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A slender, pale leg with an exposed ankle had just stepped out the door when a thunderclap roared, causing it to tremble and retreat back under the eaves.
Yu Bai lowered his eyes and covered his ears. As the thunder faded, he gazed with lingering fear at the lightning splitting the sky.
The rain poured down heavily, as if a large hole had opened above, continuously drenching everything. Water droplets splashed and danced in the courtyard. A wooden shed and bark had been set up over the vegetable patch in the corner. The sound of rushing water filled his ears, making his heart feel cold and unsettled.
The little wolf had circled outside, its large tail and hindquarters completely soaked. Now it crouched by the door, licking its fur. Thunder rumbled one after another, and it shook its neck, nudging the small two-legged creature further inside.
The little wolf feared nothing, but it was quite afraid of thunder.
It had seen lightning shoot down from the sky and strike other two-legged creatures, who soon lay motionless on the ground, dead.
So, it subconsciously remembered to avoid the bright light from the sky, it worried that its small two-legged creature might be struck.
Yu Bai rubbed its head and dragged a chair to sit by the door. Taking advantage of the momentary lull in the thunder, he stretched his neck and called out toward the kitchen.
Huo Duo'er leaned halfway out of the kitchen door, a spoon still in his tattooed arm.
Through the curtain of rain, their eyes met. Yu Bai opened his mouth, and Huo Duo'er responded, but the sound of the rain was too loud for them to hear each other.
In this moment, Yu Bai smiled softly, waving his fingers to signal Huo Duo'er to continue with his work.
He stood up, massaging his still slightly sore lower back and hips. After sitting in the chair for a while, he began to feel uncomfortable.
Yu Bai lay down on the bed, resting his smooth chin on his folded arms. In no time, his long, dark lashes fluttered shut, and he drifted into a light sleep.
His sleep was not deep, and he could faintly hear Huo Duo'er's footsteps as he entered the room.
Huo Duo'er set the meal on the table and sat down by the bed, watching for a while. Before he could speak, Yu Bai opened his eyes and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
He reached out his hand, which Huo Duo'er enveloped in his large palm, rubbing it gently.
As he continued to massage, his hands slid from Yu Bai's arms to his hips. "Still tired?"
Yu Bai let out a soft "Mmm," his cheeks slightly red as he nuzzled against the pillow.
Life was relatively stable now, and he went out less frequently. Whenever Huo Duo'er had time off, he was always eager to engage in that activity with him.
They didn't do it often, but they always did it during their rest times.
Yu Bai was naturally gentle and soft-spoken. Seeing Huo Duo'er unable to control himself, he never refused. Though shy, he was very tolerant. Often, when he couldn't take it anymore, tears would stream down his face, and his voice would grow hoarse. Only then would Huo Duo'er realize he had gone too far and hold him to rest.
Life was peaceful and uneventful, with occasional moments of embarrassment, but Yu Bai loved this kind of life.
The large hand on his lower back massaged with just the right amount of pressure. He closed his eyes and hummed softly. Once he had rested enough, Huo Duo'er helped him up by the waist, and they slowly made their way to the table for lunch.
The hourglass marked noon, and the sky looked gloomy.
Accompanied by a few rumbles of thunder, Yu Bai sighed softly.
"Bai," Huo Duo'er looked at him with concern, "What's on your mind?"
"I don't know why, but I feel a bit uneasy."
Yu Bai sipped the soup from his bowl, unconsciously licking the traces of soup from the corner of his mouth: "Isn't the weather this year too strange? It has never rained so frequently in previous years."
From the beginning of spring to the start of summer, the rain kept falling incessantly, ruining much of the tribe's farmland, and more than half of the crops planted at the beginning of the year were spoiled.
With the population base as it is, half of the grain ruined, the hunting teams sent out have increased, and Huo Duo'er only has two or three days off each month, leaving early and returning late on other days.
Yu Bai saw this, and although he was anxious, he couldn't help much.
