Lose? Win? The Xia Clan from the Forest

Jiang Yunlan was unsure whether she should breathe a sigh of relief.

As Feng Hong said, the fight they were talking about was indeed a one-on-one fight, and the situation didn't warrant her killing the wolf-beastman.

“Lan.” Feng Hong stepped forward and looked at Lan.

Jiang Yunlan raised her hand to stop her movement and said to the wolf-beastman chieftain opposite, "If one side concedes, then the battle is over, and neither side is allowed to make another move."

“Since you’ve all chosen to concede, of course I won’t continue,” Hati said confidently.

Fighting was his hobby. He only liked fighting, not killing orcs.

Hati had never considered the possibility of him surrendering to the Xia clan. In his view, the Xia clan, who knew how to use herbs, did have some strength, but in terms of combat power, they couldn't possibly compare to him.

His confident tone showed utter contempt for the Xia clan's orcs. Feng Hong's fists itched. Seeing Lan lower his hand and stop blocking her, she immediately shouted for the wolf orcs opposite to hurry to the clan's gate and wait for her.

The wolf-orc disliked feeling like he was being bossed around, so he stood still and didn't move. In the end, he was persuaded by a single sentence from Feng Hong.

"Are you trying to get here by stepping on all this itching powder instead of coming through the doorway?" Feng Hong asked, puzzled.

Lupu recalled the deep-seated itch and was so frightened that he shook his head frantically, hurriedly urging his clansmen to go to the gate of the Xia clan.

The group of grassland wolf-beastmen were terrified by Lupu's reaction and obediently turned in the direction the Xia clan beastmen pointed out, going around to the place they had mentioned.

Hati was pushed along by his tribesmen, and when he saw the Xia clan beastmen waiting for them outside, he suddenly remembered something. He could have stayed where he was and told this weak beastman from the small clan to go around to him instead of obediently coming over as the Xia clan had told him.

Damn it, those Xia clan orcs who can use poison are so cunning. Hati narrowed his emerald green eyes, his tail slapping the ground in annoyance, but his face remained calm and composed.

“I will be your opponent.” Feng Hong stood between the two clans, looking directly at the alpha wolf in the center of the pack.

The alpha wolf swung its tail and stepped out of the pack with overwhelming force.

Hati stood on the grassland, gazing at the humanoid deer-beastman. He was clearly looking up at Feng Hong, yet he exuded an aura of superiority.

A humanoid orc and a beast-like orc stared at each other in silence. Without any warning sound, a gust of wind blew by, and the two orcs began to wrestle.

Feng Hong raised a long knife made of bone to block Hati's attack and forcefully threw off Hati who was pressing down from above.

Hati leaped outwards following her momentum, landing lightly and dodging her follow-up attack.

On the grassland, the wolf-beastmen who had transformed into beast forms seemed to be suppressed, dodging Feng Hong's fierce attacks.

Maple Syrup and the other orcs watched this scene with relief. Jiang Yunlan, however, knew things were going badly. The situation seemed to be that Maple Red had the upper hand, but in reality, the wolf-orc chieftain had realized Maple Red's innate strength after the first attack and changed his strategy, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Maple Red. Defend, adjust your breathing," Jiang Yunlan said.

She swung her sword too hastily, and the seemingly weak appearance of the wolf-beastman chieftain threw her into disarray.

Hearing Lan's reminder, Feng Hong subconsciously tried to distance herself from Hati, narrowly dodging Hati's outstretched claws.

The roles of offense and defense are constantly shifting.

Maple Red, whose breathing had become disordered, was hit and took the opportunity to injure Hattie in return.

The wounded wolf-orc glanced in surprise at Feng Hong, whose arm was bleeding, and finally looked at the herbivorous orc before him with a look of surprise. There was a cut on his cheek.

Deliberately trading injury for injury, Feng Hong gripped the bone knife tightly, ignoring the blood that continuously stained the blade. She bought herself time to catch her breath.

The two orcs, who were slowly circling each other, clashed again in a flash.

More and more red dots appeared on the green grass, and the two orcs, locked in silent combat, remained evenly matched.

"Maple Red! Say you admit defeat!"

Jiang Yunlan's voice stopped Feng Hong, who was about to rush forward again, and also stopped the wolf-beastman.

Looking at Feng Hong, who had several wounds on her body, she calmly said, "Feng Hong, come back. We can afford to lose some things, but you can't afford to get hurt anymore."

Feng Hong didn't want the clan to lose, but she also didn't want to go against Lan's wishes. So, she suppressed her resentment and said defiantly, "I concede."

Hati, who was rarely injured, licked his only two wounds, the knife wound on his right forelimb, and said with pleasure, "I admit you are a good opponent. It's just a pity that you are still too young, and your strength is far from matching your potential."

Maple Red turned her back to him and dragged her wounded body back to Lan's side. She was surrounded by Maple Sugar and Rock and several other orcs, and stood motionless as the orcs with herbs and cotton cloths treated her wounds.

"Lan... I didn't win." Her voice choked, and her moist eyes were almost brimming with tears.

Jiang Yunlan looked at Feng Hong across several orcs and comforted her, "But I saw your efforts. In my eyes, Feng Hong is an amazing orc who works very hard to protect the clan."

When she made Feng Hong admit defeat, she was already prepared to give up resources. The wolf-orc chieftain of the grasslands was very powerful; no orc in the tribe could defeat him.

If she used poison, she could kill him silently. But the current situation doesn't warrant using poison.

She didn't want to kill any living being casually.

We should have reverence for life.

It is precisely because we possess the power to kill others that we should have even greater reverence for life. Even the life of an enemy should not be taken away casually.

