| GB | Going Too Far | 31
The atmosphere grew subtle and awkward. Yu Bai’s heart was pounding uneasily. Just as he was about to speak to break the tension, the sound of footsteps came from outside the tent.
The chief, with a pair of large antlers coiled on his head, had arrived. It was obvious he was here to see them.
Thinking of what had happened with A’Shi, Yu Bai felt a tightness in his chest. The awkwardness from moments ago was quickly replaced by anxiety, he was afraid he had caused trouble for Huo Duo’er.
Yu Bai had just stood up when a pair of large hands gently pressed him back into place.
“Bai, stay inside. I’ll go speak with the chief.”
Yu Bai’s eyes were full of worry. “But I’m afraid the chief will make things difficult for you. After all, the dispute started because of me. Let me go explain.”
Huo Duo’er motioned for him to rest assured and spoke to the chief in a deep voice, “Let’s talk outside.”
The chief gave a slight nod, and the two orcs walked off one after the other.
Yu Bai crawled out of the small tent and watched from a distance as Huo Duo’er and the chief conversed. He couldn’t hear their voices, so he tried his best to read their expressions.
If there was any change in their expressions, Yu Bai was ready to rush over and take all the blame upon himself, terrified that Huo Duo'er might get implicated for helping him.
Anxiously, Yu Bai paced in place. A gust of wind blew outside, and soon, specks of snow began to fall from the overcast sky. His brow felt a chill. Just as he was about to step out of the tent, he saw Huo Duo'er returning.
“How did the talk go?” He hurried over, circling Huo Duo'er once.
“The chief didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?”
He looked up expectantly as he asked. A warm sensation spread across his forehead, Huo Duo’er's palm gently ruffled the top of his hair.
“Don’t worry, the chief won’t make things difficult for us.”
Huo Duo'er wasn’t saying this just to comfort Yu Bai.
The chief had indeed not given him a hard time. In fact, he had brought up another matter for discussion.
“But why?” Yu Bai asked in disbelief. “With all those rumors going around, the chief didn’t even question you?”
Huo Duo’er sat down with his legs apart and pulled Yu Bai in front of him, studying him intently.
“A’Shi is a orc from outside the wall, and he doesn’t have power.”
Just a wall apart, the orcs inside and outside the city are destined to be treated differently.
Among the tribe, it was common for male orcs to fight to win the favor of female. Especially during the spring mating season, fights between males were rough and often resulted in serious injuries.
The chief had only come to see them to respond to the demands of the horned bull tribe’s leader, but how the matter was actually handled, that was for the chief to decide.
A’Shi was just an ordinary orc. Compared to Huo Duo’er, who was born with strength, the chief had already made his choice in his heart.
Huo Duo’er rubbed Yu Bai’s hands gently. “That matter is already in the past.”
Yu Bai didn’t respond. After hearing all that, he should have felt happy, but for some reason, instead of joy, he found himself deep in thought.
“Bai, don’t worry.”
Yu Bai responded softly, “Okay.”
—
Before dusk, Huo Duo’er carried Yu Bai back to their cabin.
Just as they left the main city, they unexpectedly ran into A’Li.
A’Li turned his head and spotted them. With a cheerful shout, he quickly came over.
“Bai!”
A’Li had a loud voice, and with that call, the surrounding sub-females also began to gather.
Centered around Yu Bai and Huo Duo’er, a small crowd of orcs formed nearby, especially the sub-females, whose eyes were filled with admiration.
Yu Bai was puzzled, while Huo Duo’er remained cold-faced.
A’Li explained, “The whole tribe’s been talking about A’Shi getting his horns cut off. I don’t know what the other orcs think, but—”
He pointed to the nearby sub-females. “Everyone here is really grateful to you two. That A’Shi used to bully who knows how many sub-females. They even went to the chief about it, but he just turned a blind eye and never took it seriously.”
If you are too soft, you can't win, and if you are too hard, you can't win.
A’Shi was in his prime and a member of the horned ox tribe, one of the strongest orcs clans in the tribe. Add to that his frequent hangouts with other unruly males, and the sub-females, even if they wanted revenge, were helpless. They simply weren’t a match for those male orcs.
Huo Duo’er had cut off A’Shi’s horns. He wouldn’t be able to move properly for at least three to five months, and all that overwhelming bull strength of his would be gone.
A’Li said, “Everyone’s thrilled!”
Yu Bai gave a shy smile. Being stared at by so many eyes made him feel extra bashful, so he quietly clung to Huo Duo’er’s neck and didn’t say a word.
