Fearing they would run away, they locked them in a remote cave, gave them very little food, and kept them constantly weak.
The three women who had snatched the child had been abducted from another tribe by cannibals. Hearing Shen Nong's words, they couldn't help but think of their time in their former tribe, and their noses began to sting with tears.
"Let the children eat quickly." The three babies were truly at their limit, and after Shen Nong finished speaking, the three women did not refuse again.
Relieved that the three infants wouldn't starve, Shen Nong breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the emaciated female beastmen, he knew it would take some time before they were old enough to be breastfed, and the babies couldn't drink meat broth forever.
He remembered that there were a few ewes in the flock that were still lactating. Shen Nong called Shen San over and asked him to go back and milk the ewes. When they got back, they could just boil them.
——
Marginal tribes.
The fire ritual of the Cliff Tribe is about to begin. Fox Tree previously suggested that Rabbit Wind could bring two orcs along. Learning from his experience at the Flower Tribe, Rabbit Wind didn't bring any high-level orcs, only planning to bring Cat Grass.
Although Catgrass is only level three, it is agile and fast after transforming. Even if he wanted to catch Catgrass, it would take some effort. If something really happened, even if he couldn't beat it, Catgrass would definitely be able to escape with its speed.
However, Lu Shui said he wanted to go to the vicinity of the Cliff Tribe to see if there were any suitable herbs to pick, and Tu Feng knew that this was a habit of their medical team.
Previously, when they were on the road, Lu Shui would look around for any usable herbs during rest periods.
Rabbit Wind nodded in agreement, “However, after you go to the Cliff Tribe, you can’t run around picking herbs on your own. You have to wait until I talk to the tribal chiefs and priests before you can go pick herbs. Cat Grass and I will accompany you.”
Lu Shui thought Tu Feng would refuse, but after hearing that the other party agreed, she repeatedly promised, "I will definitely not run away and will stay close to the captain and Cat Grass."
Chapter 75
This is not a curse, it's an illness.
The cliff village is located on a mountaintop, and the path leading up the mountain is a narrow, winding trail. The mountain path is treacherous and slippery, and Lu Shui almost tumbled down the mountainside several times, but fortunately Mao Cao reacted quickly and pulled him back.
Lu Shui was actually walking very carefully, as the mountain path was extremely slippery; even Tu Feng slipped several times.
Not to mention the chieftain and priest of the Tree Tribe who were with them; the little priest was covered in mud and kept saying that he would never come back to the Cliff Tribe, even if it meant death.
After finally arriving at the Cliff Tribe, the Tree Tribe's junior priest immediately lay down on the ground, muttering that he was exhausted.
Fox Tree stepped directly over her. The Cliff Tribe's guards recognized Fox Tree and knew why she was there, so they didn't stop her and let her in.
Rabbit Wind, along with the panting Deer Water and the still energetic Cat Grass, followed Fox Tree into the Cliff Tribe. Tree Fruit changed to a more comfortable position, waited until she had had enough of lying down, and then swaggered into the Cliff Tribe.
The chieftains and priests of the other tribes have also arrived.
Rabbit Wind, along with Deer Water and Cat Grass, waited on the side. The priests of various tribes were too busy preparing for the fire sacrifice to listen to what he had to say.
Lu Shui stared at the person lying on the pile of branches, and the bruises on the person's body seemed somewhat familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
Tu Feng felt a tightness in his arm. He looked down and saw Lu Shui's two hands gripping his arm tightly. "What's wrong?"
Lu Shui looked excited, but kept his voice low, "Captain, I've seen the marks on that person from the Cliff Tribe."
Rabbit Wind asked curiously, "You've seen it before? When?"
He heard some things from the chief of the Tree Tribe and learned why the Cliff Tribe held the fire sacrifice.
This is a curse. If Lu Shui has seen it before, since they are from the same tribe, there's no reason why he wouldn't have any recollection of it.
Lu Shui said earnestly, "I really have seen it. It was drawn on a wooden piece that Captain Tu Dong showed us. It's not a curse, it's an illness that can be cured."
Are you telling the truth?
Lu Shui was startled by the sudden sound. He turned around and looked back, wondering when the priest from the Tree Tribe had appeared behind them. "When did you get here?"
Tree Fruit replied, "I've been standing here the whole time. I don't have any orcish scent on me, and I walk very lightly, so it's normal that low-level orcs don't notice me."
Upon hearing this, Tu Feng's expression turned serious. With his current orc level, he could detect even the slightest movement within a five-meter radius.
But this time he also failed to notice that the tree tribe priest was behind them.
This is a very dangerous sign.
Rabbit Wind stared intently at Tree Fruit, but Tree Fruit didn't even glance at him. She didn't want to discuss when she had arrived; Tree Fruit only wanted to know if what the thin, bony orc had just said was true.
