Chapter 62: Giving You a Chance

Having checked Cao Gen's attribute panel and confirmed that he had successfully acquired a five-star medical talent, Zhou Xu could no longer contain his joy.

Understandably so, for medical development was of paramount importance.

Within the tribe, if a medical department could be successfully established and made functional, it would undoubtedly drastically reduce the mortality rate of their tribe members and even visibly extend their natural lifespans.

This held profound and far-reaching benefits for both the tribe's development and its internal stability.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Zhou Xu took a large stride forward and walked straight up to Cao Gen.

"From this day onward, are you willing to wholeheartedly serve me?"

Hearing this, Cao Gen remained silent for two seconds before kowtowing deeply.

"I am willing to serve the chieftain!"

After all, being a clever man with top-tier intelligence—even though his mental points were heavily skewed toward the medical sector—his mind was still quite sharp.

Given that their former chieftain, Dire Wolf, had already surrendered, Cao Gen, who possessed virtually no combat capability and only knew how to gather medicinal herbs, naturally had no room for choice.

"Very well."

As he spoke, Zhou Xu leaned down and helped Cao Gen up from the ground.

This gesture completely stunned Cao Gen, who had never expected their chieftain to act in such a manner.

Disregarding his reaction, Zhou Xu continued on of his own accord...

"Starting today, you are my Minister of Medicine. Wherever there is food for me, Zhou Xu, there will be food for you."

In this era, no promise was more substantive or reliable than a simple meal.

Though he had no idea what a "Minister of Medicine" was, hearing the latter half of the sentence left Cao Gen visibly overwhelmed with a flattered sense of awe. Even the previous chieftain, Dire Wolf, had never been capable of making such a guarantee.

"The same goes for all of you!"

With that, Zhou Xu raised his voice by several decibels so that the entire encampment could hear him clearly.

"As long as you follow me wholeheartedly, pledge your allegiance to me, and put in your efforts for my cause, I, Zhou Xu, guarantee that you too will have food to eat. However, should anyone harbor malicious intentions, traitors will meet with only one end under my rule—death!"

This combination of benevolence and stern authority made the kneeling captives tremble in fear while hurriedly kowtowing to swear their submission.

During this, Zhou Xu's gaze fell once again upon Cao Gen.

"Now that you are the Minister of Medicine, continuing to use a name like 'Cao Gen' (Grassroots) no longer seems appropriate..."

At this, Zhou Xu paused in brief contemplation.

"Cao Gen... since it's related to plants, your surname shall be Ye (Leaf). As for your given name, your ability to identify medicinal herbs bears some resemblance to that legendary figure, Shennong. How about Ye Yan? No, no, that would be somewhat disrespectful to our ancestors."

As he muttered to himself, inspiration seemed to strike, and Zhou Xu's eyes lit up.

"Ye Yan—using a homophone, let's call you Ye Yan. The character 'Yan' is meant to encourage you to diligently study and research medicinal herbs."

"Ye Yan..."

Muttering his new name, a look of joy spread across Cao Gen's face. Coupled with the profound meaning embedded within the name, he grew even more fond of it.

"Thank you, Chieftain! From today onward, my name is Ye Yan!"

Watching the harmonious scene of lord and vassal played out between Zhou Xu and Ye Yan, Dire Wolf, who was barely managing to prop up the upper half of his body, wore a somewhat awkward expression.

After all, Ye Yan had originally been his subordinate.

To turn around and immediately bow to someone else while pledging allegiance made him feel deeply conflicted inside, even though he himself had already surrendered and submitted...

Just as Dire Wolf was wrestling with this awkwardness, Zhou Xu's gaze suddenly shifted toward him.

At that moment, for reasons unknown, Dire Wolf felt his heart tighten, inexplicably seized by a sense of nervousness.

Truth be told, compared to his current state, he had felt far more composed and at ease when he was defeated and surrendered earlier.

Zhou Xu, however, gave it little thought. Utilizing the ability of his "Eye of Insight," he wasted no time and immediately checked Dire Wolf's attribute panel.

Name: Dire Wolf
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Race: Human
Status: Fatigued, Weakened, Injured
True Word: None
Talent: Subduing Heart and Mind: In the art of warfare, subduing the enemy's heart is paramount!
Might: ★★☆
Intelligence: ★★☆☆
Spirit: ★★☆
Stamina: ★★☆
Command: ★★☆☆

Surprisingly, this Dire Wolf turned out to be an intellectual commander. Although his talent, "Subduing Heart and Mind," was described in merely eight characters, it in no way hindered Zhou Xu's understanding of it.

Furthermore, during their previous battle, Dire Wolf's talent had already been fully displayed.

Facts proved that this fellow was indeed exceptionally skilled at breaking down people's mental states.

At the time, Zhou Chongshan's morale had completely collapsed because of him, leaving him in a severely compromised psychological state.

Under such circumstances, both of their might ratings were only at two stars, yet Dire Wolf possessed the blessing of the "Speed Enhancement" True Word. Facing Zhou Chongshan—whose mindset had exploded and whose condition had severely deteriorated—it was only natural that Dire Wolf could suppress and beat him down.

Setting aside these distractions, Zhou Xu focused his attention back on the panel.

Dire Wolf possessed a might ceiling of three stars, which proved that once he matured, his individual combat capability would undoubtedly be formidable—he was a commander who also possessed independent fighting prowess.

On top of that, his dual four-star potential in intelligence and command, being the focal points, went without saying. Additionally, his spirit and stamina both had a three-star ceiling, leaving him completely devoid of any apparent weaknesses.

In Zhou Xu's eyes, this attribute panel could easily be classified as that of a four-star war god.

This time around, not only had he acquired a complete True Word, but he had also successively gained a five-star herbal expert and a versatile four-star war god. No matter how one looked at it, this was an absolute windfall!

Of course, when it came to Dire Wolf, there was still one issue that needed to be resolved...

"Dire Wolf, I sense that you are still somewhat unconvinced in your heart?"

"..."

Faced with this question, Dire Wolf remained silent. He had a lingering suspicion that Zhou Xu was setting a trap to harm him.

Yet Zhou Xu's actual motive at the moment was quite simple: he wanted Dire Wolf to serve him wholeheartedly and willingly in the future.

To achieve this, he had to thoroughly convince Dire Wolf through absolute competence.

"How about this? Once your injuries have healed, I will give you a chance at a single combat duel. You may choose to fight me, or you may choose Chongshan, so that you can be convinced of your defeat."

In making this statement, Zhou Xu naturally had his own calculations.

Earlier, when Dire Wolf had exchanged blows with Zhou Chongshan and gained the upper hand, aside from shattering Zhou Chongshan's composure, the primary reason was that his opponent possessed the power of a True Word.

Specifically, it was a True Word that directly enhanced physical capabilities.

However, things were different now. Dire Wolf's True Word had already fallen into Zhou Xu's hands. Deprived of the amplification granted by the True Word, Dire Wolf at present was at best a two-star combatant who excelled at psychological warfare.

Under this premise, Zhou Chongshan possessed the talent bonus of a "Weapon Master." Purely from the perspective of physical might, under completely identical conditions and the same star rating, Zhou Chongshan definitely held the advantage.

As for Zhou Xu himself, let us not forget that his own might ceiling was likewise three stars, putting him on par with Dire Wolf.

Moreover, Dire Wolf's psychological tactics were practically useless against him; he simply didn't fall for those tricks.

In contrast, Zhou Xu himself held the power of a True Word. If a real fight broke out, what odds of winning could Dire Wolf possibly have?