The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 89

Chapter 89

They were collecting tolls and rent. This woman named Fei was very smart and had a rather modern way of thinking.

But there was one thing Hua Shi’an didn’t quite understand.

The land was fertile and the resources were abundant. Collecting rent could be said to be for improving the quality of life. But with no shortage of food or people, why did those tree shrews look like they weren’t getting enough to eat, so thin they were just skin and bones, and even maintaining their human form was a struggle?

Having lived here for several months, the beastmen might know a little about the situation. Hua Shi’an was really curious, so he asked.

It was clearly a heavy topic. Dou sighed as soon as he heard it, and a trace of almost imperceptible fear flashed in his downcast eyes. “An, this forest is more terrifying than we imagined. There are many terrible wild beasts living deep in the dense forest.”

“Black beasts with tusks, fat and sturdy black bears… these are nothing. Right next to the Tree Shrew Forest, there lives a group of super giant beasts that are taller than a mountain and make the forest tremble with every step.”

Hua Shi’an’s interest was piqued, and he quickly asked, “Have you seen them? What do they look like?”

Dou nodded. “I saw them once from a distance. They have grayish-brown skin, no fur, big ears, and a particularly long nose. Some of them have tusks thicker than our thighs. And they’re big, really, really big. I can’t describe it to you. In short, they’re like a mountain. Sister Fei calls them elephants, big elephants.”

Elephants, the legendary giant beasts are actually elephants!

It was late at night, and he had been a little sleepy. Hearing this, Hua Shi’an was completely awake. He sat up straight and chatted with the beastman, “Elephants are indeed large, but they are herbivores and are relatively friendly to people and other animals. As long as we don’t enter their territory, the threat shouldn’t be that great, right?”

“You, how do you know about elephants?”

Dou suddenly looked up, his face filled with disbelief as he looked at Hua Shi’an.

He had accidentally let it slip. Hua Shi’an pursed his lips and chuckled softly. “I just, I heard, I heard it from someone.”

“Who did you hear it from?”

A clear female voice came from behind. Hua Shi’an turned his head to see that the woman who had just been at the foot of the tree was now standing behind him. He didn’t know how long she had been eavesdropping.

The woman was very smart, not as easy to fool as the simple Dou. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make. Hua Shi’an’s lips curved up, and he skillfully changed the subject, “Chief, it’s not very nice to eavesdrop on others.”

“Eavesdrop? Heh.”

The woman chuckled, bent down, and sat down beside Hua Shi’an, not leaving. She shrugged nonchalantly. “Did I not make myself clear? The ground you’re sitting on is our territory. As the owner of this land, I can be wherever I want. If you don’t want me to hear you, you can leave our territory.”

She’s really not polite at all.

Hua Shi’an spread his hands. “I misspoke. You can listen as you please.”

Not content with just listening, Fei looked at Hua Shi’an for a few seconds and suddenly smiled. “You seem to be very interested in our tribe’s affairs. What are you asking about all this for?”

“Just chatting. It’s boring, isn’t it?” Hua Shi’an said with a smile.

He couldn’t fool this chief with small talk. She wrapped her arms around her knees and, without caring if Hua Shi’an wanted to listen, said to herself, “The more food there is, the greater the competition. Resources always belong to the strong. Weak animals like us tree shrews can only survive in the cracks.”

“This land has water and food, and there are many who covet it. There’s the Black Bear Forest in front and the Eagle Owl River behind. If it weren’t for the protection of the Elephant Clan, our tribe would probably have ceased to exist long ago.”

“Elephant Clan?” Hua Shi’an keenly caught the keyword. Goosebumps instantly appeared on his arms, and his eyes widened in horror. “Elephants are not beasts, but beastmen?”

Elephants were not scary, and beastmen were not scary either. But elephants with human intelligence and the ability to freely switch forms were terrifying!

Fei shook her head. “Not entirely, or rather—they used to be.”

All caution and probing were thrown out the window. Hua Shi’an’s appetite had been successfully whetted. He asked impatiently, “What do you mean? Tell me more.”

