Chapter 31

Huang Ye quickly intervened, "Ann, stop talking!" This foolish person thought she was helping, but forgot that the matter had been pushed onto the shoulders of the goddess Nüwa.

Though it seemed that Male didn't believe it, his behavior suggested that he couldn't expose Huang Ye in front of the Nüwa tribe.

Male cast a cold glance at Ann and frowned, "Foolish."

He then shouted to the shore, "Someone come help carry Huang Ye back. She's twisted her foot, and it's too far for Ann to carry her alone."

"I'll do it!" several gruff male voices responded in unison.

Huang Ye's face went pale. She didn't want any men other than Male touching her, "No, that's not necessary! Ann can help me back."

Several eager Nüwa tribesmen rushed over. Male, ignoring Huang Ye and Ann, walked over to Emily with a bright smile, "Emily, let's go home."

Emily was taken aback by Male's sudden change of behavior. Although she didn't hear what Male and Huang Ye were discussing, Ann's angry expression and Male's action of picking Huang Ye up only to throw her down again made her, as an observer, feel the pain.

When she connected this with Male's recent indifference to Moon's teasing about his inability to control his primal power, Emily began to suspect some answers.

Male, carrying two baskets of washed wool, placed the clean wooden basin in one of the baskets. His previously cheerful face now turned to a look of frustration as he faced the Nüwa tribesmen, Ann, and Huang Ye.

Emily, certain of her guess, struggled to suppress a laugh and, with a serious expression, apologized to Huang Ye, "Huang Ye, don't blame Male. Ever since he activated his bloodline power, he's had trouble controlling his strength. He's even broken several bamboo bowls in the house."

Huang Ye forced a smile, "It's okay. I know he didn't mean it."

Ann, glaring with anger, snapped, "Stop being so hypocritical. You're the one who's been stirring up trouble for Male…"

"Ann, stop speaking recklessly," Huang Ye interrupted her again.

Emily, appearing even more innocent, defended herself sincerely, "Ann, why do you think that? Everyone knows that after Male activated his bloodline power, while he gained strength, he's struggled to control it. Even Moon, the mountain, and many Nüwa tribespeople have been unintentionally hurt by Male. Fortunately, there haven't been any major issues. Are you saying Male intentionally harmed Huang Ye? So does that mean Male also intentionally harmed other members of the Nüwa tribe? And that I'm the one causing all this trouble?"

"Madam, don't blame Ann. She's just…" A burly Nüwa tribesman, unable to find the right words, clearly meant that Ann was jealous of Emily and thus blamed Emily for the unintentional harm caused by Male.

Others shared similar expressions, and Huang Ye also pulled Ann aside, disapproving of her behavior.

Emily nodded understandingly, "It's fine. I won't hold it against her."

Ann was fuming, almost exploding with anger. Even though Male admitted it was intentional, the incident was still related to Huang Ye throwing Emily into the forbidden area, and Huang Ye wouldn't let her say more. Ann felt like she was going to burst from the frustration.

"In time, your true colors will be revealed!" Ann stomped her feet and shouted this final statement.

Emily nodded in agreement and said seriously, "Exactly. The truth will come out eventually, whether real or fake. Let time reveal everything!"

When will this straightforward, naive girl realize that Huang Ye's true intentions are not always what she thinks they are?

I hope she doesn't suffer too much from being kept in the dark all the time.

Although Ann always speaks harshly to Emily, Emily doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards her. She simply feels sorry for Ann, who is being used as a pawn without realizing it.

Huang Ye, having suffered a setback, could only sulk silently. She no longer wanted any other man to carry her. Since the others were already there, and Ann truly didn't have the strength to carry her all the way back, Huang Ye had to awkwardly and politely thank the bearded man who helped her.

On the way back, Male and Emily kept serious faces, but once they returned to their room, Male was in a great mood. He put down the two baskets and couldn't stop smiling, while Emily laughed so hard she collapsed onto the mattress.

She laughed so much her stomach hurt.

Seeing Emily so happy, Male, feeling quite pleased with himself, asked, "How was that? Was it satisfying?"

Emily stopped laughing, pinched her slightly sore face, and asked seriously, "You could have controlled your strength a long time ago, right? You've been pretending not to control it just to get back at Huang Ye today, haven't you?"

Male nodded with a smile. His little companion was so smart!

That was the case, and Emily felt a warmth in her heart. However, she didn't agree with Male's approach: "Why did you go after her? Is it because she threw me into the forbidden area and tried to harm me?"

Male didn't deny it.

Emily shook her head, "Huang Ye didn't know what the forbidden area was like. What's the worst outcome of her throwing me in there?"

Male's smile faded, and he gritted his teeth, muttering "death."

Emily nodded with a slight smile, "So, what's the worst outcome of you getting back at her today?"

Male's expression stiffened, and he fell silent. The look of pride on his face vanished without a trace.

"Just like now, right? A few minor injuries, some physical pain," Emily pressed on.

Male reluctantly nodded. According to Emily's analysis, his revenge was hardly effective at all!

Emily glared at him, "Didn't you also end up alarming the enemy?"

Male paused, then nodded reluctantly again.

