Huilu wasn't pleased with Cao Yun's outburst. As a matter of fact, Huichi and Huishou weren't either. However, they were more concerned with Huilu. Right now, Cao Yun was their guest. In a sense, he was part of their tribe. Besides, he had saved members of their tribe while the Raging Volcano tribe had tried to kill the twin sisters and had actually killed a member of their tribe, the poor Xuanhui. Thus, they would not side with the Raging Volcano tribe. That being said, Cao Yun's presence was an issue, and they had no reason to stick their necks out for him.
Although Huichi wanted open war, he didn't like the presence of an outsider like Cao Yun in this meeting. More than Cao Yun's presence, he hated that an enemy had demanded it and that his own brother had accepted without even trying to object to anything. His brother acted like a dog of their enemy. This wasn't acceptable, but he wouldn't take care of private matters in front of any outsiders, let alone any enemies.
The messenger was still silent when Huilu reacted. The bald man was faster than the messenger.
"Cao Yun, how dare you raise your voice in our temple?! You are our guest. Behave yourself, or we'll have to rescind our invitation."
Everyone understood what Huilu was hinting at. The Ancient Obsidian tribe couldn't just give up Cao Yun. But if they could find any reason to throw him out, then they could deliver him to Rong Shan themselves. Obviously, Huilu was ready to sacrifice an outsider to save his tribe. Maybe this was a way for them to finally negotiate peace with the Raging Volcano tribe. In fact, Huilu was already thinking of merging their two tribes. He had a daughter and was ready to marry her off. Unfortunately for Huilu, Rong Shan's son had been killed. Still, they could marry her off to another important member of the tribe in order to forge an alliance.
Contrary to everyone else, Cao Yun looked at Huilu as though he were seeing an idiot dancing around, proud of his stupidity. Despite appearances, Cao Yun could literally obliterate the entire Ancient Obsidian tribe, and even the Raging Volcano tribe. If he had only seen their leaders, Cao Yun would have done so already, to be honest. However, their tribe clearly didn't deserve such a fate. In fact, their tribe didn't deserve them. Sadly, getting rid of them would most likely destroy the tribe, unless Cao Yun took over and he had no intention of doing so. Thus, Cao Yun had to bet on the wisest brother, Huishou. Huishou had to stop being neutral and impotent at some point!
"Rescind my invitation...? I am here at Jinyang and Jinyue's behest because the tribe of the messenger you protect killed their friend and almost had them raped. Ask them and their father Jinyao if they want me gone. As soon as they answer yes, I will leave your tribe without asking anything more."
Huilu was furious. But Cao Yun's mention of Jinyao made him think twice before escalating things. Indeed, Jinyao had been a hero recently. After all, he had fed the tribe better than anyone had in months. Even Huilu couldn't go against him so easily. Besides, he knew that his brothers wouldn't follow him. Unless he could get Cao Yun to truly defy him or insult him, he wouldn't have a case.
Anyway, the messenger interrupted Huilu's thoughts.
"Please, noble Huilu, please, it's no use debating with such a lowly man. You are above this. Cao Yun, I will give you my lord's words. Listen closely."
Then, the messenger took out a scroll with the emblem of the Raging Volcano tribe on it, simply a stylized exploding volcano. Huichi and Huishou were furious and barely hid it, while Huilu was embarrassed. This scroll was akin to having Rong Shan directly in their tribe. Clearly, this was a show of strength and humiliation. Huichi was about to act when Huishou held him back and told him to wait.
"Murderer. Come to my Raging Volcano tribe to face the charges against you. I, Rong Shan, swear on my honor that you will have a fair trial. As long as you are not sentenced, you will suffer no harm from my tribe or me. We will ensure your safety among us. However, be ready for a fair and fierce verdict. In case you do not dare to face your deeds, we will hunt you down. I won't be able to ensure how you will be captured. In order to prove my good faith, I will allow a small delegation of the Ancient Obsidian tribe to come with you in order to make sure that we abide by all our words and that the trial is fair."
