I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 500 – Rhino Horn
The Flying Snake Tribe’s great leader no longer moved. His lifeless eyes remained wide open, filled with unending terror.
“Clap, clap, clap!”
With red eyes, Shang held the great leader’s hair to keep him from falling. He repeatedly slapped his face, producing a series of sharp sounds. Years of repressed anger exploded at this moment, directed entirely at the still-warm body of the Flying Snake Tribe’s great leader.
Mào, with his red eyes, couldn’t hold back either. He let out a furious howl and joined in the beating of the corpse.
Observing this scene, Han Cheng thought for a moment but did not intervene. Both men were direct victims with deep-seated grudges against the Flying Snake Tribe. Allowing them to vent their frustrations on the dead, great leader was acceptable; it was better than having them suppress their feelings, which might lead to more serious issues later. Also, if they were denied this outlet, facing the Flying Snake Tribe’s slaves daily could potentially lead to even more problems.
The terrified Flying Snake Tribe, captives, seeing Shang and Mào’s frenzy, were even more frightened. The intimidation they felt was even greater than witnessing the great leader’s death right in front of them.
After their outburst, Mào, gasping for breath and with red eyes, sat on the ground and began to weep loudly, with Shang also shedding tears.
Han Cheng approached them, saying nothing, and gently patted their shoulders.
The heads of the Flying Snake Tribe’s shaman, great leader, and three leaders were severed and placed on a stone, their dead eyes staring at the captives.
All the ropes binding the captives were removed. Shang carried the jar of blood to them, instructing them to dip their hands in the blood and smear it on their faces.
Anyone refusing to smear the blood would be killed on the spot.
Given the prior events, no one dared to refuse to smear the blood on their faces. Some even attempted to take a sip of the blood from the jar but were quickly stopped by Han Cheng, who kicked them away with force.
Han Cheng was highly averse to consuming their kind’s blood despite such acts not uncommon in this era. He did not want such things to happen in the Green Sparrow Tribe, even among slaves.
Another purpose was to teach the now-enslaved captives to obey the rules. Complying was crucial; even if drinking the blood would show more decisiveness, it was not acceptable.
After Han Cheng’s intervention, no one dared to act out of line. All the captives obediently smeared the blood on their faces.
Under Han Cheng’s orders, the captives were herded by the Green Sparrow Tribe members into the courtyard they had previously tried so hard to enter.
As they crossed several traps, they became increasingly cautious, with some trembling uncontrollably.
Large vats filled with boiling willow branch water were set up in the courtyard. Fire Two was tending the fire, and white steam wafted from the vats.
Even amid their fear, the sight of these large ceramic vats and the surrounding jars left many of the captives astonished. The tribe indeed possessed many valuable ceramics!
Unfortunately, they had no chance to seize them now.
As they were brought near the steaming vats, those familiar with ceramics recognized the method of cooking food and grew increasingly apprehensive.
The captives were understandably terrified, expecting that the tribe might select a few to be killed and cooked in the vats. Such events were not uncommon in their past experiences.
“Come here.”
Liang scanned the group and focused on one of the severely injured individuals. He called her over, signaling her to move closer so he could tend to her wounds.
The woman, pale from blood loss, turned even whiter, her fear palpable. She trembled and shrank back in terror.
While still fearful, the surrounding captives felt a bit of relief that the one being chosen was not one of them. Puzzled by her fear, Liang called over two assistants to help lift her to the vat’s edge.
Despite her situation, the woman stopped resisting, resigned to her fate but still unable to shake her deep-seated fear.
Liang took a basin of slightly cooled willow branch water from one of the vats and cleaned her wounds. To the observers, the tribe seemed meticulous in its practices, even cleaning its food before cooking it.
After witnessing the preparations, the captives were increasingly unnerved by the tribe’s detailed and seemingly luxurious practices, especially its use of ceramic vessels.
The injured woman, still alive when she expected death, was relieved to learn from Tu Mao that the treatment was indeed for her injuries and not for cooking. This news eased the captives’ fears significantly, though they were still puzzled that the tribe did not consume human flesh.
Meanwhile, Han Cheng had his people clean up the mess outside the courtyard. They gathered a large amount of firewood on the east side of the courtyard and piled the bodies there. A fire was lit to burn them, purifying the world of their darkness and sins.
Years ago, Flying Snake Tribe members had been burned here, and now another batch met the same fate.
“Hee, hee!”
To the rhythmic chants, the Green Sparrow Tribe members dragged the massive, dead rhino out of the traps. The sheer size of the creature left the tribe members shocked and uneasy. Without the Divine Child’s guidance on setting traps, they would have had no means to deal with such a formidable beast.
Han Cheng stood before the Rhino, gently stroking its horn. The horn was radiant and of high quality, explaining why it was sought after despite legal protection against poaching. The temptation to steal such valuable items was strong even with laws in place.
If not for the Green Sparrow Tribe’s recent growth in strength, military prowess, and careful preparations, they might have been overpowered by the Flying Snake Tribe and lost their prized bison horn.
The Rhino was too large to move in one piece, so Han Cheng ordered the hide removed and the meat cut into sections for transport. He also took the heavy horn.
At the same time, others descended into the traps to pull out the large wooden stakes. The stakes were carefully extracted from the soil to preserve their use, and the untouched traps were also dismantled and cleaned.
Some workers used bone shovels to scrape the blood-soaked soil from the ground, which was then placed into the blood-soaked traps. Clean soil was added to cover the traps to eliminate the lingering smell of blood.
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