Chapter 776 — Vine Armor Letting Shang fight against the eldest senior brother wasn’t such a good idea—at least that’s how Shaman, Shang, and a few others saw it. After all, weapons have no eyes, and Shang’s usual bronze halberd was too sharp. If it accidentally pierced the Vine armor and caused some unforeseen injury to the eldest senior brother behind it, that would be very distressing. Such worries made them feel uneasy. Of course, Han Cheng had considered the possibility of accidental injury and had already prepared countermeasures. After all, he only wanted to use this fight to let the tribe truly realize the importance of armor, not to change the tribe’s leader. “It’s fine, there won’t be any big problems. I have a way…” Han Cheng waved his hand and said to the others. As he spoke, the people gradually calmed down. By the end, their eyes even gleamed brightly—such a clever plan, and the Divine Child could actually come up with it; it was truly admirable! The Green Sparrow Tribe gradually grew restless; people talked among themselves, looking toward a particular spot in the courtyard with anticipation. Since the beginning of spring, the tribe members had been working hard, tensed up for spring farming. Now that the spring farming was finally over, everyone could relax a little, but the New Year was still too far away. Besides the distant “start-of-harvest feast,” there was no other festival to look forward to during this long stretch of time. Most of the tribe members felt somewhat gloomy after spring farming came to an end. Furthermore, many tribe members had previously lived by hunting, but now spent their days toiling in the fields. Although farming provided more stable and abundant food than hunting, many people still yearned for the thrill of chasing prey and the excitement of that lifestyle. Therefore, when news of this unique fight spread, the tribe immediately became excited. Even if they couldn’t fight themselves, watching others fight would be pretty enjoyable and satisfying. Amid the crowd’s anticipation, three drum beats sounded from the inner courtyard. After the three beats, the restless crowd instantly fell silent, eyes full of expectation toward the courtyard gate. Orıginal content can be found at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥 Not long after, someone appeared inside. Han Cheng was the first to step out, followed by Shaman, the eldest senior brother, and others. In the past, whenever Han Cheng appeared, he would become the center of attention, but this time, he was somewhat ignored. The crowd’s gaze on the Green Sparrow Square lingered only briefly on Han Cheng, then quickly shifted past him to the eldest senior brother and Shang behind. Today, these two were the proper focus of attention. The eldest senior brother and Shang looked quite out of place in their attire. At this time, the weather was still a bit chilly, and most tribe members still wore animal skins, but the two wore thin black hemp cloth shirts dyed black. To be more precise, they wore the black hemp shirts over their usual leather clothing. Especially the eldest senior brother, who looked particularly strong-bodied now, almost surpassing the slimmer second senior brother. This was because beneath his black hemp shirt, he wore a piece of Vine armor. This time, the eldest senior brother did not carry his usual Vine shield but held a wooden spear instead. Shang also did not carry his usual long halberd; like the eldest senior brother, he held a wooden spear. However, these wooden spears were unlike ordinary ones—they lacked sharpened spear tips. Calling them wooden spears was less accurate than referring to them as sticks. Moreover, the other end of each stick was tightly wrapped with fine hemp cloth. As they moved, small fragments of white powder fell from the hemp wrapping at the spear tips. This fine white powder was lime powder that had been dipped onto the cloth. This was precisely what Han Cheng meant by a safe and reliable way to hold the match. If weapons have no eyes, then there’s no need for spear tips. After the fight, they would see who had more white marks on their body. Han Cheng had already explained the rules of the fight to the eldest senior brother and Shang before, but now he loudly reiterated them once again. Partly to make sure the strong onlookers in the tribe understood the rules, and partly to remind the eldest senior brother and Shang once more. To ensure they firmly remember that this was a friendly match first and foremost, and they must not take it seriously. After all, when masters meet, they stop at just the right point. After restating the rules, Han Cheng wasted no time and officially announced the start of the Green Sparrow Tribe’s friendly match. With Han Cheng’s announcement and his exit from the field, the newly dressed eldest senior brother and Shang stepped forward, and the watching tribe members immediately grew excited. Watching the excited crowd, Han Cheng showed a thoughtful expression, then raised his eyebrows slightly. While he was momentarily distracted, the eldest senior brother and Shang were already standing opposite each other. The anticipated fierce battle between dragons and tigers did not begin immediately, as the two stood there, holding their sticks, clasping their fists, and bowing in a somewhat awkward formal salute. This was, of course, a gesture inspired by Han Cheng’s many viewings of Wuxia dramas and martial arts shows in later times. The scene left the surrounding tribe members puzzled, while Han Cheng himself smiled with satisfaction. If he had a beard, he would surely have stroked it twice at this moment. The crowd was genuinely baffled by the eldest senior brother and Shang’s strange behavior. To them, the leader and Shang were about to fight, so why bother with such a strange formal salute? Why not just rush in and fight directly? However, some of the more astute individuals quickly grew thoughtful and understood the Divine Child’s careful intentions. The leader and Shang were from the same tribe, without any personal hatred, so it was not like fighting an enemy. Charging headlong wouldn’t do; a formal salute before fighting was indeed essential. Amid