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Chapter 208 The Arrival of the Riverside Tribe

Heat waves and rains energize the fungi's subterranean parts and germinate fruiting bodies.

Striped eaves poke their heads from stray branches and jellyfish-like orange, brown and yellow toadstools protrude from cracks in the leaf litter, the forest's decomposers, colorful 'death flowers' Glittering on the wet woodland.

Under Lin Yu's guidance, the women collected mushrooms with large fleshy fruiting bodies. Most of the mushrooms are edible, and some of them have medicinal value.

Except for the man who stayed on guard, the rest of the men also went out to eat meat, but they didn't go too far, and they didn't need to go too far. Food was everywhere in the forest in summer.

Weird, why didn't the riverside tribe make any moves?

Zhang Tian was a little puzzled.

In the afternoon, he finally felt a little hostility, so weak that he didn't take it seriously. He didn't know that the riverside tribe sent an envoy until the hunter who was crouching on the rock came down to report.

Zhang Tian ordered: "The other party is not hostile, and they are not here to provoke trouble. Everyone, please be friendly and let this group of southerners see how we treat our guests!"

The raven came back again, and walked into the Sky Clan's temporary camp with a dozen hunters including Hong Yuan and Jackal.

To everyone's surprise, they were not blocked in any way, and no one even cast unfriendly glances at them. The group of uninvited guests entertained them warmly, as if they were not afraid of foreigners like them at all.

Raven is a clever guy, speculating: "The sky knows everything, the sky maiden must know why we are here, they treat us as guests!"

The argument about the omniscience and ubiquity of the sky has spread among the tribe after Raven returned, but Hong Yuan has not fully accepted this argument.

Hong Yuan paid attention to everything around him, and he saw sheets of wide and thick furs fixed between the rocks and trees at a certain angle, like roofs to shelter from the sun and rain.

Such a large piece of fur reminded him of an elephant, but the elephants in the forest were light-skinned, while the hides used by the other party were dark.

However, when he saw the complexion of this group of aliens, he was relieved.

Trekking long distances on the bare grassland under the scorching sun made everyone except Lin Yu tanned a lot.

Perhaps the elephants living in the north were also tanned.

Hong Yuan thought to herself, and her eyes fell on the twisted branch that the man carried with him.

That should be the bow and arrow Raven mentioned.

Although this weapon doesn't look too powerful, he will never underestimate its power because of this. Compared with bows and arrows, blowing arrows are more "unattractive". Who dares to say that blowing arrows are not powerful?
A group of children laughed and ran past them, greeting them in a language they did not understand.

Children don't know how to hide their emotions. Hongyuan carefully observes the expressions of the children. He sees the curiosity in the children's eyes, without the slightest fear or disgust.

Hong Yuan was greatly surprised.

He thought he was brave and fearless, but even so, he would still feel nervous and uneasy when he came into contact with this group of foreigners who didn't know the details.

However, he didn't see these emotions on anyone's face, and everyone was very warm and friendly.

Could it be that I am too good-looking?
Hong Yuan somewhat believes that the other party is not here to grab the territory.

He noticed two handsome young men.

A man with short hair and a tall, thin woman in fancy dress.

These two should be the Sky Witch and the Witch Doctor that Raven mentioned. When he first heard that the Sky Witch was a man, he felt that his "Three Views" had been greatly impacted. Even if he saw the person now, he still found it hard to accept. .

"Raven!"

Jay jumped out from nowhere, holding a red stone cup in his hand, which looked delicate and precious.

Jay was obviously not treated as a prisoner, and he himself did not have the consciousness of being a prisoner. He had already integrated into it perfectly. If he hadn't met a few times before, Hong Yuan would almost have thought he was a foreigner.

Hong Yuan believed that the other party was not robbing territory, otherwise, why would they treat a prisoner preferentially?This is a gesture of goodwill, an expression of goodwill, and Hong Yuan knows it well.

"Want to have a bite?"

The jay handed the cup to the raven, and he had a closer relationship with the raven than the red kite from a different tribe.

Raven felt a chill hit his face, he looked at the black liquid in the cup, frowned and said, "What is it?"

"Sour plum juice, a cold drink made by the witch doctor with divine power, has the effect of dispelling heat and cooling down. Take a sip, it's delicious!"

Jay strongly recommends it, he has fallen in love with this cold drink, and the witch doctor also takes good care of him, allowing him to refill his glass again and again.

"Divine power?"

Raven left early yesterday, and did not see the divine power of Nuwa's descendants.

He didn't delve into it, took a sip from the cup, and then raised his head and drank booze.

"Hey, save me a bite!"

The raven turned a deaf ear to it, and drank it to the bottom in one gulp, letting out a contented sigh.He smacked his lips, reminiscing the sweet and sour taste between his lips and teeth, his body and mind cooled down, and his spirit became much more refreshed.

