| GB | I Can Protect You Too | 46
After passing through the forest, they entered a low, long ridge. Along the way, orcs from the tribe were walking in succession. Some would sit by the roadside to catch their breath when tired, while others, even when sick, leaned on wooden sticks or were carried by their kin.
Yu Bai rested his chin on Huo Duo'er's shoulder, observing the surroundings and memorizing the route and the plants he saw.
The sunlight slanted toward the treetops, gradually growing hotter. Huo Duo'er's body was like a furnace, and he had been carrying Yu Bai for most of the day.
Sweat rolled down his prominent Adam's apple and disappeared into his chest. Despite this, he didn't put down his mate.
Seeing how hot Huo Duo'er was, Yu Bai reached into the burlap bag and pulled out a few finger-sized fruits, offering them to Huo Duo'er's lips.
Huo Duo'er slightly lowered his head, biting into the fruit. His tongue brushed against Yu Bai's soft fingertip, and he instinctively sucked on it.
Yu Bai quickly withdrew his finger. Huo Duo'er, still chewing the fruit, looked at Yu Bai's hand, seemingly wanting more.
"Bai," Huo Duo'er swallowed the fruit and gestured that he wanted more.
"..." Yu Bai, noticing the dryness of the orc's lips, set aside his embarrassment and obediently continued to feed him.
In this way, taking advantage of the opportunity, Huo Duo'er sucked on his mate's fingers several times. There was no need for shame—it was natural for a male orc to be close to his mate.
He silently watched Yu Bai, who remained quiet, the tips of his ears peeking out from his hair, red and soft, more enticing than ripe fruit.
So beautiful.
As evening approached, the nearby orcs stopped one after another, finding places to rest for the night.
Huo Duo'er led Yu Bai to a quieter spot. They would sleep in the wild tonight and reach the altar of Fire God Mountain tomorrow.
The trees here were not dense, with fine leaves, thick trunks, and slender branches. The setting sun filtered through most of the leaves, casting a mix of green and orange shadows.
Yu Bai sat behind a tree trunk thicker than that of an adult bear, while Huo Duo'er went to fetch water from a nearby source.
Yu Bai was responsible for setting up their resting spot for the night, preparing to start a fire and gather ingredients.
Yu Bai opened the burlap bag he carried with him. The nearby orcs watched as he pulled out a folded piece of burlap, spread it on the ground, and then took out two bowls—one large and one small—two pairs of wooden chopsticks, and a pot.
The use of pottery had gradually spread among the tribe since this season. Some orcs had tried making it, but most failed or produced low-quality pieces. Many still used stone bowls.
Seeing Yu Bai take out such intact pottery bowls and a pot, the nearby orcs couldn't help but feel envious.
Huo Duo'er soon returned with fresh water and gathered some dry wood for the fire.
Yu Bai used a stone knife with a handle to slice the smoked meat, placing it into the pot along with some dried mushrooms. He cracked two eggs into the mix. Even with only salted beans and ginger as seasoning, it was much more fragrant than plain boiled food.
The pottery pot he used heated up quickly, and the aroma of the meat and mushroom soup spread. The orcs nearby, who were gnawing on wild yams, turned their heads to look. Those who had better food were only eating dried roasted meat, which couldn't compare to the fresh, savory smell of the soup.
The orcs visibly swallowed their saliva, their eyes fixed on the pot.
"It smells so good..."
"That must be the giant and the sub-female from the city. I didn't expect such a strong and powerful male orc to really bond with a sub-female. I thought it was just a rumor."
"That pot of his is so handy. It doesn't look as heavy as a stone pot, and it heats up quickly. The food is ready in no time."
"That's called a clay pot, and there's also a clay bowl. It was the sub-female who mentioned it. I tried making them with mud, but they all shattered after firing and were completely unusable."
The chatter rose from all around. Although Yu Bai was sitting behind a tree trunk, the massive tree blocking him from view, being talked about by so many orcs at once made his ears and face gradually flush with a burning sensation, and his heart raced a bit.
Huo Duo'er noticed Yu Bai's discomfort and crouched in front of him, taking his hands in his large palms and gently rubbing them.
Yu Bai: "I-I'm fine..."
