Chapter 248: The Shaman

Wei Cheng'en originally thought that by flattering this pretentious monk, putting a tall hat on him, and doing it in front of everyone, the other party would surely agree.

I didn't expect that this Xuanzang would put on the airs of a high monk, and when he refused, he did so without the slightest hesitation.

He even said he didn't mind, which was truly hypocritical and shameless to the extreme.

"Hmph." Wei Cheng'en gave a dry laugh, said nothing more, and although he hadn't gained any advantage, at least he had made this hypocritical monk reveal his true face.

It was a vent of frustration, and he didn't want to say anything more.

"Actually, this task is quite simple, right? Cao He isn't busy, so as long as we go with him to Zhongdu and spread the news, it's done. It's not really a 'good task,' probably just a small benefit." He Yishan said, his tone carrying a hint of something unusual.

She had the same idea as Wei Cheng'en, only her face wasn't as thick-skinned.

Wei Cheng'en spoke before her, and a surge of joy rose in his heart.

I didn't expect Tang Luo to refuse so decisively; his hopes dashed, he began to speak in a sarcastic, bitter tone, similar to the mindset of "if I can't have it, I'll belittle it."

Even A Fei, who is underage, could hear the good and bad in those words.

The others looked at He Yishan with eyes that now held a slight difference, their hearts distancing themselves a bit.

"Since there is a task, of course we should take it." Kong Ming said.

Fu Fengxue said nothing, merely nodding his head.

"Having a task is naturally a good thing." Zhang Xiuiping said with a smile.

"Actually..." Tang Luo paused, "The monk means that the monk may not necessarily go to complete this task."

"Huh?" Kong Ming blinked, wondering what trick this guy was trying to pull again?

"What does that mean?" Tang Yuhan asked.

"The monk plans to go to Beiyuan for a trip." Tang Luo laughed, "To see what this great shaman is all about. According to Cao Shizhu's words, the great shaman holds an extremely high status among the Beiyuan tribes, possessing the 'great righteousness' to unite all tribes. Once the great shaman is gone, the Beiyuan tribes' alliance would likely collapse on its own."

Tang Yuhan said nothing, but her eyes lit up.

"That's why the monk said he couldn't comply with Wei Shizhu's wishes." Tang Luo said, "Because the monk currently has no intention of going to Zhongdu."

Tang Luo shared the task.

Everyone can split into two groups: one heading north to Beiyuan, the other south to Zhongdu to deliver the message.

"Daydreaming." Now Wei Cheng'en speaks without much politeness.

Tang Luo glanced at Wei Cheng'en, smiled without speaking, yet nearly made Wei Cheng'en fume with smoke coming from all his orifices.

That glance was like stroking his head and softly saying: "Foolish (sha) child (bi)."

A typical "I see you're a weak-minded idiot, so I won't bother arguing with you."

Such an aloof attitude made Wei Cheng'en extremely displeased.

Moreover, Wei Cheng'en couldn't understand how, after he had thick-skinnedly spoken up, clearly opening a "road" that everyone could follow, bringing only benefits and no harm.

I didn't expect that only He Yishan shared the same idea.

Everyone else remained silent, but this is a game of gods and demons, not a game of playing house.

Do you need to act sanctimonious and hypocritically display your "purity" at this moment?

If more people spoke up, things would get done.

Wei Cheng'en overlooked that the others weren't "pure," but "arrogant."

Their pride and confidence made them fundamentally disdainful of taking such a small advantage.

"Splitting forces into two routes is not impossible." Kong Ming mused, "But the current situation is actually unclear; we should listen to Cao He's opinion and not act rashly."

On that side, Cao He had changed his clothes, wiped some of the blood stains from his face, and the whole person looked much more spirited.

"Master." Cao He approached and said.

"Cao Shizhu." Tang Luo said gently, "Regarding the situation in Beiyuan, the monk wishes to learn more."

"That's naturally no problem." Cao He said, "But this place is not for lingering. Sigh, the Beiyuan people constantly harass these areas, and they will soon become uninhabited wastelands."

"The Beiyuan people often appear nearby, and that young man is indeed the son of a tribal chieftain, of lowly status; if he goes missing, it will also stir up some ripples."

Kong Ming guessed correctly—the village's abandonment is indeed related to Beiyuan.

The man Cao He mentioned is naturally the tattooed man whose head was exploded by a Vajra fist.

He is essentially a minor leader, and that level of strength is fitting.

As for the illusory wolf mentioned by Vajra, Cao He was completely at a loss, shook his head to indicate ignorance, and speculated it might be the work of Beiyuan shamans.

In Beiyuan, "shaman" as a collective term for a type of person is a flattering way of putting it.

Those who know various shamanic secret arts usually handle sacrificial rites in the tribe and are called "priests."

The more and stronger the shamanic secret arts one knows, the higher the rank of "Grand Priest," and a tribe having a Grand Priest can be considered quite prosperous.

Above the Grand Priest, one qualifies to be called a "Shaman."

Currently, Beiyuan has only six "Shamans" in total, located respectively in the five major tribes, with two Shamans residing in the same tribe.

The relationship between tribe and shaman is mutually reinforcing.

