Although they had never tasted it, they had heard that it was even better than honey.
They surged toward the Wood Tribe orcs, some screaming in pain from their burns, but they didn't slow down, afraid that if they were too late, the Wood Tribe priests would abandon them.
The elderly wanted to join the Wood Tribe, not for the candies they'd never tasted before, but because of the tribe's attitude towards them and the children.
They were willing to share even the rarest things, more precious than honey, with the elderly and children—this was the first time they had ever encountered such a tribe.
If this stuff were in the vine tribe, no matter how much they had, they wouldn't get a share.
If the Mu tribe were like other tribes, the elders wouldn't choose to leave, because for them, it would just be another place to be burned to death.
Now, going to the Mu tribe means survival, staying means death. Having experienced the fear of death once, none of the elderly would choose to stay after confirming that they could continue living.
The children had a much simpler perspective; having just been nearly burned to death, they dared not linger in that place.
"I...I'm leaving too." Lu Shi had gathered his strength for half a day, enough to say just that. Fox Five only located Lu Shi after hearing his voice.
The place was somewhat remote, obscured by weeds, and there were orcs from the Vine Tribe standing in front of it. Fox Five thought to himself, no wonder he hadn't seen anyone. He had been thinking of asking Bear Three and Bear Four to help him search properly later.
He told his parents to stay put and ran to find Lu Shi. As he got closer, Fox Five smelled a strong stench of blood, and his heart sank. When he saw Lu Shi covered in wounds and blood, Fox Five felt a lump in his throat.
He carefully carried Lu Shi on his back, afraid of hurting him. Actually, Lu Shi couldn't feel any pain anymore, and even wanted to sleep.
Fox Five felt guilty and grateful. If it weren't for Deer Ten, he would really be without his father and mother today.
"You little fox, come here and carry me over too, I can't move right now." Fox Five turned his head and saw that Captain Wolf Leaf was also lying in the grass, covered in wounds.
He was also puzzled as to why Lu Shi and his group had taken so long.
Xiong San silently walked to Lang Ye's side, picked him up and carried him on his back. "I'll carry you, it'll be more comfortable lying down."
As they passed Xiong Si, Xiong San stopped and said softly, "Xiong Si, I can't guard the gate with you anymore. If one day I suffer the same injury as Hu Mu and Lang Wu, I don't know if the priest will burn me to ashes. But whether he will or not, I dare not stay in the Vine Tribe any longer."
Xiong Si frowned as he watched Xiong San carry the wolf leaf away, then glanced at the injured old man and children. Finally, he took a step and chased after them. "I wonder if we can get into the Wood Tribe's guard team. If we can't, then we really can't guard the gate together."
Xiong San grinned and said, "Let's try our best and go in together."
"Alright then." Xiong Si smiled as well.
Finally, Tengmu couldn't take it anymore. He pounded the ground with his wooden stick, yelling, "What are you doing! Come back here! You are beastmen from the Tengman tribe!"
Forget about the old people and children. Wolf Leaf and Deer Ten's injuries can heal with some rest. But how can Bear Three, Bear Four, and Fox Five go to the Wood Tribe?
And what was Xiong San saying? Fire sacrifices for the elderly and children aren't unique to the Vine Tribe. Was he wrong to perform the fire sacrifice for Foxwood and Wolf Five? He was doing it all for the good of the tribe!
He did this to eliminate the threat of the vine tribe becoming the next cannibal.
“They are my tribespeople now, what are you shouting about?” Shen Nong frowned.
Although Tengmu was afraid of the priests and orc warriors of the Mu tribe, he couldn't really let Xiong San and the other orc warriors go, since Langye was still the captain of their hunting team.
"When did they become Wood Tribe beastmen?" Tengmu pointed to the totems on the beastmen's faces and said, "When did the Wood Tribe's totem turn into vines?"
After saying that, Fujiki said with a stern face, "Fox Five, if you want to be with your father and mother, they can come back. Don't hang out with those useless old people and children."
Fox Five put Deer Ten down and opened his mouth to say something, but the wind blowing into his throat made him close his mouth in pain.
He looked down and searched for a moment, then picked up a small, somewhat sharp stone. Everyone was puzzled by his actions, but the next second, Fox Five pointed the sharp part of the stone at the vine totem on his forehead and slashed it.
The force was so great that the skin was torn open instantly.
The pain in his forehead actually lessened the pain in his throat. Fox Five strained to say in his hoarse voice, "There is no Vine Tribe totem on my face. I am Fox Five, an orc warrior of the Wood Tribe."
