"Heh heh, you don't need to worry about that, because I'm the Chieftain. As long as I agree to it, my people won't object. Besides, my people are good people. As long as you're willing to join, you'll definitely receive the same treatment as my people."
"What? You're the Chieftain?"
Dashu asked incredulously, but after thinking it over, he was relieved. That was right—although Luo Chong was a little young, his abilities were by no means weak. Take those Blue Antelope, for example. Even an adult might not be able to catch them. And he had actually managed to survive alone in the wilderness for so long, living even better than they did. That was something an ordinary person could never accomplish.
After thinking for a moment, Dashu asked again, "Th-then, will you give us the same weapons?"
Dashu had been envious of Luo Chong's weapons for a long time. Whether it was the White-shafted Long Spear or the longbow and Feathered Arrows, they were all things he dreamed of possessing. Moreover, as long as Luo Chong was willing to give them weapons, it meant he definitely had no intention of harming them. After all, who would hand such excellent weapons to a supposed enemy?
Luo Chong smiled faintly. He directly brought over his own spear and handed it to Dashu, gave the Stone Axe to Mutong, and even gave the one-and-a-half-meter Woven Basket shield to Tree Stump. Tree Stump was not tall, but he was sturdy, so there was no better person to carry the shield.
"All right. Now I've given you all my weapons. There's only one bow and arrow for now, and you wouldn't know how to use it properly anyway. Once we return to my tribe, I'll give each of you a weapon."
"All right, I agree to join your tribe." With the spear in his hands, Dashu no longer hesitated. He really wanted a bow and arrow, but he had tried using one himself last time. Bows and arrows truly weren't easy to use, and Luo Chong hadn't lied to him.
After one breakfast, the Tree Tribe had been swallowed up whole. Dashu and the others had already reached the end of their road, so they did not resist much. Besides, judging by Luo Chong's appearance, joining his tribe would definitely let them live better.
Dashu also showed Luo Chong the Snow Rabbits he had caught. There were more than thirty of them, large and small, though most were small, with fewer than ten of them being large.
Luo Chong was delighted. Thinking of the rabbits' rate of producing a litter every two months, he could not suppress his excitement. His demands were not high; as long as they produced no fewer than four litters a year, he would be satisfied. After all, although one litter every two months was theoretically possible, it was not good for the rabbits. If they gave birth too often, they would need time to recuperate, right?
I even left the rabbits time to recover after giving birth. Damn, I really am a good person.
After breakfast, Dashu had assumed Luo Chong would immediately head back, but unexpectedly, he began digging stones on the mountain again. Dashu asked what he wanted them for. These stones were only pretty; wasn't taking one or two for decoration enough? Yet he actually saw Luo Chong loading them into baskets.
How much the hell was he planning to haul away?
"With these stones, I can make better weapons, as well as enough food to eat three full meals a day until we're stuffed and still can't finish it," Luo Chong said firmly.
Holy crap, was that for real? Dashu and the others were completely dumbfounded.
Three full meals a day, eating until they were stuffed and still unable to finish the food—what kind of concept was that? Dashu and the others had never experienced it. Forget them; even the people of the Han Tribe had never eaten three meals a day. During the worst of winter, they sometimes had only one meal every two days.
And then there were the weapons. These stones could actually be made into weapons? And they would be even better than bows and arrows and spears? What the hell were they waiting for? They had to start digging!
Relying on their trust in Luo Chong—or rather, their blind faith in the wonders Luo Chong had displayed—yes, it could already be called faith now—if someone could play with stones and produce so many tricks, that was something only a god could accomplish.
With the others joining in, the digging went much faster. By noon, all the large baskets had already been filled.
This time, they had not brought back one sample of every kind of ore. Instead, they had mainly gathered several varieties. The copper-rich brass ore and Tin Ore made up the largest portion, while they had also loaded plenty of red termite-nest soil and kaolin. Those were used to make crucibles and casting molds.
Since they had spent the day doing physical labor, they ate another meal at noon, allowing the others to get an early taste of what three meals a day felt like.
By afternoon, the group set out. The Blue Antelope formation had also become a line of eighteen animals, each carrying two large or small Woven Baskets on its back, filled with ore, fodder, rabbits, and seeds.
This time, everyone openly lit torches as they traveled west. They did not move very quickly. As they walked, Luo Chong taught Dashu and the others how to use spears, throw spears, hurl Stone Axes, and defend with shields. Along the way, he also killed a few rabbits to replenish their food and supply of hides.
Speaking of that, Luo Chong grew furious. The last time he had left the Tree Tribe, he had handed the rabbit skins they had hunted to Dashu to dry, saying he would come back for them. But now they had all been snatched away by the Cannibal Tribe, or burned. He had to hunt more rabbits and take the hides back with him. Otherwise, this trip would have been for nothing. His original goal had been to find animal hides, after all. He could not forget his original purpose.
They walked until nightfall, then began preparing dinner and resting. After arranging a rotation of hidden sentries and feeding fodder to the antelope and rabbits, everyone turned in early.
The first half of the night was fairly peaceful, with only the crackling of the bonfire. The wind was somewhat strong that night, though, and the weather was growing colder and colder. Fortunately, everyone had clothes, a bonfire, and hot soup to keep warm. Otherwise, several of them would certainly have fallen ill.
It was not until the second half of the night that Luo Chong, lying on the ground, suddenly felt vibrations coming from beneath him. Dull thuds rumbled through the earth, as if some colossal creature were moving. Luo Chong instantly thought of the Long-nosed Monsters Dashu had mentioned—the ones ridden by the Cannibal Tribe.
"Get up, everyone, get up! Stay alert! There are enemies! Put out all the fires, hurry!" Luo Chong kicked and hauled everyone awake, and they immediately extinguished the flames. Whether it was a night battle or an ambush, the greatest taboo was for the enemy to be hidden while you were exposed. With torches all around them, the others could see them clearly while they could not see their enemies. Wasn't that just courting death?
Luo Chong pulled a burning branch from the bonfire and threw it far toward the direction of the noise. Dashu and the others had also taken up their weapons and placed the children behind them.
"Waa-oo!"
Accompanied by two sharp yet slightly immature elephant cries, two enormous figures suddenly appeared in the distant firelight. Dozens of people charged toward them with torches raised and Stone Spears, Bone Spears, and Stone Axes in their hands. Feral, savage patterns had been painted across their faces in red and white pigments, while ornaments made from human bones hung around their necks. They came roaring toward them like fiends from hell.
The leading man rode an elephant and held a Bone Spear. A necklace of finger bones hung around his neck, with a palm-sized skull pendant dangling beneath it. He swung his large hand, and a pack of underlings began charging forward with wild howls.
"Take the people and run. Circle around from the north side."
Seeing the formation, Luo Chong pointed north and immediately issued the order, having Dashu lead his people and the antelope group around the enemy's northern side.
~
~
~
~
~
With tears in my eyes, I'm silently begging everyone for a wave of recommendation votes. Friends, why have you been so useless this week? Qing Shu's ranking has dropped by one place, and my heart hurts so much I can barely breathe. If you have votes, hurry up and show some support! Any kind of support will do—recommendation votes, comments, collections, character-heart clicks—really, I'm not picky...
Before you continue