Chapter 30

As the sun set in the west, it was once again dusk.

Yan Jiao led a group of people out of the forest, finally returning to the Tribe before nightfall.

At this time, in the open area at the centre of the Tribe, many Hollow Logs had been piled up. They were estimated to be about three to four hundred Hollow Logs.

Hei Ya wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Chieftain, we’re still short on Hollow Logs. Should I take some people to bring back more?”

“No need. Tomorrow, have people carve ‘grooves’ at the collection site. It’ll be closer to transport them to the water source from there,” Yan Jiao shook his head and said. There were still some Hollow Logs piled up at the collection site.

Moreover, entering the forest right now, at night, was too dangerous. If they accidentally encountered a Pure Blood Ferocious Beast, it would be disastrous.

“Alright. We’ll set out earlier tomorrow then,” Hei Ya said seriously.

“Chieftain, I think we should leave a Totem Warrior in the Tribe,” Da Gua reminded. “The Shaman is still in the Tribe. It’s too dangerous without a Totem Warrior’s protection.”

“Right, we need to leave a Totem Warrior in the Tribe,” Hei Ya nodded hurriedly.

The Shaman going into the forest this morning had really scared them. If something happened to him, they would not be able to face their Ancestors.

“We have too few Totem Warriors,” Yan Jiao nodded helplessly and said, “Hei Ya, you stay behind. Tomorrow, I’ll go with Da Gua and Wa Ming.”

“I can stay behind,” Mai Mang’s weak voice sounded from behind them.

Now that the Flame Dragon Tribe’s location was relatively remote, with not much attention on them, having one Totem Warrior in the Tribe was enough to serve as a warning.

Yan Jiao turned to look and asked with concern, “Mai Mang, how are you feeling?”

“It’s nothing serious, just a bit weak. I’ll recover after eating a few pieces of meat,” Mai Mang waved his hand dismissively.

“You’re really lucky. Fortunately, you encountered the Shaman,” Hei Ya joked with a smile.

“Haha…” Mai Mang laughed nervously, sighing, “I really thought I was going to die. It’s good we have the Shaman.”

Yan Jiao scanned the surroundings and asked, “Where’s Wa Ming?”

“He went on patrol,” Mai Mang said in a deep voice.

“One person is too few,” Yan Jiao recalled the incident of the Black Snake Tribe ambushing them at their Tribal Ancestral Land and said in a deep voice, “Da Gua, you go on patrol too.”

Although it was just them trying to pull wool over their eyes, with two Totem Warriors not being enough to protect the entire perimeter of the Tribe, it at least provided them with an extra sense of security. They could at least drive away some prying Mix Blood Ferocious Beasts.

“Alright.” Da Gua nodded calmly and turned to walk towards the forest.

“What are you bringing back so many Hollow Logs for?” Mai Mang asked curiously.

“You don’t know? These Hollow Logs are valuable,” Hei Ya grinned, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“Valuable? Is it the Shaman’s order?” Mai Mang asked curiously.

“Yes, the Hollow Logs will be used to transport water to our Tribe…” Hei Ya vividly narrated today’s events.

“Father, you’re back!” Yan Hua hurriedly came forward, looking very anxious.

Seeing his Daughter’s rushed appearance, Yan Jiao asked urgently, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to the Shaman?”

“No, nothing happened to the Shaman,” Yan Hua rolled her eyes and began to explain about the tiny creatures in the water.

Yan Jiao was stunned after listening, his expression beginning to change. He gritted his teeth and said, “Damn, my Huo’er must have been killed by those tiny creatures!”

Yan Huo, Yan Jiao’s first child, had died of illness at the age of three, which had always been a heavy scar on his heart.

Mai Mang and Hei Ya also heard the cow horned girl’s explanation.

“There are actually invisible tiny creatures in the water? How can there be such a bizarre thing?” Hei Ya said hoarsely, his hand unconsciously touching his stomach.

“My Wife, could it be that she also…” Mai Mang’s eyes reddened, remembering how seven years ago, on one night, his Wife suddenly foamed at the mouth and died.

*Huff huff…* Yan Jiao took several deep breaths, suppressing the sorrow in his heart. He looked at the people gathered around.

He suddenly stepped forward, stood on a pile of Hollow Logs, and called out with a grave expression, “People of the Tribe, from today on, all water must be boiled before drinking. Whoever drinks water without boiling it, I’ll beat them up.”

“…” There was absolute silence.

The people in the Tribe all looked at Yan Jiao in bewilderment. Some were very displeased with this order, wondering why drinking water had to be so troublesome.

“This is the Shaman’s order. If anyone disobeys, I’ll beat them up too,” Hei Ya suddenly roared.

“It’s the Shaman’s order? We’ll definitely obey.”

“Why do we need to boil water before drinking? It’s too hot that way.”

“Silence! The Shaman must have his reasons for asking us to do this.”

The crowd began to discuss, with most people unconditionally trusting the Shaman. This was the prestige accumulated by several generations of Shamans. Only a small portion of people were grumbling, but they only dared to mutter a few words under their breath.

Yan Jiao’s heart slightly relaxed as he called out, “Everyone start eating. Afterwards, it’s time to work. Tonight, we need to process these Hollow Logs.”

After calling out, he turned to Hei Ya and said, “Distribute some dried meat to everyone.”

“Alright,” Hei Ya nodded.

“Father, the Tribe doesn’t have enough stone pots to boil water,” Yan Hua reminded in a small voice.

This was also why she was in a hurry to find Yan Jiao. Otherwise, the order would have been passed down earlier.

The only containers in the Tribe that could boil water were stone pots. However, there were very few left. The remaining one or two stone pots were made in the past ten days, specifically for the Old Shaman to stew meat.

The Flame Dragon Tribe had seventy-two people, and the number of stone pots needed for boiling water was not small. In primitive society, there were no iron tools. Relying solely on stone craftsmen to carve, it took two to three days to make one.

“Let’s go see the Shaman,” Yan Jiao turned to Yan Hua and Mai Mang, “Perhaps the Shaman has a solution.”

“Alright.”