Chapter 33 Winter is gone
Spring is here, and he is going to reclaim the land and plant crops!
As soon as he finished speaking, the fish soup in Ze's hand was quickly taken over by the boy.
He didn't even care whether the fish soup was hot or not, he just gulped it down.
The delicious fish soup stimulated the taste buds. Lu Shuang's stomach, which had been empty for a long time, was moistened by the food and made gurgling sounds more eagerly.
Hoping that the owner of the body can provide them with more food to digest.
The fish soup contained a few pieces of boneless fish meat. Lu Shuang didn't even chew the soup and the meat, and swallowed them all.
After drinking a big bowl of fish soup, all I can think about is how delicious it is.
Shen Nong still remembers that when he examined the boy in front of him, his physical condition had reached a critical point.
If it had been a step later, the boy would have died of excessive hunger.
He asked, "Still eating?"
Lu Shuang shook her head, "Priest of the Wood Tribe, are my people okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. You were the last one to wake up."
Lu Shuang carefully placed the ceramic bowl on the animal skin and got off the earthen kang.
No matter how stupid he was, he knew after using it a few times that this was not an ordinary stone bowl from the Mu tribe.
"Wood Tribe Priest, you have helped us a lot. Now that all the tribe members are awake, I will take them away now."
Lu Shuang didn't want the Water Tribe to eat any more food from the Wood Tribe. Even now, he didn't know how to repay the Wood Tribe.
Shen Nong did not stop him, but asked Ze to take him to find his own people.
Niu Si was worried about Lu Shuang, and when he heard that he had woken up, he was about to go look for him.
Unexpectedly, Lu Shuang came by himself. After seeing him, he rushed over and said, "Priest! You are awake!"
"Well, go call Hou Wu and the others. We need to rush back to the tribe before dark."
Lu Shuang asked Niu Si to go find someone. Niu Si pointed to the mud house behind him and said, "They are all inside."
After entering the mud house, Lu Shuang saw the people of the Water Tribe squatting in a circle.
Xiangshan was in the middle of the circle, his arms spinning rapidly.
He asked Niu Si in confusion, "What are they doing?"
"The priest of the Wood Tribe knew that our tribe had no fire, so he asked people to teach us how to make fire. Xiangshan is learning now."
When Niu Si thought of the scene where the flames appeared out of thin air after the people of the Mu tribe turned the branches for a while, he felt that he would never forget that scene in his life.
It’s amazing that orcs can create fire by themselves!
He was so immersed in the surprise that the Wood Tribe passed on the method of making fire to the Water Tribe that he did not notice at all that Lu Shuang's face darkened.
Lu Shuang pushed through the crowd and pulled up Xiangshan.
During the process, he could vaguely smell the scent of wood just beginning to burn.
Xiangshan finally turned around and there was a faint white smoke rising, but now it was all in vain. "Priest, why are you pulling me? The people of the Wood Tribe said that if we stop halfway, it will be difficult to make a fire. We have to start from the beginning."
"Then don't do it anymore. Everyone from the Water Tribe, follow me and leave the Wood Tribe now."
Lu Shuang spoke decisively with a stern face, and it was obvious that she was angry.
The people of the Water Tribe were a little confused as to why their priests were unhappy, since they could have fire in the winter...
Although there is no guarantee that no one will freeze to death, at least there is a heat source to keep warm.
"But priest, I have not yet learned how to make a fire..."
Lu Shuang turned to look at Xiang Shan, her eyes firm, "I said everyone should follow me back to the Water Tribe now, don't you understand?"
"Priest, the Thunder God will not send down thunder in winter. Now, the Wood Tribe has taught us the power to generate fire on our own. If we leave, the tribe will not be able to have fire in this winter!"
Lu Shuang knew that fire was important, but, as Xiang Shan said, it was "divine power".
"Xiangshan, do you know what you are talking about? The Mu tribe has helped us so much, so forget it if we can't repay them."
