| GB | Rubbed | 44
Before dawn, a fine drizzle fell, and it wasn't until the rain stopped that a golden ray of light broke through the gray-bellied clouds, enveloping the entire tribe in the essence of spring.
Yu Bai was layering his animal robe onto himself. As he dressed, he inexplicably opened the collar and took a peek, causing his heart to race and his face to flush as he couldn't help but recall the things Huo Duo'er had done.
Feeling guilty, he let go of the collar, looked at the little wolf circling at his feet, calmed his heartbeat, and then stepped out of the house wearing his hemp shoes.
The small hut next to the main house was already built, half of it used as a kitchen, separated, and the other half as a bathroom.
Smoke from burning firewood wafted from the kitchen. Seeing that Yu Bai was awake, Huo Duo'er fetched a basin of water for him in a stone basin, even filling the ceramic cup used for brushing teeth with water.
Yu Bai had a fixed routine of washing up every morning and evening, keeping himself pleasant and clean, and Huo Duo'er had also adopted this habit, always preparing everything in advance.
"Bai, the water is ready."
Yu Bai was still a bit shy, softly murmuring an "Mmm," and after taking the water from the kitchen, he noticed Huo Duo'er looking at him. His face warmed, and he quickly went to a corner of the yard to brush his teeth.
He swished the warm water around in his throat, and during the process of brushing his teeth, he suddenly thought of something else.
Huo Duo'er saw that his mate had finished brushing his teeth and washing his face but was still squatting in place, thinking he was unwell. He put down the stone spoon in his hand, quickly walked over, and without a second thought, carried the squatting person back into the house.
Yu Bai was startled: "What's wrong?"
Huo Duo'er's hands were covered in soot, so he used the back of his hand to touch Yu Bai's face, which was soft and warm from the warm water. Finding nothing unusual, he felt slightly relieved.
"Bai, I thought you were unwell."
Yu Bai sighed lightly, shook his head, and then said awkwardly, "I was just lost in thought."
He waved the pig bristle toothbrush in his hand: "Brushing teeth isn't very convenient now. The roots and twigs that orcs use for cleaning teeth have a fresh and refreshing scent. I plan to collect them, along with a few medicinal herbs, to make tooth powder."
"Tooth powder?"
Yu Bai softly "Mmm"ed, then added, "Tooth powder is much more convenient. There's no toothpaste here, so we have to find ways to improve our teeth cleaning methods, or in a few years, our teeth will rot."
Huo Duo'er could only understand half of what was said, but he picked up on the parts he understood and roughly inferred the rest.
Orcs often eat meat and don't have a fixed habit of cleaning their teeth, so many orcs have rotten teeth even in their prime, and they are prone to pain, swelling, and redness.
If his mate could create something better for cleaning teeth, it would surely have a significant impact.
Huo Duo'er thought: No matter what, he would protect Bai.
After breakfast, the sun slowly rose, and the mist in the mountains dispersed.
Huo Duo'er took his stone axe for chopping wood and carried Yu Bai into the mountains.
Many orcs had come to the foot of the mountain to gather wild vegetables. Perhaps they were used to seeing the giant carrying his mate everywhere, so they were no longer surprised and even a bit envious.
The eyes of several female orcs fell on Yu Bai's feet, and they exclaimed, "Huh?" before hurriedly looking at Huo Duo'er's feet.
"Why aren't they wearing straw sandals?"
"What kind of shoes are those? We've never seen them in the tribe before."
Another female orc looked down at her straw sandals with exposed toes, then compared them to the ones worn by the giant tribe and the sub-female orcs, exclaiming in surprise, "They look so convenient, and seem much softer than straw sandals."
They wanted to take a closer look, but soon lost sight of the two orcs, as the giant moved incredibly fast.
The female orcs in the tribe were quite skilled at weaving, and even the chieftain often brought things for them to help with.
If given the chance, they planned to ask the sub-female for advice on making those shoes, though they weren't sure what would be a suitable exchange. Those shoes really did look good.
Yu Bai was unaware that the female orcs intended to seek his advice on making cloth shoes. After heading up the mountain, his attention remained focused on his surroundings. Whenever he spotted useful medicinal herbs, he signaled Huo Duo'er to set him down, and he would place the mud-covered roots into the basket on his back.
Huo Duo'er still had to chop wood, so Yu Bai didn't follow him all the time.
They maintained a certain distance, and as long as Yu Bai called out, he could turn and see Huo Duo'er.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional landing of a few mountain sparrows. They weren't afraid of Yu Bai, hopping around near his feet with their little claws. Yu Bai found it quite amusing and didn't shoo them away.
