Chapter 23: Provocation

Inside the Sacred Fire Cave, Chief Hu Wei of the Luyu Tribe spoke with solemnity, "Today, witnessed by myself, our Witch Doctor Lu Li, and Elders Shi Yue, Hu Man, and Xiong Jiang, Feng Yu and Qi Yue shall perform their bonding ceremony. I ask that you both drop your blood onto the Guardian Stone and swear your oaths to the Beast God."

Feng Yu sliced his wrist and then Qi Yue’s. They pressed their wrists together, merging their wounds so that the mingled blood trickled onto the deep blue Guardian Stone that Feng Yu had produced. They knelt before the stone pedestal and began to swear, "Beast God above, I, Feng Yu, do hereby swear that from this day forward, I shall love Qi Yue more than my own life, share our existence, and protect her for all eternity."

At first, Qi Yue had assumed Feng Yu’s actions were simply customs of the Feng Yan Tribe. However, his oath left her stunned. It would be a lie to say she was not moved, but could she truly accept a commitment of such immense weight?

"Do not be afraid," Feng Yu said, patting her shoulder to comfort her. "I will not force you to return the same depth of feeling. Whatever choice you make, I will respect it."

Qi Yue looked at the firm resolve on Feng Yu’s face and swore her own oath: "Beast God above, I, Qi Yue, do hereby swear that from this day forward, I shall support and accompany Feng Yu, living in harmony with him for a lifetime."

To support and accompany, to live in harmony—these were things that could exist between friends, not just partners. If they ever chose to break the bond in the future, it would not be considered a betrayal of her oath.

At that moment, the deep blue Guardian Stone emitted a halo of light that illuminated the entire cave. It absorbed all the blood on its surface, and soon, intricate patterns of interwoven gold-red and sea-blue began to swirl across the stone, spreading until the entire surface was covered, at which point the light faded.

The Chief, the Witch Doctor, and the Elders watched in shock. First was the ancient ritual of merging wounds—a necessary step in early bonding ceremonies that created a lifelong, unbreakable contract. (This was, of course, Feng Yu’s selfish intent, though Qi Yue was unaware of it.)

Second was the Guardian Stone Feng Yu had produced. These stones were obtained by beast-men during their trial year in the Purgatory Forest upon reaching adulthood. They were ranked by grade, with those found deeper in the forest being of higher quality: purple being the highest, followed by blue, green, and white.

Finally, there was the weight of their oaths. They had not known each other for long, yet they had sworn to "share their lives and accompany each other for eternity."

Chief Hu Wei was the first to recover. "From this moment on, Feng Yu and Qi Yue are bonded as mates. You must love and assist one another; it is our duty as descendants of the divine beasts to multiply and bring forth offspring," he declared, concluding the ceremony once the contract patterns had fully manifested.

Feng Yu then took the stone and wiped it across Qi Yue’s wrist. The bloodstains vanished, and the wound closed as if it had never existed.

Qi Yue looked at the stone, her eyes shining. It was far more advanced than any medicinal salve. She took the stone from Feng Yu, used it to heal his wound, and then placed it against her own chest. It seemed to take root there; no one but Qi Yue could remove it, not even Feng Yu. This was the very reason Shi De had been unable to dissolve the contract before Qi Yue had awakened.

Lu Li and the Elders stepped forward to offer their congratulations before Qi Yue and Feng Yu departed together.

"Feng Yu, is the healing power of this stone limited to us, or can it be used on others? Like Chi’er? And why have I never heard of such a function before?" Qi Yue asked curiously.

"This stone only works for the two of us, so you must never take it off," Feng Yu explained. "The reason you hadn’t heard of it is because the stones found here are of low quality. You see, the Luyu Tribe is a common beast-man tribe; even those with the best bloodlines only have a few who sprout wings. My Feng Yan Tribe belongs to the Phoenix clan, descendants of divine beasts. Though our bloodline has thinned, one-fifth of our tribe possesses special elemental abilities—like my fire affinity. No one in this tribe can defeat me, so you no longer need to fear anyone. From now on, I will protect you."

"I understand," Qi Yue nodded. "With you backing us, we can live more freely."

"Exactly!" Feng Yu gave her an appreciative look.

"Is the bloodline connection between you and Chi’er something all beast-men have?" she asked.

"No, only descendants of divine beasts, and only between father and son. Females do not possess this ability, nor does it skip generations." Feng Yu began to teach her these common truths of their heritage, as she, too, was a descendant.

"By the way, Yue, we leave tomorrow. Is there anything you need to prepare today?"

"It’s inconvenient to prepare things here. Let’s go to the trade street. Tonight, let’s invite Bao Xue’er, Hu Yue, Ling’er, Lu Li, and Shi Yu for dinner—to say goodbye and thank them for their care."

"As you wish," Feng Yu said, holding her hand as if he held the entire world.

However, when they arrived at the trade street, they were met with insults and curses directed at Qi Yue. The words were vile, even dragging her parents into the mud. Feng Yu was incensed, but Qi Yue stood frozen.

As Feng Yu prepared to confront them, he felt Qi Yue’s hand tighten, holding him back. He turned to look at her; her expression was dark, and a storm seemed to be brewing in her deep blue eyes.

"No matter what I do, will you protect me?" she asked solemnly.

"Of course. Have you forgotten our oath?" he replied indignantly.

"Good. Then let us overthrow this era of the Luyu Tribe!" Qi Yue was filled with a fighting spirit that Feng Yu had never seen in any other female. She looked radiant, every part of her coming alive.

Qi Yue led Feng Yu to the summoning bell in the center of the square and struck it with all her might. The bell was meant for major events only. Feng Yu, seeing her strike it, took the hammer and rang it for her.

The tribespeople began to gather, confused. The Chief arrived, shouting, "Feng Yu, Qi Yue, what do you think you are doing? You have no respect for the rules!"

Seeing them ignore him, the Chief felt his authority challenged. Just as he moved to stop them, Feng Yu hung the hammer back in its place.