Soon, crackling and popping sounds of flames rang out in the central courtyard of the tribe, indicating that a campfire had been lit.
The bright orange-red color was so gentle in the dark night sky, and under its illumination, the faces of all men, women, and children were filled with happy smiles.
I sat quietly by the fire, smiling as I watched these indigenous people find happiness in simple things, and I was genuinely happy for them.
I haven't seen such a warm and loving family life for over ten years.
At that moment, the children all liked to sit next to me, mainly because their attention was focused on Top. Each child wanted to touch and poke Top here and there.
It was fine at first, but after a while, it drove Top a little crazy. Wouldn't he go bald from touching it like that?!
Top grinned and made faces at the children, scaring them so much that they cried loudly.
But even so, it couldn't stop the children's curiosity. After they stopped crying, they quickly came back to me, still a little afraid of Top.
So these children urged me, the deity, to touch Top for them, as if that would give them a thrill.
I laughed and picked up the little girl who was blaming her brother, then took her hand and patted Top's head from top to bottom.
When the little girl touched Top, her eyes lit up like a child receiving a beloved toy. Her silvery laughter rang out incessantly.
The other children looked at the smiling little girl with envy on their faces.
Top rolled his eyes at me, clearly annoyed. He looked down on my behavior of using my friend to amuse the child, and moved further away from me.
At that moment, Top was holding a cooked potato and munching on it with great relish.
At first, I thought the local people only relied on hunting for a living, but I was surprised when I found that they also brought out quite a lot of potatoes.
But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. I also have a taro patch in this rainforest. Rainforests are rich in biodiversity, so it's not surprising that they would find potatoes.
After all, I had previously found potatoes in the badger's den and even planted them as bonsai on the balcony of my rocky dwelling.
At that moment, an elderly man with a few brightly colored feathers on his head came to me with a respectful offering, holding an object in his hands.
The old man looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, and he had three red stripes painted on his face with red ochre powder.
Judging from the attitude of the other natives towards this old man, I think he is probably the high priest of the tribe that the chief mentioned who specifically requested to see me.
Out of courtesy, I accepted the offering from the high priest with both hands.
Then I looked at the object; it was an animal heart. But its enormous size was almost equivalent to two pig hearts.
On the way back, I learned from that young indigenous man that they would give the heart of their prey to the person who made the greatest contribution.
This person is not necessarily the high priest or the tribal chief; any one of them could potentially receive it.
The heart of their prey was a tremendous reward and a testament to their strength. Therefore, everyone worked and hunted diligently, for it was their glory.
The high priest offering me his heart at this moment was undoubtedly the greatest affirmation for me, and I accepted their kindness without hesitation.
A grown man shouldn't be so hesitant. I took the heart and immediately smiled and nodded to the high priest.
This high priest wasn't like the cold-faced, bohemian type I remembered from television. He was just like everyone else, with a kind smile on his face, looking more like an ordinary old man.
I smiled and pointed to the heart in my hand, indicating that I couldn't finish it all by myself and wanted to share it with everyone.
The high priest stopped me, saying that the heart should not be given away, as it was a symbol of my power.
It was obvious that the indigenous chieftain had told the high priest about how I had subdued those hounds without getting hurt.
The other locals genuinely admired my abilities and nodded at me with smiles. Seeing this, I felt embarrassed to refuse any longer.
But this thing was just too big; even after it was cooked, it still weighed about three or four pounds. I could only secretly cut off a portion and give it to Top to help me carry some of the load.
Top was happy to help me with this. He had just eaten a potato and now was the perfect opportunity to try out the local cuisine.
However, Top frowned after taking just one bite, then threw the thing back and pulled out a charred potato to gnaw on.
Seeing this, I tore off a piece and put it in my mouth to chew. As soon as it entered my mouth, I knew it was the heart of a wildebeest. I had eaten it once before and it tasted the same.
The meat is pretty good and tastes delicious, but it's a bit bland here because it's not salty enough. The meat relies entirely on the salt in the blood, so it's still a bit tasteless.
No wonder Top, who's become so picky about food, doesn't eat this kind of meat.
I also noticed something else: the proportion of meat roasting around the fire wasn't very large. But all the bones that had been removed beforehand were put into the fire to roast.
The high priest explained to me that these bones were very nutritious and suitable for their children to eat, so that they could grow as strong as these wild beasts.
I tend to agree with this statement. Bone marrow and some cartilage are nutritious and can provide children with natural calcium and some essential trace elements.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they danced and sang around the campfire. Their dance moves were very primitive and simple.
I could tell they were probably imitating the movements of birds and wild animals in the rainforest.
Having witnessed so much deceit and treachery in big cities, spending time with these simple and kind-hearted locals felt like a complete release for my senses.
No one knows how long this feast lasted, until everyone was too tired to jump anymore and all the bones were gone.
Then everyone gradually returned to their respective conical thatched huts to rest, carrying the dried meat that had been thoroughly roasted and distributed by the high priest.
The high priest arranged a thatched hut for me alone and assigned a plump woman to serve me while I slept.
In their eyes, fat women are the most beautiful and can bring me blessings and good luck.
But looking at the woman's jet-black teeth, she looked like an old monster who had been chewing betel nuts for decades. Her wrinkled flesh looked like a huge lump of greasy fat swaying in front of me.
I gave a wry smile and quickly declined the high priest's offer.
Such blessings are better left unsaid. Not for any other reason than that I am a model citizen, how could I do such a shameful thing!
The night breeze was so pleasant that Top and I soon drifted off to sleep.
But not long after we fell asleep, a group of uninvited guests arrived...
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