Chapter 124: The Tribe of Survival of the Fittest

"Qinghuan, don't be afraid, I'm fine."

Nan Qinghuan only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ying was okay. Damn, that Rongdi swooped down from the sky to attack them. Luckily Ying just pushed her aside, otherwise she would have been captured.

"Rongdi."

Rongdi landed deftly on the ground, and seeing Nan Qinghuan glare at him fiercely, he was a little puzzled. He had just saved her—why was she so hostile? Could it be… she already knew he had captured Ying's people and pretended to rescue her? "Nan Qinghuan, we meet again."

"Rongdi, you're so despicable; who wants to see you?"

She had originally been grateful that Rongdi saved her, but upon learning he had captured people sent by Ying and pretended to be a hero to win her favor, she thought the man was too scheming.

Rongdi squinted slightly, then managed to say, "Heartless little thing."

He wasn't afraid of being surrounded by Wolf Clansmen, nor did he want to argue with Nan Qinghuan any longer; seeing that she was still alive, his mood inexplicably improved.

He surveyed Ying, then glanced at the Wolf Clansmen here, and couldn't help sneering, "Ying, I knew it was you who helped these people. Doing this, how sad must your mother be?"

Seeing Rongdi sowing discord here, A Guo tried to speak up for her son, "Ying, don't listen to his nonsense. Your father has always cared about you and your mother, but he…"

"Enough, stop mentioning my father; you're not worthy."

Ying shouted, and A Guo instantly fell silent, looking pitifully at Na Yao, a helpless look flashing in her eyes, "Na Yao, mother is useless, can't help you."

Na Yao saw Rongdi stirring trouble, drew his Iron Spear and pointed it at him, "Rongdi, dare you fight me?"

Rongdi glanced at Na Yao, seeing his eyes blazing as if he wanted to devour him, and couldn't help sneering, "Na Yao, do you think you're still the same as back then? Your teeth are no longer sharp; those Insects have taken away your ability to eat people. To me, you're now worthless."

"If you dare insult my son, I'll kill you."

"Mother."

Suddenly, A Guo lunged at Rongdi, but Rongdi abruptly reached out and clamped A Guo's throat, "Looking for death."

"No."

Nan Qinghuan tried to intervene, but Rongdi had already crushed A Guo's throat. Instantly, fresh blood streamed from A Guo's mouth, and Rongdi tossed her body onto the ground like a discarded rag.

"Mother."

Na Yao rushed over, snatched A Guo's corpse, cradled it and sat down, gently rocking her, "Mother, Mother."

With her last breath, A Guo glanced at her son; she wanted to say something but couldn't, her gaze pleadingly fixed on Nan Qinghuan beside her.

"Help…"

"A Guo."

She also lunged over, crouched beside A Guo, seeing her mouth filled with fresh blood; she naturally knew how forceful Rongdi's blow had been. She trembled, reached out to touch A Guo's neck, but found… the neck was broken.

"Go on in peace; the Wolf Tribe will not perish."

"Thank you."

A Guo actually thanked her, then fell silent.

"Mother, mother, don't leave. I have no father, I cannot lose you, mother."

Na Yao kept sobbing, but A Guo still died with eyes wide open, staring blankly at Rongdi. A gust of wind blew, instantly extinguishing the Bonfire.

The bleak moonlight bathed everything here; Na Yao gradually calmed down, gently closed A Guo's eyelids, then suddenly rose to his feet.

"Rongdi."

The voice, filled with Rongdi's seething hatred and fury, "I will kill you."

Na Yao, with a thunderous surge, held his Iron Spear and charged at Rongdi. Seeing this, Nan Qinghuan shouted, "Na Yao, stay calm."

She wanted to pull Na Yao back, but that would be certain death; Na Yao instead shoved her away forcefully, causing her body to tilt and nearly fall to the ground.

"Qinghuan, are you okay?"

Ying wrapped her in his arms to keep her from any harm, but Nan Qinghuan seized his arm, "Ying, stop him quickly, he'll die."