It wasn’t until the sub-females around them had dispersed that Yu Bai lifted his head from Huo Duo’er’s shoulder.
“A’Li, did you go to the main city?”
“Yeah,” A’Li scratched his head. “My big brother wanted to try the entry trial, but he injured his arm a few years back. It’s never been strong since. Especially when the weather gets cold, the bone inside always aches.”
He added awkwardly, “I’m not as strong as my brother. I can barely lift the smallest stone if I grit my teeth, but I’ve never once hit the target with a wooden arrow, no matter how hard I practice.”
It sounded like a bone fracture.
Missing the optimal treatment window for a fracture means full recovery is largely up to luck. If it wasn’t set properly at the time, the bone could’ve healed crookedly, and the chance of it fracturing again in the same spot later on would be pretty high.
Yu Bai briefly gave A’Li a few verbal reminders about how to take care of the injury. After speaking, he gently pressed his lips together and looked up at Huo Duo’er.
In the end, he didn’t say anything.
Just because A’Li had a good relationship with him didn’t mean Huo Duo’er had to help him because of it, especially when Huo Duo’er was already busy enough building their new home.
Huo Duo’er’s gaze settled on A’Li. “I’ll teach you archery in a few days.”
A’Li was stunned. “Huh?!”
“You saved Bai once.”
Yu Bai’s lips trembled slightly, and he tightened his arms around the giant’s neck.
Huo Duo’er patted his back. “It won’t be difficult.”
—
Back at the cabin, Huo Duo’er tidied up the courtyard while Yu Bai sat by the stove, warming himself and boiling water.
His eyes followed the giant’s figure and happened to see him take out two bull horns from the corner. Huo Duo’er cleaned them and began grinding them down with a stone knife.
Yu Bai asked, “What’s that?”
Huo Duo’er replied, “A’Shi’s horns.”
Yu Bai: “……”
He knew that, of course. But what was Huo Duo’er doing grinding them down?
“Bull horns are tough and hard to break. They can be made into weapons,” Huo Duo’er explained.
Especially the horns of a horned bull orc, they were even more resilient than those of wild cattle.
After dinner, Huo Duo’er had just about finished shaping the horns.
He handed them to Yu Bai. “Here, play with it.”
Yu Bai’s eyes widened. “Huh?!”
“For self-defense.”
As he spoke, Huo Duo’er stuffed the horn into Yu Bai’s hand, then wrapped his own large hand around Yu Bai’s, adjusting his grip into a new position.
“Bai, being small doesn’t have to be a weakness. Small size has its advantages. If another orc ever bullies you again, you can pretend to be weak at first, get close to them. Then, like this—”
Huo Duo’er guided Yu Bai’s wrist, adjusting the angle of the grip so that the horn’s tip pointed at his own chest, then shifted it to his throat.
These were an orc's most vulnerable spots. No matter how close someone was, they would never let anyone near these places.
Yet now, Huo Duo’er was exposing both to Yu Bai.
“Grip the horn tightly. As long as it’s something sharp you can use, aim for the weak points of that orc and stab with all your strength.”
Yu Bai was stunned.
“Bai, did you get it?”
Yu Bai replied softly, “Mm…”
No matter what kind of affection it stemmed from, Huo Duo’er had already gone far beyond the bounds of ordinary relationships.
He practically fulfilled Yu Bai’s every need, cared for him in every possible way, and most importantly, he truly thought about his well-being. He was even teaching him how to protect himself.
Yu Bai felt a tight, swelling ache in his chest.
He was the weakest, most ordinary kind of “sub-female” in this world. But the giant in front of him never looked down on him, never tried to confine him out of stubborn protectiveness. Instead, he was teaching him how to survive in a harsh world.
“Bai, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
Huo Duo’er put down the bull horn and cupped Yu Bai’s face to examine him closely.
Yu Bai blinked. “It’s nothing.”
He leaned forward a little, and Huo Duo’er instinctively opened his arms, pulling him into an embrace and gently soothing the back of his neck.
Huo Duo’er sat on a stone slab with his legs apart, holding Yu Bai tightly in his arms.
The body in his embrace didn’t move. Huo Duo’er caught a glimpse of the tear at the corner of the sub-female’s eye. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, the urge rising to lick the tear away.
Yu Bai, touched, leaned against the strong chest of the male orc.
“You’re too good to me, Huo Duo’er. Thank you.”
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