Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Black-hearted Cotton Jacket, Just Give Up

“Father, why are you glaring at me?” Nan Feng asked in confusion, looking up at Gen.

Gen sneered and didn’t answer.

In his mind, he was quickly searching through the tribes for a suitable male.

He had to get Nan Feng married off as soon as possible—preferably have her bear a few cubs to help the Heluo tribe grow. After all, aside from that, Gen had no more hopes or expectations for her.

“My eye’s twitching,” Gen replied offhandedly.

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At those words, everyone in the Stone Beast Den turned to look at Gen with strange expressions.

Gen acted as if he hadn’t noticed at all, remaining perfectly calm.

Sure enough, once you’ve made up your mind about something, your attitude changes completely.

Even the way Gen looked at Nan Feng was no longer filled with disdain. Sensing this change, Nan Feng quietly edged closer to Chang Xia. With Gen’s fondness for Chang Xia, he definitely wouldn’t scold her.

Seeing this, Gen’s resolve only grew stronger.

Off to the side, Chang Xia seemed to have guessed something. She glanced at Nan Feng out of the corner of her eye and sighed softly. Where had her calm and composed Nan Feng gone?

Now, all that was left was a Nan Feng with the personality of a silly husky.

No wonder Chief Gen looked so hopeless—he probably realized Nan Feng was truly a lost cause.

“Elder Pukang, what are your plans for tomorrow?” Gen asked, finally tearing his gaze away from Nan Feng. If he looked any longer, he was afraid he might have a heart attack.

“I’ll go scout around the miasma near here. You all stay in the Stone Beast Den and wait for my news,” Pukang replied. For once, when it came to serious matters, he didn’t burst out laughing. His eyes, as big as bronze bells, glinted coldly.

The Stone Beast Den happened to be at one of the exits of Mount Wei.

The other exits from Mount Wei were all extremely treacherous—one side bordered the East Sea, while the other was sheer cliffs. Of the four main entrances and exits, the Moonwatch Mountains could be accessed because of the Wei River, which allowed people to enter Mount Wei.

The wanderers had entered Mount Wei via the Wei River.

Mount Wei was easy to get into, but hard to get out of.

Because if you wanted to leave Mount Wei, you’d definitely alert the Heluo Tribe.

As one of the most powerful beast tribes in the Twilight Forest, leaving the Heluo Tribe would be nearly impossible for the wanderers—they’d be lucky to survive.

The side bordering the East Sea was basically a dead end.

To get through, you’d have to cross the depths of Mount Wei, which even the beast tribes hadn’t conquered. Let alone the wanderers—if they couldn’t even get past the miasma, how could they possibly make it through the mountain’s depths?

So, even if there were survivors among the wanderers, the direction of the Stone Beast Den was their only way out. Block this path, and you’ve got them trapped.

“Understood,” Gen replied.

He wasn’t stupid—he understood exactly what Elder Pukang meant.

The Stone Beast Den was right at the entrance to Mount Wei. By staying here, they were essentially guarding the gate. If any wanderers tried to escape, this was the only way out.

“Perfect. Tomorrow we can finish digging up all the kudzu roots and gather some mugwort from nearby to take back to the tribe for making moxa sticks and mosquito repellent,” Nan Feng said, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “We can also pick some fiddlehead ferns and try them for breakfast tomorrow.”

At those words, the previously downcast tribespeople perked up.

This trip into Mount Wei wasn’t just to investigate the mountain’s strange changes.

More importantly, it was to make sure the wanderers wouldn’t pose a threat to the tribe. Now, hearing Nan Feng’s words, it felt more like a treasure hunt than a mission.

Still—

If they could find one or two treasures like the red maple trees...

The Heluo Tribe would be set for life!

After eating their fill, night fell.

There were no beds in the Stone Beast Den, so everyone had to sleep on the ground. The temperature in Mount Wei was low, but fortunately the den was well-sealed. Once the stone door was shut, it was warm inside, with a fire burning in the hearth, so no one worried about catching cold.

