Chapter 1183, The Down Jacket

Translator: Silavin

 

*Thud thud thud…*

 

Ban Ye had been in the middle of training when someone called him away to the Yong’an Building.

 

The moment he stepped inside, the warmth hit him. It was the kind of warmth that unknotted something deep in the body all at once.

 

Outside, snow was falling. Of the entire Flame Dragon Tribe, only the Yong’an Building had heating. Ban Ye knew this perfectly well.

 

“Shaman, do you have a mission for me?” he asked, and he meant every word of it.

 

On the surface he looked perfectly serious. Inside, he had already melted completely. He wanted nothing more than to stay here as long as possible.

 

“This mission will be a rather demanding one.” Su Bai said, his tone careful. “You can think it over properly before giving me your answer.”

 

He had already decided Ban Ye was the right fit. But whether Ban Ye agreed with that was a separate matter entirely.

 

If Ban Ye felt he couldn’t manage it, or worried he might make a mess of things, Su Bai would find someone else. This mission left no room for error.

 

“Please order me, Shaman.” Ban Ye straightened without meaning to. He felt tense all of a sudden. He couldn’t say exactly why. Just that when the Shaman spoke like this, the mission had to be something serious. Because normally, missions were simply handed down. Nobody asked whether one were willing.

 

Today felt different from the start. He was the only one called to the Yong’an Building.

 

“You’ve been part of the Flame Dragon Tribe for some time now,” Su Bai said. “You’ve probably heard something about the Dark Scorpion Tribe?”

 

“Yes, a few things. The Chieftain and some of the other Warriors have mentioned it.”

 

Ban Ye had a rough sense of what was coming. It must be something to do with the Dark Scorpion Tribe. He also knew that once the snow season ended, the Flame Dragon Tribe would enter a very tense period. The two Tribes would go to war, so now they needed to prepare.

 

What he didn’t know was what role he would play. Thus, there was a small knot of unease in his chest.

 

“I want you to keep watch on the Dark Scorpion Tribe,” Su Bai said. “Gather all their intelligence and send it back. Can you do that?”

 

This meant leaving for a long stretch of time, staying in the forest. It would be tough. And if he got discovered, the enemy would drag him back to their Tribe and may even torture him to death.

 

He not only needed to be strong, he also needed to be calm at all times and act prudently.

 

“Shaman, I can do this,” Ban Ye said without a pause. “I’ll take on the mission.”

 

He had braced himself for something worse. Keeping watch on a Tribe was, in the end, keeping watch on a Tribe. The knot in his chest quietly came loose.

 

“Are you sure? Because you’d be leaving the Tribe very soon, within the next day or two. You’d stay in the forest until the snow season ends, and possibly right up until they set out. Are you sure you understand what that means?”

 

Su Bai asked again, and the seriousness in his voice did not shift. He did not want Ban Ye mistaking this for something easy.

 

“I perfectly understand.” Ban Ye said, his voice easy. “It’s living in the forest for a while, that’s all. Staying until the Dark Scorpion Tribe moves. I can manage that.”

 

Back when he was a Wanderer, the forest had been his home, whether he chose it or not. Every day, he spent his time dodging Ferocious Beasts. During the snow seasons, he would be curled into some opening deep in the trees.

 

He had more than enough experience for this. Besides, living in the Flame Dragon Tribe had changed him. The food was good, the resources were plentiful, and he was far stronger than he had ever been. If he had not been afraid of the forest before, there was certainly nothing to fear now.

 

“Good,” Su Bai said, quiet and easy. “I considered many people. You’re still the best fit. That’s why I’m asking for you specifically.”

 

He remembered the first time he had seen Ban Ye, out near the edge of the farmland. He was exhausted and dirty. One could tell at a glance how long he had been living a rough life outside. Su Bai had looked at everyone in the Tribe. There were many good options. But none quite like Ban Ye.

 

“Shaman, I can leave tomorrow. The sooner I go, the better it is for the Tribe.”

 

Ban Ye stood very straight when he said it. He wanted to spend the snow season inside the Tribe. Of course he did. But this was for the Tribe’s victory. That kind of sacrifice didn’t weigh much at all.

 

“No need to rush. Rest another two days. Pack properly, weapons, food, everything you’ll need.”

 

Su Bai picked up two cups of tea and rose, crossing the room to hand one over. “This mission will be hard, but your quality of life still matters.”

 

Living in the forest during the snow season was genuinely brutal. Everything outside would be buried under snow. The mission required him to stay close to the Dark Scorpion Tribe, close enough to track their every movement. Only then would the intelligence be worth anything.

 

But Su Bai had no intention of letting him suffer needlessly before he even made it through the first week.

 

“Shaman, I don’t mind hardship. For the Tribe, I’ll do whatever is needed.”

 

“Enduring hardship is one thing. Being foolish about it is another.” Su Bai continued, “You can ride a Rage Wolf out. Tie a good amount of supplies to it and leave them somewhere fixed. Have the Wolf transfer goods to you each day…”

 

He talked Ban Ye through how to make it manageable. “As for the Rage Wolf, keep it away from the Dark Scorpion Tribe. The rest you’ll handle better than I would. You know the forest.”

 

The idea was simple. Keep the supplies cached in a cave. Have the Rage Wolf make regular runs. Stay in one spot and just keep watch. Let the wolf hunt in its own time, that was all.

 

“Understood.” Ban Ye nodded, firm and steady.

 

“Take this.” Su Bai held out a long white garment. “A white down jacket. Wear it over everything else. It’ll keep you warm, and out there in the snow and ice, it’ll hide your shape.”

 

It had come from the System a few days ago. He had been keeping it, saving it for exactly this purpose.

 

In a world of white, a white attire was the best form of concealment. It was also the best for warmth.

 

Ban Ye took it. Something rose in his throat that he had not expected.

 

He had never imagined the Shaman would think of him this way. Would give him something this heavy, this valuable.

 

The jacket looked warm. The craftsmanship was amazing. A thing like this must be worth a lot.

 

“Thank you, Shaman,” he said. “I will complete this mission.”