Chapter 542: To Run or Not to Run Is the Question

Hearing that there was no food, the faces of the Uk tribe people changed. This morning the Snow Moon Tribe handed out two Ye Cai Zi to each person, and everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—it seemed the Snow Moon Tribe treated slaves differently from their own tribe; at the very least, they hadn't done any work today, yet they still received food to eat.

But upon hearing the males' words, a suspicion rose in their hearts—could those two Ye Cai Zi given this morning have been meant to give them strength for work?

If the Snow Moon Tribe males could hear their thoughts, they would surely nod in agreement—wasn't that exactly what the Beastman Sirs said when they had us distribute the food?

Under the intimidation of the managing males, the Uk tribe group nervously walked into the grass thicket taller than themselves; at first they were very careful, looking left and right, wary of poisonous insects and beast snakes that might attack them at any moment, but after pulling out a blade of grass, they found no danger at all—around them, even the calls of insects had ceased.

They couldn't help reaching into their hides to feel the medicine pouch; their eyes lit up. 'What a great thing!' they thought. 'With this medicine pouch, we need not fear losing our lives.'

In the grass thicket, several Uk tribe males silently moved closer to one another...

"How about we go together?"

"I think we can make it; we have this medicine pouch, so the insects and beast snakes in the thicket won't attack us, and besides, those Snow Moon Tribe males can't see us."

Several people looked at the thin male standing at the edge: "What do you think?"

The thin male glanced at Ying Ze sitting on a large rock outside the thicket: "The males overseeing us can't catch us, but the Beastman Warriors can—if it's just us few, they'll capture us again in a moment."

"What do you mean, then?"

Upon hearing that, several people involuntarily furrowed their brows.

The thin male gave a sly chuckle twice: "Running away on our own would be too obvious; better to take this opportunity and have all our clansmen flee together—with more numbers, the Beastman Warriors won't be able to catch us."

Several males' eyes lit up instantly, and they nodded in approval: "This plan is fantastic—what about us few?"

The thin male glanced at them: "We few shouldn't stick together either; when the time comes, each will run his own way, and if we survive, we'll meet back at the tribe."

Upon hearing that, the several males also knew this was the best plan—if they scattered while fleeing, their chances of escape would be far greater than sticking together.

At that moment, they exchanged a glance and then dispersed to do the tribespeople's work.

Under the cover of the tall grass thicket, the atmosphere among the Uk tribe members clearing the thicket changed; everyone unconsciously sped up their movements and began heading deeper inside.

"Sir Ying Ze, these Uk tribe slaves really work hard."

The male in charge of management looked at the large tract of land that had been cleared and said happily.

Ying Ze narrowed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, then told the male: "Go tell the surrounding tribespeople to hide carefully and prepare to capture people."

"Capture... capture people?"

The male stared, then seemed to realize something; he looked in disbelief at the Uk slaves hard at work, his eyes full of anger: "Could they still be planning to run away?"

Ying Ze gave him an amused look: "Hurry up—be careful they don't all run off."

The male glared fiercely again at the Uk slaves pretending to work, then took off running toward the ambush site he had arranged earlier.

Having been notified, the Snow Moon Tribe males who had already lain in ambush around the Long Grass Field received word from their companions, and they grew even more hateful toward these Uk slaves.

Meanwhile, the Uk tribe members gradually advancing into the interior of the Long Grass Field were still unaware that their little thoughts had been detected, and that the other side had already set up an encirclement waiting for them.

Seeing that the Snow Moon Tribe males outside and that Beastman Warrior were already far away, and confirming they could no longer see them, the Uk tribe males burst forth like birds from a cage, swarming outward in all directions.

"Uncle, are we falling behind? Once they've run out, our slow speed will surely get us spotted."

A young voice rang out in the grass thicket—it was a three-person team.

When everyone began to flee, they were still at the rear of the tribe and had not reached a safe distance.

The older male took a few steps, then with both hands stopped his two companions beside him: "Don't run."

Beside him, a male of similar age panted and looked at his elder brother: "Big brother, if we don't run now it'll be too late—we won't be able to leave."

The young male also looked anxiously at his uncle, not understanding why the uncle had stopped them.

The older male sighed and looked at them: "Do you really think the Snow Moon Tribe hasn't made any preparations?"

His younger brother, hearing that, blinked: "Big brother, what do you mean?"

The young male seemed a bit sharper; perhaps he had thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and his gaze toward the outside of the grass thicket also carried a hint of fear.

The elder brother rubbed his younger brother's head: "It seems you've thought of it too—if the Snow Moon Tribe feels safe letting us clear this Long Grass Thicket, why wouldn't they have prepared? Perhaps as soon as we run out we'll be caught by the Snow Moon Tribe members hiding around."

By then, the consequences awaiting us would be too dreadful.

The young male and his father's faces changed drastically: "What should we do then? This might be our only chance to escape."

The elder brother turned and walked back to the place where they had been working: "Let's find a spot the tribespeople haven't visited yet and continue clearing the thicket; if the Snow Moon Tribe people ask about other tribespeople, we'll say we don't know."

The young male and his father glanced at the forest outside, then at the uncle who had turned back, gritted their teeth, and followed him.

After the uncle's words, their hearts also filled with heavy unease, and they gradually realized things weren't as simple as they had imagined.

Time passed second by second; the three worked while keeping up with the time, and at the same time pricked up their ears to listen to any movement around.

"Uncle, why is there still no movement? Have the tribespeople already managed to escape?"

The young male leaned close to his uncle and whispered.

Yet seeing his uncle's hands still moving, he spoke calmly: "Don't be anxious—it's only been a short while; the Long Grass Field is so large, gathering all the captured tribespeople together also takes some time; once they notice we're missing, they'll surely come here to look."

The young male and his father exchanged a glance, could only suppress their inner anxiety, and continued working.