An Invitation from Luo Chong

In an instant, everyone in the Tree Tribe followed Tree Stump's pointing finger and saw Luo Chong on the mountainside. Luo Chong also heard someone yelling from the stream below the mountain, especially since he heard someone call his name.

When Luo Chong interacted with them in the Tree Tribe, he had taught them the Mandarin pronunciation of his name, so when they said Luo Chong's name, they all used Mandarin.

Following the direction of the sound, Luo Chong also saw the Tree Tribe by the stream from the mountain.

"Why are they here?" Luo Chong wondered.

The 30 pairs of eyes below the mountain met the 19 pairs of eyes on the mountain. After confirming the gazes, they were all people they knew. Only the unfamiliar Wu Da and Xi Men started yelling and howling, but they quieted down after Luo Chong whipped them with two branches.

Luo Chong looked at Dashu below the mountain and waved to him, signaling Dashu and the others to come up. He didn't want to make another round trip; he still had mining to do later.

After more than ten minutes, Dashu finally brought the group up the hillside. Only then did Luo Chong clearly see their appearance, and he couldn't help but frown.

How did they end up so miserable? They brought their whole families, even the children came along. They were covered in dirt, not as clean as he had seen them before, like beggars. No, worse than beggars.

Dashu looked exhausted, but when he saw Luo Chong again, he was instantly amazed. He knew Luo Chong had come looking for an animal with horns, but he hadn't expected him to actually catch them, and so many of them alive.

If a few people from the Cannibal Tribe riding two Dinophants gave him a feeling of invincibility, then Luo Chong's actions could simply be regarded as divine. Never mind their size; just the quantity of 2 versus 18 wasn't even in the same league. What's more, Luo Chong's Blue Antelope weren't small, okay? They were about the size of modern donkeys.

Luo Chong saw their embarrassed expressions, each holding a wild fruit in their hands. They probably couldn't even get meat anymore. He really didn't know how they got so miserable. He quickly took out the unfinished giant goose and roasted beaver from a large basket carried by a Blue Antelope and distributed it to them. He also gave the Stone Axe to Mutong, telling him to get some firewood and light a fire to warm up.

Dashu watched Luo Chong pour some smoking wood shavings from a bone tube, put them in dry grass, and blow on them until they caught fire. He was immediately curious. So it could be done this way. He couldn't help but admire Luo Chong even more.

Under the astonished gazes of the Tree Tribe members, Luo Chong took out a nicely shaped, lidded reddish-brown Pottery Pot, placed it on the fire, sliced some meat into it, added some wild vegetables, water, salt, and chili peppers. In less than ten minutes, the aroma of wild vegetable and roasted meat soup wafted out.

Because the meat was pre-roasted, it didn't need to be stewed for long; the water just needed to boil. Luo Chong had Mutong bring a wooden bowl, filled a large bowl for him, and let them pass it around to drink, each taking a sip.

Dashu took the first sip. It was salty, similar to their tree sap, but also a little spicy. After one sip, his whole body felt warm, and he wasn't cold anymore. There were also slices of meat in the soup, with a thick layer of oil floating on top, making the wild vegetables taste very good. One sip left his mouth full of flavor. Meat could be eaten this way too?

Everyone watched Dashu's expression of enjoyment with longing eyes. Dashu finally came back to his senses, scratched his head sheepishly, and quickly handed the bowl to someone else to drink.

After everyone had a turn, the soup was gone. The pot was too small; it was originally for Luo Chong alone.

But everyone looked at Luo Chong differently now. The magical fire starter, the magical Pottery Pot, the magical way of eating, the magical soup, and that herd of Blue Antelope. Now they looked at Luo Chong as if he were a god.

Luo Chong waved his hand dismissively. He was already numb to this kind of surprised expression, so he casually asked them the reason for their misery.

Dashu immediately poured out his troubles, and others chimed in, supplementing with gestures and words. Only then did Luo Chong know the reason, and he couldn't help but inhale sharply. There were actually cannibals nearby. Where did they come from?

One must know that the Tree Tribe was only a day's journey from Luo Chong's Han Tribe. Since the cannibals had reached the Tree Tribe, how far were they from his own tribe? No, he had to go back quickly. At this moment, Luo Chong was already eager to return. He also worried that his tribe might be attacked. He hoped that river could hold them off for a few more days.

"I still need to prepare some things today, and I'll go back tomorrow. What are your plans?" Luo Chong made his decision and asked Dashu about his plans.

"We, we..." Dashu didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Yes, what else could they do? They had fled in a hurry back then, without bringing anything. Where else could they go? Their tree houses had been burned down, and winter was approaching soon. Now they didn't even have a place to live, and they couldn't go back to the forest; there were enemies there. Who knew when they would come back again?

For a while, everyone in the Tree Tribe lowered their heads. They had nowhere to go. If Luo Chong hadn't given them some roasted meat just now, they probably wouldn't even have meat to eat. And now, without any food reserves, what would they do this winter?

"Why don't you join my tribe? There are too few of you; you can't protect yourselves at all when you encounter enemies. And now you don't have a place to live or food for the winter; you definitely won't survive this winter. The food we've stored is enough for all of us to eat through the winter. You'll definitely be fine when you come to my tribe," Luo Chong invited Dashu.

Yes, Luo Chong had a lot of food. It was definitely not a problem to feed his own tribe through the winter. Dashu looked at the Blue Antelope not far away, gnawing on bushes. So much meat! Even if their 30 people ate it for a whole winter, they wouldn't finish it. Dashu was tempted.

If Luo Chong knew that Dashu was thinking this, he would probably be so angry he'd spit blood. He had gone to so much trouble, finally catching a group of live Blue Antelope. How could they be used for food?

The Tree Tribe members already really wanted to agree. They were completely won over by the pot of soup just now, especially the children. They had never eaten anything so delicious before. The only hot food they had encountered before was roasted meat. They had never stewed meat soup, and their Mutong couldn't be put on the fire to boil either.

Moreover, they had seen Luo Chong's weapons, the thing called the Bow and Arrow. With that, they wouldn't lack prey, and they wouldn't be bullied by enemies. At least they could protect themselves. Now they all looked at Dashu with burning eyes, hoping their Chieftain would agree.

Dashu also knew this was the best option, but he was still a little uneasy. He thought Luo Chong was a good person, but would his tribesmen accept the people from his tribe? After hesitating for a while, he finally asked.

"You invited us to join, but will your Chieftain agree? Will your tribesmen agree?"

Hearing this, Luo Chong smiled. Back then, because he was wary of them, Luo Chong hadn't told them his identity, nor had he told them the specific location of his tribe, only that it was on the other side of the river. Now, it was time to explain properly.