Chapter 403: The Plight of the Barbarians

"Our living conditions are too harsh; water is a scarce resource, and we cannot be so wasteful..."

Having said this, the man bowed deeply.

"Many thanks for your great help, benefactor. If you don't mind, please allow me to take you to our tribe to properly host you!"

As his voice fell, the others behind him also bent over and bowed, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

They had the air of people who would not lift their heads unless they were followed.

Su Chen was startled by their appearance, and after coming to his senses, he could only laugh awkwardly twice.

"It's fine, it's fine, don't blame yourselves for this."

Su Chen hurriedly waved his hands, then continued, "Shall we go now then?"

Upon hearing this, the man revealed an honest smile and immediately led the way in front, like a silly puppy.

"Are we really going to the Barbarian tribe now?"

Lv Luo could not help but say, watching the people ahead treat them like honored guests, and for a moment, she felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Perhaps because this place was exceptionally backward, their folkways were very simple and honest, unlike the scheming and intrigue in other places; they only knew that if one received a favor, it must be repaid.

The group twisted and turned until they reached the edge of the forest; looking from afar, countless simple tents stood there.

Seeing the group, a young boy in the lead ran inside excitedly, and soon, a large crowd of people came rushing out.

"Meng Yong, you're back!"

A somewhat aged middle-aged man looked at Meng Yong with excitement; his skin was dark, and a scar ran across his right cheek.

Many Barbarians followed behind him.

Soon, they saw Su Chen and his group behind Meng Yong and instantly stopped in their tracks, looking somewhat vigilant.

Meng Yong walked up to the middle-aged man with familiarity and patted his shoulder: "Father! I'm back. Thanks to these benefactors for saving me, otherwise I would have been dragged into the seabed by those insidious Sea Clan."

This middle-aged man was none other than Meng Yong's father—Meng Huo.

"What? How could there be Sea Clan there? Didn't Xiao Shu say..."

Meng Huo realized there were outsiders present and did not continue the topic.

He sighed leisurely, slowly patted Meng Yong's shoulder, and said: "It's fine, as long as you returned safely, nothing else matters."

As his voice fell, he cast his gaze toward Su Chen and the others.

The clothing of Su Chen and his group was exceptionally exquisite, and each of them was remarkably fair-skinned; one look and it was clear they were not Southern Barbarians.

For some reason, Meng Huo suddenly felt a sense of inferiority, and even his usually large frame hunched over a little.

"Many thanks to you benefactors. We will definitely do our best to repay your life-saving grace, but our poor place... has nothing good to host you with, I only hope you will not mind."

Meng Huo said awkwardly.

Just then, two children suddenly ran out, and as if they had not noticed Su Chen and the others, they rushed directly into Meng Yong's arms.

"Brother, you're back! Did you find anything to eat?"

The little boy said in a milky voice, but due to long-term malnutrition, his cheeks were already sunken, his lips were chapped, and he was thin and small.

Meng Yong's expression softened, and his voice became unconsciously much gentler.

"Brother didn't find anything today either, but tomorrow he definitely will. Today we can still eat the previous rations, and tomorrow there will be food," Meng Yong said. The child heard this and was somewhat disappointed: "But we have already..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was scolded by Meng Huo: "No nonsense, we have guests."

He abruptly cut off the words the child had not finished, but Su Chen also knew that the living conditions of the Barbarians must be extremely harsh.

Natasha had a soft heart, and seeing this scene, she could not bear it and took the initiative to take out some Spirit Fruit and hand them to the child.

"Little one, big sister has some fruits here; if you are really hungry, eat some."

Natasha's voice was soft, and she was even more beautiful, which made the child freeze instantly.

He hesitated for a while, but he was truly too hungry, so he carefully took the fruit and said in a sweet voice: "Thank you, big sister. Are you a fairy from heaven? You look so pretty."

The child's words were pure and innocent, and Natasha could not help but laugh.

Seeing this scene, Meng Huo could not help but frown: "These are big sister's things. How did I teach you before? You cannot take other people's things; food is very precious, and they are your brother's life-saving benefactors!"

Upon hearing this, the child immediately wanted to return the fruit to Natasha, but Natasha would not accept it and hurriedly refused.

Seeing Natasha insist, Meng Huo could not help but sigh, and in the end, he let the child keep it.

The child did not eat the fruit immediately after getting it, but instead hugged it carefully.

"Mother hasn't eaten for a long time, I want to take it back for Mother to eat."

These tender words touched not only Natasha but also the others deeply.

Before coming, they had imagined the situation of the Barbarians, but they never expected it to be so difficult.

Clearly, according to rumors, the Sea Clan and the Barbarians were not exactly evenly matched, but they should not have ended up so miserable.

It seems that the cause of this result could only be the work of that envoy of the Heavenly Dao Great Emperor.

Thinking of this, Su Chen took out his Storage Ring and handed it to Meng Huo: "There is some food and fruit here; take it and distribute it. Don't refuse me; this is a matter of life and death, and I have plenty of these things."

Meng Huo waved his hands repeatedly: "You already saved Meng Yong, which is already a great favor. If we were to accept your things, I wouldn't be able to convince myself."

His expression was not very good, but it was full of gratitude.

He knew the plight of the Barbarians all too well, and it was precisely because of this that they knew if they accepted, they would have nothing to repay with.

They were like a bottomless pit, only taking in and never giving out.

"What are you saying? Perhaps there will be a time when we need your help. Don't be polite, just take it," Su Chen laughed.

Meng Huo knew the situation in his tribe and really needed it, so he gritted his teeth and accepted it.

"Benefactor, thank you. In the future, if there is anything you need us to do, we will definitely go through fire and water, and we will not refuse!"

After Meng Huo finished speaking, he handed the food to Meng Yong and told him to distribute it.

Meng Huo led the group into an empty tent, which would be their residence for the next few days.

It must be said that the living conditions of the Barbarians were truly harsh; just on the way here, they had seen countless sallow and emaciated children and men.

"Since you are so lacking in water sources and are also suffering from the harassment of the Sea Clan, why not consider moving a bit further into the forest to avoid their disturbances?"

Lv Luo could not help but ask out of curiosity.

There were also many birds of prey in the forest, which could fully meet their supply needs.

(End of this chapter)