Under normal circumstances, shouldn't we seize the opportunity to accumulate more power that is entirely our own?
Shen Nong didn't waste too much time on this question; the answer to why the other party did this wasn't important.
According to Quanfeng, no beastmen have awakened or advanced in three years. Even Quanfeng, the clan leader, is extremely thin. It's easy to imagine that the other clan members, if left behind, would become a "weak link."
To avoid a situation where the lives of the Wushan tribe members were threatened, Shen Nong decided not to involve them.
Shen Nong shared her thoughts and concerns with Quan Feng, which shocked him. He hadn't expected this person to prioritize the lives of the Wushan tribe members.
He even thought that after this battle with Mu Qi, there might never be another Wushan tribe.
He was prepared for the annihilation of his entire clan.
But the person in front of him told him to protect his people and stay away from danger.
Hearing Shen Nong's concerns, Yingxi was also quite surprised. If the lives of the Wushan tribe members were not a concern, they would not pose a threat.
For Shen Nong, the fact that the Wushan tribe did not interfere in this matter was already a great help.
He didn't want to launch an attack on the Wushan tribe, so far away, during this special period when the Mu tribe was caught between the cannibals and the Salt tribe.
His goal was to resolve the issue at the lowest possible cost.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Shen Nong only wanted to persuade the chieftain of the Wushan tribe to stand by and do nothing.
I never thought I'd actually get the other party to turn against me and help me.
The situation is clearly better than he imagined; not only is Dogwind not protecting their priest, but he's even thinking of helping him fight.
But his purpose was not for the sake of countless fearless sacrifices.
According to Bao Qiu, the priest of the Wushan tribe has limited abilities, so he only needs to wage a war of attrition.
Leopard Autumn, Wolf Rain, and Deer Spring are all formidable fighters, and Ze is even more unfathomable. He himself is no pushover either, and he'll have Yu Ji lend him Eagle Creek and Eagle Cliff to interfere in the air.
With so many people, they should be able to exhaust the priests of the Wushan tribe.
Nobody wants to die if they can live.
In the end, Quanfeng couldn't bear to leave his people's lives behind and chose to listen to Shen Nong, telling her, "Every day when the sun is at its highest point, Muqi hides himself in a cave and forbids anyone from getting close. His cave is quite far from us, so as long as we keep a low profile, he won't notice."
Shen Nong understood. "The sooner we act, the better. The longer we delay, the more unforeseen events will occur. So, we'll act tomorrow. You'll have a day to prepare after dawn. Once Mu Qi enters the cave tomorrow, you must leave as quickly as possible. We'll also hide nearby tomorrow and make our move once you're far away."
...
After discussing and finalizing some details, Shen Nong and the other two left before dawn.
Quanfeng stood at the entrance of the cave, looking dazed. He had not yet recovered from the shock of the three of them suddenly shrinking.
"Bang".
The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground made Quanfeng turn around, only then remembering that Yangwu seemed to still be in his cave.
Quan Feng walked into the cave and saw Yang Wu struggling to get up from the ground, then flipping over and falling back down. He leaned weakly against the stone wall, sweat streaming down his face, panting heavily like a dehydrated fish.
Quanfeng was all too familiar with Yangwu's current appearance.
From the beginning until now, Yang Wu has not made a sound or a noise. Even after he learned that Wu Qing had been killed, he forgot that Yang Wu was still in the cave.
That orc's control over his power was terrifyingly profound.
After a while, Yang Wu recovered almost completely.
He knew what was going on with him, and he didn't care. What he cared about was Yingxi and the people he brought, the things they said and did.
The first thing Yang Wu said was, "I'm staying tomorrow."
Inu-kaze disagreed and sternly refused, saying, "This will only cause them trouble."
Yang Wu fell silent, lowered his head, then raised it again, his eyes red and his voice hoarse, "I know, but I really want to kill that person for Priest Wu Qing!"
Seeing the ferocity in Yang Wu's eyes, Quan Feng felt somewhat fortunate that the orc had been suppressing Yang Wu. Otherwise, given Yang Wu's temperament, he would have already charged out.
Now, after a period of cooling off, he at least knows what he should and shouldn't do.
Quanfeng sighed and advised, "I know Wuqing saved you before, so you really want to do it for him..."
"You don't know! What do you know!"
Quanfeng's words were interrupted by Yangwu's crying. He seemed to be afraid that his voice would be heard if he spoke too loudly, and he kept trying his best to suppress his voice.
"The children and old people in the big cave were all rescued by Priest Wuqing. When we were about to starve to death, Priest Wuqing gave us his flesh to eat; when we were about to freeze to death, Priest Wuqing gave us his own animal skin."
His hands were frostbitten because he had no animal hide. He gave us the meat, but he himself wasn't full. He was so hungry every day that he had no strength, yet he still smiled and told us not to worry. He even helped us go out to find food.
Yang Wu sobbed, "He's a priest! He doesn't have to suffer from cold and hunger! I awakened to protect him!"
Quanfeng stared silently at Yangwu, his heart heavy with sorrow. He knew that these orcs who had emerged from the great cave cared deeply for Wuqing, and because of this, they were even more determined to improve the tribe after Wuqing's death.
Because this is the tribe that Wu Qing cares about.
Sometimes he would get angry because he couldn't stand Mu Qi's actions, but Yang Wu would calmly tell him to think more about his people.