Lu Shuang took a deep breath, "How dare you learn their magical power of making fire?"
The members of the Water Tribe lowered their heads and dared not say a word. They all understood what the priest said.
However, only a priest would soberly refuse the ability to create fire out of thin air.
"Why blame them?"
Shen Nong had long noticed that the young priest of the Water Tribe was very cautious about what the Wood Tribe gave him and did not dare to accept too much.
He smiled slightly, tried to calm Lu Shuang, and said softly, "I didn't teach you in vain. Live well and do everything you can to survive the winter. When spring comes, I want the Water Tribe to come and work for the Wood Tribe. Is that okay?"
Lu Shuang's eyes instantly turned red. After the old priest left, no one spoke to him so gently anymore.
The burden of the Water Tribe had always been on him, and no one had ever helped him like this.
Lu Shuang suddenly missed the old priest very much.
"The Mu tribe goes to the river to catch fish every three days. You should calculate the time and remember to go." Shen Nong took out a fur handkerchief to wipe Lu Shuang's tears, "Don't cry."
When her cheek was gently rubbed by the soft animal skin, Lu Shuang's nose felt sore and she could no longer hold back.
He threw himself into Shen Nong's arms, hugged him and began to cry loudly, calling the priest all the time with deep longing.
Looking at the dirty little head against his chest, Shen Nong raised his hand and wanted to push it away, but suddenly he remembered his younger self.
At that time, I was too young and playful, and I hid in the storage room of the research team's spacecraft, wanting to see the outside world.
As a result, he encountered space pirates on the way and was kidnapped, suffering from tremendous fear and psychological pressure.
Later he was successfully rescued and saw his master who had come rushing over.
He rushed over, all dirty, and hugged his master. He had not cried before, but now he was crying breathlessly.
He still remembers how the corners of his master's white coat were stained black by him.
Shen Nong imitated his master's actions, put his hand on Lu Shuang's head, and said the same words as his master, "Keep your voice down, there are many people watching."
I don’t know if it was because she thought about the people from the Water Tribe who were still watching, but when she heard this, Lu Shuang buried her face even more thoroughly.
Shen Nong was really worried that the child wouldn't be able to breathe.
..
On the way back, Lu Shuang clenched the animal skin handkerchief in her hand and wiped away her tears from time to time.
Although the members of the Water Tribe did not dare to say a word, they were genuinely surprised.
Their priests actually cried.
Except for the day the old priest left, they had never seen the priest cry.
Lu Shuang sniffed, and the cold wind stung the tip of her nose, which felt a little painful.
When they left this time, the priests of the Wood Tribe not only gave them several clay pots and bowls, but also gave them fire-making utensils and several large animal skins for bedding.
Lu Shuang folded the animal skin handkerchief given by Shen Nong and held it tightly in her palm.
When winter is over, he will definitely lead the Water Tribe to repay the Wood Tribe priest.
——
Winter is long, but it is coming to an end without us noticing.
The snow and wind have stopped and the temperature has warmed up.
An oil lamp was burning in a stone house in the distant Beast City, and an irregularly shaped green crystal the size of a palm was placed on the wooden table.
A faint light shone on the face of the owner of the crystal. He looked at the pattern displayed on the crystal and suddenly stood up from the stool.
He kept muttering to himself, "The Son of God is not in the Water Tribe, but in the Marsh Tribe. This is Marsh, not Water..."
"Wrong, wrong, all wrong..."
..
Cannibal.
After Wushan counted the number of people, he reported to the priest Wuming, "Priest, fifteen people in the tribe froze to death this time."
"so much?"
In the past, there would be no more than five per year.
Although the Wood Tribe's pre-winter attack destroyed many huts and caves, the remaining caves could still provide shelter from the wind and snow if a few more people squeezed in.
Moreover, the Wood Tribe did not steal the animal skins they had stored for the winter.
The only difference between this time when so many people froze to death and previous years was that there was no divine blood sent by the Ze tribe this year.
