章 3: Bamboo Hut
編集者: Atlas Studios
"Put me down, Sister. I can run on my own."
Chi Shao had been running with Jiang Xuan on her back. Because she was running very fast and the forest terrain was challenging, she was sweating and panting.
"You're still injured. If you run too fast, the wound will open up and you'll be in trouble. It's fine. I can still hold on."
Chi Shao continued running, not daring to stop because she could still hear the cries of the crows behind them. This meant that the hunting team of the Crow Tribe was not far behind.
Jiang Xuan was very helpless. If only the hunting team of the Crow Tribe had appeared a few days later. Once his injuries were healed, he would be able to run on his own without Chi Shao carrying him on her back.
The cawing of the crows behind them gradually disappeared. After running for an unknown period of time, a bamboo forest appeared in front of them. A look of joy appeared on Chi Shao's face.
"We're here. This is the farthest temporary overnight spot for our hunting team."
Chi Shao carried Jiang Xuan up the mountain and walked into the bamboo forest. In the depths of the bamboo forest, there was a bamboo hut built by the previous hunting team.
"Oh no, there's someone inside!"
Chi Shao was about to approach the hut when she noticed a faint plume of white smoke rising from the roof. Someone had obviously built a fire there.
Chi Shao immediately hid behind a huge rock with Jiang Xuan, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Who is it? Come out!"
At this moment, someone shouted from the bamboo hut. Then a series of footsteps approached them.
What should we do? After escaping for so many days, are we going to die in the end?
A look of despair appeared in Chi Shao's eyes. She had carried Jiang Xuan so far and no longer had the strength to escape.
Of course, she could leave Jiang Xuan here and take off by herself. She had a high chance of escaping with Jiang Xuan attracting the other party's attention and her familiarity with this place.
"Run, Sister. Don't worry about me."
Jiang Xuan resigned himself to fate. Chi Shao was a good sister. She had been taking care of him carefully for so many days. Since he was destined to not be able to escape, there was no need to drag Chi Shao down with him.
He just felt that it was a pity. He had just transmigrated not long ago, and his dream of building a tribe had not been realized. He was about to die.
However, Chi Shao held his hand tightly and said firmly, "You're my brother. You're my only family. Even if I die, I won't leave you behind!"
"You don't have to do this…" Jiang Xuan's mood was very complicated. Only he knew that he was not Chi Shao's real younger brother.
"Stop it, they're coming!"
Chi Shao pulled out her stone knife with one hand and held a short spear with her right hand. Her gaze was steady and fierce as she prepared for her last gamble!
As the footsteps approached, Jiang Xuan, who should have been very nervous, calmed down.
He looked at the side profile of Chi Shao's face, and the softest part of his heart was touched.
Actually, he had been feeling very awkward for many days because he had transmigrated. Even though he had obtained the memories of his original character, he did not have any true kinship with his sister, Chi Shao.
Now Chi Shao would rather die than leave him behind. This determination touched him deeply.
Thinking about how Chi Shao had taken care of him meticulously for so many days, Jiang Xuan finally got over this matter that gnawed at him and accepted her.
"Sister, thank you…"
Jiang Xuan called her 'sister' willingly. The alienation in his heart disappeared at this moment.
Chi Shao did not look back. As the footsteps approached, she gripped her short spear and stone knife and prepared to throw herself at the unknown enemy without hesitation.
Jiang Xuan gritted his teeth, picked up a stone, and rushed out, planning to fight.
However, when he rushed out from behind the rock, he saw that Chi Shao was holding a short spear and maintaining an attacking posture. She did not attack.
"Hook Vine, Stone Loach, South Star, why are you…"
There were three youths standing opposite them. They were about 11 or 12 years old. They held bone spears or bamboo bows in their hands and stood there in a daze.
Jiang Xuan threw away the stone silently because he was very familiar with these people.