Tribes with a shaman presiding are the top tier among Beiyuan tribes. Likewise, the priests of larger tribes are usually stronger than those of smaller tribes.

As for the Great Shaman, the last one recorded should have been a few hundred years ago.

As the son of a tribal chieftain, it is only natural that the tribe's priest would have employed some life-preserving shamanic arts on him.

After processing the corpses of these Beiyuan tribespeople and taking their weapons and equipment, everyone mounted their horses.

The result was a scene of "chaotic troops and panicked horses," with the horses' neighing never ceasing.

Kong Ming riding a horse goes without saying—he was relaxed, clearly an experienced rider.

Fu Fengxue stood behind him, arms crossed, holding his black sword in his embrace; when the horse stepped, he was as steady as Mount Tai, quite the dashing sight.

Zhang Xiuiping knows a bit, riding together with Cao He, a bit cramped but no major issue.

After A Fei adapted a little, he could barely manage control.

The two horses of Wei Cheng'en and He Yishan, however, were violently wild, constantly neighing and rearing, trying to throw the two riders off their backs.

The two of them weren't actually thrown off, but they were in a fluster, wishing they could slap those two disobedient warhorses to death.

As for King Kong's horse, it wasn't restless, but it also refused to move forward.

Tang Yuhan's horse stood stiff as a puppet, not moving at all.

Kongming and Cao He dismounted again to calm the startled horses and gave some pointers to those unskilled in horsemanship.

Everyone wasn't stupid; after a bit of fumbling, they could gallop forward.

Given their strength, they didn't need to be as cautious as beginners, afraid to let the horses run.

Tang Yuhan dismounted and walked over to Tang Luo, saying: "Master, my horse was frightened and probably won't be able to move for a while. May I travel with you?"

"Very well, Lady Bodhisattva, mount up." Tang Luo naturally wouldn't refuse.

If he hadn't agreed, Tang Yuhan estimated she'd have to run; her horse had just employed some means to try to control it.

But it backfired, injuring the horse instead.

Tang Yuhan wasn't without other means to hurry along, but it wasn't necessary—why waste energy?

The reason she chose Tang Luo, among the female companions present, was that He Yishan, though his expression gave nothing away, glanced at Tang Yuhan with a flicker of eyes that concealed considerable hostility.

Tang Yuhan had seen that look too often; she could tell at a glance and had no interest in going over to join her.

Tang Luo's horsemanship was skilled, appearing even better than Cao He and "Kong Xuan," and he was handsome to boot—naturally she chose to ride with him.

Tang Yuhan wasn't a slave to appearances, but she certainly had her likes and dislikes.

Moreover, the lazy little cat on Tang Luo's shoulder piqued her curiosity.

After mounting and settling in, Tang Yuhan leaned back slightly and said softly: "Master, I'm settled."

"Mm." Tang Luo acknowledged, and his horse neighed as it pursued those ahead.

The Heavenly Hound opened its eyes, tilted its head, and decisively leapt into Tang Yuhan's arms—this spot was softer, more comfortable.

Seeing Tang Luo had no objection, Tang Yuhan held the Heavenly Hound and gave it a gentle stroke while observing it.

However it was looked at, it seemed merely an ordinary kitten, with no discernible peculiarity in appearance.

Tang Yuhan also didn't try other methods to test it, abiding by her duty and focusing on petting the cat.

After nightfall, under Cao He's guidance, the group finally found a small town and lodged at an inn.

Riding horses naturally wasn't as carefree and comfortable as it looked; as King Kong put it: "Worn my balls raw."

Cao He was also fatigued, with some matters still to inquire about, and wasn't in a hurry for the night.

After resting overnight, everyone felt much better; the next morning they regrouped in the quiet, deserted inn hall to eat breakfast.

"Sigh." Cao He sighed and said: "Demons plague the world—life is no easy feat."

Since a decent inn could operate here, it proved there was still some foot traffic—at least it wasn't as desolate as it appeared now.

Looking at the innkeeper's worried, grim face, one knew this turbulent age meant even this seemingly peaceful town was no easy place to live.

After eating his fill of steamed white buns, Cao He drank a cup of tea and began describing "the state of the world" in greater detail to Tang Luo and the others.

The focus remained on the Northern Plains.

The Northern Plains referred to the flatlands and highlands north of the Great You, home to over a hundred tribes, large and small.

Their relative strengths varied greatly, with the Wujin, Xiongbi, Fusang, Heishui, and Tengshe tribes being the five most powerful.

The tribe names reflected their totem beliefs; some chieftains were called "Khan," others "King."

As for the Fusang tribe, it was the tribe with two shamans.

But aside from the "shamans," the Xiongbi tribe actually had the largest population and was the most prosperous.

As for the great shaman this time, Cao He didn't know which major tribe they'd come from—this news was relatively secret.

Cao He had been exposed after receiving the information, which led to the Northern Plains hunters pursuing him, a long flight during which he suffered serious injuries.

After great difficulty disguising himself as a commoner and fleeing into the Great You realm, he had just blended into a refugee convoy when he encountered a small southward raiding party and met with misfortune.

Fortunately, those people didn't know Cao He's identity; otherwise, they certainly wouldn't have dragged him along for amusement.