Chapter 267: Is Nan Qinghuan Here?

Youchao Xuan didn't know how this thing called sulfur could be so powerful, and Nan Qinghuan also didn't know how to explain it, but she guessed.

It must have been that person who did it.

She had to give him a brief explanation: "Sulfur can be used for many things; igniting it is only part of it, it can also be used for more dangerous things."

"Dangerous things?"

Youchao Xuan was very worried; Nan Qinghuan went to pick a leaf and wrapped the sulfur stone. "Our clan members don't know how to use sulfur, but this person is clever; he wanted to use sulfur first to probe where our ambush spot is. Unexpectedly, the strongman couldn't endure it and was smoked out."

"Then it must have been the Rongdi who did it; they've always wanted to know where those people are?"

As they spoke, Ying walked over, and Nan Qinghuan hurried forward: "Ying, are they okay?"

Ying nodded, "They're fine now, Qinghuan, what do you call this thing?"

Ying was very alert; he had to figure out exactly what's going on here.

Behind them, Ashu returned with Asu, "Ying, I chased that person and found this thing in the mud; what do you think it is?"

That sparkling thing Ashu had never seen, and Asu naturally hadn't seen either.

Ashu spread his hands and handed Ying a string of sparkling items; Ying didn't recognize them, just found them odd.

He reached out and took the key, "Where was this found?"

"It was at the place where we attacked them; those people ran away. But I saw they were heading toward the Rongdi Tribe's direction. Ying, they've discovered our defensive spot; we need to find a new place to ambush."

Hearing this, Ying fell silent for a moment, then quickly looked at Nan Qinghuan and handed it to her, "Qinghuan, do you recognize this thing?"

When Nan Qinghuan saw that object, her mind exploded with a bang.

"This… isn't this a keychain? A metal keychain with two strings of sparkling keys on it. She guessed correctly; indeed someone like her had come to this ancient place."

"I understand."

Nan Qinghuan's words left Ying and Ashu puzzled; Ying quickly asked, "Qinghuan, do you recognize this thing?"

Ancient People naturally didn't know any keys, but Nan Qinghuan did; she nodded, "I know this—it was the key we used in our era to open doors. It seems these items were brought by him; only outsiders would know to use sulfur to smoke people."

Ashu and Youchao Xuan didn't understand what that meant.

"What key? What outsider?"

"Outsider, where did they come from, Clan Leader, explain clearly."

Ashu was completely at a loss, but Ying caught on; he was clever.

"Qinghuan, is it that place of yours…?"

Could someone have gotten lost and ended up here? Qinghuan told him she had come here lost.

Then… Nan Qinghuan clenched that string of keys, "I haven't seen him so I can't be sure; everyone be careful, this sulfur will make people cough violently, we should put this thing away for later use. Ying, don't go to Yao Na; I'll take Youchao Xuan and the others there."

Right, in this situation Ying can't leave either. Ying fell silent for a moment, "Then I'll have Dashan follow you."

"No need, it's just a day's trip here and back; I'll return quickly. Be careful with everything inside the clan; I think they'll come again."

And so, Ying looked at Nan Qinghuan and Youchao Xuan with lingering reluctance as they went to the Wolf Tribe; behind them, Ashu hurried forward, "Ying, what do we do now?"

Ying's gaze immediately snapped back, and he resumed his demeanor as Clan Leader.

"Today's incident was probably done by that person called Priest."

After saying that, he turned to Dashan, "I want you to find a few people skilled in archery to infiltrate the Rongdi Tribe and kill the Priest."

Dashan looked at him in astonishment, "Kill him?"

A killing intent flashed in Ying's eyes, his breathing grew rapid, "Exactly, kill him."

He felt a sense of crisis; this Priest must not live.

Then he coldly ordered, "Ashu, take a few capable people to secretly protect Qinghuan."

Ashu knew Ying was very fond of the Goddess, and now she was pregnant, so he would take extra care, "Don't worry, I'll arrange it."

After they all left, those strongmen were taken away by Axi to be settled; Axi, half a female doctor, now also tends to the clan members.

The autumn wind whistled, a gust blew Ying's hair aside, and he seemed a bit frantic.

His sharp gaze turned toward the distant forest, recalling what Nan Qinghuan had said last time: outsiders.

"Outsiders!"

What if this person is someone Qinghuan knows? He couldn't imagine.

So he must kill this person.