The jay jumped angrily while holding the empty glass.

Seeing Raven's intoxicated look, the others were also articulate, asking what it smelled like.

"If you want to try sour plum juice, there's more here."

Zhang Tianfen gave each of the guests a glass of sour plum juice, and sighs of relief and satisfaction resounded in the camp one after another. There is nothing more refreshing than a glass of iced sour plum juice on a hot summer day.

The guests were amazed, where did the cold things come from on a hot day?

"It's been said that it's the witch doctor's supernatural power." Jay quickly replied, "The witch doctor is the descendant of Nuwa, and she has powerful supernatural power!"

Seeing the clansmen looking at each other, not knowing why, Jay was a little proud, and told the story of Nuwa mending the sky in a slightly ostentatious tone.

Zhang Tian didn't say a word, quietly watching the jay pretending to be aggressive.

He looked up and saw that the cloud had not dissipated, and it started to rain again. He couldn't see the sky, and he couldn't preach properly.

After listening to the story, Hong Yuan was so shocked that she couldn't speak. Turning her head, she saw that the witch doctor was playing with the flames. The flames sometimes blazed and sometimes died down, changing into various forms...

There was awe in his eyes.

He suddenly thought, the reason why this group of foreigners are not afraid of us may be very simple, they think we are not a threat!
If this witch doctor is as powerful as Nu Wa in the story, she doesn't need to be afraid of anyone, she can kill all enemies easily!
Thinking of this, Hong Yuan couldn't help feeling a little thankful that she didn't act rashly yesterday, otherwise, their fate would not be any better than these ashes.

"The raven should have brought my words to you."

The sky maiden's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"If you have come to me for confirmation, I can assure you that we have no intention of taking your turf."

"We will stay here for a few days. If you are willing to give us some necessary supplies and guide us through the forest, we can leave here earlier, so you can feel at ease."

"If you have concerns, it doesn't matter. We will be on our way as soon as the rain stops."

The sky maiden's sincerity, the red kite, could feel it.

He didn't feel the slightest malice from this group of foreigners. They really didn't come to grab the territory.

Hongyuan made a judgment.

After confirming this, he said: "I know that migration is not an easy task. I heard that you are from the far north and have crossed the vast grasslands. I admire your courage and I am happy to give you a certain amount of support." help."

"However," he changed the topic, "you must know one thing, crossing this forest will be more difficult than crossing the grassland, much more difficult!"

Zhang Tian made a brief translation for Lin Yu, and both of them heard something in Hong Yuan's words, and put on a gesture of wanting to hear more about it.

Hong Yuan said in a very serious tone: "Recently, the wild beasts in the forest have been extremely violent. Some large wild beasts will actively attack our hunters and even attack our camp at night. This is not a common occurrence in the past. It's been happening a lot lately. Do you know the Rockcastle people?"

Seeing the other party nodding, Hongyuan continued: "The rainy season is here. A few days ago, the rock castle people who stayed in our tribe tried to cross the forest and return to the rock castle tribe. The road they took was traveled by countless people, and they had never been out before. However, they were attacked many times and many people died.”

"Just yesterday, yesterday, they were forced to turn back. According to them, those beasts seemed to know that they were going to go that way, gathered a large group, and rushed forward like desperately. scare them off."

Speaking of this, Hong Yuan swallowed with a little panic. He didn't witness such a scene with his own eyes, but even just listening to the story of the people in the rock castle is enough to be horrifying.

Zhang Tian couldn't help but frowned.

If this statement is true, it is indeed very abnormal.

Wild beasts generally do not take the initiative to attack humans. In fact, seeing a monster walking on two legs at first glance, even a tiger, would give you a shock. Let alone a group of two-legged beasts, even the most ferocious beasts would shy away.

As for the camps that attacked humans, it was even more unimaginable to gather together to ambush passers-by and charge forward without fear of death.

Hong Yuan said: "In the past, when the rainy season came, people from Rock Fortress would come across the forest to live with our tribe. We are happy to take them in. They are young and energetic, and they are willing to undertake a lot of hard work."

"Witches also say that men who have just grown up are not polluted, and their spirits are so pure that they can make a woman give birth to a healthy and strong child."

"But this rainy season, until now, no rock castle people have arrived, not a single one. I think they must have also been attacked by wild beasts!"

Zhang Tian understood what he meant: "Do you want to say that we may also be attacked by wild animals on the way through the forest?"

Hong Yuan nodded and said: "I know that you are not afraid of wild beasts. You have a large number of people, and the witch doctor has powerful divine power. You must have never been attacked by wild beasts along the way. But the wild beasts in the forest... They are different, and they have become more and more different recently. It's the same, I can feel it. Don't underestimate them, or you will suffer a lot!"

