| GB | Divert Attention | 132 | Ex. 8
At the end of the month, the tribe received good news.
A’Li and A’Luo, who had traveled from the south to the north, brought back the orcs of the Yuan tribe who had remained in their original location after the disaster.
At that time, Yu Bai was still working in the fields. Upon hearing the news from a tribesman, he quickly rinsed the mud off his arms and legs with water and hurried over.
A large group of orcs had gathered in the square. They looked anxious, their bodies tense and hunched, their faces covered in dust and weathered by the elements.
For a long while, they stared blankly, their eyes wide as they took in the unfamiliar surroundings of the tribe, seemingly unable to process what was happening.
Xiu and Jiu Fe were maintaining order, while other tribesmen were quickly preparing food. Large pots of rice and meat were set up in the center of the square, and upon hearing the news, the female orc on duty at the medical clinic also arrived with medicine.
It was afternoon, and the square was shaded by lush trees with a cool breeze blowing. Xiu arranged for the weary orcs to rest under the shade of the trees, which was just right.
A’Li and A’Luo were speaking loudly, seemingly doing their best to comfort the Yuan tribe orcs who had followed them back to the territory.
Yu Bai took a deep breath and stepped closer. The two brothers from the river tribe and several members of the mountain lynx tribe who had been working in the fields also followed.
A’Li, sharp-eyed, caught sight of Yu Bai's fair figure in the sunlight and immediately raised his arm, calling out excitedly, "Bai, Bai—! I'm back!"
He then shouted, "I've brought our tribesmen back!"
The orcs who had been sitting with their heads down and shoulders hunched looked up. When they saw the sub-female orc walking into the shade against the light, their anxiety and tension gradually faded. Their eyes widened, and their lips trembled as they called out, "It's... it's Bai..."
Yu Bai looked just as he had in their memories—still young and handsome. The younger ones and the elderly orcs quickly wiped away their tears, while others gradually snapped out of their daze.
They finally saw that the rest of their tribesmen after enduring the hardships of leaving the north, and had truly arrived at the new tribe that had been established.
Bai hadn't deceived them back then. Everything A’Li and A’Luo had said on the journey was true...
This territory, which looked even more impressive than their original Yuan tribe settlement, was where they would now stay.
"Bai..."
"Everything Bai said was true..."
For a moment, the Yuan tribe orcs huddled together and wept, but this time it wasn't out of despair—it was tears of joy.
A’Li wiped the sweat from his neck and walked over to Yu Bai's side. After a moment's thought, he stepped back a few paces, afraid his smell might bother him.
Soon, tribesmen brought over dry flatbread and boiled water. A’Li and A’Luo squatted on the ground, taking a few bites of the bread and gulping down the water. Meanwhile, Yu Bai was on the other side, gently comforting a few Yuan tribe orcs who seemed emotionally unstable.
He noticed a young orc crying heavily and crouched down to pull her close, patting her shoulder reassuringly. Then, he reached into his cloth bag and handed her two honey-coated date candies.
The young orc's wet eyes widened as Yu Bai placed the candies in her palm, saying, "You must be thirsty after such a long journey. Drink some water first, then eat something to fill your stomach."
The young orc sniffled and mumbled, "Mhm."
Another Yuan tribe orc nearby said, "Thank you, Priest Bai."
During the journey, they had already learned from A’Li that Huo Duo’er was the tribe's chief, and Bai had become the priest.
No one was surprised by this. From the moment Huo Duo’er and Bai had decided to lead the orcs south, they had already accepted this in their hearts.
The porridge, sprinkled with minced meat, eggs, and vegetables, was quickly cooked. The orcs sitting on the ground resting each received a large bowl of steaming hot porridge. Without waiting for it to cool, they soon began devouring it ravenously.
A’Li and A’Luo ate just as quickly. Before they could finish, Huo Duo'er, having received the news, arrived at the square.
"Bai," the male orc immediately spotted his mate.
Yu Bai approached Huo Duo'er's side, looked up, and exchanged a few words with him.
After gulping down three bowls of porridge, A’Li patted his belly, feeling somewhat full, and then, along with A’Luo, came over to squat beside Huo Duo’er and Bai with their bowls in hand.
Yu Bai cautioned him, "Don't eat so much at once."
Then he asked, "Why haven't I seen the old chief and the priest?"
A’Luo paused, and A’Li sighed.
"Bai, Huo, the old chief and the priest have both returned to the embrace of the Orc God."
He then took out a few rolled-up pieces of parchment from his chest and handed them to Yu Bai, slowly reporting the situation.
It turned out that after the disaster struck, the orcs of the Yuan tribe who chose to stay did not go far. The vast sea of fire engulfed large swathes of the wilderness, along with the beast tide.
After the disaster, as the temperature rose, just as Yu Bai had predicted before leaving, the air was filled with a lingering stench, and more than half of the surviving orcs fell ill.
Thus, they dared not turn back or go too far. They selected an area to set traps and nearby, they erected bark tents, brewed medicine, and dug up edible wild potatoes and vegetables.
Although many of the orcs who stayed were willing to cooperate with the old chief’s arrangements, after such a massive disaster, not only was recovery out of the question, but survival itself was extremely difficult.
