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Most of the warriors and slaves that Big He’a had taken out were captured, and he fled back to Huangyuan in a sorry state.
Chief Hu paced around the wooden hut a few times, catching sight of Big He’a disheveled appearance. He grabbed him and growled fiercely, "Where are the other orcs? You took out so many warriors, why have so few returned?!"
Big He’a wiped the mud and sweat from his face, his throat too dry as he rasped, "They were all captured! Those tall orc tribes can control the earth and rocks. Many of our warriors fell into pits and were knocked unconscious by falling stones..."
Chief Hu was furious and pressed Big He’a down onto the fire basin, "Didn't you say you could capture them and bring them back as slaves?!"
Big He’a howled in pain, his face twitching from the heat of the stone basin.
"Chief, those orcs were prepared. It was hard for us to... to act..."
Chief Hu vented his anger by pressing Big He’a down for a long while before finally shouting, "Get out of here, useless fool!"
Big He’a, no longer as cocky as he had been in the past few days, trembled as he left. Old Hei in the corner remained silent.
He had a vague premonition that the leading tribe of the southern continent might soon change.
—
Fantasy Land.
Yu Bai sat in the council tent, his hands tucked into his lap for warmth.
Fire basins burned on both sides of the tent, and in front of him was a low table with a clay bowl. A few freshly washed fruits, still dripping with water, had been brought in by Huo Duo'er.
He licked his slightly dry lips, peeled the fruit, and slowly bit into the juicy flesh.
Huo Duo'er and Man were interrogating the captured warriors from Huangyuan. They said the scene was too brutal, so they didn't let Yu Bai come along.
Yu Bai pouted, thinking that his courage had grown quite a bit over the years.
When A’Li entered the tent, Yu Bai straightened his neck and swallowed the fruit in his mouth before speaking.
"How did it go?"
A’Li replied, "It went fairly smoothly. The male orcs who were captured and enslaved by Huangyuan are willing to stay in our tribe after being persuaded by Da He and Xiao He."
Yu Bai nodded slightly and then stood up, "Let's go and take a look."
A’Li hesitated, "Those male beasts are too dirty, Bai. It's not suitable for you to go."
Yu Bai waved his arm, indicating it was no big deal.
In a smaller tent nearby, Da He and Xiao He were tending to their injured tribesmen, A’Lie and Da’Mu.
The Shanli tribe had long been absorbed by Huangyuan. Those born in Huangyuan became slaves from the moment they were born.
They worked tirelessly, never having enough to eat or wear, sleeping in drafty wooden sheds. If they fell ill and were near death, they would be thrown into the forest to feed the beasts. They had never seen what other tribes were like.
A’Lie and Da’Mu listened to Da He and Xiao He's words, and after a while, their numb expressions showed a glimmer of life, though they couldn't quite believe it.
But the sight of their two tribesmen before them seemed real enough.
Da He rolled up her sleeve, "Look, the tribe's priest treated my wounds. After Xiao He and I recovered, we went out to gather with them, and we get food every day."
She stood up and turned around, patting the animal skin clothes she wore.
Though not thick, they were much better than the tree bark they had used to cover themselves for years.
"We live in tents, not like the wooden sheds in Huangyuan, but like this one here, which keeps out the wind and rain. We even get some firewood every day to keep warm at night!"
A’Lie asked, "Really? You're a female beast, they didn't...?"
The rest of his words went unspoken.
Da He recalled the long, painful nights of the past, her body trembling involuntarily.
She shook his head: "No, they didn't treat me and Xiao He like that."
"Anyway, our tribe has long been gone. Fantasy Land has taken in several orc clans. Priest Bai says that orcs are all the same; as long as they are hardworking, they are considered tribesmen."
Da’Mu asked blankly: "Priest Bai, do you believe him?"
Da He and Xiao He nodded: "We do, the Priest Bai is truly good!"
Yu Bai overheard the orcs talking about him and knocked on the door before entering: "How are your injuries?"
Xiao He stepped forward: "Priest Bai!"
A’Lie and Da’Mu eyes widened in an instant.
They had never seen an orc like this, wrapped in fluffy animal skins, fair and beautiful, as if a divine oracle from the Orc God had descended, pure and flawless, all the beauty concentrated in the Priest Bai before them.
The two male orcs lowered their heads, as if looking at the Priest Bai for too long would be a blasphemy.
Da He smiled and called out: "Priest Bai, I've persuaded them, they've agreed to stay."
A’Lie and Da’Mu twitched their ears and knelt before the Priest Bai, following Da He’s words.
Although they didn't know what life in Fantasy Land would be like, after being tied up and looking around roughly, they found no abused orc slaves around.
Moreover, after being captured, they weren't beaten...
No matter how hard it gets in the future, it couldn't be worse than the past.
Yu Bai: "No need to kneel, all of you, rise."
He added: "Let me see your injuries."