Huo Duo'er remained silent, comforting in a low voice: "Don't worry too much."
Yu Bai absentmindedly replied: "I hope I'm overthinking it."
The heavy rain poured down, the courtyard gate tightly closed, and after the meal, the two didn't go anywhere.
Huo Duo'er held Yu Bai in his arms, the young man's soft, slightly curly hair brushing against his cheek, occasionally looking up, their gazes meeting, whispering a few words.
Huo Duo'er spoke little, occasionally coming out with a cold joke that made Yu Bai laugh.
At this moment, hearing Huo Duo'er's style of cold joke, Yu Bai's lightly pursed lips curved into a slight smile, his arms encircling the orc's narrow and sturdy waist, laughing until his body trembled.
"Bai..."
Huo Duo'er's voice was hoarse, his silver-gray eyes showing a bit of intense emotion.
He swallowed, his rough fingertips lifting Yu Bai's chin, his tongue pressing against the soft, warm seam of the lips, seeking entry.
"Bai, let me kiss you."
Yu Bai made a sound from his nose, his lips parting, obediently accepting the tongue that swept into his mouth.
The kiss left him breathless, his entire body kneaded into a softness state.
The rain curtain intertwined outside the house, in the afternoon, the little wolf lying in the corner scratched its ear, hearing the sound of the wooden bed shaking, turned its back, and howled at the rain under the eaves.
It thought the big two-legged creature was too bad, never letting the small two-legged creature out of the room during rest.
The wolf's howl continued, and Yu Bai instinctively tightened.
Huo Duo'er's throat heated, embracing his sweat-drenched back, the veins on his forehead throbbing incessantly.
Yu Bai's fingers were pressed against the top of his head, scratched randomly, Huo Duo'er held them steady, hoarsely saying: "Bai, loosen up a bit."
As evening approached, the rain stopped, Huo Duo'er rubbed his orc mate’s swollen belly and couldn't help but kiss his moist eyelashes, and quietly withdrew, went to the kitchen to fetch a basin of hot water and brought it into the room.
—
In early August, Huo Duo'er was busy hunting, and Yu Bai also had his own things to do.
The orcs who went out to collect supplies returned to the Yuan tribe, this time collecting a new kind of medicinal herb.
The herb was blue, half the size of ordinary medicinal plants, its efficacy unknown, but based on the accumulated experience of the old orcs, they intuitively felt that the blue herb was not ordinary.
Yu Bai and several old orcs focused on research, experimenting with gray mice, he discovered that this blue plant had an anesthetic effect.
An old orc named Wu asked: "What is anesthesia?"
Yu Bai explained the effect of anesthesia, not only can it be used for medical purposes, but it can also be applied to weapons.
Wu's spirits lifted, several old orcs looked at each other: "It is indeed a good thing."
The blue herb was named Ma Ma Herb that day, because the amount collected was not much, the chief arranged for several orcs to set out specifically to collect it, striving to return to the tribe before the end of autumn.
In the first ten days, the sun was bright, the sea of trees continuous, the market for trade among various orc tribes opened.
Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er set off together, accompanied by A’Li, Tata and his two brothers, Mian, and a few female orcs who were studying medicine, all joining in for the excitement.
Man led a group of giants, including A’Liao, and blended into the Yuan tribe's caravan as they headed towards the trading site.
The appearance of the giants at the trading fair was quite a shock to the orcs of other tribes, especially since they came alongside the Yuan tribe.
News of the Yuan tribe repelling the Brown tribe this year had spread throughout the northern orc tribes, solidifying their reputation as the top tribe. Their close ties with the giants made them a force no one dared to provoke.
Medium and small-sized tribes seized the opportunity to engage with the Yuan tribe, who, without putting on airs, were willing to form friendships as long as the intentions were sincere.
As for why they sought to connect with the Yuan tribe rather than the giants, it was simply because the giants appeared too fierce and intimidating, and they were known to possessing a special mountain god's power.
The orcs revered this innate power, but more often than not, they feared it, keeping their distance.
