The Survival of the Wild Tribe

194

Fortunately, when Lu Zhan and Shanqi were out earlier, they not only prepared food for the staghorn horses but also chopped some firewood. Some was used for fuel, and the rest was used to make wooden boats to help them escape.

The wooden boats had a much higher load-bearing capacity than the rough wooden rafts they made before. They were firmly tied with ropes and coated with glue and resin, providing some waterproofing.

The river they were on was about five or six meters wide. Without assistance, it wouldn't be easy to catch them. However, the river surrounded the entire Kru Lion tribe. If they wanted to pass through, they would have to navigate through the tribe, which was risky. But if they could use the strong wind before the rainstorm, they might be able to swiftly pass the Kru Lion tribe with the speed of the wooden boats.

After reinforcing the wooden boats, they gathered to discuss the departure details multiple times, trying to predict potential dangers and find solutions.

Shan Qi was responsible for the antler horse, silkworm, and Lu Yi. Antler horses could swim for short distances, so if they fell into the water, it wouldn't be a big concern. However, the silkworm and Lu Yi couldn't get wet. Luo Zhen instructed Shan Qi that in a critical situation, the silkworm could be abandoned, but Lu Yi's safety was a priority. Without Luo Zhen's instructions, Shan Qi might have prioritized the silkworm over safety.

As the sun began to set, the previously calm river started to flow faster and the wind picked up.

Luo Zhen and Lu Zhan exchanged glances and dragged Luca, who was gagged, into the river.

The others began to move their belongings onto the wooden boats. Except for some essential items carried by Shanqi and the others, to lighten the load on the staghorn horses, none of the four had luggage tied to them.

Despite being nervous, Ah Chun organized his luggage neatly and took care of the black panther cub. Due to the special circumstances, the sedative effect on the cub had worn off, but he was now familiar with Ah Chun and didn't struggle. However, Black Mountain was still tightly bound, with Black Hunter and Ah Qing guarding him.

The mermaid floated up and down in the river, seemingly unaware of the tension among everyone. If Luo Zhen hadn't informed him, he might have been secretly following Luo Zhen to observe the surroundings.

Due to the large number of people and luggage, they had to split into two wooden boats. Although the boats had a deep draft, they had been waterproofed, ensuring they wouldn't leak or capsize. These rough wooden boats were enough to get them out of the caves.

The black panther cub gazed at the wooden boat with bright eyes, stretching out half of its body and pawing at the water outside. The cold river water dampened its fur, but it continued to stare at its reflection in the water, looking intrigued.

Outside the cave, someone cleared a space and started a fire to roast prey. The faint smell of barbecue filled the air. While a few orc warriors kept watch, everyone else gathered around the fire, ready to share their meal.

Suddenly, the human-faced dog roared towards the river channel, ready to attack, its beast-like expression showing aggression. In the fading sunlight, the orcs could see ripples in the river as two figures emerged.

Luca, unable to swim and tightly bound, fell into the water. Lu Zhan, reluctant to assist him with his body, dragged him out, nearly drowning Luca in the process.

The leader of the Kru Lion tribe, Luca's father Ke Lang, observed the two figures emerging from the river. One was an orc warrior, but the other surprised him—it was a regular wizard.

Lu Zhan removed the animal skins from Luca's mouth to allow him to breathe. As Luo Zhen glanced at the surrounding orcs, his eyes landed on Ke Lang, the strongest among them. Despite not recognizing him, Luo Zhen smiled apologetically and saluted Ke Lang.

"I am Luo Zhen, a wizard from the Riyao tribe, and this is our leader, Lu Zhan. We passed through your tribe's territory. We don't know what we did to offend you. Why have you surrounded us?" Luo Zhen said, genuinely puzzled.

"Don't you know what you've done?" Ke Lang snorted. He noticed Lu Zhan replacing the animal skins over Luca's mouth and grew even more somber.

"All I know is that our leader went out hunting, but was surrounded by your people, forcing us to capture one of your orc warriors to escape," Lu Zhan added.

Ke Lang glanced at the ordinary wizard, who looked innocent and even distressed, wondering if the Human Face Dog had detected something. However, before they could figure out who the foreigners were who intruded into their tribe, they weren't certain that the person in front of them had stolen the mermaid and Montenegro.

He whispered to a young warrior beside him, who promptly ran back to the tribe. Without a word, Luo Zhen and Lu Zhan exchanged glances.

"I am Ke Lang, the leader of the Klui tribe. If this is a misunderstanding, I wonder if you could release my son?" Ke Lang asked.

Lu Zhan smiled, "I'm afraid that won't work. If we let him go, what's to stop you from turning on us?" Lu Zhan's nails hovered around Luca's neck, ready to strike.

"What do you want, then?" Ke Lang could see Lu Zhan's threat, but with Luca in their grasp, he had to suppress his dissatisfaction and deal with the situation.

No one knew Luca’s strength better than Ke Lang. Although there was a reason for Luca's unfamiliarity with water, the level 6 Luca could still be put into the river by the orc warrior before him. Such a person was likely to have come from the wizard's palace.

Ke Lang knew there were several factions in the Wizard’s Palace vying in secret. Although they sought refuge with the old witch, they didn't want to offend other wizards. However, he couldn't allow other factions to steal the mermaid.

The old witch had once had several mermaids. Later, it was rumored that someone had secretly released them. The old witch had to transfer the mermaids to their Clu Lion tribe. This was the old witch's trust in them. Even the wizards of the Kru Lion tribe managed to breed mermaid offspring.

But now, their plans were in jeopardy. Even the unborn mermaid cubs and the only mermaid, along with the returning orcs they were cultivating, were gone. Ke Lang was annoyed, and even if the person in front of him was sent by other wizards, he didn't plan to let them leave easily, especially with Luca in their hands.

"Naturally, we want to leave. If you allow us to exit the river, we will release your orc warriors." Luo Zhen's tone was calm, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Since you're leaders and wizards from afar, may I ask why you ventured into this secret river? Were you hiding something in it?" Ke Lang inquired.

"If you want to know, why don't you take a look for yourself?" Lu Zhan replied, raising his brows.

If Ke Lang was able to swim, he wouldn't have spent so many days by the riverside.

They exchanged stares until the young soldier Ke Lang sent out returned, whispering something in his ear. Ke Lang's expression softened, and he even smiled rarely, "Since you suggested it, please let us take a look in the river."

Before Luo Zhen could wonder what Ke Lang meant, the orc warriors surrounding the river bank suddenly parted. Several orc warriors with white hair and pale faces approached, followed by two wizards. One was the old wizard whom Lu Zhan had seen before distributing crystals to the Black Hunters, and the other was familiar to Luo Zhen—the sorcerer of the Panther Tribe, the Black Witch.

The Black Witch didn't expect Lu Zhan to be behind this. However, his surprise quickly turned into disbelief. As someone who had watched Lu Zhan grow up and even conducted secret experiments on him, no one knew Lu Zhan better than the Black Witch.

The Black Witch's gaze shifted from Lu Zhan to Luo Zhen. He didn't remember much about Luo Zhen, but as Lu Zhan's companion, he left some impression. After a few years, Luo Zhen had become a wizard.

The Black Witch's expression changed from surprise to disbelief, then to ecstasy.

But neither Lu Zhan nor Luo Zhen looked at the Black Witch. Instead, they focused on the orc warriors beside them. Well, they shouldn't be called orc warriors. Even if they hadn't lost their minds, their eyes were red. With just one glance, they recognized these people as their ancestors—the snake race—still in a half-human, half-snake state.