Chapter 53: Pepper Sauce Conquers the Old Ancestor's Taste Buds

"What audacity!"

That old witch suddenly flew into a rage, and then, with a wave of her hand, a bat unexpectedly attacked Nan Qinghuan. She instantly retreated a few steps, somewhat frightened. What the hell was that thing? "Huaner!"

Ying suddenly reached out and grabbed the bat. Seeing that he was actually helping this female, the old woman said, "You've gone against everything! Do you know what you're doing?"

Ying ruthlessly threw the bat into the fire pit, then looked coldly at the old woman. "She is my female and I should protect her. Old Ancestor, the tribe's affairs have nothing to do with you. Dashan, escort the Old Ancestor out."

"Ying, how could you treat A Yue like this? For an outsider you cut off both her hands. Do you know that A Yue is the Shamaness? Without hands, how can she conduct the Ritual?"

The woman speaking was chattering nonstop. Only then did Nan Qinghuan carefully look at this woman—why did she somewhat resemble A Yue? "Ji, A Yue violated the Tribe Rules and I punished her according to the rules. As Clan Leader, what I do is none of your business to teach me."

"You're not wrong. Old Ancestor, did you hear that? This Ying has already been bewitched by this White-skinned Female. What do you think should be done?"

The Old Ancestor then grew furious. "Dashan, tie that female up and drag her out for the Ritual!"

Hearing this, Dashan didn't know what to do either. He looked at Ying with difficulty. "Ying..."

"Old woman, you have no right to drag me out. I already told you that thunder, lightning, and rain are natural laws. Stop talking nonsense here."

"You brazen female! Ying, is this the good om you found for me?"

Once those words were out, Ying grasped Nan Qinghuan's hand. "Huaner, you must not be rude to the Old Grandmother. She is my A Mu's A Mu. You should call her Old Ancestor."

"Old Ancestor?"

She was stunned. This old witch wasn't from A Yue's family but was Ying's grandmother? What the heck, she'd offended one of her own people? She suddenly smiled, her face full of a desperate will to survive. "Old Ancestor, please don't be angry. If you get sick from anger, no one can take your place. How old are you this year?"

"Audacious! Ying, are you choosing her over the Tribe?"

The Old Ancestor stomped her feet in anger, but this was not the maternal tribe's territory. Ying was the master here.

Ying, to protect Nan Qinghuan, acknowledged no one—not even his own great-grandmother. "Old Ancestor, you should go back. For the rest of my life, I will only acknowledge Nan Qinghuan as my female. No one will ever separate us. These past days, Qinghuan has helped the tribespeople a great deal. She treats their illnesses and teaches everyone how to cook food and brew wine. Old Clan Leader, Qinghuan came to the Ying Tribe to help me."

"She can treat illnesses?"

The Old Ancestor seemed somewhat surprised. Had this White-skinned Female really helped the tribespeople? Seeing this, Dashan quickly spoke up for Nan Qinghuan. "Old Ancestor, Ying is right. Om helped us treat illnesses and even helped women in labor give birth. She also taught us how to brew wine and make pepper sauce and fruit jam. She even went with Axi to gather yams for the little ones to eat. After eating them, they'll grow taller and stronger. Old Ancestor, Om is a good person."

"Old Ancestor, Sister Qinghuan really is a good person. Everything Dashan said is true. The pepper sauce you ate today was made by Sister Qinghuan. Didn't you think it tasted wonderful?"

"That's right, Old Ancestor. Huaner has helped me a lot. She's from the Ape Tribe and brought many things our Tribe doesn't have. Old Ancestor, you can't go against her."

Hearing these words, the Old Ancestor's impression of Nan Qinghuan actually improved somewhat. She remembered the sauce she'd eaten at noon—that flavor had been truly delicious.

"Nan Qinghuan, you made that dipping sauce?"

Nan Qinghuan immediately stepped forward. "Yes, Grandmother, I made it. If you still like it, I'll make you a few more jars next time. How about that?"

"Good, good. Then the Old Ancestor will wait for you."

Upon learning that the sauce was made by Nan Qinghuan, the Old Ancestor's impression of her changed in an instant.

Seeing this, A Yue's mother was in an uproar. "Old Ancestor, what are you doing? Weren't you going to stand up for A Yue? You..."

"Stand up for what? A Yue broke the Tribe Rules and deserves to be punished. Nan Qinghuan, since you come from the Ape Tribe, from now on you must help Ying manage the Tribe well together, so that no other Tribe can bully us. Do you understand?"

"Grandmother, rest assured. As long as I'm in the Tribe for a single day, I won't let anyone from the Rongdi Tribe set foot here and bully our people."

"Good, good. Is there any more of that pepper sauce?"

Nan Qinghuan: "..."

So this old lady had stopped wanting to kill her because she'd been conquered by pepper sauce. It was truly too amusing.

The heavy rain outside gradually stopped as well. Nan Qinghuan personally escorted the Old Ancestor to the entrance. When she left, she even gave her a jar of pepper sauce. She never would have imagined that this old woman was so easy to deal with—conquered by a single jar of pepper sauce.

"Old Ancestor, take care."

The Old Ancestor was more and more satisfied with her. She took a small, crystal-clear bird from her hair and handed it to Nan Qinghuan. "Take it."

"This is?"

"This is a treasure. It's the Old Ancestor's eyes that I've raised for many years. With it helping you, you won't get lost no matter where you want to go. In the future, help Ying build the most powerful Tribe. How about it?"

"Good."

She hadn't expected this Old Ancestor's ambition to be so great—to build the most powerful Tribe... Quickly, she gently placed the little bird in the palm of her hand. The little bird had a crystal-clear body and glittering wings, and looked about the same size as a hummingbird.

Suddenly she felt it seemed very familiar. "Is this a Green Phoenix Bird?"

This kind of bird was tiny, yet it was called the compass of ancient times. It could determine directions, and even if a magnetic field failed, it could still identify directions. But it had gone extinct as early as the Cretaceous period.

She hadn't expected to gain such a treasure. How wonderful. With this bird, wouldn't it be much easier to escape next time? "Thank you, Old Ancestor."

"Hehe..."

The Old Ancestor left fully satisfied. She quickly hid the little bird away. Axi and Dashan were so envious they nearly cried when they saw her. "Sister Qinghuan, you're truly amazing. The Old Ancestor originally came to make trouble for you. Who would have thought she'd like you so much and even give you a treasure? With this treasure, you won't get lost anymore."

Nan Qinghuan said nothing. She noticed that A Yue's mother kept glaring fiercely at her, and only then murmured, "Your daughter got her hands cut off because she deserved it. If you're smart, go back and keep an eye on her. Make sure she stops harming people. Otherwise, next time what she loses won't be her hands—it'll be her life."

"You..."

A Yue's mother didn't dare say more. Her backer had been bought off by pepper sauce—what else could she say? After she left, Ying suddenly came in from outside the Cave, grabbed her in his arms, hoisted her over his shoulder, and strode toward the interior of the Cave.

"Huaner, you truly are my Goddess..."

"Hey, put me down. Put me down."

A suggestive atmosphere gradually filled the Cave.

Inside the Cave after the heavy rain, the air was damp and fresh. Beneath the Bonfire, Ying gently set her down. The two sat cross-legged, gazing into each other's eyes. This was the first time in all her time here that she had sat so quietly with Ying. Ying's breath was fervent, yet he tried hard to suppress it. He wanted to adapt to his Huaner, rather than making her adapt to him every time.

"Ying, thank you for everything you've done for me."