The elder of the Brown tribe stood by, grinding his teeth and glaring at Huo Duo'er and the giants led by Man, seething with anger but not daring to speak out.
This year, the Yuan tribe brought fine salt and various easily transportable fabrics, while the giants also brought fine salt.
The salt fields of the Western Mountains were still known only to some orcs of the Yuan tribe and the giants. To avoid disputes, they conducted their trades separately.
Moonlight poured into the forest, stars twinkled, and the evening breeze rustled through the mountains.
Bonfires were lit around the trading fair. Yu Bai cooked food in front of the tent, while Huo Duo'er assigned Mao Mao to keep watch nearby, with Ze taking over the shift in the latter half of the night.
With the orcs gathered together, the place was bustling with noise and excitement. Leaders from various tribes discussed and decided to hold a warrior competition to capitalize on the festive mood.
The victorious warrior could express his intentions to any single female orc present. If she agreed, they would become mates and live together.
Female orcs were scarce, and the single male orcs present quickly became fervent, rolling up their sleeves and eagerly preparing to compete.
Yu Bai handed Huo Duo'er a bowl of mushroom and meat soup. He craned his neck to watch the commotion, but being too short, he was soon lifted and placed on the other's shoulders.
The surrounding orcs from the Yuan tribe began to tease him, causing Yu Bai's face to flush with heat. He smiled awkwardly, looking somewhat dazed.
He patted the ever-silent Huo Duo'er and asked, "Is Man also joining the competition?"
Huo Duo'er pondered for a moment before replying, "Man really wants to have a family."
Unfortunately, apart from A’Yue, there were no other female orcs in the giant tribe. This year, they were also busy building a new territory, leaving no opportunity to search for a mate.
Man stepped onto the field bare-chested, his immense strength allowing him to hurl adult male orcs toward tree stumps.
After defeating three strong male orcs in a row, Man walked up to the female orc with a sinister grin.
He lowered his head, examining the relatively pretty gray rabbit female orc, and grinned widely. The tattoos on his face twisted and changed, while the muscles on his arms and chest trembled with excitement.
He asked gruffly, "Are you willing to form a bond with me?"
He felt he had been sincere enough, following the rules of the competition, winning three consecutive matches to show the female orc that he was a formidable warrior, capable of providing and protecting her, before humbly seeking her hand.
The gray rabbit female orc looked up, trembling as Man's face drew closer. She felt as though the tattoos might reach out and take her life. After Man asked several times, she let out a muffled whimper, broke into a cold sweat, and fainted.
Man stood there awkwardly, holding the unconscious female orc, his limbs stiff.
The gray rabbit orcs tremblingly took the fainted female orc back to their side. They kept their heads down, shivering, and remained silent no matter how Man pressed them.
Man turned to look at A’Liao, then searched for Big Huo’s figure.
Catching sight of Big Huo carrying his little orc mate on his shoulders, Man felt a pang of sadness.
"Big Huo, why did she faint... Am I really that terrifying..." he asked.
The orcs on the field remained silent, fearing Man might lash out, and they all stepped back at his roars.
Yu Bai asked Huo Duo'er, "Maybe that female orc doesn't like Man. If she doesn't like him, she could just refuse directly."
Avoiding him like this was truly a bit heartbreaking.
Ze grabbed Man, a handsome smile appearing on his face. "Stop asking," he said.
Man glared at him with red eyes.
Ze smiled helplessly. "If you have this much energy, why not spar with me? It's been a while since we last fought."
Man retorted, "You can't beat me anyway!"
Ze pulled out a beautifully transparent stone from his pocket. "If you win, I'll give you this stone," he offered.
Yu Bai glanced at it and found the stone familiar.
Of course, it was familiar—Huo Duo'er often used it for him.
Blushing, Yu Bai glanced at Huo Duo'er and whispered something into his ear.
After their secret exchange, he suddenly asked, "Is Ze being too concerned about Man?"
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