| GB | I Swear By the Orc God | 86
In the dense, vine-covered wilderness, Yu Bai and the remaining female orcs and sub-female orcs moved in and out, pairing up in twos to help carry the fallen male orcs out of the forest.
Hundreds of male orcs, all with solid muscles, some still with a bit of strength left, tried their best to move their legs and walk back with their help. Others were already unconscious, heavy as large stones. Yu Bai wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, utterly exhausted.
Huo Duo'er leaned against a rock. After resting, he had regained some of his energy. Now, he raised his left hand, and the totem on it gradually deepened as he attempted to control the strange vines in the wilderness.
Yu Bai turned his head, noticing the cold sweat on the orc's brow, and crouched down to wipe it for him.
The wild forest remained still, indicating that Huo Duo'er couldn't control these unprecedented vines.
Yu Bai softly stopped him, "Don't try anymore, you're wasting your strength."
Huo Duo'er frowned and nodded slightly.
He struggled to stand up, and after adjusting, prepared to follow Yu Bai into the forest.
Yu Bai was anxious, "Don't go in, what if you collapse again?"
Huo Duo'er looked at the busy female orcs and sub-female orcs, his gaze fixed on his orc mate’s face.
"I can't just do nothing."
The strong and robust male orcs were waiting for a group of delicate sub-female orcs to save them—what kind of sight was that?
The young man rarely glared, "You've been taking care of me all this way, and now you won't let me do anything? Don't underestimate me..."
He pointed at the large rock and commanded, "Go rest over there now."
Huo Duo'er: "..."
His “fierce" orc mate had a bit more liveliness, something Huo Duo'er hadn’t seen in Yu Bai for awhile. His eyes couldn't look away.
Yu Bai, with red ears and a flushed face, temporarily calmed Huo Duo'er down and continued to carry people back.
Perhaps because of his pure orc form, as long as he didn't venture deep into the dense forest, the little wolf recovered quickly.
It darted from the outskirts to the side of the small two-legged creature, opened its mouth, and bit the robe of the unconscious male orc, lending a hand.
Jin Fe quietly lay on the rock where Huo Duo'er was resting, originally wanting to help, but the little wolf nudged its injured leg hard, driving it away.
Jin Fe curled up its injured leg and lay down aloofly, deciding not to bother.
Yu Bai and the group of sub-female orcs finally managed to drag all the male orcs out of the forest. As night was about to fall, Huo Duo'er set up a tent nearby and lit a fire.
The miasma hadn't dispersed, and most wild beasts didn't dare approach this place. Resting here was much safer than elsewhere.
Yu Bai walked to the fire, sat down, and caught his breath.
Huo Duo'er supported him and fed him water. Yu Bai moistened his lips and said, "I'll check on everyone later. I don't know if inhaling this miasma will cause any aftereffects."
Man and Xiu had already taken the conscious male beasts around the vicinity several times. They set traps, found fresh water and wild fruits, and hunted a few ground rabbits. They first distributed the food to Yu Bai and the other sub-females and female orcs who had been moving the male beasts all afternoon. They themselves could endure hunger for a while.
Yu Bai and the others, however, were exhausted, their arms sore and weak, unable to exert any strength.
Huo Duo'er massaged his arms, feeling more self-reproach than heartache.
Man, with a fierce expression, swung his fist in the air.
"We’re actually trapped in this strange forest—it’s so frustrating!"
The territory where the giant tribe originally lived also had miasma, which brought eternal harm to the tribe. Only the strong could adapt and survive.
But what did it matter that their tribe spent hundreds of years adapting to the miasma of that place? To this day, apart from those who adapted, the others had long since perished.
Man frowned, "Do we really have to spend time adapting to this miasma?"
There were no large hunting grounds nearby for them to feed on, and the miasma-filled wilderness kept many beasts away, with no detour possible...
Nearly six hundred orcs staying here too long would result in only two outcomes.
Either they would eat grass, or they would starve to death.
Huo Duo'er said, "We’ll investigate more carefully at dawn tomorrow. Let everyone rest for the night first."
Man nodded and went with Xiu to arrange the other orcs.
