The Survival of the Wild Tribe

85

"Don't eat all of it," Luo Zhen cautioned Chasing Wind, preventing him from devouring the last few pieces of alfalfa. Carefully, he used a bone shovel from his backpack to dig up the alfalfa, placing it in a designated spot within a wooden box filled with weeds to avoid crushing it.

Several vents were opened around the wooden box, then the lid was closed and tucked into the animal skin backpack.

Chasing Wind glanced at Luo Zhen's backpack with some regret but refrained from demanding to eat. Luo Zhen filled in the pits he had dug with dirt from nearby and then returned with Chasing Wind, falling into line.

Lu Zhan hadn't been gone for long. They had been observing the area for a while and likely understood the situation better than the Shanjia clan. However, upon their return this time, they clearly encountered something unexpected. Even Heiya and Heifu, who came back afterward, didn't look well.

"We need to leave here immediately," Lu Zhan informed Luo Zhen upon his return.

"What's happening?"

"It's a monster," Lu Zhan explained briefly before swiftly organizing their departure.

This wasn't the first time Luo Zhen had heard of this. The injury on Black Cliff's foot had been inflicted by one of these creatures. Monstrous beasts were ferocious creatures of the mountains and forests, slightly humanoid with poisonous teeth and a group mentality. Although not particularly brave, they harbored intense hatred and were feared by orc warriors for their deadly bites.

Upon hearing Lu Zhan's words, not only the members of the Riyao tribe but also the newly joined Shanjia tribe paled. While they could stand up against wolves, encountering these beasts would be a death sentence. Even the tribe's wizards couldn't neutralize the poison in their teeth, and warriors from neighboring tribes had fallen victim to them.

Horn Bamboo looked at Black Cliff with concern; the threat of the beasts had haunted him for half his life. Even with his legs healed, he dreaded encountering them again.

Seeing Kakutake's worry, Heiya comfortingly patted her hand. Though his face wore a similar expression, a faint smile hinted at optimism. "I'll be fine."

Without further delay, they mounted their antler horses, with soldiers flanking the group. Luo Zhen assigned Chasing Wind to the Shanjia people to ride and climbed onto Lu Zhan's back himself. Unable to keep pace with the agile warriors, Heifu and Horn Bamboo lagged behind, erasing any traces left by the group.

The beasts may not have a strong sense of smell, but there was no need to risk them catching their scent.

The antler horses were indeed swift. What used to take a day's journey now brought them back to the vicinity of the basin by sunset, with Lu Zhan leading the way. Along the way, they encountered no other major threats; solitary beasts steered clear of the sizable party.

As they approached the foot of the mountain, a towering city wall came into view. It stood tall and imposing, with gray-brown stones forming its base and wooden houses peeking over the top, partially obscured by the wall.

Seated behind Axue was a teenage girl, still in her youth. Observing her eagerly scanning the horizon, Axue, unable to contain her pride, pointed toward the city wall and proclaimed, "That's our tribe."

The girl gripped Axue's animal skins tightly, seemingly unsettled by contact with strangers, and timidly inquired, "Will we live there too?"

"Absolutely, it'll be your tribe too," Axue affirmed, bringing a glimmer of hope to the girl's wide eyes.

"What's that?" Shansong, ever curious, gestured toward the towering city wall.

"That's the city wall," young soldier A Qing proudly declared, puffing out his chest. "I helped carry the stones."

"Stones? Can you move such large stones?" Shansong cast a skeptical glance at A Qing's small frame. Though he had carried Shanqi for most of the day without appearing strained, moving a wall-sized stone seemed beyond his capabilities.

Unaware that the city wall was constructed from stone and mud bricks, Shansong marveled at its size.

Axue chuckled and explained, "The city wall isn't finished yet; you'll help when the time comes."

Shansong looked up at her, then returned his gaze to the distant wall, reassured that their decision to join had been the right one. Here, they hoped, their people would live far better than they had in the caves.

Though conversation flowed among the group, they maintained their pace and soon reached the wall.

The remaining soldiers had spotted them and alerted the tribe members. Luo Zhen heard the children's excited cheers from afar.

"They're back!"

"Great Witch, Great Witch!"

Though few in number, the Shanjia tribe was astounded to see children rushing toward them.