A’Lie and Da’Mu immediately became uneasy.
Yu Bai smiled gently: "Don't be nervous."
He then instructed the orcs patrolling outside to fetch some linen and hot water from Mian.
A’Lie and Da’Mu exposed upper bodies were covered with old, hard-to-heal wounds. Despite these injuries, they worked hard day and night with little to eat. That they hadn't collapsed, apart from their youth, showed their strong physical condition.
Yu Bai cleaned the wounds of the two orcs one by one, with Da He and Xiao He clumsily assisting. After applying medicine, he handed a bundle of herbs to Da He, instructing her to boil them into a soup and distribute it to the injured orcs.
A’Lie and Da Mu were so shocked they couldn't speak, their reactions very slow.
It was A’Lie who came to his senses first, kneeling on the ground: "Thank you, Priest Bai."
The male orcs of the Mountain Lynx tribe, who had never received such care, now let down some of their defenses.
Yu Bai was helpless; he couldn't change these orcs' habit of kneeling before him anytime soon, so he just said: "There's some information I'd like to ask you about."
A’Lie and Da'Mu: "We'll tell the Priest Bai everything we know!"
"Where does Huangyuan get that white rice they eat?"
This question was unclear to Da He and Xiao He, but A’Lie knew the inside story.
As slaves, they male orcs were often sent out to work and hunt. They had once been to a tribe that transported a lot of white rice back.
Yu Bai: "Which tribe?"
"The Longtail Tribe."
A’Lie said: "The orcs of the Longtail Tribe seem to grow that white rice. The orcs there were once captured by the leader of Huangyuan and had their feathers cut off. They couldn't fly and had no way to escape, so they kept working for the Huang Yuan tribe, doing their labor."
As for the salty stones...
Da'Mu said: "It was Old Hei who dug them out from the bottom of a very deep mud pit. That pit was full of water and usually guarded by warriors, they did not allow any orcs to approach. We heard that not only are the stones dug from the pit bottom salty, but the water in the pit is also salty. However, we only heard this from other orcs..."
As for whether it was true or not, there was no way to know.
After listening to the useful information, Yu Bai instructed the orcs of the mountain lynx tribe to rest more before stepping out of the hut. The little wolf and Jinjin with their tails raised, followed closely at his feet.
On the way, he encountered Huo Duo'er, who had come to pick him up.
Clumsily running over in his fur boots, his hand was quickly grasped by the other.
"Huo Duo'er, I've got some good news," he said.
With that, his body lightened as he was lifted into the other's arms.
Huo Duo'er adjusted his hood: "I also have some good news."
Yu Bai smiled slightly: "Then you go first."
Huo Duo'er: "You speak first."
After some back and forth, Yu Bai didn't hold back.
"I found out from ALie and Da’Mu where the Huangyuan tribe gets their rice and salty stones."
Huo Duo'er's eyes flashed: "We just pried the source of white rice and salty stones from the Huangyuan warriors."
Back in the courtyard, Yu Bai and Huo Duo'er compared their information and found that neither side had deceived them.
Thus, the Longtail tribe was under the control of Huangyuan. If they helped the Longtail tribe, there would be a great opportunity for cooperation.
Yu Bai was thinking of a gentle diplomatic approach, while Huo Duo'er and Man had other considerations.
If they saved the Longtail tribe and the other side was unwilling to cooperate, they wouldn't mind using other methods to make the Longtail tribe agree.
His orc partner had some good ideas, but not all orc tribes would accept this goodwill. To establish their own tribe, they could only rely on strength. Strength was their foundation for gaining benefits.
—
The night was cold, and on the bed covered with several fur blankets, Yu Bai snuggled closer into Huo Duo'er's embrace.
As it approached midnight, Huo Duo'er rubbed Yu Bai's hand: "Still cold?"
Yu Bai mumbled: "A bit..."
Huo Duo'er responded softly, lifting the fur blanket and sliding down from above.
"Ah—"
Yu Bai's knees tightened, and only after Huo Duo'er patted them did he slowly relax.
His body gradually warmed up, until he couldn't take it anymore.
Yu Bai pushed away the highly suctioned mouth, his body covered in fine sweat. Just as he sat up, he was pulled into Huo Duo'er's embrace.
His eyelids twitched, the firelight strong, his pupils reflecting the menacing, rampant shadow.
"Don't—"
Huo Duo'er held him, veins on his neck bulging from restraint.
"Then take it slow..."
Yu Bai swayed, following his own rhythm.
Only halfway through, Huo Duo'er's forehead twitched, sweat pouring down his chest and back.
The sweat transferred to Yu Bai making him warm and sticky.
Feeling his orc mate was too slow, he pushed with his palm, pressing the person down to sit properly in his embrace.
—
In the latter half of the night, Yu Bai's body twitched, and he covered his swollen belly, sinking heavily into Huo Duo'er's embrace as he fell into a deep sleep.
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