He took a deep breath and forced a slight smile.
The meat soup cooked quickly. To distract himself, he filled a large bowl with plenty of meat and mushrooms, then served himself another portion.
They hadn't eaten all day and were now starving, so they focused on eating without much conversation.
Before long, an orc hesitantly approached, swallowing repeatedly, clearly craving the soup.
"Um... could I have a bit of the soup? It smells so good. I don't need the meat or vegetables, just a little soup to warm my stomach."
Seeing this orc speak up, a few other sub-females also chimed in.
"That giant? Could you lend me your pot? I'll return it after I'm done cooking."
Yu Bai sipped his soup slowly, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal to agree.
Huo Duo'er coldly replied, "No."
The orc who had spoken was left speechless. He wanted to call Huo Duo'er stingy, but it was true that he didn't have to lend it if he didn't want to, and there was nothing to exchange for it.
But he didn't dare voice these frustrations, as the giant orc seemed like someone not to be trifled with.
After dinner, Huo Duo'er boiled water and kept the embers burning.
This water was reserved for Yu Bai to take his medicine with, while the rest was stored in a pouch for drinking whenever they were thirsty.
Orcs weren't particular about drinking water; they would simply find a water source when thirsty.
Since coming to the orc world, Yu Bai had insisted on boiling water before drinking it and had also reminded Huo Duo'er about it.
He wasn't sure about the orcs' constitution, but it was safer to drink boiled water to avoid getting sick.
Their actions sparked discussions among the other orcs, who thought boiling water was a waste of firewood and unnecessarily troublesome.
The surrounding fires not only kept wild beasts at bay but also brought some warmth to the late spring night.
Huo Duo'er, who had briefly left, returned with a bundle of dry grass, which he spread under the cloth mat. This made it softer for Yu Bai to sit on compared to sitting directly on the ground.
Huo Duo'er gazed at his mate: "Bai, rest well. I'll keep watch."
Yu Bai: "You take the first half of the night, and wake me for the second half. I'll take over."
Huo Duo'er frowned, but Yu Bai insisted.
Whether at home or on the road, he couldn't always rely on Huo Duo'er to take care of everything just because he was stronger.
He stood firm: "Don't underestimate me just because I'm smaller and not as strong as you. Keeping watch isn't about strength; I can do it too."
He muttered softly, "Protecting isn't just your duty. I can also do something for you."
When Huo Duo'er didn't respond, Yu Bai's face stiffened: "If you don't agree... I won't talk to you."
Huo Duo'er nodded: "Alright."
After settling the watch schedule, Yu Bai prepared to sleep.
Before bed, he rummaged through the cloth pouch.
The orcs who had been secretly watching widened their eyes, trying to see what he was pulling out by the firelight.
He secretly thought: That thing really can hold a lot! Hanging on the body, it looks much better than a hemp vine basket and can carry so many things!
They really wanted to get closer and ask, but the male giant clearly wanted his mate to rest and didn’t want other orcs to approach that area.
That arm was strong and muscular, with a large tattooed sleeve, and his face was cold and stern. The orcs didn’t dare to get too close.
—
Under the firelight, Yu Bai pulled out a handful of herbs and slowly ignited them with a spark. The scent that wafted out could repel mosquitoes and insects.
There was another handful that he had recently collected, planted in the small courtyard to repel mosquitoes and insects. When going out, he would pick some, wrap a bit of mud around the roots, crush the leaves, and apply the juice to his exposed skin.
He sat cross-legged, appearing even smaller in contrast to Huo Duo'er.
Softly and gently, he called out, "Come over and apply some of the herbal juice."
Huo Duo'er half-knelt in front of Yu Bai, first extending his arm, then lowering the back of his neck.
The soft, cool fingertips brushed against his skin, and Huo Duo'er swallowed hard.
After applying the mosquito-repelling herbal juice, Yu Bai was startled, his face flushing.
His flickering gaze avoided the bulge under the hemp robe, and he quickly closed his eyes, covering himself with an animal fur blanket.
Accompanied by the starry night and the firelight, Yu Bai slept quite well in the wild. He sank deeply into a dream, faintly hearing someone call him, just once. When he wanted to respond, the person didn’t speak again.
