Chapter 235: The Melody of the Zither and the Poem
That night, a massive bonfire was lit up, and the Beastmen of the Cave Lion Clan gathered around the flames to celebrate their victory over the malevolent magic pig that had wreaked havoc across the land. Alongside this, they also had enough food to last them through the winter.
The dried leaves and wood were piled up like a small mountain, and the fire burned fiercely in the autumn wind. Some Beastmen danced around the bonfire, beating drums made of animal skins. The rhythmic drumbeats and the distant songs carried everyone’s thoughts back to the legends of old.
[Through thorns and poisonous swamps]
[The King of Fangs crowned with iron]
[He throttled the serpent’s throat, making it submit.]
[Across the wasteland, over the snowy mountains]
[The King of Beasts wielding the greataxe]
[He toppled the mammoth, making it kneel.]
[Swimming across seven seas, leaping off cliffs.]
[The King of the Wilderness wearing grass boots]
[He seized the eagle’s wing, guiding its path.]
[Ah, Kedaren]
[King of all kings]
[King of beasts]
[He is the son of flame]
[He is the protector of hunters]
[He is the eternal king followed by countless warriors]
The Beastmen’s hearty voices echoed across the wilderness, under the vast, dark sky. Around the grand bonfire, people sang along with the dancing rhythms, occasionally adding a line to the ancient song.
This song told the legendary life of Kedaren, the founder of the Ferocious Fang Empire. The Beastmen had not given it a name, but human scholars called it “The Song of Fire.”
Lolan Hill sat on a wooden stump beside the bonfire, watching the Beastmen dance and sing together. Even Nia, sitting next to her, softly joined in a few lines.
The melody of the song was simple, with repetitive notes, yet when the lion-beastmen sang it, there was a peculiar charm. It brought a sense of exotic wilderness before Lolan Hill’s eyes.
Crimson flames reflected on her beautiful face, her white dress reaching her knees, slightly warmed by the distant fire. Lolan Hill opened her mouth, trying to follow the beat, softly reciting and learning the ancient song.
The simple melody was sung over and over again, and only after a long while did they gradually stop.
After flipping the meat several times, it was well-cooked. Several Beastmen took it off the fire, placing it on plates and distributing it among the crowd. Two of them specially brought portions to Lolan and Nia.
“Thank you.”
The crispy, tender roasted meat was sprinkled with salt and purple-tailed seeds. The purple-tailed seeds were a common local spice, a type of grass seed, which gave off a unique fragrance when baked, helping to dispel the gamey taste and enhance the flavor.
Unlike other Beastmen who ate meat with milk wine, Lolan took out a cup of water and used chopsticks to eat it in small bites.
Due to the enormous size of the magic pig, tonight’s celebration allowed everyone to indulge in eating meat freely. Many Beastmen wore smiles on their faces, and some children played joyfully among the crowd, occasionally being called back by their elders. Some Beastmen laughed and offered their roasted meat to the younger ones, urging them to eat more.
After dinner, some Beastmen began to wrestle bare-handed. These nomadic tribes did not have many entertainment activities. Besides eating and dancing at banquets, wrestling was one of the few forms of amusement.
Many Beastmen watching from the sides cheered for their companions, while others formed small circles, learning to sing or tell stories.
“So, Kedaren made each tribe submit one by one, raising the fang banner high, becoming the king of all Beastmen.”
Lolan, Nia, and about a dozen Beastmen sat around the old shaman, listening to him recount the ancient past and legends.
Kedaren, the founder of the Ferocious Fang Empire, claimed to be the son of fire. He obtained the heritage of the Giant King’s court from the Sea of Fire, unified the scattered Beastman tribes, and established a nation, fighting against the expansion of the Elven Kingdoms on the plains and wastelands. At that time, he was an ally of the Ogre Kingdom.
In the First Era, the establishment of the Crimson Empire marked the first rise of humanity, which clashed with the Beastman Empire. Unfortunately, the Crimson Empire was destroyed centuries later, obliterated by the Beastmen. However, the extraordinary beings with knowledge and ability cultivated by the Crimson Empire did not all perish; they scattered in various directions, some hiding in the Sighing Mountains, others crossing the sea eastward, and some moving southward.
A small group of them pondered ways to defeat their enemies and eventually discovered the extraordinary power of the Necromancer Sequence. Using corpses and spirits as the core, they drove skeletons and ghosts. These fearless undead fought against flesh-and-blood bodies, gaining significant advantages. Within a few decades, the Necromancer Sequence expanded rapidly among humans, like a vast ocean of bone armies spreading across the earth, extinguishing life’s fires, and hunting down their former enemies.
The Purple Wisteria Crescent Flag spread across the land, ultimately driving the remnants of the Beastman race to the ancient Fia Grassland. The Ogres and Silver Elves were exterminated, the Ice Elves sailed overseas, and the Forest Elves retreated into the woods. Thus, the world entered the Second Era.
After the old shaman finished telling the story of Kedaren, other Beastmen also shared various legends, some about heroes, others about tragic love stories. Their faces reflected the firelight, sometimes gesturing to depict scenes from the stories, sometimes quoting famous sayings and words, their expressions vivid and exaggerated, captivating everyone’s attention, drawing them into the tales.
“Lolan Miss, do you remember any stories or poems? You can share them with us. We are all familiar with these things from the grasslands, and they no longer feel new,” the old shaman asked, smiling at the enraptured girl, his voice old yet warm.
“I…” Lolan Hill hesitated for a moment. Long stories would definitely not fit the occasion, and short ones she knew mostly consisted of fairy tales, which these Beastmen might not find interesting.
She decided to sing a simple song instead. Rising to her feet, she returned to her tent, then retrieved a lute from a ring, the one she had practiced with at school. Unexpectedly, it came in handy at this moment.
The lute’s body was made of rosewood, with a mahogany neck and six strings. Gently strumming it produced a pleasant sound.
The white-dressed girl walked back, holding the lute lightly, and sat down again. Closing her eyes, she placed one hand on the neck and plucked the strings with the other, her clear voice echoing gently under the vast night sky.
Gently, she walked by,
Her lips, as round as June berries,
Red as roses, red as roses.
Her skin, pale as moonlight,
Gently, she walked by,
Her eyes, as blue as the sea and sky,
Clear as flowing water, clear as flowing water,
Her heart, burning like a bonfire at night.
Her voice was soft and melodious, though the song was by an unknown author, the beauty in the song gradually merged with the girl before them in the eyes of the crowd.
The cold moonlight shone through the gauze, the night fire reflected on her face.
Thank you to Tangmen Infantry, Fish Seven Loves Reading, Apricot Dry Foam, Jiang0018, and Reader 20200830082018978 for your support.
(End of Chapter)
