TPWBI Chapter 73

“Divine Envoy, there’s one more thing.” After finishing his report, Han Bing did not leave immediately.

Yang Yi looked up. “What is it?”

“Hong has requested to see you.”

Ever since that day he confessed, Hong had never appeared before Yang Yi again.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to come, but Hei Lie directly transferred him away. With even more matters than before, Hong simply didn’t have the chance to run over to Yang Yi and cause trouble.

This had made Yang Yi’s surroundings much quieter and also prevented Hong from blurting out any more earth-shattering words.

Hong was too fervent, leaving Yang Yi somewhat unsure how to respond.

“He said he has something very important to tell you, about the tribe.”

Han Bing also knew what Hong had done. Before, Hong had already tried many times to create opportunities to approach Yang Yi, but all of them had been blocked.

Yang Yi had a dedicated guard team by his side, and the main hall of the temple was not a place just anyone could enter.

Because of their earlier lapse in protection, which allowed Hong to approach Yang Yi at close range without any obstacles, the members of the guard team had been severely disciplined by Hei Lie. They were now extremely vigilant.

Yang Yi thought for a moment. “Let him come over.”

Although Hong’s enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, he didn’t have any ill intentions. He was just a reckless young man.

Yang Yi didn’t go so far as to deliberately target him or guard against him. If there truly was something important, he couldn’t completely refuse to see him. In managing the tribe, one still had to keep public and private matters distinct.

Not long after Han Bing left, Hong came rushing in, full of excitement.

Yang Yi frowned slightly. Hong seemed to suddenly remember something, hurriedly backed out again, and knocked three times at the door.

“Please, come in.”

Only then did Hong push the door open and walk in, lifting a brilliant smile, his eyes blazing, as if carrying starlight.

“Divine Envoy, I haven’t seen you in so long. You are still as beautiful as a sunflower.”

“……”

The corner of Yang Yi’s mouth twitched. He straightened his expression and said seriously, “You came to me for something very important?”

Seeing Yang Yi so stern, Hong restrained himself quite a bit and went straight to the point:

“Divine Envoy, I can find more people to join the tribe. It’s just that…”

“Say what you have to say.”

“It’s just… they’re all barbarians.”

Yang Yi had already been in this world for some time, and he had also heard of such groups.

The barbarian tribes were even more savage than the now-formed tribes. They were closer to beasts. Many of their groups are still in the stage of eating raw meat and drinking blood. Their civilization is even more backward.

Their dwellings were extremely hidden, and they had their own independent circles. They rarely had any interaction with tribes like the Green Pythons.

With the tribes of the Eastern Continent, they were generally in a state of “well water does not mix with river water”. The Blackstone tribe had once set their sights on them, too.

This group of people, although unable to awaken as warriors and unable to awaken talents, still differed quite a lot from the Eastern Continent people Yang Yi first came to know.

The barbarians had excellent physiques, and they possessed their own special trait—the abilities of animals.

They could not transform into beasts, but they could become humanoid beasts with extremely strong combat power.

“Don’t they never have any contact with the outside world? Our tribe will never force anyone to join. We only take in those who recognize and accept us.”

“The ones I’m talking about are all willing to rely on a powerful tribe. People have many deep misunderstandings about the barbarians. In fact, they aren’t all that different from us.”

Although the barbarians had animal abilities, that didn’t mean they could become kings of the forest. The human body still limited them. Besides, not everyone possessed the abilities of a fierce beast.

They did not use tools. When fighting with wild beasts, they relied purely on their flesh and blood, which greatly increased both their mortality rate and their chance of failure.

Many of them lived extremely difficult lives and were constantly in danger, so they too sought ways to survive.

However, most tribes held deep prejudices against them and would never truly accept them, which was why they had never taken that step forward.

Hong was a wanderer. Before he had so many people around him, he had interacted with these people, so he had a clearer understanding of their condition.

These people were not, as the legends claimed, the same as wild beasts. They, too, were human—straightforward in nature and honest in character.

He came to know them because he had once been injured and was saved by them.

Hong had been in the Spark Tribe for some time now, always observing without pause.

He discovered that this tribe was very different from the others, not only because of those astonishing new inventions.

Even more, it was the atmosphere of the entire tribe that was so comfortable: a well-developed system of management, a fair and just attitude. Hong could clearly feel that everything here was highly organized and secure.

Based on the habits and temperaments of the barbarians he had known, they would be very well-suited to come here.

Yang Yi paused for a moment, then asked: “Do they eat people?”

“I can swear on my life, although they eat raw meat, they have no interest in human flesh. At least among the ones I’ve found, there absolutely won’t be anyone like that!”

Hong continued explaining: “Actually, they also like eating cooked food. It’s just that they don’t have salt, and they don’t know how to make fire.”

Starting a fire by drilling wood was not an easy task, especially in damp places. It was extremely difficult. Many tribes on the Eastern Continent also did not know this method.

This place was different from Earth’s primitive era. Here, fire came from warriors with the fire attribute. If a tribe did not have such warriors, they had to borrow fire from other tribes.

Since the barbarians had no gifted individuals, it was hard for them to obtain fire.

On top of that, not knowing where to find salt, they could only get it from blood, so they had kept the habit of eating raw food.

“They’re willing to change their original living habits to join us?”

“I can be absolutely certain.”

Yang Yi nodded. “This matter, I need to discuss with everyone. I’ll give you an answer later.”

Yang Yi himself had no particular prejudice. But since the barbarians had always been regarded as a different group, he still needed to respect the opinions of the others.

