| GB | Open Your Mouth | 56
By evening, the light rain had stopped, and the setting sun enveloped the entire mountain range. The air between the trees and fields was filled with the fresh scent of grass and plants.
After crossing one more ridge, they would reach the tribal exchange site tomorrow.
The orcs from the Yuan tribe who had previously attended the trading fair breathed a sigh of relief and said to the tribesmen who were out for the first time, "It's safe here now. We can finally get a good night's sleep."
Except for the large tribal trading fair held at the end of summer, orcs living in more distant areas couldn't arrive in time during the summer months.
During the spring and autumn seasons, smaller tribes lacking resources would gradually gather from all around.
Over time, a fixed route had formed.
For safety reasons, the orcs would spontaneously drive away nearby wild beasts. As a result, larger beasts rarely approached this mountain range anymore.
Huo Duo'er found a spot upstream from the water source and had the orcs set up camp to rest. Standing on higher ground and looking toward the midstream, he could vaguely see two small tribes resting along both banks of the water source.
Traces of orcs could be seen near almost all the water sources in the area.
A’Lin was still in charge of guarding, while the remaining orcs split into groups—some gathering firewood, others processing the meat of the multi-toothed beast. Yu Bai wasn't idle either. Before nightfall, he had Huo Duo'er take him around the area to gather medicinal herbs for external wounds, picking as many as he could.
At least half of the male orcs in the group had been injured in the fight with the multi-toothed beast. The medicine Yu Bai had brought wasn't enough, so he had to gather more on the spot.
At night, the Yuan tribe's camp was lit by firelight, and the orcs feasted on roasted meat.
Yu Bai took the meat Huo Duo'er had roasted, opened a clay jar he had brought along, poured some fruit jam into a bowl, and then used a pig hair brush to spread it over the roasted meat.
The meat of the multi-toothed beast had a decent texture, without any gamey taste. If it weren't for their ferocity, which made many orcs avoid them, they might have already become a common part of the diet.
Despite the sweet and sour sauce enhancing the flavor, Yu Bai grew tired after eating most of the roasted meat. He dug out some roasted taro from the fire, blew on it, and found the texture soft and powdery. He ate two and gave the rest to Huo Duo'er.
After eating and drinking their fill, the orcs finally turned their attention to their injuries and began to complain of pain.
"Bai, when are you going to take a look at this arm of mine? It hurts so much, I can barely lift it."
Yu Bai washed his hands and had some of the orcs clean the blood around their wounds first. Then he applied the medicinal herbs he had recently gathered.
After tending to over twenty orcs, though none of the injuries were serious, it still took a toll on Yu Bai's energy and stamina.
After finishing the treatment for Jiu Fe, he stood up unsteadily.
Jiu Fe quickly supported him, but before he could speak, Yu Bai felt himself being lifted into Huo Duo'er's arms.
The surrounding orcs noticed and grew concerned.
"Is Bai alright?"
"He had to tend to so many orcs' injuries. He must be exhausted."
"If only I knew how to treat wounds, I could share some of the burden."
"Shameless! Who was the one yelling about the pain during the treatment?"
Unlike the other orcs who were joking around, Jiu Fe remained silent, his gaze fixed on Yu Bai's direction. Huo Duo'er subtly blocked their view and glanced back at him with a hint of warning.
Jiu Fe clearly felt the warning from the giant orc, but he didn't care.
A’Lin came over and patted him. "Is your injury alright?"
Jiu Fe shook his head.
A’Lin: "Just this morning you said there was no problem, why are you applying medicine now?"
"..."
A’Lin: "..."
Forget it, he couldn't understand what this strange and solitary orc was thinking. He just said, "Hurry up and heal your wounds. You can fly, and we still need you to scout the way!"
Jiu Fe nodded slightly and, before sleeping, looked once more in a certain direction. Unfortunately, Huo Duo'er had carried Yu Bai behind a rock, and that figure was no longer visible.
—
Yu Bai let out a small yawn in Huo Duo'er's arms.
In a blink, he was set down by the orc, who covered his belly with a small animal fur blanket.
He exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?" and felt the dry grass and hemp cloth mat beneath him. "When did you find the dry grass?"
Huo Duo'er replied, "I traded some multi-toothed beast meat with other orc tribes for it."
Most of the multi-toothed beasts were killed by Huo Duo'er, and using a portion to trade for goods was something the orcs in the tribe had no objections to.
Moreover, Yu Bai was the only orc in the journey who could treat illnesses and injuries, so the orcs took extra care of him.
With the chief's directive, many orcs now regarded Yu Bai as the next priest.
Huo Duo'er whispered, "Sleep."
