Chapter 13

Male opened his eyes again, and Emily noticed that his gaze was sharper and his whole aura had become much stronger.

"Male?" Emily looked at him with a hint of unease. Changes always brought doubts to one's mind.

Male gazed at Emily tenderly. "I feel like my body is filled with strength. Is this what they call awakening the bloodline power?"

Even the wound no longer stung. Male raised his injured hand and was astonished to find that the shallow but long wound was visibly healing at a rapid pace.

Following Male's gaze, Emily also observed this peculiar phenomenon and couldn't help but marvel. To be able to awaken the bloodline power to such a formidable extent!

Self-healing! In this primitive tribe with limited medical conditions, is there anything more miraculous than this?

Should she also try to cut herself and see if she could awaken the bloodline power?

Emily picked up the sharp knife and hesitated.

It would be one thing if she accidentally cut herself, but deliberately cutting herself while fully conscious... Emily found it difficult to bring herself to do it.

She handed the knife to Male, eagerly suggesting, "Why don't you try cutting me? Maybe it will awaken the bloodline power in me too!"

Male looked at Emily indulgently, shaking his head. "This is the totem of our Nuwa tribe. Only a few Nuwa people can awaken the bloodline power. Your bloodline is different; it cannot be awakened."

Oh, right, the bloodline power! It's related to lineage.

Emily nodded with some regret, then joined Male in cleaning up the remaining area.

Having just awakened the bloodline power, as Male had said, he was filled with strength!

However, he had not yet adapted to this newfound strength, so... he occasionally exerted too much force while sweeping, causing dust to fly up and making Emily cough uncontrollably.

Emily snatched the makeshift broom from Male's hand and swept all the dust to the door.

Male looked somewhat vexed at his own hands. Awakening the bloodline power was supposed to be a good thing, but how did it end up making even sweeping the floor difficult?

The dust piled up into a small hill, revealing a smooth, egg-shaped object. Male picked it up.

This was something near the Nuwa deity statue. Apart from the dust, everything else should be noted to avoid missing any treasures.

Holding it in his hand, the object felt slightly cool, and its shape and size were similar to a quail egg, but its surface was as smooth as jade, without any spots like a quail egg.

What kind of egg was this? Or was it a jade bead?

Male didn't recognize it either, so Emily unceremoniously took it and kept it.

Emily casually tucked the lighter and the unidentified item into the pocket of her white T-shirt for decoration, but she didn't feel comfortable putting the small knife into the spatial bag in front of Male.

Male wrapped the small knife in the animal skin totem, which made Emily's mouth twitch slightly. Wasn't the totem supposed to be something important? How could Male not worry about the knife cutting into it?

Male's explanation made Emily feel uneasy because he confidently said, "This knife and the totem are one. The knife is a divine tool and won't harm the totem."

Male felt imbued with boundless strength throughout his body, while Emily had developed blisters on her feet, coupled with unbearable hunger, making walking a problem.

So, naturally, Male carried Emily on his back as they walked outside. Emily held the small knife wrapped in the animal skin totem, and a torch in her other hand.

After about four or five minutes, they reached a narrow stone staircase, illuminated by the light from outside. Moon, anxious, said, "We don't know what dangers lie within the forbidden area. Let's go down together to find them!"

Is this the forbidden area? Even Moon doesn't know what dangers lie here?

Emily felt a wave of fear in her heart. She had been wandering around this dark, maze-like place for who knows how long!

"No! As you said, we don't know what dangers lurk in the forbidden area. Our Nuwa tribe already has few people, and we can't afford to lose anyone!" Granny Feng refused without hesitation.

"But Male went down there, and no one can stop him! I told you that woman is a disaster!" An's resentful and worried voice came through.

"Shut up!" Granny Feng scolded, displeased. "If it weren't for Huang Ye taking the initiative to put the lady in the forbidden area, how could this have happened? Tomorrow morning, if they haven't returned yet, you and Huang Ye go down to find them!"

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. So it wasn't Granny Feng who instructed Huang Ye to do this.

"No!" Normally gentle and generous Huang Ye screamed in panic, full of resistance. She carried Emily into the forbidden area, fearing she might find her way back and deliberately went deeper. Strange sounds always emanated from the forbidden area, making people shudder, and she didn't want to go in anymore!

