The crowd drew closer and closer. Just as Zheng led his warriors into formation and braced for battle, the enemy halted at a distance roughly equal to the maximum range a spear could be thrown.
Zheng saw that the enemy’s formation was loose; they carried few weapons, and most were naked. He realized this was a tribe of savages without warriors of their own, but he did not let his guard down. These savages might not have sharp claws, but with their wits, they were far more dangerous than ordinary beasts.
“Which tribe are you from? If this is your territory, we are merely passing through and will leave soon,” Diao shouted toward the distance at Zheng’s signal.
After a moment of silence, a shout came from across the way, “Wasa La Ah Ben…”
Several tribal leaders exchanged glances; none of them understood what the others were saying.
“Na Zanda! Na Zanda!” the voices on the other side repeated incessantly.
The language barrier was clearly a major problem. Zheng furrowed his brow into a knot, bellowed a command, and ordered the front row of warriors to point the tips of their spears toward the ground.
Swish! The first row of warriors lowered their spear tips in perfect unison.
This move clearly startled the wild tribesmen across the way, but they could tell from the spears now pointing at the ground that these powerful men harbored no hostility toward them.
Slowly, a figure stepped forward from the front ranks of the wild tribesmen.
Birdmen, hmph!
Merfolk, hmph!
Sooner or later, I’ll capture you all and roast you for dinner!
When Yuan Zhan caught up with the main force at full speed, it was just as the sun was setting in the evening.
A patrolling warrior was the first to spot Yuan Zhan and immediately let out a loud shout.
The people who were lighting the campfire to prepare dinner heard the shout. At first, many didn’t understand what was happening, but when they clearly heard the cry, “The chief is back!” they finally realized.
The people let out joyful shouts, forgetting even the meat they were roasting, and all stood up to run toward the direction of the sound.
In the end, Zheng shouted orders to a warrior leader, who then passed them down through the ranks, one level after another, until the excited crowd was finally driven back.
As soon as Yuan Zhan reached Zheng, he told him about how Yan Mo had been sent back to the tribe from Qingyuan Lake.
Upon hearing that the legendary merfolk had personally built a raft for Lord Mo and granted him passage through their territory, Zheng and the warriors felt a deep sense of pride, even if they didn’t say so aloud.
Their Lord Priest had led them safely through the terrifying Black Forest, bringing everyone out without a single casualty, with the Maple Clan—the masters of the Black Forest—clearing the path for them along the way.
The Everlasting Clan and the merfolk—these were mysterious races the Yuanji Tribe had perhaps heard of before but had never encountered. Before leaving the Yuanji Tribe, they had never imagined that one day they would actually see these mysterious races, let alone receive their help.
Surely only Lord Mo, who had received the Ancestral God’s personal legacy, could achieve such a feat?
What exactly was the Jiuyuan Tribe like with a priest like this?
What would their lives be like from now on?
Everyone, including Zheng, couldn’t help but let their imaginations run wild about the future. Yet no matter how hard they tried to picture it, they could never have imagined that the actual scene awaiting them upon reaching Jiuyuan would be so astonishing!
As soon as Yuan Zhan returned, the previously restless hearts of the people immediately settled. Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces, and they even ate much more than usual at dinner.
After dinner, while Yuan Zhan was discussing matters with Zheng, a warrior ran over, crouched beside them, and whispered a few words.
“All women?” Zheng asked.
“Yes.”
“No weapons?”
“No.”
Zheng looked at Yuan Zhan.
Yuan Zhan replied, “The You tribe?”
“No,” Zheng said, shaking his head. “I was just about to tell you—it’s a tribe of wild people. We can’t understand their language, but they’ve been following us for a day.”
Yuan Zhan roughly scratched beneath his leather skirt and raised an eyebrow. “Let them in. The warriors can pick whoever they want.”
A young chieftain girl led nearly a hundred women over to select men.
The language barrier didn’t matter. They had already witnessed the strength of this tribe’s men during the day, and strong men could father strong children. Their tribe desperately needed to increase its population, and the appearance of these robust men at this moment was nothing short of a blessing from the Father God!
The arrival of these women caused quite a stir at the resting area.
Fortunately, the men of the Yuanji Tribe had been trained as warriors from childhood. Even now, they remembered their duties. Those on patrol, no matter how restless they might feel, still did their utmost to fulfill their tasks—though they were a bit impatient when it came time to relieve their posts.
The women of this tribe—perhaps called the Graman—were incredibly tough. Some warriors, having set their sights on a woman, would rush to pin her down, only to be kicked away by her.
