Chapter 212: The Cannibal Tribe Joins the Ying Tribe

"Chief, we really didn't expect you to come in person to see us. Every rainy season we prepare early; the sweet potatoes and food were saved, but some tribe members were swept away by a flash flood while sleeping."

Ashu wiped his tears as he spoke; those tribe members were his relatives, and watching them die right before his eyes was unbearable.

Nan Qinghuan and Ying exchanged a glance; she understood Ashu's pain. "Ashu, don't cry. So many tribe members are counting on us; we can rebuild the home even if it's lost."

She examined the terrain carefully and saw no problem; this was a settlement prone to landslides. A river runs beneath the tribe, and floodwaters have surged in, reshaping the ravines that the tribe was washed into, leaving everything in disarray.

The standing water on the ground still reached up to the calves; the place was completely flooded.

"Chief, thank you; we will rebuild the tribe."

Ying felt distressed seeing this, because his tribe had been flooded just last year, and he knew the pain of a raging flood.

"Ashu, how many tribe members died?"

"Not many; this time is far fewer than last year. Last year dozens died; this year the dead are mostly elders and a few little ones."

"Sniff, Chief, how will we survive? My child was drowned."

A woman cradling a dead child wept in front of Nan Qinghuan; Nan Qinghuan, being kind‑hearted, could not stand it. The child was thin and small, looking somewhat malnourished, yet its body was rigid in death.

She hurried to the woman, sniffed, and said, "I won't abandon you; put the child down first."

For the first time she felt how astonishing nature's power is; the dead are dead, and the survival of these Ancient People is truly hard.

Ashu, having seen this many times, was now immune. "Chief, Ying, thank you for coming; rest assured, we will rebuild the tribe properly. We're just glad you could come."

"Ashu, how many tribe members remain now?"

Ashu didn't understand why she asked, "Chief, what are you…"

Ying also didn't get why she asked, "Qinghuan."

"How many people are left now?"

Ashu thought for a moment, then sighed, "Alas, not many. Our tribe has always been small, only three to four hundred people now. Chief, what's the matter?"

She thought of a plan in her mind, but needed to discuss it with them.

"Ashu, Ying, I have a proposal; I wonder what you think of it?"

Hearing this, Ying squinted slightly as if he knew what she meant, "Qinghuan, are you saying…"

"Exactly. I've surveyed the terrain here; the Cannibal Tribe's settlement is too low‑lying and gets flooded every rainy season. Though the population is small, the burden is heavy; building a tribe here is not easy. This place is no longer suitable for the tribe to live in. Ying, I think…"

Ying squinted but said nothing, looking at the tribe members lying dead on the ground. Though they were not his own people, they had become brothers, and he regarded them as his tribe.

"Qinghuan, whatever you want to do, do it; I will support you."

This made Nan Qinghuan very pleased, "Really? You are willing to let the Cannibal Tribe people live with us in the Ying Tribe?"

Upon hearing this, Ashu also said to A Bumen, "To the Ying Tribe?"

Nan Qinghuan realized the Cannibal Tribe no longer needed to rebuild; the terrain is too low and floods every year, making it unsuitable for them. So she arranged for Ashu and his people to relocate to the Ying Tribe.

The Ying Tribe's land is expansive; wherever they are given a place to settle, they can survive, since the Cannibal Tribe is now her tribe. Merged with the Ying Tribe, the people living together is bound to happen.

As Ying, he naturally agreed to any person who could enlarge the tribe, and he consented immediately. However, how to manage where they would live, and the land division, were matters he needed to consider.

Ashu, of course, could not have been more eager; the Ying Tribe's life was far better than here. He immediately gathered all surviving tribe members and told them they would move to a new place to live.

From then on, the Cannibal Tribe vanished from the Ancient Land, becoming wholly part of the Ying Tribe.

The bonfire blazed; this was Ashu's last night among the Cannibal Tribe.

Although reluctant to leave his homeland, he had been to the Ying Tribe, which indeed had far better conditions. Moreover, the chief promised to build another earthen house for them to live in, and both Ashu and A Bumen were very pleased with this good news.

They were proud to have such a chief.

