Volume One, Chapter 14: Tribe, Chieftain?

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Wu Xingxue rummaged through the large bag, pulling out items. “Grandma Qin, these supplements are for you, and this cotton quilt is for you as well.”

The elderly Mrs. Qin hugged the thick quilt tightly. Just by feeling it, she knew it wasn’t cheap.

Glancing at the supplements on the table, she grew anxious. “I’m fine under the quilt, not cold at all. Besides, I can eat potato pancakes—no need for these! You keep them for yourself! How many more days do I have left to live? What’s the point of supplements!”

Nowadays, only a few could afford fresh fruits and vegetables, so the Safe Zone had specially developed these supplements.

Though they could only provide partial nutrition, they weren’t cheap either. A small jar cost 300 Union Coins and lasted only half a month.

Still, they were more cost-effective than buying vegetables or rice, so most people chose them.

But clearly, the frugal Mrs. Qin was reluctant to buy them.

Wu Xingxue recalled the chill she felt through the old woman’s sleeve when Mrs. Qin gripped her arm yesterday, along with the trembling of her hand she tried to hide...

Her eyes dimmed slightly.

The nighttime temperature was about to drop below ten degrees Celsius—how could she not be cold?

Wu Xingxue took a supplement pill, and seeing that the old lady had her arms full of the quilt and couldn’t free her hands, she directly shoved it into her mouth.

“Just chew and swallow it. See? You’ve already taken it. Once opened, they don’t accept returns, so just eat it with peace of mind.”

Mrs. Qin had never encountered someone more forceful than herself. With the pill in her mouth, she neither swallowed nor spat it out.

In the end, she chewed and swallowed it.

She wanted to curse but couldn’t bring herself to; instead, she looked at Wu Xingxue with a hint of grievance.

Wu Xingxue smiled at the slightly wronged-looking old woman. “If you keep refusing, I’d feel embarrassed to stay. Surely you’re not trying to drive me away, are you?”

Mrs. Qin: “Nonsense!”

Looking at Wu Xingxue’s smiling, slightly thin and pale face, she fell silent.

She no longer mentioned money.

Only her eyes reddened a little.

Seeing Wu Xingxue happily eat two potato pancakes, a faint trace of happiness seemed to appear in the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Since her husband and son passed away, the house felt so empty it unsettled her.

Mrs. Qin knew Wu Xingxue meant well, but since she had left the Wu family and lost her supernatural ability...

She couldn’t help but worry. Having bought these things for her, did this child still have money?

—

“Chief! This strange medicine really works! The high fever has subsided!”

The elder of the Yi tribe asked excitedly, “Chief, where did you get this medicine? Can you get more?”

“If all the injured tribe members each take a pill, maybe they’ll be ready for the battlefield the day after tomorrow!”

Hecang saw the Yi elder’s hopeful eyes, and even Amu standing beside him was staring intently. He swallowed the words on his lips and turned around. “I’ll try.”

“Good! You try!” The Yi elder grabbed Amu and headed out, reminding without turning back, “Chief, you must succeed! Our tribe’s hope depends on you!”

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Ever since his severe injury, Hecang had barely left his cave. He didn’t investigate where the strange medicine came from.

As long as it helped the tribe survive this ordeal, that person would be a great benefactor of the Qionghu Tribe!

They would worship him like a god every day if necessary!

Hecang: …

He never expected to fool the Yi elder.

The Yi elder was the oldest and most experienced elder of the Qionghu Tribe, extremely shrewd.

He suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders.

Even he hadn’t expected the medicine to be real and so effective.

“I traded some fur and fruit for such good medicine—I feel like I took advantage.”

Hecang felt ashamed.

He had taken advantage of a cub.

Thinking of the Yi elder’s reminder, “If I could trade for more of this medicine from the cub, maybe it could really help my tribe survive this crisis. But—”

“What can I use to trade for such good medicine?”

At night, Wu Xingxue put on a thin cotton-padded jacket with fur lining and crawled into the newly bought sleeping bag, feeling warm and cozy.

She closed her eyes and calculated today’s expenses.

“Four beauty fruits exchanged for 1,250 Union Coins, which I used to buy a quilt, a sleeping bag, a jar of supplements, a bucket of purified water, and five potato pancakes.”

Wu Xingxue sighed inwardly.

She was once again a plump poor student!

She couldn’t skimp on what she gave Grandma Qin; that was the rent Wu Xingxue owed her. As a fully able-bodied person, she couldn’t simply take advantage of the old lady’s kindness.

“I still have to find a way to earn money.”

If she couldn’t even guarantee her own survival, there was no point in thinking about defeating Wu Yumian, who was collectively protected by the Wu family.

Wu Xingxue glanced at the space inside her ring and suddenly noticed a small object had appeared.

“Hmm?”

Taking it out, Wu Xingxue examined it carefully under the moonlight outside the window.

It was a palm-sized little tiger made of woven dry grass leaves.

Looking closer, it was somewhat different from a normal tiger: between its two ears were a pair of small sharp horns, and its paws were wider and sturdier than a typical tiger’s.

As soon as she took it out, she heard a male voice from the space ring: “Kajiso?”

Wu Xingxue’s eyes lit up—he was online!

She hurriedly put the exotic parrot into the space ring.

At the same time, she lowered her consciousness and tentatively spoke, “Hello, can you hear me?”

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Ashamed of having taken advantage of the cub, Hecang wove a Qionghu beast to put into the space ring to please the cub on the other end.

Thinking about the trade, he simply waited inside the space ring for the other party to appear.

As soon as the woven figure disappeared, he knew the other side had noticed it. His spirit brightened. “You’re here?”

Then he realized the other party couldn’t understand him at all.

Helpless, Hecang rubbed his face.

Just as he was about to take out a stone carving board and start today’s drawing and guessing game, he saw the other side put another small green object inside.

It looked like a bird woven from vines.

What did it mean?

Just as he was puzzled, he heard a gentle female voice: “Hello, can you hear me?”

Hecang was stunned—it was their Beastman language!

She actually spoke Beastman language!

Wait! Wasn’t it a cub? Why was it a female?!

Hecang was completely dumbfounded.

Then he heard the other party mutter confusedly, “Could the translator not be working?”

Only then did Hecang realize that the green vine bird was actually serving as a translator!

At this moment, the parrot’s little beak opened and closed with the woman’s speech.

Hecang hurriedly replied, “I can hear you, and I understand what you’re saying!”

Wu Xingxue thought the exotic plant was useless, so hearing his reply, she was instantly thrilled.

Wu Xingxue: “That’s great!”

Hecang was excited too, but amid his excitement, he thought of his fur...

He shook his head—now was not the time for that.

Both of them felt a subtle sense of familiarity now. After yesterday’s drawing and guessing game and their exchanges, in a way, they were no longer strangers.

Their conversations carried a friendly familiarity.

Yet, in truth, neither knew the other’s name.

Wu Xingxue: “How did you enter my space ring?”

Hecang: “Space ring? I came in through the ring passed down from our tribe chief.”

Wu Xingxue paused—tribe, chief?!