31-40

Chapter 31 The wolf is coming

The snow had been falling for a day and then stopped, but the sky was extremely gloomy, and as far as the eye could see, the sun was covered with dark clouds. Cheng Yuan hasn't been very active in recent days. He only goes out for a short walk every day to get some fresh air, and then goes back to the house to light up the stove. The north wind seems to be able to come in from any inconspicuous corner and lower the temperature in the house wantonly. The temperature dropped so sharply that my hands felt cold even when I was writing. The physical fitness of the two students was much better than his, and they didn't think anything of it, but Cheng Yuan was so ashamed that he picked up the hand stove.

"The temperature has dropped too much." In just a few days, it went from the rustling autumn wind to the dripping water turning into ice.

"It's similar in previous years, but this year it's really more powerful." Lingrou helped grind the ink with warm water, and then placed the millstone in a basin of warm water to warm it.

"It will be better on the mountain." Cheng Yuan took up his pen and wrote "Jiang Snow" to suit the occasion. After studying for so long, the two children have made rapid progress, and they have almost mastered commonly used words.

Ling Rou replied, "It's much better. There is no such strong wind in the cave, and the heater has been repaired. Teacher, when will you come?"

Cheng Yuan thought for a while, "Let's talk about it, there is no rush."

​​He really didn't like that kind of thing . The claustrophobic environment, even if illuminated by luminous pearls, still makes people feel panicked. Even though it's cold now, it's not too much to bear. It can be delayed for a while.

"How long has Yellen been out and why hasn't she come back yet?" Cheng Yuan couldn't help but feel a little worried as the sun set outside. Because Yelen is now an adult orc, he is also included in the hunting team. They were supposed to go out hunting in shifts, but somehow, only two groups of people were left guarding the tribe and the cave, while the others went out hunting. And the time I spent out was getting longer and longer. In the past, I would only go out around noon and come back in the afternoon. But today, it was almost sunset and there was no one around.

"Maybe he went too far and didn't come back yet." Ling Rou comforted her. "It's getting more and more difficult to hunt now. There are fewer animals out and about, and the snow is not conducive to hiding one's body. It's normal."

Just as he was saying this, there was a sudden noise outside the courtyard, and Cheng Yuan hurriedly ran out. Welcome, the returning Thorkell.

"Something happened to Yellen and her team. Let's go and take a look." Thorkel was still out of breath when he spoke, and his hair was messy and embarrassing. "At the witch doctor's place."

Cheng Yuan was stunned when he heard this, but Ling Rou, who was rushing behind him, turned around and ran out without saying a word.

"Ling Rou! Coat!" Cheng Yuan shouted, hurried back to the house to get some clothes, and quickly followed.

The wizard's pharmacy was full of people. Everyone looked tired and had more or less wounds on their bodies. The witch doctor was busy going in and out with bandages, but his hands were still moving neatly.

"There's nothing wrong with you two. The wound isn't deep. Just go back and get some medicine and rest for a couple of days." Ning Luo threw two packages over without raising his head, "Next one."

"Where is Yellen?"

"Huh?" Ning Luo looked up and said with a smile, "It's you. Well, I'm in the back room..."

Before she could finish her words, Ling Rou had already turned around and entered the back room.

"Really..." Ning Luo shook his head, why are you so anxious? He hasn't finished speaking yet.

Lingrou hurriedly opened the door and took a look, only to see Yellen sitting there with her arms folded, but there was an unconscious big tiger lying on the bed, with its body wrapped around and around, looking very pitiful.

"Are you okay?" Ling Rou looked at Yellen in front of her blankly, her tone filled with anger.

"Ah? Ah." Yellen touched her nose, feeling a little ashamed. "I'm fine, Leo was injured."

Their team walked for a long time without seeing any suitable prey. Yellen was inexperienced and accidentally broke into the territory of a black bear. The berserk black bear rushed out and slapped him directly. If Leo hadn't given up his life and pushed him, he would have died under the bear's paw.

"Leo was scratched on the back by a bear while trying to save me." Yellen lowered his head as he spoke, not daring to look into Ling Rou's eyes.

"Are you going to be so stupid? You actually disturb the hibernating bear." Ling Rou's face was expressionless, and every sentence she spoke was a knife.

Yellen pursed her lips and remained silent.

It was indeed his fault this time, and he wouldn't make any excuses.

"Asking you."

"What?" Yellen was confused.

"Why did you suddenly break in?" Although Yellen usually looks arrogant, she is actually very careful and never acts recklessly. How could she inexplicably break into the bear's territory?

"Well..." Yellen thought for a while and hesitated. "At that time, I saw a gray shadow, small, like a fox, so I followed it."

"Are you sure you saw it?"

Yellen frowned, "I'm sure." But for some reason, when he chased after it, the thing was no longer there. In any case, he was not careful enough.

Cheng Yuan and Sokel, who came later, also rushed to the pharmacy. Seeing that Yellen was fine, Cheng Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and asked what happened.

After Yellen finished speaking, Thorkel frowned and remained silent.

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Ning Luo came in while wiping his hands, not knowing how much he had heard.

"It's not that simple." Ning Luo poured himself a glass of water. "Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not. In short, it has happened. Just learn your lesson."

"Yeah." Yellen usually told others He didn't listen to anything he said, but he was extremely obedient to the witch doctor.

I thought this incident would be over, but in the following days, similar situations happened repeatedly. Because of Yellen's lesson, there were no major casualties, but the situation has made everyone nervous.

"It's a wolf!" Finally, during a certain hunting process, an orc who was lured by the figure again said firmly, "I'm sure it's a wolf! I can see it clearly! It's a wolf!"

As soon as the news came out, it spread all over the world. Spread out, and soon the entire tribe will know that the wolf is coming.

The tiger is the king of beasts and has almost no natural enemies. However, no matter how ferocious the tiger is, it is still afraid of the siege of wolves. From that day on, the teams merged into two groups to hunt together and were never allowed to act alone. As a result, the risk factor was greatly reduced, and there were no more wolves. However, the low efficiency also left the orcs helpless. They could only increase the frequency of going out to make up for it, but they were still stretched thin.

Meat is mainly provided to orcs, especially young orcs who have a great need for meat during their growth stage. The strong orcs had to hunt enough food for themselves while also providing for the young children and elderly orcs in the tribe. For a while, the atmosphere in the team was depressing.

However, the wolves did not give up after several repeated harassments.

On a certain afternoon when a few rays of sunlight were barely exposed, a miserable cry broke through the silence of the entire tribe.

When the orcs heard the sound and rushed over, they didn't even find the body, only a pool of black blood on the ground and a blood trail that became fainter as it got farther away.

"It's a wolf." Hearing these two words again was more shocking than the last time.

"About three to five. They must have sneaked in to investigate the situation. By chance... they bumped into this female who had just come down the mountain."

Everyone was silent.

Five wolves, one defenseless female.

Cheng Yuan listened in a daze, unable to recall his thoughts for a long time.

"Now do you know what winter I was talking about back then?" The cup was placed on the table with a dull sound. Cheng Yuan nodded as if he had regained consciousness, and then shook his head.

Ning Luo didn't force him or comfort him. He just poured some froth on his tea and said, "What do you think a wolf pack is? A zoo, or an animal world? Or that stupid guy on TV who can never catch a sheep?"

" I..." As soon as Cheng Yuan opened his mouth, he realized that his voice was hoarse.

"A living person died like this?"

"Dead. Not only dead, but also without any bones." Ning Luo said, not forgetting to rub salt into the wound. "Do you know where the body went? It was eaten by a wolf. It was eaten cleanly, with no bones left."

"Cheng Yuan," Ning Luo pulled Cheng Yuan's face, forcing him to look at her. "Do you understand now what kind of world you live in?"

All the joy before was an illusion. When a blizzard hits, hunger, cold, and threats are the true face of this world.

In the following days, the tribe's guards became even tighter, and females were not allowed to go out privately without the company of an orc. However, no amount of defense can withstand the fear in people's hearts, and the howling of wolves becomes increasingly clearer at night.

Chapter 32 Going out (Part 1)

The material conditions for life in the cave are much better than Cheng Yuan imagined. The orcs took advantage of the natural shape of the cave entrance in the mountain to divide it into many large and small rooms, and there were even places specifically used for meetings or food storage. The walls of each room are hung with luminous pearls exchanged from the Sharman tribe, which are particularly bright in the almost light-tight cave. Everything seemed to be in order, but after actually living here, Cheng Yuan only felt one thing - oppression.

People live in groups in caves, like panicked humans facing the end of the world. Even if they try their best to prepare, it is still difficult to change the sense of necessity. The cold fluorescence cannot replace the warm sun, and the unchanging potatoes and taro also make people miss fruits and vegetables. The system on the mountain is almost complete, and the orcs even found a small spring in the depths to supply drinking water. However, everything is a matter of coping, patience and tolerance for survival.

When Cheng Yuan first came to live in a cave, he was not used to it. The room was less than ten square meters, and the walls were made of gray stone. There was no way to use candles or lamp oil for lighting in the cave. There was only one luminous pearl that was dying to shine. Because it is a stone wall, it is difficult to build a door. We can only use a piece of wood to make it look like a door. This is made by Sokel's craftsmanship all year round. Some people simply use a curtain to cover it. .