Honestly, from the outside, Rong Shan's words seemed reasonable. Of course, Cao Yun didn't know Rong Shan and couldn't determine how trustworthy he was. In Cao Yun's eyes, it seemed like he wanted to lure him into his tribe to kill him. Still, it was possible that he actually cared about fairness and justice despite his son's death. Anyway, whatever Rong Shan's true nature was, Cao Yun had no reason to accept at all. However, he wouldn't shy away from his own actions.
"Messenger, tell your lord that I will not avoid judgment. I have no reason to leave the Ancient Obsidian tribe, but your Raging Volcano tribe can send a delegation here for my trial. If they swear to be fair, then they will be fair here too. What say you?"
"Criminal! Coward! You refuse to stand trial?!"
The messenger obviously only heard what he wanted to hear.
"By refusing to come to our Raging Volcano tribe, you surrender your rights to a fair trial. We will hunt you down and bring you back to our tribe by force if we need to."
"Oh?! You would abduct the guest of another tribe?! I wonder how the Ancient Obsidian tribe will react to this..."
"Cao Yun, you despicable vermin! You think you can use my Ancient Obsidian tribe to hide?! We won't let you avoid justice for your actions!"
"My actions...?! Saving Jinyao's daughters?!"
"Murdering Jin'ao! We are thankful for your saving the twin sisters. However, there was no need for you to actually kill Jin'ao, was there? If you think you were in the right, then there is no need to run or to hide!"
"And if their trial is fair, there is no reason why it couldn't happen here. Or maybe there is a reason..."
Huilu was screaming while Cao Yun answered calmly. Finally, Huichi intervened.
"Our tribe won't suffer the presence of more outsiders! Messenger! If you threaten to attack our own Ancient Obsidian tribe in order to capture our guest, we won't stand idly by."
Before Huichi could escalate things, Huishou intervened.
"Please, everyone calm down. The outsider's words ring true to my ears. If the trial is fair, it can happen outside your Raging Volcano tribe. Instead of allowing a delegation in our tribe, we can find neutral ground between our tribes. Please relay my words to your lord. Cao Yun will remain in our custody until a place and date for the trial have been decided. Our Ancient Obsidian tribe will make sure that Cao Yun is present at the trial. But we will also make sure that the charges are accurate and that the judgment is fair and just."
Cao Yun was impressed by how Huishou was able to silence his two brothers by pleasing them both while also displeasing them both. No matter what, he always wanted to compromise. This wasn't a bad thing, but at some point, he also had to act. Compromising to stall the Raging Volcano tribe in order to prepare for other actions would be a good idea. But Huishou was always stalling to buy more time, just to buy more time. In the end, he was just making the agony of the tribe longer. The tribe would collapse all the same, no matter which brother's idea was used. The only difference was the duration of its death.
The messenger hesitated for a moment.
"I will have to confer with my lord to give you an actual answer."
"Fine. Then we will make sure that you can depart as soon as possible. Guards, guide the esteemed messenger into his quarters."
The messenger followed the guards, who were much more cordial with him than they had been with Cao Yun.
As soon as the messenger had left, the three brothers started arguing as if they had forgotten about Cao Yun's presence. Huilu openly advocated for giving Cao Yun up. Huichi pleaded to send a delegation into the Raging Volcano tribe in order to attack from within. The delegation would open the way for a larger attack by taking down their defenses from within. Finally, Huishou had to defend his compromise that both brothers despised.
"If Rong Shan refuses those reasonable conditions, he has no grounds to start a war. The Fire Thearch would support us."
"Ridiculous... What if the Fire Thearch supports you?! If your tribe is gone before the Fire Thearch acts, it won't save you at all!"
Cao Yun's words echoed through the temple even though he didn't seem to speak loudly. But his voice made sure that everyone within could hear him distinctly.
"You dare to intrude upon our conversation?!"
