Chapter 219: The Golden‑Shining Rice

Rongdi squinted slightly, this kid dares to refuse him? Gu Lang's heart leapt to his throat; it's not that he doesn't want Ji Nü, it's that he doesn't dare to take her!

If the chief ever changes his mind, the unlucky one will be him.

"Are you sure you don't want her?"

Gu Lang was about to speak when, suddenly, not far away, Duo Luo's voice rang out, "Chief, Ji Nü has disappeared."

Hearing that Ji Nü is missing, Rongdi was unconcerned, "Did she go pick fruit? Where could she have gone?"

Duo Luo, a friend of Ji Nü, was angry upon hearing that Rongdi wanted to give Ji Nü to Gu Lang, "You took her body but won't marry her, yet you still want to give her to Gu Lang. Rongdi, how can you be so heartless? Ji Nü to you…"

"So what, my Omega could never be her. Where could she run?"

Duo Luo seemed to understand; Rongdi was still thinking of that female? "Chief, let me advise you: you can never get Nan Qinghuan; the Heavenly Book says so, and you aren't…"

"Shut up. Whoever mentions that name again, I'll eat her."

Rongdi's anger was terrifying; he turned and left. Duo Luo wanted to intervene, after all she and Ji Nü had been friends since childhood, and she also wanted Ji Nü to stay with Rongdi.

"High Priest, don't go."

"You trying to stop me?"

Duo Luo thought Gu Lang was spineless.

Gu Lang shook his head, "Don't go. Actually I've known for a while the chief still likes that female. Where Ji Nü ran, I'll go find her."

Duo Luo was a bit worried; that proud Ji Nü had always wanted to be Rongdi's female, and now… "I'm afraid she went to the Ying Tribe."

"What would she do at the Ying Tribe?"

Duo Luo clenched her fist.

"To challenge Nan Qinghuan to a duel."

"What?"

The dusk lowered as the setting sun sank.

In the forest, insects chirped and birds called. When Nan Qinghuan and Axi were led by Ge Gen to a swamp, she was shocked by the scene before her.

This place she had never been to, hard to traverse, but the treasures here… were too exhilarating!

In the swamp, lush golden rice stalks grew, the rice ears drooped into the marsh, and when the wind rose they swayed.

The rice blossoms spoke of a bountiful year; she had an illusion of returning to modern society.

The ancient era actually had rice.

The setting sun fell, the heavy rice stalks hung and swayed in the wind, and a rustling sound rose.

Those rice grains weren't as long as modern rice ears, but to her they were treasures.

She never dreamed that outside the Ying Tribe's forest, rice would appear.

"It's rice, really rice."

She sprinted wildly toward the rice, even shouting couldn't express her joy.

"Qinghuan, be careful, this ground will eat people."

Nan Qinghuan, hearing that, immediately said cautiously, "You all help me take these rice away."

"Rice?"

Axi and Ge Gen stared at each other, bewildered; Axi had seen those things before, they weren't rice.

"Qinghuan, you're mistaken. This isn't rice; it's Wheat Seedling Rope, our people use it to make rope; it's not a treasure."

"Indeed, Spirit Woman, these things aren't treasures."

"You…"

Truly a waste of precious things.

The ancient people used rice to make rope; such waste.

Nan Qinghuan carefully pulled a rice ear into her hand; some grains were not plump, but it was indeed rice.

Great!

"Great, now everyone will have staple food."

Axi thought she was being foolish, "Qinghuan, don't be silly, this grass rope can't be eaten."

Nan Qinghuan began to explain, holding the grains, "Silly Axi, look, the rice ears on top are just big rice; once you remove the husk, that's it. You turned those rice ears into grass rope?"

Axi nodded in shock, "Yes, this stuff on top is useless and falls off; we are…"

"Fool, this is a treasure; now we can grow rice and eat fragrant Da Bai rice."

Thinking of that, she wanted to jump for joy; now the tribe has corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and now rice.

The ancient rice, truly wonderful!

