CHAPTER 14

Xiao Ruo was a little embarrassed and said, "Don't make me go away, Brother Mu! It's nice to be with friends, it makes me feel better."

Brother Mu just smiled and looked at her kindly. Laiyuan saw what was happening and pulled Xiao Ruo to sit next to him. He said playfully. "You didn't really want to leave, did you? You wanted to ask Brother Mu something, right? Well, here you are. Let's cut some wood together. Brother Heng needs more wood for his house and we can help."

Xiao Ruo took the wood from Laiyuan and nodded, liking it. Wang Jin was watching and noticed neither of them had an ax. He asked. "How will you cut the wood without tools?"

Right as Wang Jin asked, he saw something amazing. Xiao Ruo and Laiyuan's hands changed into animal claws with sharp nails. They quickly used their claws on the wood, and it split apart easily.

Wang Jin was surprised. He couldn't believe they were splitting wood with their bare hands! He was amazed by how strong and skilled they were.

Brother Mu didn't notice Wang Jin's surprise. He opened a bowl on the table. A yummy smell filled the air, making Wang Jin hungry. He looked at the bowl and saw some kind of meat paste. It smelled great, but it didn't look very good.

Wang Jin didn't like the paste, he thought it was rough and didn't taste good. Brother Mu gave him a bowl of pink fruit and said, "This is really yummy. I brought it from home for you. Try it!"

Wang Jin hesitated, but Brother Mu said, "Brother Heng told me you don't like the pink fruit because it's too strong. So, I took out all the hard seeds. It should be better now. Try it!"

Brother Mu was so nice, Wang Jin felt bad saying no. He took a little bit of the fruit with a spoon and tried it.

Wang Jin, who was unsure about the food at first, started to like it. The mush was soft and had a good taste of salt and fruit. Even though it had a little bit of fish flavor, he didn't mind it and ate more.

Mu Geer was happy to see Wang Jin getting better and quietly made bowls of mush for the two orcs waiting outside.

Lai Yuan took his bowl without any fuss, but Xiao Ruo felt awkward and said. "I don't really need this fancy fruit powder that Mu brother likes. You can have it."

Brother Mu smiled and said. "I've already eaten enough. Brother Heng found a lot of dried fruit, so let's all share it. He even gave a lot to my friend A Yuan."

Xiao Ruo held something precious in her hands and ate it with a serious face.

Wang Jin looked at the strange paste in his bowl and asked, "Is this fruit special?"

Mu Geer sat down and said. "It's not super rare, but it's hard to get. It takes a lot of work."

Brother Mu agreed, smiling. "It's true, nothing I eat comes easy. This powdered fruit is all I have, even though it's one of the easier things to find."

Xiao Ruo nodded. "Don't underestimate it. Even though it grows all over the jungle, it's hidden in hard-to-reach places. It grows deep in the ground near tree roots, or in cracks in cliffs, or at the very tops of tall trees."

He sighed. "And don't even get me started on the ones near the tree roots. It's almost impossible to tell which roots have the pink fruit. Even reaching the cliffs and tall trees isn't easy... Brother Heng has an advantage with his wings."

Lai Yuan told Xiao Ruo. "You'll get better with practice."

Xiao Ruo looked excited. "Really?"

Lai Yuan nodded. "Of course."

Wang Jin watched them and thought about how close they were and the different things they were going through.

Xiao Ruo smiled at Mu Geer. "Hey Mu brother, do you think getting married makes you tougher?"

Mu Geer looked confused. He looked at Lai Yuan and then said. "Well, it can make you want to be tougher."

Xiao Ruo grinned. "Just so my brother can enjoy his favorite food."

Mu Geer felt warmth spreading in his cheeks as he sensed the orc outside the door watching him. His heart swelled with happiness.

Wang Jin, still processing their conversation, couldn't help but find the whole situation both amusing and endearing. He wondered silently if this gooey paste could truly be considered a tasty treat.

Wang Jin wanted to make Brother Mu feel comfortable. He carefully arranged some delicious fruits and honey on the table. He also saw that Mu Geer had cooked some tasty meat, so he added those to the table too.

"Amu, here's something for you." Wang Jin said kindly, showing the food to Brother Mu.

Brother Mu was really happy and a little surprised. He put the honey back, covered the meat, and neatly arranged the fruits.

"Ah Jin." Brother Mu said kindly, "These are special foods, not to be given away easily. They're hard to find and take a lot of work to get. The honey is even dangerous to collect. Even the meat from the pink fruit today was a gift from Brother Heng. It shows how much they respect and like us, so we shouldn't be careless with it."

Xiao Ruo, who was listening outside, came in quickly. Her eyes got big when he saw all the food on the table.

"Leiguo! Brother Heng must be really brave to go into the dangerous fog area to get those buds."

He looked at Wang Jin and said. "Brother Heng seems to really like this madman. He's good-looking, but is that all it takes to get Brother Heng's attention? Brother Heng is usually so strict, like with Brother Yue..."

Xiao Ruo kept looking at Wang Jin, noticing that even though Brother Mu was talking about amazing things, Wang Jin didn't seem to care much.

Maybe the crazy guy just didn't understand what Brother Mu was saying because he's not all there, he thought.

Xiao Ruo thought about it. Wang Jin surprised him by saying. "Brother Heng, you should keep getting them."

Wang Jin had been in dangerous situations with Brother Mu, so he knew he was stronger than Lai Yuan. Lai Yuan might have worked hard to find these things, but Wang Jin knew how dangerous it was.

He didn't want Mu Geer to be in danger. He wanted Mu Geer to enjoy these special things, especially since Mu Geer might never have had them before. Wang Jin was thankful for Mu Geer's kindness and wanted him to really enjoy them.

Xiao Ruo was surprised by Wang Jin's idea.

He thought about how close Wang Jin and his orc were. It was amazing to see how much Wang Jin trusted his orc.

Xiao Ruo didn't say anything. Mu Geer seemed happy by what Wang Jin said.

Lai Yuan came in and gave Mu Geer a fruit. He said. "Brother Heng knows more than me. Try it, you haven't had this before. What do you think?"

Lai Yuan sounded a little sorry for Mu Geer.

Xiao Ruo said. "You should try it, Brother Mu. Brother Heng is special because he's from the white tiger clan and has ancient animal blood. He was born with wings, which makes him better at getting things than other orcs in our tribe."

Wang Jin was curious. He asked. "Is he different from the other orcs in your tribe?"