The wolf-orcs want to take the Xia clan from the forest from us...
My bad premonition came true.
Upon learning of the existence of beast tides in the Beast World, Jiang Yunlan felt somewhat at ease. Her confusion was resolved, and she finally understood why hunting teams could always find prey nearby and complete their hunts in just three days.
"When will the beast tide come?" she asked.
“Three snow seasons, five snow seasons, ten snow seasons,” Hati thought for a moment, then, without a care in the world, said nonchalantly, “I don’t know about other places, but the grasslands are my territory! Where I am, there will be no beast tides.”
Therefore, during the hot and fruit seasons, he would lead his people to hunt wild animals to prevent beast tides.
"I've been to the grasslands for five snow seasons, and I've never seen a beast tide." He held his bowl, his eyes unconsciously revealing pride.
Thinking of the wounds on the wolves, Jiang Yunlan understood why they had asked Xia to offer him tribute when he first arrived on the grassland. This grassland was indeed protected by the wolf-men.
Realizing this, her gaze softened as she looked at the wolf-men.
“The Xia clan also clears out the wild animals in the area,” she said.
When Hati and his companions entered the Xia clan's territory carrying their prey, wild beasts followed them. Therefore, there must have been other wild beasts hiding nearby, spying on the orc clan.
After Yan Duoyu and the others return from gathering timber, it will probably be her turn to lead her people to the other side of the mountain to search for ore. Xia is no longer able to organize new teams to go out and clear out the wild beast herds. However, Xia can manage to clear out the wild beasts hiding near the various orc clans.
She looked at Hati, who was engrossed in his food, pondered for a moment, and said, "Hati, are you bringing your clan here for summer rest?"
Hati didn't look up, put the empty bowl on the ground, picked up another bowl of meat and chewed it.
"I'll cook for you."
His ears twitched, and he glanced at Lan.
"Three meals a day, plus a midnight snack. However, you'll need to provide your own food ingredients," she said frankly. There were too many wolf-beastmen, more than the Xia clan's beastmen; they couldn't afford to feed them.
His ears twitched happily. He put down the food in his hand, looked up, and said with bright eyes, "Cook as much as I want for each meal?"
He had previously asked Lan if the Xia clan could cook three meals a day for him, without him having to work. He said he would provide the food ingredients, but Lan refused.
"Of course. Injured people should eat more food."
Hati's eyes shone even brighter.
So being injured has this kind of benefit? He wondered if he should pretend to be injured for a few more days after he recovered, and then pretend to be fully healed once all his tribesmen had recovered.
“You have protected the grassland and the beastmen there. This is a reward. Probably no one else will praise you, so I will do it myself. You have done a great job. Xia will take care of your food and your safety during your injury period,” Jiang Yunlan said.
She knew that Hati and his men went hunting wild beasts primarily to protect the clan from beast tides.
However, the other clans in the grasslands were all those that survived under their protection. They were also the orcs who led Feng Qi and his group away from the bear-orc clan.
This was perhaps the wolf-beastmen's kindness, a kindness as subtle as a firefly's. They could have left, but they chose to stay, remaining on the grassland inhabited only by sheep-beastmen, horse-beastmen, fox-beastmen, and earth-beastmen, becoming the main force defending the grassland against wild beasts.
Hati was stunned by the praise. Was this a reward?
“Let’s go,” he said, taking a couple of bites of food, his mood brightening. He liked the reward.
Jiang Yunlan smiled and added, "Feng Er and the others should come too. I'll have my clansmen take them to change your dressings and bandages."
He nodded indifferently.
The wolf-beastmen who had been listening to the conversation between the two chieftains breathed a sigh of relief and started chattering happily.
The lively conversation eased the heavy atmosphere in the air.
"What? We're going to move into the kind of houses we built?"
"Great! I can eat summer's food every day until the next hunt. I want to try all the different ways of cooking meat!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember. Before, those orc workers would always try to tempt me with food after I finished eating. Now it's my turn to tempt them, hahaha!"
Listening to the noisy chatter of the wolf-beastmen, Jiang Yunlan smiled and mentally planned where they would stay.
After the ibex orcs moved into the residential area, there were still a few empty houses left, not enough for the wolf orcs and horse orcs. Some of the orcs needed to be accommodated in the wooden shelter and temporary housing.
She told the excited orcs about it, but none of them cared.
Lodging? It doesn't matter. They transformed into their animal forms, lay down on the grass, and the night passed. Where they slept was irrelevant; delicious food was all that mattered.
It was too late after dinner, so Jiang Yunlan didn't rush back to Xia with her people. Instead, she spent the night at the Hati clan's place.
When it was light the next day, she led a group of wolf-beastmen back to the clan, cleared out the carts used for work, and then led them to bring the remaining beastmen back to the Xia clan.
Hati lay lazily on the grass, directing his people to load all the clan's belongings onto carts.
The wolf-beastmen and horse-beastmen followed his commands, running back and forth several times. They took everything from the entire habitat, except for the houses they couldn't carry. It seemed they were moving the habitat to the vicinity of the Xia clan.
"You guys aren't planning to build a new settlement near my clan, are you?" Jiang Yunlan retorted, watching their movements.
A casual remark elicited a serious question from Hati: "Yeah. Is it not allowed?"
"Um... have you ever seen a clan build its settlement right next to another clan?"
“Those are other clans. My clan wants to be located near Xia!”
Jiang Yunlan stared at Hati, who kept saying he would never join the Xia clan, and blinked helplessly: "Alright, we'll build it nearby for you."
