After listening to the twins describing the whole situation, Shao Xuan finally understood why there was a fight
Although in the eyes of the people living in the mountain foot area, the group leader of small hunting groups were already remarkable people, however, things were different up here. Qiao and Mai were far from the upper class.
As far as Shao Xuan knew, there were quite a lot of kids here, with their parents serving as small hunting group leaders in the hunting teams. That was nothing much, but their grandparents had been in important or even crucial positions in the tribe. For example, the team leader, the chef, and some kids even had some predecessors that were the Shaman in the tribe. The reputation and family power had been piling up for centuries, and they had obvious advantages over other people in the tribe, and were as well highly respected for their positions.
Compared with that, the twins from Mai and Qiao were only some kids with rich parents but no background.
Also, the twins barely went to this training place for kids, instead, they would be brought to the real training grounds by their parents. Many children had similar experiences. They had someone protecting them from being hurt, surrounded by awakened totem warriors. However, it was winter now. In the past, Yang and Guang were both young, and they would refuse to go outside during winter. So they had never been to this special “kids” training ground in the past.
The twins were friends with most of the kids related to Mai’s hunting group, and they were not so familiar with other kids up in the mountaintop. But this year, the twins decided to have a proper training and exercise in order to have their totem powers awakened by the end of the season.
It was just that they did not fully understand the situation in this training place, as well as the rules in here.
Since it was a training place especially designed and developed for kids, no adult would ever meddle with the affairs in the training place. Both the management and the rules were set by the non-awakened kids. Even their ancestors had their teen period. Many of the rules set by them were still used till now.
Well, the rule in here was: You must hang your nameplate if you want to train yourself here.
The so called “Hang your nameplate” meant that you must put a stone plate with your name carved on it on the tall stone tree, which was on the edge of the training ground. You would only have the authority to enter the training place after you did that.
There was a stone tree by the edge of the training place. When Shao Xuan first saw it, he assumed it to be a telephone pole or something. When he got closer to it and observed it while touched it with his hands, he realized that it was not a telephone pole, but a real tree.
This stone tree had a long history, perhaps it was already hundreds of years old. It was said that the stone tree had existed when the training place was first built. However, it was growing very slow. Even after 10 years, you couldn’t see its growth.
The ancestors left this tree here, and now the tree became the one who decides the eligibility of whoever that enters the training place.
The stone tree had the width of nearly two people, and was over 50 meters tall. It was thin but tall, and there were a few branches on the top, while the rest of it was pure trunk. In other seasons, people would climb along the trunk until they hung their name plates on one of the branches. One day in the future, when they became a real totem warrior, they would climb up the stone tree again to fetch their nameplates back as a final farewell to this training place.
It was as equal to a sincere ceremony, and became a tradition over the centuries.
Normally, that was not so difficult a task for the twins. Although the tree looked like stone, but the trunk’s surface was rough like bark, just like any other tree. Climbing up was not too hard for them.
Normally, the rules could be altered a little under special occasions. For example, in a weather like this, it was totally impossible to climb a stone tree. However, today the situation was a little tricky.
Two packs of kids were about to have a fight, and whoever wins could train in the training place for the next twenty days, while the lost party would not be allowed to stay in here any longer.
These kinds of fights existed every winter, because many kids were preparing for the awakening at the end of the season. In order to keep fit and maintain the best condition for the pre-selection before winter ends, they would fight as hard as they could to win training time in this place.
This was the only open ground in the upper half of the mountain which was suitable for things like throwing and other kinds of trainings. There were a few open grounds in the mountain foot area, but they did not want to go there.
Moreover, having a spot in this training place represented one’s status. Being brought in here meant great honor, even if one was only standing in the training place, watching the others train. Ku, for example, was brought here by someone else. It was just that he was not qualified enough to train himself here, for he did not hang his nameplate on the stone tree. Even so, he often bragged about this experience to other kids in the mountain foot area.
Originally, the training schedule told kids to take turns to do the training, for example, one party could come here and train themselves for the first ten days, and then the other party for the next ten days, and so on in turns. However, every time in this season, it became a total combat of physical strength.
Naturally, people in the tribe handled all the problems with violence.
Many people in the tribe believed that it was beneficial for kids of the tribe to fight each other, and they admired this violent way to solve problems.
No matter whose turn it was to use this training place, everyone’s thoughts were the same: We need to use this place right now. Will you step aside? No? Then let’s fight.
Winning meant being right, no matter what. Losing meant being wrong, no matter what.
In this training place, fighting over territories was always handled like that.
Whenever this time came, every party would call on their friends and families to come over to help, including the already-awakened totem warriors. Shao Xuan saw Mao and Mo-Er. Normally, they would not meddle with the fights by participating. Instead, the awakened totem warriors were only here to observe as well as cheer them on.
The two parties belonged to two different camps. Some of them were from Ta’s hunting team, and the others were from Gui He’s hunting team.
Just then, the twins, Yang and Guang, came to join the crowd. Their friends from one party naturally welcomed their joining, however, the other party disagreed and suppressed them by the tradition, and said that they should stick to it. Then, arguments became fights, and the twins did not hold back their temper, but chose to kick them directly.
The kid that just got kicked by Ah-Guang taunted the twins for “Being afraid of the height”.
Having learnt what happened exactly, Shao Xuan looked at that stone tree.
Unlike other trees, the stone tree had a thick layer of ice on its surface. With the premise of not damaging the stone tree, it was very difficult for anyone to climb up and hang the nameplate on the top.
Even a totem warrior would hesitate if he or she had to climb up under that condition.
Watching the twins wrapped in thick animal skin clothes like two fat dumplings, Shao Xuan glimpsed at the 50 meter tall tree. The twins would just slip down along the trunk once they jumped on the tree, let alone climbing up.
“No stone tools allowed?” asked Shao Xuan.
“No. That would damage the stone tree. But you can always use ropes.” The one who answered was of the same age with Yang and Guang. He was very arrogant, and had a fierce face.
After that, Meng smirked at the twins, as if saying, ‘Aren’t you proud of your strength? Now you can use it!’
“His name is Meng. He is the worst! He is the one who stopped us from entering.” Ah-Guang filled Shao Xuan in.
The weather was very cold, with icy wind and heavy snow in the air. Many non-awakened children were freezing in the air. They thought that the twins should just give it up, for they could not be able to do so anyway. Why waste the time? They wanted to see the final fight! They were not here to freeze in the cold.
“So, what do you want now?” Shao Xuan looked at the twins.
These two kids’ looks became depressed immediately. Even though they were full of tricks usually, they could not think of anything that they could do.
“Actually, I think that this thing can wait. Later when we finish the fight, this place would belong to us for the next twenty days. You can train in here later.” Mao came towards them and said.
One child behind Meng sneered at Mao’s words, “As if you could just win the combat!”
The two parties were only one step away from entering another quarrel, Shao Xuan shook his head. The combat between the two parties was one thing, but the qualifications of entering the place was still the topic that they clung to.
“In fact, this is not that difficult.” Said Shao Xuan.
Kids from the two parties all looked at Shao Xuan immediately by hearing his words.
Not that difficult?
He must be bragging!
Not only Meng and his companions, people from Mao’s side also looked at Shao Xuan curiously. They had no clue why Shao Xuan said that.
“No stone tools allowed?” asked Shao Xuan again.
“Sure!” said Meng.
“No help from other people?”
“Definitely!”
“So aside from that, any means are allowed?”
“Yes, you bet!”
“Then this is simple.”
As saying so, Shao Xuan put two fingers in his mouth under the curious stare of many eyes, and whistled.