TPWBI Chapter 16

Yang Yi looked at the man in front of him. His face was weather-beaten, not much different from a primitive wild man. Yet, unlike other simple and straightforward primitives, he possessed a touch more sharpness and thoughtfulness.

He immediately saw where the key lay if one wished to stay here and develop smoothly.

No wonder he was admired by others and regarded as a leader. His mind was very clear.

The onlookers had no idea what was going on. Their clear eyes blinked as they looked at Yang Yi, waiting for his response.

“Of course, the Divine Envoy is very happy! The Divine Envoy was sent by the gods to help us!”

It was Mao, small in stature but loud in voice, who interjected.

Hei Lie’s gaze remained fixed on Yang Yi and showed no intention of letting this topic go.

Yang Yi smiled and slowly spoke. “I would be very happy for all of you to join the Spark Tribe, as long as you are willing to follow the tribe’s rules.”

“Rules?” Hei Lie was puzzled.

In this world, there still wasn’t a specific term that encapsulated the meaning of “rules”. Behavioral norms were mostly based on customary conventions. Yang Yi used the Chinese word.

“To put it simply, it means telling everyone what things are allowed in the tribe, what things are not allowed, and that if you do something wrong, there will be corresponding punishments.”

Rules are extremely important within a collective. They must be reasonable and not subject to constant change. Only then can they effectively regulate everyone’s behavior.

This allows the power of the group to be more than a simple sum of individuals. It reduces unnecessary friction and conflict.

Yang Yi hadn’t been here long enough to organize a detailed set of rules. At most, there were some behavioral restrictions, such as: you must go to the toilet to relieve yourself, and you must sprinkle wood ash afterwards.

Back when there were only a few people and far too many things that needed doing, Yang Yi had no choice but to first solve the problem of survival.

Now, all of a sudden, so many people had arrived. By Yang Yi’s rough estimate, they were close to a thousand. Among them were quite a few warriors who looked formidable and not easy to deal with at a glance.

Their leader was this intelligent and outstanding man. Yang Yi wasn’t confident he could currently control that group of people, so the situation had changed.

It was crucial to establish the rules from the very beginning. Otherwise, trying to correct things later would be extremely difficult.

“Rules.” Hei Lie silently repeated the word. “What rules are there?”

“The detailed rules haven’t been organized yet,” Yang Yi said honestly. “But there are currently two points that must be followed.”

“First: no one may take the life of a tribesman without permission. If a mistake is made, judgment must come before any decision is carried out. Second: no discrimination against any member of the tribe. Everyone is equal.”

The rules were simple, yet they carried a lot of weight, especially for those who came from the Blackstone Tribe.

In the Blackstone Tribe, both of these behaviors were quite common. Yang Yi did not want that kind of toxic atmosphere to carry over into the Spark Tribe.

He wasn’t entirely sure how things would go. Although he’d heard repeatedly that the man in front of him never looked down on life or others, in the end, he was still a beneficiary of the old order. Whether he’d be willing to follow such rules remained to be seen.

Still, Yang Yi believed that as long as this man agreed, he would lead everyone in adhering to them.

“Alright.”

Hei Lie glanced at him and agreed without hesitation.

Yang Yi felt a weight lift off his heart, and he beamed with a bright smile. “Then, welcome to the Spark Tribe.”

The two groups quickly blended. Everyone who had come here followed Hei Lie’s lead and shared his views on protecting the interests of ordinary people and the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Back in the Blackstone Tribe, their relationships had already been very good.

Though such a large group had suddenly arrived, aside from spending a little time warming up to each other in the beginning, they soon resumed working in an orderly manner.

It was still early in the day, and the newly arrived people didn’t rest. Instead, they immediately joined the elders of the Spark Tribe and began working.

Rather than taking a break, they were more eager to get to know everything about this place.

This group didn’t show the slightest discomfort from entering a new environment. No one needed to be deliberately assigned tasks. They instinctively knew what they should do.

Yang Yi knew very well that this was largely thanks to that man.

He made sure each person understood their own abilities and quickly found their place, even in an entirely unfamiliar setting.

Hei Lie had led such a large group across a vast distance to reach this place. Along the way, there had been very few deaths or injuries. None of them looked like they had been through hardship in the wild.

You could tell that although they were a bit fatigued, and some were seriously injured, their overall condition was still very good.

This wasn’t just because the group included many warriors and strong common folk, but also because of that man’s talent for organization.

He knew how to make the most of everyone’s abilities, so that no one became a burden.

Yang Yi also noticed how strong their discipline was. When told to use the toilet, they really did drop their old habits immediately.

Since there was only one toilet, it obviously couldn’t meet everyone’s needs, yet they all waited patiently.

They didn’t line up in an orderly queue, but each person consciously waited for their turn.

Some people even studied the latrine for a while, then picked up tools and began digging nearby, planning to build a few more toilets.

There was no need for detailed instructions. They were incredibly diligent and perceptive.

“Were all of these given by the Divine Envoy? If we used tools like this for hunting, just imagine how powerful that would be!”

“Hoeing the ground… Is that for planting crops? Can they really grow?”

“What’s that transparent house used for?”

“Oh my heavens, there’s actually water underground?!”

“……”

Everything here felt new and fascinating to those who had just joined. They were even more curious about the extraordinary Divine Envoy.

“What kind of person is the Divine Envoy? Is he really capable of anything?”

When they heard questions about Yang Yi, the veteran members answered with absolute certainty:

“The Divine Envoy is amazing. Jing was nearly about to meet the gods, but the Divine Envoy used divine medicine to bring him back.”