Wuming finished the last bite of meat and spat out the finger bone. "The weather is getting warmer. It's time to go to the Ze tribe."
The cannibals always start hunting in the last few days of winter, when each tribe is at its weakest, and they always return with a full load.
They can even capture young orc warriors for their priests to use to improve their bloodline suppression levels.
Although the levels of these orc warriors are not high, they are better than the old men and unawakened children.
The Ze tribe did not expect that the cannibals would come to their tribe for this pre-spring hunt.
Black lines spread across Wuming's body, and the snake could not move once he stepped on it.
The old priest of the Ze tribe pointed at Wuming with a trembling hand and said, "Priest Wuming, didn't my Ze tribe and you cannibals have an agreement that you will not come to the Ze tribe to hunt before spring?"
As the snake under his feet tried to struggle, Wuming stepped on it even harder. He sneered, "It's true that there is an agreement, but didn't you come to the trade fair before winter?"
The old priest lowered his head in embarrassment. The agreement between the Ze tribe and the cannibals was all based on the blood of the gods.
Originally, the Ze tribe hid the divine blood very well, and they did not want other tribes to know that they possessed divine blood that could bring people back to life.
The power of this divine blood is too great, and it will be of no benefit to them if it is exposed.
Therefore, the Ze tribe unanimously decided to hide carefully and develop slowly.
However, no one expected that the cannibals would choose the Ze tribe for their pre-spring hunt.
Seeing that the powerful orc warriors of the tribe were all being captured as orcs, the old priest had to step forward and negotiate with them by offering the divine blood.
He concealed the source of the divine blood, saying it was a secret pool of blood bestowed by the Beast God.
He also stated that he was the only one who knew the location of the blood pool and how to open it.
At that time, Wuming agreed to the request made by the Ze tribe after trying the divine blood.
If you release the orcs of the Ze tribe, the hunt before spring will not target the Ze tribe.
In order to avoid suspicion from other tribes, the Ze tribe did not ask the cannibals to let the Ze tribe go during other hunting times.
He simply proposed to exchange the blood of the gods for the blood of the cannibal priests.
Except for the Salt Tribe, no other tribe is qualified to exchange the blood of the cannibal priest.
Not only that, in order to ask the cannibals not to capture the orc warriors in their tribe, other tribes also actively provide meat at the trade fair.
For the sake of the god's blood, the cannibals only captured old people even when they came to the Ze tribe to hunt.
Will not move the young orc warriors of the Ze tribe.
The old priest knew that the premise of all this was based on the divine blood of the Ze tribe.
Now the cannibals came to the Ze tribe for hunting before the spring, just to tell them that everything would be easy if they had the divine blood, but nothing would be said if they didn't have the divine blood.
But where can he find the divine blood?
If he knew where the divine blood was, he would have sent enough to the cannibals to ensure their safety.
But there's no point hiding it now, the cannibals won't let them go anyway.
Moreover, it is unlikely that the Ze tribe will be able to find the divine blood if they rely on themselves.
If we can get the cannibals to help us look for it, there might still be hope.
The old priest gave up and said bluntly: "The blood of God is lost."
"lost?"
Wu Ming's face was filled with the expression "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"The Blood Pool Long Legs ran away by itself?"
The old priest glanced at Wu Ming, and to be honest, if he hadn't known that the cannibals had always believed that the divine blood was a pool of blood, he would have thought that the cannibals had deliberately kidnapped the divine blood that time.
There is nothing to hide at this point. "The divine blood is from a person, not a pool of blood. I lied to you before."
Wuming exerted force on his feet, causing the snake to cry out in pain. He said fiercely, "Old man, if you don't tell the truth, I will turn the Ze tribe upside down and I won't believe that I can't find the blood pool."
I thought it was a very powerful threat, but who knew that the priest of the Ze tribe didn't care at all.
Wuming watched the old man from the Ze tribe turn sideways, the meaning couldn't be more obvious, "Turn over."