the crowd’s mix of understanding and confusion, the two who had saluted waited a moment, then began to probe each other’s attacks cautiously. The fight soon grew more intense than it had been before. But no matter how intense, it couldn’t change the fact that this wasn’t a Wuxia or immortal martial arts world. Before the salute and fight started, everything looked proper and dignified—very much like skilled masters. But once the fight began, the illusion immediately broke. Watching the two holding sticks poke at each other, Han Cheng, who had seen many martial arts movies, couldn’t help but twitch his nose. Indeed, the gap between ideal and reality was just that large. It was just like how Han Cheng once thought all monks were highly skilled martial artists, but when he saw a video online of monks fighting, his illusions were shattered. Besides the usual grabbing hair—an essential move in any mortal fight—everything else was put into use… Han Cheng, who had hoped for a Wuxia spectacle, felt a bit uncomfortable watching this fight, but the tribe members who had never dreamed of Wuxia watched on, blood pumping with excitement. Someone nearby even shouted encouragement, almost whistling. After watching for a while, Han Cheng couldn’t help but smile and shake his head slightly. These guys, how could they compare? If they saw a high-definition, action-packed martial arts film, wouldn’t they be yelling and grabbing pickaxes to smash the TV? But seeing their reactions made Han Cheng’s earlier thoughts clearer. After seeing Shang jab the wooden stick into the eldest senior brother again, Han Cheng shouted for the fight to stop and ended the friendly match. The two on the field stopped as instructed, panting and looking at each other. The desire to be competitive and to surpass rivals exists deeply in everyone’s heart. Only some people have it more intensely than others. Although neither Shang nor the eldest senior brother had wanted to fight earlier, once they were on the field in front of everyone, they couldn’t help but feel the urge to defeat the other. However, during the fight, they remained rational, remembering Han Cheng’s words and avoiding targeting vital spots. When Han Cheng called the fight off, they both stopped just in time. Yet, there was some regret in their hearts. The eldest senior brother’s regret was greater than Shang’s. Because in this fight, the eldest senior brother had been hit more times. His defensive style was clear: while defending, he tried to find chances to poke Shang, but against someone like Shang, who kept attacking relentlessly, he was poked more times. This was clearly evident from the numerous white marks on the black hemp shirt covering the eldest senior brother’s Vine armor. Shang looked at the many marks on the eldest senior brother, then glanced down at his own body, and felt much better upon realizing he had far fewer white marks. Rubbing his sore body from being poked with the blunt wooden spear, Shang felt it was all worth it. Han Cheng, acting as referee, walked to the center of the field while the crowd eagerly watched. When Han Cheng took both their hands, one in each of his, most eyes focused on Shang. Because everyone had clearly seen that Shang had poked the eldest senior brother more times. Especially now, seeing the significant difference in the number of white marks on their bodies, the outcome was easy to judge. Han Cheng glanced at the crowd’s reaction, then raised the eldest senior brother’s arm high with his right hand. Then he announced loudly, “In this fight, the eldest senior brother wins!” After this announcement, the crowd around immediately cheered and jumped with joy. But the cheering only lasted briefly before stopping again. The crowd blinked in confusion, staring at the eldest senior brother whose arm was raised high by Han Cheng, then looking at the many white marks on his body compared to Shang’s, all with puzzled faces. How could it be that obvious, yet Han Cheng said Shang, who had fewer white marks, lost? This… how was that possible? Not only them, but the two fighters themselves were equally shocked. The eldest senior brother, having realized what was happening, struggled to pull his hand down several times, but Han Cheng held it firmly, not letting him lower it. Shang’s mouth opened slightly, his eyes showing not only surprise but also some grievance and sorrow. The Divine Child, whom he most respected, actually did this to him today. Even though Shang was very warlike and never backed down against enemies, he couldn’t help but feel deeply upset. Among the onlookers, the two dusk lovers, Shaman and Yuan, initially showed the same confused expressions as the others when they saw Han Cheng’s action. But their confusion didn’t last long; an expression of understanding soon replaced it. The shaman smiled, and Yuan looked admiringly, nodding repeatedly. Han Cheng saw everyone’s reactions and paused for a moment before raising his voice to address the restless crowd: “You probably all think I made a mistake! The leader’s body has far more white marks than Shang’s, so why do I say the leader won this match?” Everyone nodded, acknowledging this was indeed their question. “Want to know the reason? It’s easy—have the leader and Shang take off their clothes, and you’ll understand!” Han Cheng loudly instructed, then released the two shocked men and told them to remove their clothes. Of course, the eldest senior brother and Shang were shocked because the Divine Child had never previously mentioned that they would need to take off their clothes after the fight. But despite their surprise, they complied smoothly—after all, not long ago in the summer, many people had freely run about without shirts. “Both of you, pull your pants up!” Han Cheng gave a deadpan look at the two men standing in public who, without much hesitation, had untied the rope they used as a belt and were standing there like that. He was speechless. Was it his instructions that were unclear, or was their comprehension unusually strange? Given the order to take off clothes, shouldn’t the first reaction have been to remove the upper garment? Why were their thought processes so peculiar? Could