Zhang Tian didn't mean to belittle, on the contrary, he attached great importance to the information provided by Hongyuan.

If what Hong Yuan said is not exaggerated, the beasts in the forest often attack humans in a premeditated and organized manner, which is definitely their biggest threat!

But... can the beast really do such a thing?
He asked some more details, and the more he asked, the more outrageous he felt.

Humans in this era don't know how to fight in an organized and disciplined manner. Not only do wild beasts do it, but they also know how to cooperate with multiple arms. The "air force" and "army" cooperate with each other to launch attacks. The story is as counterintuitive as common sense.

But because of this, Zhang Tian felt credible.

Hong Yuan's tone and demeanor didn't seem to be joking either, and Zhang Tian didn't think there was any need for him to lie.

"You want to go through the forest. We can provide you with supplies. The Rock Castle people are happy to lead the way for you. When you successfully pass through the forest and reach the other side of the forest, I believe the Rock Castle tribe will also warmly entertain you. However, This is a very dangerous journey and I hope you are prepared."

Hong Yuan was very frank. In fact, he could completely conceal this information and let them have an encounter with wild beasts on the way through the forest. Both sides would lose and lose. This is the best result for the riverside tribe.

If it was Zhang Tian, ​​maybe he would have done it.

Primitive man obviously did not think of such a trick.

Of course, it is also a good choice to disclose the information after confirming that these uninvited guests are not malicious.

Judging from the current situation, the wild beasts are the serious troubles of the riverside tribe, and they have long been unbearable.

It would undoubtedly be a great thing if the Sky Clan could defeat the beasts in one fell swoop on the way through the forest.

Zhang Tian and Lin Yu exchanged opinions.

"It seems that something is wrong with this forest." Lin Yu said, "But we seem to have no choice."

Zhang Tian understood what she meant. The forest must be traversed. As long as they pass through this forest and mountains, what awaits them is the vast and fertile North China Plain.

They've gotten here and there's no reason to back down.

What Zhang Tian can do is to minimize the risk as much as possible.

Hong Yuan is not a witness to the incident, first-hand information must be obtained from the people of the rock castle, it would be even better if she could witness the attack of the beast with her own eyes.

"All the way here, my people are very tired. We are not afraid of wild beasts, but we need to rest for a few days, and we need to replenish some supplies. It is best to have a shelter that is safe and comfortable enough."

Hongyuan was a cheerful person, and immediately said: "You can go to our tribe! You will get a good rest, I promise you!"

Zhang Tian smiled and nodded, this was exactly his purpose.

……

Early the next morning, everyone set off for the riverside tribe's camp.

Although later generations always say that autumn is the harvest season, in fact, summer is the most fertile.

Overhead, the dense canopy of trees overlaps, and the foliage has changed from a light green in spring to a deeper hue in summer; on the ground, shade-loving plants grow freely in the dark understory. Especially luxuriant and eye-catching, three-step clusters, five-step clusters.

Ferns are one of people's favorite ingredients, and the women harvest them unceremoniously and put them in the panniers.

Birds sang from all directions, gnats, wasps and bees scurried through the forest, and ants crawled on the leaf litter, carefully avoiding hairy jumping spiders and slow-moving millipedes.

A colony of snails lay wantonly on the damp leaf litter, and they had probably been partying together before sunrise: entwined in a mating position, gray and white flesh churned together.

Snails are a good snack, and they are hard to eat, and they can keep noisy children quiet for a long time, so women also take them in a litter.

Walking through the dense primeval forest is not a pleasant thing. Although Lin Yu, holding a red stone, is immune to the sweltering temperature in the forest, he cannot block the damp moisture. On the contrary, due to her low body temperature, the water vapor gathers on her The body was condensed, and after walking for a long time, the clothes were soaked, and the water could be wrung out with a light twist.

Fortunately, Hong Yuan finally led them out of the forest.

A wide river appeared in front of everyone. The water flowed slowly from west to east, dividing the forest into two parts. When the sun occasionally poked its head out from the cloudy clouds, sparkling waves appeared on the river surface.

This is the mother river on which the people living by the river depend.

The number of people gradually increased, and long and narrow canoes floated on the river.

This kind of simple boat made by hollowing out the center of the trunk made everyone feel very surprised.

Love to join in the fun is one of the manifestations of developed social skills. Hearing that a group of exotic visitors from the far north have entered the forest, fishermen who have nothing to do will row their boats to see it first.

Of course, there are also people who are on guard. Although not all of them, Zhang Tian still senses some hostility.

Everyone traveled upstream along the river, collecting and hunting the animals and plants on the way. When the tribe's camp by the river was in sight, the ingredients for today's meal were ready.

(End of this chapter)