The Survival of the Wild Tribe

135

But perhaps it was because this kid was an orc warrior, and his survival ability was very strong. Despite such a serious injury, he managed to survive on the ice floe for so many days.

Luo Zhen inspected the other party's wound. Though it had been washed away by the lake to some extent, and the child appeared unkempt and dirty, Luo Zhen noticed the black mud still clinging to the wound. Perhaps it was this mud that prevented the child from succumbing to excessive blood loss despite the severity of the injury.

"Don't worry too much, we've done our best," Lu Zhan reassured upon returning from patrol. After several days of running around and facing two fierce battles upon arrival, he couldn't help feeling tired, a sentiment shared by Luo Zhen as an ordinary person.

"Yeah," Luo Zhen nodded, offering Lu Zhan a comforting pat. "Hei Yuan is keeping watch outside. Would you like to rest for a while first?"

"Shall we sleep together?" Lu Zhan suggested, settling down and resting Luo Zhen's head on his thigh. Though the arrangement felt somewhat awkward, the warmth of Lu Zhan's body made Luo Zhen feel comforted.

Adjusting to a comfortable position, Luo Zhen lay on his back on Lu Zhan's lap, catching the gentle gaze of his companion.

The starry sky of primitive society gleamed brightly. Tonight, being a new moon, the moonlight was subdued, allowing the stars to shine vividly, as if each one was eager to be noticed.

Except for the moon, Luo Zhen couldn't identify any other stars. Despite observing celestial bodies like the Milky Way and the Big Dipper for a while, they remained unfamiliar to him. Even the moon itself, larger than what he knew, occasionally changed color in the latter half of the night, a phenomenon Luo Zhen couldn't explain due to his busy schedule.

Lu Zhan's handsome features were undeniable, his peach-colored eyes expressing warmth when he looked at Luo Zhen. In their original world, such a handsome man might not have had the opportunity to interact with him.

"You're so handsome," Luo Zhen murmured, reaching out to caress Lu Zhan's chin, feeling a bit sentimental. Amidst their recent busyness, they had little time to care for their appearance. Checking himself, he noted the absence of facial hair. In this society, it seemed rare for ordinary people to grow beards, ensuring even with neglect, he wouldn't resemble a scruffy image.
Lu Zhan lowered his head and playfully nibbled on Luo Zhen's chin, leaving a shallow tooth mark. "You look good too," he remarked.

Rolling his eyes, Luo Zhen didn't want their banter to escalate into a wrestling match.

As they whispered, with drooping eyelids, Luo Zhen was on the verge of sleep when he heard a sudden question from the person nearby, "Who are you looking for?"

Startled, Luo Zhen opened his eyes, not wanting others to catch them in such an intimate moment. As he attempted to sit up, he accidentally bumped into the person beside him, causing a sharp pain. Lu Zhan quickly reached out to rub his head, chiding, "What's the rush?"

Looking up, Luo Zhen saw a young ordinary person standing by the pit, his hands nervously rubbing together. He seemed hesitant, as if unsure whether to approach.

The place where Luo Zhen and Lu Zhan were nestled was a pit designated for accommodating the comatose wounded. Some were unconscious due to prolonged submersion in cold water, while others, weakened by hunger and cold, were on the brink of collapse. Without Luo Zhen and the others, they might have been discarded by the tribe and become prey for monsters.

Given the dire situation, Luo Zhen had taken it upon himself to personally care for them. Several fires around the pit provided warmth and illumination, allowing him to see the visitor's face clearly—a newcomer.

"What's troubling you?" Luo Zhen softened his voice, noticing the visitor's hesitation. "Do you have a relative here? If you're worried, you can come down and check."

The visitor, a half-finger who had been following the River Witch, hesitated before finally shaking his head. After a moment of deliberation, he approached the pit once more. "I'm here to find you, the Great Witch."

"Me?" Luo Zhen exchanged a suspicious glance with Lu Zhan before gesturing for the half-finger to come closer. "Since you've come to find me, let's talk. Don't stand up there in the cold wind; it's not good for your health."

Obediently, the half-finger descended from the side of the pit. Recently, Heiyuan and Heiya had been discussing building houses, resulting in a makeshift staircase for easier access. With little effort, the half-finger descended.

Dressed thinly after sharing his animal skins with others, the half-finger shivered upon entering the warm pit. His pores seemed to relax, tempting him to stay in the cozy shelter indefinitely.

Luo Zhen ladled bone soup from the stone pot by the fire. It was made with fish skulls and snow water, left to simmer while he originally intended to patrol nearby, relying on something prepared by the orc warriors.

Although he had just eaten, half-finger couldn’t resist the urge to swallow when he saw the bone soup. He had been hungry for so long that no amount of food in front of him felt like it would satisfy him; his stomach gnawed with hunger pains. He would eat anything without hesitation.

Remembering the excruciating pain of hunger and days of swallowing ice cubes without chewing, he dreaded experiencing it again.

"Is he okay, Abu?" Half-finger's gaze lingered on the child sleeping peacefully beside him. If it weren't for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, half-finger would have doubted whether he was still alive.

"His name is Abu? Don't worry, he'll be fine," Luo Zhen reassured him.

Half-finger breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t held out much hope for the survival of those lying here. He had witnessed too many deaths, especially during the previous winter when anyone who fell into hunger and cold was almost written off by the River Witch. He thought Luo Zhen was merely comforting himself.

Lu Zhan noticed the ordinary person's furtive glances at Luo Zhen. Feeling uneasy, he subtly positioned himself to block the other's line of sight. When half-finger looked up, Lu Zhan asked calmly, "Is there something else?"

"I..." Half-finger, already timid, was further intimidated by Lu Zhan's presence. He took a few steps back and ended up sitting on the ground with a thud.

"Don't scare him," Luo Zhen whispered, tugging at Lu Zhan's sleeve. Lu Zhan glanced innocently at the ordinary person on the ground. "Are you that frightening? You're too brave," he remarked wryly.

Perhaps because the ordinary people in the tribe had been trained by Luo Zhen, they had become as fearless as orc warriors. Since the establishment of the Riyao tribe, Lu Zhan hadn't encountered such delicate, timid, yet brave ordinary people in a long time, and it unsettled him.

Approaching, Luo Zhen lifted half-finger to his feet and asked with concern, "Are you okay? Did you fall?"

Perhaps it was Luo Zhen's gentle tone that emboldened him. Half-finger finally voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind: "Great Witch, do you... know someone named Ahu?"

"Ahu?" Luo Zhen puzzled.

Half-finger's eyes held a hint of nostalgia as he replied, "He looks a lot like you, Great Witch."

Luo Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and Lu Zhan's expression darkened. He narrowed his eyes at half-finger. He had forgotten that Luo Zhen had been offered to the God of Water as a sacrifice by a wizard near the Great Lake. Could this person be one of those who knew Luo Zhen before?

Even though most of the people here had migrated, there were still some who had encountered or known Luo Zhen.

Lu Zhan didn’t want Luo Zhen to recognize people from his previous tribe. Initially, he hadn't felt strongly about the annual sacrifices, but now, the thought of it made him irritable. If not for a sudden whim leading him to Dahu, or if he hadn't rescued Luo Zhen...