The Survival of the Wild Tribe

121

"Witcher City?" Luo Zhen was a bit bewildered.
Seeing that Luo Zhen was genuinely unaware of the name, Hei Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His expression softened, but he had no intention of delving into details about Wizard City. "It's not important."
"You're quite skilled. People around here don't know how to craft these peculiar items," Hei Yuan changed the subject.
"They're practical," Luo Zhen paused before elaborating, "As for my background, I may not be able to fully explain it to you right now. But rest assured, I was rescued by Lu Zhan, and he knows me. I won't deceive him or harm him in any way."
"That kid saved you?" Hei Yuan burst into laughter upon hearing this, slapping his thigh emphatically. "I never imagined that kid would resemble me. I told you, back then, I knew Alu, and I saved him. Though he never admitted it outright, he agreed to be my partner."
Lost in reminiscence, Hei Yuan's smile grew nostalgic. Seeing Luo Zhen's perplexed expression, he quickly tapped the table with the head of his chopsticks, snapping the other back to reality.
"I didn't return for that little boy," he confessed, his tone now more intimate with Luo Zhen. "I just heard there were things I needed near Changfeng Mountain, so I came back. I only intended to check on the kid and leave. I didn't expect the entire tribe to be gone when I returned to the Black Panther tribe."
"But I believe that little **** is resilient, like me. His life hasn't been easy, but he didn't perish easily either. I never imagined he'd be so successful, founding a tribe and securing a wizard as his partner," Hei Yuan reflected with emotion.
Luo Zhen felt a pang of dissatisfaction at this revelation. "What could be more important than your son? Was it worth leaving Lu Zhan for over a decade? Aren't you afraid he might perish where you can't see?"
Hei Yuan met Luo Zhen's gaze, his expression softening. "It seems you genuinely care about that little bastard. In that case, I can trust you with him in the future. With you watching over him, he should fare well."
Luo Zhen was taken aback by the declaration. He had been questioning Hei Yuan, yet here Hei Yuan was, offering to entrust his son to him. It remained uncertain whether the son would acknowledge such an arrangement.
"Alu cares for that little boy. I don't want him to misconstrue Alu's intentions," Hei Yuan's voice softened, seeing Lu Yi peeking over. He reached out and lightly touched Lu Yi's head with his index finger. Lu Yi tilted and fell asleep on the plate. Hei Yuan explained, "It's fine, he's just sleeping."
"..." Concerned that Lu Yi might get sauce on himself, Luo Zhen carefully lifted him from the plate and returned him to the exclusive animal hide.
"Do you know the identity of A Lu?" Hei Yuan waited for Luo Zhen to take his seat again before continuing the topic just now.

"Mermaid?" Luo Zhen recalled his previous guess.

Hei Yuan was somewhat surprised this time, "Yes, he is a member of the Mermaid clan. He didn't intend to abandon Lu Zhan when he suddenly left. He was dying, so he had to leave."

"Dying?" Luo Zhen didn't expect this to be the reason. He had assumed Lu Zhan's father was just colder than average, not realizing the hidden secret behind it.

"Scaly," Hei Yuan said, his expression tired and pained.

Luo Zhen had heard the term "descaled" before, but only in the context of fish. He hadn't realized mermaids could suffer from such a serious, life-threatening condition.

"That's when I realized Alu was from the ancient merman tribe," Hei Yuan continued, taking a deep breath to steady his emotions. "Perhaps no one here knew about the merman tribe. However, in Wizard City, they're still hunting and killing mermaids, poisoning the sea to drive them out. Somehow they learned of Alu's presence in the Black Panther tribe, and even of his child. Whether it was a member of the Black Panther tribe or that little kid, I'm afraid they wouldn't survive."

"That kid can't follow Alu back into the sea."

"Are you worried they'll find out Lu Zhan isn't returning?"