The mountain, nourished by spring rain, was abundant with resources. Creatures on the ground and in the sky gradually appeared in the area.
The nearby areas were relatively safe, as orcs frequently roamed there, and wild beasts tended to avoid them. Thus, Yu Bai's surroundings were secure.
The male orcs had gone deeper into the mountains to hunt, so apart from him and Huo Duo'er, there were no other male orcs nearby.
Huo Duo'er chopped wood suitable for carving, occasionally glancing back at Yu Bai's figure.
At that moment, his mate was collecting plants with large flower buds at the top. Under the sunlight, his brows and eyes glowed with a radiant light, clearly in a good mood.
Yu Bai waved the plant in his hand at Huo Duo'er, who then took the water pouch from his waist and went over to give him some water.
Yu Bai's hands were covered in mud. He tilted his little face up and drank a few sips from Huo Duo'er's hand before signaling that he didn't need more.
Yu Bai: "This flower is called honeysuckle. It can be used to make tooth powder, reduce inflammation and swelling, clear heat, and detoxify. It can also treat some infectious diseases."
Perhaps due to the better geological and climatic conditions in this world, the honeysuckle here grew exceptionally well, with large flower buds.
Combined with the medicinal herbs he had previously collected, which shared similar properties, Yu Bai found that they were proportionally smaller, with only occasional color differences, but otherwise not much different from the herbs he had gathered in the modern world.
His grandfather often went into the mountains to collect herbs, and Yu Bai occasionally accompanied him, though more often he helped with processing and preparing the herbs. Thus, he was quite familiar with the common medicinal plants in the mountains.
By midday, the sun was quite intense. After working for most of the morning, Yu Bai's energy was running low, so he sat under a tree to watch Huo Duo'er work.
He ate the hard-boiled eggs he had brought with him and nibbled on some dried fruit, leaving the remaining two hard-boiled eggs for Huo Duo'er.
Once Huo Duo'er had chopped enough wood, he tied it all together with vines. Then, with one hand dragging the wood and the other carrying his mate, they set off.
Yu Bai's face flushed, partly from the sun and partly from embarrassment.
He gently kicked his legs, "Let me walk on my own."
Huo Duo'er shifted his arm, and Yu Bai quickly wrapped one arm around his neck.
After spending so much time together, Yu Bai knew this was Huo Duo'er's way of insisting.
Most of the time, this giant was very accommodating, except during the night... and now.
Huo Duo'er seemed to be quite fond of carrying Yu Bai around.
Yu Bai, who couldn't even stop this giant from doing so in bed, had no choice but to let Huo Duo'er carry him down the mountain.
Not long after noon, Yu Bai had all the medicinal herbs he had gathered spread out to dry in the courtyard.
The sunlight was just right. He moved the only simple chair to the eaves where the sunlight filtered through, laid a layer of animal skin on it, and then half-reclined on it, comfortably squinting as he basked in the sun.
The little wolf was unusually quiet at this moment, lying at his feet and enjoying the sunlight as well.
In the center of the courtyard, Huo Duo'er was chopping wood with a stone knife, smoothing it, and then roasting it over the fire.
The rhythmic sound of chopping wood was like a dry lullaby, making Yu Bai drowsy. As he inhaled the scent of the herbs floating in the courtyard, his entire body felt warm and cozy, as if he were soaking in a warm spring.
In a daze, Yu Bai fell asleep to the sound of wood chopping, only to be awakened by some commotion outside the door.
Huo Duo'er was talking to someone at the door, and the visitor seemed to be in a great hurry.
A'Lin said, "Huo Duo'er, I heard that your orc companion can heal broken arms and legs. Please, let him take a look at my brother."
Ever since A'Sen, the leader of the last expedition, returned, he was first sent to the fire altar by the high priest after being injured, enduring the trial of the fire god. After that, his injuries seemed to have improved.
But the good times didn't last long. After nearly a month, A'Sen's condition worsened again, and his injured right arm could no longer be lifted or moved.
A'Lin said with a pained expression, "After returning from the fire altar, my brother almost lost his life. We dare not ask the priest to send him back to the fire altar for treatment again."
A'Sen was one of the orc leaders, and his abilities were unquestionable.
A'Lin craned his neck, though he was anxious, he didn't barge in or raise his voice, instead, he pleaded with Huo Duo'er in a low voice once more.
Their family had been living quite well in the main city thanks to his brother. If his brother were to lose the use of his arm, their future would not be as good as it is now.
Yu Bai, who had been listening to the conversation from behind the door, could tell from the words that A'Lin held Huo Duo'er in high regard.
Perhaps after the last expedition, A'Lin had been impressed by Huo Duo'er's abilities and had heard a bit about Yu Bai, which was why he had come seeking help.
