Chapter 96: Ban Feng, the Zebra Tribe’s Ritual Shaman

Chapter 96: Ban Feng, the Zebra Tribe's Ritual Shaman

"Of course, hunting and gathering resources permanently in your territory is an excessive demand, and it puts you at a great disadvantage. As compensation, besides helping rescue your tribesmen, we can also exchange goods," Wen Ran said gently. Recalling how much the young zebra had enjoyed the air conditioner earlier, he asked, "Would you like to trade for air conditioning units?"

Wen Ran had assumed they would want to trade for air conditioners, but instead, they requested weapons.

The old chieftain of the Zebra Tribe explained, "Air conditioners only provide cooling. We can survive the dry season by the underground lake without them, though it's uncomfortable and we have to endure the heat—but at least we live. Without weapons, we weak beastmen can only be bullied by the Iridescent Snake Beastmen whenever they please! We don't even have the means to fight back!"

Ban Shan clenched his fist and added, "The old chieftain is right! Only weapons can give us the confidence to resist the Iridescent Snake Beastmen! We want to trade weapons with you! Wen Ran Sage, your Sand Cat Tribe must possess powerful weapons to have driven away those strong Iridescent Snake Beastmen. We hope to trade for such formidable weapons!"

Hearing this, Wen Ran recalled a saying from a great leader on ancient Earth: "Backwardness invites attack!" How true—without sharp claws, only hooves, they couldn't defend against the Iridescent Snakes with their venomous fangs that could burrow underground and suddenly emerge!

"Alright, once we rescue your tribesmen, we'll trade bows and arrows with you! Bows and arrows are very powerful weapons!" Wen Ran declared firmly.

Mao Ye spoke up, "So, are we going to attack the Iridescent Snake Tribe?" At his question, everyone felt a pang of apprehension. Though their morale was high, the Iridescent Snake Tribe was a tribe of strong beastmen. The might of strong beastmen wasn't something weak beastmen could overcome through sheer force.

Wen Ran turned to the old chieftain and asked, "Are your remaining tribesmen currently at the Iridescent Snake Tribe? Earlier, Ban Shan mentioned that some were sold into slavery at the slave market?"

The old chieftain sighed, "Aside from those who have gone to meet the Beast God, the rest were taken by the Iridescent Snake Beastmen to the Wanxiang City slave market. Since the snow season is approaching, they can trade our people for supplies. Otherwise, these tribesmen would have also met the Beast God..."

"Then we should go as soon as possible. We'll set off for Wanxiang City at dawn tomorrow!" Wen Ran said, looking at Lang Zhi. After all, there wasn't much time left to complete the task.

The old chieftain and the other zebra beastmen had no objections. They were eager for Wen Ran Sage to lead the Sand Cat Tribe to rescue their people immediately, sparing them another night of suffering.

Once the plan was agreed upon, they would set off for Wanxiang City early the next morning. However, since many in the Zebra Tribe were elderly, weak, sick, or injured, Wen Ran decided to take only Ban Shan and Ban Qing, leaving Ban Ji to care for the still-unconscious Ban Yun and the others.

It was only then, after Wen Ran finalized the plan to rescue the zebra beastmen, that the Ritual Shaman Ban Feng, who had been standing silently by the old chieftain, spoke up: "Tonight, I will hold a ritual for blessings. Tomorrow morning, I will go with you."

Ban Shan quickly introduced, "Wen Ran Sage, this is our tribe’s Ritual Shaman, Wind Shaman!"

The person before them had a voice as clear as a spring, pleasant to hear. Though he looked young, his hair was entirely white, reaching his chest, with two braids on either side of his neck adorned with colorful feathers and transparent small stones. On his head were a pair of small white horse ears, their tips covered in silver-gray fur and slightly upturned. His skin was exceptionally pale, with blue veins visible beneath it. His long, silver-white eyelashes were curved and lifted, and his cheeks and forehead bore the Zebra Tribe’s distinctive light red beast-form markings.

He wore snow-white beast fur and held a short white bone staff topped with a transparent orb entwined with green vines. His entire aura was pure and ethereal.

Wen Ran glanced at him and could only summarize one thing: he was incredibly divine.

Compared to him, the Beast God's Messenger, this guy seemed more like the real Beast God's Messenger.

......

Before departure, Wind Shaman performed a blessing ritual. The Zebra Tribe tribesmen took it very seriously and devoutly, and even the Sand Cat Tribe beastmen watched with firm and earnest eyes. No matter which tribe’s ritual it was, as long as it was a blessing for the warriors, they treated it with respect, praying to the Beast God to grant the warriors strength to protect their home and bring back their tribesmen!

As Wind Shaman danced agilely around the underground lake, silver-white moonlight filtered through the gaps in the vines and grass above, casting a silvery veil over him, enhancing his divine aura!

As the ritual dance grew faster and more vigorous, Wen Ran noticed faint golden patterns appearing in Ban Feng’s eyes, and a soft moonlight seemed to emanate from him. Seeing the young shaman’s unique purity and affinity, it was no wonder the Zebra Tribe took in beastmen from other tribes during the dry season when they had nowhere to go. This was innate kindness!

Wen Ran decided to protect this kindness and innocence of the Zebra Tribe—until the cave echoed with the braying of donkeys, and Wen Ran wavered, his murderous intent reaching its peak!

Could you imagine sleeping surrounded by donkeys, with them braying wildly around you?

Wen Ran was so annoyed he sat up abruptly, glaring furiously at the zebras sleeping haphazardly around him, almost wanting to shake each one awake and tell them not to disturb others!