After the tribe members gradually left with Ying's people, Ashu finally thought of something: "Chief, Yao went a month ago to help us find tribe members, but hasn't returned. I was worried and wanted to send someone to the Wolf Tribe to inquire, but the rainy season made it impossible for the tribe to go out, causing a delay."

Hearing this, Nan Qinghuan was shocked, "What, Yao hasn't returned?"

Ashu's face was full of worry, "Yes, he hasn't come back. I wondered if he went back to the Wolf Tribe; such a long silence is truly worrisome."

Not returned? Nan Qinghuan quickly looked at Ying, "Ying, has the Wolf Tribe heard any news about Yao?"

Seeing Nan Qinghuan ask about Yao, Ying was clearly a bit jealous, but this time he was magnanimous and not angry.

Ying was somewhat jealous; Qinghuan still cared so much about Yao, yet this time he was magnanimous.

"Don't worry; I'll send someone to check tomorrow."

They were preparing to finally leave the Cannibal Tribe; they would never return to this place. At that moment, the great mountain outside also returned.

"Ying"

"Everyone has withdrawn?"

"The withdrawal is complete; the Wolf Tribe reported that their chief has been missing for a month."

"What?"

Hearing this, Ashu grew even more worried, "He truly didn't return; could he have been captured by the Rongdi?"

Nan Qinghuan thought for a moment, "Ashu, don't worry; first return to the tribe, and then we'll figure out how to find Yao."

This day was a great day for the Ying Tribe; the Cannibal Tribe officially joined the Ying Tribe, and from then on, the Ying Tribe became one of the largest tribes on the Ancient Land.

The Ying Tribe members still welcomed the arrival of the Cannibal Tribe, but where they would live and what they would eat became major issues.

Fortunately, Nan Qinghuan had prepared early; she let Ashu first settle them in the cave they previously lived in. This year, they had worked hard to dig ditches for drainage, so the cave was not flooded and remained habitable.

After settling them, the food issue arose; fortunately, the Cannibal Tribe brought enough provisions to barely get through the month. Now the rainy season is over and every day is scorching sun; Ying ordered a whole forest to be felled, and had Ashu lead the tribe to clear the wasteland.

Fortunately, she reclaimed the kudzu root, and had it teach them taming‑beast techniques. For the first time the tribe learned how to raise wild boars; not only did every household keep pigs, but Ashu's group also raised other animals—goats, hares, and pheasants.

This day, the Ying Tribe was bustling.

Inside the forest, Nan Qinghuan saw everyone working hard, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed she had worried too much—people from the two tribes blended without any discomfort.

The Ying Tribe grew larger; this was her second move, and the third step was to develop production together and enrich life.

Soon, the person who went to the Wolf Tribe, A Qi, returned, carrying a backpack and sprinting toward her, grabbing her hand as soon as he arrived.

"Spirit Woman, our chief has disappeared."

A Qi saw Nan Qinghuan and began to cry; the sight was pitiful.

Nan Qinghuan hurriedly comforts, "Stop crying, Ying has already sent someone to the Rongdi Tribe to inquire; I believe Yao is fine."

"But…"

"Don't worry, your leader isn't an ordinary person, so it's not that easy for something to happen. By the way, how is the wolf clan?"

A Qi, tears streaming down her face, "It's not good; all our land is flooded. Hey, Spirit Woman, why is it dry here? Hey, what is that?"

A Qi had never seen a Tulou; when she saw the towering Tulou standing in her line of sight, she opened her mouth wide and couldn't speak.

Nan Qinghuan knew she hadn't seen it, "Silly girl, that's a Tulou. I originally planned to rebuild one for you after the Rainy Season, but now…"

"Now the leader is missing, Spirit Woman, our wolf clan is counting entirely on you."

A Qi's reverence for Nan Qinghuan is like a surging river; she knows that now the leader is missing, and the wolf clan's fate rests entirely on her.

Nan Qinghuan patted her shoulder, thinking that Yao had built the Tulou for them and then left without saying goodbye; she knows that saying she isn't worried is a lie.

At that moment, Ying strode toward them, "Qinghuan."

She hurriedly ran up, "Ying, what's wrong?"