Chapter 112: The Courage to Live

What Xia's actions and thoughts were, naturally, was not something Feng Zi needed to consider.

He certainly did not mind helping someone out, but that did not mean he was a head steward who took care of everything.

After confirming the safety of this place, he left only the minimum amount of consciousness on this Incarnation, with his main thoughts shifting back to his true body.

Of course, with his increasing familiarity with the Incarnation Technique, Feng Zi had by now gradually mastered the knack of multitasking, or even multi-tasking with several things at once.

Therefore, he could have completely avoided such an unnecessary act.

But for these youths and children who had lost their homeland and their loved ones, they truly needed time to lick their wounds.

Thus, Feng Zi very considerately left this occasion to them—

Dozens of miles away, beside a common campfire, Feng Zi slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing this, Qingyang hurriedly asked: "How is the situation? Were you able to save those people?"

On the way back, Feng Zi had already explained his line of reasoning to his companions.

But because the mastermind of this Beast Tide was a Nascent Soul Great Demon, the group, aside from Qinglin, did not actually hold much hope.

Feng Zi did not keep them in suspense either, smiling as he replied: "Although it was a bit risky, I did indeed succeed; the young people and children of the Mu He Tribe have all evacuated."

As he spoke, he smiled and patted Qinglin's head:

"This is also thanks to Yue Yu; her presence made that Great Demon quite wary and unsure of my identity, which allowed me to fish in troubled waters and achieve complete success."

Facing Feng Zi's praise, Qinglin was very pleased and naturally rubbed against his palm.

This answer was quite incredible, but after more than two months of traveling, Qingyang could already unconditionally trust in Feng Zi's abilities.

Seeing Qinglin playing around with Feng Zi as if no one else were there, Lu Hanwen cleared his throat and asked:

"What are your plans for next? Are you continuing south to visit that Golden Core Qi Refiner?"

Regarding this question, Feng Zi naturally already had arrangements in his heart:

"There is no need to rush the visit to the Golden Core Qi Refiner; after all, we have plenty of time.

"I promised the old chieftain that I would protect the Mu He Tribe for five years, allowing them to possess the strength to protect themselves."

Hearing the time span of "five years," Qingyang could not sit still immediately.

Feng Zi naturally saw this, and he smiled and shook his head, signaling the other party not to be too hasty:

"Of course, this is my promise and has nothing to do with our journey; after all, I only need to leave behind an Incarnation to handle these matters.

"This is what I am thinking—we will first rendezvous with the people of the Mu He Tribe and rest for a few days before continuing our journey south.

"There are two reasons: first, with us sitting in command, they can get through the most difficult first few days;

"Second, in a place where one can rest with peace of mind, it is also better to recuperate one's spirit and physical strength."

Feng Zi's considerations were reasonable and logical, and Qingyang immediately had no objections.

At the same time, the other party secretly felt remorse in his heart:

"Qingyang, oh Qingyang, why are you so impatient? When has Fellow Daoist Cun Xin ever made a decision without using his brain?"

Of course, the reason Feng Zi was willing to agree to the old chieftain's request, and even went so far as to let his companions accompany him in this "foolishness," naturally had deeper considerations:

In this savage world, their group certainly could not just act recklessly; they also needed to possess a "base" worthy of trust.

That said, places that could meet Feng Zi's requirements were naturally few and far between.

And the Mu He Tribe, reborn after the catastrophe, perfectly satisfied his needs:

In terms of strength, the Mu He Tribe was originally the most powerful tribe in the surrounding area; even if they were now severely damaged, as long as they recovered for a few years, they would certainly rise again;

In terms of the level of trust, facing their "benefactor" who had shared their trials and tribulations and was willing to extend a helping hand when the tribe was at its most vulnerable, what could be closer than this kind of relationship?

Of course, these overly realistic reasons were somewhat difficult to bring to the table, so Feng Zi did not say them out loud.

But seeing the thoughtful expressions of Lu Hanwen and Li Shou, Feng Zi understood that the two of them had mostly already grasped his intentions.

Just like that, the group extinguished the campfire and, under Feng Zi's guidance, headed toward the location of the Mu He Tribe.

……

Time gradually reached the hour of noon.

As the sun rose to the high heavens, the people who had fallen into a deep sleep woke up one after another.

For a time, the many emotions suppressed by the sudden turn of events and the overnight trek surged into the hearts of these youths and children.

No one could calmly and peacefully accept this fact, and the group immediately burst into tears.

They understood that in order for them to survive, the elders in the tribe had sacrificed their own lives.

Those people were none other than their parents, uncles, and elders; humans are not made of grass or wood, and no one would willingly swallow this bitter fruit.

But most people understood that they could only rebuild the tribe here now:

Only by living well could they be worthy of the elders who died for them.

Otherwise, what could they do? Charge back in a fit of rage, only to die meaninglessly in the Beast Tide and waste everyone's sacrifice in vain?

But not everyone thought this way—

Many hot-headed youths and teenagers wiped the tear stains from their faces, rushed in front of Xia, and clamored together:

"Brother Xia, we cannot let their blood flow in vain; what is the point of living on so miserably?"

"Brother Xia, when did we become cowards? I am not reconciled!"

"Brother Xia, as long as you give the order, we will go back immediately and avenge the chieftain and the others!"

At first, Xia did not stop these people:

Because this youth understood that everyone had lost their closest relatives and their tribespeople, and the emotions blocked in their hearts always needed to be vented.

Letting them shout and vent the anger and unwillingness in their hearts was always a good thing.

But gradually, the words of these clamoring people became more intense and more excessive.

When one person shouted, "Why can't we call on Cun Xin?", Xia could no longer hold back.

This youth, who bore the heavy responsibility of the chieftain, swung his fist and knocked them all to the ground.

Facing this scene, the clamoring people were stunned, and those lost in grief to the side were also stunned.

"You bastards! Listen to yourselves, what kind of bastard talk is this?!"

Xia raised his head and looked around, his calm tone containing an almost irrepressible fury:

"Are you the only real men? Are you the only ones who want revenge? Do you think I don't want it?"

"But can you get revenge? No! As you are now, you would only be throwing your lives away for nothing!"

"I am telling you clearly, no matter what you think, the elders are already dead; from today on, we are the Mu He Tribe."

"The old patriarch handed you over to me, asking me to lead you to live well, so you must live like human beings for me, and don't let the dead elders watch a joke."

"Death is not scary; if you really want to die, there is no need to cross the river—this is the Mu He River right here, just tie a stone to your feet and commit suicide."

"And what is this about calling on Cun Xin to go die? That person was willing to save us and even willing to stay and guard the tribe for five years; that is already a massive favor!"