Give more thought to the people Wu Qing cares about.
Quanfeng raised his hand and placed it on Yangwu's head, taking a deep breath to suppress the bitterness in his heart. "Don't be impulsive. You are also a clansman that Priest Wuqing cares about. Don't make him worry."
Yang Wu could no longer hold back, and covered his mouth tightly, letting the tears stream down his face as if venting his emotions.
Quanfeng stood beside Yangwu, listening to the sobbing.
"Yangwu, you asked me before if the tribe would get better."
Quanfeng finally had an answer. He said, "The tribe will get better. As long as Muqi is gone, things will get better."
The Wushan tribe will definitely get better.
...
Shen Nong and the other two returned to the Feather Tribe and worked for most of the night; it was almost dawn by now.
They had only been back a short time when several orc warriors began circling above the Feather Tribe.
Wolf Rain waved at Shen Nong from above, "Priest!"
Yesterday, when it was confirmed that we were going to the Wushan tribe, Yu Ji sent someone to call Lang Yu and the others back from the other tribes.
Luchun, located by the sea, is quite far away; it will probably be noon by the time we get back to the Feather Tribe.
Wolf Rain leaped off the back of the Feather Tribe orc, his gaze landing on the hands that Shen Nong and Ze were holding.
Seeing him staring intently, Shen Nong couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Is it beautiful?"
Wolf Rain looked away and scratched his head. "Priest, I heard you called us back to challenge the Wushan tribe to a duel?"
Shen Nong shook her head and corrected Lang Yu, "It's not a duel, it's many against one."
In the Beast World, there are a bunch of strange and unusual rules regarding battles between so-called orcs.
If it were a real duel, there would be many restrictions. He didn't want the orcs who followed him to the Wushan tribe to misunderstand and think it was a duel, insisting on a one-on-one fight.
"I remember, it's multiple against one," Shen Nong emphasized, still not entirely convinced. "It's a group of people fighting against one person."
Wolf Rain replied, "Understood, Priest."
All the beastmen who went out with Lang Yu have returned. Shen Nong checked them all and found that none of them were injured, which was good.
His gaze then lingered on the ears and temples of two female orcs, where flowers were adorned, making them look like snow.
Shen Nong felt that the two looked familiar, so she shook off Ze's hand and walked straight towards them.
Diao Xue and Hu Yue straightened up and called out nervously, "Priest."
This was the first time the priests had ever been so close to them.
Shen Nong hummed in agreement, her eyes fixed on the flowers near their ears. The flowers were clustered together, with snow-white petals and pale red veins.
After examining it repeatedly, Shen Nong finally confirmed that it was a tung flower.
Tung oil has a wide range of uses. Apart from not being edible, it can be used for waterproofing, preservation, and lighting.
Shen Nong couldn't help but smile and asked, "Where did you pick these flowers?"
Dagger Snow and Fox Moon were dazzled by the smile, both thinking the priest liked the flowers in their hair. The two took the flowers off, and Fox Moon offered them to them, saying, "Priest, if you like them, these are for you."
Diao Xue also handed out the flowers, replying to Shen Nong, "When we returned from that tribe, we taught them how to weave baskets. Every time the children from the gathering team came back, they would bring us these pretty flowers. Hu Yue and I both liked them, so we wore them on our heads."
Shen Nong knew the origin of the tung blossoms and that it wasn't as troublesome as the Wushan tribe, which put her at ease.
He didn't take the flowers from Diao Xue and the other girl, and smiled as he put them back on them for them, saying, "They look good on you."
After working all night, Shen Nong was a little sleepy and decided to go to the cave to rest for a while.
Following behind Shen Nong, Ze noticed a pale pink flower by the roadside. When he passed the third one, he couldn't resist squatting down and quickly picking it.
Back in the cave, Shen Nong lay down on the animal skin and wanted to sleep.
As a result, Ze pressed down on his shoulder, preventing him from lying down, so he had to sit cross-legged. Noticing Ze's hand behind his back, he scrutinized Ze, "What are you trying to do?"
Ze pulled his hand out from behind his back and quickly waved it near Shen Nong's ear.
Shen Nong felt as if something had been placed on her ear; it felt cool and had a slight foreign body sensation.
He tried to reach for the item, but Ze held his wrist, rendering him unable to move.
“It looks good on the priest.” Ze’s gaze was deep, and his pupils couldn’t help but overflow with the golden light that only a beast could see. “It’s only for me to see.”
Chapter 65
The sole meaning of survival
Shen Nong felt a little embarrassed listening to this. He glanced away uncomfortably, wondering where this primitive man had learned such "smooth talk".
Ze's gaze fell on Shen Nong's slightly flushed cheeks. In his eyes, she was more beautiful than the flowers beside his ear. A surge of emotion welled up in Ze's heart, prompting him to gently kiss her fair and rosy face. He then buried his head in Shen Nong's neck and shoulder, feeling his whole heart overflow with love.
He nuzzled affectionately against Shen Nong's fair neck, murmuring, "Priest..."
Shen Nong slightly curved her lips and patted Ze's fluffy head. "I'm tired."
These three words completely calmed Ze down. He reluctantly let go of the person and then lay down himself as well.
When he met Shen Nong's questioning gaze, Ze said in a serious tone, "I'm tired too, Priest."
"Okay." After Shen Nong responded, she added, "Then take your hands off my waist."