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Another winter arrived, and the power dynamics of the southern tribes underwent a reshuffling.
After Huangyuan was defeated and scattered, fleeing and migrating in all directions, the Fantasy tribe rose to top. Over the course of a few months, word spread, and the orcs scattered across various regions gradually came to understand that the Fantasy tribe would not forcefully annex tribes, big or small, through sheer strength.
They stopped their habit of periodically changing territories, and some even came to the trade fairs established by the Fantasy tribe. There, they exchanged their local specialties or offered their labor in exchange for enough fur, linen, or grain to survive the winter.
In the south, although the winter climate was milder compared to the north, it was still cold. Resource scarcity was a problem that orcs across the entire wilderness continent had to face.
Once winter passed and spring arrived, the damp chill from the rain was particularly biting. Among the orcs who lived in hardship, cases of freezing or starving to death were not uncommon.
The Gray mouse Tribe once again felt fortunate that they had chosen the right chief and priest, allowing them to settle peacefully in the Fantasy tribe.
Chang Sheng and A’Di got up before dawn. Chang Sheng went to boil water and prepare medicine, while A’Di helped the elder who lived in the same large tent. He soaked a piece of linen in hot water and then applied it as a warm compress to the elder's legs and feet.
The elder suffered from leg pain every winter. Priest Bai had personally examined him and taught the two brothers the method of warm compresses. He also sent over several packets of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving herbs for the elder to drink daily.
The Gray mouse elder, named Wei, was appointed as the elder after arriving in the Fantasy tribe, tasked with assisting the leader and managing the internal affairs of the Gray mouse Tribe.
Chang Sheng and A’Di were given the status of disciples, helping Elder Wei with management.
If conflicts arose among the orcs of the Gray mouse Tribe, they would handle them first. If they couldn't resolve the issue, they would report it to Xiu.
After A’Di applied the warm compress for a while, the elder sighed, "It’s much more comfortable. The priest's method really works."
A’Di nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Chang Sheng brought the prepared medicine and watched as the elder drank it. The two brothers tidied up the fur blankets on the bed, ate two roasted sweet potatoes with the leftover bone broth from the night before, grabbed their wooden boards, and hurried to the large meeting hall near the square.
Today, the two brothers didn’t have to work, and it happened to be the priest's weekly lecture. To secure a good spot, they went early.
Most of the orcs who had the day off shared the same idea.
At that moment, a light rain was falling, and the environment was cold and gloomy. The fire pit in the large meeting hall was burning with wood, and the space was filled with orcs, leaving only a path leading to the blackboard.
Yu Bai was brought to the door by Huo Duo'er, not a drop of rain touching him.
He adjusted his fluffy hood and took the linen bag from Huo Duo'er's hands.
Huo Duo'er said, "I'll pick you up at noon."
Yu Bai nodded. Seeing Huo Duo'er bend down, his heart skipped a beat. He quietly stood on his tiptoes to cooperate, gently pressing his lips to the orc's left cheek.
Huo Duo'er kissed both sides of his face and watched him enter the door before turning to attend to his own tasks.
The firelight reflected dozens of sparkling eyes: "Priest Bai~"
Yu Bai gave the orcs a faint smile. He was bundled up tightly and walked a bit clumsily, but none of the orcs in the hall laughed at him. After he entered, A’Ro, who was sitting at the back, looked somewhat awkward as he lowered the fur door curtain.
After being subdued by the salt mist, A’Ro had been feeling awkward. These days, whenever he saw members of the Gray mouse Tribe, he would take a wide detour.
It was his day off, and as he spotted the two brothers, Chang Sheng, hurriedly running away in the greenhouse, he thought for a moment and decided to follow them, thus becoming one of the attendees of the grand lecture.
In the front row of the desks, several disciples of the Shell tribe were present. Mo Lan placed their tribe’s priest on the table, feeding it a few pieces of dried fruit. When Yu Bai began to speak, he stopped his actions and listened attentively.
The blackboard was a simple, elongated board made by smoothing out a wooden plank, hung on the wall with hemp rope.
Yu Bai held a piece of charcoal and began to write, occasionally drawing simple and understandable diagrams to explain when necessary.
In the autumn, hundreds of orcs had joined, including some elderly ones and those with old injuries. As the weather turned cold, the joints of these individuals began to ache, and he had been busy with this matter, taking turns with Mian to treat them.
The female orcs in charge of medical care were overwhelmed, so they took advantage of today's grand lecture to teach some methods for caring for rheumatic diseases.
The disciples of the Shell tribe found it very useful, as many of their tribe members also suffered from joint pain, despite living in the domain of the Water God.
After finishing the care lecture, Yu Bai noticed A’Ro sitting at the back. His eyes shifted, recalling a recent conflict, and he picked up the charcoal to write a large character for "Virtue" on the blackboard.
