Chapter 108: Aerial Acrobat

Acai had been here for two days and had already figured out Ying and Nan Qinghuan's past; Nan Qinghuan used to be arrogant and overbearing, doing whatever she wanted in the tribe, and Ying would protect her in everything, even when she was wrong.

This time she stopped a tribesman from marrying, violating the Tribe Rules, and Ying was completely disillusioned with her.

But she still wasn't reassured.

"Shiva said it's true—Nan Qinghuan really can't come back?"

A fleeting uncertain expression crossed Acai's face; Shiva looked at her meaningfully, and with flies buzzing around, she suddenly reached out, grabbed one, and shoved it into her mouth.

Ate it!

"Your chance has arrived"

After saying that, Shiva produced a bamboo tube from behind her rear and handed it to Acai, "Give this to Ying to eat; perhaps tomorrow you'll be our tribe's new Oumu."

Seeing the item, Acai was delighted; she reached out, took it, opened it and gently sniffed, "Hehuan Incense?"

"I've prepared enough of it for you; the opportunity is yours, the rest is up to you."

Acai beamed with a smile and hid the bamboo tube, "Thanks. I'll have a Wolf Clansman deliver what you want, but it can't appear in the tribe; Ying's tribe and the Wolf Clans have a misunderstanding, so we should be cautious."

Thinking that she would soon be with Ying, Acai's eyes brightened considerably.

Hearing her promise, Shiva's eyes flashed with desire, "Where do we get that thing?"

Dusk hung low, and a setting sun gradually slipped down the western hills.

The horizon blazed with splendid twilight clouds, large birds flitted overhead, and the Primeval Forest lay as tranquil as a maiden.

When Dashan and Nan Qinghuan rode Xiao Guai to a hilltop, Dashan only then dismounted from Xiao Guai's back and looked at Nan Qinghuan, who was riding a wild deer.

"Oumu, this is the Misty Forest."

Nan Qinghuan lifted her gaze at the winding forest and frowned slightly; it turned out this place was so far from the tribe, and she couldn't understand why punishing the tribesmen meant sending them to this cursed spot—better to just kill them outright.

True love is a hassle.

"You go back; I'll go in alone, no need for you to watch over me. Rest assured, I won't run away. I've tried here; I can't escape."

Dashan still worried about her, "Oumu, be careful. Don't worry—when you return, I'll persuade Ying; perhaps tomorrow he'll come to fetch you back."

Thinking of the tribesmen abandoned here, Dashan felt a lingering dread; those who hadn't received Ying's forgiveness could only remain and become prey for beasts.

Whenever Ying was mentioned, Nan Qinghuan was full of grievances; this time she no longer wanted him.

Love whatever it is.

She slowly dismounted from the wild deer's back, glanced at the gloomy forest opposite, its dense foliage bathed in sunset, like a devil's gaping mouth waiting to devour her.

She listened to the various mournful sounds from the forest—human cries, animal noises, and some unknown eerie wails; even the bravest would feel a chill and want to flee.

Nan Qinghuan suddenly laughed at herself, "He already sent me here, which says it all; he wants me to fend for myself. He won't come for me, and I don't want to see him again."

She left that remark and turned to go; Dashan opened his mouth to explain, "Oumu, actually we all see how Ying dotes on you, but this time you violated his taboo."

"Taboo?"

Nan Qinghuan turned her head and gave him a cold stare; Dashan tried to speak for Ying, but she didn't want to hear a word, "I'm leaving."

Leaving that remark, she clutched her pack and headed into the forest; Dashan couldn't bear the misunderstanding, "Oumu, wait—I can tell Ying isn't angry because you stopped Azi's marriage; he's angry because you took the Herbal Medicine. Do you know how much he wants a offspring?"

His words made Nan Qinghuan pause, but she didn't look back, "So what?"

Dashan knew she didn't understand Ying's situation: "Our tribe has a rule—Ying has been Clan Leader for five years; if he hasn't sired an offspring within ten years, he must find another female to mate, and then Heavenly Father will personally select the female for him, leaving him no choice."

Hearing this, Nan Qinghuan's heart thumped, and she turned to look at him, "What did you say?"

"What kind of broken rule is this that I didn't know?" "Ying didn't tell you?"

Nan Qinghuan thought of that barbaric man—he's aloof and self‑willed, decides everything, never backs down; how could he have told her these things? Yet... she was truly heartbroken now, and didn't want this relationship to continue.

When he lets himself come here to fend for himself, she can't go on.

The sound of wind rose, bringing a hint of bleakness, as if mocking her.

"Dating a wild person—where does the courage come from?" "These things don't matter, I'm leaving."

After she left, Xiao Guai kept howling behind her, and the animal seemed spiritually attuned, as if reluctant to let her go.

Nan Qinghuan felt a tight knot in her chest, and her steps grew larger.

The forest indeed felt oppressive; upon entering, a wave of dampness rushed at her, and on the muddy ground she saw many skeletons.

She shivered and stopped instantly; she recognized the bones—they belonged to monkeys and antelopes, thankfully not humans.

Continuing deeper into the forest, she increasingly realized how bizarre it was—airtight, tangled roots forming a massive net that tightly enveloped her.

She looked ahead and saw no end; she didn't know how many tribesmen were being punished here, and now she too had become one of them—truly tragic.

She walked deeper into the forest, and when she grew tired she found a spot on the ground to sit, drenched in sweat and feeling bewildered; recalling Dashan's words gave her an urge to cry.

Why, why did she and Ying end up like this? It's sad, but she still has to keep living.

She planned to find a place to stay; with her wilderness survival experience, killing her wouldn't be easy. Just as she was about to get up and look for a treehouse or something, suddenly... "Wuwuwu"

Suddenly, a series of ghostly wails and wolf howls echoed from the forest; Nan Qinghuan didn't have time to compose herself and instantly stood up, alert.

All at once, she saw... a pack of wild wolves had entered the forest, surrounding her from all sides; seeing their ferocious eyes, she instantly realized that the so‑called punishment of the tribesmen was simply sending them here to die.

What a Clan Leader of the Ying tribe!

She didn't flinch; calmly she drew the fruit knife she had used to kill several pythons from her waist, held her breath and steadied herself for the final strike. A gust of wind rustled the leaves, and in an instant the place became a prime hunting ground for beasts.

"Wuwu..."

The wolves lunged at her; she shifted, intending to carve a bloody path, when suddenly she saw... a dark silhouette descending from the sky, then attacking the wolves. Its massive wings flapped, terrifying the wolves, which let out a few whines before fleeing quickly.

Seeing the man appear before her, Nan Qinghuan was completely stunned.

"Is it you?"

Indeed, someone came to rescue her, but she hadn't expected it to be him. After all the wolves had fled, the man finally folded his fluttering wings behind his back, turned slowly, and gazed at her.

"Don't be afraid; the wolves have been driven away."

Rongdi's voice was a bit hoarse, yet oddly pleasant.

She stared at them in astonishment, and after a long pause managed to say, "How did you end up here?"