it be their skulls were multicolored, hence their excellence? The eldest senior brother and Shang looked equally baffled at Han Cheng. “You told us to take off clothes just now, and now you say pull up pants without doing anything else? What exactly are you trying to do?” “Upper clothes—upper clothes!” Han Cheng said, exasperated as the two held their pants’ waistbands with confused expressions. This time, they understood and began tying their pants back on, then started to remove their upper garments. After the eldest senior brother removed his black thin shirt, Han Cheng helped him undo the Vine armor underneath. Meanwhile, Shang had already taken off his upper garment completely, standing bare-chested. The temperature hadn’t fully warmed yet, so Shang’s bare skin was covered with goosebumps. Despite that, some things were visible on his body. Between his chest and waist, there were several red spots; two areas of skin were slightly bluish in color. These marks were from the eldest senior brother poking him through the clothes with the wooden stick not long ago. The eldest senior brother also took off his upper shirt. His black thin shirt was covered with many white marks. Despite being poked many times by Shang’s stick, the eldest senior brother’s body had no bruises—not a single bluish spot or redness. Shang, who had previously felt deeply wronged, saw their bodies, and all those grievances instantly vanished. He opened his mouth but couldn’t find words to say. Some people in front, upon seeing the condition of the two men’s bodies, seemed to understand something and fell silent for a time. “The eldest senior brother may have more white marks on him, but those attacks were all blocked by the Vine armor he was wearing. In this fight, the eldest senior brother essentially didn’t get hurt at all.” “As for Shang, although he had fewer white marks on his clothes, because he wasn’t wearing Vine armor for protection, he sustained multiple injuries on his body. This is exactly why I had them make armor — this is the true purpose of armor!” After explaining the changes on Shang’s and the eldest senior brother’s bodies to everyone, Han Cheng didn’t mention who won or lost the friendly match again, but directly shifted the topic to the Vine armor. This approach helped the people clearly and deeply understand the function of the Vine armor, and at the same time smoothed over any possible unpleasantness that might have arisen between the eldest senior brother and Shang from the fight. While saying this, Han Cheng lifted the Vine armor high so everyone could see it better. Sure enough, everyone’s attention was drawn to it, and they stopped focusing on who had won or lost the fight. Even the two main fighters on the field stopped paying attention to the previous fight and focused on the Vine armor Han Cheng held up. Especially the aggressive Shang, who looked at the armor with a deep, thoughtful expression. “…Each one of you is extremely important to the tribe! Those who die for the tribe have indeed made significant contributions and deserve our respect and to be learned from! But what I hope for even more is that when defending the tribe and driving away or killing those enemies, we can better protect ourselves! Not to die in the great cause of defending the tribe! Because only by surviving can we continue to contribute to the tribe. When the enemies come again, we can pick up our weapons and fight, defending our common tribe and making it stronger and more prosperous! This is the main reason I had them make armor!” Han Cheng shouted to everyone while holding up the Vine armor. The noisy crowd suddenly became quiet. Any previous dismissive attitudes toward armor completely disappeared. With the demonstration fight between the leader and Shang as proof, and the Divine Child holding up the Vine armor and speaking these words, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe suddenly understood the Divine Child’s thoughtful intention. They also came to understand the meaning of armor for the tribe. And gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. Yes, only by killing enemies and surviving as much as possible can one continue to defend their tribe. If you die outright, then when the tribe faces enemies again, you’re already gone and can’t protect the tribe. Such thoughts gradually arose in everyone’s hearts. The excitement sparked by watching a thrilling fight gradually gave way to a new understanding. As this awareness appeared and deepened in more and more hearts, more and more people raised their heads, their gazes eager yet determined, looking at the Vine armor held up by the Divine Child. Once they wear the Vine armor, next time they fight the evil tribes that dare to invade, they can protect themselves well! Seeing everyone’s reaction, Han Cheng nodded slightly with satisfaction. With this day’s event, in the future, when the tribe goes to war, they won’t recklessly charge in like before. If this can change their mindset a bit, then all the effort he put into preparing this event won’t have been wasted… Under the late spring and early summer sunlight, Shang was working hard cutting vines with a sickle. Not far off, Mao was bundling the cut Vine into bundles with a piece of Vine, making it easier to carry to the tribe. In the open space outside the carpenter’s workshop, Lame sat cross-legged on a small wooden stool wrapped in leather, carefully weaving Vine armor. Seven or eight people gathered around him, holding Vine strips and learning along. They worked very seriously, just as seriously as during spring plowing. After the Divine Child helped them understand the true meaning of Vine armor, the people in the tribe no longer looked down on it in the slightest. Within the Green Sparrow Tribe, a Vine armor movement quickly took hold. Seeing everyone’s efforts, Han Cheng nodded with satisfaction. But while everyone busily worked on the Vine armor, most of Han Cheng’s thoughts were focused on another matter. This matter was a sudden idea that arose after seeing everyone’s reactions during the fight between the eldest senior brother and Shang. That idea was whether they should hold a sports meet within the tribe.