| GB | Half Covered in Blood | 55
The next day, as the sky began to lighten, the orcs in the team followed orders and started packing up.
After a night's rest, everyone's spirits and physical strength had recovered, and they quickly put aside the fear from yesterday's attack by the flying insects. Yu Bai's condition had also improved significantly.
He stood by the river, kicking his legs, stretching his shoulders and back, and twisting his waist, while the other orcs watched curiously.
Knowing that his mate was warming up, Huo Duo'er focused solely on watching, his calm and steady gaze occasionally revealing a hint of infatuation.
Feeling warm, Yu Bai stopped his movements and smiled sheepishly at the curious orcs, explaining, "I'm warming up my limbs. Stretching them out makes the body feel much lighter, and it's less likely to get strained while traveling."
The orcs seemed to understand, though not entirely, and Yu Bai continued with his own tasks.
He applied insect-repellent juice to his skin, glanced at Huo Duo'er, and waved his arm. The other quickly approached him.
The male orc knelt down on one knee, wrapping an arm around Yu Bai's waist.
Yu Bai's cool fingertips pressed against him, carefully spreading the remaining juice.
Huo Duo'er's cold gaze swept around, tightening his arm around Yu Bai's waist, silently declaring to the orcs that Yu Bai was his.
The other orcs watched in awe. Even though they didn't fully understand what tenderness and care meant, they all sensed something special at that moment.
"Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er really have a great relationship..."
Whether single or already bonded, they all felt envious.
"If only I could find an orc partner like Yu Bai..."
Among the gazes secretly watching Yu Bai, there were some who, like Huo Duo'er, were filled with infatuation. But they knew better than to foolishly challenge Huo Duo'er's strength and authority.
A’Li counted the number of orcs, ensuring everything was in order, and it was time to continue the journey.
The team returned to the place where they had been attacked by the flying insects the day before. The supplies they had brought were still there, untouched by wild animals during the night since no meat had been left behind, and the items were well-preserved.
Huo Duo'er led the warrior team responsible for guarding the outermost perimeter today. The deputy leader, A’Lin, gave instructions to a few orcs and quickly returned to his position.
He noticed that Jiu Fe still seemed distracted and reached out to touch him, but remembering something, he ultimately didn't follow through.
Jiu Fe was a foreign warrior recruited by the tribe, a member of the Peng tribe, a rare orc race. The Peng tribe had the ability to fly and were solitary, preferring to keep to themselves. They were not very sociable and spoke little.
A’Lin asked, "Jiu, what are you looking at? Are your injuries okay?"
Jiu Fe could fly and had lured away some of the flying insects alone the day before, sustaining some external injuries. Fortunately, Huo Duo'er's mate had already applied medicine to them.
Jiu Fe shook his head, "I'm fine."
A’Lin was puzzled, "Then what are you looking at?"
"..."
A’Lin shrugged, realizing that Jiu Fe had no intention of conversing, and decided to leave the solitary companion to himself.
—
The orc team moved steadily through the valley. Yu Bai didn't let Huo Duo'er carry him for the time being, he stayed in the middle and walked with some females and sub-females.
The orcs with weaker physiques and less ability to protect themselves were guarded in the center, while the male orcs were divided into two groups: one carrying the wooden boards with the supplies, and the other guarding the perimeter, responsible for leading the way and keeping watch.
After yesterday's attack, the orcs were even more vigilant today.
They avoided areas with dense grass and safely traveled for half a day.
In the afternoon, dark clouds drifted across the sky, and a damp wind swept through the grass. Not far behind the grass, movement began to stir.
Beasts, especially packs of predators, often take advantage of overcast and rainy weather to hunt.
Although the tribe of the Yuan people had a hundred orcs, half of them were female and sub-females, who were not as skilled in combat as the male orcs. Therefore, they dared not let their guard down.
Huo Duo'er led the way at the front, with A’Lin in the middle, and Mao Mao and the others at the rear, dividing into three sections for defense.
The female and sub-females, surrounded in the middle, sensed the unease. They did not sit idly by; instead, they took out the stone knives from their waists and huddled together back-to-back, ready to fight back if attacked.
Yu Bai also held a stone knife, with a slingshot hanging from his waist.
This slingshot was made for him by Huo Duo'er, using cow tendons and high-quality wood that had been fire-treated. The size fit his hand perfectly.
Yu Bai carried a cloth bag filled with pellets made of clay, dried under the scorching sun, making them extremely hard.
The wind carried the dampness of rain, mixed with a faint scent of blood, as the howls of beasts drew closer.
A female near Yu Bai exclaimed in shock, "We’ve encountered the multi-toothed beasts!"
As their name suggests, multi-toothed beasts have denser and sharper teeth than ordinary beasts. They resemble a hybrid of wolves and some medium-sized predators, with black and yellow fur, and a body size about half that of an adult male orc.
This pack of multi-toothed beasts had just hunted a small group of grass-eating sheep. The thirty or so multi-toothed beasts were still hungry, and now they had encountered two-legged orcs. Although the orcs were numerous, the beasts were not afraid.
The teeth of the multi-toothed beasts could tear apart the limbs of animals, and they could directly bite the two-legged orcs.
The male orcs raised their wooden spears to resist, roaring with a ferocity that matched the multi-toothed beasts.
Yu Bai, surrounded by the orcs, watched as the tooth-filled beasts charged at them, his legs trembling.
His whole body shook, and the orcs around him were also trembling.
This trembling was not out of fear but because the ground itself was shaking.
Suddenly, the ground around them began to bulge and quake, as countless vines and branches burst forth from the earth. Sharp branches pierced through the bellies and throats of the multi-toothed beasts.