An hesitated, "It's okay if something happens to that woman, but Male is the leader of our Nuwa tribe. His position has been unshakable for so many years. I'm willing to go in and find him, but can we send more people?"

Oh, my! It's okay if something happens to her, but An actually volunteered to come in and find Male in this dangerous forbidden area!

No matter how An treats her, her feelings for Male are sincere!

Suddenly, Emily felt a little sour in her heart and unabashedly nudged Male's shoulder with her elbow.

"No need, I've found her already." Although Male wasn't injured, he immediately sensed Emily's displeasure, feeling slightly helpless.

He walked up the stone stairs effortlessly, as if he wasn't carrying Emily, who weighed over ninety pounds, on his back.

"Male!"

"Brother, Sister-in-law!"

"Male, Madam!"

Everyone called out in joy and surrounded them.

Male glanced calmly at An and Huang Ye, but had no intention of putting down Emily. "Ba Jiao, is dinner ready?"

Ba Jiao nodded happily. Both Male and Madam were safe. Thanks to the true goddess Nuwa!

Emily suddenly realized something was wrong. Why was it even darker outside than down here? Like her, everyone held torches. Had it gotten so late already?

Her stomach conveniently growled, oh god, in front of so many people... How embarrassing!

But no one laughed at her.

Granny Feng looked pleased but couldn't help but scold Male with a stern look. Moon, Ba Jiao, and the other tribe members present were genuinely happy. Emily felt warm seeing this.

Regardless of whether they were only happy because Male returned safely, she couldn't see any hostility towards her in their eyes, which made her feel very comfortable.

However, An and Huang Ye's gazes towards her were unusually complicated. They hadn't expected Male to hesitate even a bit to run into the forbidden area alone to find her, an outsider!

Emily wore a faint smile on her face, even casually resting her face on Male's shoulder as if it were only natural.

This gesture caused a hint of displeasure to flash in An and Huang Ye's eyes!

Male naturally also noticed Emily's little movements. His partner was asserting dominance over a rival! He liked it!

"Granny Feng, Emily and I will come to see you after dinner. There are some things to discuss," Male said.

Granny Feng thought Male was going to discuss how to punish Huang Ye, and nodded solemnly. "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Male walked towards Ba Jiao's house with Emily on his back, followed by Moon and Big Mountain. The rest of the people stayed behind, apparently wanting to go back with Granny Feng and hear how Male would handle Huang Ye's situation.

In their eyes, Huang Ye was usually gentle and kind, and she also studied medicine under Granny Feng, so she was well-liked in the tribe. This time, she must have been coerced by An to make such a bold move.

Moreover, Madam seemed to be fine now. They wanted to plead for leniency for Huang Ye and just punish An.

However, Granny Feng obviously didn't give them that chance. "An and Huang Ye will come with me, and the rest of you can disperse!"

Male was completely unaware of what was happening over there. Moon kept asking him what had happened in the forbidden area, but he ignored her in his urgent concern because Emily hadn't eaten all day, and he hurried forward, anxious.

Moon grabbed Emily's arm, asking her, and when Male got agitated, he accidentally bumped into his sister and sent Moon flying out two meters away...

He stared dumbfoundedly at Moon, who fell on her bottom after being bumped so far away, then quickly ran over to help her up and stood guard in front of her, looking at his brother, who looked at him as if he had seen a monster, feeling his head buzzing and staying in place for a moment.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"Moon, are you okay?"

Moon and Emily's concerned voices sounded simultaneously.

Moon, Big Mountain, and Ba Jiao all widened their eyes, looking at Male in astonishment, could he really be this powerful?

Just a moment ago, they were still worried whether Male and Emily had met with misfortune, even possibly lost their lives, feeling heavy-hearted.

Now Emily actually told them that Male had activated his bloodline power!

That was the legendary bloodline power!

None of the generations of the Nuwa tribe had anyone who could activate bloodline power. As a result, they were once nearly exterminated by the Leopard tribe!

And now Male had actually activated his bloodline power!

By the way, it seemed that Male didn't use too much force when he bumped Moon with his shoulder, yet Moon was bumped so far away!

Moon, Big Mountain, and Ba Jiao's eyes sparkled with excitement, and they all smiled simultaneously.

"Gurgle..." Emily's stomach protested again, reminding the three who were in an excited state.

