The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 90

Chapter 90

The insolence of the beastmen was not at the Great Chief’s behest. He had not stopped them in time because he wanted to see how this priest would handle it, and whether he was as intelligent as Hong Yong had said. Who would have thought that this priest had such a temper, not leaving any face at all, and turning to leave.

Threatening a beastman, ignoring a chief, he had a temper and courage.

Seeing that he was leaving, the Great Chief could no longer sit still and quickly got up to stop Hua Shi’an.

“Lord Priest, Lord Priest, don’t go yet.”

With the selfless and highly respected Great Chief speaking up, Hua Shi’an couldn’t just leave. His footsteps faltered slightly, and without looking back, he replied indifferently, “Is there anything else, Great Chief?”

Without answering Hua Shi’an’s question, the Great Chief threw a sharp look at the big-headed man in the crowd and scolded sternly, “Dong, what are you standing there for? Get over here and apologize to the Lord Priest!”

“I don’t need to apologize—”

Before he could finish his refusal, the big-headed man who had been called out rushed to Hua Shi’an’s front, bowed his head and waist in one smooth motion, and apologized readily, “Lord Priest, I was wrong. I couldn’t control my mouth and spoke carelessly. Please don’t hold it against me.”

“And?” Hua Shi’an turned to look at him and said with a light and breezy smile, “It seems I wasn’t the only one you offended just now.”

At these words, a crack appeared on Dong’s calm face.

It was clear that he was very reluctant, but after a moment’s hesitation, he turned to look at Mo Huaishan and said with his head bowed, “Sorry, Shan. I shouldn’t have spoken carelessly. Don’t take it to heart.”

It was one thing to apologize to a sub-beastman in front of everyone, but to have to apologize to an ill omen who was disliked by the tribe was a complete loss of face. Dong’s face did not show it, but in reality, he was about to grind his back teeth to dust. After speaking, he turned and left.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Before he could take a step, Hua Shi’an’s voice came from behind again.

He’s already apologized, and he still won’t let him go?

Anger instantly rushed to his head. Dong clenched his fists and was about to explode when the sub-beastman’s low and deep voice sounded again, “Dong, your name is Dong, right?”

“I know, you don’t respect me, and you also look down on Shan, this ill omen. Your apology was very reluctant. But there’s one thing you have to understand. We have no worries about food and drink now, and our lives are getting better and better. We didn’t have to come deep into the forest and take this risk at all.”

“We are all tribe members of the same tribe. It’s only right that we help and support each other, but don’t take it for granted. There are some things I don’t want to say, but to have traveled so far, to have come to reunite you with your relatives despite the danger, and to be met with cold words and cold faces instead of gratitude.”

Hua Shi’an met the Great Chief’s gaze through the night, the smile in his eyes fading as he said, one word at a time, “Don’t let the hearts of those who are wholeheartedly thinking of their companions and their tribe grow cold.”

His voice was not loud, and his tone was not harsh. But these words made the beastmen present feel ashamed, and they lowered their heads in shame.

They had no relatives, no ties, and could have lived a stable life in the tribe. Yet they had come to find them despite the danger. And what was the result? They had finally found them, but they were met with teasing and probing.

The Great Chief regretted it, his guts were turning green with regret. He quickly walked to Hua Shi’an and apologized very solemnly, “Lord Priest, I apologize to you. It was my fault. I didn’t manage them well, and I didn’t stop them in time. I promise you that this will never happen again.”

This apology sounded a little sincere. Hua Shi’an sighed. “Forget it, Great Chief. We’re all on the same side. Let’s not talk about this.”

Each took a step back, and this matter was considered over. But he still couldn’t leave. The Great Chief led Hua Shi’an back to the foot of the tree and started a discussion on when to leave.

The jungle was fraught with danger. Of course, the sooner they left, the better. But when they came, there were four of them, traveling light, and they could leave whenever they wanted. When they returned, there would be forty people, a grand procession. How much food to bring, and how to travel safely, were one problem after another.

Forty people, forty mouths. The food could only be more, not less. Even if they used the same method as when they came, with some people traveling and some sitting in back baskets, and the sub-beasts and the injured not touching the ground at all, to save as much food as possible, they would still need at least ten back baskets of food.

Ten back baskets of food also meant that ten people had to maintain their human form and travel. And returning the way they came would definitely pass through the Black Bear Forest. The more people, the larger the target, and the easier it was to attract the attention of wild beasts.

It would be difficult to run if they really encountered a black bear. There were also many old, weak, sick, and disabled in the group. If they scattered and fled for their lives, they would definitely not survive. But to fight head-on… even twenty beastmen had no chance of winning. After all, that was not a small black bear from modern society, but a giant beast from the Giant Tree Forest.

Is there a safer route? And where would the ten back baskets of food come from? If the Tree Shrew Tribe did not allow them to pick in their territory, were they going to go to the Black Bear Forest to gather food?

Hua Shi’an’s brow was furrowed. His peripheral vision inadvertently swept to the side and met the woman’s half-smiling eyes.

She had stood by and listened to the whole process. Fei had already made up her mind.

She was not shy either. She met Hua Shi’an’s gaze and sat down beside him and the Great Chief, saying directly, “We have food. In three days, it will be the day the Elephant Clan patrols our territory. We’ve stored some food. I just heard you say it’s a seven or eight-day journey. If you take us with you, that food will be enough for us to eat our fill on the way.”

Hearing this, Hua Shi’an’s already furrowed brow furrowed even tighter.