The night passed, and Yu Bai sat holding the animal fur blanket, lost in thought.
Huo Duo'er extinguished the firelight and wiped his dazed mate’s face with a warm, damp cloth.
"Bai, eat something before we set off."
Yu Bai: "...Ah!"
"Why didn’t you wake me up last night?"
Huo Duo'er focused and serious: "I did, but you didn’t wake up."
Yu Bai covered his head, vaguely recalling some fragments when he was sleeping.
His face flushed with slight embarrassment: "You only called once, right?"
Huo Duo'er: "Mm."
Yu Bai instantly realized the orc had done it on purpose.
But he couldn’t blame him.
Huo Duo'er had already done what he promised. It was Yu Bai who had slept too deeply, indulging in his slumber.
On the road, Yu Bai still felt a bit awkward, he wanted to bring it up with Huo Duo'er several times but he didn’t speak.
If he were healthier and didn’t feel so exhausted from traveling, he could have taken the first watch from the start.
Yu Bai secretly resolved to work harder to improve his health.
—
After passing through vast stretches of low hills, in the afternoon, a towering solitary peak suddenly came into view.
The surrounding trees were sparse, and the grass was shallow. The orcs said that only after summer would lush greenery grow.
Yu Bai gazed at the mountain, which seemed close but was still some distance away, instinctively feeling that it was the Fire God Mountain.
His sharp nose lightly sniffed, faintly catching a whiff of sulfur in the air.
"Is this... a volcano?"
A'Li had once mentioned that before the Fire God Mountain extinguished, the area blessed by the Fire God enjoyed eternal spring, and even winter didn’t feel cold. But ever since the Fire God left long ago, the tribe no longer experienced year-round warmth.
Huo Duo'er carried him for two to three hundred meters, and ahead was a large pit. At the bottom of the pit, a stone platform had been built, very wide, with a tribe orc standing on it, burning something, his limbs occasionally moving.
At the bottom of the pit were orcs who had come to worship and pray for blessings. They lay on the ground, motionless, extremely devout.
The tribe priest scattered the ashes in his hands, and wherever they fell, the Fire God’s blessings would descend. The orcs at the bottom of the pit eagerly hoped for the Fire God’s blessings to fall upon them.
The entrance to the large pit was guarded by warriors of the tribe, and not all orcs who came to pray could enter.
Yu Bai slowly slid out of Huo Duo'er's arms and looked around.
Not far to his right, clusters of reddish fruits hung from the trees.
Upon closer inspection, they looked strangely familiar.
The orcs waiting nearby picked up the fallen red fruits and ate them. These fruits, known as the blessings of the Fire God, could not be eaten directly from the tree. Only those that had fallen to the ground were safe to consume, and even then, one must not eat too many, or the god would punish them.
Yu Bai found this amusing. "Huo Duo'er, have you ever tried them?"
Huo Duo'er shook his head.
Yu Bai was about to pick up a couple of the familiar-looking wild fruits when suddenly, the waiting orcs began to stir.
A female orc cradled her child and wailed, pleading with the priest on the altar to save her offspring.
Hearing the commotion, the priest was displeased by the disturbance at the altar.
He scolded, "Such noise and chaos will anger the Fire God, and you will be punished!"
The female orc collapsed to the ground, weeping. "Please, Priest, save my child—"
The high priest glanced at the fallen fruits and sneered. "It must be because you greedily ate too many blood fruits, and now the Fire God is punishing you."
"A child punished by the god cannot be saved."
No matter how the female orc shook her child, the little one's face turned increasingly purple, and its chubby, lotus-like arms slowly fell limp.
Yu Bai's heart skipped a beat.
He didn't want to meddle, but he couldn't bear to watch such a young life slip away before his eyes.
Having died once, no one understood the preciousness of life better than he did.
In a split second, Yu Bai rushed to the female orc's side, scooped up the little lamb-like child, and cradled it in his arms.
The female orc screamed, "What—what are you doing—"
The surrounding orcs backed away, convinced by the priest's words that the child had been punished by the Fire God for eating too many blood fruits. Fearing the god's wrath, they dared not approach.
The female orc tried to snatch her child back, but Huo Duo'er blocked her.
"Bai is saving your child."
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