Chapter 131: A Wild Outdoor Corn Feast

Ying was a little worried about Nan Qinghuan, hurried forward and grabbed her arm, his eyes full of concern, "Qinghuan, what do you want to do?"

"Ying, let me try."

Nan Qinghuan's clear eyes made Ying unable to refuse; if it had been before, he would certainly have stopped Qinghuan, but now… he was willing to let her take a gamble. In the days they had spent together, he had also seen her stubborn nature; if he disagreed, she would never be satisfied, and then… "What do you want to do?"

He lowered his voice to ask how she intended to do it, noting that with only a few hundred tribe members, what could sustain them? Nan Qinghuan gave Ying a reassuring smile; this time Ying didn't cling but let her go. He squinted slightly, wanting to see what method Qinghuan actually had.

After gaining Ying's consent, Nan Qinghuan was very pleased. She looked up at Yao, who still wore a wolf‑fang expression toward her. He wanted to scare her away, to make her leave, but in his heart Yao was grateful for everything she had done here; he didn't want her to stay and die with them.

"Stop baring your teeth to frighten me. Your tribe has something I'm looking for. If you can help me find it, I guarantee I can solve your future food problem. I'm not good at fighting, but farming is fine."

"Farming?"

Yao was a bit puzzled but withdrew his wolf‑fang expression; the words also prompted Ying to step forward. He had always known that Qinghuan came here looking for something, but had never had the chance to ask.

"Qinghuan, what treasure?"

Yao sneered. He didn't believe the tribe possessed any treasure; everything that could have existed he had prepared to burn. He intended that Rongdi would get nothing, leaving only scorched earth and a pile of bones.

Nan Qinghuan saw that the two men were bewildered, and she quickly nodded, "Yes, the treasure is actually the corn flower you wear on your heads—that's the thing."

After speaking, she hurriedly took out a few corn kernels from her hand; the tiny kernels stood out starkly in her fair palm, and as the setting sun bathed them, they glowed a golden hue.

"Weapon?"

Yao suddenly sneered, as if thinking she was joking, "Heaven's Daughter, this is the shell we use to make weapons, not any treasure."

"No, you're wrong. This is the treasure, a treasure no tribe has. Where was this thing found, can you take me there?"

Yao still didn't believe her. This hard shell they used with mud to make weapons couldn't be a treasure. "Where was it found?"

She was anxious; if she could find the traces of these corn, would they still worry about hunger? Yao gave her a deep look; Nan Qinghuan's eyes were as clear as crystal. A surge of excitement rose in Yao; though he didn't believe the thing could be a treasure, he agreed, "Fine, I'll take you to look."

Soon, Nan Qinghuan and Ying, under Yao's lead, arrived at a place where wild grass had regenerated. The grass grew so luxuriantly that it towered over a person.

Yao pointed with his finger to the regenerated grass area, "It's inside here; these shells and thorn flowers are what the tribe members retrieved from within."

"Thorn flower? You call corn flower a thorn flower; what use is it on your heads?"

She didn't understand, seeing many men wearing them, wondering what purpose they served. Yao found her cute and smiled, "In our tribe, unmarried males wear thorn flowers; it's a courting method. If a male likes a female, he gives her the thorn flower as a token."

"What, corn flower has that function?"

She seemed to understand; indeed the tribe's customs were many, and corn flower could serve as a love offering.

It's truly amusing when you think about it.

"Then I'll go in and see."

She wanted to see the situation inside; the weather now seemed like mid‑July. If the corn inside were ripe, that would be great, and the tribe could temporarily solve their food problem.

When Ying saw Nan Qinghuan about to go in, he quickly grabbed her. She was so petite that she could be swallowed by the grass, and according to his experience, there would surely be wild beasts inside.

Very dangerous.

"Qinghuan, let me go. Tell me what it looks like, and I'll find it for you."

Nan Qinghuan naturally knew Ying didn't know what corn looked like. She shook her head, "No, you've never seen corn; even if you saw it you wouldn't recognize it. So you carry me inside, and I'll look?"

Carrying Nan Qinghuan was Ying's favorite thing to do, so he was naturally willing. Nan Qinghuan was petite and light; bearing her felt as easy as walking on flat ground.

Without hesitation, Yao brandished his Iron Spear to clear the way, and Ying, carrying Nan Qinghuan, walked inward. What Nan Qinghuan didn't expect was that the grass concealed something extraordinary.

What Yao called a patch of wild grass turned out to be a vast Medicine Mountain. Inside she saw yam vines, countless wild sour fruits spread across the hills, and… my god, what is that? She felt her breath nearly stop.

So exhilarating!

In the nearby grass, rows of corn with crisp leaves grew, their slender stalks swaying in the wind like a maiden's skirt.

Beautiful beyond words.

"Corn, this is the corn—great, the tribe is saved!"

Nan Qinghuan was so excited she wanted to leap off Ying's back. Ying watched her joy with helplessness; was that thing really corn? What use was it? After she jumped down, she ran toward the corn like a madwoman, while Ying and Yao simply stood and stared.

Yao's gaze grew increasingly scorching; he spoke sourly, as if with a hint of regret.

"How did she end up following you?"

Ying, hearing that, was incensed; he gave a cold side glance, his eyes brimming with pride, "Qinghuan is my Omu, my Heaven's Daughter; of course she follows me."

Yao merely sneered, his gaze sweeping him, "Your temperament is violent; she shouldn't…"

"Enough. I'm willing to change slowly for her. As for you, think carefully how to deal with Rongdi; don't scheme on Qinghuan, or else…"

Ying's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he coldly looked at Yao, "If Rongdi doesn't break through here, I won't let you go either."

Anyone who dares to make a move on Nan Qinghuan will surely regret being alive.

Dropping those words, he rushed forward to see what Nan Qinghuan meant about the corn. Yao was neither hurried nor impatient; he didn't take Ying's words to heart. On the contrary, his gaze at Nan Qinghuan grew even hotter.

Perhaps he still had a chance, didn't he? Nan Qinghuan cheered in the cornfield, "Ying, look quickly, there are so many corn here. Go call the tribe to bring them all back; tonight we'll give everyone a hearty meal."

That many corn would be enough for the tribe to have a full meal, with leftovers. She also saw many still flowering, which meant… the tribe wouldn't be hungry for a while.

Ying, seeing her bring down a few green buds, frowned with doubt, "Qinghuan, can this thing be eaten?"

No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem edible.

Nan Qinghuan was speechless, "You quickly help me continue."

Her dress had been torn inside the Cave to block the smoke; now the remaining fabric could only cover her hips and thighs, unable to carry so much corn.

The corn was fresh, just edible; though the kernels weren't full and the growth wasn't perfect, being wild it was already good. For the Wolf Tribe, these wild mountain corn were a hope for survival.

That night, beside the Wolf Tribe's Bonfire, the air was filled with the aroma of boiled corn and roasted corn—truly a mouth‑watering scent.

The tribe members were called to squat before the fire. Since they lacked iron pots and only had stone cauldrons, Nan Qinghuan had the biggest stone pot brought over, then added water and boiled half the corn.

The rest were skewered for roasting, and some were saved for tomorrow.

The tribe members stared at her, doubting that the shells were edible. A Lei stepped forward cautiously, squatted, and looked at her. His eyes sparkled, "Heaven's Daughter, can this thing be eaten? Could it be poisonous?"

Nan Qinghuan, about to roast the corn, almost burst out laughing at A Lei's words.

"Poison?"