Chapter 134: Welcome to the Rongdi Tribe

"Plague God?"

"I heard she saved the Wolf Tribe; what could she be if not a Plague God? Our leader was just waiting for the Wolf Clansmen to die out so we could seize the tribe and its land, but we didn't expect this female to rescue the Wolf Tribe."

"Now let's see how the leader deals with her."

"The two female savages tossed those words aside and walked away one after the other; after they left, Nan Qinghuan finally dared to open her eyes. Her head throbbed; it was obvious she had been knocked unconscious."

"Indeed, she had been set up, and it was done by the Wolf Clansman Xiaohei."

"How hateful!"

"She struggled to get up and surveyed her surroundings: the ground was a bed of weeds, some pottery jars lay scattered, and overhead was a thatched hut made of leaves and grass. She had seen this style of house in a cannibal tribe, and it was built atop a Treehouse."

"It was clear that this was the Rongdi's old nest, the Na Shan Tribe."

"Damned Xiaohei, I'll make sure to kill him when I get back."

"She cautiously tried to step outside to look around, but before she could get out, two men suddenly appeared outside and startled her."

"Where are you trying to go?"

"The two men were heavily built, their faces painted with strange symbols, looking ferocious; she stepped back a few paces and asked, \"What exactly do you intend to do with me? \""

"Why would we capture you, Nan Qinghuan? Your life is truly fortunate."

"As soon as those words were spoken, a mocking voice came from behind, and the two men quickly stepped aside to make a path. After the men withdrew, several women entered the thatched hut toward her."

"When Nan Qinghuan saw the women, her heart lurched, \"Is that you? \""

"The woman before her, clad in Beast Skin and a Beast Skirt, was none other than a subordinate of Rongdi; she was called Ji Nü. Nan Qinghuan recognized her, and judging by the woman's swaggering, god‑like demeanor, she seemed to hold a high position in the Rongdi Tribe."

"She wondered, are women in the Rongdi Tribe really that high‑ranking? While she was daydreaming, Ji Nü waved her hand lightly, and the two hulks stepped back. Seeing Nan Qinghuan neither cry nor beg for mercy made her even angrier."

"Nan Qinghuan, welcome to the Na Shan Tribe."

"Nan Qinghuan knew she had to stay calm; only calmness would allow her to leave."

"She cleared her throat deliberately, moved to a spot on the ground and sat, mimicking the savages' cross‑legged posture, and said, \"Your leader invited me to stay in this thatched hut? There's no water, no food—this is the hospitality of your Na Shan Tribe? \""

"Ji Nü understood her sarcasm, \"Hospitality? You think too highly of yourself. Do you believe you're a guest? Let me tell you, you meddled with the Wolf Tribe and ruined the leader's plans. The leader intends to capture you for a Ritual to the Beast God. Nan Qinghuan, this time see who will save you—your Ying can't come, nor can the Wolf Tribe. \""

"Beast God?"

"She remained unhurried, carefully drawing her Fruit Knife, knowing a fight might be inevitable."

"Seeing Nan Qinghuan stay silent, Ji Nü smiled smugly, \"Afraid? No need to be. The way you treated A Yue, this is how we'll treat you—that's fair, don't you think? \""

"A Yue?"

"She knit her brows, seeming to realize, \"So A Yue is the Na Shan Tribe's traitor; she really is a thief crying 'catch the thief'. \""

"Now you realize it's too late, Nan Qinghuan. You sabotaged the leader's grand plan, causing the leader to be beaten by the old leader. Today I'll show you what meddling gets you."

"As soon as she spoke, Ji Nü unfastened a whip from her waist, flicked it on the ground, sending up a spray of dust, then swung it toward Nan Qinghuan."

"Clack! Clack!"

"Nan Qinghuan saw the seriousness of it, sprang up to dodge, but the hut was too cramped; she had nowhere to hide, and the whip was about to strike her..."

"Suddenly, a harsh voice rang from outside, \"Stop! \""

"Immediately, a dark silhouette darted in, grabbed Nan Qinghuan and shielded her; with a snap, the whip struck the person instead."

"Hm?"

"Rongdi let out a low hum, spun with Nan Qinghuan once before sitting down; although his back was bleeding, he still guarded Nan Qinghuan carefully."

"Are you okay?"

"Nan Qinghuan was completely stunned—how did he get here? \"Oh dear, you're bleeding from your back? \""

"Leader, what are you doing?"

"Ji Nü immediately retracted the whip, her eyes filled with sorrow as she stared at the Rongdi before her—he had actually come in to protect this female? A murderous glint flashed in Rongdi's eyes; he rose instantly and scolded Ji Nü, \"Who gave you permission to touch her? \""

"Ji Nü, terrified, immediately knelt; she had struck Rongdi with a whip? \"Leader, I only wanted to punish her—she sabotaged our plan to attack the Wolf Tribe, she... \""

"Get out, Nan Qinghuan is my invited guest; anyone who disrespects her, don't blame me for turning ruthless."

"Rongdi, when he turned ferocious, was truly terrifying; as a Beastman with half his blood wild, his cruelty was enough to shatter bones and scatter ash."

"\"Leader, you forgot that you were beaten by the old leader, it's because she... \""

"Out."

"At Rongdi's command, Ji Nü dared not linger; she snapped the whip back, stomped her massive foot hard, as if venting anger, the soles creaking against the floor."

"Finally, she could only utter a feeble shout, \"Go back. \""

"When Ji Nü left, Nan Qinghuan saw the wings on his back still bleeding; she wanted to point it out, but recalling that he had captured her, she instantly lost any friendly expression toward him."

"Why did you capture me? Let me go back right now."

"Rongdi's back burned with pain; he hadn't expected her first words to be a plea for him to let her go, his face darkened, a beastly glint flashing in his eyes."

"\"I'm trying to save you. Going back—going back to death? \""

"Nan Qinghuan inhaled a cold breath, confused, \"What do you mean by that? \""

"How does returning mean death? She saw Rongdi constantly smiling, his grin deepening, and suddenly widened her eyes with worry, \"Did you send people to attack the Wolf Tribe again? \""

"Did she solve the Wolf Tribe's famine and plague, only for Rongdi to rise again? Upon hearing this, Rongdi burst into laughter, \"Ha ha, truly clever, worthy of Nan Qinghuan. I admire you for saving those peoples and for what you planted on the wasteland—those things are called corn, they're edible, right? \""

"Rongdi had Xiaohei investigate the Wolf Tribe's affairs, assuming that even if Nan Qinghuan eradicated the plague, the Wolf Clansmen would starve without food. He didn't expect her to have found some corn seeds; now the Wolf Tribe's desert is covered with corn."

"Upon hearing this, he naturally planned to plunder; everything the Wolf Tribe possessed would be his."

"Nan Qinghuan knew that provoking him now was useless; she quickly found a spot to sit, thought, then said, \"Indeed, your intel is impressive, but Rongdi, you will certainly fail this time. \""

"Rongdi looked down from his height, his face snarling, \"Failure? Why? \""