BSI Chapter 348 Blackwater Tribe
Chapter 348 Blackwater Tribe
Over the next few days, the group headed south, passing through the territory of the Southern Yue tribes.
In each village we arrived at, someone came out to greet us.
Some villages are large, some are small, some are rich, some are poor, but without exception, they are all very hospitable.
The three hundred Snow Dragon Riders stood there, clad in silver armor and white robes, exuding a murderous aura, and no one dared to be negligent.
Moreover, Lin Chen's identity speaks for itself—the King of the Northern Region of Dayan, which is arguably equivalent to the King of the Eastern Region.
Lin Chen would sometimes come into the village to sit, have a bowl of tea, eat a meal, and chat with the village chief.
Sometimes when he was too lazy to move, he would send Lan Fenghuang down to deal with a few words while he slept in the car.
Lan Fenghuang is the Holy Maiden of the Nanzhao Temple and is quite famous in Nanyue. Many chieftains know her and are more affectionate towards her than towards Lin Chen.
That noon, the group passed through a village of the Blackwater tribe.
The Heishui tribe was the most warlike of the hundred tribes of Nanyue. Most of its people made a living by hunting and beekeeping. They were known for their fierce character and tough customs.
The village was built on the mountaintop, surrounded by a wall made of huge stones, with sharpened bamboo sticks stuck in the wall, gleaming dimly in the sunlight.
Several burly men stood at the entrance of the village, shirtless, revealing their bodies covered in tattoos.
Tiger heads, snake patterns, and unidentified totems covered his chest and arms in dense patterns.
He had a machete hanging at his waist, the handle of which was wrapped in black cloth, and the blade made a slight scraping sound in its sheath.
The leader was a burly, dark-skinned man in his forties, with a face full of fat and narrow, squinting eyes that looked like a lurking snake.
Upon seeing the carriage, he hurried forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed deeply, his voice loud yet respectful:
"Black Tiger, chieftain of the Blackwater Tribe, pays respects to the King of Zhenbei!"
Lin Chen got off the carriage and glanced at him.
This man was all muscle, with a black tiger's head tattooed on his chest, its mouth wide open, looking quite intimidating.
His cultivation level is not low; he is at the early stage of the Celestial Realm, meaning he must have just broken through recently.
At this moment, he was bowing his body, his head slightly lowered, and he only dared to look at Lin Chen's chest.
Lin Chen couldn't help but think to himself: It seems that the great change in the world is getting closer and closer, and breaking through this bottleneck is becoming easier and easier.
Lin Chen nodded: "Chief Hei."
Black Tiger straightened up, a smile plastered on his face, but his narrow eyes kept darting around, scanning Lin Chen from head to toe before quickly looking away.
He stepped aside to make way, gesturing for them to pass:
"It's a rare occasion for Your Highness to come to Nanyue. Why didn't you tell me in advance? Black Tiger could have gone to greet you. The village has prepared some simple food and drink; please do us the honor of joining us."
Lin Chen said calmly, "I was just passing by and didn't want to disturb you."
Black Tiger laughed and said, "Not at all! It's a blessing for the Blackwater Tribe that Your Highness has come."
He led the way while talking, walking quickly, and occasionally glancing back to see if Lin Chen was keeping up.
The men at the entrance of the village immediately made way, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.
Black Tiger glared at them:
"What are you all standing there for? Go and get the best wine!"
The men responded and turned to run.
Lin Chen followed Black Tiger inside.
The village of the Blackwater tribe was quite different from the ones I had seen before. It was full of stone houses, very rugged, with animal bones and dried meat hanging on the stone walls.
In the center of the village is a large stone dam, paved with irregular bluestone slabs, with weeds growing in the gaps.
Several stone tables and benches were set up on the stone dam, where a few men from the Heishui tribe were sitting drinking and eating meat.
Upon seeing Lin Chen enter, they all stood up in unison, their eyes wary, their hands unconsciously gripping the hilts of their knives.
Black Tiger's face darkened. He strode over and slapped the nearest man on the back of the head.
"Are you all blind?! This is the Prince of Zhenbei! Give him your seat!"
The men quickly made way, hurriedly brought over a new chair, and others ran to get clean bowls and chopsticks.
Black Tiger wiped the chair with his sleeve, invited Lin Chen to sit down, poured a bowl of wine and handed it to him, holding it with both hands and bowing slightly.
