CHAPTER 15

"Of course, it's totally different!" Xiao Ruo said, his eyes shining with excitement, even though he was surprised by the crazy person's question.

"Brother Heng is from a very old orc group called the White Tiger Wing Clan. They have trouble having babies, so there aren't many of them left. They're super rare, even more than my older brother. But our tiger group is pretty normal... the difference is big!"

Xiao Ruo smiled and poked Lai Yuan. He said. "Hey, remember when Brother Heng showed up? We were all scared! We never thought we'd see an ancient beast in our lives."

"Yes." Lai Yuan, being pushed, agreed with a look of admiration on his honest face. "At the beginning, our tribe encountered a beast tide, and the whole tribe was almost wiped out. It was Brother Heng who led everyone to escape and establish our home here."

Mugeer recalled. "Ajin, our life is stable now. You don't know that our tribe used to live in the jungle without a fixed place, and our lives were in danger at any time. During that beast swarm, we were all resting in the jungle and didn't notice it at all. When we did, tens of thousands of beasts were only a few hundred meters away from us..."

Xiao Ruo recalled the terrifying experience, "I truly believed I was going to die. But then, Brother Heng appeared out of nowhere, his presence commanding everyone's attention. His aura and unique beast type were so intimidating that we instinctively followed him to this safe place. We're lucky we did, otherwise, we wouldn't have survived."

The three friends, Lai Yuan, Xiao Ruo, and Wang Jin, were chatting. They stopped talking about the man and started talking about themselves.

Lai Yuan said. "At that time, Xiao Ruo, you were so young and cried so loudly. I remember it well."

Xiao Ruo felt shy and said. "I was just a kid back then! Brother Heng wasn't much older either. I remember his animal form looked like it was still growing. Weren't you still growing up too?"

Lai Yuan thought for a bit and said, "I think Brother Heng wasn't fully grown up yet. After saving everyone that time, I saw him really tired. If the ancient orcs were all grown up, they wouldn't get so tired. He even got hurt by a big monster on his face while saving Brother Yue. The scar is still there. How could a grown-up ancient orc get hurt by a big monster..."

Wang Jin was surprised. The scar on his face was from saving Brother Yue!

Xiao Ruo asked. "If he's not an adult, wouldn't that make him younger than Brother Yuan?"

Lai Yuan didn't know what to say. Xiao Ruo laughed and said. "Everyone in the tribe calls him Brother Heng, except for the oldest people. Doesn't that mean the older people call him Brother?"

Lai Yuan wanted to argue but couldn't find the words. He just said. "But Brother Heng doesn't want to talk about his age or his past. How old is he? What happened before? He never tells anyone..."

Xiao Ruo stopped laughing and thought for a moment. She nodded and said. "You're right, Brother Heng never talks about his past."

Wang Jin was surprised. He wondered what secrets Brother Heng was hiding.

Mugeer joined in. "You know, there was another time when Brother Heng fought off a whole bunch of giant lizards to protect us. He's really good at fighting and coming up with plans. But he never brags about it, he's always so humble."

Xiao Ruo nodded quickly. "Yes, and remember how he healed the injured with special herbs we'd never seen before? He knows so much about everything, just as strong as he is."

Lai Yuan said. "I asked him where he learned all this, but he just smiled and didn't answer. It's like he knows a lot of things that he's keeping to himself."

Wang Jin listened carefully. He realized that Brother Heng was a bit of a mystery. Even his closest friends didn't know much about his past.

Xiao Ruo said. "Yeah,If Brother Heng was from our tribe, he'd be our leader now. The young orcs love him!"

Lai Yuan agreed. "The young ones look up to him. But he's not from our tribe, so people see him as an outsider. The new leader is scared of him, even though Brother Heng doesn't want to be leader."

Wang Jin listened quietly. Now he understood why Brother Heng wasn't the leader. He wasn't from the Danmu tribe, and no one from his tribe had ever been chosen as leader.