Whether or not he helped the Rongdi expand the tribe, he will kill him!

He feared this person would take her away.

She wouldn't allow it.

"No way!"

Within the Rongdi Tribe, bonfires blazed.

That day, the tribe conquered the You Snake Tribe, and the clan sang and danced in celebration of their increased strength.

Now their corn is about to ripen, the sweet‑potato leaves are lush green, everything is moving in a good direction.

The Rongdi lifted a bowl of Fruit Wine to toast Li Xiang, "Priest, come, drink."

Li Xiang looked at the Rongdi; in the past half month he had helped them capture a tribe, yet the Beastman still hadn't let him go.

It seems he can no longer wait.

"Clan Leader, the Snake Clan has now been annihilated; congratulations, your tribe has become much stronger."

"Haha, then I must thank you, Li Xiang, you are my luck; you can have whatever you want, the females here are also selectable."

After saying that, the Rongdi summoned some women; the leading woman was none other than the Snake Woman, whose tribe had been destroyed, her father dead, her clan captured.

She now looks miserable, having become a slave of the Rongdi.

A row of women stood there waiting for them to choose; the Snake Woman also knelt there, watching the clan celebrate the destruction of her tribe.

Her father's severed head still hung on a branch, dead and unblinking.

Thinking of that, she felt deep regret—why had she agreed to her father's request to seek out Rongdi? Rongdi was ambitious; when he heard they were about to be wiped out by Quan Rong, he didn't expect to wipe them out first…

Thinking of this, she wanted revenge but was powerless.

Now she has become a slave for others' amusement.

Hate glimmered in her eyes, and her heart was also unwilling.

"Father, you can choose any of the females here; they are all high‑grade females who have never been slept with."

He said this with particular emphasis, trying to tell Li Xiang that these females were pure, but Li Xiang merely glanced at those women. He came from modern society, so these women sparked no interest in him, especially since his heart already belonged to someone.

At this point he smiled, "Thank you for the chief's kindness, but I don't like these women; please let them go."

"Uh, you don't like them? Tell me what kind of women the Father likes, and I'll find them for you."

Li Xiang set his bowl down, then stared coldly at Rongdi and said, "I've helped your tribe so much; now I want to ask the chief something, and I hope you can answer truthfully."

Buoyed by the alcohol, Li Xiang's courage grew a bit; he thought that he had earned merit with Rongdi and now sought an answer.

As expected, when those words left his mouth, Rongdi's expression darkened, "What do you want to ask?"

Duo Luo, seeing Li Xiang's boldness, felt a bit worried; although his abilities were great and they all needed him, he couldn't speak to Rongdi like that.

Rongdi despised anyone who was disrespectful toward him the most.

"Li Xiang, you must not speak to the chief that way."

Li Xiang, however, let out a cold laugh, glanced at Duo Luo, and then looked at the Ji Nü not far away.

The woman told her some matters.

"Chief, last time I asked about Nan Qinghuan, you said that person doesn't exist, right?"

Hearing this, Rongdi squinted slightly, and his complexion turned sour.

He suddenly smashed a ceramic bowl; in an instant, everyone stopped dancing, staring at him in stunned silence.

"Chief, calm your anger."

His aura was overwhelming, which made Li Xiang hesitate, but the words had already left his mouth, so he could only grit his teeth and stand up.

He met his gaze.

Rongdi saw that he still wanted to know, and he twitched his mouth, flashing a large front tooth, "You ask about Nan Qinghuan?"

At noon, the Wolf Clan's Tulou bathed in golden sunlight, appearing especially majestic.

Nan Qinghuan led Youchao Xuan and the others to inspect the fields, and during the inspection she immediately spotted a problem.

Yao said the rice he planted wasn't growing well, and she then saw how crowded they were. "Yao, your planting is too dense; you need to space them out a bit, otherwise the rice won't grow tall."

"Space them out a bit?"

Yao didn't understand, thinking that planting more would increase the harvest, but it turned out the seedlings were small and stunted.

Nan Qinghuan realized they didn't comprehend, and pondered how to explain.

She looked at the tribe members, and then had an idea.

"To space them out, think of how uncomfortable it is when too many people are packed together; over time they thin out. The rice follows the same principle, don't you think?"

Yao recalled that when the tribe lived together before, he seemed to grasp something, and said, "Goddess, it's just like people—if they're too cramped they become uncomfortable and don't grow tall. Is that what you mean?"