The Primitive Adventures of a Chipmunk 28

Chapter 28

The night was deep, and the firewood had not yet burned out, but only a few people remained in the camp.

Bamboo tubes were scattered everywhere, and the uneaten roasted pine nuts were also left unsorted, carelessly thrown on the ground. It was a scene that would annoy anyone, but Hua Shi’an, sitting by the fire, had a bright smile on his face.

They had gotten high on cracking pine nuts, and the camp, which should have been quiet with the night, was like a chaotic dance of demons.

A red-legged long-nosed squirrel was rolling on the ground, its fluffy fur covered in plant ash and pine nut shells; a group of mischievous rock squirrels stood in a row on a stone, their heads tilted back as they sang “squeak squeak”; red-bellied squirrels and giant squirrels were having a tree-climbing competition. The squirrels were no longer visible, but a rustling sound could occasionally be heard from above.

What a harmonious and beautiful scene. Hua Shi’an was completely satisfied, the smile never leaving his lips.

People’s joys and sorrows are not shared. At another fire nearby, Chief Mu looked at the mess, his face long as he cursed, “What time is it? Tidy up and go to sleep, you’re still playing. There’s a lot to do tomorrow, picking pine cones and catching fish. That’s enough from you!”

Before the last word had faded, a pine nut shell suddenly flew over and hit Chief Mu on the forehead with a “slap.”

“Who did that? Who was it!” Chief Mu was so angry he laughed. He picked up the pine nut shell and shot up, his fierce gaze sweeping around, searching for the suspicious squirrel.

The little squirrels were all playing on their own, immersed in their own worlds, and none of them paid him any attention.

Everyone looked suspicious. Unable to find the culprit, Chief Mu snorted coldly. “I can’t be bothered with you. Play if you want. It’s not me who will be sleepy tomorrow. I’m going to bed. Remember to come down and clean up your own bamboo tubes!”

After a final instruction, Chief Mu turned to Hua Shi’an, gave him a nod, and left the camp, shaking his head.

He was sleepy, but Hua Shi’an was a little reluctant to leave.

Although, like a cat on catnip, pine nuts also made the squirrel beastmen excited and change back to their beast form, last time they had changed after eating a little, but this time they had eaten a lot before changing. And the elderly and a few beastmen with strong self-control were not affected.

They would probably become desensitized if they ate it often. This scene of a chaotic dance of squirrels was a rare sight.

He didn’t know if it was because he had transmigrated, but Hua Shi’an was not affected, or rather, he was completely unfazed. And similarly, Mo Huaishan, who was sitting beside him, had not changed back to his beast form either, almost no different from usual.

It was late, and the elderly and the beastmen left one after another. Hua Shi’an sat for a while longer, until his eyelids started to droop and he couldn’t hold on any longer. Only then did he reluctantly get up and limp away.

To be able to see but not touch, it’s still a bit of a pity…

He hadn’t stayed up late for a long time. After washing his face and rinsing his mouth and returning to the tree hollow, Hua Shi’an fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

He had thought he would be able to sleep until he woke up naturally, but just as he was about to meet the Duke of Zhou in his dream, a clamor of voices came through the bamboo door into the tree hollow, ruthlessly waking him from his sleep.

“Get out, I told you to get out! Did you hear me?”

“Wow, what’s going on? Can’t you just bear with it?”

“What bad luck. Find a place to stay by yourself. Don’t wander around the tribe!”

“Change back, hurry up and change back!”

“I just saw it, I got goosebumps. It’s so scary.”

“So ugly. Why does his beast form look like that?”

The voices were very loud, and he could hear them clearly through the bamboo door.

Hua Shi’an was sound asleep and didn’t want to be bothered, but hearing the tribe members’ disgusted tone, he vaguely sensed something and forced himself to get up from the bed.

He probably hadn’t been asleep for long. It was still very dark outside. Hua Shi’an squeezed out of the tree hollow and limped towards the source of the sound. As expected, he arrived at Mo Huaishan’s tree hollow.

There were many people gathered at the entrance, like they were driving away a rat that had strayed into the city. They all had disgusted expressions and were shouting “get out.” Two beastmen were even holding branches and poking and prodding at the tree hollow.

“Lord Priest? Why are you here?”

The curious Yan Zhile was the first to see Hua Shi’an. He quickly squeezed out of the crowd and came to his side, acting as a crutch for Hua Shi’an and at the same time, stopping him from moving forward. “Don’t go over, Lord Priest. The big oaf, he, he suddenly changed back to his beast form. It’s so scary!”

“Why are there so many people?” Hua Shi’an’s brow furrowed, and he asked directly.

Yan Zhile: “He suddenly changed back to his beast form in the tree hollow and scared Uncle Qing. We were just washing bamboo tubes by the river and came over when we heard the commotion.”

Knowing that Hua Shi’an and the beastman were on good terms, Yan Zhile quickly explained, “No, no one is bullying him. We just asked him to change back to his human form, but he wouldn’t. We asked him to leave, but he wouldn’t either, so…”

“Don’t pull me. Help me over.” His sleepiness had completely dissipated. Hua Shi’an glanced at the hand gripping his arm and said coldly.

“Don’t go, Lord Priest. He—”

Inadvertently looking up, a pair of eyes as deep as a cold pool came into view. Yan Zhile felt a chill run down his spine, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat. He obediently supported Hua Shi’an and walked forward.