Yu Bai, in a daze, on the verge of sleep, said, "Next time, find a few orcs who are interested and capable to learn some methods of treating external injuries from me."
Otherwise, judging by the situation during the day, if the tribe encountered a greater disaster in the future, he alone would be overwhelmed.
Huo Duo'er had no objections. He wanted to share more of Yu Bai's burden, but the inheritance of medical skills was precious in any tribe. If it were so easy to master, there wouldn't be so many tribes lacking priests.
The mountain nights were cool. Half-asleep, Yu Bai snuggled closer to the oversized heater. Feeling some moisture on his face, he opened his eyes to find Huo Duo'er slowly licking his cheeks, then repeatedly licking his neck several times.
Yu Bai let out a soft "Mmm," already accustomed to the orc's behavior and didn't shy away.
In his understanding, the orc's actions could be interpreted as a form of marking, a way to seek stability, much like marking their territory.
Huo Duo'er wanted to mark him, to designate him as a "safe zone." Although it sounded a bit embarrassing, after nearly a year of interaction, he had developed some sense of adapting to local customs.
—
The next day, the reorganized team arrived at the tribal trading site.
The injured orcs of the Yuan tribe had recovered much of their spirits after a night's sleep. Apart from some inconvenience in movement, no other issues were found.
As for the other arriving tribes, even the larger Yao and Brown tribes, their losses along the way were more severe, with several orc warriors having died on the journey.
If the large tribes suffered such losses, the situation for the medium and small tribes was even worse.
The orcs of the Brown tribe stared at the Yuan tribe's team, their gaze lingering on Huo Duo'er.
"The Yuan tribe actually managed to recruit a giant warrior."
"I heard they didn't lose a single orc on their way here."
"The Yuan tribe didn't lose any orcs on the road? They must have encountered many multi-toothed beasts and venomous creatures along the way..."
The warriors of the Yuan tribe, of course, understood how impressive their journey had been. Even with injuries to their arms and legs, they didn't hide the pride on their faces.
“Our tribe has mighty warriors, a healer who can treat wounds and illnesses... , and the blessings of the Beast God and Fire God. Of course, we can resist those wild beasts! How can you compare to us?!"
The relationship between the Yuan tribe and the Brown tribe has never been good. Not long ago, they had a conflict with the Brown tribe. Seeing the surprised expressions on the Brown tribe orcs' faces, the Yuan tribe orcs couldn't help but boast to showcase their strength.
Upon hearing that the Yuan tribe had a witch doctor who could heal wounds, the surrounding orcs began to chatter one after another, asking, "Who is the witch doctor? Could we ask him to treat our injured tribesmen?"
The Brown tribe orcs couldn't hold back and spoke up, "Witch doctors are useless. Only priests have the ability to heal. The Yuan tribe orcs are deceiving you! If you exchange goods with our tribe, we can ask the priest's disciples to heal your injured tribesmen."
As they spoke, the Brown tribe orcs scanned the Yuan tribe's orcs but found no orc who resembled a shaman.
At this moment, it was also due to the stereotypical impression of orcs that they believed only experienced and elderly orcs could heal, so they overlooked Yu Bai, thinking he was just a weak sub-female orc.
A very weak sub-female orc, with a pretty face... but no matter how good-looking a sub-female orc is, if he can't bear children, he’s of no use to a male orc.
—
Yu Bai was unaware of the scrutinizing gazes around him. His attention was entirely focused on the goods each tribe had brought for exchange, and the light in his eyes grew brighter.
Most orcs were tall, while Yu Bai was petite. Huo Duo'er carried him as they walked, making the pair stand out in any tribe.
The Yuan tribe secured a good spot for their stall and called out, "Bai, do you need us to set up your goods?"
Yu Bai waved his arm, indicating there was no rush. He was more eager to explore the trading fair and see if there was anything else...
He let out a soft exclamation, his eyes widening.
"Huo Duo'er, put me down..."
As soon as Huo Duo'er set his mate on the ground, Yu Bai hurried over to an orc with a few gray feathers in his hair.
The Feather tribe's stall was quite deserted. As a tribe with little combat prowess and a preference for farming, they couldn't offer thick, well-tanned hides, sharp beast bones, or meat like the larger tribes. All they had were the millet and beans they cultivated.
These millet and beans were their staple food. Although other orcs found them unpalatable when eaten raw, the Featherling tribe had been consuming them this way for generations, and no one had ever died from it.
While other tribes struggled through winters due to a lack of meat, they survived year after year on millet and beans.
Now, seeing a petite and pretty sub-female orc gazing at their millet and beans with shining eyes...
