In an instant, everyone from the Tree Tribe followed Tree Stump's finger and spotted Luo Chong halfway up the mountain. Luo Chong also heard people shouting wildly by the stream below the mountain, especially when they called his name.
When Luo Chong had first communicated with the Tree Tribe, he had taught them the Mandarin pronunciation of his name, so they used Mandarin whenever they said "Luo Chong."
Following the direction of the voices, Luo Chong also spotted the Tree Tribe beside the stream below.
Why have they come? Luo Chong wondered.
Thirty pairs of eyes below met nineteen pairs of eyes above. After confirming each other's identities, they found that everyone knew one another—except for the unfamiliar Wuda and Ximen, who began hooting wildly. Luo Chong smacked them twice with a branch, and they settled down.
Luo Chong looked at Dashu below and waved to him, signaling for Dashu and the others to come up. He did not want to make another trip back and forth himself. He still had to mine later.
More than ten minutes passed before Dashu finally led a group of people up the slope. Only then did Luo Chong get a clear look at them, and he could not help frowning.
How had they ended up in such a miserable state? They had brought their entire families, even the children. Everyone was filthy, no longer as fair-skinned as when he had seen them before. They looked like beggars—no, worse than beggars.
Dashu's face was filled with exhaustion, but the moment he saw Luo Chong again, he was struck dumb with awe. He knew Luo Chong had come looking for horned animals, but he had never expected Luo Chong to actually catch them—and so many of them alive, at that.
If the sight of several members of the Cannibal Tribe riding two Dinophants had made him feel that they were invincible, then Luo Chong's actions could practically be regarded as divine. Never mind the difference in size; just consider the numbers—two versus eighteen. They were not even on the same level. Besides, Luo Chong's Blue Antelopes were hardly small. They were almost as large as modern donkeys, all right?
Seeing their embarrassed expressions, with each person holding a wild fruit in his hands, Luo Chong figured they could not even get meat to eat anymore. He truly had no idea how they had fallen into such dire straits. He hurriedly took the unfinished giant goose and roasted beaver from a large basket carried by one of the antelopes and distributed them among the group. Then he gave the Stone Axe to Mutong and sent him to gather firewood and light a fire for warmth.
Dashu watched as Luo Chong poured some smoking wood shavings from a bone tube, placed them in dry grass, and blew on them until they caught fire. He was instantly fascinated. So this was possible too? His admiration for Luo Chong grew even stronger.
Under the astonished gazes of the Tree Tribe members, Luo Chong took out a beautifully shaped, reddish-brown Pottery Pot with a lid and placed it over the fire. He sliced in some meat, added wild vegetables, water, salt, and chilies, and in less than ten minutes, the fragrant aroma of wild-vegetable and roasted-meat soup began wafting through the air.
Since the meat had already been roasted, it did not need to simmer for long. It only had to come to a boil. Luo Chong had Wooden Porpoise bring him a wooden bowl, filled it to the brim, and told them to pass it around, with everyone taking a sip.
Dashu took the first sip. It was salty, rather like their tree sap, but it also had a hint of spice. One mouthful warmed his entire body and drove away the cold. There were slices of meat in the soup, covered in a thick layer of glistening oil that made the wild vegetables taste even better. The aroma lingered in his mouth after every bite. Meat could actually be eaten this way?
Everyone stared eagerly at Dashu's look of bliss. Dashu finally came back to himself, scratched his head sheepishly, and quickly passed the bowl to someone else.
After everyone had enjoyed a turn, the soup was gone. The pot was too small; it had originally been meant for Luo Chong to use alone.
But the way everyone looked at Luo Chong had changed. The miraculous fire, the miraculous Pottery Pot, the miraculous way of cooking, the miraculous soup, and that entire herd of Blue Antelopes—now they looked at Luo Chong practically as if he were a god.
Luo Chong waved it off indifferently. He had long since grown numb to such astonished expressions, so he casually asked why they had ended up in such a miserable condition.
Dashu immediately began pouring out his grievances, while the others chimed in with a jumble of words and gestures. Only then did Luo Chong learn the reason. He could not help sucking in a cold breath. There was actually a Cannibal Tribe nearby. Where had they come from?
The Tree Tribe was only a day's journey from Luo Chong's Han Tribe. Since the Cannibal Tribe had already reached the Tree Tribe, how far were they from his own tribe? No, he had to hurry back. By then, Luo Chong was already desperate to return home. He was worried that his tribe might be attacked, and he could only hope that the river would hold them back for a few more days.
"I still have some things to prepare today. I'll return tomorrow. What are you planning to do?" After making up his mind, Luo Chong asked Dashu about his plans.
"We... we..." Dashu did not know how to answer for a moment.
Indeed, what else could they do? They had fled in such a hurry that they had brought nothing with them. Where could they go now? Their tree houses had been burned to the ground, and winter was fast approaching. They no longer even had a place to shelter themselves. They could not return to the forest, either, because their enemies were still there. Who knew when they would come back?
For a moment, everyone in the Tree Tribe lowered their heads. They had nowhere left to go. If Luo Chong had not just given them some roasted meat, they probably would not even have meat to eat. Now they had no food stores left, either. How were they supposed to get through the winter?
"How about joining my tribe? Your people are simply too few. If you run into enemies, you have no way to protect yourselves. Besides, you no longer have a place to live or food to last through the winter. You definitely won't make it through this winter. We have enough stored food for all of us to eat through the season together. Once you reach my tribe, you won't have any problems." Luo Chong extended the invitation to Dashu.
Indeed, Luo Chong had plenty of food. It would certainly be no problem for him to feed his tribe through the winter. Dashu looked at the Blue Antelopes grazing on the shrubs nearby. There was so much meat that even thirty of them could not finish it in a winter. His heart began to stir.
If Luo Chong had known that was what Dashu was thinking, he would have been furious enough to spit blood. After going to such great lengths to catch an entire herd of Blue Antelopes alive, how could he possibly use them for food?
The members of the Tree Tribe already wanted very badly to agree. They had been utterly won over by that pot of soup, especially the children. They had never eaten anything so delicious. The only hot food they had ever known was roasted meat. When had they ever stewed meat into soup? Besides, their wooden buckets could not be placed over a fire to cook.
They had also seen Luo Chong's weapons. With something called a bow and arrow, he would never lack prey, and they would not be bullied by enemies. At the very least, they could protect themselves. Now they all stared at Dashu with burning eyes, hoping their chieftain would agree.
Dashu also knew this was the best solution. Still, he was somewhat uneasy. He thought Luo Chong seemed like a decent person, but would Luo Chong's tribespeople accept members of their tribe? After hesitating for a while, he finally asked.
"You invited us to join, but will your chieftain agree? Will your people agree?"
At that, Luo Chong smiled. Back then, because he had been wary of them, he had not told them his identity or the exact location of his tribe. He had only said that it was on the other side of the river. Now he would have to give them a proper explanation.
Before you continue