"Your clan doesn't seem as weak as I thought. Who's stronger than that deer-beastman? Let's have another one!" Hati said excitedly, full of fighting spirit.

He'd only warmed up; he hadn't had enough yet.

Jiang Yunlan turned to look at him, and was about to admit defeat when she heard Bingjingshi's voice.

"Lan, I'll do it."

She hadn't expected the Ice Crystal Elf to agree to fight. Elves disliked orcs, very much so. So, even though she knew the elf was awake, she never considered forcing the elf to fight in place of her clan.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

“I hate those werewolves and orcs who made me sober even more,” the elf said.

Jiang Yunlan understood. She turned to reassure Maple Sugar and the others to stay where they were, and then stepped to stand opposite Hati.

"Huh?" Hati was stunned. He looked the little squirrel-beastman cub up and down and said in bewilderment, "Although you are the patriarch of the Xia clan and are qualified to challenge me, you are still an underage cub. Are you sure you want to be my opponent?"

Jiang Yunlan shook her head and took out an ice crystal from her pocket. "Your main opponent is this."

The long-silent elf burst forth with dazzling light. Ice erupted from beneath Hati's feet, pinning him firmly to the ground.

The wolf-beastmen exclaimed in astonishment, "It's the power of nature!"

"You're an orc who received nature's blessing?" Hati's eyes lit up instantly as he stared excitedly at Jiang Yunlan, but quickly slumped back down. "What? You don't have a contract, this is boring."

He thought he had caught an orc who could fight him using the power of nature. The last time he encountered an orc with the blessing of nature was...

“Admit defeat, chieftain of the wolf-beastmen,” Jiang Yunlan carefully put the ice crystal back into her pocket, looked at the immobile Hati, and took the bow and arrow from the animal skin backpack on her shoulder. “Now you are my target.”

"Admit defeat? Impossible!"

Hati, with his brute strength, managed to break through the ice that had reached his ankles. He lifted his forelegs and ran towards the tiny squirrel-beast cub, only to be frozen again. This time, the ice froze up to his knees, hardening to a point where he couldn't pull his leg out.

A gust of wind swept past his face. A sharp arrow grazed him, struck the ground, and made a sound.

“If I had aimed this arrow at your throat, you would be dead. So, you lost,” Jiang Yunlan said.

Hati, unwilling to accept defeat, tried to break free of the ice beneath his feet. He threw himself to the ground and used every means possible to shatter the solid ice.

After a long while, repeatedly frozen in place, he lowered his head and said, "You guys won."

He can't beat nature.

Feng Hong stared at the defeated Hati and suddenly realized the power of nature. No wonder those orcs, knowing they were very likely to go mad or die, still gambled that they were orcs who could withstand nature's blessing.

Jiang Yunlan slowly put away her bow and arrows, then turned and called to her people to go to the hearth to start a fire and boil water.

"Will you carry your clan chief to our clan, or will we carry him?" she asked.

The ice crystals could emit a chill and freeze, but there was no way to collect the ice. She could only use hot water to thaw the wolf-beastman chieftain.

“We’ll do it ourselves,” the wolf-beastmen said, dragging their chieftain Hati onto their backs. They then followed the Xia clan’s beastmen, stepping on animal hides spread on the grass, into the Xia clan’s territory.

"Chieftain, don't be sad. They are a natural clan, and we were never able to defeat them."

"Yes, yes. Orcs without the blessing of nature can't possibly defeat orcs with the blessing of nature. Chieftain, don't be sad."

The wolf-beastmen comforted Hati, who was depressed after admitting defeat, while their gazes were unconsciously drawn to the objects that appeared in front of them.

How could this strange clan possess so many things they'd never seen before?!

As the wolf-beastmen walked the latter part of the way, their expressions were blank, so shocked that they forgot to comfort their clan leader. Only after getting closer did they belatedly realize just how special the Xia clan, a mixed race, truly was.

The Xia clan had everything that other clans had. They also had things that other clans didn't have. They were truly blind to have actually regarded this clan as a weak one.

Hati, perched on his tribesman's back, stared at the many unfamiliar objects, his eyes, which had lost their luster, gradually brightening. He had three hobbies: fighting, sleeping, and playing.

These novel and unfamiliar items are sure to be a lot of fun!

"Lan, the water is ready, we can use it now," Cotton said gently, pointing to the wooden bucket filled with cold water. Hot water was boiling on the fire, and after Hattie had spent some time in the cold water, hot water could be poured into the bucket to adjust the temperature.

Lan is clean. If any of the beastmen in the clan accidentally get dirty while working, they will be given a bath at night. The Xia clan beastmen are very familiar with the process of boiling and filling the water.

"Hurry up and put your chieftain inside." Jiang Yunlan pointed to the large wooden barrel and urged the hesitant wolf-beastmen.

What if the wolf-orc chieftain catches a cold after being frozen for so long? If he gets sick, his clan will be responsible for keeping him in the clan to treat his typhoid fever and provide him with food.

Jiang Yunlan didn't really want to keep him in the clan. She had a strange feeling that the wolf-beastman chieftain with his overly bright eyes would be a very difficult beastman to deal with.

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Author's note: The little angel "mono" threw a grenade, and Hati was suddenly hit in the heart by an item from the Xia clan.

*

The little angel "mono" threw out 30 body repair agents, and Maple's injuries healed faster.

The little angel "Nan Shige" threw in 10 nutrient solutions, and Hati's body became very healthy, thus losing his excuse of illness to stay in the Xia clan.

The little angel "Wisdom-filled Vishdel" cast a friendship potion, and the Hatti Clan and the Xia Clan achieved the "becoming friends after a fight" achievement, shaking hands and making peace.