It's unclear how long the orcs, who are struggling to proclaim "Werewolf Orcs will never be slaves!" and have been watching Xia from the sidelines, can hold out.
What evil intentions could a wolf-orc who simply loves food have? He just wants to eat the Xia clan's food.
The wolf-beastmen who wanted to establish their clan's settlement near Xia certainly had ulterior motives. They not only wanted to eat Xia's food, but also wanted to recruit Lan into their clan. However, they would never tell the Xia clan's beastmen about this latter matter.
Many more wolf-beastmen have appeared in the Xia clan.
Xia's orcs had a vague feeling that these wolf orcs were always hanging around Lan, but they also felt that they were just going to Lan to check on her wounds, and probably not competing for Lan's attention.
Maple Red's death stare at the wolf-beastman who was once again fawning over Lan in front of her made her unable to smile.
No way! They're definitely trying to steal Lan's attention from us!
"Is the wound painful again?" Jiang Yunlan asked, and carefully examined the wolf-beastman's injuries once more.
For some reason, even though the wolf-beastmen were recovering well, they frequently came to her for treatment. She didn't realize this was just an excuse and couldn't help but worry that their pain stemmed from phantom pain.
So, whenever the wolf-beastmen said they were feeling unwell, she would try to distract them and talk to them about other things.
For example, where they will choose to settle down; what kind of houses they should build in their settlement; and which type of orc she prefers to have as her people: vegetarian, omnivorous, or carnivorous (it seems like something else has gotten mixed up in this?).
Two days after Yan Duoyu returned with his team, Jiang Yunlan finally realized something and looked at the wolf-beastmen who had come to chat with her for the past few days with a strange expression.
Because almost no two of the orcs who came to her were the same, she failed to realize that their intention was not to check on her injuries.
"Even if you try to find out my preferences and curry favor with me, I will absolutely not grant the request of any injured person who cannot go out." Jiang Yunlan said sternly, giving a few more instructions to the wolf-beastmen whose ears were lowered and whose movements had become restrained.
A few days later, she saw Hati come over and tell her that he was going to lead a team to go out for a stroll and see if there were any wild animals that needed to be eliminated.
The orcs were physically strong and recovered quickly from their injuries. Many of the wolf-orcs had healed, so Hati thought of taking them out to stretch their muscles.
"Don't take the wounded out," Jiang Yunlan mentally counted the remaining ointments in the clan, then asked, "How long will this trip take? I'll provide you with supplies."
The clan still had dried meat left to dry for Hati and the others; they had enough food. However, they were running low on medicine, and it was uncertain whether it would be enough to sustain them through the fruit season hunting season.
Herbs are hard to find, and the tribe's medicinal fields are not yet ready for harvest. She is a little worried about the beastmen who will return injured after going out.
When Yan Duoyu and his group returned, some of the orcs were also injured.
"I'll be back before the snow season," Hati said.
The cubs are cared for by the Xia clan, so he doesn't need to bring his clansmen back from time to time.
Jiang Yunlan understood and prepared extra supplies for them, just in case.
They are leaving today.
Among the pack of wolves led by the alpha wolf was a golden leopard named Yan Duoyu. After returning, she learned why the wolf-beastmen had stayed with the Xia clan, and she and Lan offered to go with them on the next hunting trip of the Hati clan.
She said, "Hati and his men are very strong. I want to become stronger and learn their methods for dealing with wild beasts."
She hadn't forgotten when the clan came to the grasslands, and Maple Red lost to Hati. She still couldn't defeat Hati now, but one day, she would.
Learn from your rivals, and surpass them. She has always done that very well.
Jiang Yunlan didn't say much, silently prepared supplies for her, and watched her leave with the wolf pack.
The orcs of the Hati clan can kill wild beasts to protect the grasslands, and she can also kill wild beasts to protect the summer. Yan Duoyu's words before leaving echoed in Jiang Yunlan's ears.
"May the mountains and grasslands protect you," Jiang Yunlan whispered.
There was nothing more she could do but pray for their safe return.
Before the snow season arrived, the Green-dwelling Crows and other winged beastmen of the Salt Clan arrived in Xia. They had to return to their clan before the snow season arrived, and also allow time for the Xia Clan beastmen to return to the grasslands, so they traveled almost day and night.
On their first day back in summer, the winged beastmen did nothing but put the items they had exchanged on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
The two winged beastmen, Qingzhiyuya and Qingzhiyuya, who remained in the Xia clan, struggled to drag them into their sleeping quarters. They then turned to Lan and began to talk about the journey from the grasslands to the other side of the mountains.
After leaving the grassland, they would pass through the shrublands of the plains. They would have to cross the shrublands to leave the plains and walk a while longer to reach the foot of the mountain.
"That sounds a bit far," Jiang Yunlan pondered, mentally preparing herself for the snow season before she could return to the clan.
The tribe has no shortage of meat, and the plants in the fields can be harvested again before the snow season arrives, in addition to the food that the tribespeople bring back from their outings, and mushrooms that can grow even in winter...
Jiang Yunlan remembered Maple Sugar's promise to her, and no longer worried about the clan's affairs, she began to prepare supplies for the trip to the new region.
She had already finalized the list of people going out; now she just had to wait for the guides, the winged beastmen, to lead them on their journey.
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Lan's Wish: Lan hopes to find a mining area in the mountainous region. Are you willing to fulfill Lan's wish? You can use items and skills to help Lan find the mining area.
Ruoxia threw out 10 lucky potions, and Lan's luck index increased!
"Fu Liangsheng" threw out 3 animal traps, making Lan's path forward safer!
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