Male gently put Emily down because her feet were already blistered, not letting her touch the ground, and held her in his arms, sitting her on his lap.

Ba Jiao handed Male two bamboo tubes, and Male took one first.

With a "crack," the bamboo tube was crushed into pieces, and the thin porridge inside spilled all over the table, making the room suddenly silent.

Moon and the others looked at each other. These bamboo tubes were made of old bamboo that had been aged for several years. Even a warrior like Male would probably find it difficult to crush them with his bare hands. But now Male crushed it with the same force as usual! This bloodline power was truly too powerful!

Male looked at his hand, which had crushed the bamboo tube, feeling depressed and beginning to doubt life. When Ba Jiao offered him the second bamboo tube, he didn't dare to reach out and take it.

Male's behavior made Emily find him very interesting!

She suppressed a laugh and took the bamboo tube from Ba Jiao's hand, deliberately saying in a relaxed tone, "Until you can fully control your strength, leave the rough work like hunting to you, and I'll handle the small things like eating!" She brought the bamboo tube to Male's mouth, gesturing for him to open it.

Was Emily treating him as someone who couldn't take care of himself?

He had to adapt to his current strength as soon as possible, to be able to use it freely! He couldn't let Emily look down on him.

Male's face turned red, still tilting his head back, his voice still gentle, "You eat, I'll have some fruit later."

"Let's eat together, have some porridge first, and then eat fruit together," Emily felt a bit like a tyrant forcing a good man, of course, she was the tyrant.

"You haven't eaten all day, having some porridge is good for your body," Male still resisted the bamboo tube in front of him.

This rough-looking man was unexpectedly considerate, always remembering that she had been hungry all day.

Emily felt sweet inside, "Then have a sip."

Ba Jiao wouldn't make too much food to waste, since she handed over two bamboo tubes, it meant that this man hadn't had time to eat dinner before going to find her. How could she enjoy this bamboo tube porridge?

She looked like she wouldn't drink it if Male didn't, so Male reluctantly lowered his head and took a small sip.

Only then did Emily pick up the bamboo tube without any grace and started drinking.

Oh my god, so hungry!

Moon and Ba Jiao had already washed the fruit and brought it over. Male cautiously picked up the fruit to eat, fortunately, the fruit wasn't crushed.

Emily finished the half-bamboo tube of porridge in one breath, then bossily handed it to Male again, "I want to eat fruit now, finish it, no waste allowed!"

Moon watched the interaction between the two, suddenly feeling the air was sweet, and she quietly squeezed Big Mountain's hand, indicating for him to watch.

While Ba Jiao looked envious and helpless, shaking her head: Male with a partner looked really happy! Unfortunately, she probably wouldn't find a partner in her lifetime.

Almost forcing Male to finish the remaining porridge, Emily picked up a green fruit and took a bite, "By the way, Male, how did you know I was sent to the forbidden area?" Without waiting for Male to answer, Moon kept chattering.

It turned out that Granny Feng intended for Huang Ye to take Emily to the forest at the foot of the mountain to build up her courage. There were no large wild animals there, so it was relatively safe, but because of the dense trees, it was hard to see the sky, and it was not easy to find the way out.

Who knew it was getting dark, and Emily hadn't returned yet, so Male got anxious and ran into the woods to look for her, but still couldn't find Emily.

Male went straight to Huang Ye and demanded her to hand over Emily.

At that time, everyone in the tribe thought that Emily had lost her way and tried to persuade Male to calm down and go into the woods together to help find her.

It was only two six or seven-year-old children who said they had seen Huang Ye carrying Emily near the mulberry tree and even talked to An.

The mulberry tree was in front of Granny Feng's house, and it wasn't surprising for Huang Ye to pass by there while carrying Emily, but going from Granny Feng's place to the forest at the foot of the mountain, if passing by the mulberry tree, it would take a detour. This didn't make sense.

Male interrogated Huang Ye, but Huang Ye insisted that she had taken Emily to the woods, and denied everything else.

It was An who felt guilty and was caught by Male. Male questioned her, and An had to say that Huang Ye had taken Emily to the forbidden area and begged Male not to trouble Huang Ye, as Huang Ye was just venting her anger for her.

Male didn't have time to trouble Huang Ye. As soon as he heard that Emily had been sent to the forbidden area, he rushed in without a word.