Wolf Leaf laughed out loud and said to Bear Three, "Give me a scratch on my head too."
While Fox Five was making his move, Xiong San looked down and spotted a stone. After he quickly picked up the stone, the other orcs from the Vine Tribe also began searching for stones.
Even the elderly and children abandoned by the vine tribe found stones. The vine tribe didn't want them, and they were disgusted to have the tribe's totem on their heads.
Shen Nong didn't stop them; these were all minor injuries, and he could heal them after returning to the Mu tribe.
Moreover, these orcs are demonstrating their resolve in their own way, and there's no point in him trying to stop them.
Hopefully, when the priests of this vine tribe see their determination, they will understand the true meaning of their people and tribe.
Tengmu stared in horror at the orcs with blood streaming from their foreheads. He hadn't expected that they would rather destroy their totem than admit they were orcs of the Tengman tribe.
He glared and roared, as if he believed that the louder the voice, the more justified he was: "Do you think that destroying the totem makes you no longer orcs of the Vine Tribe? You are the ones I awakened!"
Shen Nong didn't have time to listen anymore. This old priest was just unwilling to part with the orc warriors who were of high level and in good condition, and was now making a fuss over nothing.
Judging from this, those who know the situation understand that he is shouting for his awakening, while those who don't might think he is shouting for his birth.
Shen Nong waved and led the people back to the Wood Tribe. Seeing this, Teng Mu quickly shouted to Mao Teng, "Stop them!"
Catvine didn't move. He watched the backs of the beastmen who had left the vine tribe and smiled slightly. "Live well."
The old man and the children couldn't hear this instruction, but Fox Five and the other orc warriors had excellent hearing and heard it clearly. They didn't turn around, but simply replied in their hearts, "Okay."
——
Beast City.
The oil lamp's flame was nearly extinguished by the opening of the door, but after the door was closed, the almost-extinguished flame slowly reignited.
"Did that guy named Shelin have any connection with the Second Young Master?"
"Reporting to the Ninth Young Master, he said he didn't know. He said that everything the Second Young Master did was in contact with the priest of the Wood Tribe. He only happened to overhear the Wood Tribe priest instructing his subordinates to do things and heard the Second Young Master's name."
The Salt Tribe was wiped out by the Wood Tribe, and he fled to Beast City to survive. To survive in Beast City, he impersonated the Second Young Master.
"He still confessed, didn't he?" Mu Jiu said with interest. "Release him and let him secretly bring that priest from the Mu tribe. Send two orcs to keep an eye on him. If he dares to run away, break his legs and feet, but leave his eyes and mouth to lead the way."
"Yes." The orc turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." Mu Jiu called out to the others, "Don't alarm the Second Young Master, and be careful not to let the other side see through the trick with the Mu Tribe priest. Just say that we invited them to participate in the Beast City's trading day. By the time they arrive, the trading day will be almost here."
After saying that, Mu Jiu emphasized again, still not entirely at ease, "Be extremely careful with your movements, so as not to disturb the Second Young Master."
"yes."
After the orc left, Mu Jiu used a small wooden stick to poke at the lamp wick, laughing heartily. "Tsk tsk tsk, Second Brother, oh Second Brother, you've finally fallen into my hands!"
Chapter 91
Chief of the Wood Tribe
The Mu tribe had so much farmland that the pastoral area expanded as well, and the hunting teams that kept them there caught even more, multiplying the scale of their operations several times over.
This meant they were short-handed. Since the Mountain Tribe was a subordinate tribe, the entire tribe had previously worked for the Wood Tribe and had done a very good job. Shen Nong then had them continue working at the Wood Tribe, with the elders continuing to manage their assigned areas as before.
The children from the vine tribe and the mountain tribe all followed Yucao to herd cattle and sheep, and feed chickens, ducks and pigs.
Fox Five's father had broken a leg and gone blind in one eye, but his hand was uninjured. Shen Nong thought it over and arranged for him to spend two days with the pottery team to see how things were going.
Unexpectedly, Wolf Five was quite talented in this area, gaining the approval of the pottery team leader, Lion Forest, on his very first day there. Shen Nong also saw the pottery Wolf Five made; she could tell his technique was still a bit raw, but for someone who had just started, to be able to create something like this was already quite remarkable. So Wolf Five stayed on in the pottery team.
Although Foxwood is missing an arm, she is still a level four orc warrior. The pasture area is currently managed by personnel from the military guard or Big Black, whose main task is to suppress the occasional wildness that the animals exhibit.
Shen Nong saw that the fox-wood beastmen were of a high level and could easily suppress the animals captured in the spring and those born later. However, the new batch would still need Big Black's cooperation.