Entering through the gate of the city wall, Shansong finally understood Axue's remark about the incomplete wall—it was only on one side. Though imposing, it stood separate from the group of wooden houses nearby. Two distinct entities, he initially assumed it served a defensive purpose, but it was clear that if the beasts bypassed the wall, they could easily breach the tribe's defenses.

The motherly figure greeted them warmly, and the others dismounted one by one. "Great Witch, I've prepared food, hot water, clothing, and everything else you requested."

Having dismounted from Lu Zhan's back, Luo Zhen nodded upon hearing this. "Thank you for your efforts. Take the others to settle in first." He then turned to Ah Qing. "Take Shan Qi to my house."

Responding promptly, Ah Qing hurried to Luo Zhen's house, carrying Shan Qi.

Shansong and Ajiao attempted to follow, but Luo Zhen noticed their grimy, malodorous animal skins and discouraged them. "First, wash up with her and return after you've eaten. I made a promise to save Shanqi, and I intend to keep it."

"Thank you, Da Wu," Shansong said, leading Ajiao in a respectful salute to Luo Zhen.

With a wave of his hand, Luo Zhen entrusted them to Lu Zhan for accommodation and headed home.

To test whether Tai Sui could absorb the energy within the Jingguo, Luo Zhen submerged the entire Jingguo in the water containing Tai Sui. Surprisingly, it proved effective; in just over half a month, the piece of Tai Sui had grown to the size of a fist, and the crystal fruit had shrunk by more than half. If fully absorbed, this piece of Tai Sui could potentially regenerate flesh and bone, as Lu Ming had once described.

To save Shanqi, Luo Zhen could only pin his hopes on this small piece of Tai Sui. He vividly recalled Lu Ming's account of its properties: it could bring the dead back to life, regenerating flesh and bone.

Though heavily pregnant, Acao moved with ease, fetching a pot of hot water alongside Ashui and Ahua. They lit a fire in Luo Zhen's fire pit and poured the hot water over the rocks. The water had already boiled once, and it didn't take long to bubble again over the fire.

"Great Witch, can this person be revived from such severe injuries?" Acao asked, observing Shanqi's condition.

Concerned that the children wouldn't cope well with the scene, Luo Zhen used it as an excuse to send them away, then took the tub of hot water from Acao. "You're carrying a child; don't lift heavy objects in the future," he cautioned, addressing Acao's question once he had finished. "As for Shanqi, I don't know. All we can do is try our best."

This person seemed crucial to the Shanjia tribe; if he could be saved, it would undoubtedly benefit their integration into the tribe.

"Help me clean the dirt from his wounds, and let Ah Qing handle his hygiene. Also, change his dirty animal skins for clean ones," Luo Zhen instructed before turning to retrieve the Tai Sui.

Placed atop a wooden shelf, Tai Sui required Luo Zhen to stand on a chair to reach it. Unfamiliar to the others, he made no attempt to conceal it from their sight.

As Ah Qing and Acao tended to Shan Qi, Luo Zhen cut a small piece of Tai Sui and placed it in Shan Qi's mouth. In his comatose state, Shan Qi couldn't swallow, even with the Tai Sui in his mouth.

With no other option, Luo Zhen sliced another piece and brewed a bowl of Tai Sui soup in a smaller stone pot, hoping its effects wouldn't differ too much from consuming it raw.

As Luo Zhen prepared to dress Shan Qi's wounds with the large thistles used to staunch bleeding, Lu Zhan returned with Shansong and Ajiao. By then, Luo Zhen had learned Ajiao's name; she was Shan Song's mother, but unlike in the Black Panther tribe, the tribe wouldn't support a woman who had lost her partner. Therefore, in reality, Shansong and Shanqi didn't share the same father.

"Great Witch."

After cleaning up, Ajiao donned a new animal skin coat, appearing much younger than before. Shansong, like Lu Zhan and the others, sheared off his dirty, unkempt hair, revealing a fresh face and bare torso clad only in an animal skin skirt, exuding an untamed ruggedness.

Though still unconscious, Shan Qi's condition appeared improved compared to when they had been in the cave. Seeing this, Ajiao and Shansong breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Luo Zhen gestured to Lu Zhan, setting down the Tai sui-infused water in front of him. Having cooled, Luo Zhen indicated for him to wash his hands before handing him the cooked bone knife. Turning to Shansong and Ajiao, he said, "What we're about to do next might be difficult to watch. If you can't handle it, I suggest you step away."