The moonlight poured over the vast wilderness, the evening breeze gently brushing by. Yu Bai was so tired that he couldn’t even muster a bit of strength in his fingertips.
Huo Duo'er prepared the rabbit meat, giving the bones to the little wolf and Jinjin as snacks. He took spices from a small jar, mixed them with the rabbit meat, and stewed them in a clay pot. Then he added half a palmful of coarse rice and cracked two bird eggs into it.
Yu Bai quietly watched the busy figure under the firelight, his lips curling uncontrollably. He poked the other’s back with his fingertips.
Perhaps this was the meaning of two people forming a bond—having emotions that tie them together. Over time, they become not only the most intimate lovers but also the closest family.
Even in the most difficult times, they would never abandon each other and are always each other’s sole support.
Huo Duo'er wasn’t as complicated as Yu Bai thought. He fed Yu Bai until he was about seventy to eighty percent full, then wiped him down with warm water.
Yu Bai lay softly in the orc’s arms, burying his head and sniffing. Huo Duo'er’s body stiffened, and a bulge appeared under his beast robe.
Yu Bai opened his eyes wide, both curious and impressed.
Even in this situation, it can still... stand?
Huo Duo'er was helpless.
Just traveling, the daily energy expenditure wasn’t as much as during hunting, so his body naturally accumulated a lot.
He picked up the limp youth and carried him into the tent.
Yu Bai’s belly was pressed against something for a while. He pursed his lips slightly, the corners of his eyes moist and red.
He hesitated, turning his back, wondering whether to continue. His abdomen warmed as Huo Duo'er pulled up the animal blanket to cover his belly, leaned down, and kissed his face before quickly leaving.
"Bai, what are you thinking about?"
Yu Bai’s eyes flickered, his words vague, "You... aren’t you..."
Huo Duo'er’s gaze darkened, restraining himself as he said, "Bai, you’re too tired. How could I do this to you on this journey?"
"Oh..."
Yu Bai chuckled to himself, then turned and nestled into a comfortable spot on the orc’s shoulder, his lips gently closing.
He soon fell asleep, his breathing heavier than usual. Clearly, after dragging so many orcs out of the forest today, his body had reached its limit.
—
The next day, Man and Ze went ahead to scout, thoroughly investigating the terrain around the wilderness.
At this moment, Man, with his short, spiky hair, was wearing a leaf hat that Ze had woven for him, chewing on a grass stem to extract its sweet sap, and squatting on a rock, sighing.
"Big Huo, Bai, we've checked. If we want to head south, we have to pass through this wild forest. There's no way around it."
So, the big question was how to get through this miasma-filled jungle.
Here, whether it was sunny or cloudy, the miasma never dissipated, and it became even thicker after rain.
Hold our breath?
Even if we hurried the entire way, it would take at least a day to get out of the forest. Who could hold their breath for that long?
Dig a tunnel underground? That would be an even bigger project.
Even if there were orcs among the giants who could manipulate earth, trying to dig a tunnel wide enough for them to walk through would be extremely difficult, even if it drained all their strength.
Yu Bai blinked in confusion, still nestled in Huo Duo'er's arms, letting the other massage his sore spots.
Mian took the initiative and stepped forward with a few sub-female orcs: "Bai, we will go into the forest and take a look."
They couldn't gather more information from the outside. Only by venturing deep into the dense forest could they find a way to dispel the miasma.
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai struggled to sit up from Huo Duo'er's embrace.
"I'll go with you."
The orcs spoke in unison: "Bai..."
Yu Bai turned his head, looking seriously into each pair of concerned eyes, his gaze lingering on the most familiar pair of silver-gray orc eyes.
He had studied medicine for some years and naturally observed more details than the orcs.
"Yesterday, you were all carried by me and the others all afternoon..."
The male orcs lowered their heads in shame: "..."
Yu Bai's eyes curved into a smile: "I noticed that the miasma doesn't affect me much. On the contrary, Huo Duo'er, Man, the stronger you are, the more severely you're affected."
Man's dark face flushed with guilt, while Huo Duo'er's calm expression turned bitter.
Yu Bai's clear voice echoed in the ears of every orc.