Yan Zhile stopped trying to persuade him, but the others still urged him not to get close. They were so nervous, you would think a fierce beast had entered the tree hollow. Hua Shi’an ignored them all and walked straight to the entrance of the tree hollow.

The light inside the tree hollow was too dim. Instead of crouching down at the entrance to look inside like the tribe members, Hua Shi’an let go of Yan Zhile’s hand and, ignoring everyone’s protests, ducked into the tree hollow.

It was about the same size as his own tree hollow, with almost no blind spots.

There was no need to search. As soon as Hua Shi’an entered the tree hollow, he saw a strange-looking furball curled up in a corner.

Like a cat, was Hua Shi’an’s first impression. Another look, and hmm… more like a lynx.

The furball had a coat of glossy black fur that blended perfectly into the night. If it weren’t for its glowing, pale yellow eyes, Hua Shi’an wouldn’t have noticed it at first.

Its face was very similar to a cat’s, with a three-lobed mouth and long whiskers on both sides. It was just that its nose was a little larger in proportion than a cat’s, which made it look a bit fierce. It was normal for it to be fierce, because what it really resembled was not a cat, but a feline—a leopard.

His mother’s genes were stronger. He had no resemblance to a squirrel at all. The only thing that resembled a Pallas’s squirrel was a pair of pointed ears and two tufts of fur standing high on them.

But this didn’t make him look more like a squirrel. On the contrary… he looked very much like a lynx.

Scary? Terrifying? Ugly? Hua Shi’an was stunned for a moment. He really couldn’t associate these words with the furball in front of him.

If he had to describe it—cute!

Hua Shi’an’s heart was about to melt, but he didn’t show it on his face. Seeing that the furball was a bit nervous, he didn’t dare to get close easily and said in a low, soft voice, “Don’t be nervous, Huaishan. I’m not here to drive you out. Can you tell me what’s going on with you now? You don’t want to change back to your human form, or you can’t?”

Thinking that he couldn’t speak in his beast form, Hua Shi’an added, “If you don’t want to change back to your human form, just nod. If you can’t, just shake your head.”

The furball was not as easy to talk to as when he was in his human form. It refused to cooperate.

It seemed that it didn’t want Hua Shi’an to see him. After one look, it lowered its head and buried its face in its furry body.

There was still a group of people waiting outside. This stalemate was not a solution. Just as Hua Shi’an was thinking about how to persuade him, Uncle Qing’s anxious voice came from outside the tree hollow, “Lord Priest, Lord Priest, be careful! Don’t stay with him. You should come out quickly. I, I’ll use a stick to drive him out!”

He didn’t know what he was so anxious about. Hua Shi’an gave a perfunctory reply, “I’m fine.”

The tree hollow belonged to Uncle Qing and Mo Huaishan. It wasn’t necessary to drive the furball out of the tree hollow. They could also… Hua Shi’an decisively turned and shouted to the outside of the tree hollow, “Don’t crowd around here. Everyone, disperse. Uncle Qing, you can rest in my tree hollow tonight. I’ll rest here.”

At these words, there was an uproar outside the tree hollow.

“That’s not right, that’s not right, Lord Priest. You’re a sub-beastman. How can you sleep in the same tree hollow as a beastman!”

“Come out quickly, Lord Priest. He’s a beast now. Be careful he doesn’t hurt you.”

“There’s a distinction between sub-beasts. What, what will it look like if you sleep in a beastman’s tree hollow?”

“Quick, go and call the chief over!”

He hadn’t expected the tribe members to react so strongly. Hua Shi’an pursed his lips and was silent for a moment.

Just then, the furball that had curled itself into a ball looked up at him. As if it had made some kind of decision, it suddenly got up from the ground and shot out of the tree hollow.

“Hey, Huaishan!”

Hua Shi’an subconsciously chased after him, but was delayed by his injured foot. By the time he limped out of the tree hollow, it was pitch black all around, and there was no trace of the furball.

Looking at the tribe members gathered around the tree hollow, who were at a loss for words, Hua Shi’an was furious. He waved his hand and said, “He’s already gone. Can we go to sleep now? Disperse, disperse. Go and do what you need to do.”

“Lord Priest…”

“Don’t ‘Lord Priest’ me. Don’t follow me. Go to sleep!”

Without looking back, Hua Shi’an swayed and walked towards his crooked-necked tree.

Sleep was out of the question. Hua Shi’an stopped at the entrance of the hollow. After the tribe members gradually dispersed and the forest returned to silence, he went around to the back of the crooked-necked tree, found a hoe, and used the handle as a crutch to search carefully in the darkness.

The pure black furball was as good as invisible once it entered the bushes. The chances of finding him were slim. Hua Shi’an knew him well. Since he couldn’t find him easily, he would let him find him.

His sprained right foot became a winning weapon. Hua Shi’an used the hoe handle as a crutch and shuttled through the surrounding bushes, calling Mo Huaishan’s name softly. Every step was extremely difficult.

After searching the bushes around the camp, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, his breathing became heavier, and his expression gradually twisted in pain.

Is that enough? His foot was really starting to hurt. Hua Shi’an let out a hot breath, walked onto the grass under the night sky, found a relatively flat spot, and lay down on his back.

He was really tired. He had intended to lie down and rest for a while, but this lie-down had an unexpected effect.

A rustling sound came from a tall giant redwood tree not far away, as if something had jumped down from the tree and was running towards him at a very fast speed. Hua Shi’an’s lips curved up, his eyes lifted slightly, and the black furball he had been searching for was right in front of him.