Chapter Eleven: Resolve Amidst the Rise and Fall of the Tribe

The rise and fall of the tribe matters to me, of course, but as for you, I cannot trust you. The shaman's words were tinged with coldness. "I am not as naive as the chieftain. The chieftain believes that a little compromise might enable even a man-eating tiger to cooperate, but in doing so, he has buried his own life. Isn’t that laughable?"

Knowing nothing about Spirit Butterfly and still harboring a sense of luck, the shaman felt it was truly unwise. Allowing Spirit Butterfly to roam freely would bring endless troubles in the future.

"In my eyes, the fate of the tribe and the totem are intertwined, inseparable. I never agreed with the chieftain’s way, yet I thought it could be a path to preserve the tribe. However, to consort with demons, one must be prepared to feed the demon with one’s own flesh."

To the shaman, an outsider like Spirit Butterfly was utterly untrustworthy. Of course, it wasn’t that the chieftain found Spirit Butterfly trustworthy—he simply felt that Spirit Butterfly was undefeatable, lost the courage to fight, saw no hope of victory, and thus pinned his hopes on Spirit Butterfly’s mercy.

"So Spirit Bamboo is trustworthy in your eyes? You’re being too naive. If Spirit Bamboo hadn’t refrained from interfering, would it have been so easy for me to seize the chieftain’s body?"

Ye Chen still tried to persuade. If the shaman’s resolve could be shaken, perhaps there would be no need to eliminate him. After all, for the tribe, the shaman was important. Of course, if he remained obstinate, that was a different matter.

Ye Chen let out a cold laugh. "Totems have always looked down upon you Bamboo Tribe people, treating you like lambs, taking whatever they wish. Is that so surprising? There’s no real difference; how is Spirit Bamboo any more trustworthy than I?"

"I seized the chieftain’s body for personal gain; there’s no sentiment between us. What’s wrong with acting thus? Spirit Bamboo, on the other hand, has received much from the tribe, yet at the crucial moment, coldly watched the chieftain suffer, never truly tried to stop me. How can you place such trust in him? Aren’t you afraid your devotion will be wasted, that your persistence and concern are nothing but wishful thinking?"

The shaman’s face darkened. They were already enemies, and there was no need for much talk. But when it came to Spirit Bamboo, he could not let Ye Chen slander him at will.

"The chieftain wavered, and Spirit Bamboo didn’t strike against him for it, only watched from the sidelines. That’s already a form of mercy."

Though the chieftain’s death pained the shaman, for they had shared many hardships, he felt the chieftain had been too clever for his own good, and in the end, it cost him his life. One could hardly blame Spirit Bamboo for not intervening. Besides, Spirit Bamboo was gravely wounded; how much strength he had left was uncertain.

Ye Chen scoffed at the shaman’s words. "Wavered? How is that wavering? The chieftain simply didn’t want to get involved in my struggle with Spirit Bamboo. It’s not that he sided with me."

"You call it wavering, betrayal, only because you believe the chieftain and the entire Bamboo Tribe are vassals of the totem, obligated to sacrifice themselves for the totem’s benefit, even to die for it."

"But in my eyes, the totem and the tribe are partners. The totem receives incense and blessings from the tribe, thus grants them protection. The relationship is equal. Given that, how can you demand the tribe to risk their lives—endanger the entire tribe—against an invincible foe?"

---

The shaman felt confused by Ye Chen’s arguments; there seemed some logic in his words, but it clashed profoundly with the shaman’s beliefs.

"Utter nonsense. Are you saying that when the totem faces danger, the tribe should just ignore it? Is that right?"

The shaman sneered, "If that’s so, aren’t you afraid today’s events will repeat themselves in the future? Even if you claim the totem’s honored seat, one day when you face a formidable enemy, the tribe may abandon you without a second thought."

Ye Chen seemed unfazed by the shaman’s retort, smiling lightly. "If the tribe can remain impartial and simply watch when confronted by an unbeatable enemy, I would be deeply grateful."

"Easy for you to say."

The shaman did not believe Ye Chen at all, his gaze cold. "No matter how you talk, you are not to be trusted."

Ye Chen gave a wry smile; persuading the shaman was evidently not so simple.

He was not disappointed, though. The shaman was always stubborn; if he were dealing with the chieftain, the outcome might have been different.

Yet even with the chieftain, Ye Chen could not place his trust—at a critical moment, he might be betrayed, which would be disastrous. In comparison, Ye Chen admired the shaman more, and the greater the admiration, the heavier the killing intent in his heart.

The chieftain’s soul had fallen into the Void Realm, not erased directly by Ye Chen.

Within the Void Realm, bamboo groves and rivers appeared, becoming far more real, almost indistinguishable from the outside world. Of course, if one looked closely, there were still blurry areas—like mosaics—places where memory failed, making the Void Realm incomplete.

The chieftain was dazed, never expecting to end up like this.

"I thought I’d be of some value. It’s laughable now. Whether Spirit Bamboo or Spirit Butterfly prevails, neither can truly accept me."

The chieftain muttered inwardly. "I broke the taboo, cannot suffer together. I’m like a fishbone stuck in the throat—unlikely to make much difference, yet always a source of discomfort."

"I just didn’t expect them to act against me so soon. Spirit Butterfly’s foundation isn’t stable; to strike at me in haste seems wrong. At least wait until he’s rooted in the tribe, then if he wants to kill me, there’d be some logic. Yet he moved against me—why not simply finish me off?"

---

In the Void Realm, though the chieftain was reduced to a soul, he seemed to possess flesh and blood, able to speak. Such was the peculiar nature of the Void Realm.

"Naturally, it’s because you still have your uses."

Ye Chen’s voice sounded, calm. "I know little about the Bamboo Tribe; I still need you."

His words drew a bitter smile from the chieftain. Yes, he still had value. That had been his hope—thinking that even if Spirit Butterfly prevailed, he would maintain the status quo for a while.

Though he was unfamiliar with Spirit Butterfly, unlike Spirit Bamboo, if he lacked strength and couldn’t change things, he would accept his fate. He saw nothing wrong in that.

He simply hadn’t expected Spirit Butterfly to act so unconventionally. When had a totem ever personally intervened? The chieftain, for all his apparent authority, was born to labor, insignificant. As a totem, being worshipped and enjoying incense and blessings—wasn’t that good enough? Spirit Butterfly’s actions now were truly outrageous.

Ye Chen ignored the chieftain. A wisp of his soul fell into the chieftain’s Niwan Palace, using incense power to dissolve the barrier. At last, soul and flesh were fully united, and Ye Chen felt the power the body brought.

Before this, his soul floated in the air, rootless—like willow catkins in the wind—ready to depart the chieftain’s body at any moment. Now, united with flesh, the soul could no longer easily leave. This seemed a drawback, but in truth, it was the body’s protection for the soul.

The body is a shell; the soul is fragile. Without Ye Chen’s use of incense power, blending spiritual light with his soul, a touch of harsh sun or a cold breeze would scatter the soul to ashes.

Ye Chen’s soul power was now divided in two, causing him some injury. Harm to his soul was hard to heal, but for his future path, it was crucial—something he had to do. After all, to drive the tribe forward, he could not rely on others.

Ye Chen moved his arm, still bound. He gazed coldly at the shaman and said in a deep voice, "Untie it."

He could easily use incense power to sever the ropes, yet he wanted to see how strong the shaman’s resistance remained.

Or perhaps, he wanted to know how much the tribe meant to the shaman. After all, if Ye Chen truly grew angry, he could bring disaster upon the tribe.