Without his identity as a teacher, Cheng Yuan felt that he might have been driven crazy by being suffocated in the cave. There is no sunshine when I wake up every day, and there is no moon when I go to bed. My work and rest are irregular and the sky is dark. One day, he even slept until noon without even waking up. It was because his stomach was growling that he knew he had to get up to find something to eat. Fortunately, the two children, Ling Rou and Yellen, came to report on time every day. Cheng Yuan had told them since he overslept last time that they must wake him up if they found themselves not getting up next time.

Less than half a month later, Cheng Yuan was extremely depressed. Going to the cave entrance every day to get some fresh air could no longer satisfy his thirst for fresh air. That day, Thorkel came back from patrolling, and Cheng Yuan made a rare suggestion to him. ask.

"Can you take one with me when you go out tomorrow?"

"Boring?"

"Yeah." Cheng Yuan flinched, and the hand on his waist that slipped into his clothes made him itchy.

Thorkel's expression remained calm and serious. Not only his face was serious, but his hands were serious as well. He honestly retracted himself and did not touch Cheng Yuan.

"I'll come back to pick you up tomorrow afternoon."

Feeling a chill on his waist, Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment, "...Okay."

"Yeah."

He was speechless for a moment.

After all, the light of the night pearl was not as bright as the desk lamp, and there was no way to study in the dark room. The two of them just leaned side by side on the bed, looking up at the dark stone wall.

In the past half month, Cheng Yuan was a little uncomfortable with the intimacy between the two of them because of the poor privacy in the cave. Thorkel seemed to be able to sense this. He would only hug him occasionally and sleep in each other's arms, but he would never ask for his old love.

However...

more than half a month! More than half a month! Because Thorkel was by his side, Cheng Yuan didn't even have a chance to solve the problem on his own. He was so depressed, especially...

The room was silent, and there were some faint noises coming from the next door, mixed with the ejaculation and low breathing of his lovers. , these voices became more and more obvious, and the affection became more and more intense, making the two of them more and more embarrassed.

Cheng Yuan slowly took a deep breath and quietly moved towards the person next to him...

Ling Rou woke up a little early today and had nothing to do after staying in the cave all day, so she simply came to Cheng Yuan's class early. Just as she raised her hand to knock on the door, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Lingrou stared blankly at Sokel and gestured to him, and swallowed back the words "Cheng Yuan, I'm here".

"He's still sleeping. Keep your voice low so as not to disturb him." After thinking about it, Thorkel added at the end, "You can go in first. Don't let others disturb him."

Ling Rou thought for a long time before she understood that this "other people "Referring to who.

As soon as Cheng Yuan woke up, he was startled by Ling Rou sitting beside the bed, and the sleepyhead immediately disappeared without a trace.

"Are you awake?" Ling Rou heard the movement and raised her head.

"Hmm...cough." Cheng Yuan couldn't help but blush slightly when his "student" saw him in such an embarrassing scene.

Ling Rou didn't react at all, and just handed over a glass of water that had been prepared in advance.

Cheng Yuan blushed even harder.

"You put on your clothes first, and then I'll ask him to come in."

"Okay." Cheng Yuan was wearing clothes rustlingly, and subconsciously agreed. After responding, he realized and asked, "Who can I call in?"

"Yellen, He's standing outside the door."

Cheng Yuan was surprised, "Why didn't you let him in?"

Ling Rou looked at him strangely, "Aren't you still sleeping?"

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment before he turned around and realized his "female" identity, "Just wake me up."

Lingrou didn't even raise her eyelids, "Your orc won't let you." She said and gave him a hand. Cheng Yuan stood up his collar.

Cheng Yuan looked down at Ling Rou's hand, and then tightened his collar with a guilty conscience.

After Cheng Yuan packed up his clothes and folded the quilt, Lingrou went to open the door. Ye Lun stood there miserable for who knows how long.

"Sorry, I accidentally slept late." The second mistake of being late for class still made Cheng Yuan feel deeply guilty.

"It's okay." Yellen said, but glanced at Ling Rou fiercely.

Cheng Yuan didn't know what was going on with these little enemies, so he asked casually, "Why didn't you go home first? How tiring it is to stand outside and wait."

"I also want to go back first," Yellen said angrily. I didn't type it out, "But someone told me that you got up 'immediately'."

Just like that, right away, he stood outside talking for at least an hour!

Lingrou's face showed that she was not afraid of the shadow, "I told you later, you can go back first."

"Then what? You also said that you want me to come here every ten minutes!" There are twists and turns in the cave. It takes five minutes to run back and forth.

Cheng Yuan was listening to the two people talking to each other, feeling funny and sighing at the same time. These two children have never spoken so freely since the last time Ling Rou asked for the return of Chun Dan.

It was just after noon when Thorkel came back. Usually at this time, it would still be a long time before the patrol was over.

"Why are you back so early?"

"Aren't you going out?" Thorkel said, not forgetting to put on the thick cotton clothes. "It's cold outside."

It's really cold.

The coldness of winter in another world is a little different from the original world. This is a kind of dry, hard cold. The trees are cold, the land is cold, and even the air is cold. The wind blows on the face like a small knife, and the breath exhaled from the mouth will instantly rise to a shallow level. of white smoke. This was not the coldest time yet, Cheng Yuan thought it was bearable, but Thorkel always seemed worried about freezing him, and even wanted him to sit in his arms.

"No, no, it's not that cold." Cheng Yuan waved his hand quickly.

The author has something to say: Put half of it first. There's a plot going on here, but I'm not quite sure how to write it yet. . Wow, Immortal Cultivation Card.

I know it's not kind to be stuck in a traffic jam, but I think it would be better not to write H here. I'll make it up later if I have time.

Chapter 33 Young Wolf

Thorkel did not take Cheng Yuan back to the village, nor did he go to the dense forest outside the village, but to the forest behind the mountain.

Probably because there are less people around, the back of the mountain is much deserted than in the village. When the north wind blows, the snow particles on the ground are blown up all over the day. In this surprisingly cold winter, there is a special sense of depression and magnificence.

The forest was not lifeless. Wherever the two of them went, a bird choked with gray would occasionally startle, making a hoarse and shrill cry. It was impossible to tell what it was.

Thorkel transformed into a tiger and stayed with Cheng Yuan, never leaving. The forest is quiet, but also full of dangers. You never know whether it is a rabbit or a snow wolf hidden behind the white snow.

After all, the handicrafts in this world are not as good as before. The cotton shoes on his feet are a little unbearable in the snow, and only the slightest chill can rise from the soles of his feet. However, none of these can stop Cheng Yuan's love for the fresh air and winter sunshine. eager.

Cheng Yuan shrank his neck and exhaled a mouthful of white mist, which dispersed in the light golden sunlight. If he hadn't been afraid that his cotton-padded clothes wouldn't protect him from ice and snow, he would have really wanted to lie down on the ground and roll around lazily.

"Sit on my back." Thorkel suddenly ordered.

"What?" Cheng Yuan immediately climbed onto the tiger's back even though he didn't know the situation. Since the last attack on a female, he has gained a new understanding of the world. He would rather be cautious and listen to the words of the "locals" than dare to make his own decisions.

"There is movement." Thorkel walked step by step in a certain direction.

"Is there any movement..." Cheng Yuan was wondering, but the voice became clearer as the distance decreased, whimpering as if he was in a panic.

When the owner of the voice appeared in front of the two of them, Cheng Yuan's eyes widened in surprise. "Husky?"

"Husky?" Thorkel didn't know what his female was talking about, so he only stepped over cautiously. Cheng Yuan couldn't help but be startled when he got closer and took a closer look.

That's right, there's no husky here, this is obviously a...young wolf.

The little wolf cub looked very pitiful, its little gray body shivering, not sure whether it was because of fear or cold. Seeing a big tiger approaching, he was so frightened that his hair stood up. He struggled to escape, but his legs seemed to be tied by something, preventing him from moving.

Cheng Yuan turned over and wanted to take a look for him, but the little wolf turned around and bared his teeth at him. Although he was still young, his eyes were already fierce, and the sharp teeth in his mouth shone with a cold light. Adult male wolf.

Cheng Yuan was startled by his sudden movement, and in the blink of an eye Thorkel had rushed over to protect him.

"Let's go." Thorkel said to Cheng Yuan, but his eyes were fixed on the wolf cub without moving away.

Cheng Yuan moved his mouth and finally swallowed back the words "Can't we save it?"

"The young wolf had its leg pinched by a prey." On the way back, Thorkel suddenly spoke. "A young wolf usually doesn't stray too far from the pack. Its pack should be nearby, and it won't be long before other wolves come to save it."

Cheng Yuan leaned down and opened his arms around the big tiger's neck. Already covered in thick fur, it looks extra warm in the cold winter.

"Yes, I understand."

Although there were some twists and turns in going out to watch the wind this time, in the end, it still brought news to the tribe.

Although, it's not good news.

"The wolves are nearby, and they are a large group. There are not only adult wolves, but also young wolves."

"This can be considered a full force." The patriarch looked worried.

"At this time of year, there are still such young wolf cubs, and they even sneak out. It seems that the wolf pack has grown a lot this summer." Old God Ningluo took a sip of tea.

"It's not a good thing to have too many young wolves." The clan leader frowned, "It seems that the wolves have an extraordinarily high demand for food this year. No wonder they move so quickly."

"Let me tell you, otherwise." Ning Luo put down the teacup. , said lazily, "It is said that wolves are attacking on a large scale this year, but so far we have only seen a few wolves, and they are all fighting guerrilla warfare. Moreover, the tribes in the back mountains are very close to each other. If The whole wolf pack is here, how could you let the precious wolf escape?"