The moment Wen Ran got up, Lang Zhi also opened his eyes. His wolf eyes were clear, without a trace of sleepiness—clearly, he too had been kept awake by the zebras’ braying.

Zebras’ calls differ from horses’ whinnies; they have a unique quality, closer to a donkey’s bray. How to describe the sound? It was... soul-stirring. And they loved to bray. Wen Ran had noticed during the day that they liked to call out, but he hadn’t expected them to do so even in their sleep. It seemed they had been relatively restrained during the day, only occasionally letting out a bray or two. But at night, once asleep, they brayed uncontrollably!

Seeing the wolf beastmen’s displeased expressions, a zebra beastman, woken by the cold air and mid-bray, closed his mouth slowly with innocent wide eyes, glanced pitifully at Wen Ran, and tucked his head under his body, emitting faint, intermittent brays...

Wen Ran: "..."

Ban Ji blinked his innocent big eyes and whispered pitifully, "I’m trying really hard to keep my mouth shut..."

Wen Ran was both amused and annoyed. Since he was awake anyway, he got up and sat by the underground lake, quietly admiring the moonlit scenery—a rare sight in the desert. Lang Zhi draped a beast fur over him and sat quietly beside him.

Wen Ran waited for a while, but the Big Black Wolf didn’t speak. Curious, he turned to see him staring blankly at the dark water. It was rare to see the Big Black Wolf so lost in thought.

Wen Ran waved a hand in front of him, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. Are you sleepy?"

Wen Ran shook his head, not sleepy at all. "Let me guess."

"Are you wondering if you’re from the Black Wolf Tribe?"

Lang Zhi pursed his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice, his gaze unusually uncertain as he looked at Wen Ran.

"I was just thinking... if I am from the Black Wolf Tribe, then something must have happened there. Otherwise, my tribesmen would have come looking for me by now. Could they have been attacked by the Iridescent Snake Tribe too..."

"Don’t overthink it. Didn’t you hear the Zebra Tribe old chieftain? The Black Wolf Tribe is a Beast God-serving tribe. They’re not as weak as you think. Just look at yourself—as a black wolf beastman, how strong are you?"

......

"Hmm..."

A pained groan suddenly caught the attention of the two.

The moonlight cast Wen Ran and Lang Zhi’s shadows, swaying on the cave wall, alongside the shadows of countless hanging vines from the ceiling, like writhing snakes. Ban Yun slowly opened his eyes on the haystack, and the first thing he saw was this terrifying shadow. His pupils contracted in fear, and he tensed up, thinking he had fallen into the hands of the Iridescent Snake Beastmen!

As he panicked and tried to get up and flee, sharp pain in his abdomen made him gasp. At the same time, a warm hand pressed on his shoulder, "You’re awake?"

Hearing the excitement in the voice and recognizing the familiar tone, feeling the warmth from the hand seep into his cool skin, Ban Yun turned his head dazedly, following the hand to see Wen Ran looking at him with concern. He murmured, "It’s really you, Wen Ran? Am I dreaming?"

He had thought the Beast God took pity on him, letting him hear Wen Ran’s warm voice before death... Ban Yun looked down at himself and noticed his entire abdomen was bandaged, no longer bleeding, and the wounds from the thorny vines were treated with cool shamanic medicine. It seemed Wen Ran had saved him again!

Hearing the young zebra’s hoarse voice, as if he hadn’t drunk water for days, Wen Ran helped him sit up and gave him some water. The zebra beastmen woke up too, their faces filled with joy and smiles at the sight of the young zebra, chattering and asking Wen Ran if Ban Yun waking up meant he wouldn’t meet the Beast God.

Wen Ran smiled, "Waking up is a good sign, but he needs medicine to fully recover." He handed Ban Yun a bowl of medicine, and the young zebra blinked, downing it without a word.

After drinking, the young zebra struggled to stand but groaned in pain as his abdominal wound tore, blood seeping through the white bandage. Wen Ran quickly pressed him down, sternly saying, "Don’t move! Your wound just stopped bleeding and hasn’t scabbed yet!"

Ban Yun looked embarrassed, a faint blush on his pale, blood-loss-ridden cheeks. "Wen Ran, thank you for saving me again. I have nothing to repay you with now, but if you ever need me in the future, just ask. I promise I won’t hesitate!"

As he spoke, he looked firmly at Wen Ran, pounding his chest three times with his right fist in the Zebra Tribe’s unique gesture of solemn gratitude!

Wen Ran heard none of it, only seeing the wound he had painstakingly bandaged torn open again by the pounding. He nearly grabbed the young zebra’s ears to scold him but ended up helplessly changing the bandages. Unexpectedly, this process attracted the divine Zebra Tribe Ritual Shaman.

His large white eyes fixed intently on Wen Ran’s hands, so intensely Wen Ran felt they might bore holes through them. It seemed Ritual Shamans in the beast world were all medical enthusiasts! Perhaps he could introduce him to Hu Xiu Shaman someday—they’d have common topics!

After watching the entire bandaging process, Ban Feng sat down, nibbling on grass thoughtfully, his white ears twitching occasionally. Wen Ran, seeing his obedient demeanor, felt an itch to pet those ears.

Just as he was about to reach out, a black wolf tail was placed in his hand. It felt stiff and prickly—definitely not as soft as the Zebra Tribe Ritual Shaman’s ears. But since he was willing to indulge this Big Black Wolf, a wolf tail was fine too. It had its own charm. Wen Ran happily stroked it, thinking, while Lang Zhi smiled contentedly beside him.