Approaching noon, Huo Duo'er arrived early at the large house but did not enter. Instead, he leaned against the door and listened to the lecture with his fellow clan members.
At this moment, the orcs looked up, staring at the character for "Virtue" like schoolchildren, not recognizing it.
Yu Bai smiled gently, his clear and warm voice spreading slowly:
"To accomplish things, one must first learn to be a person. The Orc God has said that the value of a person cannot be judged from a single aspect but must be viewed from all angles. Your shortcomings may be someone else's strengths. Learn to cooperate, complement each other, and divide tasks to make the tribe better."
"And the foundation of a tribe's operation, apart from orcs and food, from a spiritual perspective that also includes the most important thing that constrains us: morality and virtue."
Many orcs scratched their heads. Among them, there were kind-hearted individuals, but when it came to conveying and explaining this concept, they could only clumsily fumble for words.
Mo Lan asked, "What happens if we don’t have virtue?"
Yu Bai nodded slightly towards him, then looked at A’Ro, as well as some of the mountain lynx orcs and those who had submitted after the fall of the Huangyuan tribe.
He didn't delve into overly profound principles that the orcs wouldn't understand, so he chose to speak in plain terms.
"Without virtue, rules cannot be formed, and there is no constraint, thus allowing desires to grow unchecked. Once there is no constraint..."
Yu Bai deliberately paused: "Without constraint, it would be like the Huangyuan tribe, which without reason or justification, invaded others' territories, killed their tribe members, and even brought captured orcs back to the tribe, forcing them to become slaves, making them live in darkness and suffer endlessly. Even in death, there was no sympathy, and their bodies were discarded into the wild forests to be fed to the beasts."
The mountain Lynx tribe and some orcs who had suffered under the Huangyuan tribe instinctively trembled, covering their mouths, their eyes moist.
Even the male orcs who had once been warriors of the Huangyuan tribe fell silent in unison.
That's right, even if they had been warriors of Huangyuan in the past, so what? When they chose to submit to the new tribe, they had already found their answer.
They were only slightly better off than "slaves,"and lived a bit longer, but who didn't work themselves to the bone? In those days, there was not a shred of dignity or freedom.
The orcs, who had been confused and bewildered just moments ago, quickly grasped much of what Yu Bai was explaining after he gave examples.
Yu Bai seized the opportunity to add, "So, we must strive to be virtuous individuals. As for the specific manifestations of virtue, I will work with the chief, the elders, and a few others to define them. Then, we'll let you read and reflect on them gradually."
The grand lecture was a great success, and Yu Bai was escorted out by the crowd and brought before Huo Duo'er.
The orcs dared not make a fuss in front of the chief and quietly left with smiles.
Huo Duo'er took Yu Bai's linen bag, slung it over his shoulder, and opened a bark umbrella.
It had started to rain, and the ground was wet. The main roads in the tribe were paved with asphalt, preventing them from becoming too muddy on rainy days.
Yu Bai stepped through shallow puddles, led by Huo Duo'er.
After holding his arm up for a while, Yu Bai grew tired. Huo Duo'er handed the umbrella to him, picked him up, and said, "Bai, you spoke very well just now."
Yu Bai nearly bit his tongue, "You... you were listening too?"
Huo Duo'er nodded, his expression serious.
Yu Bai chuckled awkwardly, his face instantly reddening.
He hadn't attended school for many years. After falling ill, he stayed home to recuperate, occasionally reading or listening to his grandfather and mother read to him.
Though he hadn't read extensively, he understood the basic principles of being a good person, which sufficed for dealing with a group of orcs.
Yu Bai felt his ears burn at the thought of "tooting his own horn." Huo Duo'er leaned in, kissing his forehead and hairline.
Raindrops fell into the umbrella, cool and refreshing. Yu Bai exhaled a cold breath, pressing closer to Huo Duo'er's chest and reaching his hand inside, feeling around.
Noticing the orc's firm chest muscles tremble, he asked with a smile, "Are you cold?"
Huo Duo'er shook his head.
Yu Bai stopped teasing him. As soon as they returned to the courtyard, he was carried straight into the house, laid flat on the bed, and the thick fur robe slipped into a warm, rough hand, being lifted piece by piece.
Huo Duo'er kissed the tip of his nose, "Bai, lift the fur robe higher yourself."
Yu Bai raised the hem pushed up to his chest, his moist lips and teeth grazing Huo Duo'er's neck, giving a gentle bite.
The little wolf, carrying Jinjin, burrowed into its den for hibernation, catching a glimpse of the commotion on the bed—the big two-legged creature was once again "licking" the smaller one from head to toe.
The bed creaked and groaned, sounding even less sturdy than their den.
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