The patriarch's eyes lit up. "Then what do you mean..."

Ning Luo raised his eyes suddenly, raised the corner of his mouth, and said, "Base." "Paozi," Ning Luo continued, "There should be a wolf base near here, just over there in the back mountain. There are still some animals in the back mountain. Small animals such as snow rabbits, even older wolves or young wolves. It can be captured, so the ones staying on the back mountain should be mostly old, young and sick wolves. As for the adult wolves..." Ning Luo paused and said with a slight hesitation, "Maybe it's because he doesn't want to conflict with us so early. Relatively speaking, there may be other actions for hunting farther away. I'm not sure."

There was silence in the conference hall for a while, but Yellen spoke.

Ever since the last Ascension Festival and Trading Month ended, Ning Luo had favored him and specifically told the clan leader that he wanted the child to participate in the meeting.

"I think it's possible that they are planning a big picture?" Yellen said, but she wasn't very sure. "Based on the combat effectiveness of the wolf clan and the prey they obtained in previous years, if they expand the size of the wolf pack this year, the things they hunt from our clan alone will not be enough to supply the wolf clan's needs, so their goals may be more than It's the Tiger Clan."

Ning Luo pondered for a moment and shook his head. "It's hard to say. There is still a long distance between other tribes and my tribe. If the wolves run from both ends, it will be too troublesome and may not be worth the loss. But the fox tribe closest to us is not a good target."

Suo was silent for a long time . Kerr also nodded. "The overall strength of the Fox clan is weaker."

"That's right." The clan leader knew that Thorkel didn't like to talk much, so he simply helped him finish his sentence. "For so long, the target of the wolf pack is indeed not just our clan. It's just that our clan has more abundant materials and is not as cunning as the fox clan, so it has always been designated as the primary target of attack. Now that the wolf clan has grown stronger, it faces more enemies. It's not impossible to focus on the Fox Clan."

The small meeting between the four lasted for half the night, and by the time Thorkel returned to the room, Cheng Yuan was already leaning on the bed and nodding.

"Why don't you sleep?"

"Huh?" Cheng Yuan was startled and forced to open his eyes in a daze. "You're back..."

"Well, it's a bit late for the meeting." Thorkel picked up the person sitting at the table and placed him on the bed. "Go to sleep."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Chapter 34 Wolf Attack

Whenever it snows, it's a rare time when Cheng Yuan doesn't want to go out. The snowy sky in another world is not pretty at all. In the gray-brown haze and under the oppressive sky that seems to be about to fall, it makes people feel breathless. Usually in this kind of weather, the hunting team rarely goes far to hunt. They just wander around the back mountains, hunting whatever they happen to encounter, and patrolling if they don't encounter it.

But today, I don't know why. Maybe it's because I can see some light on a rare snowy day, or maybe it's because the sky is hazy and less dusty. Today's hunting team has a "not small" number of people. Harvest.

Inside the room, Cheng Yuan was giving a lesson to two children. Next to him, Thorkel was listening silently. The door was suddenly pushed open, and an orc greeted him with excitement on his face.

"Look! Thorkel, look what I hunted!"

The four people ran over after hearing this. The prey was already dead and was thrown to the ground. It looked like its throat had been bitten off, and the neck was already a bright red. .

"Wolf?!"

"Yes!" Meng Li - the orc who just broke in - was so excited that he danced with excitement, "We met on the way to hunt! The surroundings were gray at the time, and I couldn't see clearly. "I thought it was a fox, but it turned out to be a wolf!"

This was obviously a young wolf. It was very small, and its fur seemed to be lighter than other adult wolves. All three legs were naturally open, except for the right hind leg, which was slightly curled up. .

"Only young wolves? Are there no adult wolves with you?"

"No." Meng Li shook his head, "We were worried at first, but after walking around, we found no trace of other wolves. I guess it should He sneaked out." After the last time, Thorkel told the orcs in the hunting team about his encounter with wolves, so that everyone could be more careful.

"Maybe." Thorkel responded lightly, but his brows were still furrowed.

"Hey, what should we do with this wolf?" Another orc on the side asked.

At this time, almost everyone who was idle in every household came out to watch, and even the clan leader and witch doctor were alerted.

Meng Li turned his attention to the clan leader. The clan leader cleared his throat and said loudly, "Okay, everyone, be quiet, be quiet! As for this wolf, we will make it into broth and ensure that everyone can get a bowl. " Okay?"

"Okay! -" Everyone cheered immediately, with a strange excitement on everyone's face. It was obvious that they hated the wolves and wanted to kill them.

Cheng Yuan looked at the faces of these people and felt suddenly and inexplicably feel cold.

When the females came to deliver the broth, Cheng Yuan took it and put his bowl on the table without moving it. Thorkel had already taken it, but for some reason he also put his bowl down when he saw that Cheng Yuan hadn't drank. .

"Why don't you drink?"

"No appetite," Thorkel replied.

Ling Rou left something at Cheng Yuan's place in the morning and happened to come over to pick it up. Cheng Yuan gave him the soup and asked him to send another bowl to Ye Lun.

Ling Rou didn't react at all, she just nodded in agreement.

Cheng Yuan thought that Ning Luo seemed to be afraid of the cold. It happened to snow today, so he went to visit him. When he entered the door, he happened to see the bowl of broth left on the table by the owner. It was already cold.

"Why didn't you drink? At least it warms you up."

"Huh?" Ning Luo looked lazy again, half leaning on the bed and reading a book with no cover, as if he could fall asleep at any time. "You didn't drink either, didn't

you?" "How did you know?" Maybe it was his kindness as a woman, but facing such a small wolf, he always couldn't bear it.

There was a soft sound in Ning Luo's throat, like a smile, "Just now... Thorkel came to ask me about the wolf cub, and finally hesitated for a long time and asked me hesitantly why you didn't drink that bowl of soup. "

Cheng Yuan felt hot when he heard this. I didn't expect that his little actions would really be noticed by him.

Not only in our eyes, but also in our hearts.

"He said he didn't understand why you didn't drink, so he didn't dare to drink, for fear that you would be unhappy." Ning Luo turned to look at him, his face hidden behind the veil was blurry, but his eyes were rarely full. Some smiles.

Cheng Yuan raised the corner of his mouth with a gentle smile, thought for a moment and asked, "Then how did you answer him?"

"Me," Ning Luo turned his eyes back to the writing, "I said, you may be pregnant. See you. The smell of meat makes me sick to my stomach..."

Cheng Yuan blinked, not knowing whether Ning Luo was joking or really saying that.

Facts have proved that Ning Luo can't joke. Sokel took care of Cheng Yuan in every possible way that night but hesitated to speak. In the end, Cheng Yuan was so uncomfortable that he explained the mistake in a dumbfounding way.

"Yeah." Thorkel didn't have any big reaction, but the light in his eyes dimmed a lot.

However, before the two of them had time to think about this matter in detail, the Tiger Clan received an uninvited guest.

This is the second day after the cub was killed. Just like every morning when the snow stops, the sun is hanging far high outside. The hunting team has been out for a while. It's okay for everyone in the cave to stay in their own rooms. sound.

Cheng Yuan took the two children towards the entrance of the cave, wanting to take the opportunity to get some air and teach the two children about the scenery of the North, which is covered with thousands of miles of ice and snow.

The Tiger people took advantage of the mountains to build a lookout at the entrance of the cave, which was regarded as the last line of defense. The space at the observation deck was very small. When Lingrou and Yellen lay there looking out with Cheng Yuan in the middle, the orcs on guard had to step back into the cave.

Just when the three of them stood firm, a gray shadow came towards them like a sharp arrow.

"Be careful!" Before Cheng Yuan could react to what happened, he was pressed hard to the ground. Ta subconsciously turned his head to see what happened, but his face felt warm the next second.

It was a wolf, a real adult wolf. Its sharp teeth were like the sharpest dagger in the world, piercing Yellen's left arm, and her right hand...

Yellen's right hand pierced the wolf's brain from the wolf's eye. .

Everything happened in just an instant. Before Cheng Yuan realized what had happened, Lingrou had already stood up and blocked Yellen's side. She opened the wolf's clenched teeth with her bare hands and freed Yellen's arm. come out.

His expression was so calm, but his hands were shaking badly.

"Are you okay?" Although it was obvious that he was injured, Yellen asked Lingrou first.

"You have something to do now." Ling Rou's tone changed, with uncontrollable trembling, "Quickly go, go find the witch doctor!" She didn't know where the strength came from, and she picked up Yellen. Run towards the cave.

Cheng Yuan looked at the two people walking away and stood up in shock. The wolf's body was still lying on the ground. One eye had been pulled out and was bleeding outward. The other eye was wide open and tearing. Resolutely determined to die without peace of mind.

The orc on guard just came to his senses and said in a panic, "I'll report to the clan leader!"

"Don't go!" Cheng Yuan shouted to stop him immediately, his voice hoarse and harsh as never before.

The orc looked at him blankly, and then Cheng Yuan gave him a reassuring smile, "Stand guard here, don't move, and be careful not to think they have a back-up plan. I'll tell the clan leader." He

said and left without looking back.

Chapter 35 Behind the Scenes

Ling Rou had never been so panicked. Everything happened so fast that he was completely confused and could only cover up his confusion with his usual indifference. The arm of the person in his arms was still bleeding outwards, and the other hand trying to cover the wound...

that was not a hand, it was a claw, a tiger claw.

Starting from the lower part of the forearm, close to the wrist, Yellen's right hand transformed into a tiger claw that should have appeared in the animal form. Now it has been stained red with blood, which is even more shocking against the snow-white fur.

