Chapter 128 Uncaria's Love
After the sacrifice, Nanxing finally became a tricolor warrior. He excitedly rode the giant elk and ran around the tribe several times.
Gou Teng looked at Nanxing's back and smiled, then turned and walked towards his room.
There are now more than 500 people in the tribe, and many houses have been built. If conditions permit, they naturally don't need to squeeze into one house.
Jiang Xuan and Chi Shao have their own independent courtyards, and each leader in the tribe has a house of his own, which is one of the benefits of being a leader.
Uncaria used to be a cheerful person, always with a smile on his face, and he was very kind to the warriors of the tribe.
Ever since he was nearly killed by a wild boar while out hunting with Jiang Xuan, he had some trauma in his heart.
He became less talkative, smiled less often, and became more cautious, seeking not to achieve anything but to avoid making mistakes.
With such a leader, when a hunting team goes out, they naturally tend to play it safe, so there aren't many casualties and no outstanding performances.
Everyone else thought that Uncaria had become more mature as he got older, but that was not the case. The scene of the wild boar pouncing on him often became his nightmare, waking him up in the middle of the night.
Although Jiang Xuan guessed that there might be some problems with Gou Teng's mental condition, there was nothing he could do. After all, he was not a psychologist and did not know how to eliminate Gou Teng's psychological shadow. He could only rely on himself to adjust.
“Squeak…”
Uncaria returned to his house, untied the knot on the door, and pushed the door open.
The fire in the fire pit was still burning, and Uncaria added some whole pieces of wood on it. This kind of wood is very durable, and two pieces can burn for a long time.
Afterwards, he cleaned the pottery tripod, added some water, placed it in the fire pit, and then added some chopped stone eggs, bamboo shoots, animal meat and other foods into it and boiled it.
This is how the tribesmen eat, either roasting or stewing. There aren't many choices, and they don't have the time and energy to make complicated dishes.
While the food was cooking, Uncaria began to patiently sharpen the stone spear.
Stone objects wear easily and need to be polished frequently until they become unusable.
Because of this, the tribesmen like stones of high quality, and they can use one piece for a long time.
“It smells so good!”
Just as Gou Teng was concentrating on polishing the stone spear, a woman walked in confidently.
The woman was about eighteen or nineteen years old, which was considered a mature adult for the tribesmen.
Her name is Fuling, and she is one of the tourists rescued from the Mosquito Tribe.
She has a round face that the tribesmen love, and when she smiles, she reveals two cute fangs.
She had a very strong build, wheat-colored skin, and long hair tied casually behind her head with a straw rope.
Uncaria raised his head, glanced at Fuling, then lowered his head again to sharpen the spear, but his movements were obviously not as natural as before.
Gou Teng knew this woman. She was particularly good at sewing animal skin clothes, and the leaders had praised her sewing skills.
"Captain Uncaria, am I ugly?"
Fuling sat down next to Uncaria and helped him stir the food in the pottery tripod.
“It’s not bad…”
From the tribe's aesthetic point of view, a strong woman like Fuling is the most beautiful. What's more, she is very capable. Whether she is sewing animal skin clothes or doing other work, she is very skillful.
Many warriors in the tribe were interested in Fuling, but she rejected them all.
"Then why don't you dare look up at me?"
"Who said I don't dare?"
Stimulated by Fuling, Uncaria immediately raised its head and looked directly at Fuling.
Fuling looked into his eyes and said, "Captain Uncaria, you always seem to be in a bad mood. Why?"
Uncaria lowered his head again and continued to polish the stone spear, saying, "I'm not depressed."
Fuling thought about it and didn't ask any more questions. She also stopped staring at the Uncaria rhynchophylla and looked at the dancing flames in the fire pit.
"Have I ever told you about myself?" Fuling asked.
"No." Uncaria shook his head.
"I participated in the ceremony today and became a true member of the Fuji tribe. I am also a One-Colored Warrior. I am very happy. Let me tell you about my past."
Fuling sat next to Uncaria and told stories that had happened to her as if she was chatting.
She talked about their previous tribe, her dead relatives, the days when she was kept as livestock by the Mosquito Tribe, and the confusion and helplessness she felt when she first arrived at the Vine Tribe.
The flame burned slowly, Uncaria rhynchophylla was slowly grinding the bone spear, and Poria cocos was chatting with old friends, telling her own stories bit by bit.