"Your Highness, this is wild bee wine brewed by our Blackwater tribe. It's very strong, please try it."
Lin Chen took it and drank a sip.
The liquor is indeed strong, burning like fire on the palate all the way down to the stomach, but the aftertaste has a honey-like sweetness and a hint of wildflower fragrance.
He nodded: "Not bad."
Black Tiger laughed, poured himself a bowl, raised it with both hands in a toast, and downed it in one gulp.
He wiped his mouth, his smile fading, and looked at Lin Chen, hesitant to speak.
Lin Chen held the bowl, drinking slowly without saying a word.
Black Tiger poured another bowl of wine, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly spoke:
"Your Highness, Black Tiger has a favor to ask."
Lin Chen put down his bowl: "Speak."
Black Tiger carefully considered his words and cautiously asked:
"Your Highness, Black Tiger wants to know, what exactly are Dayan's plans regarding Nanyue?"
Lin Chen looked at him: "What do you mean?"
Black Tiger rubbed his hands together: "Black Tiger is a rough man, he doesn't know how to beat around the bush."
Over the years, the envoys from Dayan have come and gone, each time claiming to want to do business, but each time they always try to take advantage of others.
"It's either this or that; Black Tiger isn't unwilling to part with things, he's just uneasy."
He paused, looking into Lin Chen's eyes, "Your Highness is a wise man. Black Tiger wants to hear the truth."
Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly twice on the stone table, and said slowly:
"Dayan has no plans for Nanyue. Business is business, and everyone gets what they need."
The Great Yan doesn't lack the land of Nan Yue. Nan Yue is a mountainous and densely forested place; conquering it is easy, but governing it is difficult. The Great Yan is too lazy to bother.
Black Tiger stared at Lin Chen for a long while, as if trying to discern the truth of his words, then he grinned and picked up his wine bowl:
"Your Highness is telling the truth. Black Tiger offers you a bowl of wine."
The two clinked bowls together.
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became more relaxed.
Black Tiger became more talkative, telling Lin Chen about the rules of the Blackwater Tribe, the fun of hunting in the mountains, and the methods of beekeeping.
Lin Chen listened, nodding occasionally and asking a few questions now and then.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the village.
The sounds of horses' hooves and shouts mingled together, growing ever closer.
Black Tiger's expression changed, and he stood up to look towards the entrance of the village.
A man from the Blackwater tribe ran in, panting heavily, his face pale.
"Chief! The wild bees in the mountains have swarmed and are heading this way to the village!"
Black Tiger cursed, "Fuck him!"
He turned to Lin Chen and said, "Your Highness, please have a seat. Black Tiger will be right back."
Having said that, he strode out, calling out to people as he went:
"Grab your weapons! Torches! Smoke! Quickly!"
Lin Chen sat at the stone table, holding a wine bowl, listening to the sounds outside.
The buzzing of the bees grew louder and louder, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky.
People in the village ran around, some carrying torches, some carrying smoke bombs, creating a chaotic scene.
Suddenly, a dark figure rushed in from the village gate.
It's not a person, it's a bee—
A dense, dark mass, numbering in the tens of thousands.
Each one is the size of a fist, with a long, poisonous stinger trailing from its tail, gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the sunlight.
The sound of the wings flapping was so loud it hurt your eardrums, and the air itself seemed to vibrate.
This is no ordinary wild bee.
The iron-backed bees in the deep mountains of southern Vietnam have shells as hard as iron; ordinary swords and knives can only leave a white mark when they cut into them.
The poison needles can pierce through leather armor. One needle can cause an ordinary person to go into shock on the spot, and even a first-rank martial artist will have to lie down for three days after being hit by a few needles.
Even more outrageous is that this thing is sentient and will coordinate its attacks, specifically targeting vulnerable areas such as the eyes and throat.
They came straight for the stone dam like a black whirlwind, with a fierce momentum, as if they had a GPS navigation system.
Black Tiger's expression changed drastically. He channeled all his true energy, and a layer of pale blue aura instantly covered his entire body, blocking Lin Chen's path. He shouted at him:
"Your Highness, be careful! These are iron-backed bees—"
Before he could finish speaking, the swarm of bees had already arrived.
Dozens of iron-backed bees swooped down, their venomous stingers aimed straight at Black Tiger's face.