| GB | Exhausted | 110
After another day of traveling through the dense forest, the expedition team from Fantasy tribe was forced to stop before a vast, desolate wilderness.
The orcs' innate senses told Huo Duo'er that this forest was not ordinary, and even Yu Bai sensed something unusual.
The woodland before them was extremely barren, and compared to the surrounding vegetation, it appeared particularly sparse, lacking vitality, and was constantly shrouded in a thick, white mist.
This place was near the coast, where sunlight and rain were abundant. How could such a dense fog forest appear here?
Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er exchanged glances, seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.
A’Sen, with caution in his heart, walked to the edge of the wild forest, searching. After a short while, he returned along the same path, his face pale and his hand covering his mouth and nose.
The two male orcs who had gone with A’Sen to scout the path also looked unwell. Yu Bai slid out of Huo Duo'er's embrace and walked up to them to check their condition.
A’Sen and the other orcs leaned against a rock, panting, and honestly told him about their physical discomfort.
The three orcs had only ventured into the misty forest for a short while before they quickly experienced symptoms of suffocation, nausea, and dizziness.
Not only that, A’Sen pulled out a piece of turtle shell from his chest: "This shell of a turtle beast was found in the forest, with many bones scattered inside. I don't know how they died..."
Another male orc nodded in agreement: "That's right, only bones, not a bit of flesh left."
No signs of life were detected in the forest, except for a few small, light birds occasionally flitting high above.
The orcs had never seen such a scene before, and even as the strongest warriors, they still felt a bit of fear after leaving the forest.
"Is it the curse of the Orc God?"
"Even when the beast tide passes, it leaves behind a trail of flesh and bones, but... but there was nothing in that forest just now... It's too eerie..."
Yu Bai frowned and leaned close to Huo Duo'er's ear: "Do you believe in curses?"
Huo Duo'er shook his head firmly.
Seeing the leader's stance, Yu Bai said, "It's probably related to the mist around here, just like the miasma we encountered during our southward migration."
Hearing his words, A’Sen and the other orcs gradually calmed down.
"That's right, we've all passed through that miasma forest before. With the priest Bai here, nothing can stop us!"
"Bai, what should we do next?"
Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er discussed and decided to check around the area to see if there were any vines similar to those that produced miasma.
The orcs proceeded carefully, walking around, but they all shook their heads.
As the day turned to evening, they hadn't found a way through the misty forest and could only find a nearby place to rest for the night.
After recovering, A’Sen led the orcs to search around, and soon, they found a suitable spot to settle.
Just as they were about to send a few male orcs to set up tents, his expression changed, and he stared at a very small burrow: "Who's there?!"
Huo Duo'er, holding Yu Bai, had just walked over. With a lift of his left hand, he controlled the vines that emerged from the mud and tied up whatever was hiding underneath.
The two mole orcs who were tied up let out a yelp and fell heavily to the ground, immediately feeling dizzy.
Yu Bai let out a surprised "Ah," looking at them with curiosity and suspicion.
The mole orcs were short in stature, with small, round features that gave them a naturally comical appearance.
They huddled together, looking up at the towering male orcs, trembling even more.
"Please, please don't eat us!"
"I, I have little meat, I’m not tasty!"
A’Sen crouched on the ground and poked the mole orcs' shoulders with a stick.
"Stop shaking, our clan doesn't eat orcs, but you have to be honest. Why were you sneaking around and hiding underground? If you don't tell the truth, we'll tie you up and hang you from a tree, and when some hungry beast passes by—"
The mole orcs squealed in fright: "A’Di and I meant no harm!"
The orc who spoke looked pitifully at A’Sen: "The elders of our tribe warned us never to enter the Salt Mist Wildwood, or we would become desiccated corpses with only bones left. But, but our Gray Rat tribe has no combat abilities. A’Di and I were so hungry that we thought of going near the Salt Mist Wildwood to see if we could find any recently dead beasts."
Yu Bai murmured, "Salt Mist?"
He examined the two Gray Rat brothers, noticing they were trembling like sieves, and signaled A’Sen to leave. He then patted the sturdy arm wrapped around his waist, waiting for Huo Duo'er to release him, before squatting down in front of the Gray Rat orcs.
"Huo Duo'er, loosen these vines."
Surrounded by a group of male orcs, and with the two Gray Rat orcs too frightened to even move, escape was impossible.
The Gray Rat orc named A’Di secretly looked up and caught sight of the sub-female orc before him. His mouth formed an "O" shape, and he was momentarily stunned, forgetting to react.
He had never seen such a fair and handsome sub-female orc before, he was even more beautiful than the top female orc in their tribe.