The man in the Danmu tribe is different from everyone else. He's strong and not from their group. The tribe leader might be worried he could cause problems.

Lai Yuan shook his head. "They even listened to him when they went hunting. When they came back, they stayed away from Brother Heng, scared that the leader would get mad at them because of him."

Xiao Ruo was really upset. "I get why the leader feels threatened. Brother Heng's presence challenges his position. But in the orc tribe, leaders are chosen based on strength. How can he blame others for his own weakness? Brother Heng has never tried to take over. Why can't the leader see that? He's becoming more unfair. When dividing the meat, he gave Brother Heng less and assigned him the worst room. Brother Heng brought us all here and should live wherever he wants. But the leader gave him the most remote room with the worst light. Brother Heng is kind and doesn't complain. Any brave man would marry the best brother, but even a fool..."

Brother Mu was upset with Xiao Ruo. He said. "Ah Jin is still here, and Ah Jin is not as good as Brother Yue. I think Ah Jin is prettier than Brother Yue and much better."

Xiao Ruo realized she said something wrong and quickly covered her mouth. She looked sorry and said to Wang Jin. "I just think the leader is being a bit too strict. I didn't mean anything bad. Don't be mad, Brother Jin."

Wang Jin rolled his eyes at Xiao Ruo, who looked confused. He said. "I'm not mad. I'm just trying to figure out how things work here."

Lai Yuan said. "It's not just that. I think Heng is happy with Jin, but... Ju and his friends put Mu Mu and Jin in a dangerous place. Our tribe's rules say they should be kicked out. But they're not even punished, and they're allowed to spread lies!"

Brother Mu stopped Lai Yuan from talking, worried that Wang Jin would hear. He looked at Wang Jin carefully. Wang Jin, confused, asked. "What rumors are you talking about?"

Lai Yuan and Xiao Ruo looked at each other nervously, not saying anything but their worried expressions said it all.

Mu Geer tried to make things less tense by smiling. "It's no big deal, just some gossip about the leader and Brother Heng not getting along. Everyone in the tribe knows about it. Let them talk if they want. But don't worry, Ah Jin, Brother Heng is strong and the leader won't do anything bad. Even if Brother Heng left the tribe, he could survive in the jungle on his own. So, relax, everything will be alright."

Wang Jin didn't believe the "nonsense" was actually nonsense. He was going to say something when he saw a man come in with some plants. He thought it was a busy place.

The tall man, who seemed very important, made everyone quiet when he walked in. He looked at them with a smile, like he knew something they didn't. "What's all the fuss about?"

Xiao Ruo jumped up, happy to see him. "Brother Heng! We were just saying how much you've helped our tribe."

Brother Heng looked at Lai Yuan with a knowing smile. "Oh really? You have a lot to say, it seems."

Lai Yuan fidgeted a bit, but spoke up. "We just wanted to say how grateful we are to you and how unfair it is that the new leader is treating you so badly."

Brother Heng shrugged and said. "Don't worry about it. What matters is that our tribe is doing well. It's the leader's job to handle those things. We all have our own jobs to do."

Wang Jin was curious about Brother Heng. He noticed how strong and determined Brother Heng was, but he never talked about his past or how old he was.

"Why don't you ever talk about your past or your age, Brother Heng?" Wang Jin asked. "Everyone's curious."

Brother Heng looked at him for a moment, and then said. "Some things are better left in the past, Ah Jin. We all have secrets, and mine aren't important compared to keeping our tribe safe."

Xiao Ruo agreed. "Yeah! Brother Heng always thinks of us first. That's what makes him a good leader, even if he doesn't have a fancy title."

Brother Heng smiled kindly. "Thanks, Xiao Ruo. But being a leader isn't about titles. It's about what you do and how you help others. Let's not talk about this anymore. We have more important things to do, like getting ready for the next hunt."