Golden eyes held a desire as deep as the ocean. Looking into Ze's beautiful eyes, Shen Nong whispered, "You need to breathe when you kiss, like this..."
Shen Nong's kissing skills weren't much better, revealing a lot of awkwardness, and their teeth clashed several times. But at least there was a gap for them to catch their breath, so it didn't feel like they were suffocating.
...Ze's long, strong fingertips weaved through his hair, and the gentle kisses deepened.
Shen Nong breathed a sigh of relief; she could finally go to sleep.
As for his own reaction, Shen Nong had already decided to ignore it; he was too tired to be in the mood for anything.
But Ze clearly didn't think that way. Realizing Ze's actions, Shen Nong froze, instantly snapping back to reality. Her voice trembled as she said, "Ze, I don't need it, don't move!"
Orcs are strong and hard to control. Although Ze has the best self-control among orcs, Shen Nong dares not gamble on it at all.
He'd rather keep it to himself than help him.
Ze seemed to have considered this as well, so he didn't insist and quickly withdrew his hand after Shen Nong refused. Just when Shen Nong thought the matter was over, she felt a tug. Realizing what Ze was doing, Shen Nong wanted to speak, but after sensing Ze's slight surprise, she quickly clenched her teeth, determined not to let a sound escape.
This is terrible...
——
A muscular, powerful arm rested on his waist, its weight making Shen Nong slightly uncomfortable. He opened his eyes, and once he regained consciousness, he saw Ze's magnified, handsome face.
Shen Nong's head was buzzing, and without thinking, he raised his foot to kick Ze. But he couldn't kick it, and Ze grabbed his ankle instead.
This action instantly ignited Shen Nong, and all the memories of last night were suddenly brought back. He felt hot all over, his face turned red, and he glared at the culprit.
Last night, except for the last step, I tried every single one of the patterns I saw on the visual system.
Ze loosened his grip on the priest's slender white ankle and gently kissed her cheek. Suppressing the flutter in her heart, Shen Nong asked curiously, "Why haven't you gone to the guard yet?"
"Let's go now." Ze nimbly rolled out of bed. After getting up, she didn't forget to ask Hu Xiao when there would be another competition with rewards. Shen Nong thought for a moment and only said that there would be in the future, but she couldn't be sure when exactly.
This was just a sudden idea from Shen Nong, mainly to increase Tu Dong's speaking authority and to motivate her to study. Unexpectedly, the clansmen were quite looking forward to it.
After Ze left, Shen Nong lay on the bed for a long time to calm down. When she changed her clothes, she found that the clothes she was wearing were not the ones she had worn the night before. She felt clean and refreshed, without any stickiness, and there were no unclean marks on the bamboo mat. It seemed that Ze had washed her and given her a new set of clothes, and the bamboo mat had also been cleaned.
When Shen Nong took off her clothes and looked down at the marks on her body, the fever that had subsided started to rise again.
From now on, let Zehua sleep on the ground in his beast form every night.
After changing her clothes and tidying up, Shen Nong went to the large earthen house to study the drainage system. The open channels were mainly dug as moats, while the culverts, underground channels, and branch channels for underground drainage needed to be carefully planned according to the terrain of the Mu tribe.
The system did not fully conform to the drainage system diagram of the Wood Tribe, so Shen Nong, a layman in plant research, had to learn on the spot. After studying for a few days, she finally grasped the basics.
However, there is still a long way to go if we want to do it well.
No matter how smart you are, it's useless. It's like being in a completely different world. Looking at the densely packed and crisscrossing distribution map, Shen Nong felt dizzy and disoriented.
Shen San happened to come over to report on the situation of the high-level orcs in the Salt Tribe. Half of the orcs wanted to join the Wood Tribe, and he came to ask Shen Nong how to handle it.
Shen Nong couldn't give these orcs absolute trust. Thinking of the conditions that Bao Qiu and the others initially agreed to when they came to the Wood Tribe, he told Shen San that joining the Wood Tribe required forming a pact to ensure unwavering loyalty and no betrayal.
Shen San knew what to do, so he prepared to leave.
Shen Nong thought about how the tribe's wooden houses were all built by Shen San and his team, and they were all exceptionally well-built. Shen San had programming skills related to architecture, so surely he had some involvement in the drainage system?
He tentatively asked, "Shen San, can your program understand drainage system diagrams?"
Shen San nodded and said, "Yes, if the priest needs it, I can design it."
The three android warriors initially addressed Shen Nong as "Master," but Shen Nong found it strange and had them call him Priest along with the beastmen.
Hearing Shen San's affirmative answer, Shen Nong once again exclaimed that his superpower energy was well spent! He stuffed all the blueprints he bought from the system into Shen San's arms, "The Wood Tribe doesn't have a drainage system. Every time it rains, the water on the road is ankle-deep. If you can design one, I'll leave it to you."