These women were truly being selective; they rejected anyone who wasn’t physically robust. They would even lift the warriors’ leather skirts to inspect them directly. If they didn’t approve of the size or shape down there, they’d reject them as well—some were even knocked over mid-action.
If they took a liking to a man, they would approach him very directly to express their intentions. If a warrior refused, the women wouldn’t get upset; they’d simply move on to the next one.
The young girl in the lead was the most alluring of them all, yet no warrior dared to touch her. Everyone subconsciously assumed she must belong to a warrior leader—or perhaps the chief himself.
The young girl didn’t pause even once as she moved through the crowd; her gaze was constantly searching for something. When she spotted Zheng, she immediately walked straight toward him.
As she approached Zheng, she also caught sight of Yuan Zhan, who stood in the shadows cast by the firelight.
The girl’s eyes lit up. She looked at Yuan Zhan, then at Zheng, seemingly unable to bear the thought of letting either go.
Lie and Da He, along with the others, let out a few strange chuckles and tactfully left.
The girl walked between the two men, knelt on the ground with one leg bent, and reached out to take Zheng’s hand to slowly place it on her firm right breast. Then she took Yuan Zhan’s hand and guided it to her left breast.
Holding both of their thick, rough hands in place, she closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
Yuan Zhan felt the softness beneath his palm and found it somewhat unsettling. The girl’s unique scent filled his nostrils, and he began to feel a stir in his lower body.
To sleep, or not to sleep?
He had been holding back for a long time.
But…
Yuan Zhan silently withdrew his hand. To shake off the sensation in his palm, he even rubbed it against his leather skirt.
The girl opened her eyes in surprise, and Zheng looked at him curiously. Was he backing out?
Yuan Zhan rubbed his nose and mumbled vaguely, “The rules of Jiuyuan state that a person can only take one.”
Zheng didn’t catch that. Yuan Zhan patted his shoulder and leapt to his feet. “Work hard. Try to keep all these women here. Jiuyuan is short on women.”
The girl watched Yuan Zhan walk away, a look of regret in her eyes. She could sense that the man who had left was far more formidable than the one currently pinning her down. If only she could bear that man’s child…
The girl wrapped her arms around Zheng’s back. There was still plenty of time. The Graman tribe had nowhere to go; it would be better to follow these powerful men and settle near their tribe.
Yuan Zhan didn’t dare stray too far. At this point, the group was at its least vigilant, and accidents were most likely to happen.
The sounds drifting from nearby made him furious. He glared at the moon in the sky, wishing with all his might that tomorrow’s dawn would mark the end of three years.
By then, Mo would let him sleep with him, wouldn’t he?
Three years…!
Yuan Zhan crouched on the ground, furiously poking hole after hole into the earth.
He lifted his leather skirt to take a look. In three years, he should be able to restore this place to its original state, right?
The sad man stopped poking holes and began drawing stick figures on the ground instead.
A big head, a round butt, on all fours with his butt high in the air—that was the Lord Priest of his tribe.
The big guy crouching behind that round butt? No need to guess—that had to be him!
A certain man began shamelessly poking and prodding that round butt with his finger.
Yan Mo rolled over, opened his eyes, and stared silently at the night sky.
This was a small island in the middle of a lake. As dusk fell, the mermaids had brought him here to rest.
The island wasn’t large or high, and there were hardly any trees; it was covered in bird droppings and countless eggs laid by waterfowl.
Although the island was safe, the lack of vegetation made it impossible to start a fire. With no other choice, Yan Mo ate a few raw eggs. The mermaids also brought him several plump fish. He kept one, sliced it thinly with a small knife, mixed up a dipping sauce on the spot, and managed to somewhat fill his stomach.
After eating, he wrapped himself in a fur pelt and fell asleep. Little did he expect that in his drowsy state, he would have an incredibly erotic wet dream!
It would have been one thing if he’d been one of the protagonists in the dream, but why on earth was the other one that beast?
The most terrifying part was that the beast was wearing a women’s deep-V evening gown. Not only did he not find it terrifying, but he actually thought the creature looked quite attractive. In the dream, he could hardly wait to strip the beast naked, pin it down, and then work away at it for ages.
That beast was moaning and howling as he worked, and he found it incredibly thrilling.
It was too much that he woke up.
He didn’t even need to check; he knew he’d had a wet dream.
Did that mean this body had finally grown up? In this era, that meant he was old enough to start looking for women.
Women were fine, and a deep-V evening gown was fine too, but why that beast?!