At this point, Wuming had to believe that the sacred blood of the Ze tribe really belonged to a person, and it was lost.
Wuming was a little confused. The divine blood was fine. Even if it belonged to a human, it couldn't be thrown away just like that.
He asked, "How did you lose it?"
The old priest glanced at Wuming and said nothing.
Wuming always felt that the old man's look was strange, so he asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
The old priest moved his lips but said nothing.
He didn't know what to say so that the evil spirit wouldn't go crazy.
"How did it get lost? It's all your cannibalism's fault!"
An angry voice came from under his feet. Wuming stopped questioning the old priest and changed the target, "What does it have to do with my cannibal tribe?"
The snake snorted angrily, "It doesn't matter? The two times that the divine blood ran away were all thanks to the cannibals!"
Wu Ming was confused and grabbed She Yi's messy hair, "Explain it to me clearly."
She Yi endured the severe pain in his scalp and recounted the two times the divine blood was lost.
The further he talked, the looser the hand that was clutching his hair became.
After he finished speaking, the snake fell to the ground.
Wuming recalled Sheyi's words, so, the first time the divine blood was lost, it was because his cannibals captured humans as useless prey.
He was rescued by people from the Mu tribe and sent back as if he was from the Ze tribe.
The second time the divine blood was lost, it was because the cannibals suddenly attacked the Ze tribe, and he was the one leading the team, and the divine blood escaped during the chaos...
This seems to be really related to his cannibalism.
Wuming didn't know what to say for a moment, so he asked casually, "How do the people of the Wood Tribe know what the divine blood looks like?"
The old priest picked up the snake from the ground and said, "When the tribe migrated here, the people of the Wood Tribe always caught fish by the river. I have seen them before."
"Don't the people of the Mu tribe know that he has divine blood?"
"I don't know." The old priest added: "If I knew, I wouldn't have sent it back the first time."
"What is the name of the divine blood?"
"select."
Wuming always felt that the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere.
Wait, he seemed to remember.
When the Mu tribe attacked the cannibals before, they always liked to stick to the tall man who was the skinny white-faced priest of the Mu tribe, and his name seemed to be Ze.
"That Ze, isn't he very tall, very skilled, and looks very fierce?"
Wuming recalled Ze's appearance in his memory and emphasized, "He also particularly likes to stick to the priests of the Wood Tribe."
The old priest looked at Wuming in confusion, totally unable to understand what the other party was saying.
"Ze is very skinny and can't even beat the unawakened children in the tribe, let alone have seen the priests of the Wood Tribe."
Wuming touched his head and wondered, is it just the name that is the same?
The old priest didn't want to listen to Wuming's nonsense anymore. "I have sent Yajiu to look for it in a farther place. Priest Wuming, if you cannibals still want to exchange the divine blood, please send people together with the Ze tribe to look for it."
Wu Ming frowned, his eyes displeased, "Old man, are you asking me to do something?"
Sensing the other party's hostility, the old priest quickly restrained his emotions and said, "I dare not, I am asking the cannibals for help."
"Okay, I understand. I will help Ze Tribe find it." Wuming looked around Ze Tribe, "But I can't come here for nothing, and I won't help you find someone for nothing."
"Give me five level 3 orc warriors to serve as meat, and I will let your Ze tribe go this time."
The old priest wanted to refuse, but when he saw Wuming's vicious gaze, he couldn't utter a word.
He turned his head away and said nothing.
Wuming sneered and ordered his men to select the meat.
"Priest! Save us!"
"priest!"
The orcs chosen by the cannibals struggled desperately and asked their priests for help, hoping that the priests could change their minds.
But until the end, the priest did not say another word.
After selecting the meat, the priest and the chief of the Ze tribe followed the cannibals and saw them off.
When passing by the giant tree in front of the Ze tribe, Wuming tilted his head and asked, "If I remember correctly, your tribe didn't have this giant tree before winter. What's going on?"