"Put me down quickly. It's not my injury. I can walk on my own..."

"Shut up!" Ling Rou glared at him fiercely, not daring to stop at all. "Hide your paws!"

"Huh?" Yellen's expression suddenly became extremely unnatural, and she gave a mocking smile, and even raised her paws on purpose. "What, you're afraid too?"

"Hide it quickly! Don't let others see it!" Lingrou deliberately lowered her voice and scolded her with just her breath, which sounded particularly harsh.

"I know, it's long-winded." Yellen said unhurriedly, but his right hand was quietly buried in his clothes.

Ning Luo never left patients in his room, and Ling Rou didn't even bother to knock on the door. He just kicked it open and shouted "Witch doctor, witch doctor!" Ning Luo, who was dozing under the quilt on the bed, was awakened by the sound of the door being kicked and quickly got out of bed.

"What happened?" Ning Luo opened the curtain and came out of the inner room. His face immediately became serious when he saw this, "Bring people to the inner room and don't make any noise."

As a witch doctor, Ning Luo received more preferential treatment than others. There is a duplex room divided into an inner and an outer room. The outer room contains some herbal medicine books and sometimes emergency medical treatment. The inner room is used for rest. Except for a few familiar people, few people come in.

"Ling Rou, go and get my medicine from the outside. It's on the second floor of the cabinet, in the third compartment from the left..." Before he finished speaking, Ning Luo was suddenly stunned.

Yellen waved her right paw awkwardly.

Ling Rou pursed her lips and stared at Ning Luo, nervous and wary.

"Why are you driving me like this?" Ning Luo glanced at Ling Rou, "What? You still want to kill people and silence them? You have to wait until I finish treating the wounds. Hurry up and get the medicine!"

Ling Rou was startled and immediately Turn around and walk quickly outside.

"Don't you think it's strange?" Yellen raised her face and asked softly.

"It's quite strange." Ning Luo took out the scissors from the bedside cabinet, cut Yellen's sleeves open, and carefully peeled them off from the wound. "It's strange that you still have the strength even after your arm was almost bitten. Speak."

Yellen closed her mouth. This witch doctor was the only person in the whole tribe that he respected and feared. Earlier, Ning Luo had asked himself if he wanted to be his apprentice. After being rejected by him, he never mentioned it again, as if he was not interested in the matter. Not caring at all.

"Medicine." Lingrou rushed into the room in two steps and didn't notice the conversation between the two.

Ning Luo treated Yellen's wounds methodically, as if he was doing something ordinary. The yellowish powder was sprinkled on the ferocious wounds, and bloodshot foam appeared, accompanied by a small hissing sound that made the scalp numb.

"Hiss—" Yellen took a breath.

"Bear it." Ning Luo said, her strength not weakening at all.

Ling Rou couldn't hold back and took a step forward, but was stopped by Ning Luo's look.

"Go and watch outside, don't let anyone come in. I don't know when his claws will change back."

Lingrou hesitated for a moment, looked at Ning Luo, who had a cold face, and then looked at Ye Lun, who was clenching her teeth and twitching at the corner of her mouth. Dundun finally listened to Ning Luo and went outside honestly.

As soon as she opened the curtain, Ling Rou was startled. She saw Cheng Yuan sitting on the chair with a serious expression, and the door was tightly covered.

"Teacher..." Lingrou's lips moved slightly. If Ning Luo dared to tell the truth about Ye Lun's sudden change, he could kill someone and silence him, but facing Cheng Yuan, he probably wouldn't be able to do it no matter what.

"Is Yellen okay?" Cheng Yuan gave Ling Rou a tired smile. His slender neck looked particularly pale and fragile under the light of the night pearl, and the light blue blood vessels were looming.

"...It's okay, the witch doctor is already bandaging him." Lingrou replied.

"That's good. I rushed over and found that the door was still open, so I quickly closed it. I was afraid that someone would accidentally break in, so I just stayed here and didn't look inside."

"Well..." Ling Rou He responded in a muffled voice.

"Sit." Cheng Yuan patted the chair next to him and gestured.

Ling Rou pursed her lips and sat slightly far away from Cheng Yuan hesitantly.

Cheng Yuan glanced at Ling Rou but said nothing.

"Thank you for saving me today, otherwise, I might have died." Cheng Yuan's tone was still unhurried, as soft as the first spring breeze.

"...It's nothing." After a pause, Ling Rou added, "It should be."

In fact, he was not the only one who subconsciously saved people at that time...

"Not only you, I should also thank Yellen."

Ling Rou Look up.

Cheng Yuan's eyes did not fall on him, and he only said slowly, "If you ask me, you two really hit it off. You have only been training together for a short time, and you have already cooperated so well. I think it would be better if we were together." On the battlefield...it must be a tacit understanding." At the end, Cheng Yuan reached out and stroked Lingrou's hair naturally, "I didn't teach you in vain."

Lingrou looked away and lowered her head slightly, "Yeah. "

I haven't broken any tendons. Just take care of it after taking the medicine. It won't be disabled, and the claws just changed back..." Ning Luo said as he walked, except when he turned his head, he saw that he was already sitting there. Cheng Yuan, who had been there for a long time, said, "Hey, why are you here?" He glanced at Ling Rou as he spoke.

Ling Rou remained silent, stood up and entered the inner room.

"Oh, Yellen was injured because he was trying to save me. Of course I have to come over and have a look." Cheng Yuan stood up and nodded to Ning Luo as a greeting for his uninvited visit.

"That's it." Ning Luo walked to the cabinet and washed his hands, and the water in the basin was instantly dyed bright red. "Tell me what's going on."

...

"Sure enough, there is a back-up plan." Ning Luo leaned on the chair, crossed his legs, and snorted coldly.

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yuan asked confused. Things happened one after another during this period, which made him a little confused and seemed to vaguely know something.

"This female wolf is here for revenge, can you understand this?"

"Yes." Cheng Yuan nodded. He just thought about the events of the past two days while sitting here, and then he came up with such a guess, which now seems to be exactly the same as Ning Luo's point of view.

"However, this is definitely not just a 'suicide attack' by a wolf."

Cheng Yuan frowned, "Is there a pusher behind the scenes?"

Ning Luo pulled the thin blanket on one side to cover himself, and adjusted to a more comfortable posture He said, "Wolf cubs have always been the focus of the wolf pack's protection. How could it happen that a dying wolf appeared alone and dying in the deserted snow, and was accidentally encountered by a hunting team? You must know that the weather that day was not good. , the hunting team did not go far, only patrolling on the roads they usually travel. Don't you think it's strange that an injured wolf cub appeared out of nowhere in a place where few animals were seen in the past?

Cheng Yuan's face darkened.

"And if you think about it again, one of the hind legs of the young wolf was lame, and I saw it at the time. It was definitely not injured during hunting, but an old injury." Ning Luo calmed down and continued, " Think about it, what effect would a soldier without combat effectiveness have if he appeared openly in front of the enemy?"

Cheng Yuan asked, "Bait?"

Ning Luo didn't answer, but continued to ask, "And this abandoned soldier? There happens to be a 'friend' who values ​​him very much and has a strong fighting ability, so what will become of this soldier's role?"

Cheng Yuan rolled his eyes, "You mean... that young wolf was regarded as a human being? A fuse has always aroused the anger of the female wolf, and then made this kind of... what you call a 'suicide attack'?" After thinking about it, Cheng Yuan shook his head again, "But that's not right, if the wolf pack wants to send a wolf. To break in, we could just arrange the manpower, so why go to such trouble and waste?"

Ning Luo suddenly sat up straight and looked directly into Cheng Yuan's eyes, "If the driving force behind this matter is the wolf pack? , they can do it directly, but what if not?"

Cheng Yuan's eyelids twitched, "You mean, there are others?"

"It's hard to say" Ning Luo retreated and became lazy again. He said casually, "There are still many things that don't make sense, and I can't figure it out for a while. But one thing is for sure, the Wolf King will never send a wolf to carry out such a fatal attack, which will make him lose trust in the wolves." So there are articles in it."

Cheng Yuan bit his lower lip, his face full of confusion and confusion.

"Okay, I'm tired. This man needs more rest when he gets old. You can take the two children back home. After all the injuries have been healed, why are you still grinding in there?"

"Okay." Cheng Yuan stood up. , just about to walk inside, he suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked, "I have always had a question."

Ning Luo didn't bother to open his eyes, "What?"

Cheng Yuan glanced at the room, squatted down and whispered to Ning Luo Luo whispered, "In this world, there are fox orcs and fox orcs, but I have never seen or heard of 'wolf orcs' for so long. Instead, you just said, 'wolf king'?" "

Ning Luo opened his eyes faintly, "There are no orcs in the wolf tribe, but there is a wolf king in the wolf tribe." After saying that, Ning Luo closed his eyes again and began to rest, "You can go back and ask Thorkell for the rest. I'll tell you. Remember, you can only ask Thorkell." Ning Luo's voice was extremely low at the last sentence.

Cheng Yuan's heart was beating fast. He had only felt today that this man who always wore a black robe and a veil had so many secrets.

Chapter 36 Wolf King

Although the female wolf did not cause widespread casualties, the pool of black and red blood at the entrance of the cave still made the tribe panic for a moment.

As soon as Thorkel came back from outside, he heard about the attack by the she-wolf. He turned away from the orc who was about to tell him the whole story enthusiastically and rushed towards the door.

