TRWSB – Chapter 247 Dealing with the Stegosaurus

The matter of the Half-Moon Lotus had already spread throughout the tribe.

The people in the tribe had originally hoped that the tribe’s warriors would return with some harvest, but instead, a large group came back empty-handed, leaving many feeling regretful.

“Mill, I heard that Sindorei has also become a Totem Warrior, did you know that?” Ximiya asked Mill.

Mill shook her head and said, “I didn’t know.”

Mill didn’t have a good impression of Sindorei. Hearing all of a sudden that he had become a Totem Warrior made her feel a bit strange inside.

“You didn’t know? How could you not know? Didn’t Jesse tell you? He knows this matter best!” said Ximiya.

Mill was stunned. “No, he didn’t,” she said, lowering her head. She thought to herself: Jesse had been cold to her lately, so of course he wouldn’t tell her this.

Ximiya shrugged and said with a sigh, “The Fred brothers are really amazing. Both of them are Totem Warriors now. I heard Fred is already a second-level Totem Warrior.”

Mill lowered her head, a hint of regret flashing through her heart. Even though the chieftain and the priest had forbidden people from talking about Fred, privately, people still liked to discuss him. Mill had already heard quite a few people talking about Fred.

Many people felt it was a pity about her and Fred, thinking she was wrong to give him up. In truth, Mill already regretted it.

Now in the tribe, only the chieftain and one elder remained as Totem Warriors, but both Fred and his brother had already become Totem Warriors. Fred’s strength far surpassed the warriors of the tribe.

Jesse opened the door and walked in. Seeing Jesse come in, Ximiya stuck out her tongue awkwardly and said, “I’ll leave now.”

Jesse looked displeased as he watched Ximiya leave, then turned his gaze to Mill. “What was Ximiya here for?”

“To chat,” Mill replied.

“She was probably talking about Fred again, wasn’t she?” Jesse said with sarcasm.

Ximiya had also contracted leprosy before, and later recovered because Fred had given her a prescription and spiritual medicine.

Because the priest had once said to burn all infected people alive, Ximiya bore resentment toward the priest and viewed Fred, who gave the medicine, as a savior. She often spread the idea that Fred was remarkable.

Mill nodded. “Yes, she talked about him.”

“You regret it now, don’t you? Now that Fred is with that lascivious priest from another tribe, you’re regretting it,” Jesse mocked.

Mill gave Jesse an impatient glance and said nothing. This kind of argument had happened too many times already, and she was starting to feel completely disinterested.

……

Zhuang Hao and the others were traveling through the wind and snow. After taking the Half-Moon Lotus seeds, everyone had made great progress. Even in a heavy snowstorm, they didn’t feel cold.

“The roar came from this direction,” Fred said.

“Let’s go. That monster keeps howling — it’s messing up Shaorong’s sleep,” said Zhuang Hao.

When they arrived, they found members of the Flying Tiger Tribe already there.

The constant roaring was coming from a sword dragon, whose abdomen was extremely swollen.

Seeing Fred and his group arrive, Jesse’s expression immediately darkened.

“Fred, we spotted this sword dragon first,” Jesse quickly stepped forward to block Fred’s group.

Fred’s expression changed slightly, but Zhuang Hao just smiled nonchalantly and said, “Since you saw it first, we’ll leave.”

Jesse scanned Zhuang Hao with his eyes. He had originally thought Fred was the leader of the group due to his strength, but later realized it was this skinny guy, Zhuang Hao, who was calling the shots.

Since Zhuang Hao had spoken, Fred and the others didn’t argue and left decisively.

Watching them leave so straightforwardly, Jesse felt a wave of unease in his heart.

While fighting, Xinya glanced at Jesse and asked, “They left?”

Jesse nodded. “Yeah. They retreated cleanly. I don’t know if they’re planning something.”

Xinya gave Jesse a look and said, “Fred still has some credibility. Hurry up and take care of this sword dragon. The longer it drags on, the more likely something unexpected will happen.”

……

Sindorei followed behind the retreating Zhuang Hao, visibly displeased. “We just left like that?”

“First come, first served. We were late to act, so it’s better not to fight over it,” said Zhuang Hao.

“But sword dragon blood is priceless! That group is really lucky to run into an injured — and pregnant — sword dragon,” Sindorei said, full of envy.

Zhuang Hao gave a cold chuckle. “Their luck isn’t all that great.”

Sindorei looked at him in confusion. “Why? You think they can’t take the sword dragon down?”“Of course not. With so many of them, if they can’t even deal with an injured, pregnant sword dragon, that’d be pathetic,” Zhuang Hao said, shrugging.

Sindorei still didn’t understand. “Then why do you say that?”

Zhuang Hao chuckled and said, “That sword dragon is pregnant. If its mate finds out it’s being attacked, it will be very angry.”

Sindorei looked at Zhuang Hao and shook his head. “Ah Hao, don’t you know? Sword dragons are solitary creatures.”

Zhuang Hao smiled. “I see. But maybe these two are exceptions.”

Sindorei widened his eyes. “Are you serious?”

A thunderous roar suddenly echoed over, so loud it seemed to shake the heavens, and it was filled with intense rage.