Therefore, the orcs of the Yuan tribe merged with those of other tribes. Those who were not ill were responsible for finding food, while the weaker ones took care of the injured and sick.
"A plague spread across the wilderness. For those months, orcs returned to the embrace of the Orc God every day. Some tribes couldn't bear it and left. The chief and the priest also fell ill."
"Many tribesmen died, especially the elderly and the injured. Fortunately, at the height of the hottest season, the plague suddenly disappeared."
Half a year passed, and the situation finally stabilized gradually, with no more orcs dying.
Yet, with insufficient resources and labor, facing the approaching winter, survival became an extremely difficult challenge.
Another half year passed, and the old chief and the priest fell ill, successively returning to the embrace of the Orc God. The undeveloped tribe found life increasingly difficult in the new year.
Yu Bai looked around at the emaciated orcs, feeling a pang of sorrow.
So when A’Li returned to the northern continent, met the orcs of the Yuan tribe, and proposed to take them away, they followed with anxious and bewildered hearts.
After enduring two years of hardship and hearing A’Li talk about the new tribe, none of the Yuan tribe orcs dared to believe it.
After briefly introducing the situation of the Yuan tribe orcs, A’Li continued to report on the progress of map drawing. The pieces of parchment he handed over were the information supplemented by two giants in the team.
In addition, A’Luo had also exchanged unfamiliar goods with the wandering orc tribes or other indigenous orc tribes they encountered. The items were tied to a four-wheeled cart and had already been handed over to Xiu for processing.
Huo Duo'er said, "You've worked hard. Eat and drink your fill, then go back and rest."
A’Li waved his hand, "This is what I and A'Luo should do!"
However, after traveling for so many days, they were indeed tired. After eating, they didn't linger but instead hurried to sleep.
Before evening, Man and Ze, who had gone out hunting, returned to the territory with their team of warriors. Seeing a large group of orcs from the Yuan tribe sitting in the square, they knew A’Li had brought them back. Shedding their usual casual demeanor, they cooperated with Xiu's work, helping to arrange these orcs into the vacated large huts. This task kept them busy for a long time.
Yu Bai tended to the wounds of several orcs, fixing their legs, feet, and arms. As it grew dark, Huo Duo'er instructed the settled orcs to sleep for the night and make other plans after they had regained their energy and strength.
After giving these instructions, he took Yu Bai away.
Man and Ze had also finished their tasks and left. Man, who was originally heading in a different direction, took a detour.
He approached Ze, his sweaty hand poking Ze's arm, deliberately smearing the sweat, and then held his hand.
Ze smiled, "Not going back tonight?"
Man said confidently, "What's yours is mine. What's wrong with us living together?"
A male orc passing by with firewood overheard and chimed in, "Leader Ze, Leader Man is right."
Everyone in the tribe knew the two leaders were inseparable. Although it was a bit strange for two male orcs to always walk together and even live together, they had gotten used to it over time.
Looking back, it seemed the two leaders were even holding hands?
The male orc shrugged his shoulders, thinking again, since the two leaders were living together, holding hands wasn't that strange...
—
The night breeze was cool, casting tree shadows in the front yard.
Yu Bai wiped the little wolf, which had gotten dirty from playing outside, and then let it lie there to dry.
Huo Duo'er came to collect the dishes and noticed there was still a lot left in the bowl. He picked up a spoon and fed Yu Bai a few more bites.
Yu Bai, feeling a bit sullen, opened his mouth and ate.
Huo Duo'er put down the bowl, picked up his freshly bathed mate, and sat him on his lap. He wrapped his hands around Yu Bai's and rubbed them, "What's on your mind?"
He added, "Are you thinking about the orcs from the Yuan tribe?"
Yu Bai nodded slightly.
He looked up at the starry sky, "Huo Duo'er, if we had insisted on taking everyone with us back then, could we have prevented them from dying? The old chief and the priest, though a bit stubborn, weren't bad at heart. They did it for the Yuan tribe."
Huo Duo'er said succinctly, "We couldn't convince all the orcs."
In that case, protecting the most important ones was enough.
Yu Bai nodded gently again, aware that his thoughts were a bit naive. Moreover, it had been so long, and dwelling on it wouldn't change anything.
He absentmindedly rinsed his mouth, then felt his body lighten as Huo Duo'er carried him in his arms.
"Huo Duo'er..."
Yu Bai grabbed the hair falling over Huo Duo'er's shoulders, then felt the world spin as he was tossed onto the fur bedding.
Huo Duo'er pressed down on him, holding his wrists, and kissed the slight frown between Yu Bai's brows.
"Bai, don't think about those things."
Yu Bai wanted to speak, but as soon as his lips moved, they were sealed.
One leg was lifted and rested high on Huo Duo'er's strong shoulder.
He furrowed his brows slightly, noticing the bulge beneath the lifted hem of his clothes. His clear eyes reflected the increasingly pronounced curve.
To divert his mate’s attention, Huo Duo'er had no choice but to take physical action.
Once he tired his Bai out and made him fall asleep, he wouldn't be able to overthink anymore.
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