When he opened the door, he saw Cheng Yuan sitting at the table, writing something in the light of the night pearl.

"You're back." Cheng Yuan was startled by the sound of pushing the door behind him. When he took a closer look, he realized that it was Thorkel. He had just said hello and was already in the arms of that person.

"Are you okay? Are you injured?" Thorkel asked while carefully examining Cheng Yuan's body, not letting go of every inch of skin.

"Ha, I'm fine." Cheng Yuan was tickled by him and said with a smile. "It was Ling Rou and Yellen who saved me. Yellen was bitten by the wolf because of this, and his arm was almost bitten through."

"You are not allowed to go to the cave entrance without me by your side in the future, in case they don't come back next time. What should I do if I protect you?"

Cheng Yuan couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this. "You don't care about those two children at all. They saved me anyway."

Thorkel looked at him straightly, squatted down, and raised his head and said to Cheng Yuan. , "They saved you, I will thank them. But if they let you get into trouble in front of them, I will hate them for the rest of my life."

Cheng Yuan was frightened for a moment when he saw the fierce look in Sokel's eyes.

Thorkel held Cheng Yuan's hand and refused to relax. His tone was not fierce, but he said word for word, "I will hate myself for the rest of my life."

After a long time, Cheng Yuan came back to his senses and laughed twice, "What are you doing?" Why don't you come with me?"

As soon as he said the words, Cheng Yuan knew that he had crossed the line, and when he was about to interrupt, Sokel spoke first.

"If our children can be independent by then, I will."

Children, this is the third time they have mentioned the issue of children.

Cheng Yuan didn't know how to answer, so he could only smile and say, "Why did you suddenly start talking about love today?"

"Love talk?" Thorkel was obviously unfamiliar with this word.

"Ah..." Cheng Yuan thought for a while, "It's just some disgusting words, said to make the other half happy. For example, what you just said."

"Those I said are not to make you happy." Thorkel said today He was particularly talkative and very serious, "What I said is the truth."

"Yes, I know." Cheng Yuan stretched out his hand and gently fell on the young man's hair that was not soft. He always enjoyed touching him like this. Cheng Yuan also asked Thorkel if he would hate himself for touching his head. Thorkel's answer was, "I don't hate you."

The air was quiet for a few minutes, and when the serious atmosphere gradually dissipated, Thorkel Kerr pulled Cheng Yuan's hand again,

"What's wrong?"

"The love words you just said," Thorkel said with a studious look on his face, "What else is there?"

Cheng Yuan was confused by this question. "What's wrong?"

"You teach me and I'll tell you."

"Haha." Cheng Yuan was amused by Sokel's words and laughed out loud. "No one can teach people to talk about love."

Sokel was stubborn. He said, "If you don't teach me, how can I tell you."

Cheng Yuan smiled at the corner of his mouth, "Why do you have to learn to talk about love?"

"To make you happy."

The smile at the corner of Cheng Yuan's mouth gradually faded . The dye spread, causing his cheeks to turn slightly red, "Congratulations."

"What?"

Cheng Yuan stretched out his hand to straighten the messed up collar, "You have become self-taught."

Night.

Such a big thing happened today, so the clan had to hold another meeting. This meeting was different from the last time, there was an extra Ling Rou.

"Heroes come from young men." The patriarch looked at the two young men and sighed with emotion.

"We can't be considered teenagers. We have passed the Ascension Festival test and are qualified orcs." Yellen's arms are still covered with medicine, but he is not energetic. Only his lips are less bloody, which matches his already too fair skin. , showing even more morbid beauty.

"Yes, yes," the clan leader smiled and waved his hands, "You are all adults now, you can take charge of your own business."

Yellen only nodded, while Ling Rou next to her nodded to the clan leader and gave a polite smile.

"Today's attack by the she-wolf has caused a lot of panic in the clan. What do you think of this matter?" "

It's strange."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the clan leader immediately sat up straight and leaned forward slightly, " Let's talk about it."

Yellen then said everything he thought, which was not much different from what Ning Luo said in the afternoon, but not as comprehensive. The clan leader nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and Ning Luo couldn't help but look at Ye Lun approvingly.

"I don't understand who sent that wolf cub to us." At the end of her speech, Yellen looked troubled.

"It's normal that you don't understand." Thorkel rarely took the initiative to speak. "Because you don't know about the Wolf King."

"Wolf King?"

"Yes." The clan leader once again took on the task of explaining and asked the same question as Cheng Yuan, "Do you know why there are no 'wolf orcs' ? And why, the wolves are just wild beasts, but we tigers are still so afraid of them?"

Ye Lun and Ling Rou looked at each other.

"Haha, young people," the patriarch said with a smile on his face, but his eyes were more serious than usual, "I am going to tell you a story next. Remember, after hearing this story, it will be rotten in your heart, and it is not allowed to be told outside."

Yeah . Lun and Ling Rou looked at each other and nodded heavily to the clan leader, "Definitely."

"Wolf clan..." The clan leader narrowed his eyes, "The wolf clan actually has orcs."

"Every term of the wolf clan can only Another wolf was chosen as an orc, with the ability to freely transform between human form and wolf form, just like us orcs. This person is what we call the 'Wolf King'. When the wolf king realizes that his time is approaching, he will appear on a full moon night. Transform into a wolf, and a certain wolf in the clan will eat its flesh and drink its blood, and this wolf will become the new 'Wolf King'."

"So..." Yellen frowned, "Maybe the whole wolf. The wolves are not as smart as us, but their leader is as smart as us, and may even be smarter than us."

"Yes," the clan leader nodded, "This is why we have to keep trying to figure out the wolves. Deep meaning, rather than just treating them as ordinary beasts."

"Therefore, I speculate that there is a conspiracy from the wolf king behind the wolf group's actions, and..." Ning Luo narrowed his eyes slightly, "It's not just him. "

...

"The wolves are so mysterious!" After hearing Sokel's words, Cheng Yuan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah." Thorkel responded, "Why do you suddenly think of asking this today?"

"I'm just curious." Cheng Yuan sniffed.

Thorkel didn't go into details and just told, "This matter is considered one of the tribe's top secrets. There are very few people who really know the inside story. Don't spread it to outsiders."

"Yeah!" Cheng Yuan covered his mouth, revealing only a pair of shiny The eyes look particularly gentle in the dark room.

Thorkel suddenly wanted to reach out and rub the back of his neck.

"Then if you tell me this matter, will the patriarch be angry?"

"No." Thorkel's fingers fell on the base of the female's neck and gently pinched the soft flesh there, "I'm not from The patriarch knows."

"Who told you?"

Thorkel's eyes suddenly fell far and far away, as if he was going through layers of fog, with a sense of nostalgia and a sense of nostalgia. Not sure, "My mother."

In the following days, Taiping seemed to really just want Maodong. Thorkel has become more and more attached to Cheng Yuan recently, wishing he could not let him leave all day long. From the very beginning, he told him "not allowed to leave the cave", and now he is not even allowed to go to the entrance of the cave. Cheng Yuan spends every day in the twists and turns of the dark cave. I don't know black and white. In the past, there were two children who talked to him to relieve their boredom and taught them how to read and read. Now Yellen's right arm is injured and he needs to rest. Therefore, even if Yellen still wants to force himself to come over, Cheng Yuan sternly stops him.

Ling Rou changed her temper and only came here for an hour every day, and spent the rest of the time running to Yellen's house.

"Why are you here again?" Yellen was in the room looking at the poems Cheng Yuan had told them before. His hair was as long as a waterfall, and he looked like a crown jewel.

"Come to change your medicine." Ling Rou couldn't help but throw the paper aside, opened the package and arranged the needed medicines in order,

"Hey, what are you doing?" Yellen said, but did not take it back. book, and stretched out his arms in response.

"Change the dressing. Do you want to be disabled?"

Being disabled as an orc in this world is not only about health, but also survival.

Yellen raised one corner of her mouth to smile, "I don't want to. I asked you if you can do it. Don't give me the wrong medicine."

"I asked, but I can't die." Ling Rou glanced at him coldly. The movements of his hands are very nimble.

Yellen looked at it and smiled, "Have you been practicing with me these days? You are very fast."

Lingrou ignored him and only said, "It has scabbed. Be careful not to let the wound open these days. Don't eat spicy things, and don't touch mint."

Ye Lun tilted his head and said, "Who do you know so much from?"

"

You... became his apprentice?

" ."

Something happened to Yellen that day, and Lingrou went to Ning Luo in the evening and said that she wanted to study medicine.

"Have you thought about it? It's very difficult to learn this."

"Think about it." Ling Rou had thought about it a long time ago. After all, her physique was not as good as the orcs who were born with divine power, and she could not rely solely on force to gain a foothold. As for Ning Luo, he has never participated in any battles since he came to the tribe, but he is respected by others and has escaped the fate of being paired.

He wants such a life,

and of course, more importantly, he wants to understand the reasons for Yellen's change.

This may be a long road, but it doesn't matter, Lingrou is not afraid of suffering the most.

"You haven't told me about your mutation yet." During the period of dressing change, Ling Rou asked every day. Every day, Yellen couldn't explain the reason.

"Didn't I tell you already? I don't know why."

"So, when did it start?"

Yellen did not answer.

Ling Rou put down the things in her hands and let out a deep breath, "You didn't want to tell me about Chun Dan before, and now you don't want to tell me about the mutation. What the hell...forget it." Ling Rou took the package and turned around. Then he left, "If you don't believe me, I just won't ask."