Having solved a major problem, Shen Nong breathed a real sigh of relief. At the same time, she realized that there was truly no one in the tribe who could do it.
He needs to put teaching the orcs to read on his agenda, because only after they can read will it be easier for them to learn other kinds of knowledge.
At that moment, in the dense forest not far from the Wood Tribe, Catgrass slid down from a tree and exclaimed excitedly, "I can see the tribe's walls! We're almost there!"
The orcs of the Wood Tribe spent a considerable amount of time traveling to the Edge Tribe, but on their return journey, with the orcs of the Edge Tribe leading the way, the trip took only half the time they had taken going there.
The Wood Tribe beastmen were overjoyed when they learned they were almost at the tribe. This was the first time they had been away from the tribe for so long, and they missed their tribespeople quite a bit.
The people of the outlying tribes followed the procession forward, but Tu Feng broke away from the group and left to return to his tribe first. He was afraid that if the guards didn't recognize them, a single wooden arrow would frighten these orcs from the outlying tribes into immediately returning.
Rabbit Wind was incredibly fast. The orc guards on the city wall spotted an orc warrior rushing towards them from afar and stood ready for battle. Only after recognizing Rabbit Wind did they put away the wooden arrows that were poised to be fired from their crossbows.
"The beastmen from the outskirts will be here soon. They're timid, so don't scare them," Rabbit Wind emphasized. "The priest values this market very much. If you scare people away, I can't guarantee the priest won't punish you."
Yang Lei naturally knew how much the priest valued the market, and he nodded, saying, "Don't worry."
After waiting for a while, the guards finally spotted the orcs from the outskirts of the tribe.
The edge beastmen pointed ahead and asked doubtfully, "Lu Shui, there's something blocking our way. Can we get through?"
Lu Shui looked up and explained, "That's the city wall built by our tribe. Our tribe is inside."
Tree Fruit asked instinctively, "City wall? What's that?"
“For defense, to fend off wild beasts,” Lu Shui replied.
The people from the outlying tribes nodded. Their tribes also have a ring of earth around their front yards, but it's not as noticeable from a distance.
The orcs, who thought the walls of the Wood Tribe were as high as the earthen walls of their neighboring tribes, followed the Wood Tribe orcs forward.
But the further they went, the more they felt something was wrong. Why were the walls of the Wood Tribe getting higher and higher?
Chapter 81
Terrified orcs from the outskirts
When the orcs from the outskirts of the tribes reached the walls of the Wood Tribe, their breathing became much lighter as they looked at the towering walls.
Such a high wall would make even the most powerful orc warriors in their tribe appear small in comparison.
Catgrass started hopping around as it approached the city wall, waving its paws at it and excitedly calling out, "Tiger Mountain! Are you here? I'm back!"
Tiger Mountain, who was guarding the city, twitched his ears and poked his head out. He immediately spotted Cat Grass bouncing around and waved his hand, calling out, "Cat Grass!"
Catgrass smiled even more broadly upon seeing her good friend, then turned to the beastmen of the outskirts of the tribe and said, "Tiger Mountain is my good friend, he's amazing! Even the crossbow obeys him, and he hits everything he shoots, unlike me who can't hit a single one. So he's already a full member of the Beast Guard, while I'm not..."
At the end, Catgrass showed a moment of disappointment, but then immediately perked up, her eyes sparkling as she said to the beastmen of the outskirts of the tribe, "If the priest allows, I'll take you to see the Tiger Mountain ballista shooting training; it's really amazing!"
Catgrass emphasized the word "powerful," leaving the beastmen of the outlying tribes completely bewildered, having no idea what a ballista was. But Chicken Shooter knew; it must be the name of a type of chicken.
So, do the orcs of the Wood Tribe determine their strength by hunting these chickens? It seems to be a very ferocious chicken. If you see one, you should ask their priest what it looks like, just in case you accidentally run into them and they recognize it, then run away immediately.
Rabbit Wind quickly emerged from the tribe, leading a group of orcs from the outskirts of the tribe who were stunned by the city walls into the Wood Tribe.
The beastmen of the outskirts never imagined that the inside of this wooden tribe was even more amazing than the outside.
Every step they took felt like walking on clouds, so surreal it was unimaginable.
The orcs of the Wood Tribe all looked strong and clean. What caught their attention even more were the strange things with beautiful patterns adorning their bodies.
The orcs of the outskirts didn't know what it was, but it looked as thin as a leaf and not as thick as animal hide.
Moreover, it's unclear how this thing was encased; the Wood Tribe orcs walked around with ease, and some even ran around without falling off.
Unlike the large leaves they wear around their waists, which easily fall off with the slightest movement and are very prone to damage, these are not things they would wear around their waists if it weren't for the abundance of mosquitoes in the summer, as they severely impede their movement.
My attention was finally diverted from what the Wood Tribe orcs were "surrounding" me, but then I was drawn to the earthen house.
