, Feng Zi and Qing Lin were already sitting on the grass by the riverbank, the two of them huddled together, heads lowered, writing and drawing on animal hide.

Seeing this, Xia hurried over and said with a hint of apology: "Apologies, I was slightly delayed by tribal affairs, making Lord Cun Xin wait for a long time."

Regarding this, Feng Zi did not take it to heart; he merely waved his hand, signaling the other to walk forward.

Driven by curiosity, Xia subconsciously glanced at the scroll in his hand, only to discover:

The content within was profound and complex, far beyond what a single piece of animal hide could record—and one could only wonder what kind of peculiar method Lord Cun Xin had used.

But the content recorded on the animal hide was too profound; just by glancing at it, Xia felt dizzy and could not help but shift his gaze away.

Feng Zi did not mind; he simply finished perfecting another cultivation technique he had conceived, then casually rolled up the animal hide and tossed it into his pack.

"I had you come over because I want you to act as a witness on behalf of the Mu He Tribe." Afterward, he stood up and said casually.

Me? Act as a witness on behalf of the tribe? Witness what?

Regarding Feng Zi's arrangement, Xia felt completely bewildered.

Without waiting for Xia to let his imagination run wild, Feng Zi walked to the riverbank and said calmly: "Come out, I know you have been watching this place."

As if to verify his statement, the next moment, the Mu He River God slowly revealed its form.

Without waiting for the River God to respond, Feng Zi spoke first: "The inexplicable surplus of fish, that was your doing, wasn't it?"

Hearing Feng Zi's questioning, Xia suddenly realized:

No wonder... when Lord Cun Xin saw that scene, his expression had instantly turned sour;

And no wonder, Lord Cun Xin had only asked one question and then stopped pursuing it—it turned out he had already understood the cause and effect.

Xia realized with frustration that it seemed only he had been foolishly in the dark.

"What are you talking about?" As Feng Zi expected, the River God was indeed trying to play dumb to get through it.

But he did not refute this, simply expressing his dissatisfaction quite calmly:

"I hope you can understand that if I wanted to destroy your Origin, it would be no more difficult than kicking a Golden Core-stage Demon beast to death.

"And the reason I chose to spare you is, firstly, because you are a divinity inclined toward the human race; even if you haven't fulfilled the duty of protection, you haven't harmed the human race either.

"Secondly, it is because you are very sensible and know not to do things that would bring trouble upon yourself."

Defenses and explanations? Those are rhetoric meant for the strong and the superior.

In front of the River God, Feng Zi was the strong one, the superior who was initiating the challenge.

As a superior, he did not need to offer any defense, because that was simply not a problem he needed to consider:

"When I come to you with specific questions, it means I already possess conclusive evidence.

"The reason I did not reveal the evidence was to give you a certain amount of room to maneuver; if you remain obstinate... the outcome will not be very pleasant."

Never mind the River God, even Xia, who was standing behind Feng Zi, clearly heard the threat within those words.

Even though Feng Zi was not targeting Xia, this young chieftain still felt a fear rising from the depths of his heart.

Under Feng Zi's calm gaze, the River God felt its very Origin trembling.

Finally, the other party confessed: "Yes, it was I who brought the large amount of fish to the Mu He Tribe—but isn't this a good thing?"

Even so, it still wanted to argue on its own behalf.

"Whether it is a good thing is not for you to decide, but for me." Unfortunately, Feng Zi had no desire to listen to this argument.

He turned to look at the young chieftain behind him and asked casually: "Xia, do you think this behavior of having resources delivered to one's doorstep is truly a good thing?"

"Um... having more abundant resources is naturally a good thing." Even so, Xia's expression was full of conflict.

The other party scratched his head, pondered for a long time, and then continued:

"Although I can't put it into words, I always feel that if what Lord Cun Xin said were to really happen, it probably wouldn't be a good thing."

Regarding this answer, Feng Zi nodded with great satisfaction: "This is a good answer; the old chieftain's choice was indeed not wrong."

But regarding the same answer, the River God clearly could not understand.

Yet, facing Feng Zi's calm and profound gaze, it dared not say anything, and could only silently accept Feng Zi's exposition:

"Without one's own effort, having abundant resources at hand, available for the taking—this is not a good thing, but a thoroughly bad thing—

"Over time, the people of the tribe will lose their thirst for survival, and in turn, lose their fighting spirit, becoming tame lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"

Listening to Feng Zi's exposition, the River God was mortified.

And Feng Zi took the opportunity to put forward his demands: "Therefore, I want to set three rules with you here; from now on, you must not violate these three agreements—

"First, regardless of whether resources are abundant or scarce in the future, even if people in the Mu He Tribe starve to death, you are not to provide a single bit of resources.

"Second, no matter what kind of predicament the Mu He Tribe encounters, unless they are already facing the disaster of total annihilation, you are not to intervene.

"Third, regarding your agreement with the Mu He Tribe, except for me, Xia, and a few others, you must not let anyone else know!"

Xia, standing to the side, opened his mouth slightly upon hearing this, but did not speak.

Because this young chieftain understood that if the tribe wanted to rise again, it could not remain under the protection of others forever.

Even when facing various disasters, situations of resource scarcity, or even tribal conflicts, this was a stage the tribe had to go through.

Even if many people were to die because of it, and even if he himself might die because of it, this was a phase they had to experience.

Because they had to live on and grow strong; they could not let down the tribespeople who had already died!

That Lord Cun Xin was able to secure this trump card was already the Mu He Tribe's immense good fortune.

Seeing that Xia also had no objections, the River God said helplessly, "I understand. I will strictly abide by these three agreements."

He had not expected that, although he originally wanted to show goodwill through this method, that human named Cun Xin simply did not appreciate it.

But unfortunately, even though the River God had guaranteed it as such, Feng Zi still did not feel at ease:

"No, I no longer believe your verbal guarantees—I want to ensure that from now on, you will not pull any more petty tricks."