Jing had gone off with the lumber transport team to chop wood. Everyone was eager to see whether he was really as the stories claimed.

Before that, they had already witnessed the power of the divine medicine brought by the Divine Envoy.

Along the way, they had encountered countless fierce beasts and poisonous creatures. Many had gotten injured or fallen ill.

After settling those people in, Jiao and Ting took the medicine Yang Yi had given them and treated them one by one.

Right now, their ability to treat the wounded was even better than Yang Yi’s. Jiao had a solid foundation to begin with, and Ting was exceptionally intelligent.

“Ting, will I really get better?”

A seriously injured man, whose wound had begun to fester and who was already running a high fever, asked anxiously.

Ting skillfully carried out the treatment while offering reassurance: “Don’t worry. With the Divine Envoy’s medicine, there’s no way you’ll be meeting the gods so soon.”

Everyone was stunned by Ting’s strange but effective actions. Once they saw the tangible results, all that remained was awe.

“It really is divine medicine! Just in that short time, he’s already much better!”

In the past, everyone had thought Ting was only a beauty. Now, they realized she was also incredibly capable. She was even more beautiful when she saved the wounded!

More than a few people felt their hearts stir and were secretly preparing to express their feelings to her.

The deeper the newcomers got involved, the more they realized just how overwhelming the impact of the “Divine Envoy” was. There was so much to take in that it left them breathless. He truly lived up to being sent by the gods.

“Hei Lie, is that man really a Divine Envoy?” Xi Hou asked, sneaking a glance at Yang Yi not far away.

Tu also sounded a bit worried: “He’s not going to be like those people from the Western Continent trading caravans, right?”

When the trading caravans from the Western Continent first appeared, everyone thought they were sent by the gods.

Just like this so-called Divine Envoy, they had brought many strange and wonderful things that the locals had never seen before.

At first, people on the Eastern Continent believed they were generous. Only later did they realize that everything came at a cost.

They had thrown out bait, and once the Easterners took it, they used that to trade away a vast amount of goods… and people.

Many tribes had been unable to resist the temptations offered by the Western Continent trading caravans, just like the chieftain of the Blackstone Tribe.

They began to indulge in luxury, and many of their ideas and values were influenced as well.

Ever since the arrival of the trading caravans from the Western Continent, conflicts between the tribes of the Eastern Continent had increased significantly.

In the past, Tu and Xi Hou wouldn’t have had so many concerns, nor would they have thought so deeply about such things.

But after everything they had been through, especially after learning about the chieftain’s intentions, they had become filled with wariness toward the world.

“He won’t.”

Hei Lie was fiddling with the plow in his hand, studying all the things Yang Yi had brought with great interest.

“Then I’m relieved,” Tu let out a breath of relief.

The Divine Envoy had brought far too many miraculous things. Compared to what he brought, the goods from the Western Continent caravans were much poorer in quality. Yet, even those had been enough to trade away large amounts of food, raw materials, and people.

If this Divine Envoy had ulterior motives, the price they’d pay would only be even greater.

“I won’t give him the chance,” Hei Lie said firmly, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

By evening, all those who had gone out had returned. When Jing saw Hei Lie, the tall man, who had lost an arm and never made a sound of complaint had tears well up in his eyes.

“You’ve finally come.”

Hei Lie clenched his fist and thumped it against Jing’s chest. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Rong swaggered in carrying two large axes, proudly showing off her new equipment.

“I knew those two old bastards were up to no good. Coming here was a very wise decision. Our tribe is under the protection of the Divine Envoy.”

“That’s right! Once my hand heals, I’ll have a body made with crafted weapons too!”

Jing was full of spirit, not the least bit concerned about having lost an arm.

Everyone had seen Feng’s leg before. They all wholeheartedly agreed.

Hei Lie said, “You are Jing. No matter what you become, you’ll always be the fiercest warrior.”

Jing smiled confidently. “Now that you’re here, our tribe has the best chief!”

Jing knew he wasn’t fit to be chief. Not just because he had lost an arm, but also because he now understood the real reason behind his downfall.

If he had been more cautious back then, things wouldn’t have ended up this way.

Hei Lie had warned him before leaving, yet he still failed to handle things properly.

Though they now had a fresh start, it didn’t change the fact that he had failed to protect many people and even ended up in danger himself.

He was an excellent warrior, but not an excellent leader.

The original hunting captain, Yan Shi, was even simpler-minded than he was and couldn’t possibly carry such a heavy responsibility.

Hei Lie’s arrival had resolved everything.

Even though it hadn’t been formally declared, in everyone’s hearts, he was already regarded as the new chief.

Hei Lie accepted this hope and recognition without hesitation, fully confident that he was the only one here truly suited to be chief.

Whether in strength or in intellect.

That night, the entire tribe erupted into celebration. Everyone rejoiced for this beautiful moment. Laughter and cheer filled every corner of the settlement.

Yang Yi once again brought out his precious seasonings. Just like before, they won over the newly joined crowd, letting these primitive people experience what true delicacies were like.

“To eat something this delicious, I could die without regrets!”

“Who would’ve thought we’d get to live like this? Those who didn’t come must be regretting it so much!”

Hei Lie, too, was amazed by the food. Through the crowd gathered around, he looked toward that man who seemed to shine with his own light.

His striking features were half-lit, half-hidden by the glow of the bonfire. He wore a gentle smile for everyone, softening the hearts of all who saw it.

Hei Lie stood up and walked toward Yang Yi, who was handing out candy to the children.

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