| GB | Reward | 52
The tribe's midsummer felt like the rainy season had arrived. Every few days, whether early or late, a heavy rain would fall, accompanied by thunder and lightning, causing many trees on the mountains to topple.
Not long after, some troubling news arrived.
Two of the male orcs who had gone out in small hunting parties had not returned for three days. The chief sent orc warriors to search for them, and as evening approached, they found the bodies of the male orcs in a remote cliff area.
The bodies were stiff and had been gnawed on by wild beasts. When they were found, they were covered in flies and maggots.
The warriors carried the bodies of the two male orcs back to the tribe. Upon hearing the news, many orcs gathered in the center of the main city to see, including two female orcs.
Their faces were pale as they stumbled toward the place where the bodies were laid, clutching their young cubs.
Yu Bai was in the courtyard tending to his vegetable garden. The recent erratic weather and excessive rainfall had forced him to dig two additional drainage channels to prevent his carefully cultivated garden from being flooded.
Outside the courtyard gate, the commotion and noise had stirred the little wolf, causing it to howl incessantly. Yu Bai paused his digging, avoiding his muddy palms, and patted the wolf's head with the back of his hand.
After a moment of thought, he decided to go out and see what was happening.
The little wolf, with its fluffy fur, rubbed against his legs, signaling it wanted to follow.
Yu Bai smiled faintly. "Don't scare anyone."
The yak-wolf whimpered in agreement, promising to behave.
—
The center of the main city was crowded with orcs, and Yu Bai stood at the outermost edge.
The wall of orcs was tall and dense, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
From the orcs' discussions, Yu Bai gathered some information.
The two male orcs who had died while out hunting might have done something to anger the mountain god, who controlled the natural climate, and thus had been punished as retribution.
Otherwise, why, out of a hunting party of over twenty, were only these two dead?
Some were also discussing which male orc would inherit the females and cubs of the deceased.
Yu Bai scanned the crowd and noticed two female orcs standing apart. Their faces were pale, and the cubs in their arms wanted to cry but were silenced by their mothers, their tear-filled eyes red and swollen.
"Bai."
Yu Bai felt a tight grip around his waist and instinctively reached out, steadying himself by wrapping his arms around the orc's neck.
Huo Duo'er held him in his arms, his thick brows furrowed as he used his other hand to shield Yu Bai's eyes.
"Don't look."
From his elevated position, Yu Bai caught a glimpse of the two male orcs' bodies and suppressed a wave of nausea. "Huo Duo'er, were they struck by lightning?"
Huo Duo'er paused. "Lightning?"
Then he nodded slightly. "Yes."
As the orcs had speculated, the mountain god controlled the natural elements, and angering the mountain god would result in being struck by lightning. Even Huo Duo'er believed this.
With the recent heavy rains and frequent thunderstorms, Yu Bai, having grown up in the countryside, was always cautious about such weather.
In his village, there had been cases of people being struck by lightning—some died, while others survived. His grandfather and mother, worried he might encounter such a situation, had taught him how to handle it.
Huo Duo'er carried him back to the courtyard and then went to the livestock pen to tend to the newly caught wild fowl.
Yu Bai thought for a moment and followed him.
The ground was wet from the rain, and if they weren't careful about hygiene, it would easily become contaminated with filth. Yu Bai had warned that not cleaning up waste promptly could breed bacteria and lead to illness.
Huo Duo'er kept it in mind, worried that his frail orc companion might fall ill. For this reason, even the livestock pens were cleaned on schedule every day.
At the moment, he was using a broom made of branches to sweep away the dirty water and filth, gathering it in one spot to deal with later.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slender figure following him and couldn't help but feel helpless.
"Bai, it's dirty here. Go back to the courtyard and wait."
Yu Bai shook his head: "I'll just stand outside the door. I want to talk to you."
Hearing this, Huo Duo'er's heart softened.
His deep voice unconsciously softened: "What do you want to say?"
Yu Bai: "There's been a lot of rain and lightning recently. You often go out hunting, so be careful."
Huo Duo'er: "Is this because of what just happened?"
Yu Bai nodded.
"Bai, if the Mountain God intends to punish us, even I can't resist it."
Yu Bai: "It’s an electric shock. You can try to avoid casualties."
Huo Duo'er's brow twitched, but before he could speak, there was a commotion behind him.
"The Mountain God's punishment can be avoided?"
The chief, with his large, curved ram horns, spoke in a serious tone.
"Bai, you may have some skills, but don't speak such blasphemous words again in the future."
Huo Duo'er only frowned slightly.
Yu Bai glanced at the chief briefly before turning his attention back to Huo Duo'er.
"When you're out in the wild, if you encounter similar weather, try to avoid trees. Don't stand on mountain peaks, ridges, or open areas. Stay away from water sources and quickly find a cave to take shelter."
He spoke earnestly: "If you don't have time to hide and notice your hair standing on end uncontrollably, that's a sign that lightning is about to strike. Don't run around. Quickly find a low area, like a hollow or a cave, to take shelter. If there's nowhere to hide, crouch down, keep your feet together, lower your head, and hold your head tightly to minimize contact with the ground."
Huo Duo'er's expression softened. Although he didn't fully believe it, these words came from his mate’s concern for him, so he silently took them to heart.
The chief was even more skeptical, but since Yu Bai had spoken, he remembered it more clearly than anyone!
Little did they know that just a few days later, they would actually use the method Yu Bai had taught.
—
Summer was a time of abundant resources, and conflicts between several large tribes over the competition for produce gradually increased.
Chi Zu took the initiative to extend an invitation, seeking an alliance with their tribe. Their tribe also had the same intention, and after some exchanges, they decided to meet in person.