Huilu was furious. Now that the messenger was gone, Huilu walked up to Cao Yun and stared at him.
"Because of you, our Ancient Obsidian tribe could fall! I cannot take away from you the fact that you did save our fellow tribesmen. For that, you have my gratitude. But we are talking about the survival of our entire tribe here! No matter what Jinyao, Jinyang, Jinyue, or anyone else says, I will not let our tribe fall for you! Never! Whatever happens, you will go to that trial. Even if they sentence you to death, no one will save you. You will have to face the consequences of your actions. I do not like it, but we have to bend if we don't want to break. Sadly, you played hero at the wrong time, in the wrong place. Understand that I can't shed any tears for you, I've spent them all on my tribe."
Cao Yun, Huichi, and Huishou were all taken aback by Huilu's words because they were truly heartfelt. In fact, his two brothers suddenly seemed to understand Huilu more. Even Huichi realized that his cowardly brother was worrying about many things. As this realization happened, Cao Yun saw it too. He could tell that those three brothers could really work together. Unfortunately, they were too different and had a hard time even understanding each other.
"Huilu, if your Ancient Obsidian tribe wants a trial, I will accept it with no hesitation. However, I won't leave the Ancient Obsidian tribe until Jinyao and his daughters demand it of me. As such, I will ask you to choose a nearby place for the trial and the Raging Volcano tribe's delegation. If anyone has any grievances against me at the time, I will face them head-on without implicating your Ancient Obsidian tribe."
Cao Yun was already drawing a distinction in his mind between the actual Ancient Obsidian tribe and the Ancient Obsidian tribe as the three brothers were seeing it. In Cao Yun's mind, this tribe had been founded by Emperor Nuwa, and those brothers were squandering her hard work. If the tribesmen had not deserved his help, Cao Yun would have left. Unfortunately, he didn't think they deserved a terrible fate, so he would at least protect them from the Raging Volcano tribe.
Huilu and Huishou saw something in Cao Yun's eyes. For the first time, Huichi also had a good opinion of Cao Yun. The man was willing to stand his ground and fight, he wasn't cowering and hiding behind the Ancient Obsidian tribe. Obviously, it resonated with Huichi. Thinking about Cao Yun's words, Huishou and Huilu both realized that this wasn't a bad idea either. Even Huichi liked it.
-
While the trio was talking and arguing with Cao Yun, Shaman Heiyan finally found what he was looking for. He studied murals for hours upon hours. Several times he made sure that what he had read was correct because he couldn't believe the results. Now, he had to make sure that everything matched Cao Yun.
Long ago, the Ash Bringer had come to this land. She had found a small tribe and had raised it from the desolate desert. She had brought ashes where there was nothing but death and sterile rocks. She had brought life anew. The Ash Bringer had fought against the campaigns of the Mad Demon. Thanks to her, the Ancient Obsidian tribe became a symbol of victory and freedom. Although she wasn't a Flameborn, she brought all Flameborns to a higher status. The Mad Demon was pushed back, and the Flameborns proved their supremacy over this domain.
Now, there was no doubt in Shaman Heiyan's mind. The Ash Bringer was a human. And, most likely, she was the ancestor of Cao Yun. According to the legends she had left herself, her descendant would come back to take up the torch and lead the Ancient Obsidian tribe to new heights.
Of course, Emperor Nuwa had created this legend in order to help any other human who would go back to the Broken Fire World in order to fight Demon God Da Mo again. When she had left this domain, she was still at war against Demon God Da Mo and knew that time was extremely strange in those domains. A few years for her could be decades or even centuries for the Broken Fire World, depending on what domain she went to and how time behaved. Thus, she had created this legend in case she died on the battlefield and someone had to take her place.
Because Cao Yun knew the legends, he had made sure to follow her instructions. However, Shaman Heiyan still had a hard time believing it at all. But he had to accept it, all the evidence was clear. The tribe's savior had come back to them in their hour of need.