Chapter 297: The Request to Leave

Witch Doctor looked at the little female he had raised since childhood, his eyes full of helplessness and indulgence, "You, I'll keep my promise to you. But if she truly is as good as you say, even without my saying so, the chieftain would keep her."

After all, she's a female; although there are many females in their Tribe, the males still outnumber the females by more than double.

Hearing the Witch Doctor say that, Axiang instantly smiled with curved eyebrows, "I was just worried the chieftain would be like a few years ago, when clearly Bai Lian…" It was also liked by everyone, but the chieftain still found an excuse to forcefully drive the person away.

It was still the rainy season then, so the road was hard to travel.

She hadn't finished speaking when the Witch Doctor cut her off; his smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a serious expression.

In a warning tone he said, "Axiang, whatever about Bai Lian or not, you are not allowed to mention that name in the Tribe again, let alone in front of the chieftain. Got it?"

If anyone else besides Axiang had spoken before him today, it would have been other beastmen, and he would have already sunk his face into a scowl.

However, Axiang still harbored resentment about Bai Lian from back then, and upon hearing the Witch Doctor say that, she stubbornly replied:

"It's always like this. What exactly happened between Bai Lian and the chieftain back then? You always hide it from us, as if we're all fools? Hmph!"

The Witch Doctor saw her throwing a tantrum, and his own anger flared, but for some reason he suppressed it and, though still irritated, said:

"Didn't I say the female you were supposed to look after has already woken up? Then why are you just standing there? I'll go check how her body is recovering; if you're fine, go find the chieftain and have him get some fresh meat."

That female suffered such a great injury; if we don't supplement her this cold season, I'm afraid she won't survive until next year.

Axiang was initially puzzled by the Witch Doctor's suggestion to have her go find the chieftain, but after hearing his words she immediately stood up, "Is her condition that serious? Then I'll go find the chieftain right now."

Having said that, before the Witch Doctor could call her back, she had already vanished from his sight.

Seeing Axiang being easily coaxed away with a few words, the Witch Doctor sat there shaking his head helplessly, realizing he'd have to pay extra attention again next year.

As for that very beautiful female, a heavy pang and headache flashed through the Witch Doctor's mind.

The incident involving Bai Lian back then in the Tribe—could it happen again in the Tribe?

Their Tribe is just a tiny tribe on the continent; a tribe like this, how can it protect a female with such decent looks? Even if she were willing to conceal her appearance to stay in the Tribe, how could they guarantee that such an accident wouldn't happen again?

Alas!

……

When Yun Li saw Axiang's Witch Doctor, she almost thought she had mistaken the beastman, because the "Old Uncle" that Axiang mentioned, who is over a hundred years old, looked like a young beastman, only his eyes still revealed that he was not in his youthful prime.

"I heard from Axiang that you can read and write, which is perfect; I also studied the outside script together, so it makes our communication easier."

"Since Axiang is not here, there are some things I can now tell you without her hearing."

Seeing Yun Li nod and pick up the fire‑dried wooden board to write on, the Witch Doctor waved his hand at her, "Listen to me first; what I say next may sound harsh, but it's for your good and for the Tribe's good."

"After all, you really are as beautiful as Axiang said."

Even though she has endured hardships, her youth and the gratitude conveyed by her gestures make her beauty earn sincere approval at first glance.

Yun Li sensed something from his last sentence; she furrowed her brow for a moment, and before the Witch Doctor could speak again, she wrote a few large characters on the board.

"Do you want me to leave?"

The Witch Doctor stared blankly at the characters on the board, not only because Yun Li had guessed what he was about to say, but also because of the beautiful handwriting she produced.

At least, he and Gong certainly couldn't produce such characters.

This made the Witch Doctor vaguely suspect that Yun Li wasn't that simple, but the lesson Bai Lian brought back then was still vivid.

"Yes, the Tribe cannot protect a female with a appearance like yours."

Even though compared to Bai Lian she seems a bit inferior, she's still not a beastman the Tribe can keep.

Yun Li gave a slight nod, without asking why, and wrote on the board, "I have my own Tribe, my Beast Husband and my cubs waiting for me to return."

So they need not worry that I will stay and cause them trouble, even though I don't understand how they cannot accommodate a beautiful female here.

But as an old saying goes, weakness is the original sin; without sufficient strength, no matter how pretty the face or how useful the tools in hand, you cannot protect anything—it's all in vain.

When the Witch Doctor heard her words, his previously calm and stern expression relaxed a bit, and he asked, "Do you still remember how you came to us? Our Tribe is located at the border of Dongyuan and the Western Desert; do you recall where your own Tribe was?"

Being able to mention the border of Dongyuan and the Western Desert already proves many things; Yun Li's gaze toward the Witch Doctor suddenly held a few more hints of expectation.

"I come from Heiyan Shanmai; have you heard of that place?"

Seeing the Witch Doctor frown at her writing, Yun Li quickly placed the board beside the fire pit, re‑dried the water marks, and wrote again on the board.

"I want to know whether there are any big mountains near the Tribe; I fell into the water and was swept here."

Therefore, her current location shouldn't be far from Heiyan Shanmai; otherwise she would be a Green-rank beastman and would have died long ago.

Water entering the body is no small matter; the Green Rank energy provides basic protection, enough to keep her alive for a few days and nights in water, so her own Tribe cannot be far.

However, to Yun Li's disappointment, the Witch Doctor still shook his head, "I've never heard of Heiyan Shanmai. As for whether there's a big mountain nearby, our Tribe does have a mountain nearby, but it's just a small hill, and that area is occupied by ferocious beasts, so we've never heard of any beastmen living there."

"Then where did you find me?"

When Yun Li saw the Witch Doctor deny each of her questions, she couldn't help but feel a pang of panic.

But she quickly calmed herself; since the Witch Doctor said there is a mountain, perhaps the Heiyan Shanmai she came from is the one she can visit herself later.

Now the most important thing is to quickly clarify every detail we can; with the Witch Doctor's words plus what Axiang said, Yun Li thought that if she grasped all the facts, she couldn't leave the Tribe immediately, but could find a place to stay temporarily either within the Tribe or nearby.