The tribe that Jiang Xuan was originally from was called the Deer Tribe. These people were all from the Deer Tribe.
These three youths were called Hook Vine, Stone Loach, and South Star.
Like Jiang Xuan, Hook Vine was 12 years old. Stone Loach was 11 years old while South Star was only 10 years old. They were both relatively young.
The young man called Hook Vine put down his bone spear and exclaimed in surprise, "Chi Shao, Xuan, you're still alive. That's great."
The three youths put down their weapons. This was the first time they had seen someone they knew since the destruction of the Deer Tribe. They were especially excited.
Chi Shao retracted her spear. "Why are you here?"
Hook Vine said, "Let's talk inside. We are roasting bamboo partridges inside."
"Okay."
Chi Shao and Jiang Xuan followed them into the bamboo hut.
After entering the bamboo hut, Jiang Xuan saw two roasted bamboo partridges, some insects that were roasted till golden-brown on a stone slab, a pile of wild fruits, and a few pieces of root plants.
"We caught these two bamboo partridges with a lasso trap. Here, eat them."
Hook Vine took down the two roasted bamboo partridges without hesitation and handed them to Chi Shao and Jiang Xuan.
Chi Shao took a bamboo partridge and tore it in half with her bare hands. She gave half to Jiang Xuan and returned the bamboo partridge to Hook Vine.
"That's enough for us."
Hook Vine did not stand on ceremony anymore because they were young and it was not easy for them to obtain meat.
As he ate, Chi Shao asked, "How did you escape here?"
Hook Vine told them about the course of their escape.
It turned out that when the Crow Tribe attacked the Deer Tribe, the Shaman and the Chief of the Deer Tribe knew that they were fighting a losing battle and that the Deer Tribe was about to be decimated because of the huge difference in strength.
The Shaman and the Chief ordered the leader of the hunters, Black Rhizome, to escape with the children of the tribe as a way of preserving a little spark for the tribe.
However, how could it be so easy to break out of the layers of encirclement?
In the battle, Black Rhizome was grievously injured and the warriors beside him were killed, one by one. When he finally fought his way out of the encirclement, there were only these three youths left.
Black Rhizome fled with the three youths and finally escaped here.
Chi Shao hurriedly asked, "Where's Uncle Black Rhizome?"
The three teenagers' eyes dimmed.
Hook Vine whispered, "He's dead. Uncle Black Rhizome was seriously injured. He died a few days after bringing us here. We buried him in the bamboo forest."
There was sorrow in Chi Shao's eyes, but she was strong and did not cry.
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "The Crow Tribe has already occupied the hunting ground. They will find this place sooner or later. It's no longer safe here."
When the three youths heard the words 'Crow Tribe', fear appeared in their eyes and they panicked.
Hook Vine asked, "So what do we do?"
Jiang Xuan said, "If we want to survive, we have to stay away from the territory of the Crow Tribe. Let's go further away and find a safe place to live."
Chi Shao nodded. "Xuan is right. The tribe is gone. We have to live well so that we can take revenge in the future!"
Hook Vine clenched his fists. "Revenge!"
Stone Loach and South Star also had flames of revenge in their eyes. They were young and did not know how difficult it would be to take revenge on the Crow Tribe. What they had was their passion.
Jiang Xuan said, "Pack your things. The people from the Crow Tribe might come at any time. We'll leave tomorrow."
"Alright, we'll listen to you."
The three youths did not have any objections to this. They were younger, so when they encountered such a big matter, they would instinctively rely on someone stronger than them.
Just like that, the five of them ate their fill and set more traps in the bamboo forest. They looked for insects and prepared as much food as possible.
The big worm that Jiang Xuan brought was also roasted and eaten by everyone. The taste was actually not bad.
In the evening, Chi Shao walked into the bamboo forest and added some soil to the lonely grave without saying a word. No one knew what she was thinking.
The next day, the five of them set off again to find a safer and more habitable place.
-- 贈り物
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