They had seen the treehouses of the tree tribe and already thought they were exceptionally good. Now they knew what "exceptional" truly meant.
Tree Fruit and Fox Tree, one a priestess and the other the chieftain of the Tree Tribe, were glued to the earthen house, their eyes practically glued to it. Even a snail could keep up with their pace, eager to get a closer look. If they could glean something, they might just go back and renovate their tribe's treehouse.
When summer arrives, the children of the sheep and cattle herding teams take their cattle and sheep out to graze early in the morning, and then drive them back to the tribe once the temperature rises slightly.
After herding cattle and sheep back to the tribe, they would milk the animals that were lactating. All the milk was then sent to the food processing team, who would distribute it. Most of the sheep milk was given to newborn infants, while the rest was shared among the tribe's children and elderly.
The children from the shepherd's team and the cattle team loved to drink boiled milk, and the food-making team would add some honey to it, making it taste sweet.
One of the things they look forward to most each day is drinking milk. Their favorite thing is milking, because only by milking can they have delicious milk to drink.
The children from the shepherd's team and the cattle team were eagerly driving their cattle and sheep towards the sheepfold and cowshed when they heard a terrified scream coming from ahead.
"Prey! Prey! So much prey!"
"Scatter quickly! We can't fight so many prey! Protect the priest, make sure he doesn't get hurt!"
The tribal chiefs of the outlying tribes shouted and led their priests in a frantic scattering, their actions causing a stir among the cattle and sheep. Already uneasy from the presence of so many unfamiliar orcs, the large-scale commotion by the outlying tribes only fueled their agitation. The strongest of the herds began pawing at each other.
The children from the shepherd's and cattle-herding teams had to tap the ground with long sticks to signal the cattle and sheep to be quiet.
Taking advantage of the temporary suppression of the cattle and sheep, the leader, Yu Cao, raised his hand and waved a long branch, quickly saying to the excited orcs from the outskirts of the tribe, "Don't move! Stop! The cattle and sheep might attack you if they're frightened!"
The beastmen of the outlying tribes were still reeling from the terror of the large number of prey that had appeared in the distance, and they couldn't immediately decipher the meaning behind the boy's words.
Even after they dispersed, they immediately prepared to attack.
Seeing that something bad was about to happen, Rabbit Wind quickly reassured the frightened beastmen from the outskirts of the tribe, "Don't attack! Those are our tribe's cattle and sheep. As long as you don't frighten them, they won't attack you!"
“Impossible! Our tribe’s previous chieftain was gored to death by a sheep’s horn!” said Diehua, the chieftain of the Flower Tribe, with a full beard, in a rough voice.
Tu Feng looked helpless and pointed to the herd of cattle and sheep in front of them, "Our tribe's children are standing right in front of them. Do you see those cattle and sheep attacking them?"
Including Diehua, all the beastmen from the outskirts of the tribe looked ahead. When they saw the children peeking out from among the cattle and sheep, a look of bewilderment appeared on their faces.
Why did those ferocious herds of cattle and sheep not attack the unawakened children at all?
This was completely different from the cattle and sheep they remembered, who were prone to sending orcs flying at the drop of a hat.
However, the beastmen of the outlying tribes did not completely lower their guard because of this anomaly. In their minds, cattle and sheep were very ferocious prey. They were fast, and their horns could easily kill beastmen.
During hunts, many orcs in the tribe die from the horns of cattle and sheep. To reduce orc casualties, they carefully examine the tracks on the ground during hunts, just to avoid herds of cattle and sheep as much as possible.
The orcs of the outlying tribes maintained their offensive posture, but they heeded Rabbit Wind's advice and did not actually attack; instead, they remained highly vigilant, staring intently ahead.
The cattle and sheep also sensed the extremely tense atmosphere emanating from not far away, which gave their long-suppressed nature a chance to break free.
Yu Cao tapped the branch in her hand with a loud bang, and seeing that she couldn't control the cattle and sheep, she turned to Shi Yu beside her and quickly said, "Go to the production team and find Da Hei."
In the beast world, all animals are wild and untamed, and even the chickens and ducks captured by the Wood Tribe are wild.
It took considerable effort to get the animals in the pasture completely under control. Initially, the high-ranking orcs of the Wood Tribe worked together to suppress them, frightening them into not daring to make any further moves. However, high-ranking orc warriors couldn't guard the pasture all day long, so later on, it was entirely up to Big Black to stay there every day.
Big Black Head was exhausted after a few days, keeping watch from morning till night. Anyone who disobeyed would be met with a glare from its bear eyes, keeping the animals in the pasture completely docile.
Wildness was suppressed by fear; the fear ingrained in their bones led to the successful domestication of animals in pastoral areas.
But now, provoked by the orcs from the outskirts of the tribe, their suppressed wildness is starting to surface.