The sub-female orc was dressed in a uniquely styled, comfortable linen short robe. The Feather orc quickly perked up and cautiously greeted him.
"Sub-female orc from the Yuan tribe, you are so beautiful, even more so than the most attractive orc in our Feather tribe! Would you like to try our millet and beans? They are very good, just... a bit tough to chew. If your teeth..."
Yu Bai interrupted the Feather orc's eager sales pitch, "Can I exchange for all of these?"
"Ah?!"
"All... all of them?!"
The Feather orc was overwhelmed by this unexpected surprise.
Orc God, could it be that the millet and beans no orc would even glance at could finally be exchanged for goods?!
Huo Duo'er frowned, "Bai..."
What does his mate want with these hard, stone-like millet beans?
Yu Bai struggled to peel off the outer shell of the millet beans. Upon seeing the slightly rough, grayish-white particles inside, his eyes immediately lit up with joy.
He tilted his small face upward, gazing into the orc eyes that were watching him intently. "Huo Duo'er, I want these millet beans."
Huo Duo'er didn't ask for a reason. If his orc mate wanted them, he naturally agreed.
The millet beans brought by the feather orcs filled four large wicker baskets. Since no orc had shown any interest in them, not a single bean was missing.
The giant orc lowered his gaze, calmly watching the feather orcs who were hugging each other in excitement.
"What do you want to exchange with my mate?" he asked.
The feather orcs stammered, "C-can we exchange for the linen cloth that your mate is wearing?"
They had noticed the quality of this fabric, which was finer and softer than most made by other orc tribes.
Other orcs who heard this were somewhat displeased.
"Giant orc, can we make a deal? I’ll trade you animal hides and bones for your linen cloth. What do you want with these hard beans?"
Huo Duo'er didn’t even glance at the speaking orc. "Bai wants them, so we’ll trade for them," he said simply.
Not just beans—if Yu Bai wanted it, Huo Duo'er wouldn’t mind exchanging precious pottery and linen for stones.
The orc was astonished. "Y-you’re such a powerful giant orc. Why do you listen so much to a little sub-female?"
Yu Bai glanced at the nearby orcs, his eyes scanning their stalls before stopping on a few animal bones.
He hesitated and asked, "What kind of bones are these?"
The orc replied, "Tiger bones!"
"Y-yes, last year our tribe accidentally caught two tiger beasts. Their fur is excellent! But these bones are also good, they are not inferior to the fur!"
The orcs didn’t have a deep understanding of animal bones, mostly using them to make sharp tools or containers.
Yu Bai asked Huo Duo'er about the appearance of the tiger beasts and confirmed that they were indeed tigers. He then exchanged some linen and pottery for the bones.
Tiger bones were a precious medicinal material that could treat many illnesses.
The orcs marveled at the linen, having never seen pottery before. They tapped on it and exclaimed, "Why does this feel even better than stone tools?"
Feeling like they had gotten a great deal, and fearing that Yu Bai might change his mind, they quickly handed over the tiger bones and packed away the linen and pottery they had received.
At noon, Huo Duo'er carried Yu Bai up the mountain to enjoy the breeze and take in the surrounding wilderness.
Yu Bai was excited, his cheeks flushed with color, he squirmed in Huo Duo'er's arms.
Huo Duo'er sighed helplessly, slightly parting his short robe to ease the tightness in a certain area.
"Bai, why don’t you want to rest?" he asked.
Yu Bai smiled softly. "Those millet beans are very important. They can be used for food."
The millet beans turned out to be the rice of this era. Although they were rough and irregular in shape, modern rice had evolved through generations of cultivation and domestication.
Feeling overjoyed and unsure how to express it, Yu Bai cupped Huo Duo'er’s lowered face and, with a shy, inexperienced touch, pressed his lips lightly against the orc’s thin ones, his tongue gently licking.
Yu Bai had no experience with love and didn’t know how to kiss.
Acting on instinct, he mimicked how Huo Duo'er had touched him, lightly licking with his tongue. But when the base of his tongue suddenly ached, he was completely engulfed by Huo Duo'er’s suction.
Yu Bai froze, his eyelashes trembling as he tightly closed his eyes, forced to open his mouth as Huo Duo'er dragged his tongue into the warm cavity, deeply sucking.
Huo Duo'er was careful not to bite his mate, so he used his tongue to gently suck instead.
"Bai, open your mouth a little wider..."
Yu Bai's eyes were moist, and his lips were wet as well.
But he was incredibly obedient. Seeing that Huo Duo'er wanted to suck on the tip of his tongue, he obediently opened his mouth, offering his soft tongue entirely to the other.
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