The Survival of the Wild Tribe

200

The outskirts of the Black Forest were different from what Luo Zhen had imagined. Perhaps because they hadn't entered the heart of the forest, sunlight could still penetrate the canopy and reach the ground.

Although Luo Zhen wanted to follow the river directly, several sections were covered with dense weeds, many of which were thorny. It wasn't easy to pass through. They had to split into two teams: Lu Zhan, with the best swimming skills, walked directly in the river, while the others found a game trail a little further from the riverbank and followed it.

Many plants in the forest were unfamiliar, but to conserve their energy, Luo Zhen didn't stop to examine them one by one. The animals were peculiar too; creatures that resembled cows and pigs had sharp teeth, and rabbits had a predatory look. Even the birds chirping in the branches were carnivorous. Passing a bird's nest, Luo Zhen noticed several small animals nearby, likely the bird's stored food.

In their quest to find A Qing and the others, they stopped and rested only when the sky was completely dark. Lu Zhan caught several large fish, nearly a meter long, from the river. There was little else to gain apart from rushing along the road.

"Where could the mermaid have taken them?" Luo Zhen sighed, feeling the fatigue from yesterday's battle and a night of rain. Although his physique was better than the orc warriors', he was still exhausted.

Lu Zhan gestured for him to sit and rest, taking over packing and food duties. His cooking skills weren't the best, but he managed to cook the food.

"A mermaid can't live without water, and we're still near this river. As long as we keep going, we'll find them eventually."

"Yeah." They hadn't found any remnants from the wooden boat, suggesting it might not have withstood the heavy rain. When they came ashore, Luo Zhen assumed A Qing would wait for them to return rather than letting the mermaid take them away.

Shan Qi cut a few wild fruits he had picked and handed them to Luo Zhen. They resembled oranges but with tough skins that were hard to peel by hand. The flesh was acidic, but it helped relieve the heat in the sultry weather. While Luo Zhen didn't mind, Lu Zhan avoided fruits with such a taste.

After an incident-free night of rest, they set off at dawn. Heishan's pupils had returned to normal sooner than Lu Zhan had expected. Although he couldn't speak, his aggressive demeanor was restrained, resembling a tamed big cat.

"Untie the rope on him," Lu Zhan instructed, locking eyes with Heishan, sensing that he was no longer a threat.

"Can you?" Black Hunter asked nervously. As their leader, he had always seen the other party's strong side since childhood. Seeing them in such an embarrassed state made him feel emotional, but he understood the danger of turning into ancestors, so he didn't think Luo Zhen and the others did anything wrong.

On the contrary, despite knowing that Heishan could turn into a returning orc at any time, Luo Zhen still showed basic respect for him, as if he were still a powerful orc warrior.

Luo Zhen looked at Lu Zhan. Lu Zhan was very sensitive to potential dangers. Although Black Mountain seemed to be recovering, it would take a while. However, since Lu Zhan had determined that there was no need to restrict Heishan's actions, it meant that Black Mountain was no longer too dangerous for them.

Lu Zhan nodded at Luo Zhen. "Don't worry."

Black Hunter was overjoyed at the words and, together with Shan Qi, lifted the rope from Black Mountain.

After being tied for so many days, when the rope was lifted, Heishan felt a little uncomfortable. He staggered and almost fell to the ground as he stood up, but slowly managed to steady himself.