Uncaria slowly relaxed and was no longer as nervous as before.
Sometimes he would reply with a word or two, and he gained a better understanding of Fuling.
After Fuling finished speaking, she looked at Uncaria and said, "When I first came to the Teng Tribe, I was actually very scared. I didn't know if the Teng Tribe would treat us the same way as the Mosquito Tribe."
"It was you who brought people to help us build houses, gave us food, and clothes. You made me feel warm."
Uncaria raised his head and retorted, "The leader told us to do it."
Fuling smiled and said, "But what I saw and remembered was you."
Uncaria had nothing to say and continued sharpening his spear.
Fuling said, "Chief Uncaria, if you are willing, I will go and tell the chief now that I want to live with you."
"I have the stick ready, look."
Fuling took out a stick, which was about one foot long and as thick as a spear shaft. It was obvious that the stick had been carefully polished and had a very smooth surface.
A long time ago, the tribal people were not very particular.
When a man falls in love with a woman, or a woman falls in love with a man, they will prepare a stick, knock the other person unconscious when the other person is not paying attention, and take him/her into the cave to accomplish their wish.
But there are huge disadvantages to doing this.
For example, if someone is unwilling or looks down on the other person, they will often make a big fuss after waking up. Many people also act without restraint and smash people's heads, causing many casualties and giving the tribal witch a headache.
Later, with the development of the tribe, most people moved out of the caves, and many tribes developed a rule that one could no longer use sticks to attack others without the other party's consent.
When both parties reach a consensus, they will no longer hit each other's heads as hard as before until the person is knocked unconscious.
Gradually, the stick became a symbolic object. It was often used to just tap the person lightly, and the other person would cooperate by pretending to faint, and then good things would be accomplished.
Gou Teng is already fifteen years old. Many people of his age have already had children, so he naturally knows what this stick means.
Fuling said it so bluntly that he didn't know how to respond.
Fuling did not force him, but instead spoke in a much softer tone.
"Uncle Teng, I know you may have some uncomfortable things in your heart, it's okay, as long as you agree, I can face it with you."
Uncaria stopped sharpening the spear, but did not respond.
A look of disappointment flashed across Fuling's eyes.
She silently put away the stick and said, "If you don't want to, then forget it. Just pretend I was never here."
Fuling stood up and walked out the door.
"etc……"
Just then, Uncaria finally called her.
"You agree?" Fuling turned back in surprise.
Uncaria hesitated for a moment and said, "Can you give me some time to think about it..."
Fuling nodded and said, "Okay, but don't think about it too long."
"Okay." Uncaria nodded solemnly.
"Then I'll go first."
Fuling turned around again, but her mood had improved and her steps were much lighter.
After Fuling left, Uncaria looked at the empty door and felt a little reluctant.
He suddenly wanted to ask those who already had a family what it felt like to have a family.
…
In the heart of the Western Wilderness, the Frog Tribe.
"Chief, several more giant frogs died."
A warrior hurriedly found the leader of the frog tribe, Huo Meng, and reported to him the news of the giant frog's death.
"Got it, let's go out first."
Huo Meng sat in the stone house and waved his hands weakly.
The soldier withdrew.
As of today, one third of the giant frogs in the frog tribe have died, most of them unable to adapt to the increasingly harsh climate.
Where the Frog Tribe lives, desertification is more serious than when Jiang Xuan and his companions arrived, and rain is even scarcer.
Not only that, various extremely severe weather conditions also occur from time to time.
The water level of the sacred lake on which the Frog Tribe depends for survival is already very low. If this continues, it won’t be long before drinking water becomes a big problem for the Frog Tribe.
It is unlikely that the giant frogs will be able to live in the sacred lake as they did before.
"Is it really true that we can only migrate?"
Huo Meng sighed helplessly. At this moment, he felt very powerless.
The Frog Tribe was too weak. Not only did it not have a living totem god, but it also had few powerful warriors.
Even he, the leader, was just a three-color warrior who usually scared people by being tall and having six horizontal lines on his face.
Once they migrated, he was not sure whether the frog tribe would be destroyed along the way.
But if they don't migrate, staying here will only lead to slow death. Without water, not only will the giant frog not survive, but the members of the frog tribe will not survive either.
For a moment, Huo Meng was caught in a dilemma.
"Let's go ask the witch for her opinion."
Huo Meng thought a lot, and finally stood up and walked towards the stone house where the witch of the Frog Tribe lived.