"Wait! Hiss—" Yellen stood up and wanted to stop him, but accidentally touched the wound, and suddenly broke into a cold sweat on his face in pain.

"Don't move!" Ling Rou rushed back to the bed and carefully checked the wound, "Fortunately, there is no crack." She turned around and lectured Yellen again, "I told you not to move, why didn't you listen? ."

Ye Lun tilted his head and smiled, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, just like a feather fan made of fine black feathers, "Listen, I will listen."

Lingrou was fascinated. He had always known that Yellen was good-looking, but he had never found it amazing. It was not until today that he suddenly discovered that Yellen's face seemed to be glowing under the faint fluorescence.

What did Cheng Yuan teach them?

The rustles are like the wind under the pine trees, and the waves are like the morning glow.

"Are you not avoiding me anymore?" Lingrou asked, without even noticing it, there was a trembling grievance in his voice.

"When did I avoid you?" Yellen returned to her mocking look, but the starry softness in her eyes never dimmed.

"Isn't it just a mutation? I'll just tell you." Yellen leaned back on the bed and said casually, "The last time I went to get the spring elixir, I had a mutation as soon as I came out of Taishan's tent. "

Taishan is the person who was sent by the Crane Clan to accept the challenge, but was defeated by Yelen.

That experience was kept taboo by Yellen until it was mentioned again today.

Lingrou still remembers Yellen's injuries at that time. They were not as serious as they are today, but they were a hundred times more humiliating.

He wanted to say thank you, but he knew that what Yellen wanted was never a simple "thank you."

"I will kill him."

"Forget it." Yellen waved his hand, "If I hadn't used this as a threat, I wouldn't have been able to win against him."

After all, adultery between orcs is a capital crime.

The air froze for a few seconds, and Ling Rou coughed to break the embarrassment, "Why did you suddenly change your gender today?"

"Not today." Yellen only replied this sentence and said nothing more.

Not today, but that day when the she-wolf attacked.

Everyone thought he had saved Cheng Yuan, but he was the only one who knew clearly. At that moment, the first thing he thought of was the female who didn't want to be a female.

Chapter 37

At a certain cave entrance of a mountain not far from the Tiger Clan, a figure flashed past, so fast that one doubted whether one was dazzled.

Outside the cave, a man in mysterious clothes watched all this with cold eyes, and then disappeared in a flash.

The next day.

Just when everyone in the tiger clan was still worried about the she-wolf's surprise attack, a group of guests came uninvited.

Cheng Yuan had never seen Simeng look so embarrassed. Although his clothes were still neat and bright, and the fiery red hem was so eye-catching in the plain white ice and snow that it could compete with the sun and the moon, his long hair that was blown wildly by the north wind and the gray stains on his temples that had not been wiped off were still exposed. The rush of his trip.

"The messenger, Simeng, the high priest of the Fox tribe, is here. Good afternoon, Chief of the Tiger tribe." This time, Simeng did not say hello to either Cheng Yuan or Sokel who came after hearing the news.

"Good afternoon, good afternoon." The clan leader came out to greet him cheerfully, always with a kind look on his face. "The trading month has ended. Why did the priest come to our clan in the snow? Yes, is there something wrong?"

"Big deal." Simeng's fox eyes were bright and his expression was unusually solemn.

The patriarch's expression calmed down when he heard this, and he raised his hand and said, "Please come in."

In the meeting hall, after Simeng finished speaking, everyone present looked solemn.

"You mean, the wolves attacked the foxes secretly and set fire to the cave while the whistle was changing?"

"Yes." Simon nodded lightly. "It's not just arson. They got a lot of oil from nowhere. The fire was difficult to control. Our Fox clan... suffered heavy casualties this time."

The reason why the Fox clan suffered the disaster but the Tiger clan did not, has something to do with the lives of the two clans. Habits matter a lot.

The people of the Fox Clan rarely get close to each other, prefer to work alone, and do not like to live in groups. Therefore, the mountains where the Fox Clan live are like apartments. Every few houses have a cave entrance to the outside, and these caves are connected to each other in the mountain. It has the effect of living together but not disturbing each other.

Another advantage of this kind of construction is that it avoids the restriction of only two holes, one entrance and one exit, like the Tiger Clan, and prevents enemies from attacking from both sides, leaving people inside with nowhere to retreat. However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The consequence of this approach is that it is difficult to guard. The Fox people are often stretched thin due to guarding.

But this time, it was the serious consequences of improper guarding.

"Because of this incident, our clan is deeply aware of the shortcomings of the current environment, and is actively trying to find ways to make up for it. But..." Simeng raised his slightly lowered head, "The Fox clan is temporarily... temporarily unable to be comprehensive, afraid that It is difficult to protect the whole family, so I ask the Tiger Clan to allow my people to stay here."

"This..." The clan leader looked confused.

"Please don't worry, clan leader," Simeng said quickly when he saw this. "Only the females of our clan and some old and young orcs are staying. The others will take care of themselves in the nearby mountains and will not disturb the lives of the Tiger clan." "

Also. ," Simeng added, "There are thirty-one people from the Fox tribe coming this time. Our tribe is willing to provide double the rations, plus half of the bows and arrows made by the Fox tribe this year."

The chief's eyebrows jumped.

Such a large amount of supplies... The Fox clan was afraid that they would be in trouble this time, so they spent so much money.

"I sympathize with what happened to the Fox clan, but we still need to discuss such a major matter. Please ask the priest to take a rest here."

Simeng seemed to be impatient. He wanted to say something, but he swallowed it. , he smiled reluctantly at the patriarch and said, "Please."

In the side hall, Thorkel was the first to vote in favor. No one was surprised. After all, Thorkel had known Simon since childhood and had a close personal relationship with him as adults, so he should be supportive. What's strange is that the second one to raise his hand was Ning Luo.

"Why is the witch doctor so active today?" The clan leader leaned forward and asked in confusion. Normally Ning Luo is always the last to express his stance on such matters, but today he was particularly neat.

"This matter has advantages and disadvantages for our clan, but after careful calculation, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages."

"How to say?"

"The wolf clan's lucky demeanor this year is obviously that their appetite has increased, and they want to devour the two clans directly. Instead of just waiting for them to defeat them one by one, it is better for the two tribes to join forces. Although the individual combat power of the fox tribe is not high, they are all experts in mechanisms and are thoughtful, which complements the reckless behavior of our tribe of orcs.

In addition, our tribe's food supply this year . The harvest is not optimistic. Although we are not starving, we are still living a tight life. With the rations brought by the Fox Clan, the tribe can still eat two good meals."

The clan leader nodded when he heard this. It makes sense, and I have considered all of this, but my biggest worry is that the arrival of the Fox Clan will make everyone uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about that," Yellen said, "There are many Fox Clan people coming this time. Females, and most of our tribe are orcs, so many orcs will be happy for their arrival."

Ling Rou remained silent and only glanced at the person.

In the evening of the same day, the Fox tribe arrived at the back mountain of the Tiger tribe, and Cheng Yuan was assigned to make arrangements for the reception and accommodation of the arriving people.

The Fox clan really produces beauties. Even after yesterday's fire disaster and the dusty journey, they still can't hide their beauty.

There was a little female beside Simon clinging to him. It was the same female they had seen at the rally. The little female is just fifteen this year, and her face has not yet been fully opened. She has a more delicate look of a young person. Her eyes are not as narrow and long as those of ordinary fox tribesmen, but are as wide and round as exquisite longan. The slightly upturned eyelashes were still hung with freshly melted snow, making her look even more pitiful.

However, despite all the beauties, Simon, dressed in red shirt, is still the most eye-catching one. As an orc, he is destined to be a bit softer than other females, but a bit more fierce and beautiful than other orcs. He arranges various matters in an orderly manner and calms the panic of each clan member. He is not as serious and authoritative as other leaders, but it makes people feel for no reason that with this person with a frivolous smile at the corner of his mouth, nothing will happen. .

Rui was the last one to arrive, and by the time she arrived, most of the process was already underway. After meeting the leader of the Tiger Clan, he immediately devoted himself to arranging the activities. From that moment to the end of the arrangement, he only exchanged a look with Simeng at the beginning, and said nothing more after that. However, the two of them were like It was the same as having discussed and rehearsed many times before. It was orderly and cooperative.

"The two of them must have been together for a long time." Cheng Yuan asked, looking at the busy two people.

Thorkel didn't know the other meaning of the phrase "together", so he just said: "Well, when I met Si Meng, Si Meng was already the young priest of the Fox tribe."

Cheng Yuan looked at the two people and just felt I felt an inexplicable sadness in my heart.

Chapter 38

This incident happened suddenly, and Rui, as the patriarch, was very busy. Fortunately, although the patriarch was young, he was very calm. Although there were many things going on, nothing went wrong. That night, before the sky darkened completely, Rui took the orcs and left as promised, leaving only Simeng here.

All the females of the clan were left here, so there was no reason why they shouldn't be taken care of. As a priest, Simeng is the only remaining adult orc who will not be resented by the Tiger Clan, so he naturally assumes the responsibility of taking care of the Fox Clan members who remain in the Tiger Clan.

The number of rooms in the mountain is calculated based on the number of households. There are not many rooms. Now, in order to accommodate the extra females, we can only rearrange them and arrange some unpaired orcs who originally lived alone to form a dormitory of two or three people. The room that came out was barely filled with some people, and the rest could only be asked for personal opinions, and anyone who wanted to take them in could be accommodated.