At first glance, it seemed like a good deal. If they took them with them, they wouldn’t have to worry about food. But the Tree Shrew Tribe had more than a hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled. Not to mention where to place them when they got back, to travel with such a group of tree shrews… was a complete burden.

A stranger he had met on his journey. Hua Shi’an could refuse without any burden. But the Great Chief and the remaining thirty-five squirrel beastmen were living in their territory. Although they had paid rent, they had also received a kindness.

The situation of the Tree Shrew Tribe was there for all to see. They had lived together for so long, and it was really hard to say no. The Great Chief glanced at the silent and noncommittal Hua Shi’an and, steeling himself, looked at Fei. “You want to go with us? I didn’t hear you say that just now.”

Fei lifted her chin slightly. “I’ve already spoken to your Lord Priest.”

This is really something. The Lord Priest was deaf and dumb, looking up at the sky.

The helpless Great Chief, “Ahem, I’m not sure about the current situation of the tribe. It’s easy to take you with us, but… you also heard just now. This journey is very dangerous. Our tribe has many people, and your tribe also has many people, and there are many who can’t take care of themselves.”

“A tribal migration is a big deal. It’s not something we can just do. We have to understand the situation before we act. There may not be a suitable territory around the tribe to give you, and there are not as many fruits and wild vegetables as in this forest. It’s not worth risking your lives for an uncertain future.”

“How about this? We’ll go back and take a look first. We’ll find a suitable territory for you, and then I’ll bring the beastmen back to get—”

“Wei,” Fei called the Great Chief’s name, the smile in her eyes gradually fading. “We’ve known each other for a while. You should know what kind of person I am.”

Not understanding why she was saying this, the Great Chief nodded. “I know.”

A strong and straightforward beastman with a sense of justice and who kept her word.

Fei: “I know what you’re worried about. You’re worried that my tribe members will be a burden to you, and that we’ll fight with your tribe for territory after we get there.”

There was only one chance to escape this bitter sea. With that, Fei pounded her chest and said righteously, “I am willing to promise you under the gaze of the Beast God that we will not be a burden or trouble to you on the way. We also have some strong beastmen who can take good care of our tribe members and will definitely be able to keep up with you.”

“If we successfully reach your territory, just give us a small place to rest. We will only stay for a short time. After we’ve rested, we will find our own food and our own territory. We will never have any designs on your territory, and we will never ask you for food.”

A promise like an oath, she had lowered her stance to the lowest, for fear that they would not believe her.

These words made the Great Chief feel ashamed, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

A kindness should be repaid, but he had failed in his duty as a chief. The current tribe had been built by Chief Mu and the tribe members. He had not contributed at all and had not participated in the tribe’s development. How could he use the tribe’s achievements to repay a benefactor?

If he continued to talk, he would probably not be able to help but agree. After much hesitation, the Great Chief looked at Hua Shi’an with a complicated expression and transferred the decision-making power. “Lord Priest, what do you think?”

He was not asking Hua Shi’an to be the bad guy. He simply had no right to make a decision.

What did Hua Shi’an think? Hua Shi’an sat and watched.

Chief Fei’s words were not very moving and were not enough to move Hua Shi’an. But strangely, her confident and determined look inexplicably made Hua Shi’an feel that she was a trustworthy person.

The strength of a tribe depended on many aspects: food and water, tools and technology, rules and order… but the premise of all this was that there must be enough people.

Fifty-odd people plus thirty-odd people, the Rangrang Tribe was still a mini-tribe with less than a hundred people. It was fine if nothing happened, and they lived a stable life. But once an emergency occurred, such as a natural disaster or a beast herd attack, they would lack the ability to deal with the crisis.

The Tree Shrew Tribe had more than a hundred people. If the chief was trustworthy, and those tribe members who had difficulty maintaining their human form could be rehabilitated, they could be brought back as neighbors. The two tribes could develop together and support each other. In times of peace, it wouldn’t affect anything, and in times of crisis, they could face it together. It was a win-win situation.

He had been silent for too long. The woman who was waiting for the result frowned and was restless. Just as she was about to ask, Hua Shi’an finally spoke, but what he gave was not an answer, but a question.

“I have a few questions. I hope you can answer them truthfully. How many people are there in your tribe in total? How many people can fight, run, and hunt at the moment? How many people have completely degenerated into wild beasts? How long will it take for the rest to recover and be able to switch between forms freely?”

Hua Shi’an’s questions were to the point, all of them were tribe secrets. Some of them, even the Great Chief, who had lived with them for almost half a year and had been trying to find out, did not know.

Not directly refusing meant there was still a chance. Fei took a deep breath and truthfully explained the tribe’s situation, “There are one hundred and twenty-three people in the tribe. The ones who are in good health and can hunt, including me, are twelve. The ones who have completely degenerated into wild beasts and cannot recover are thirty-one. The rest can still recover. If they can eat their fill every day and maintain their human form, they will recover quickly, in more than ten days.”

Out of the one hundred and twenty-three people, thirty-one had permanently become wild beasts!

It was even more tragic than he had imagined. Hua Shi’an’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Hua Shi’an’s surprise had another meaning in Fei’s eyes. She quickly added, “Although those thirty-one have no labor force, they are small and eat little. We can support them. Don’t worry.”

Hua Shi’an did not respond and turned to ask the Great Chief, “Can her words be trusted?”

This concerned the tribe, so he had to be a little more cautious.

It was clear that he knew Fei well enough. The Great Chief nodded decisively and vouched for her, “She can be trusted. She is a responsible and trustworthy chief.”

“Alright then.” Hua Shi’an also nodded. “Let’s go together.”