So Shen Nong sent Hu Mu to the livestock area to be the team leader.
Xiong San and Xiong Si went to the guard team for training; only those who pass the assessment can join the guard team. Lang Ye and Lu Shi will join the military guard team for training after they recover from their injuries. Hu Wu went to the military guard team for training before the two of them.
After settling everything in, Shen Nong began to think about choosing a chieftain for the tribe. In the Beast World tribes, the chieftain was always the strongest person in the tribe, and the Wood Tribe would naturally follow the same pattern when choosing a chieftain.
That evening, Shen Nong told Ze about the tribe's election of a chieftain and casually asked if Ze would participate.
Without even thinking, Ze blurted out, "If I don't become the clan leader, the priest will leave."
Shen Nong was taken aback. "Leave? Where to?"
Ze shook his head. He wanted to hug the priest, but he was afraid that she would get too hot, so he could only hold her hand tightly. For some reason, his voice was tinged with sadness, "The priest will go to a place I can't find."
Shen Nong didn't know why Ze would have such thoughts, and sighed, "I won't leave just because you're the clan leader. Who told you all this nonsense?"
"It's what my inner voice tells me."
If Shen Nong hadn't known that Ze wouldn't lie to him, and that he was speaking with particular seriousness, he would have thought Ze was talking nonsense. Having nowhere to inquire about the reason, he put the matter aside.
Ze seems to really dislike being the clan leader. When he sleeps at night, he even mutters in his dreams that he doesn't want to be the clan leader.
Shen Nong was both amused and exasperated. She groped her way forward in the dark and lightly pecked her lover's lips. "Okay, I understand. I won't be the clan leader."
——
The election of a tribal chief was a major event. On this day, all work in the Wood Tribe was suspended, and everyone gathered at the military guard's training ground. The orcs of the Mountain Tribe, upon learning this, also stayed behind to see who would ultimately become the chief of the Wood Tribe.
Not only their mountain tribe, but also the priests and chieftains of the other five tribes came to join the fun. It's likely that the orcs working for the wood tribe went back and told them about it.
At first, they didn't know the location of the guard team and all ran to the Wood Tribe. After the orcs from the tribe came to the guard team and told Shen Nong, they were brought to the guard team.
The priests and chieftains of the five tribes stood together. The military guard of the Wood Tribe was really big, and many of the things inside were strange.
Mud swamps, giant tree trunks, towering cement walls, and thin, thorny vines that, while not plants, were tied low to wooden stakes on either side. I had no idea what they were for; just looking at them made my scalp tingle.
The grass tribe's priest looked around. "Aren't the wind tribe's priest and chieftain here?"
The Rain Tribe priest also turned to look around, "They're probably still on their way."
"They're here. I just saw them go into that two-story building across the street," the chief of the Grass Tribe said, pointing to the building in front of them.
The priests exchanged puzzled glances. Why did the Wind Tribe go inside?
A short while later, three people came out of the building. Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized them as Feng Wu, the priest of the Wind Tribe, Lynx, the young chieftain of the Wind Tribe, and the priest of the Wood Tribe.
The two from the Wind Tribe stood on either side of the Wood Tribe priest. Lynx ignored the gazes of the other tribal priests, while Wind Mist responded with a smile.
Shen Nong noticed the subtle tension between them but didn't pay it any mind. He walked to the far edge of the square, where there was a raised cement platform with three wooden chairs on it.
The five tribal priests watched as the priest of the Namu tribe led two members of the Feng tribe onto the cement platform. The priest said something to the orc, who then turned around and moved two chairs from a small warehouse next to the cement platform.
After the Wood Tribe priest took his seat, the two Wind Tribe members followed suit. Not long after, the Mountain Tribe priest and chieftain emerged from the crowd. They exchanged a few words on the cement platform before taking their seats to the right of the Wood Tribe priest.
The priests and chieftains of the five tribes were completely bewildered. The priest of the Rain Tribe said, "I can understand why the Mountain Tribe members went up to sit, but why did the Wind Tribe members go up as well?"
As soon as the question was asked, all five seemed to sense something and looked towards the stage.
When did the Wind Tribe become a subordinate tribe of the Wood Tribe?
Before they could think further, orcs were already standing in the center of the huge training ground. This training ground was specially built by Shen Nong so that the orcs of the military guard could transform and fight freely, and now it was perfect for use.
Tiger Roar was the first to rush towards the center of the arena. The beastmen of lower levels just watched from a distance around the arena, showing no intention of coming up to challenge him.