“Didn’t you guess? If a beastman lives in their beast form for a long time, they will degenerate. At first, it’s just a little bit of discomfort. Slowly, they will forget how to walk, how to work and eat in their human form. After a longer time, they will even forget how to change back to their human form, and the cubs they give birth to will not be able to change into their human form. Over time, they will become real wild beasts.”

He had guessed, but he had only guessed that they had become unfamiliar with their human form after not changing for a long time. The idea of humans degenerating into wild beasts, Hua Shi’an wouldn’t even dare to think of it. It was too terrifying, even more terrifying than a ghost story!

As if she had guessed his thoughts, Fei’s eyes drooped slightly, and a helpless, bitter smile appeared on her face. “It’s very scary, isn’t it? Our tribe is going through this process. With the black bears in front and the eagle owls behind, we can only seek the protection of the Elephant Clan. They are large and have a deterrent effect. Every ten days, they come to our territory for a look, and those ferocious beasts that are eyeing us won’t dare to enter our territory casually.”

“If our territory is safe, we are safe. But the Elephant Clan won’t help for free. On the days they patrol our territory, we have to offer them a portion of our food. Otherwise, they won’t come back next time.”

“Elephants are omnivores, so they’re not picky. But with their size and their appetite, how much food do they have to eat at one time? You know, right?” Fei raised an eyebrow and gestured to Hua Shi’an with her chin.

Without deliberately hiding it, Hua Shi’an grunted sullenly.

Fei sighed softly and continued, “We have to choose between starving and being eaten by wild beasts. We chose the former. Every day, as soon as we open our eyes, we gather food. But our territory and manpower are limited. Most of the food is given to the elephants, so our tribe members can only go hungry.”

“When we can’t stand the hunger, we change back to our beast form. Our beast form is small, so we’re full after eating a little. But in our beast form, we can’t do much work, so we can get even less food. You can see how we are now. We can’t eat our fill, and we can’t maintain our human form. We’ve become a group of half-human, half-beast semi-beastmen.”

“Have you ever thought of leaving here and finding another place to live?” Hua Shi’an asked.

Fei sneered and asked Hua Shi’an in return, “Where? This forest is not as safe as you think. Even if there are no black bears and eagle owls, there will be other birds of prey and fierce beasts. It’s the same for a weak tribe like ours everywhere. It’s good enough to be alive.”

Is living like an animal also considered living? Hua Shi’an stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The resources in the deep forest were abundant, but it was also more dangerous than he had imagined. It wasn’t the ferocity of the wild beasts that was scary, but the fact that they had intelligence. Black bears, elephants, eagle owls, anacondas… before they had the strength to fight against this kind of large bird of prey and fierce beast, they should try to go deep into the forest as little as possible.

The area around the tribe was relatively safe. After all, the resources were not as abundant as in the rainforest. But the primeval jungle was ever-changing. Who knew what would happen in the future? On this trip back, they had to start making weapons, and the tribe members also had to train to improve their ability to deal with emergencies.

The Rangrang Tribe could absolutely not become the second Tree Shrew Tribe.

“Hey, little sub-beastman, are you even listening to me?”

Her voice suddenly rose several degrees. Hua Shi’an snapped back to his senses and looked up to see the dissatisfied woman.

She must have had a reason for telling him all this, not just a strong desire to share. Hua Shi’an smiled and met the woman’s gaze. “I’m listening, Sister Fei. Go on.”

Fei picked a blade of grass from the ground and held it in her mouth, saying nonchalantly, “I’ve already finished. It’s your turn. What are your plans now? Are you leaving or staying here?”

“I guess, I guess we’re leaving.” Hua Shi’an deliberately said it ambiguously.

Indirect probing was not working, so she might as well ask directly. Fei elbowed Hua Shi’an lightly and asked again, “Which direction did you guys come from? I heard that the area around your tribe is very safe, right? Squirrels and tree shrews have similar habits. If we also want to go, do you mind having some more companions?”