Originally, there was no need to break up a pair like Cheng Yuan and Sokel, but Yuan Yuansi Meng was so busy that he offered to let Lingrou stay in a room by himself, and with the attitude of helping a little, he offered Thorkell arranged to go out and share with other orcs, so that he could have a spare room.

Of course, Cheng Yuan would not have thought that the person sharing the house with Sokel would be Yellen, let alone that he would return to Sokel's bed in the near future.

There is still one room available.

The fox tribe orcs returned to their original mountain overnight. Half of the cave was completely blackened by smoke and fire, and the smell of smoke still lingered in the air, as if they were frozen here by the ice and snow.

Rui commanded the orcs to clean up the things in the mountains and move as much as possible to a mountain not far from the Tiger Clan, where they would set up camp and spend this cruel winter.

"Is the clan leader in a hurry to move away so soon? Half of the caves on this mountain are still in good condition. They can still be lived in with a little tidying up. Why do they have to move to the Tiger Clan?" An older orc stepped forward Step out and raise your voice.

"Elder Ying." Rui bowed slightly to the orc, "This time the wolves have seized on the loopholes in our guard, which will not be repaired for a while. The area affected by the fire is also too large, and it will be very difficult to repair the model. Difficult." After explaining respectfully, Rui turned around and ordered the orcs to continue getting things.

"Rui! Is this how you lead the Fox Clan? Do you want the Fox Clan to be dependent on the Tiger Clan?!" Elder Ying was so angry that he cursed him.

"Elder Ying," Rui's voice was not loud and his tone was not intense, but it silenced everyone in an instant. The entire Shandong was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear your breathing. "I am the leader of the clan, and I will consider the fox clan wholeheartedly."

Elder Ying was furious, shook his sleeves, and finally swallowed the words that were stuck in his throat.

Rui was giving him a heads up.

As the head of a clan, it is not his turn as an "elder" to give instructions.

He suddenly discovered that this young orc who was originally taciturn seemed to have suddenly grown up the moment the old patriarch passed away.

He looked so grown up that he didn't even recognize her anymore.

"Thank you for your hard work." Rui walked to the entrance of the cave and patted the shoulder of an orc standing there.

"It should be." The orc was obviously more than ten years older than Rui, but he lowered his head towards Rui.

Rui faced the boundless night and stood with his hands behind his back. "This time, the incident happened suddenly. No one expected it. Some losses are inevitable. You have done a good job, don't take it too seriously."

The orc looked deeply . He glanced at Rui, opened and closed his lips, and finally spit out only "yes".

Although the Fox Clan's catastrophe only destroyed half of the cave, the casualties were still considerable. There were more than a dozen injured people, large and small, and a female was trapped in the sea of ​​​​fire and burned alive because she was too close to the arson site and because of her panic. The mother and father of the female cried and cried all day long. She seemed to have aged dozens of years overnight. She couldn't help but had to go back several times, crying and shouting to pick up her child.

That was also a rare moment when Simeng showed gentleness. He comforted the female over and over again, telling him that his child died without pain and was very peaceful. He had returned to the beast god and received the deepest favor.

"He said that I hope you can let go of your sorrow, otherwise he will not feel at ease with the Beast God. He said that he is very good, really very good." When Simeng said these words, his eyes were softly glowing. The gentleness of light is not like Cheng Yuan's water color or warm sun. The gentleness is powerful, soft and warm, but it cannot be ignored.

After the female cried herself to sleep, Simon asked the people around him to take good care of the female, and then he dragged his tired body to his room.

"Is he really at the Beast God's place?"

Simeng looked up and saw Cheng Yuan standing not far from the door, seemingly waiting for him to come.

"I don't know either." Simon didn't shy away from it. He turned his shoulders tiredly to stretch his muscles, looking that lazy and flat again.

Cheng Yuan originally came to see him as a friend, but when he asked casually, he aroused his interest, "You are a priest, don't you even know?"

"Ha," Simeng smiled, "I never When I was very young, I was told that I would become a fox priest in the future, but no one ever told me why it was me. "

It's rare to see such a frank "magic stick", Cheng Yuan shook his head and said funny, "Busy. It's been a long day, go and have a rest. If you need anything, call me. Our room is not far from yours."

"I don't know if I can sleep well." Simeng said with a hint of sarcasm. "I would rather manage a hundred orcs than ten females." After saying this, he lost his voice and smiled at Cheng Yuan with his fox eyes. "Of course, except you."

Facts have proved that Simon's hunch was very correct. Before half of the night, a faint cry could be heard from the female of the Fox clan. The crying was getting louder and louder, disturbing people and making the people of the Tiger clan dissatisfied. Some of them could not stand the female of the Fox clan doing this. Pai was very angry and cursed a few words.

This sentence became a trigger. The people of the Fox tribe were already suffering from the grief of losing their hometown, and their reaction to being insulted was extremely violent.

Cheng Yuan and Ling Rou slept well at first - he was also tired today. Before he returned to the room, he was dragged away and bullied by Suokeer who was dissatisfied with being separated from him. He fell asleep very deeply. If Ling Rou hadn't screamed If he gets up, he's afraid he still can't hear.

Cheng Yuan put on his clothes and got up quickly - for some reason, he seemed to be considered to have the talent of "preventing fights", and Ning Luo also paid great attention to him, so he had a hand in many things happening in the clan recently - The noise outside was getting louder and louder, and it was about to become unstoppable.

"It's late at night, why are you noisy?" Simeng was dressed neatly. He was obviously lying down with his clothes on and was not ready to sleep well.

"Li Ruo had a nightmare. After crying twice, these people refused to let him go." A female accompanying Li Ruo said first.

"I'm sorry...it's me. I dreamed about the fire and was scared for a moment..." Li Ruo started to cry again in the middle of the sentence. Her face, as white as jade, was full of tears, and her eyes were not as slender as those of the fox orcs. , but like a green plum blossom, filled with a pool of tears, as full as the first-born spring water.

Simon only glanced at the two of them and said to the two females of the tiger clan, "He had a nightmare and was too scared. He cried unconsciously for a while, which affected several people to rest. I am here to support you on his behalf." No."

"Afraid? Why can't I see that he is more noisy than anyone else!"

"It's you who are so hard-hearted! Why am I educating you, the leader of the Fox clan? What to apologize for!"

"Qingge, stop talking!" Li Ruo pulled the female's sleeve and was about to cry again, "We were the ones who were wrong first..."

"Oh! Or is it your clan leader's mate?" When the tiger tribe female heard this He was even more dissatisfied when he said, "When did the leader of your fox tribe take charge of our tiger tribe?"

Simeng knew it was wrong when he heard this, and said quickly, "I misunderstood, our tribe leader doesn't have a partner yet. Little Don't be offended by the child's nonsense.

"What do you mean by nonsense! What I said is the truth!" Na Qingge didn't think it was enough, so he made the whole mountain uneasy.

"Shut up!" Simeng walked up to the two of them with a cold face, seemingly gently stroking Qingge's hair. While smiling, he whispered, "If you yell again, I will throw you out." After that, Everyone in the Fox clan dispersed quickly, without even looking at Li Ruo from the beginning to the end.

It was a trivial matter at first, but Simeng said a few more nice words, and Cheng Yuan followed suit for a while and settled the matter. Darkness and silence returned to the empty corridor once again. Simon walked towards his room expressionlessly, with his head about to explode.

"Master Priest..." The young man's clear and slightly uneasy voice came from behind, making the luminous light flowing in this place even colder.

"What's the matter?" Simon responded, but did not look back.

"I'm really sorry for causing you trouble tonight..." Li Ruo lowered his head and said.

"Go back to sleep." After saying this, Simon opened the door and entered the room.

Li Ruo looked at the closed door, feeling empty for a moment.

"Li Ruo! Why are you standing here stupidly? You're going to go back to bed soon."

"Oh, okay..."

Chapter 39

What happened last night may or may not be a big deal, but it still planted a bad seed. The clan leader himself did not come forward, but at Ning Luo's suggestion, he asked his partner to work with Cheng Yuan behind his back. The females do a lot of work.

In fact, both sides are wrong. There are also subjective reasons why tiger females are so dissatisfied. The fox tribe produces beauties, and the orcs are all so handsome, and the females are no less beautiful. This attracts the attention of many orcs. The females of the tiger tribe see it, although it is difficult to say it clearly, let alone say it with their mouths. I am willing to admit it, but in the end I feel unhappy. If the two parties are so unhappy with each other, something will happen sooner or later.

Cheng Yuan has never been so tired. He didn't sleep well last night. He had to wake up early in the morning to carefully comfort the females in the tribe with Pani (the patriarch's companion). He was simply dizzy.

After living in the cave, the food in the tribe changed from being prepared by each family to being distributed uniformly. Fortunately, although the tribe did not store a lot of things, food and clothing was not a problem, and each family was not restricted from going outside. Hunting improves the diet, so there are never problems with food distribution.

However, after the fox clan arrived, subtle changes occurred in the cave.

According to the original agreement between the two tribes, the female fox tribe not only brought her own rations this time, but also gave the tiger tribe some more food in return. Originally, the two tribes did not interfere with each other, but it happened that Qingge was wrong again. You have to come out and "pack it unevenly".

"How can you eat something so rough? Li Ruo is not in good health. He was frightened last night. Why should he make a bowl of soup?"

"Qingge..." Li Ruo still looked like he was about to cry. , with a pale face and eyes as red as the rosy clouds on the horizon, he timidly pulled Qing Ge's clothes, wanting to say something but not daring to say it.