The branches and vines, now covered in warm blood, mixed with the light rain and scattered in the air, blown by the wind onto the faces of the orcs.
The bloody scene caused some of the female orcs to scream uncontrollably. Yu Bai clenched his teeth, trying not to join in the screams.
Amid the chaos, he heard Huo Duo'er's commanding voice, which steadied his mind.
The counterattack from the giant orc boosted the confidence of the male orcs. They rallied their spirits, tightly surrounding the weaker female and sub-female orcs, refusing to move even when bitten.
Yu Bai, being one of those tightly protected in the center, quickly regained his composure and grabbed his slingshot, pulling out a handful of pellets from the cloth bag.
He was unable to fight the multi-toothed beasts up close like the male orcs, so he decided to take advantage of the moment. Seeing a multi-toothed beast pounce on the male orc nearest to him, he focused, released his index finger and thumb, and shot a pellet the size of a fingernail directly into the beast's eye.
The multi-toothed beast howled, squinting in pain. In that instant, the male orc seized the opportunity, thrusting his wooden spear through the beast's throat, taking down one of the predators.
The male orc glanced back at Yu Bai with gratitude before continuing the fight.
Jiu Fei, flying in the sky, attacked with his spear. He flew forward, trying to lure the multi-toothed beast king, which was heading toward the center, to chase after him.
They flew forward, luring the creatures to gather together, coordinating with Huo Duo'er's vine attacks.
Countless branches and vines enveloped the multi-toothed beasts that had been lured to one spot, while several blood-stained, blade-like branches rapidly rose from the ground.
Amidst the howls of the beasts, they perished within the massive vine cages.
The majority of the multi-toothed beasts were killed in this manner, while the remaining stragglers were gradually surrounded and slain by the male orcs.
The bloody scene terrified the female and sub-female orcs, who rarely engaged in combat, and some were on the verge of vomiting.
Yu Bai suppressed the churning in his stomach, trying his best to adapt to the gory scene before him.
The battle had driven the male orcs into a frenzy. Despite sustaining varying degrees of injuries, the victory and bountiful harvest left nearly every orc exhilarated.
Huo Duo'er ordered all the orcs to leave immediately. They took with them a portion of the multi-toothed beasts' corpses, leaving the majority behind.
The blood here would attract more beasts to feast, and what they took would be enough for their journey, while the rest would serve to divert the attention of other beast groups.
To quickly relocate to a safe place, they only took a brief rest and counted their numbers before continuing their journey without even tending to their wounds.
Some of the male orcs stood guard, while others carried the slain multi-toothed beasts. The remaining males, along with the females and sub-females, worked together to transport the goods. Yu Bai was also among the small group of orcs contributing to the effort.
Huo Duo'er had a male orc lead the way for him and returned to the middle of the group, where he spotted his mate carrying a large bundle of burlap.
Yu Bai's small frame, even when surrounded in the middle, was taken into consideration by the orcs, who tried not to crowd him.
"Bai," Huo Duo'er took the large bundle of burlap and pulled Yu Bai to his side, "Are you hurt?"
In the past, Huo Duo'er would have immediately scooped Yu Bai into his arms without a second thought.
But having just emerged from a fierce battle, most of the male orcs were covered in bloodstains. Huo Duo'er, who had controlled the vines and branches to kill so many multi-toothed beasts, was even more bloodied and didn't want to dirty Yu Bai as well.
Yu Bai noticed the blood on Huo Duo'er's left arm and was startled.
"Are you hurt?!"
"Just some scratches, it’s nothing serious. The blood is from the multi-toothed beasts."
Huo Duo'er wanted to take Yu Bai with him, and Yu Bai didn't want to be separated from him either. Having just survived a calamity, nothing was more important than having his mate safely by his side.
A male orc walking nearby, dragging an arm that was still bleeding, grinned carelessly.
"Bai, what was that thing you used earlier? It actually hit the multi-toothed beast in the eye. If it weren't for you hitting its eye, I wouldn't have had the chance to kill it!"
Most of the lone multi-toothed beasts were killed by the combined efforts of the male orcs, but this one had been slain single-handedly by this male orc, who was brimming with pride.
Yu Bai touched the slingshot and looked up at the towering male orc beside him, a rare hint of pride in his expression.
"This is called a slingshot. Huo Duo'er made it for me."
The male orc asked, "Can you teach me? It seems really useful."
Yu Bai nodded, "Of course."
Nearby orcs who overheard their conversation chimed in, "We want to learn too."
The slingshot was smaller than a bow, easy to carry, and simpler to learn than archery.
The orcs chattered away, but it didn't slow down their pace.
Huo Duo'er kept a close eye on Yu Bai's condition. Seeing that he was tired, he reached out to pick him up, but hesitated visibly upon noticing the blood on his hands, his thick brows furrowing slightly.
Yu Bai noticed his hesitation and suddenly raised his arm, his face flushing slightly.
"Huo Duo'er, I'm tired. Can you hold me for a bit..."
His gaze was shy yet sincere, conveying to Huo Duo'er that he didn't mind.
The giant male orc, half-covered in blood, gently cradled his delicate mate in his arms. The surrounding orcs teased them, and couldn't help but stare.
The scene stirred something inexplicable within them.
—
Huo Duo'er gazed intently at Yu Bai's face. "I was afraid of dirtying you, and I didn’t want you to see anything too gruesome."
Yu Bai shook his head.
"I’m not afraid of any of that."
He paused, carefully wrapping his arms around the male orc's neck, and murmured softly.
"I’m only afraid that you might get hurt."
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