Chapter 69: Clever Scheme to Solve the Problem of Not Eating Enough

Nan Qinghuan knew he was angry; the man indeed dotes on him, but when it comes to dealing with the tribe members he has his own methods, he dislikes getting involved, yet she, as a modern person, cannot stand by and watch.

She was about to speak when Axi gently grabbed her arm and said, "Qinghuan, no. According to the rules you have no right to take part in Ying's handling of the tribe members. Qinghuan, shall we go first?"

Youchao Xuan also knew the Ying Tribe's rules and didn't want her to argue with Ying, so he said, "Goddess, let's go back and prepare first. I want to see how you turn that salt water into a snow‑white treasure?"

"Yes, Oumu, let's go back. You have no right to help Ayuan. Ying hates tribe members fighting over food the most; it's everyone's share, everyone has it, no one has anything special."

"Yes, Sister Qinghuan, let's go."

"I'm not leaving."

Nan Qinghuan stubbornly stuck to her view; she wasn't afraid of Ying's anger. She glanced at Ayuan, who was about to be dragged away, and said, "He may be wrong to steal things, but that reveals a problem. Ying, the tribe's members still go hungry and cold; that is your responsibility as Clan Leader. Do you think killing him ends the matter? It won't stop people from stealing food; in fact it will happen again. The tribe's population keeps growing while the food remains scarce, and they will still go hungry."

Nan Qinghuan's words struck Ying's heart like an axe; he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, his sharp gaze filled with complexity. He hadn't expected Nan Qinghuan to oppose him on Ayuan's behalf. His snake‑like teeth clicked, as if restraining something; if it were anyone else, he would have beaten him already.

"Go back."

A Mu, seeing the two about to argue, stepped in to soothe, "Qinghuan, go back. Listen to Ying; we females cannot take part in tribe affairs; this is Ying's own matter."

"A Mu, I know women's status is low, but I can't stand his callous disregard for life. Ayuan is at fault, but the fault lies with us; we failed to let the tribe eat and clothe themselves, which caused this. If we only solve it today by killing Ayuan, what will happen to his women later, what about the unborn offspring? Have you thought about that?"

It must be said, A Mu was stunned by her words; indeed, they hadn't considered what would happen to Ayuan's females after killing him, or what would become of his offspring.

Ayuan, seeing Nan Qinghuan speak for him, kept bowing his head and said, "Goddess, please save me; I only want to snatch some food for the females and the offspring."

Nan Qinghuan's gaze turned cold toward Ying. "Ying, I know you're angry, but what I say is also true. I have a method here that can double your hunting, so that more beasts are killed and the tribe can eat their fill, and today's incident will never happen again."

When those words left her mouth, Ying looked at her with a complicated expression; he had just considered Nan Qinghuan's point, and indeed she was right—the tribe's hunger was his responsibility as Clan Leader.

But what method does Qinghuan have to let them double their catch? "What method do you have?"

Nan Qinghuan looked around and indeed found a plant called Datura. She tore the Datura off and handed it to Ying, saying, "This is called Datura; don't be fooled by its pretty flowers, its root has a narcotic effect. If you crush it and smear it on your arrows, it will cause the prey to abandon fleeing for a short time, allowing you to capture more animals. If you don't believe it, you can try it now."

After saying that, she handed the Datura to Ying and then looked at Ayuan, "Get up. From now on, stop stealing things, understand?"

Ayuan dared not stand; with Ying here, how could he? He remained kneeling, unwilling to lift his head. A Mu, seeing this, hurried forward to soothe, "Ying, Qinghuan's words also make sense, look…"

"Dashan, Ji Lei, go test it and see if Oumu's words work."

When those words were spoken, Dashan and Ji Lei hurried off with the Datura to experiment. Ying's sharp gaze fell on Ayuan, "I'll spare you today. All of you, go back. Huaner, it's time to return."

Ayuan, seeing he wasn't eaten by wolves, suddenly knelt before Nan Qinghuan, "Thank you, Oumu, thank you, Oumu."

Nan Qinghuan could not bear the flattery and moved to help him up, but seeing Ying's jealous gaze she gave up, "Alright, don't thank me. Get up quickly. If you really want to do something for me, go to Devil Spring and fetch a few barrels of salt water. I recall the females in your family make wooden barrels, right?"

Ayuan hadn't expected Oumu to know everything. "Yes, they make wooden barrels. Oumu wants me to fetch salt water—what is salt water?"

【5】 "It's the water from Devil Spring; bring it to the cave entrance for me; I'll use it."

"It's the water of Devil's Spring—if you fetch it and place it at the cave entrance, it'll be useful to me."

Ayuan, having been saved, was naturally grateful, "I'll go right away, I'll go right away."

After she left, everyone dispersed. She knew Ying was angry and wouldn't dare provoke her, "I'll go back to the cave first…"

Ying suddenly lunged forward and hugged her; Nan Qinghuan screamed, "Hey, what are you doing? Let me down quickly!"

Ying held her whole body against his shoulder, then gently placed her on the Stone Bed. He suddenly pounced on her, with a punitive feeling, continuously kissing her neck. His warm breath kissed her lips and wouldn't let go; finally, after Nan Qinghuan was completely lying on the Stone Bed, Ying released her.

Her breathing uneven, she opened her eyes wide and looked at him, "Don't stare at me like that; I'm only trying to earn merit for you. Ayuan's crime isn't worthy of death."

Ying, fearing he might hurt her, propped himself on his hands, his expression complex as he looked at her. Seeing the soft rise of her chest, he couldn't help wanting to savor her beauty, but Nan Qinghuan reached out to stop him, feeling an uneasy sourness in her lower abdomen, "Stop, my stomach hurts, I feel uncomfortable."

"Stomach?"

Ying suddenly noticed her skirt was stained with fresh blood; he was terrified, grabbed her, and said, "Huaner, you're bleeding a lot, what should we do?"

Nan Qinghuan, prompted by his reminder, realized her period had started. "Oh dear, what now?" Seeing Ying's worried face, she found the man oddly cute, and gently patted his head, "Don't be scared; it's just menstruation, not a big deal. Go call Axi for me."

"Axi, she can help you; wait and don't move."

Seeing Ying's nervousness, Nan Qinghuan suddenly wanted to laugh; the man who had just been fierce enough to kill Ayuan now seemed adorably silly.

She covered her abdomen and breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness she wasn't pregnant.

Soon, Axi was practically dragged over by Ying. When Axi arrived, Ying was still nervous, "Go quickly and see, Huaner's butt is bleeding."

Axi's cheeks flushed instantly upon hearing, and she immediately stepped forward, took a dark piece of Beast Skin from the pile, and handed it to Nan Qinghuan, "Sister Qinghuan, use this."

Nan Qinghuan, seeing the dark object, was bewildered, "Axi, what is this?"

Axi hurried forward, "It's for the lower part. Qinghuan, your bad luck has arrived; you can't stay in Ying's cave. You must go to the forest house for isolation. When women of our tribe come, this is kept there."

"What, you have to isolate just because you got your period?"