(Sixth update)
When Wuman'er and the middle-aged man approached, the old woman first bowed to the latter and said:
"Chief, Man'er has gone far beyond mere willfulness. This time, not only did she leave the tribe without permission, she even dared to bring outsiders back. Unless she is severely punished, more tribespeople will surely follow her example, and the consequences will be unthinkable."
As she spoke, she turned and glanced at Mantianxing and Yun Xiaonu.
Clearly, those "more tribespeople" would certainly include these two eager troublemakers.
Chief? The middle-aged man was actually Wu Kuihu, chief of the Divine Wood Forest. Both Shen Luo and Jiang Shentian were quite surprised.
"Elder Yun, whatever the circumstances, release those two first. Though our Divine Wood Tribe has had no dealings with outsiders for a long time, we must still observe proper courtesy. Besides, they have not actually entered our tribal grounds. They should not be treated this way," the middle-aged man said in an unexpectedly gentle voice.
The old woman did not hesitate in the slightest at the chief's words. She immediately waved her hand, withdrawing the vines and freeing the two men.
Shen Luo flexed his wrists, then cupped his hands in thanks along with Jiang Shentian.
"Granny, what about us?" Yun Xiaonu hurriedly called from the side when she saw this.
Instead, green vines wound around her and gagged her mouth as well.
"Chief, we can set aside the matter of these two for now. Man'er's unauthorized departure has already caused considerable unrest within the tribe. How should we handle it?" Elder Yun asked.
"Since Man'er left, the Divine Wood Tribe has indeed lost its former tranquility. More and more tribespeople, especially the young, have begun wishing to venture outside. So I have also been considering whether perhaps..."
"Chief, surely you