*Pfft!*
My goodness, after so many fights, this was the first time I'd seen blood spurt out like a small fountain.
I tossed the blood-stained spear aside. Seeing Anan's shoulder bleeding profusely, I quickly rummaged through my backpack, pulled out some hemostatic herbs, and applied them to Anan.
Perhaps the sight of blood stimulated Ada’s nerves. The once lifeless him suddenly seemed activated. He pulled out a short wooden whistle from his embrace and blew it with all his might.
*Whoosh--!*
The shrill whistle sound carried far. In no time, several warriors from the Du'an tribe arrived.
"Commander!"
By now, I had roughly bandaged Anan's injured shoulder with herbs, and seeing that the bleeding had stopped, Ada pointed at Anan on the ground.
"Take him to the shaman."
The Du'an warriors readily agreed, skillfully hoisting Anan up and heading into the tribe.
"Batu, I..."
Ada hesitated, his mouth opening but his eyes already reddening.
"I understand, I understand."
I extended my left hand, gently thumping Ada’s chest, and then helped him back into the tent.
As I lowered the tent flap, only Ada and I were left inside. Ada seemed to have exhausted the last ounce of strength in his body. He collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly upwards.
"Batu, I don't understand why the Great King would do this. We went through life and death together for decades, and in the end, he..."
The more emotional a person is, the deeper the hurt when betrayed by someone they trust.
To use a metaphor, Hu Tu was like a terrible player, and Ada was like an innocent young girl who had devoted herself to him for decades, only to be cruelly abandoned by the player.
"Ada, perhaps you've never truly seen what Hu Tu was like."
Seeing Ada’s dejected state, I hesitated for a moment before revealing what I had previously kept hidden.
Earlier, when I told Ada about the Shepherd God's Blessing ritual, I had only mentioned that Hu Tu was caught in the crossfire and died there. I hadn't mentioned that Hu Tu was a puppet secretly controlled by the High Priest.
I didn't tell him then because I didn't want to discourage Ada. But now, it seemed necessary.
"Hu Tu was the High Priest's deepest undercover agent. In fact, every generation’s tribal leader is the High Priest’s most loyal pawn."
"Perhaps you showed too much dissatisfaction with the High Priest in front of the previous Hu Tu, which forced Hu Tu to adopt this method to prevent you from participating in the Shepherd God's Blessing ritual."
Now that all the involved parties were buried in the temple, I couldn't possibly dig them up just to find an answer. Therefore, I could only try my best to piece together an answer using the available information.
"I understand."
Ada's reaction was exceptionally calm. Clearly, he hadn't taken in anything I said except for the initial sentence.
"Sigh." At this point, I didn't know what else I could say to comfort Ada. So, I simply said nothing more. I lifted the tent flap and walked out to look around.
Standing in front of the tent, I skillfully took out a cigarette from my backpack, lit it with relish, and took a puff.
I had experienced too much today. On one hand, I was locked in a battle of wits with cunning figures like the High Priest and the Shepherd God. On the other hand, I had to constantly guard against unexpected dangers.
If it weren't for my good luck and Mr. A's help, the ones standing before Ada now would likely be Hu Tu and the High Priest.
I took half the cigarette in one go and then extinguished it.
After everything that had happened at the Du'an tribe, I was now eager to return home.
I'd rather be with my close companions than in a savage tribe.
However, seeing Ada in his current state, I couldn't bring myself to leave him. Therefore, I chose to stay nearby to ensure his safety.
"Ada, inheriting the responsibility of tribal leader is something you cannot shirk. You need to pull yourself together."
Ada responded with a muffled "Mm" from his bed, but his tone was devoid of any life.
Just as I was about to try again and pull Ada out of his downward spiral of emotions, my pupils suddenly contracted.
Huh?!
Just now, I clearly saw a tiny sprout grow on Ada's neck. When I looked closer, I found nothing there.
Damn it, I've run into something supernatural.
My heart pounded, and without even time to question, I immediately lunged forward and grabbed Ada's wrist.
"Ada!"