Hao Xuan looked behind the female barbarian at the man who had come forward, grinning from ear to ear. He started speaking and his words were instantly translated in Hao Xuan's eyes.
"Sister, what is this I see? Tell me it isn't so!" he said holding his head jokingly and looking at the other barbarians. They laughed in response, also extending their necks to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was hiding on the other side of her.
"Has my sister finally found a lover? Who is it? Let me see who it is!"
He peeked over his sister's shoulder and saw Hao Xuan's face, an expression of confusion and shock taking over.
"Human? R-Really?" he mumbled incredulously.
"B-But you told me we shouldn't mate with them at all and now you're doing the same thing?! This is unfair!" he shouted loudly, stomping on the ground and making the entire area shake.
The female barbarian turned her head around and threw one sharp glare at him, instantly shutting him up.
Sounds of footsteps came from all around them and even more barbarians showed up. Most of these new arrivals were women. Although they were smaller in size than the males, the aura they were giving off was much more threatening.
Hao Xuan's hair stood up on one end just standing in front of them. One of them who had short blond hair and two short hammers on her back walked up to them with sturdy steps and bowed from the waist.
"Princess Na'im."
Princess Na'im still had her hand placed tightly on Hao Xuan's face. She leaned in and whispered in the beast world's language, "Say a single word and I will cut you in half right here and now. Keep your mouth shut and do as I say, if you want to live that is."
Hao Xuan saw the look in her eyes and knew she was dead erious and would definitely follow through. So he nodded lightly, prompting her to remove her hand and move back. He put his robe back on while the other female barbarians threw questioning gazes towards them.
Princess Na'im picked up her Ax and placed it on her back.
"Do you have news, Orna?" she said turning towards the blond-haired female barbarian.
Orna shook her head, "We have checked all the area within thirty olong, there is nothing of note to be found. Other than..." her voice trailed off as she and almost every other barbarian here looked towards Hao Xuan.
Hao Xuan was too busy talking to Baracus to notice this though.
'Olong? What the hell is olong? Isn't that like a brand of tea or something?' he asked inwardly.
'Negative. The translation is still not perfect, some words do not have any corresponding interpretations. Olong is their unit of measurement but its actual dimensions are unknown. More data is required,' Baracus informed him.
Princess Na'im followed their line of sight and saw Hao Xuan standing there absentmindedly.
"He is...mine. You don't have to concern yourself with him," she said after a moment of contemplation. Her choice of words startled everyone.
She looked towards the Barbarian that had called her sister with a raised eyebrow, "Burak, do I need to teach you manners again?" it sounded like she was actually asking him.
Burak took a step back, furiously shaking his head left and right almost on the verge of tears, "No no, sister please! I was joking! Just a stupid joke!"
"Then watch your tongue. If you can't control it, there is no reason for you to have it," she said plainly. A cold chill went down the spine of everyone present, including Hao Xuan upon hearing her casual warning.
'It looks like she means what she says. And if she can do something like that to her own brother then...I better not try my luck with her...' he thought and rightly so.
No one dared to speak up after that. Even the jeering behavior from the other barbarians was nowhere to be found. They all seemed to be around the same age but the fear and respect with which they looked at Princess Na'im at overpowered any other emotion they had.
One had to wonder what she did to deserve such treatment. She didn't seem older than even twenty.
But this bout of silence did not last very long as the sounds of not so distant howling was carried over with by the wind.
The wind was starting to pick up and Hao Xuan could smell blood in the air.
Princess Na'im frowned hearing the noises, "Let us return to the camp. We have gone far too deep into the forest."
All the others agreed at once, "Yes, princess."
They turned around to leave. Hao Xuan took the opportunity to try and sneak away but Princess Na'im reached out and picked him up, throwing him over her shoulder like a rag.
"Don't make me break your legs, human," she said in a voice so low that only Hao Xuan could hear it.