After he walked out of the stone house, a strong wind blew towards him, carrying a lot of sand and dust, making it almost impossible for him to open his eyes.
After the strong wind passed, Huo Meng looked up at the sky with a melancholy expression. There were almost no clouds in the sky. The scorching sun was dazzlingly bright, burning the earth.
In the distance, many trees have dried up due to lack of water, and the forest where the Frog Tribe lives is becoming smaller and smaller.
The sacred lake, which was once full of water, now has little water left and has turned into a huge pit. A large number of giant frogs gather by the water, struggling to survive.
The members of the Frog Tribe either hid in stone houses or under the shade of trees to keep cool. They could only go out hunting in the morning and evening, and there was very little prey.
The scene in the entire tribe was despairing.
Huo Meng felt even heavier in his heart, and he walked step by step towards the stone house where the tribal witch was.
In the stone house, the shaman of the frog tribe was praying for the blessing of the frog god in front of a stone jar full of water.
But their frog god was long gone, and no matter how he prayed, he got no response.
After Huo Meng entered the stone house, he waited patiently until the frog tribe shaman finished praying and opened his eyes in disappointment.
The witch of the Frog Tribe looked at Huo Meng and said weakly, "What do you want to talk to me about, Chief?"
Huo Meng said: "Wu, some giant frogs died today."
The frog tribe witch was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand."
Huo Meng continued, "Wu, maybe we should really decide to relocate our tribe. If the drought continues like this, we won't be able to hold out for much longer."
The witch of the frog tribe said: "But migration is too dangerous. If something unexpected happens on the road, our frog tribe will be finished."
"It's better than waiting to die here, right?"
The Frog Tribe witch's expression froze. In fact, he really didn't want to give up the Sacred Lake, the place where the tribe had lived for many years. But he knew that although what Huo Meng said was unpleasant, it was also the truth.
Finally, the witch of the frog tribe said bitterly: "Let's...wait a few more days. If it still doesn't rain, we will prepare to migrate."
"Then wait a few more days."
Huo Meng left the stone house disappointed, but he no longer had any hope of rain.
It's been dry for so long, if it was going to rain, it would have rained long ago.
After Huo Meng left Wu's house, he thought that he could no longer rely on Wu and had to rely on himself.
So, Huo Meng gathered the strongest people in the tribe and asked them to start preparing for the migration.
The first thing to prepare is enough weapons, because it is difficult to replenish weapons in time if they are damaged during migration.
The second thing is the large amount of food. Although they can hunt on the road, the harvest is unstable after all. If they end up in a desolate place, everyone will starve.
Finally, there were those giant frogs, which gave Huo Meng a headache.
Many giant frogs are unable to follow the tribe in long-distance migrations because they cannot tolerate the arid environment or walk long distances in such an environment.
Only some giant frogs that are more drought-resistant and have strong vitality can follow the tribe in long-distance migrations and even help the tribe in battles.
For example, some giant frogs that look ugly but have strong vitality. Some of them have extremely strong vitality and strong fighting ability, and some are even highly poisonous.
The frog tribe uses frog poison in large quantities both in battle and in their daily hunting.
Because their fighting ability is not strong, they can only rely on this method if they want to catch larger prey.
After thinking it over again and again, Huo Meng took a pot made of the fruit of a gourd-like plant and walked into the sacred lake with a dozen warriors.
They took a lot of venom from frogs that were unable to migrate with the tribe but were extremely poisonous, and put it into pots so that it could be preserved for a period of time.
But over time, the toxicity of these venoms will gradually decrease until they are completely ineffective.
After removing the poison, Huo Meng asked the warriors to go back first. He sat alone by the sacred lake, looking at the pitifully small amount of lake water and the giant frogs that were barely surviving.
"The tribe is migrating and may never come back. You can't walk far, so you can only stay here. I hope God will bring you good luck and send some heavy rains."
After saying these words, Huo Meng felt extremely uncomfortable, because he knew that it was too unrealistic to expect rain from heaven.
Huo Meng sat for a long time, then stood up and walked slowly towards the tribal residence. The sun was already setting, and his tall figure was not as straight as usual, but seemed hunched.
"Forgive me, I really... I have no other choice..."
In the setting sun, Huo Meng's shadow became longer and longer, and a few crystal tears fell on the hot ground.
(End of this chapter)
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