"Is what you just said true?"
Having already spoken, Lu Shui had no choice but to nod. He added, "However, it's a bit far, so I can't be completely sure. I'll need to check carefully to confirm..."
"Come with me, I'll take you to see it." Tree Fruit pulled Deer Water to leave, but Rabbit Wind frowned and blocked their way.
To be honest, Tu Feng didn't want Lu Shui to get involved. If it really was a curable disease as Lu Shui said, that would be fine, but if not, he didn't know if they could leave here safely.
Lu Shui was aware of the implications, so he spoke in a low voice from the beginning. He just didn't expect the Tree Tribe priest to be behind him.
Shuguo pursed her lips and released Lushui. However, she didn't leave. Instead, she looked at Lushui and asked, "Is there really a curable...disease, similar to a curse?"
She didn't know what "illness" meant, but it wasn't hard to guess what it meant.
Yes, there is.
After receiving a clear answer from Lu Shui, Shu Guo gave the other party a deep look and said, "I will persuade the Cliff Tribe that regardless of whether you can save Wolf Cliff, you will be allowed to leave safely."
Before Rabbit Wind could say anything, Tree Fruit continued, "Even if all the tribal chiefs and hunting team warriors from your Wood Tribe were combined, they could only fight you to a draw. If anything really happens, it wouldn't be difficult for you to escape from here."
That being said, who would want to run away like their life depends on being able to walk out properly?
“The Cliff Tribe won’t listen to the priests of other tribes. If they want to do something, you can’t persuade them at all.” Rabbit Wind said unhappily, “We don’t want to get involved. Either you finish your fire ritual and I leave after I’ve finished speaking, or I’ll leave now.”
Tree Fruit frowned, remaining unyielding. She knew she couldn't reason with Rabbit Wind; he was only concerned with bringing her tribe back safely. So she turned to Deer Water and said sincerely, "Many chieftains, priests, and even orc warriors from our border tribes have died because of the curse. Each curse appears suddenly, torments someone to death, and then disappears. The priest who taught me was tormented to death by the curse..."
Seemingly recalling unpleasant memories, Tree Fruit's face showed sadness. Suppressing her emotions, she earnestly said to Deer Water, "I swear to the Beast God that no matter the outcome, good or bad, I will protect you with my life. Could you go and check on the curse of Wolf Cliff?"
Although Tu Feng really didn't want to cause trouble for the priest and the tribe, he didn't say anything this time and waited for Lu Shui to make a decision.
Catgrass remained silent throughout, merely watching his surroundings warily. If Lu Shui refused, he would immediately take her away; if Lu Shui agreed, he would protect her well.
“Captain, I might be causing you and the priest trouble…” Lu Shuixu glanced at the person lying on a pile of branches not far away, paused for a moment, and then said firmly, “I want to try.”
If it really is the disease he knows, and if he can cure it using what he's learned, that would be good news for the medical team. At the very least, they would gain knowledge of another disease and its treatment.
Rabbit Wind didn't object, "Go ahead."
Tree Fruit didn't know why that powerful orc warrior suddenly changed his mind and stopped stopping her. She didn't have time to ask at the moment, and pulled Deer Water toward Wolf Cliff.
Rabbit Wind and Cat Grass quickly followed; if anything happened, they would take Deer Water away immediately.
Fox Tree had noticed something was wrong earlier, but she didn't come over for fear of attracting the attention of priests and chieftains from other tribes. Only after Tree Fruit pulled the weak-looking orc from the Wood Tribe closer did she approach and ask, "What were you talking about just now?"
Without even glancing at Fox Tree, Tree Fruit waved her hand to tell her to get out of the way, then led Deer Water directly to Cliff Tribe Priest Cliff Rain.
"Ya Yu, I have something to tell you."
Cliff Rain glanced at the three orcs brought by Tree Fruit. Fox Tree had told him that he had brought three orcs from the Wood Tribe to discuss trading salt stones with their tribe, so Cliff Rain wasn't too surprised by the three who had come along.
"Come with me."
Tree Fruit led the three of them to follow Cliff Rain. After hearing footsteps behind them from more than one person, Cliff Rain turned around and discovered that Tree Fruit had brought the three beastmen of the Wood Tribe with him.
He opened his mouth to ask, but Tree Fruit shook his head slightly at him with a serious expression. Cliff Rain looked up at the various clan chiefs and priests not far away and found that their attention had also been drawn over to this side.
In the end, Ya Yu didn't ask any more questions and silently led the four of them to his cave.
Time waits for no one, so before Ya Yu could ask, Shu Guo told him everything she knew and her thoughts.
As Ya Yu heard it, it felt extremely unreal.
