Chapter 152 – Arrival (2/2)

Although the boat was made of sturdy materials that had lasted through twenty days of travel, after its countless collisions and bites from the many fish, a noticeable wear could be seen. There were even a couple of holes on the bottom. Even though Shao Xuan had plugged them up to prevent water from seeping in, it could be said that the canoe was at the end of its life.

Shao Xuan took all the remaining things he needed and put them in his bag, waiting for Chacha to come back and fly him to shore.

Without Chacha to pull the canoe along, it got dragged into the currents and quickly disappeared into oblivion.

The winds got stronger once again, and without a clear direction, they almost lost control and crashed into the muddy slope.

“Higher, partner! Use some more strength!” Shao Xuan shouted as he firmly grab hold onto Chacha.

Chacha exerted all his strength and flapped his wings, flying up.

While flying, Shao Xuan suddenly shouted, “Wait! Over there!”

Although he did not understand why Shao Xuan instructed him to do so, Chacha complied, flying towards the direction he was pointed towards.

Shao Xuan quickly spotted a figure trapped in the mud with water flowing all around.

“Save… me!” That person cried out with his hoarse voice. It was evident that he had been shouting for a while. Only, there was nobody to hear him, and it looked like he was almost out of strength as he was gasping for air.

The person that was trapped did not look old since his whole body was caked in mud. He had already sunk two thirds of the way down, and was getting tangled by the water plants.

It was difficult for Chacha to go near. Therefore, Shao Xuan had Chacha hold one end of the grass rope, and tied the other end to himself, jumping down.

“Extend your hand!” Shao Xuan shouted.

Seeing Shao Xuan jump down from the eagle’s back, the opposite side stilled in a dazed for a second before quickly extending both of his arms.

Shao Xuan clamped onto his hands as he pulled him up.

Yet, the water plants were tangled too tight around the man, and if Shao Xuan continued to forcibly pull up, the person’s arms might be pulled off.

Freeing a hand, Shao Xuan had Chacha come even closer as he took out a stone knife and hacked at the plants.

While Shao Xuan was pulling the man up, the man was also exerting every last bit of his strength to try and free himself from his constraints.

Shao Xuan discovered that, although the man’s face was covered with mud, making his features unclear, his two eyes were as sharp as swords. It gave people a merciless and an ice-cold feeling.

Not knowing which tribe he was from, Shao Xuan started to ponder.

Before Shao Xuan had left, he had specifically gone to the Shaman to learn all he could about what may lie out there, he had even read through almost all of the animal hide scrolls the Shaman possesed. However, Shao Xuan knew too little about the man in front of him to be able to identify who he was.

Slowly but surely, the man had started to be pulled free from the mud and Chacha started flying higher.

And so, when they landed and Shao Xuan’s feet touched solid ground, he felt rich emotions swelling up inside him. He had truly stayed afloat on the river for too long.

With both feet on solid ground, he felt alot sturdier.

Chacha stood on a grassy field as well, stepping a few times.

As for the person Shao Xuan had saved, it appeared he was actually a child. He was on alert towards Shao Xuan, even though he had just saved the kid’s life.

The other side did not say anything, and Shao Xuan did not ask. After calming down, he started taking note of his surroundings.

Traces of life around here weren’t that noticeable, but some tracks could be made out. There were also mountains far out, but this area was predominantly covered in mud, with a lot of holes that gathered water. And so, these naturally forming holes created varying sized pools of water. Apart from this, Shao Xuan had found claw and teeth marks on several rocks around him. This was not something humans could do….

From inside the water?

However, Shao Xuan did not feel any danger from within the pool. Chacha also agreed with him. Unless the creatures in the pond were hiding very well, there was absolutely nothing inside.

The person Shao Xuan had saved quietly laid down, gasping for breath. Although he did not speak, his eyes were incessantly examining Shao Xuan and Chacha.

Finally, the child couldn’t hold it in.

“Who are you? Why would you appear in our tribe?” He asked.

“Your tribe? Which tribe are you from?” Shao Xuan asked as the kid was still being incredibly vigilant. Then he continued, “My eagle and I are from distant lands, I came by boat. The river had started to decline too quickly so we rushed onto shore, as our boat had already been washed away by the water. I don’t know how far we’ve travelled”.

“How long were you in the river?” The other party did not believe Shao Xuan’s words as he could hear that Shao Xuan’s words were filled with doubt. He found it odd for Shao Xuan to not be aware of his tribe.

“Twenty some days.” Shao Xuan answered.