Sindorei stared at Zhuang Hao in shock. “That sword dragon really does have a mate!”

Zhuang Hao said to Sindorei, “We’d better hide for now.” A pregnant and injured sword dragon might not be too scary, but a healthy one was a real killing machine.

The people from the Flying Tiger Tribe had nearly secured their target when a fully healthy sword dragon suddenly charged out, frightening them into a panic.

“Retreat!” Xinli shouted, full of unwillingness.

A massive sword dragon the size of a small mountain was chasing Jesse and Xin Ya’s group.

Sindorei watched the fleeing Jesse and others with glee. “Serves them right! What bad luck!”

Xinli, seeing Fred and his group, rushed toward them. Zhuang Hao narrowed his eyes and said, “He’s coming—probably trying to drag us into this mess.”

“Fred! Help us block it!” Xinli shouted.

“Chieftain, you were the first to find this sword dragon. We won’t fight you for it. Run! Run!” Sindorei called out and then took the lead to escape himself.

Xinli hadn’t expected Sindorei to openly talk back to him and was furious, but remembering he still needed Fred and his brother’s strength to survive, he suppressed his anger.

Xinli called out loudly, “Fred! Sword dragon blood is a treasure! If you help us take it down, you can have all its blood!”

Sindorei glanced at Zhuang Hao. “Ah Hao, what do you think?”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Alright.”

Zhuang Hao and the others turned back and charged at the sword dragon.

Yi Fan thrust his sword into the dragon’s eye, causing a stream of black blood to spurt out. His blade was coated in poison, and the toxin quickly spread through the dragon’s head.

Fred leaped onto the dragon’s head and slammed his fist down, creating a deep crater in its skull.

Zhuang Hao tossed a packet of knockout powder into the dragon’s mouth, making it drowsy almost instantly.

Xinli saw the three-star totem mark on Fred’s body, and his heart twinged with pain. He himself was only a two-star totem warrior, and seeing Fred’s three stars made envy boil in his chest.

After a prolonged and intense battle, Zhuang Hao’s group finally subdued the sword dragon.

Xinli had originally just wanted Fred’s group to help, but when the real fight came, the Flying Tiger Tribe’s warriors were reduced to bystanders.

…

Xinli had already heard from Xin Ya about Zhuang Hao’s history of “seducing” a priest’s apprentice. Though he despised Zhuang Hao’s actions, he still feared their strength.

Once the dragon was dealt with, Sindorei naturally went to collect the sword dragon’s blood.

Xinli felt a bit uncomfortable watching him, but remembering his earlier promise, he held his tongue.

Xinli turned to Fred and said, “Fred, aren’t you going to introduce your companions?” He looked at Zhuang Hao and Yi Fan.

“No need,” Zhuang Hao replied. “We’re nobodies—not worth troubling the chieftain over.”

Xinli looked at Zhuang Hao and said, “You two are really strong! If only my Flying Tiger Tribe had warriors like you.”

Zhuang Hao smiled without responding. After all, Fred was once part of the Flying Tiger Tribe—until this old man forced him out.

“Sindorei, hurry up,” Zhuang Hao urged.

Sindorei glanced at him and said, “I got it.”

“This friend,” Xinli continued, “the knockout powder you used was quite impressive. Could you possibly share the recipe?”

Yi Fan glanced at Xinli and thought, This old fox really knows how to dream—just asking for the recipe outright.

Fred had once shared the leprosy cure formula with the Flying Tiger Tribe, but that damned priest had claimed the credit for himself.

“There’s no recipe,” Yi Fan said coolly. “The powder came from our original tribe—we only have a limited supply.”

Xinli gave a regretful smile. “I see. Maybe you could give me one packet? I can let our priest study it—maybe he can deduce the recipe. That way, everyone could benefit.”

“We have our own healer,” Yi Fan replied indifferently. “If our healer couldn’t figure it out, no need to trouble your priest.”

At Yi Fan’s words, the Flying Tiger Tribe warriors looked uneasy.

The tribe’s priest held an exalted position, and Yi Fan’s words clearly implied their priest was inferior to just a trainee.

Several warriors flushed red with anger. Jesse couldn’t help but argue, “Our priest is very powerful. Your so-called healer is just an untrained apprentice.”

Yi Fan calmly pointed to Raymond and said, “His leg was healed. By our apprentice. Can your priest do that?”

Jesse looked like he’d been slapped in the face. “That was just a rare case.”

Sindorei snorted. “Not rare. My brother was also cured by our apprentice. The healer’s amazing.”

His comment sparked whispers among the Flying Tiger warriors. Xinli’s face turned red.

Back then, he’d risen to power with the priest’s support—they were in the same boat. If the priest’s authority crumbled, it would be bad for him too.

Forcing a smile, Xinli said, “We’ll be going now.”

Watching him leave, Sindorei muttered, “I bet they’re going after that pregnant sword dragon. Said we’d get this one if we helped, but didn’t lift a finger themselves—bullies, just trying to take advantage.”

Zhuang Hao smiled nonchalantly. “Alright, let’s clean up and get going. It’s getting colder. In a few days, we might not be able to go out at all.”

Sindorei nodded. “True. Let’s go.”