Chapter 8 – The most beautiful word in the world (2/2)

Those few older kids approached. Shao Xuan looked at them and clapped his hands, “Get up! Everyone get up if you are not sleeping!”

Aside from those sound sleepers, everyone in the cave gradually came around.

Shao Xuan began his speech when he saw most of the kids were already here, and he spoke as he stared at those older kids in the front, “I know you are not convinced that I am the one to replace Ku and you want to take me down, so that you can take Ku’s former position! You kept yourselves awake to do just that, right? But! Just know that Uncle Ge was the one that put me in charge! You can just go find Uncle Ge if you have any problems, resentments, complaints or grievances towards his decision! Troubling me won’t help even a little bit!”

Those kids standing in the front frowned and clearly they were thinking the possibility of approaching Ge. Should they discuss it with Ge? Or perhaps Ge would be angry? Will he stop delivering food if he’s angry? Then would they be starved without food? That way seemed impossible. The older kids had more thoughts than younger ones after all.

Xuan looked around and continued, “Have you ever wondered why I get to take Ku’s position? I’m younger and shorter than you guys, and I’m not even as strong as you. Why did Uncle Ge put me in charge?!”

“Because I’m better than you with more ability!” Shao Xuan said firmly and he did not blink twice for lying in front of everyone. In fact, how could Shao Xuan learn about the delivery man’s mind? He was thinking about having a good discussion about it with Ge tomorrow, himself. But at the moment, what he needed to do was to go through the night first by astonishing and alarming those little “wolf cubs”, or else he’ll have to watch his back all the time, in case they would unite together to mess around with him.

Shao Xuan did think about some soft ways, but those little bastards were too tough to handle. You couldn’t reason with them and based on Shao Xuan’s observation, Ge’s decision wouldn’t be changed in a short period of time. So, having been made responsible, Shao Xuan would have to be responsible for a while, and maybe longer. This left Shao Xuan no choice but to be mighty and handle the trouble once and for all.

The kids standing in the front were angry about Shao Xuan’s words; some even raised their eyebrows. But before they could speak, they got roared back by Shao Xuan, “All of you, keep your mouths shut!”

Then Shao Xuan shouted out, “Caesar!”

Caesar was waiting outside, and he promptly dragged the fish in at Shao Xuan’s call.

All eyes were fixed on Caesar until Shao Xuan went for the fish and lifted it up. Then they noticed that there was something else.

“See that? I hunted it and brought it back!”

Shao Xuan untied the straw rope to reveal the fish’s whole body, and he lifted it with its tail so that the kids might have a clearer view.

Many fish lacked eyelids and could not blink, so their eyes remained wide open even when they were dead.

Under the not-so-bright fire lights, the fish’s red eyes appeared to be somewhat strange and dim. Its mouth opened and closed as Shao Xuan waved his hand, so the surrounding kids might see the numerous tiny sharp teeth in its mouth. The dirt on its scales got wiped out, so the fish reflected ghostly luminescence, which added the night’s coldness.

The kids at the front couldn’t help but take a step back. A minute earlier they were glaring at Shao Xuan, but now their eyes were filled with heavy fear and vigilance. In the meantime, their look towards Shao Xuan turned from hostile to discrete.

The tribe admires the strong. Powerful warriors may receive the expectation and worship from the entire tribe, and most of the time, people preferred simple and easy solutions when faced with troubles, and that solution was namely violence. Except for fighting each other, there was a simpler way to compete; by showing their game. Normally, a better game represented a stronger warrior.

For now, they were merely children with no totem power. This meant none of them were a totem warrior who could hunt outside, let alone bring any game back unless they robbed things from other kids. Hunting such a ferocious creature was impossible for each and every one of them.

It was obviously a tough creature. Look at its teeth! One could get bit very hard by those teeth!

“Can you hunt? Are you able to bring back such game, or any other edible things? Could you? You? Or you? Are any of you be able to do that?!”

The kids pointed at by Shao Xuan shrank backward again and shook their heads.

“Obviously you can’t! So swallow all your resentment and emotions down, since you can’t!”

After you punch someone with a stick, you’d better offer a carrot, so Shao Xuan needed to comfort them since he had already delivered his lecture.

He lifted the fish again.

“This is the gift I prepared for you all since today’s my first day in charge!”

The crowd was quiet at his words, and it took a while for some kid to ask in a trembling voice, “What does ‘gift’ mean?”

Another older kid continued the question, “Edible?”

Shao Xuan was shocked and then said, “…Yes.” So tiring.

Hong…

The atmosphere in the cave suddenly got heated up.

All emotions like resentment, vigilance, and grievances were gone in the wind.