“Divine Envoy, I’ll wait for your reply. If we are willing to accept them, then very soon a great many people will join the tribe.”

Yang Yi caught the key point. “You mean they’re not far from here?”

“Some of them are very close, just hidden away. People simply don’t know about them.”

Hong grinned proudly and said, “But I know. I can easily find them.”

“How many people would be nearby?”

Currently, all new members who joined were first sent to the school, not only to learn the tribe’s rules and undergo cultural training, but also to begin basic education.

Among all the new students, Hong was the one who learned the fastest and the best. By now, he could already handle addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with ease.

Hong thought carefully. “It should be possible to gather at least around ten thousand people.”

“So many?!” Yang Yi was extremely surprised.

“This place is in a relatively remote area of the Eastern Continent. Other places have all been occupied by tribes of various sizes, so many barbarians are camped near here,” Hong explained.

Yang Yi pondered for a moment. “I’ll give you an answer very soon.”

Hong grinned and said, “Divine Envoy, no matter how long, I will wait for you!”

Seeing him like this, Yang Yi couldn’t help but feel a slight headache.

“Hong, I will not become your partner. Don’t waste your feelings on me.”

Yang Yi spoke very directly. Though the words were a bit hurtful, it was still better than dragging things out, letting someone hold on to hope for a long time, only to be rejected in the end.

Hong froze for a moment, but his smile remained radiant. “Divine Envoy, I won’t give up until the day you’re willing to acknowledge me!”

“There will never be such a day.” Yang Yi denied firmly, without hesitation.

Yet Hong didn’t mind. “Divine Envoy, I don’t ask you to wait for me, but I will still keep working hard.”

With that, he left very decisively.

Yang Yi rubbed his forehead. Refusing someone was really troublesome!

Being a heartthrob wasn’t easy either.

Soon, Yang Yi gathered Jiao, Hei Lie, and the others to inform everyone of the matter.

The conference room instantly fell silent. Hei Lie and Jiao both sank into thought, while the others mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

“The barbarians are not weak. If it weren’t for us mastering tools, using stone implements and such, the Eastern Continent might not be the way it is now.” Jiao spoke slowly.

Between tribes, there was competition, frequent invasions, and swallowing up of one another. But everyone was still regarded as the same kind of people, more like internal strife.

At times, there was even cooperation, and there was a shared common language, specifically to make communication easier.

The barbarians, however, were different. It was as clear-cut as the difference between humans and beasts.

In ancient times, they often clashed in bloody fights—born enemies by nature.

Because of this, the tribes had once even united together to resist these “outside enemies”.

Later, when the barbarians were defeated, they scattered into various places.

Since the losses back then had been far too severe, over time, it gradually evolved into the current situation, each leaving the other alone.

Occasionally, there were still confrontations, but they were not frequent.

Because once the barbarians made a move, they would be besieged by many tribes at once, unable to withstand it.

“If they join our tribe, won’t they, after mastering our skills, leave again? Wouldn’t that become a great disaster!” someone questioned.

“Yeah, their physiques overall are quite robust. That might make them difficult to manage.”

“In the end, they’re not quite the same as us. It’s too easy for them to harbor disloyalty.”

“No tribe has ever accepted barbarians before. I think it’s too risky.”

The barbarians’ physiques and strength were more evenly distributed, unlike their own tribes, where there was a gulf between warriors and ordinary people, and where the power gap between warriors of different levels was also extremely large.

Among them, ordinary people were the majority, so the majority’s strength could not compare to that of the barbarians.

Yang Yi looked toward Hei Lie. Hei Lie was deep in thought, his expression stern.

“I believe we can let them join,” Hei Lie spoke.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward him.

“Our tribe will accept people of different kinds. Whether they are barbarians or anyone else, anyone could potentially harbor disloyalty. That isn’t a valid reason to reject their joining.”

The room filled with murmurs as everyone discussed among themselves.

“If our tribe wishes to develop, we must unite every force that can be united. Don’t forget. There are still many tribes eyeing us like tigers watching their prey.”

Hei Lie’s powerful, resounding voice struck everyone’s hearts.

The room instantly fell silent. The voices of opposition weakened considerably.

Although their tribe was strong now, they also faced many threats.

The more one possessed, the easier it was to become the target of all. Their lack of population was a very dangerous problem.

Take the Blackstone Tribe, for example. Given the Blackstone chief’s personality, he would absolutely never let things rest.

Jiao also nodded. “This generation of theirs is not of one tribe with us, but if the next generation merges together, then betrayal won’t matter.”

“But… will anyone be willing to mate with them?”

Someone asked timidly, for in everyone’s impression, barbarians were covered in hair.

The people of the Spark Tribe weren’t as obsessed with appearances as the Green Python Tribe, but they were still rather picky.

“Hong said those barbarians aren’t much different from us,” Yang Yi said.

Although they lived on the same continent, the lack of interaction meant they did not understand one another, which led to all kinds of misunderstandings.

The wars of the past were simply far too distant now.

“Then… they won’t suddenly turn into animals, right? If at a time like that they suddenly transformed into beasts—oh heavens, my whole life would be ruined!”

As soon as these words fell, everyone burst out laughing. “You still believe that kind of talk?”

“I was just thinking. If barbarians with animal abilities joined with us, what kind of children would be born? If they were both warriors and also had animal powers plus other talents—ah, how amazing would that be!”

Everyone started discussing one after another. The topic frequently drifted toward things not suitable for children.

Hei Lie tapped the table with his finger, and the room instantly fell silent.

His sharp gaze swept across everyone, and he announced:

“If no one objects, then I decide we will accept the barbarians!”

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