Chapter 447 - Elders of Great Moon
After a day, Moon Prayer Hall had already changed its appearance!
Yesterday, when the corpses drenched in blood were scattered around the Moon Prayer Hall, it resembled the Hall of the Hell King. Dozens of lives from the Great Moon Tribe and Shatu people had perished here. After yesterday’s cleaning, the corpse and blood inside the hall were gone without a single trace left. Only those who were attentive enough would be able to smell the indistinct scent of blood inside the hall. The stench of blood had mostly been covered by the smell of burning incense inside.
The next morning, Yan Liqiang was invited by Chief Seranchi of the Great Moon Tribe to attend an important internal meeting.
Aside from Yan Liqiang, Seranchi, and Selena, the ‘remaining great’ four elders of Great Moon Tribe attended the meeting too.
Among the four elders of the Great Moon Tribe, Elder Mutu had lost an arm and was considered handicapped. However, he still insisted on joining the meeting. The three elders — Elder Ghan, Elder Pimond, and Elder Ruda were all injured with different severities. Yan Liqiang had met all of them yesterday, so they weren’t complete strangers to him. However, the meeting this time allowed him to learn the names of all the elders.
Of course, Yan Liqiang did not need to do any self-introductions as all the elders knew the name of this expert was ‘Long Aotian’. Yan Liqiang’s capability had already left an unforgettable impression on the elders since yesterday’s battle. When they met Yan Liqiang today, their gazes were filled with respect.
“I believe everyone is aware of what happened yesterday so I do not need to disclose any unnecessary details here!” At the start of the meeting, Chief Seranchi had already displayed the powerful vigor, confidence, and control as the chief of the Great Moon Tribe. She swept her eyes across the few elders, but as soon as her eyes landed on Yan Liqiang, she quickly averted her gaze as though she was afraid of making eye contact with him. “At this moment, our Great Moon Tribe is in a critical situation. The reason why I have gathered all the elders in this meeting is to announce an important matter!”
“Chief Seranchi, please be straightforward with us if there’s anything. After all, we have just survived such an ordeal yesterday and were given a second chance to live. There is nothing else to fear now. Worst comes to worst, we can go heads on once more with the Shatu people!” Elder Ghan was the first to declare his opinion. The other three elders exchanged glances and nodded.
“This is the moment that our Great Moon Tribe will unite as one. With the death of traitor Gezhong, those who remain are united with you, Chief Seranchi. You can go ahead and announce any decision that you have made!” Elder Mutu spoke up even though he was still a little weak.
“Alright, the first thing that I wish to announce is that from today onward, Selena will be promoted as an elder of the Great Moon Tribe. She will be replacing Gezhong in the administrative role of taking charge of all matters related to the Moon Prayer Hall!”
Selena, who sat beside the long table, solemnly nodded to all the other elders when her mother introduced her.
The few elders looked at each other and nodded to her. At the moment, Selena was the sole candidate for the chief of the Great Moon Tribe to replace Seranchi’s role in the future. According to the tradition of the Great Moon Tribe, the little princess who was chosen to assume the role of a chief would need to first assume the role of an elder as practice. Selena had brought ‘Lord Long’ during a critical time and saved everybody yesterday. She had made a major contribution and based upon this, Selena was considered to have grown as an individual. Thus, she was qualified to assume the role of an elder. Furthermore, the Great Moon Tribe had suddenly lost three elders, so they couldn’t afford to be picky about Chief Seranchi’s choice of letting Selena take up the role of an elder.
“Any objections?” Seranchi swept her glance over the faces of the elders.
“No objections from us!” All four elders nodded.
The first resolution was considered approved.
The newly-appointed elder, Selena, turned her head and smiled at Yan Liqiang. He nodded and gave an eye signal to Selena reminding her not to be mischievous —— underneath the table, Selena was caressing Yan Liqiang’s leg with her foot. While the other elders were unable to see it due to the viewing angle, only Yan Liqiang could feel it.