Qing Ge pulled Li Ruo behind him, "Li Ruo, don't be afraid, wait until the patriarch comes and ask the patriarch to support you!"

"Shut up." Simeng glanced behind him coldly, with murderous intent for no reason. He really couldn't bear the fact that this little female who didn't know what the world was up to was smearing Rui over and over again.

That was his clan leader and he could not tolerate such slander.

"What? Don't think that because you are a priest, I will be afraid of you. Qingge is still the clan leader's companion! Ha, a weird thing that doesn't look like a female or an orc..." Qingge crossed his arms and glanced provocatively. The females of the same race burst into commotion upon hearing this, and Li Ruo was so anxious that she burst into tears and repeatedly told Qing Ge to stop talking.

Cheng Yuan, you were listening to the side and knew you couldn't interrupt, but you were shocked after hearing this. Before you could understand why Qingge said this, you saw Simeng smiling instead of angry, swaying in a red robe. When he came to Qingge's side, he smiled with a pair of fox eyes and crooked eyebrows, and whispered something in his ear.

Qing Ge's expression suddenly changed, and he glared at Simeng fiercely, but his eyes were filled with fear.

In the afternoon, Rui came to the Tiger Clan alone, saying it was to calm people's hearts.

As soon as he saw Rui Lai, Qingge rushed up to him, pulled his sleeves and vented his bitterness, all talking about Simeng's fault. Li Ruo only timidly called "Brother Rui" at the beginning, and then said nothing else. He only pulled Qing Ge's clothes, wanting to say something but not daring to say it.

Simeng stood aside silently with his chest folded, and the corner of his mouth was curved into a smile that was not a smile, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Li Ruo, are you okay here?"

Li Ruo was suddenly called, and was frightened. He didn't dare to look up at the person, and only stared at the person's collar carefully, "Well... very good..."

"Then That's good." Rui said, leaving behind his endless Qingge and walking straight towards Simeng.

"Are you getting used to living there?"

"It's good to have a little female to take care of you."

Rui said some more things about the clan, and just as he was thinking about what to say, Qingge got stuck in again, shamelessly insisting on continuing to fight Rui. The small report gave Simeng a vicious look and said, "Some people just don't have good intentions!"

"You tell me, I'll avoid it." Simeng smiled, turned around neatly, and went to Cheng Yuan's room leisurely, his head wet. Never replied.

"Master Patriarch! When you come here, I must tell you how much these people are going too far!"

...

After Tian Rui left, Qing Ge seemed to have found support. Although he exploded from time to time, it was rare. Confronting Simon head-on seemed to express his disdain. Simeng turned a blind eye to him, ignoring him if he could. When nothing happened, he would go to Cheng Yuan's place to sit there, and he ran even more frequently than Thorkel.

Cheng Yuan didn't mind Simeng coming to see him, but he had been feeling weak in recent days, maybe even dizzy, and his whole person was in a sub-healthy state. Thorkel blamed all this on Simeng, thinking it was him. Cheng Yuan was tired from looking for him so frequently.

Simeng was hard-pressed to argue at this moment, but fortunately Ning Luo corrected him, saying that because Cheng Yuan was not used to the stuffy life in the cave, he wanted to go out to get some air and bask in the sun.

With strong "doctor's orders", Cheng Yuan was finally able to go out again. Although he still had to be accompanied by Thorkel, or even accompanied him closely, it still made him very happy and his face became much rosier.

Before going out, Thorkel was worried and wanted to put three or four layers of thick cotton clothes on Cheng Yuan, for fear that he would catch a cold again.

"How can you be so delicate? If you keep covering it up like this, you will easily get sick."

After the witch doctor Ning Luo said this, Sokel reluctantly put down the third cotton coat he had found, and walked out of the cave with Cheng Yuaneng. Arriving at the long-lost forest.

Chapter 40 Snow

The air in the other world is much better than in modern times. Even in the dry winter, there is no smell of dust. Taking a deep breath, the cold air penetrates from the nostrils into the lungs, which makes people sober up.

It was already the depth of winter, and the mountains and fields were covered with white snow, sparkling in the sunlight, like stars in the sky that had been accidentally shattered and fell to the ground, shaking for a moment so hard that people couldn't open their eyes. The forest, which was usually empty of people, was now "empty of all traces of people." Except for Sokel and Cheng Yuan who ran out, there was no one else.

However, "birds flying over thousands of mountains" is not really a problem, but most of the people still jumping in the woods during this season are small sparrows. Occasionally, you can see a few birds with long tails and lively calls. They flew from one tree to another with their wings, but their feathers were all gray and nothing conspicuous.

Thorkel was still frightened by the last attack on Cheng Yuan. Even if he was there, he would not let Cheng Yuan go too far. He just walked around the back mountain to get some fresh air. Cheng Yuan also understood the wise saying "If you don't seek death, you won't die." He followed Sokel honestly and tried not to cause any trouble to him.

After not being out for so long, the snow was already falling thickly in some places. Seeing that Cheng Yuan was struggling to walk, Thorkel simply let someone ride on his back and lead him for a leisurely stroll.

Cheng Yuan leaned down, exposing the tiger's neck, and rubbed the huge tiger head affectionately. Ever since they changed rooms, he and Thorkel had rarely been so close. Thorkel is busy with the construction of tribal defenses, and he himself seems to have been assigned a lot of work because of his relationship with Ningluo. The two of them sometimes couldn't even bother to exchange a word for the whole day, and there was no private place to talk in the mountains. Cheng Yuan felt a little sorry for Thorkel every time he heard the ambiguous sounds coming from other rooms at night.

However, Thorkel never complained about anything, and he never mentioned this in front of him. Only when he hugged him a few times, he used to be extra forceful than before, wanting to rub him into his body.

"Have you slept well these days?" Cheng Yuan asked softly in Sokel's ear.

Thorkel didn't know what to say for a moment, so he just said, "It's okay."

"But I didn't sleep well."

Thorkel paused, "What's the matter?"

"It's very cold in bed, so I can't sleep." Cheng Yuan said that he couldn't stand himself, so he smiled softly on his back, which was particularly clear in the empty forest.

"..." Thorkel's breath stopped. Why hadn't he noticed before that his female was so... so outgoing...

"If you don't want to change, you won't." Thorkel accused in a hoarse voice. It was obviously the little female's choice. He agreed in order not to make the female unhappy. But now the little female turned around and said to him...

"I was wrong. I was wrong. I overestimated myself." Cheng Yuan said with a face. Buried in the thick and long fur of the tiger, I felt that it was so shameless for me to say this to a child who was less than 20 when I was over 30 years old.

However, he did underestimate his feelings for Thorkel. It seemed that nothing romantic had happened between the two of them, and they didn't even have a few words of love, but...

he missed them so much even after they just separated the room. .

Thorkel remained silent and did not speak. He could feel the female's gentle breath falling on the back of his neck, like a handful of small feathers tickling there, making his heart itch.

"Come down."

"Huh?" Cheng Yuan looked up and the two of them had arrived at an open space. Looking back, they saw the mountain behind. Cheng Yuan got off the tiger and sat on a stone next to a big tree.

Thorkel maintained his tiger posture, lying next to Cheng Yuan, rubbing his head against the female's face, licking his thick tongue across her cheeks and neck, tentatively trying to get into the collar.

"Hahaha, Thorkel, it's itchy... stop making trouble..." The tongue with a small thorn licked the sensitive neck, causing Cheng Yuan to keep shrinking his neck back.

"I want to."

"Huh?" The young man's low and hoarse voice suddenly sounded in his ears. Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment, and when he realized it, his face turned red.

After being stunned for a while, he forgot to hide, and Thorkel became more intimate with the person. Cheng Yuan was forced to lean back little by little, and finally he was lying on the stone.

The tiger's huge body covered him, blocking the bright sunlight. He could hear Thorkel's breathing gradually becoming thicker, with obvious heat, which instantly ignited Cheng Yuan's whole body.

Feeling something pressing against his lower abdomen, Cheng Yuan was startled, "Thoker! You... you don't want to be here..."

The biggest shelter around was only the bare tree trunks. There were even a few birds pecking on the ground in the distance, and the sun was still hanging high above the head. It was really too much...

But if Thorkel really wanted to... Cheng Yuan thought, he I'm afraid he won't refuse...

"It's cold, you will get sick." The tiger had no intention of touching his clothes, but kept rubbing his cheek and neck, as if to confirm his presence. The restless thing rubbed against Cheng Yuan's body through his clothes, as if he wanted to vent something.

Cheng Yuan stretched out his hand and tentatively held the jumping thing, "Well..." The young man's contented sigh was infinitely magnified in his ears. Cheng Yuan felt that half of his body was numb. He didn't even move. Thorkel It would simulate the movements of intercourse in and out of his hands, until finally some warm liquid was released in his hands, and Cheng Yuan woke up as if from a dream.

"Comfortable. Very good." The young man seemed to be praising him, tapping the tip of his nose on Cheng Yuan's nose, like a kiss.

Cheng Yuan's face was still burning at this time, and he quickly wiped the things on his hands with snow as if he was a guilty thief, and made a vague response in his throat.

"I've been out for a long time, it's time to go back..."

"Well, let's go."

The two of them looked out at the back mountain. There was a big gray bird sitting on the mountainside, circling, and it couldn't be seen clearly.

"What is that..." Cheng Yuan squinted and couldn't tell clearly.

"It seems..." Thorkel's voice tightened. "Crane."