The other seemed to exude a pleasant fragrance, and when he smiled, it was so gentle. A’Di couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it made his whole body feel warm and his head dizzy.
Yu Bai offered a faint smile: "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
As he spoke, he pulled out a packet of dried leaves from his hemp bag, opened it, and revealed some roasted meat inside.
"Here."
A’Di: "Huh?"
He stammered, "For me?"
Yu Bai nodded.
A’Di sniffled. He was young and utterly dazzled by the sub-female orc before him. Before his older brother could stop him, he shakily accepted the packet of roasted meat.
"Thank you..."
A’Sen, who was standing in the distance, said, "You're lucky, kid, to receive the care of our Priest Bai!"
The two Gray Rat brothers exclaimed, "P-priest?!"
"You're a priest?!"
When they caught sight of the bone necklace around Yu Bai's neck, their gazes grew even more reverent.
"So it's the priest."
The Gray Rat tribe was too small, with only one elder managing them. They didn't even have a chief or a priest.
They often envied the orcs of other tribes and wanted to join them, but because of their small stature, timid nature, and lack of combat abilities, no tribe would accept them.
A’Di's eyes welled up with tears: "Priest, please save my tribe..."
He pushed his older brother aside and then prostrated himself on the ground.
When an orc tribe is willing to submit to a stronger force, they show their submission by kneeling and prostrating themselves.
Yu Bai helped him up, and A’Di shrank back: "I, I'm too dirty..."
"It's alright," Yu Bai said with a smile. "It's getting dark. Come and have some food with us, and tell us about the Salt Mist in the Wildwood, okay?"
A’Di's older brother, a Gray Rat orc named Chang Sheng, blinked his round eyes.
"Priest, do you want to cross the Salt Mist?"
He grew anxious, scrambling to his feet and shaking his head vigorously.
"Our elder said that whether it's orcs or beasts, unless you fly over it, there's no way to cross it. If you enter, your whole body will dry up, turn to salt, and die!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai began to understand why the Salt Mist Wildwood was devoid of life.
He smiled kindly at Chang Sheng: "Is there any other information? I'll trade food for it."
Chang Sheng fidgeted nervously.
At that moment, the moonlight shimmered, and the mist in the forest grew hazy.
The silvery, watery sheen seemed to favor Yu Bai a bit more, cascading over him. Not to mention the Gray Rat brothers, even Huo Duo'er couldn't help but be mesmerized.
He reached out and pulled his orc mate onto his lap, picking up the cooked meat and vegetable porridge, blowing on it to cool it down, and then feeding it to Yu Bai's lips.
Yu Bai hesitated but quickly opened his mouth to drink the porridge.
The group of male orcs, including A’Sen, watched with envy and jealousy, biting down hard on the tough roasted meat in their mouths.
Chang Sheng and A’Di were stunned. When they met the gaze of the tallest male orc, they immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Chang Sheng stuttered as he continued, "It's... it's the Shell Clan... The elder said that passing through the salt fog leads to the Realm Water God, which is guarded by the Shell Clan."
"In the past, there was no salt fog in the wild forest. But the orcs who found the Realm Water God's domain became too greedy, so the Shell Clan drove them out and created the salt fog outside the territory. The salt fog blocks all living creatures from entering the Realm of the Water God's domain, preventing orcs from coveting the salt crystals..."
"So that's how it is..."
The orcs of Fantasy tribe spoke in unison, then turned their gazes to the chief and the priest.
Yu Bai: "..."
Huo Duo'er held a bowl in one hand and carried Yu Bai with the other, heading towards the fur tent.
"We'll figure it out tomorrow."
Even if the sky were to fall, it was now time for Yu Bai to rest.
No matter what difficulties they encountered, he firmly believed that solutions could be found.
Yu Bai looked at the firelight outside the tent. After finishing most of the porridge, the hot water in the pot was already ready.
He obediently lifted his linen shirt, letting Huo Duo'er wipe his body.
Huo Duo'er rubbed the soft, thin belly under his palm. When he was almost done, he tossed the wet linen cloth aside, leaned in, and pressed his lips to the slender nape of Yu Bai's neck, kissing downward and sucking the water droplets off his skin.
Yu Bai turned his head, the corners of his eyes flushed red.
He grabbed Huo Duo'er's large hand and suddenly moved it downward, his face almost red with embarrassment.
"Don't hold back, you don't have to endure it at night..."
The male orc remained motionless, the muscles on his back undulating. He spread his legs wider to make it easier for his mate's hand.
After a long while, Huo Duo'er used the remaining water to clean Yu Bai's hands, kissing them tenderly again and again.
As for Yu Bai, his breathing was long and steady, already exhausted and fast asleep.
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