Axi still didn't understand; as an Ancient Person, she naturally didn't know what rice was, nor what fragrant rice meals were.

"Qinghuan, is it as tasty as bamboo shoots?"

This silly girl comparing bamboo shoots to rice, truly… "Even tastier than bamboo shoots."

"No way?"

Axi felt she couldn't accept it.

Ge Gen also didn't get it, "Rice? Spirit Woman, I still don't understand what this thing is."

"Not understanding is fine; I'll teach you. Come, let's take all these rice ears back."

That day, the three—Nan Qinghuan, Axi, and Ge Gen—pulled all the rice ears back; when they returned, dusk had already settled.

The night fell, Axi felt scared, "Qinghuan, what do we do now that it's dark?"

The night was full of danger; they wanted to leave, but Qinghuan insisted they bring all the rice home. She didn't know its use, just followed her.

"What are you scared of? Watch me."

She muttered under her breath, then a miracle occurred: two glowing insects rushed toward them in the black night, hovering high above their heads, and instantly everything lit up.

The kudzu root, upon seeing this scene, was also stunned; this Goddess really does have ability.

"Qinghuan, what kind of divine power is this?"

"Divine power?"

Nan Qinghuan smiled, "Silly girl, this is a treasure Ying gave me, called Xiao Bai and Da Bai; they are Firefly. In the future, when you can't see at night, you can Summon them to illuminate. Remember, when we were building the Tulou, Ying also Summoned them; that glowing cluster was the Firefly?"

Axi naturally remembered; that time they thought Ying had gotten some treasure, but it turned out to be… called Firefly? "Qinghuan, Ying is really good to you; he gave all his treasures to you."

"Let's go quickly."

The three of them walked toward the Tribe; when they reached the Forest, suddenly, the kudzu root that had been active in the Forest for years seemed to have discovered something.

"Not good, there's the scent of a beast."

When they came over today, they hadn't called the mountain spirit, so now the three of them are walking in the Primeval Forest, and danger surrounds them.

Hearing that there was a beast's scent, Axi was very worried, "Qinghuan, what should we do?"

"Don't be afraid, we have Firefly; this beast fears light. Hurry, once we exit this Forest we can see the Tribe; there we'll be safe."

It must be said, Nan Qinghuan's courage is growing; she fears no beast, and this is Ying Tribe's territory. If they didn't return, Ying would certainly come looking for her. The two cute Firefly illuminated the path. The three quickly emerged from the Forest, and suddenly they saw ahead… Axi's eyes widened, "Qinghuan, what is that?"

The night sky hung low, and within the Rongdi Tribe a blaze of Bonfire illuminated everything.

The tribe members were gathered around the Bonfire eating food; everyone was exhausted after a day's labor in the fields, yet the tribe seemed somewhat averse to farming, their enthusiasm low.

And after only a day of work, they all came to the Rongdi to vent their grievances.

"Leader, let's go pick fruit instead; this kind of land is so tiring, my butt hurts."

"Yes, leader, my hands are sore too; when will these things we plant be edible? Better to go pick fruit."

"Leader, these seeds won't sprout and grow; better to cook and eat them."

Within the tribe, everyone had something to say; Rongdi, listening to these complaints, grew angry, "Silence! You can't handle a little fatigue. How do the Ying Tribe survive?"

At that moment, Rongdi felt his tribe members were useless and needed to be disciplined, otherwise they'd all be worthless trash.

Scolded by him, the tribe members dared not speak. Seeing the silence, Rongdi lowered his voice, "I'm doing this for everyone's good. If we don't change, what will we eat when there are no animals? We'll have to eat bark and grass roots?"

Many years ago, their tribe ate bark and grass roots, but they stopped long ago; he didn't want to return to that time.

The tribe members, frightened by him, gathered around, "Leader, is it that serious?"

Rongdi began brainwashing, "Farming is tiring but yields great results. Haven't you seen the Wolf Tribe? They survived by farming. Listen carefully: anyone who doesn't want to farm, get out of the Tribe. The Mountain Tribe doesn't keep waste. Understand?"