Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 969 - 41

Chapter 969: Chapter 41

[Qingqiu]

It’s all over now.

Deer, antelopes, bison, wolves… Countless prey corpses were brought to the middle of Qingqiu Mountain for inspection.

As soon as the inspection was done, the hunted animals were skinned, deboned, allocated, and preserved on the spot.

The blood of the beasts flowed along the terrain, converging along the way, transforming the wilderness at the mountain’s foot into a swamp of blood.

No one could bypass that blood swamp; those wanting to reach Qingqiu had to continue stepping through the tainted blood and mud.

Eventually, countless dark red hoof prints and footprints were left on the hillside.

This scene, although merely the Red River Tribe tallying the hunt, was no different from cleaning up a battlefield.

As for the other hunted prey—entire or partial human corpses—had been already gathered.

The Herders typically do not use burial, but at this time around Qingqiu, there were no ferocious beasts or birds of prey capable of consuming such an abundance of flesh. Hence, the unclaimed bodies were all thrown into a pit and hastily buried.

…

Contrary to many people’s expectations, the first thing White Lion did upon returning to Qingqiu was not to suppress the rebellion, but to dispatch troops and encircle from all sides.

The Red River Tribe like a cascade of mercury divided themselves into over a hundred tulurs, erecting an extensive yet precise net that drove most of the escaped prey and tribes back to the hunting grounds.

White Lion’s attitude was clear—no matter what had happened, the hunt would continue.

Also conveyed to the tribal leaders was the Red River Tribe’s recent major victory—White Lion ambushed at the Hantu River Estuary, defeated the Suz Tribe and Haidong Tribe’s joint forces over a hundred miles, slaughtering twelve Green Plumed Feathers, capturing sixty-four banners, and killing countless foes.

…

Thus, the felt walls were repaired, corpses removed, escaped wild beasts recaptured, and the fleeing hunters returned.

The stage was set once again, but this time, as White Lion rode swiftly shooting arrows, no one dared whisper secretly.

Everything proceeded according to ancient customs: White Lion shot the first arrow, then Red River Tribe’s Green Plumed Feathers and other tribes’ Nayen followed, and then the Red River Tribe’s Hong Lingyu and other tribes’ Kota followed them.

After the noble warriors hunted to their heart’s content and moved on to rest and feast in Qingqiu, it was finally the turn for the lower-ranked hunters to enter the arena.

In an atmosphere thick with unease, expectation, and the smell of blood, the hunt uneventfully marched towards its end.

Because everyone was waiting for the subsequent ceremony that could determine the fate of all tribes:

“Dividing the meat”.

…

[Qingqiu Mountain’s waist, inspection site]

A large stag with grand antlers was placed on the workbench.

This beautiful large animal was shot with two arrows, one in the hind leg and one in the ribs, already having moved on to the spirit world.

“[Herde Language] Twelve branches.” The elder from the Red River Tribe muttered a few phrases and placed the final bundle of dry grass between the dead beast’s teeth before proceeding to examine the two arrow wounds:

The rib arrow could have penetrated deeper into the prey’s lungs, but unfortunately, the arrowhead lodged between the ribs, resulting only in a superficial wound;

The fur below the arrow wound on the right hind leg was caked with dried blood.

Removing the arrow, the elder barely perceptibly nodded his head, indeed it was a crescent arrow.

Further examining the wound, no major blood vessel could be felt; it seemed to have been severed by the crescent arrow. Similarly, for the tendons.

The Red River Tribe elder explained briefly before picking up the crescent arrow and making a determination: “[Herde Language] This arrow was the first shot.”

The two hunters who brought the deer for inspection, the middle-aged one showed a delighted expression, while the younger one, although unable to hide his disappointment, did not argue and took the arrow before leaving.

The elder then checked the markings on other arrows in the middle-aged hunter’s quiver—consistent with those of the crescent arrow.

Thus, the ownership of the prey was determined.

The stag was quickly disassembled:

Antlers, fur, and sinews were given to the middle-aged hunter as a reward for the “first shot”;

The venison was smoked and preserved, waiting to be distributed;

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The bones were communal property, used for making glue.

Not only was nothing from the hunted prey wasted, but even the retrieved arrows were to be returned to their owners, and anyone found hiding them would face severe punishment.

For the Herders, the distribution of spoils was a matter of utmost importance, even more critical than looting or hunting itself.

Distributing spoils symbolized power, and how much one could obtain indicated their status.

According to tribal tradition—first shot, heavily rewarded; flesh divided equally; White Lion fairly distributed the hunt gains, showing no favoritism towards the Red River Tribe nor any discrimination or exploitation of hunters from other tribes.

Regardless of what the tribal leaders thought, the lower-ranked Herder hunters were thoroughly content.

Leaders might not care about the trivial gains from the hunt since they already owned herds of slaves and livestock.

However, ordinary hunters cared deeply about how much meat they could get, as it was the reward for their laborious efforts.

…

The hunt lasted a whole day and a half; while hunters pursued wild beasts within the enclosures, the tribal leaders gathered atop Qingqiu to spectate, feast, and rest.

Until there were hardly any living prey left on the hunting grounds, the leader of the Evil Earth Tribe, grandfather [Tashi] of Koshach, solemnly left his seat and headed towards the golden tent.

Dancing slave girls quietly withdrew, wrestling performers turned and exited the arena, and no longer were strings or bells sounded. The once lively Qingqiu instantly fell silent.

Moments earlier, while still drinking and laughing, the Red River Nayen and the tribal leaders’ expressions unknowingly became somber and serious.

Everyone faintly felt that—a crucial moment was about to arrive.

Old [Tashi], accompanied by eight equally white-haired and bearded Herder elders, entered the golden tent with the most humble and respectful of manners.

Living to old age in the wilderness is a difficult feat, and nine is considered a ‘great number’ among the Herder people.