Dou was completely bewildered as he listened from the side. It was already strange that Chief Fei had come over to tell them a story. And for such a big matter as going with them, she didn’t go to discuss it with the Great Chief, but instead asked a little sub-beastman?

Hua Shi’an thought so too. He looked at Fei in surprise. “Chief, you’re asking the wrong person. I’m just a sub-beastman. I can’t make a decision on such a matter—”

“Lord Priest, Lord Priest!”

A sudden shout had demolished the stage that Hua Shi’an had carefully built. Yan Qiuyu was jumping up and down at the foot of a tree, waving to Hua Shi’an.

Dou didn’t react at first. He looked around blankly. Seeing that there was no one else around, he suddenly realized something. His body trembled violently, and his eyes widened like saucers, his shocked and incredulous gaze finally landing on Hua Shi’an.

“Lord Priest? An, is he calling you?!”

“Just a little sub-beastman?” Fei burst out laughing and patted Hua Shi’an’s shoulder. “When we rushed out, the three beastmen immediately protected you. I knew you must be something special, but I really didn’t expect that you’re actually the priest of the tribe.”

A sub-beastman as a priest. The beastmen of the original Squirrel Tribe were also very shocked. But after hearing about his strange encounter and his contributions to the tribe, the beastmen’s dissatisfaction gradually turned into curiosity.

The slender and tall sub-beastman walked over under the night sky. As soon as they saw his appearance clearly, the crowd instantly became restless.

“Wow, the sub-beastman is so good-looking!”

“Really, he looks so clean, and he smells so good.”

“Is he of age? Does he have a mate?”

“Qiu, what’s the sub-beastman’s name?”

“His skin is so fair. I wonder what it feels like to touch…”

Hearing is one thing, but seeing is another. Without having lived together, without having seen it with their own eyes, they did not recognize this priest from the bottom of their hearts. They still treated Hua Shi’an as an ordinary sub-beastman, and even spoke rudely.

Looking at the tribe members who did not take Hua Shi’an seriously, a nameless anger welled up.

Mo Huaishan clenched his fists and scolded with a stern face, “That’s enough! He’s not someone you can just tease. He’s the priest of the tribe. The reason we have no worries about food and drink and are all alive and well now is mostly thanks to him.”

Hong Yong’s words would definitely have been useful, but unfortunately, it was Mo Huaishan who had spoken first.

A universally disliked person speaking up for someone else was not only useless, but it also had the opposite effect.

A big-headed beastman who disliked him sneered and mocked with malice, “You’re so eager to speak up for someone. What, do you like him, or does he like you? A sub-beastman who would fall for an ill omen like you is probably—”

“Shut up! Try being so rude again!”

Hong Yong sternly interrupted the beastman’s words and was about to teach him a lesson when Hua Shi’an’s indifferent voice came from above his head, “Yo, you’re chatting. What are you chatting about so lively?”

“Were you the one who was just speaking?” Hua Shi’an raised an eyebrow at the big-headed beastman and said with a smile, “It sounded like you were talking about me and Huaishan. I was too far away to hear clearly. Why don’t you repeat it?”

The harmless sub-beastman, with a smile on his elegant face, looked completely non-aggressive. But for some reason, a chill ran down the big-headed beastman’s spine, and the unfinished words got stuck in his throat. “N-Nothing, just a joke.”

“It’s only a joke if both sides find it funny. Huaishan and I don’t find it funny, so it’s an offense.” Hua Shi’an lifted his chin slightly and stared at the beastman’s eyes, saying nonchalantly, “You can not respect me, you can question me, but don’t tease me casually.”

“We’ve traveled a long way to get here, to find our lost tribe members. If you don’t even have basic courtesy, you’re at best a wild beast, definitely not the companions we’re looking for to bring back to the tribe.”

He had given them a show of strength as soon as he arrived. Hua Shi’an was not going to take this lying down.

His peripheral vision swept over the silent Great Chief, who was condoning the beastman’s teasing. Hua Shi’an waved his hand and turned to leave. “It’s getting late, Huaishan. We still have to hurry back early tomorrow morning. Let’s go. Let’s borrow a place from Sister Fei to sleep.”