| GB | Guard | 79
The dense black clouds dispersed, and the lingering twilight enveloped the orc tribe for about half an hour before darkness fell.
The chief, limping with a bone staff in hand and covering his nose and mouth, led a group of orcs with relatively minor injuries out of the city.
They lit torches outside the city walls, surveying the surroundings while clearing the ground littered with beast carcasses.
The stench of blood and filth was overwhelming. Even the strong night wind of late autumn couldn’t disperse the thick odor quickly.
With the illumination of the torches, Yu Bai found it much easier to work.
He took out hemostatic powder from his linen bag and carefully applied it to Huo Duo'er’s wounds.
The injuries on Huo Duo'er’s shoulders and chest were superficial but kept oozing blood intermittently, so they couldn’t be left untreated.
After bandaging Huo Duo'er with linen, Yu Bai suddenly glanced around. The chief, Xiu, and Man all averted their gazes. Only then did Yu Bai lower his head and examine Huo Duo'er’s thighs, lower abdomen, and hips. There were only minor abrasions, which could be treated with some medicine.
Given Huo Duo'er’s physical condition, he would likely recover on his own within half a day even without medication.
But how could Yu Bai let his orc mate endure it?
He avoided the area in front of Huo Duo'er’s shorts that was gradually bulging and shot him a glance.
Huo Duo'er’s gaze was deep and calm, with no ulterior thoughts.
As the bulge grew more prominent, Huo Duo'er bent his leg slightly to cover it and whispered, “Bai, I…”
Yu Bai muttered, “I know you don’t mean it that way, but this… isn’t a bad thing… It shows you’re healthy and unharmed.”
He grabbed the waistband of the shorts but couldn’t fasten it back, so he tossed it to Huo Duo'er and stammered, “Cover it yourself. I’ll go check on the other orcs.”
Huo Duo'er squeezed his hand and said, “Bai, don’t overwork yourself.”
Yu Bai replied earnestly, “Everyone is doing their part. You and the warriors held off the beast tide, and now it’s my turn to contribute. There’s no such thing as overworking.”
Mian and other female orcs arrived from the city with medical supplies. Yu Bai didn’t waste any more time, instructing Huo Duo'er to rest for a while before hurrying off to continue his work.
—
Beast carcasses were scattered everywhere, and the foul stench hung in the air. The torchlight illuminated the area outside the city walls, revealing a scene of horror and devastation.
After surveying half the area and suppressing the urge to vomit, Yu Bai asked the chief to arrange for the less severely injured orcs to be moved into the inner city for shelter and to clean up the surroundings as quickly as possible.
The outer city was severely damaged, with beast bones littering the ground. If not cleaned up promptly, bacteria could breed, worsening the orcs’ injuries.
Although beasts had entered the city, the situation wasn’t as dire as in the outer city.
Yu Bai looked around and asked, “Where’s Ze?”
Ze, who had just settled a group of orcs, heard Yu Bai calling for him and quickly met up with him without resting.
“Bai, what do you need?”
Yu Bai nodded slightly.
“Earlier, you dug up some grayish-white stones, right? Do you still have them?”
Ze replied, “Yes, we kept them.”
Yu Bai said, “Please take a few orcs and fetch as many of those grayish-white stones as possible. Mix them with water and spray the dissolved solution all over the city, inside and out.”
Ze asked, “What’s the reason for this?”
Yu Bai explained briefly, “To disinfect as much as possible. With so many dead beasts, if we don’t clean up quickly, it could lead to bacterial infections. Then it won’t just be the injured orcs—everyone could fall ill from the bacteria.”
Ze's spirits lifted as he understood the gravity of the situation.
"I'll handle it right away," he said.
Man came to find Ze and, seeing his hurried expression, immediately offered to help after hearing the explanation.
Having just faced a beast tide and engaged in a fierce battle, it was a time for unity. Unless they were too injured to move, all the orcs who could help were mobilized.
Yu Bai was outside the city, tending to the severely injured male orcs. Among the crowd, he spotted A’Li. After stopping the bleeding for a black sheep orc in front of him, he hurried over to A’Li.
"A’Li, A’Li—"
A’Li, who had passed out from excessive blood loss, faintly heard someone calling him. With great effort, he opened his eyes and saw Yu Bai. He managed to crack a smile.
"Bai."
Yu Bai's expression was serious. After a quick examination, he immediately bandaged A’Li’s leg, which had a large chunk of flesh bitten off. A’Li gritted his teeth, but eventually couldn't hold back a scream. He passed out from the pain, only to wake up again.
When A’Li came to, it had only been ten minutes.
Yu Bai had already asked Mumu to bring a beast hide blanket to keep A’Li warm.
The orcs in charge of cooking had prepared several large pots of meat soup, infused with herbs to nourish and replenish blood. Mumu queued up to get a bowl and fed it to the semi-conscious A’Li.
After finally bandaging all of A’Li wounds, Yu Bai looked at the leg that was almost down to the bone and couldn't help but feel heartbroken. He asked hoarsely, "How did this happen?"
Mumu wiped her tears. "He was bitten multiple times while trying to save us. When the beast tide attacked the tribe, A’m went to find their father, and A’Li stayed behind."
It was early autumn, and most of the male orcs were out hunting, leaving fewer in the tribe. When the beast tide breached the outer city, A’Li rallied the remaining male orcs to gather and protect the nearby female orcs.
The initial waves of the beast tide were the most numerous. Mumu couldn't escape in time and was bitten. Without a second thought, A’Li pounced on the beast, engaging in a close-fight struggle.
"Six or seven beasts all bit A’Li..."
Mumu couldn't bear to recall. The beasts had sharp teeth, and a slightly weaker orc could have their entire arm torn off in an instant.