Seeing Nan Qinghuan care so much about Na Yao, Ying's expression became complicated, which left Nan Qinghuan a bit bewildered; the man's gaze seemed off.

"What's wrong?"

"You care about Na Yao?"

Nan Qinghuan: "…"

What the hell is this? She stayed silent, Ying's gaze grew colder, Nan Qinghuan was about to explain but was cut off by Ying with a bite, "If he can't defeat Rongdi, he doesn't deserve to be Wolf Tribe Chief. Qinghuan, that's the tribe's rule: the law of the jungle—no one can help him. If he can't hold this place, even if Rongdi doesn't seize the tribe, other tribes will come to take it. So the only one who can help him is himself."

Ying naturally knew she had nothing to do with Na Yao, and he knew Nan Qinghuan was kind‑hearted, but he had to make her understand that living in a jungle tribe, sometimes altruism harms oneself; he had to teach her this.

"Don't meddle in others' affairs."

After saying that, he gently let go of Nan Qinghuan and stepped aside. He seemed uninterested in joining this tribal dispute; he had no interest in the Wolf Tribe. All he wanted was to protect the Ying Tribe and safeguard his own people.

Hearing this, Nan Qinghuan felt helpless. Indeed, she had forgotten the rule that lagging invites being beaten. Ying was right; if Na Yao lacks the ability to protect the tribe, this place will eventually become meat in someone else's mouth. Yet… she couldn't stand watching her people die before her eyes. She had witnessed Rongdi's ruthless cruelty tonight, and she also thought Ying's words weren't entirely correct; he didn't understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold.

If Rongdi were to annex the Wolf Tribe, the Ying Tribe would also be in danger.

But clearly, now is not the time to discuss such grand principles with him.

"Chief, be careful."

Suddenly, a Wolf Clansman shouted at Na Yao, and Rongdi's wing struck Na Yao, sending him teetering toward the ground. Everyone's breath halted… "Chief."

In an instant, Na Yao twisted sharply, kicking Rongdi's wing away; the wing being Rongdi's weakest spot, he winced and stepped back a few paces.

Rongdi, furious, leapt up and kicked at Na Yao. Na Yao couldn't withstand it and fell back several meters; his leg gouged a long trench in the ground, and even so he rolled onto the earth.

Rongdi seized the opportunity and lunged, intent on tearing him apart!

"Chief."

The tribespeople, in despair, dared not even look, when suddenly Nan Qinghuan shouted, "Na Yao, take the Spear and strike his eyes."

Hearing this, Na Yao instantly sprang up, seized the Spear and lunged at Rongdi's eyes. Rongdi, hearing Nan Qinghuan aiding someone against him, suddenly spread his wings and charged at Nan Qinghuan.

His voice rang with fury.

"How dare you help someone kill me?"

"Qinghuan, be careful."

Ying, to protect Nan Qinghuan, also fought Rongdi, and Na Yao joined the battle. Soon, with Na Yao and Ying cooperating, Rongdi could not stand against the two.

He lost!

"Rongdi, are you still fighting?"

Ying straightened his spine and coldly stared at him; the moment he struck, that Rongdi was no match, Rongdi's wings stained with fresh blood, yet he, unwilling to lose, half‑kneeling on the ground, with a snarling face, twisted his head to look at Nan Qinghuan, blood at the corners of his mouth, but he cared not, and instead grinned at her, "So this is the idea you were using?"

Nan Qinghuan realized that her scheme to anger him had been seen through by Rongdi; she also pretended to know nothing, hurried forward to check the two, Ying was unharmed, and Yao only suffered a slight injury.

Finally, they're not fighting anymore.

She looked at Rongdi, recalling that he had just killed A Guo before her, and she shivered, "Rongdi, you lost."

Rongdi gave her a deep look, then shifted his gaze to Ying beside her, sneering, "The two brothers colluding against me, even if one of you wins, it's not glorious. Ying, aren't you the one who doesn't meddle in the wolf clan's affairs?"