Chapter Eighty-Four: The Arrogance of the Yuezhi Tribe [Part One]

It was certain—they had to be members of the Jie tribe.

Mo’er clung tightly to Mingtian’s arm, her lips pale with fright, frozen in place, terrified that those burly men might notice her face.

From her reaction alone, Mingtian knew these must be the Jie tribe from Yangzhou City.

He couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed.

The physiques of these five men were without a doubt the largest Mingtian had ever seen in his entire life.

They possessed NBA-level height combined with muscles fit for a governor; the two together formed their towering frames.

On their bulging muscles, even their veins were thicker than Mo’er’s fingers.

It was hard to imagine how Mo’er had survived under the control of such men until the age of thirteen.

However… despite their overwhelming strength, their excessive muscle mass suggested that, lacking modern combat techniques, their speed would likely be limited.

In battles involving thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers, their physiques would give them a significant advantage, but in one-on-one combat, Mingtian didn’t believe they would be much more difficult to handle than the bandits from Zihua Mountain.

After all, there was a classic saying: missing your strike doesn’t matter much.

The appearance of these five men scared everyone in the inn into fleeing as if they had seen a ghost—except for the poor soul whose head had been smashed by a door plank.

Mingtian and his group also sealed their lips the moment these men appeared, each ready for whatever might come.

Mingtian could tell they were Jie tribe members; Yin Chan certainly saw it too, and as natives, Zhao Yu, Xiao Xinzhu, and An Luo recognized them instantly.

“Brother Yuwen Sha, where do you think that sheep we lost last night ran off to?” asked a bald man who resembled Kui Ye, irritation in his voice.

Yuwen Sha? The leader’s name was Yuwen Sha?

Mingtian froze at the name because...

Were your parents even less cultured than mine?! Sha? Which fool names their child “Sha” (Kill)?!

At that moment, Mingtian felt that authors of fantasy novels had far superior taste in naming muscle-bound characters.

Invincible? Lonely? War? Madness? Any of those would be better than Yuwen Sha.

Even “Yuwen Dick” would be classier than that! Ah, the “Wonton Anal Ripper” was one thing, but the Jie tribe’s naming sense was also questionable?!

Speaking of which, what was the real name of the “Wonton Anal Ripper” again? Chaos Ripper, right? Damn, compared to Yuwen Sha, Chaos Ripper sounds almost dignified.

Ah, no, this was unbearable. Thank heavens Hua Xia was never ruled by these people—otherwise, who knows what ridiculous names would have emerged among modern folk.

“That was our last two-legged sheep. If we don’t find it, it’s gone! Damn it. Brothers, looks like we won’t be eating for a while,” Yuwen Sha said, taking a drink before crushing his bowl with his bare hands, making the nearby innkeeper’s heart bleed.

Another Jie tribesman, dark-skinned and resembling Billy, quietly suggested, “Why don’t we just capture some Yangzhou locals here to make two-legged sheep instead?”

“No,” Yuwen Sha immediately denied, though there was a trace of reluctance in his eyes. “We are the last of the Jie tribe. If it weren’t for Xiao Yaoguang hiding us, we’d have been wiped out long ago. Now we need to conserve our strength and produce more of our people. One day, we will reclaim our homeland. It’s alright to cause a little trouble and kill a few people in Yangzhou to relieve ourselves, but we can’t be too conspicuous.”

Xiao Yaoguang?

Mingtian was momentarily stunned before realizing the truth.

No wonder Xiao Yaoguang was no ordinary man.

As the governor of Yangzhou during Emperor Qi Ming’s reign, he controlled both court and military and even harbored the remnant forces of the Jie tribe on his territory. He was likely cultivating a unit with Jie blood.

The motive? Mingtian was no fool; he could guess.

Everyone knew of the incompetence of Xiao Luan and Xiao Baojuan.

The throne was coveted not only by Wang Jingze but perhaps others as well. Wang Jingze’s schemes were swift and effective, yet Mingtian’s arrival had disrupted Xiao Yaoguang’s plans.

It was unknown if Xiao Yaoguang had survived after Wang Jingze’s assault on the city.

Yet, despite his cunning and guile, Xiao Yaoguang seemed to have some principles—allowing the Jie tribe to kill and pillage, but forbidding them from eating Yangzhou’s people.

But for now, none of that mattered; none of Mingtian’s team were from Yangzhou.

How to deal with these Jie tribesmen was the real question.

“Master... I’m scared,” Mo’er trembled in his arms, and Mingtian could only gently pat her back to soothe her.

“Mingtian, what do we do?” Yin Chan, sensing trouble, asked coldly.

Mingtian thought for a moment and shook his head. “Let’s watch and wait.”

“Sigh.”

A Jie tribesman who looked like a bear with a scruffy face slammed his palm on the table in frustration. “If it weren’t for Tuoba Hong betraying us, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Only twenty-eight of us remain!”

“Exactly!” The last Jie tribesman, his face pale with anger, exclaimed, “We originally had ten thousand iron cavalry, but were betrayed by the Northern Wei Xianbei. I won’t accept this! I just want to eat some two-legged sheep!”

At this point, Mingtian finally understood.

The butterfly effect had altered history once more.

In official history, the Jie tribe likely still had more than ten thousand iron cavalry surviving, and their extinction would occur decades later.

But now, for some unknown reason, the Northern Wei emperor Tuoba Hong sought their complete annihilation, leaving the last of the Jie tribe desperate and forced to seek refuge with Xiao Yaoguang.

No wonder this race was considered a disgrace to Hua Xia; their extinction seemed justified.

After a few drinks, Mingtian discreetly listened to their conversation, gradually piecing together the situation and gathering necessary intelligence.

If they left without discovering him, Mingtian planned to leave Yangzhou.

The power struggles here were too complex.

There was Xiao Yaoguang, the resistance groups, the Jie tribe, and the Chaos Ripper.

But Mingtian’s plan was ultimately thwarted.

“By the way, Brother Yuwen, do you smell that?” The Jie tribesman resembling Billy sniffed curiously. “The moment I entered this place, I caught a strange fragrance—sweeter than two-legged sheep.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the one like Kui Ye agreed. “I’ve never smelled anything so fragrant.”

Yuwen Sha sniffed as well. Following the scent, five pairs of fierce eyes converged on Mingtian’s table.

Mingtian’s heart sank instantly.

Damn! Cooking too deliciously can also bring trouble!

.......................................

Please consider voting for this novel. Today at noon, I will prepare garlic ribs in the group chat, and tomorrow I will make the fortune-themed dim sum from chapters 82 and 83.

Why am I cooking? Well, I checked previous chapters and noticed some readers doubted my cooking skills. I don’t like arguing, so I’ve decided that any dish mentioned in this book will be made for you in the group chat if readers want to see it.

Of course, I can’t make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—it’s too expensive, even the cheapest version costs nearly a thousand and takes a whole day to prepare, unless you cover the ingredient costs and all readers agree to a one-day break in updates.