“The second announcement for today is related to Lord Long!” Seranchi’s sight finally fell on Yan Liqiang’s face for a very brief moment. She didn’t dare to look into Yan Liqiang’s eyes that could see through hearts. The experience yesterday was too terrifying for her to bear. She took a deep breath and said, “I have already discussed with Lord Long and pleaded for him to stand alongside with the Great Moon Tribe, taking up the role as Elder Guardian. He will be with us throughout the crisis and assist us in confronting the threats from the Shatu people!”
Elder Guardian was a highly respected position among the Great Moon Tribe. The position of the Elder Guardian was usually left vacant and was only filled in very rare occasions. Elder Guardian signified that whoever appointed would be the adviser of the Great Moon Tribe. The position held an enormous amount of authority within the Great Moon Tribe and was above all ordinary elders. Aside from being incomparable to the chief, the Elder Guardian was the one who was truly above a million people and even the chief could not give commands to the Elder Guardian. In the history of the Great Moon Tribe, those who were appointed as the Elder Guardian were not people from the Great Moon Tribe but the noble people who had helped the Great Moon Tribe...
Seranchi’s announcement was beyond the few elders’ expectations. However, when they thought over it in detail, it was within their expectations as at this very moment, the Great Moon Tribe indeed needed a powerful person like ‘Lord Long’ to protect them.
“Are there any objections?” Seranchi asked after a pause for the elders to digest the information.
“Agree. We agree!”
“This position should be granted to none other than Lord Long!”
“Even if Chief Seranchi had not thought about it, I would’ve also suggested Lord Long to be the Elder Guardian of the Great Moon Tribe!”
Thinking of how Yan Liqiang had killed Morbeto yesterday in this very hall, the elders could not possibly have any objections. Not only that, they even felt relieved. It was as if the Great Moon Tribe was a sky that was about to collapse and a capable person finally went on top to hold it up. Everyone nodded in agreement!
“Ahem... since all the elders agree, I would like to say a few words. I will be very straightforward and I hope nobody will feel offended by it!” Yan Liqiang stared at the elders and spoke with an imperious manner, “Firstly, I agreed to this position because Chief Seranchi pleaded me, I did not want this in the first place. I accepted the position because I have long disliked the Shatu people and I am not afraid of getting into any trouble. Secondly, I have a bad temper and I would go around killing if I get angry. I dislike people who play tricks with me and hold me back. Just be straightforward with me. I will do what’s required for this role and I would like to request all elders to not create a chance for me to show my temper. Otherwise, do not blame me for not warning beforehand. Lastly, I will not be staying long on Mount Jade Dragon, so all of you need not worry. I will not settle down here and take away your power since I have no interest in doing so. Alright, I have come to the end of my speech...”
Seeing that all the elders were completely silent, Chief Seranchi lightly coughed, “That will be all for the tribe meeting this morning. All elders are dismissed. Everyone may return to their respective tasks and stay vigilant within the mountain. Elder Long, please stay back as I have something to discuss with you!”
The elders exchanged glances and left in succession. Even Selena left after Seranchi signaled for her to leave with her eyes. Within seconds, only Yan Liqiang and Seranchi were left in the Moon Prayer Hall.
“How was it? Are you satisfied?” Even if it was just the two of them, Seranchi still could not gather the courage to look straight into Yan Liqiang’s eyes. She lowered her gaze and tried her best to speak calmly, “What’s your next plan?”
“The Shatu people only understand the messages delivered by swords and blood. The next step is pretty simple, it is just one word — kill. We only have to determine how to kill. This morning you will have to select a hundred archers within the Great Moon Tribe who are not afraid of death. Then, find a few clever individuals who are proficient in the Shatu language. Let them wear the clothes that were taken off from the dead Shatu people from yesterday and prepare a set for me too. I will make a move this very afternoon!” Yan Liqiang said as he walked toward the doors of the Moon Prayer Hall...
“Ah...” Upon hearing Yan Liqiang’s instructions, Seranchi finally lifted her face to look at Yan Liqiang in shock.
Yan Liqiang suddenly turned over his head and winked at the beautiful lady in front of him. “I forgot to tell you yesterday that you are very cute when you blush. And of course you are even cuter when you act as the chief...”