After drinking a few sips of soup, A’Li felt some strength returning to his body.
He grimaced in pain, then managed a smile and panted.
"Bai, don't listen to Mumu. Look, although I'm badly injured, I killed all the beasts. It was worth it!"
A’Li face was dirty. After he finished the soup, Mumu laughed and cried as she wiped his face.
A few years ago, he had been a naive youth, but now his facial features had matured, and his fluffy ears had darkened, a sign of full adulthood.
A’Li had shed some of his former reckless and lively nature, taking on responsibilities and becoming a dependable male orc.
Yu Bai thought to himself, "A’Li did well."
The previously stoic male orc now seemed a bit bashful. He chuckled, feeling pleased by Yu Bai's praise, but also annoyed at himself for growing up too slowly.
If he had been like this a few years earlier, he could have been by Bai's side during his most difficult times, protecting him. Perhaps...
A’Li shook his head, annoyed at himself for his wandering thoughts.
Maybe the excessive blood loss had clouded his judgment. Receiving Yu Bai's caring attention, his young and passionate heart couldn't help but stir.
Ah.
After tending to A’Li’s injuries and instructing him to rest well, Yu Bai picked up his hemp cloth bag and continued to check the wounds of the next orc.
For four or five days in a row, Yu Bai and his team of medical orcs had barely closed their eyes, their physical strength long pushed to the limit.
After treating the injuries of the orcs from the Yuan tribe, they still had to tend to the orcs from the surrounding tribes, they were so busy that they didn’t even have time to drink water.
After this attack, the medicinal herbs Yu Bai had stored over the past few years were nearly depleted, and the tribe didn’t have much usable medicine left. It was autumn, and although the weather still retained some lingering heat, the vegetation was withering, making even the most common hemostatic herbs hard to find.
In just a few days, Yu Bai had visibly lost weight, with faint dark circles appearing under his eyes.
After sending off the last orc in line for bandaging today, Mian and the others were packing up. As Yu Bai bent over, he swayed, his vision darkened, and the sounds around him became indistinct.
Huo Duo'er arrived just in time to see Mian and Lian carefully laying Yu Bai down on a grass mat to rest.
Looking at his orc mate lying quietly on the grass mat, Huo Duo'er’s heart tightened as he gazed at Yu Bai’s thin face. He asked in a low voice, “What happened to Bai?”
Seeing his anxiety, Mian softly explained, “Bai hasn’t rested much these past few days. He’s exhausted and has fallen asleep now. Let him sleep a bit longer.”
Huo Duo'er nodded lightly and sat down beside Yu Bai to keep watch.
Mian had someone bring over a fur blanket, and Huo Duo'er gently wrapped it around Yu Bai, letting him rest against his leg.
Mian didn’t leave immediately. Noticing the obvious bloodshot eyes in Huo Duo'er’s gaze, she said, “Big Huo, you need to rest well too. Bai is in this state now and needs care. You can’t collapse.”
Huo Duo'er raised his orc eyes slightly and nodded. “I know.”
Although he had been taking care of Yu Bai these past few days, feeding him meals, and watching over him as he slept, the tribe had been hit by a beast tide. Until the situation stabilized and all the injured were treated, Yu Bai couldn’t rest peacefully, and his appetite hadn’t returned.
So Huo Duo'er could only worry helplessly, his heart aching. He tried to force-feed Yu Bai, but when Yu Bai vomited, he regretted it and didn’t dare to be too forceful. He could only coax him to eat a few bites at a time.
The surrounding orcs had all left, but Huo Duo'er remained in the shelter, keeping watch.
Late into the night, the temperature dropped, and the charcoal in the brazier was nearly spent.
Huo Duo'er gently picked up his orc mate, who was wrapped in the fur blanket, and carried him steadily and quietly back to the courtyard.
The little wolf, seeing them return, raised its head and was about to howl, but Huo Duo'er stopped it with a look.
“Bai has finally managed to sleep peacefully. Don’t disturb him.”
The little wolf let out a soft whimper in agreement.
It lowered its head, glancing at the leopard cat curled up in the corner, and went over to lick its injured leg.
The creature was so small. It had followed the small two-legged one back and refused to leave, and stayed outside the house.
The little wolf had tried to scare it away, but it wouldn’t budge.
A few days ago, when the small two-legged one went out to help the other big two-legged ones treat their injuries, the leopard cat had followed him everywhere. It didn’t go anywhere else, and with its injured leg, it eventually collapsed from hunger at the small two-legged one’s feet.
Yu Bai had picked it up and brought it back, instructing the little wolf to look after it.
This meant that as long as the leopard cat didn’t leave and the little wolf didn’t drive it away, it could stay.
The little wolf licked the leopard cat’s injured leg and looked up at the house, where the light of a fire had just been lit.
Huo Duo'er took a hemp cloth soaked in hot water and began to wipe Yu Bai’s body. When he reached his legs, Yu Bai woke up.
His eyes were hazy and moist, not fully awake yet.
Huo Duo'er’s gaze locked onto him, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
After wiping both legs clean, he finally calmed his emotions and gently touched the smooth, thin cheek.
"Still want to sleep?"
Yu Bai blinked sluggishly, "How long have I been sleeping?"
"Not long. Just rest for a bit. I'll get some food."
Yu Bai responded with a muffled sound.
Huo Duo'er returned from the kitchen with food in just a few minutes, feeding his orc mate spoonful by spoonful.
Yu Bai turned his head away, "I don't want to eat anymore."
Looking at the half-bowl of porridge left, Huo Duo'er nodded, rubbed his thin, soft belly, and then wrapped his legs around him, holding him protectively against his chest.
His heart was both soft and aching, and he couldn't stop kissing Yu Bai's forehead.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be right here."
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