On this day, the tribe's chief led forty orc warriors, including Huo Duo'er, to the agreed meeting place with Chi Zu.
The meeting was set at a mountain ridge on the border between the two tribes. When they set out, the weather was clear, but just past noon, the sky suddenly darkened, and the bright clouds were covered by rolling black clouds.
Before long, strong winds and thunder roared around them, and lightning flashed across the sky, the thunder deafening.
Seeing the situation, the chiefs of both tribes concluded their talks and led their warriors back to their respective tribes.
The orcs had a premonition that the Mountain God was about to unleash his wrath again.
Halfway through their journey, there was a loud crash around the mountain ridge, and several trees fell. The orcs who witnessed the lightning strike gasped in shock.
Lightning flashed and crisscrossed in the black clouds, and the orcs, fearful of the celestial phenomena, began to panic.
"It's bad, the Mountain God is angry again—!"
"Is the Mountain God going to punish us?!"
"Run—!"
Huo Duo'er calmed the surrounding orcs, his gaze scanning the nearby environment for any caves that could provide cover.
He steadied his mind, realizing he could only find a low-lying area to take temporary shelter.
The chief pounded the ground with his bone staff: "Stop arguing, don't run! Find a cave to hide in, don't go under the trees—"
Before he could finish, seven or eight male orcs had already run off, while the rest remained around the chief, reluctantly following his orders.
The chief was also anxious, breaking into a cold sweat despite the weather.
He instinctively looked toward Huo Duo'er, who stood like a mountain, observing the calm giant orc. Thinking of the capable sub-female, he felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
The chief asked, "What should we do next?"
The orcs exchanged glances, surprised that the chief was seeking help from the giant orc.
Huo Duo'er quickly made a decision, pointing to a mountain hollow: "Let's take shelter there for a while. Don't run around."
Battling the fierce wind and continuous flashes of lightning, they made their way to the hole. Once there, Huo Duo'er instructed all the orcs to crouch down, tuck in their legs, and tightly cover their heads with their hands.
After giving the orders, he did the same.
Occasional bolts of lightning struck the surrounding hills, the thunder roaring. The orcs hiding in the hollow gritted their teeth, praying for the mountain god's mercy. They maintained their positions without moving an inch.
—
The storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, lasted for about half an hour. When the rain finally stopped, the male orcs in the hollow stood up, their bodies soaked. After checking each other, they found no injuries among their group. They had only been drenched by the heavy rain, and drinking some hot ginger soup upon returning would help ward off the cold.
The chief and Huo Duo'er exchanged a glance before hurrying back along the return path.
Not far away, four or five male orcs from the Yuan tribe were gathered around a large boulder. As they approached, they discovered two orc bodies lying behind the boulder. As for the other orcs that had run off, it was unclear if they were injured.
The orcs looked grim: "Chief, A’Da and the others are already..."
The chief shook his head: "Search the area and see if we can find the remaining tribes members."
The search results were not good. Half of the orcs who had disobeyed orders and run off had been struck dead by lightning.
Meanwhile, the male orcs who had followed instructions and taken shelter in the hollow were unharmed.
Both the chief and Huo Duo'er had their own thoughts on the matter.
—
The heavy rain had left some water pooling in the courtyard. Yu Bai cleaned it up, estimating that Huo Duo'er would be back soon. He boiled water and prepared ginger soup, ready to use it at any moment.
Before evening, Huo Duo'er returned to the small courtyard as expected.
Yu Bai, seeing the soaked orc, quickly took his large hand and gently pushed him toward the bathhouse.
"Take a hot shower first. There's warm ginger soup inside. Don't catch a cold!"
In the orc world, even a common cold could take an orc's life. Yu Bai felt Huo Duo'er's slightly cool skin. If he had looked up, he would have noticed the intense heat and devotion burning in the orc's eyes.
—
Huo Duo'er quickly took a hot shower. After entering the room, he drank the honey-sweetened ginger soup in a few gulps.
His throat burned, and his eyes radiated a fiery intensity.
Yu Bai instinctively pressed his knees together, feeling his body lifted as Huo Duo'er held him in his arms.
Lately, Huo Duo'er had been carrying him around for no particular reason, and Yu Bai had grown somewhat accustomed to it, so he didn't resist.
"What's wrong?"
Yu Bai couldn't quite handle it; Huo Duo'er's eyes seemed to be on fire.
"Bai, you saved us."
Yu Bai: "?"
Huo Duo'er recounted in detail everything that had happened during their outing that day.
Not only the orcs in the tribe, but even Huo Duo'er now gazed reverently at every inch of Yu Bai's skin.
Since the end of that thunderstorm, Huo Duo'er's emotions had been in constant turmoil.
At this moment, he let out a low growl, his nose sniffing at the pale, warm neck of his orc mate, kissing and licking incessantly.
Yu Bai was overwhelmed by this sudden passion, his arms desperately clutching the orc's head, fingers running through the short, coarse hair, his head tilted back, throat gulping as he swallowed back the cry’s that threatened to escape.
Huo Duo'er spread his limbs wide open, eyes filled with worship, his tongue sweeping heavily across.
After a long while, Yu Bai's damp fingertips pushed against him.
Catching sight of Huo Duo'er's puffed cheeks tightly contracting.
He couldn't help but cry, trembling as he clung to the other's head.
Yu Bai's wet, transparent tears kept falling, his soul seemingly drained.
"Don't, don't..."
He felt ashamed and unclean.
His soft fingertips kept pushing against the sliding Adam's apple.
Spit it out, quickly spit it out...
Huo Duo'er pressed his hand, thin lips closed, the large Adam's apple rolling several times.
"This is Bai's reward."
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