Chang Xia curled up in Shen Rong’s arms, with the little snake beast cub nestled on her belly, fast asleep. No one felt cold, so they didn’t need to partially shift into beast form to keep warm.

Everyone slept soundly on their first night in Mount Wei.

Surprisingly, they all slept straight through until morning.

In the early morning, Mount Wei was shrouded in mist, making it hard to tell if it was mountain fog or the miasma that was supposed to be there.

The first thing they did upon waking wasn’t to wash up, but to swallow a detoxification pill.

“Brr! It’s freezing!” Nan Feng stamped her feet and added more firewood to the hearth. She’d actually been woken up by the cold.

Even though it was already the warm season, Mount Wei still felt like winter.

No wonder the beast tribes suspected there was ice crystal grass growing deep in the mountain. With temperatures like this, only a fool would believe there was nothing unusual in Mount Wei’s depths!

“Well, it is Mount Wei—of course it’s cold!” Gen retorted, fetching water to wash his face and rinse his mouth.

Nan Feng glanced around and whispered, “Where’s Elder Pukang? Did he go to check out the miasma already?”

“Yeah. Ge Lei and the others went to dig up kudzu roots. You can use the leftover blackfish from yesterday to make fish soup for breakfast and warm everyone up,” Gen instructed.

In the corner, Shen Rong had woken up early.

But with Chang Xia and the little snake cub sleeping soundly in his arms, he didn’t get up. He watched as Elder Pukang and the others woke and left the den one by one.

“Is it morning already?” Chang Xia opened her eyes, saw Nan Feng busy at the hearth, and reached around for the snake cub. All night, she’d felt a chill somewhere on her body—furry cubs were definitely cuter.

Snake cubs...

It always felt like there was a lump of ice on her.

Only the snake tribe could appreciate this kind of happiness. Chang Xia just wasn’t used to this heavy, chilly kind of affection.

“You’re awake?” Shen Rong said gently.

Chang Xia sat up and turned to see Shen Rong stretching. “Are you feeling numb? Want me to give you a massage?”

“I’ll just walk around a bit and I’ll be fine!” Shen Rong shook his head, declining her offer. He got up and paced around the den until the numbness faded, then went to the water jar to wash up and greet the new day.

Chang Xia tucked the still-sleeping snake cub into her pocket, and instead of washing up right away, sat down beside the hearth. “Nan Feng, you’re up early!”

“I was woken up by the cold,” Nan Feng replied, washing her face with hot water and sighing contentedly. If she’d had someone to cuddle, she wouldn’t have wanted to get up either—sleeping in would be pure bliss.

“Chief, why is Mount Wei still so cold in the warm season?” Chang Xia asked curiously.

“Mount Wei is always cold. Even during the hottest days in the Twilight Forest, the temperature here never gets high,” Gen explained.

During the long summer, Changxia often complained about how cold Weishan was, but he couldn’t really explain it.

Wu had once mentioned that Weishan’s year-round low temperatures were probably due to its geography. After all, Weishan sat right next to the East Sea, and its unique mountain location made it a place that stayed cool and livable all year. Unfortunately, “livable” was relative—Weishan was crawling with venomous snakes and fierce beasts, and its mysterious depths had kept it unconquered by the beast tribes.

Otherwise, the Heluo tribe wouldn’t have abandoned Weishan for so many years, not even daring to come here to hunt or gather.

Changxia sighed, “What a pity!”

“Yeah, it really is. If we could live here, we’d never have to worry about getting through the sweltering warm season again,” Nan Feng chimed in.

Gen snorted at that.

“Didn’t you say you were a fish and could soak in the White River for your whole life?”

Hearing Gen’s jab, Nan Feng pouted, unable to come up with a retort. What was wrong with soaking in the White River when it was hot? Besides, it’s not like she brought the tribe’s cubs along for a bath…