The old priest shook his head. "I don't know either. It grew suddenly. Moreover, on the day it grew, the roots were covered with thorns, as if they had life, and they stabbed many of the tribesmen."
When the people of the Ze tribe think of the spikes at that time, they still feel a lingering fear.
"But the thorns disappeared quickly, and people avoided the tree for fear that it would grow thorns again."
Wuming stared at the giant tree for a while. The tree suddenly grew rapidly in winter, and its sharp thorns seemed to have life, stabbing many people from the Ze tribe...
He asked, “What else happened that day?”
The old priest didn't understand why the cannibal priest was suddenly interested in all this.
But he still told the truth: "That day, a huge bear-shaped beast suddenly appeared in front of the tribe. It was as tall as a hill. But then it suddenly disappeared and never appeared again."
The giant bear-shaped beast...is comparable to the one from the Wood Tribe.
The giant beast of the Kemu tribe was not particularly large among the giant beasts, and its size did not quite match the description of the Ze tribe.
But it is possible to control tree growth in winter.
Wuming's heart moved. Besides the priest of the Wood Tribe, the one in the Beast City could also control the growth of trees.
Could it be that the guy from Beast City has arrived?
But why did he come to the Ze tribe and scare them?
Wuming couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
Before leaving with his men, he said to the old priest and the chief of the Ze tribe: "The God's Blood will help you find it, but before you find it, remember to honestly send meat to the cannibals at every trade fair, otherwise don't blame me for not remembering our friendship."
The old priest and Crocodile Ze did not dare to refute, as they had nothing with which to communicate with the cannibals.
"knew."
——
With the coming of spring, the ice and snow melt.
Every three days, the Water Tribe would follow the Wood Tribe to the river to catch fish.
When catching fish, the people of the Mu tribe also told them how to prepare the fish to make it delicious, and they all fell in love with the taste of the processed fish.
Whether it's grilled fish or fish soup, it's delicious.
If there was salt stone, it would definitely taste better, just like the one they had in the Mu tribe.
It was so delicious that they could almost swallow their tongues.
Because there was enough food, no one died in the Water Tribe in the days after they caught the fish.
But before that, they froze to death and several elderly people starved to death.
Fortunately, the Wood Tribe priest taught them how to make fire.
Fire is a magical weapon bestowed by the gods, allowing them to dispel darkness and gain warmth.
The elderly can receive a sacred cremation and will no longer be in darkness and cold after death.
They will be guided by the holy fire to meet the Beast God.
Lu Shuang couldn't even imagine how many more people in the Water Tribe would have frozen to death if the Wood Tribe hadn't taught them how to make fire.
After the cremation ceremony, Lu Shuang urged the tribesmen to leave quickly.
For a while, the Water Tribe was extremely busy.
Lu Shuang folded the animal skin handkerchief and carefully tucked it between the straw rope tied around her waist.
"You are the slowest one in Xiangshan! Hurry up and pack up, we need to get to the Mu tribe as soon as possible and help them with their work."
Xiangshan wrapped the fire-making tools with his only torn animal skin, carefully adjusting the direction of the skin and covering the holes in it.
After several attempts, he finally covered all the holes, and replied with a smile, "All done, priest!"
Niu Si was holding a few large freeze-dried fish in his hand. "Priest, these are enough for us to have two meals at the Mu tribe. After we finish eating, Hou Wu and the others will go catch more."
Ever since Lu Shuang cried last time, the people of the Water Tribe no longer dared to accept food and other rare items from the Wood Tribe.
This time we are going to work in the Mu tribe. Lu Shuang has said long ago that the food we eat must be obtained by the tribe itself.
The members of the Water Tribe all remembered this in their hearts. Lu Shuang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Let's go!"
Shen Nong took advantage of the winter days to make a lot of farm tools.
Stone hoe, plow, harrow, stone fork...
Spring is here, and he can finally reclaim the land and plant crops!