What is a curse if not a curse? A curse is an "illness." Curses cannot be cured, but "illness" can be cured.
"Tree Fruit, what are you talking about?" Cliff Rain's voice was not quiet, almost a roar, but the four people present could hear the uncontrollable tremor in his voice.
Ya Yu didn't not understand; she was afraid to understand.
The "curse" has always existed in the marginal tribes. The number of chieftains and priests who have died because of the "curse" is countless, generation after generation.
The fear of "curse" is deeply rooted in the hearts of all the chieftains and priests of the marginal tribes.
But now, someone suddenly appears and says that the curse isn't so terrible; it's an illness that can be cured. Ya Yu doesn't know what an illness is, nor does he understand what "cured" means. But he's not stupid; he can grasp the meaning of those words.
His understanding was that the curse could be lifted.
The same principle applies to tree fruits.
After being yelled at by Ya Yu, Shu Guo had a long face. She could tell from Ya Yu's expression that he wanted to believe her but was also afraid to.
Shuguo stepped forward, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and positioned himself directly in front of Lushui. "Xiongshi couldn't hold back his words. You should have heard from him about the divine tree's reaction. It's okay if you didn't know; you know now."
Ya Yu's thin face showed a hint of disbelief, and his eyes seemed to gleam with light as he asked urgently, "You received the prophecy of the divine tree?"
Tree Fruit hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yes, the prophecy of the Divine Tree is that someone will come to break the curse. I don't know if Wolf Cliff will survive, but I'm sure that if the Wood Tribe orcs don't try his method, Wolf Cliff will definitely not survive."
"The people you mentioned who broke the curse, are they them?" Ya Yu's questioning gaze swept back and forth between the three members of the Wood Tribe.
"You don't believe the prophecy of the Divine Tree?" The tree fruit's voice was very low, which startled Ya Yu. In the hearts of every tribe member in the border tribes, the Divine Tree was an existence comparable to the Beast God. They couldn't possibly disbelieve the prophecy of the Divine Tree.
"I believe." Ya Yu clenched her fist, took a deep breath, and made up her mind. "Let's do as the divine tree prophesied, and let the orcs of the Wood Tribe see our chieftain's curse..."
Rabbit Wind breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing the scene before him. The priests of this Tree Tribe really went to great lengths to ensure their safe departure in the end.
Although he didn't know what the Divine Tree Prophecy was, it must be a very powerful entity, otherwise the Cliff Tribe priest wouldn't seem to listen to the Tree Tribe priest in everything.
The sun was nearing its zenith, signaling that the time for the fire sacrifice was drawing ever closer. Outside the cave came the urgent voices of the cliff tribe's orcs; if they missed it, they would have to wait until tomorrow.
If we're unlucky and there's no sun or it rains tomorrow, we'll just have to keep postponing it until the sun comes out.
On his way back, Ya Yu repeatedly reminded himself that he could not disobey the prophecy of the sacred tree. But when he saw Lang Ya lying on a pile of branches, waiting for the fire sacrifice to end his suffering, he felt a pang of pity.
If they miss today, Wolf Cliff will have to endure at least one more day of suffering.
Tu Feng stared at Ya Yu, sensing the other's hesitation.
He tugged at Lu Shui and Mao Cao's arms, signaling them to slow down. Shu Guo noticed this too, and her brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. She was afraid that Ya Yu would tell her, "Forget it."
Rabbit Wind was also waiting for Cliff Rain to make a final decision. Actually, he had been soft-hearted before and hadn't firmly rejected Tree Fruit because Tree Fruit's words reminded him of the time when the Wood Tribe didn't have a priest, and when the tribe's orcs were injured, they could only ask the Water Tribe priest to save them.
Later, the Water Tribe was driven away by the Swamp Tribe, and their old priest died. If the Wood Tribe's orcs were injured, they could only grit their teeth and endure it.
If you survive, you live; if you don't, you die.
Tu Feng knew the feeling of watching one's clansmen die helplessly. That's why he didn't interfere with Lu Shui before, but let Lu Shui choose for herself.
They had no idea that if they couldn't save him, the people of the Cliff Tribe would blame them for delaying the fire ritual and causing their chieftain pain.
Lu Shui ultimately chose to risk everything to save her, and Tu Feng did not object. But if the priest of the Cliff Tribe didn't want to, then there was no need for them to take the risk. No matter what Shu Guo said, she was not the priest of the Cliff Tribe.
Tree Fruit hadn't expected that even after bringing up the prophecy of the sacred tree, Cliff Rain would still act as if she wanted to immediately hold the fire sacrifice. The Wood Tribe's attitude was also clear: as long as Cliff Rain said she would continue with the fire sacrifice, they would definitely not interfere.