Yu Bai opened the door a crack, slightly raised his arm, and gently poked Huo Duo'er in the back with his finger.
"Take me to see him."
Huo Duo'er would still need to go out hunting in the future, possibly with this same team. Yu Bai didn't want the orcs to look down on Huo Duo'er and also wanted to expand his influence. With the intention of building good relations, he decided to go and check on A'Sen's injuries.
Yu Bai went back inside to fetch his medicine basket. Just as he was about to sling it over his shoulder, Huo Duo'er took it with his large hand.
Yu Bai showed a hint of shy smile, not forgetting to give A'Lin a heads-up.
"If it's an external injury, there might be a way, but other injuries are harder to say."
A'Lin nodded repeatedly, "I'll show you the way."
As he spoke, he caught sight of a dog—no, a wolf cub, darting out from inside the house and couldn't help but exclaim.
"A wolf?!"
Huo Duo'er scolded in a low voice, "Go back inside."
Yu Bai smiled, "Little wolf, we're not home, so you need to guard the house and not run around."
The yak-wolf cub whimpered and retreated behind the door.
The sunlight made the crisscrossing dirt paths around the tribe feel slightly hot. Huo Duo'er carried Yu Bai to A'Lin's house.
The black ram orc A'Sen, unwilling to give up, tried to move his unresponsive arm. He was drenched in sweat, his face contorted in pain, clearly having failed many times before.
By his side was his female mate, urging him not to be so stubborn.
A'Lin shouted, "Big brother, Huo Duo'er and his mate are here!"
A'Sen looked at the unusually slender and delicate sub-female beside Huo Duo'er, his face unable to hide his surprise.
The sub-female before him had delicate and attractive features, with a fair complexion. He had never seen an orc in the tribe who looked like this, but he was also too small.
He even doubted that such a sub-female could heal his broken arm.
A'Lin wiped the sweat from his face, "Big brother, this is Bai, Huo Duo'er's mate. He can heal injuries!"
Yu Bai stepped forward and said, "Let me take a look."
He examined A'Sen's immobile right arm and quickly reached a conclusion.
A'Sen's injury was a dislocated elbow joint caused by his fall from the cliff last time.
There was still swelling around the elbow of his right arm, and even a light touch caused pain. Now, because it couldn't move, it was bent at an angle of about 160 degrees, with the olecranon protruding.
He met the eyes of those watching him and said, "It's a dislocated elbow joint. It needs to be reset."
A'Lin exclaimed in surprise, "Can it really be healed?"
Yu Bai nodded.
He said to Huo Duo'er, "Come over and hold his arm."
Huo Duo'er complied.
Yu Bai stood in front of A'Sen, holding his wrist with one hand and extending his thumb to press against the intercondylar area with the other. His remaining four fingers outlined the olecranon, instructing Huo Duo'er to cooperate with him in performing a traction-counteraction movement to flex and extend the elbow joint.
After a while, A'Sen's arm made a "click" sound, and Yu Bai said, "It's done."
A'Sen felt that his arm was much more comfortable and showed a look of surprise.
A'Lin was astonished and whispered, "Bai is even more skilled than the priest... the treatment was so fast!"
Yu Bai said, "Don't celebrate too soon. We'll see how the recovery is in at least half a month."
He had A'Lin fetch a few clean wooden boards, applied fracture-healing herbs to A'Sen, and then fixed it with the boards at a 90-degree angle.
Yu Bai gave some instructions and chatted with A'Sen for a while.
A'Sen's tone was filled with gratitude, and he had A'Lin prepare something to express his thanks. He glanced at Huo Duo'er, seemingly wanting to say something.
Yu Bai heard that it seemed to be about Huo Duo'er. Just as he was about to ask, he was picked up by the other.
"Bai is tired. I'll take him back to rest first."
Yu Bai was puzzled and scratched the other's neck with his fingertip, "Why won't you let me ask A'Sen about your hunting trip?"
Huo Duo'er said, "It's cold outside. There's nothing interesting to hear."
Yu Bai suspected that the other was hiding something from him and pressed a few more times, but Huo Duo'er remained silent.
"Huo Duo'er..."
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Yu Bai felt a bit disheartened for not being able to get any information.
His eyes rolled, and suddenly he blushed a little, hesitantly leaning in to nuzzle the giant's chin, as if testing.
"Tell me about it."
Huo Duo'er stiffened on the spot, holding his mate in his arms, his heart pounding fiercely.
He didn't know what Bai was doing, but as long as Bai spoke softly to him and then nuzzled him like this...
Huo Duo'er could swear to the mountain god, at this moment, even if Bai were to take his heart, he would be willing.
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