"Usually, we can only be protected in the middle of the group and do some light and unimportant chores."
"Now it's finally our turn to step up, Huo Duo'er, just give me a chance to take care of you all. Since we've chosen to head south, we need to look out for each other on the road, doing our best to help and not be a burden to one another."
As he spoke, he rubbed his cheeks: "We won't go too deep, we will just observe at the boundary where the miasma starts, and we'll come out immediately if there's any situation."
With gentle persuasion, Huo Duo'er reluctantly agreed.
Outside the wild forest, the male orcs' gazes were locked on Yu Bai and the other female orcs as they disappeared into the miasma, with a little wolf following at Yu Bai's feet.
Yu Bai covered his mouth and nose, his vision filled with the gray miasma, unable to see the path clearly.
He and the female orcs like Mian stopped, only able to glimpse blue and golden vines in the mist, the vines emitting a faint glow, with some areas having lighter miasma and others deeper.
Peering towards the source, Yu Bai suddenly widened his eyes, gradually discovering a pattern.
After a moment of thought, he tugged at Mian, picked up a stone knife, and moved closer to the area with the heaviest miasma.
Mian tried to stop him, but Yu Bai shook his head, swung the stone knife, and cut the vine.
A few minutes later, the miasma around Yu Bai dispersed, and his vision became clear. He steadied himself, walked forward a few dozen meters, found a place with dense fog, and continued to swing the knife.
Half an hour later, Yu Bai walked out of the forest.
Mian and the others looked gloomy, surrounded by the male orcs.
"How was it?"
"Are you alright?"
Some of the male orcs were skeptical, seeing the female orcs come out unharmed, each feeling deeply defeated.
This time, they really were too useless...
And from Mian's reaction, it seemed there was no harvest.
Sigh...
Yu Bai threw himself into Huo Duo'er's arms, letting the other hold him and massage every inch of his back.
"Bai..."
Huo Duo'er looked worried, as Yu Bai had shown no expression since coming out, his head buried, making it unclear whether the situation was good or bad.
Finally, Yu Bai slowly lifted his face, meeting countless pairs of eyes, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Bai?" Man was puzzled, "Why are you so happy?"
Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er exchanged a glance, and he said, "I found a way to clear the miasma!"
Wow—!
"Really?"
"Bai is truly a blessing from the Orc God!"
"May the Orc God bless us!"
Yu Bai stopped keeping them in suspense and revealed his discovery.
The reason the miasma in the wild forest never dissipated was related to those special vines.
The areas with the densest miasma had one thing in common: the intertwining of blue and golden vines. As long as the two-colored vines were cut apart, the source of the miasma would disperse.
However, this method could only clear a path in a small area.
Huo Duo'er said, "This path is enough for us to leave."
Yu Bai nodded with a smile: "That's what I thought too."
To pass through the dense forest, they had to rely on the physically weaker female orcs and sub-female orcs to take turns clearing the vines in the miasma, opening up a passage.
The male orcs felt very novel, on one hand feeling guilty watching the weaker female orcs work, and on the other hand, a strange feeling arose.
Just as Yu Bai had said, even the weakest orc could exert their strength in the right position. They gradually came to understand the meaning of not underestimating any orcs. If it weren't for these weak orcs standing at the front, they wouldn't have had the chance to escape from this miasma-filled wasteland.
—
After cutting the vines, Yu Bai returned and lay down on Huo Duo'er's back.
The past two days had drained a lot of his energy, leaving his arms sore and aching.
Huo Duo'er massaged his limbs, and Yu Bai let out a soft groan.
The palm resting on his back paused, and Yu Bai looked up in confusion, catching a glimpse of moisture welling up in those beastly eyes, faintly glistening.
Startled, he quickly stretched out his arms and embraced Huo Duo'er.
He had seen Huo Duo'er sweat and bleed, but this was the first time he had seen him shed tears.
Yu Bai's heart ached, and he tightened his arms around Huo Duo'er's neck, not caring about the countless eyes watching them.
Huo Duo'er half-knelt, bending his body to hold Yu Bai tightly.
"Bai, by the Orc God above, I swear that no matter what happens, I will be with you for all eternity."
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