Chapter 153: Chapter 153: The Whole Group Dotes on Changxia

“Is that okay?” Chenrong asked hesitantly.

“It’s fine,” Muqin replied. “You take Changxia back to rest. Maple Leaf and Nuanchun too—go get some sleep. We’ll handle the rest.”

After a whole day of busyness yesterday, how could these kids not be exhausted?

Judging by how worn out Changxia looked, there was no way she’d be able to join the morning training. But the tribe was busy this morning anyway.

They could just move the training to the afternoon.

The group of little ones from Mountain Sparrow had been noisy all night too—chances were, they wouldn’t be up in the morning either.

With that, Chenrong didn’t argue anymore.

Yadong and Shankun had gone to Kana Sacred Mountain. Maple Leaf and the others didn’t say much, just followed the path toward the White Lake caves.

“Changxia, can you still walk?” Chenrong asked worriedly.

Changxia was practically sleepwalking, swaying as she walked. Chenrong watched nervously, afraid she’d stumble and fall into the grass at the side of the road.

Changxia forced her eyes open and mumbled, “I’m fine.”

“Chenrong, just carry her,” Maple Leaf said.

Kongshan had also gone to Kana Sacred Mountain. Maple Leaf had originally planned to go back to the tribe—she was still living with her parents. But she figured if she went home, they’d just nag her, so she decided to tag along with Changxia’s group to the White Lake caves, planning to rest for a while at Kongshan’s place.

After all, her relationship with Kongshan was already out in the open, so nothing else really mattered.

She mainly didn’t want to go home because she was worried her parents would start asking when she was going to settle down. In the beast tribe, there wasn’t really a formal marriage ceremony—just living together counted as being joined.

But Maple Leaf still hadn’t made up her mind about moving in with Kongshan.

Chenrong crouched down and let Changxia climb onto his back.

Changxia struggled a bit, then rested her head on Chenrong’s shoulder. She mumbled something, and just as Chenrong leaned in to listen, he heard the soft sound of her snoring.

She’d fallen asleep!

It was instant.

“She’s out already?” Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise.

She’d been about to tease Changxia, but who would have thought she’d fall asleep in a second?

At this point, no one could even joke about Changxia being delicate.

Everyone just felt sorry for her—she must have been exhausted for a long time, but with the tribal square so busy, she’d forced herself to stay awake. Now that Muqin had spoken up, she finally gave in.

The group fell silent.

They quickened their pace, heading quietly toward their own caves by White Lake.

When they reached the lakeshore, everyone split up and went home. Nanfeng had wanted to tease Changxia earlier, but after seeing her fall asleep so fast, everyone realized how tired they were too!

Yawning as they walked, their eyes were as red as rabbits.

They forced themselves to keep going, barely managing not to fall asleep on their feet like Changxia. Of them all, Nuanchun was in the best shape.

After all, she hadn’t taken part in the forest battle yesterday.

She also hadn’t gone to feed Elder Pukang in the southern wilderness.

The only thing that had tired her out was helping to process the python meat last night, but that wasn’t too exhausting, so she was still doing okay.

She was just careful not to walk too fast, since she was carrying the twin babies in her vine basket. If she woke them up, they’d be fussy again so early in the morning.

After saying goodbye to the others, Chenrong carried Changxia back to their own cave.

In no time, they crossed the little hill.

He pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.

Not caring about the mess, Chenrong carried Changxia straight inside. He laid her on the heated brick bed, took off her outer clothes and shoes, and pulled a fur blanket over her.

Then he left the cave and went to the kitchen to fetch some water.

He wanted to wipe Changxia’s face and hands so she’d be more comfortable as she slept.

If he hadn’t been worried about embarrassing or upsetting her, Chenrong would have given her a full bath. But that idea quickly faded from his mind.

Carrying the wooden basin, Chenrong tiptoed back into the room.

He wrung out a damp cloth and gently wiped Changxia’s face.

The coolness roused her a little. She opened her eyes and saw Chenrong wiping her face. In a hoarse voice, she called, “Chenrong—”

“It’s nothing, I’m just wiping your face. Go ahead and sleep. When I’m done, I’ll come lie down too,” Chenrong said softly.

Hearing his gentle voice, Changxia mumbled an “mm” and drifted off again.

Her body had only just recovered, and after all that work, she was completely worn out. Even though the tribe only let her do the lightest chores, she still couldn’t handle it.

In the end, she was still a bit too weak!

After wiping her face, Chenrong also cleaned her hands and feet.

Then he took the basin back to the kitchen.

He put away the basin and cloth, washed his own face and hands, and went straight back to the room to rest. Whatever happened could wait until after he’d slept.

He climbed into bed.

Chenrong wrapped his arms around Changxia, and the two of them fell into a deep sleep.

Above the Heluo Tribe, a rich, savory aroma had been lingering since last night.

It hung in the air.

From afar, the roars of countless beasts could be heard.

But with the elders of the Heluo Tribe constantly releasing powerful killing intent, none of the wild beasts dared to come too close.

Only the cleverest beasts survive on the land of the Heluo Tribe.

There are hardly any foolish ones—every creature here is sharp and cunning.

The usually bustling Heluo Tribe is unusually quiet today.

Crack—

It’s early morning, and the sun has just climbed over the horizon,

only to be quickly swallowed by dark, heavy clouds.

A few sharp cracks sound, and fat raindrops begin to pour from the sky.

The tribe had worried about rain last night—the air was so thick with moisture that even the young beast cubs could smell it. But despite everyone waiting and watching, the rain stubbornly refused to fall.

Who would have thought it would start pouring all of a sudden this morning?

The tribe’s main square was already being cleaned up; the rain just made Muqin and the others pack things away a bit earlier. There’s a tall wooden shed beside the square, and the tribespeople quickly moved the remaining items inside—only the python skins were left, still needing to be scraped clean.

All the python meat had already been distributed among the tribe. After a busy night, they’d stockpiled enough food to last a month—though, of course, it would need to be eaten with other foods.

“This rain came at just the right time!” Yami said with satisfaction.

They’d already scattered scent-masking powder across the southern wilds and forests of Baihu Lake, but it was still hard to get rid of the blood smell that had seeped into the ground. This rain would surely wash away any lingering traces.

Muqin smiled. “The tribe’s luck has been really good this year.”

“It’s all thanks to Changxia. That child is truly blessed,” Yami said happily, and the others nearby quickly agreed.

Clearly, everyone accepted Elder Yami’s words.

They credited all the tribe’s recent good fortune to Changxia, believing she had brought luck to the tribe.

“Little Changxia wants to trade for chili peppers with the Sky Lion Tribe. If the lions won’t agree, we can send someone to Qingshan Rock. There are plenty of chilies growing there—eating them raw burns your mouth, it’s like being poisoned. But who would have thought Changxia could use them in cooking, and it actually tastes great,” Pukan said.

Don’t be fooled by Elder Pukan’s rough appearance—he can be quite attentive when he wants to be.

He’s actually quite charming in those moments.