| GB | Sweet Night | 108
Yu Bai was clinging to Huo Duo'er in broad daylight for the first time. The bright, sunny rays were almost melting him, and his ears were as red as two small bloodstones. He held onto the other's flower-patterned arm that was supporting him, slowly and clumsily descending back to the ground.
Huo Duo'er's gaze lingered on his crimson earlobes, and Yu Bai whispered, "You promised, right?"
"...Alright."
Yu Bai felt reassured internally, raised his arm, and waved a few times at Hui Yu, who was looking elsewhere.
Hui Yu chuckled awkwardly, "Chief Huo, Priest Bai, it seems you've reached an agreement."
And the way they reached this agreement was quite special. The usually aloof chief, who rarely let anyone get close, had actually softened his heart for Priest Bai.
Among the orc couples of the Longtail Tribe, no one was like this, including him and his own mate. As long as they found each other agreeable, they would form a bond and live together. The male orcs were responsible for hunting and protecting the tribe, while the females were in charge of reproduction and daily chores.
Hui Yu thought that such an interaction between orc couples was normal, as they had lived this way for decades. Yet, the scene he had just witnessed inexplicably filled him with envy.
Yu Bai was preoccupied with finding out the location of the Realm of the Water God. Unaware of what Hui Yu was thinking, he invited him to his home for a meal, planning to gather information during the dinner.
It wasn't Hui Yu's first time visiting Fantasy tribe. Familiarity breeds comfort, and Chief Huo's cooking was indeed excellent. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his throat, "Then I won't be polite!"
Under the clear moonlight, Fantasy tribe was enveloped in a serene and peaceful atmosphere.
Huo Duo'er prepared the meal, and Yu Bai served it on the table.
Hui Yu rubbed his hands together, feeling restless. He had initially intended to help but was refused by Yu Bai.
Yu Bai said that guests shouldn't lift a finger, which moved Hui Yu deeply, and the lingering resentment from being "bullied" by the tribe leader vanished instantly.
The atmosphere during the meal was pleasant. Huo Duo'er was engrossed in feeding his mate. Yu Bai's lips were red and his teeth white, with a slight sheen of oil at the corners of his mouth, making his flower-like lips appear even softer and more vibrant.
He ate in a refined and delicate manner, shaking his head slightly when he was about seventy percent full. Huo Duo'er stopped feeding him and naturally drank the remaining soup.
With Huo Duo'er's "coldness" absent, Yu Bai treated the guest with warmth and quickly learned the direction to the Realm of the Water God from Hui Yu.
Coincidentally, the key to reaching the Realm of the Water God lay in the mountain that Huo Duo'er had moved away.
Yu Bai: "..."
Hui Yu frowned, "According to the short-winged birds, there used to be a high mountain here, with a peak curved like an inverted crescent moon. The tip of that crescent pointed directly to the Realm of the Water God."
Previously, the short-winged birds relied on the mountain's peak to guide them to the Realm of the Water. But when they returned this year, they couldn't find the mountain! As a result, they lost their way and were delayed for quite some time.
This was also the primary reason why the orcs sent out by Huo Duo'er were able to find these two short-winged birds after the summer began.
Yu Bai fell silent again, scratching the palm of the orc.
"Where did you move the mountain to?"
Hui Yu was shocked.
Move, move a mountain?!
—
The next day, Huo Duo'er led several tribesmen to move the mountain back.
The direction the peak pointed to was not mistaken. This time, they repositioned it, and the entire mountain stood outside the territory, forming a natural barrier at the entrance.
As the mountain began to shift, the nearby orcs felt the ground beneath their feet tremble incessantly. They exclaimed in shock, and upon realizing that an entire mountain was moving, they cried out, "The Mountain God has awakened!" They prostrated themselves on the ground, calling out in awe.
The native orcs of the Yuan tribe wore expressions of pride: behold, this was their chief, the great Huo who led them!
The newly joined orcs were also awestruck by the spectacle of the mountain being moved, and the orcs of the Lynx tribe wept openly.
The female sisters thanked the Orc God for their blessings, knowing they had indeed chosen the right chief!
Among the Qingtu tribe, some orcs had complex looks in their eyes, while others made their decisions in that very moment.
—
That day, the orcs of Fantasy tribe received news that the chief, along with the priest, would be venturing to the Realm of the Water God, guided by the Orc God, to seek a new legacy.
Huo Duo'er selected A’Sen and his team for this journey. A’Sen was surprised, then his eyes welled up with tears as he nodded solemnly.
Those who were not chosen could not hide their envy or jealousy.
Even A’Sen's own younger brother stepped forward to volunteer, wishing to follow the Orc God's guidance in search of the new legacy, but Huo Duo'er refused them all.
A’Sen was ecstatic.
He had once been the first leader of the Yuan tribe, but after being injured in a bear attack, he was left with a lifelong disability in his leg. No matter how much he trained, he remained lame.
Since then, he had mostly been responsible for hunting in the hunting grounds or guarding the tribe, rarely being sent out on missions.
A'Sen knew well that only the most capable warriors were chosen for such tasks, and it was only natural that he had stepped aside to let others take his place.
Even so, over the years, a shadow had lingered in his heart, and he had often felt lost in the quiet of the night.
But today, he had been given a rare and hard-earned opportunity.
The gloom that had surrounded A'Sen suddenly vanished, and he felt like howling at the sky to vent his excitement.
With his extensive experience in long journeys, A'Sen calmly and steadily began his preparations, despite the many envious glances directed his way.
—
Yu Bai also began packing, carefully separating herbs, food, and warm animal hides, placing them into a waterproof linen backpack.
The night before the journey, he was too excited to sleep, tossing and turning in Huo Duo'er's arms, feeling the heat of the other's chest causing sweat to gather on his back.
Moonlight streamed through the window and onto the floor. Huo Duo'er held onto Yu Bai's waist as it shifted beneath his palm, his beastly eyes glinting in the moonlight.
"Bai, can't sleep?" he asked.
Yu Bai answered honestly, "I think I'm a bit too excited."
With that, he flipped over.
The thin linen shirt he wore had a loose collar, and the knot on his belt had come undone. Yu Bai clenched his knees, then suddenly rose and sat in Huo Duo'er's lap.
His clothes were loose, falling to the sides of his arms, and he couldn't avoid Huo Duo'er's gaze. Biting his lip, his face flushed, he sat properly, pressing on Huo Duo'er's shoulders to keep him still.
Because they were to set out the next day, Huo Duo'er held back that night.
Yu Bai followed his own rhythm, eventually falling into a deep sleep with his cheeks flushed, resting on Huo Duo'er's sturdy arm.
—
It rained during the night, but by dawn, the sky had cleared.
The mountain was filled with the fresh scent of earth and plants. Yu Bai had slept soundly and woke up refreshed, his lips a vibrant red.
In contrast, Huo Duo'er's face was dark, as if something had been pent up and left unexpressed.
The tasks within the tribe had been delegated by both him and Huo Duo'er. After A'Sen had organized the warriors' team, under the watchful eyes of leaders like Xiu and Ze, Huo Duo'er carried Yu Bai out of the tribe's gate.
Once the tribe was out of sight, Yu Bai withdrew his gaze.
He touched Huo Duo'er's face: "Why do you seem a bit unhappy?"
Not far away, A'Sen pricked up his ears and scrutinized Big Huo, feeling a vague sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this look this way before.
He slapped his forehead—aha! Wasn't this the look of those single beasts in the tribe who had been pent up for too long, and yearning for satisfaction!
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