Emily huffed, "Childish!"

Male looked at Emily somewhat awkwardly, "Are you angry?"

Emily responded with an annoyed "yes," extending her slender index finger to poke Male's chest repeatedly. "I already told you before not to take action against the Nüwa tribe members just because of me. If you must, there should be sufficient reason! And yet you're doing these petty things behind the scenes! You need to know that you're the leader of the Nüwa tribe! You have to act in a way that earns respect! Understand?"

Male looked somewhat aggrieved, "If I can't even address the grievances of my own partner, what use is being a leader? Whoever wants to be the leader can take it!"

Emily slapped his arm with frustration, but his hard muscles made her hand hurt.

Shaking her hand, Emily winced and said, "With greater power comes greater responsibility. Even before you activated your bloodline power, you were elected as the leader, which shows everyone recognized your ability. The survival of the Nüwa tribe is so difficult. As a member of the tribe, don't you want to change that? Don't you want your descendants to live without worry about food and clothing?"

Male, of course, wanted that. He fell silent upon hearing her words.

"A gentleman takes revenge; ten years is not too late!"

"The grievances I suffered are only temporary. If she doesn't cause any more trouble, we can let it go. If she does stir up more trouble, we'll still have our chances to deal with her. You've told me before about a time when you stayed still for half a day in heavy snow to guard a wild boar. With that kind of patience, why can't you endure for revenge? You need to grow into a mature leader!"

Male remained silent. Emily had been focusing on helping the Nüwa tribe with their survival recently. As the leader of the tribe, how could he fall behind?

He didn't think there was anything wrong with standing up for Emily, but he admitted he lost his composure this time. The retaliation was ineffective, and he got scolded by his little companion. It was so embarrassing—his face was burning with shame.

From now on, he vowed to think twice before acting, so he wouldn't be called childish by Emily again.

"Do you understand your mistake now?" Emily wasn't about to let up.

Male stayed silent, his deep eyes fixed on Emily with a look of grievance.

Emily, originally firm in her stance, felt a bit uneasy under Male's pitiful gaze. After all, although Male's actions were childish, they were done for her sake.

"Alright, alright. I know you're doing this for me, and I'm very happy," Emily said, seeing the tall man's expression that resembled a pitiful little pet. Rather than feeling out of place, she found it endearing and felt a warmth in her heart. She affectionately patted him and added, "But don't do this again in the future!"

Male's expression brightened, his smile returning. He cheekily nodded, "If you give me a kiss, I'll promise you."

Hey! How's that for taking advantage of the situation?

Emily was annoyed but couldn't help but find him cute. She moved closer, and when their lips were less than two centimeters apart, she suddenly tapped his lips lightly with her right index finger and then happily withdrew.

"All done!"

Male opened his eyes and complained, "You tricked me!"

He immediately chased after Emily with long strides, while Emily, agile and quick, darted around the small room, their laughter ringing out from time to time.

When the Moon came to call them for dinner, Emily, who was lost in the moment, realized her clothes were disheveled and hurried to straighten her clothes and hair.

Male approached her with a hoarse voice and whispered near her ear, "Tonight, will you be mine?"

Emily, her face flushed and her eyes full of flirtation, nodded shyly.

They soaked the wool in the large water tank and then went to the banana leaf house for dinner.

The wool needed to be soaked for six or seven days to ferment naturally. Emily found it inconvenient not to have a calendar. Life was all about counting the days, but at least the Moon's phases were similar to those in China, so the seasons should be roughly the same.

The Moon had heard about Male knocking Huang Ye into the river and thought it was satisfying but regretted that Male didn't also knock Ann into the river.

Emily sighed inwardly. These two siblings were indeed protective of their own. However, Male's deliberate action against Huang Ye couldn't be spread around. The Moon, being straightforward, would need to be kept in the dark about this as well.

"Moon, you shouldn't speak as if Male did it on purpose. We're all from the same tribe and see each other often. It's not good for people to hear you talk like that. Male also needs to control his strength better. He can't keep doing this!" Emily glared at Male.

Male nodded obediently, "Emily is right. Starting tomorrow, I will be extremely careful with my every action to avoid hurting any more of our tribe members."

Although he said this, he still struggled to control his strength. Over the days, the Moon, Banana Leaf, and others only laughed it off and reassured him not to worry too much. They encouraged him to take his time, believing that with time, he would learn to control his strength.

The next day, Male continued to accidentally crush animals, but occasionally he managed to leave some alive. Gradually, he had more live catches, and those who hunted with him were no longer injured by him.

The Nüwa tribe was deeply touched. Because Male felt guilty about injuring Huang Ye and had paid close attention to his strength, his control over it improved significantly. They believed that soon he would be able to control his strength precisely. Male was truly a compassionate leader!

Ann was furious and wanted to spit blood. Although Huang Ye pretended to forgive Male on the surface, she was deeply upset since Male had admitted that he had done it intentionally.

Huang Ye wished she could immediately activate her bloodline power at the tribe's totem, proving that only she was worthy to stand by Male's side!

Unfortunately, she was bedridden for the past few days due to her injury, and with Granny Feng closely watching her during the day, she had no chance to approach the tribe's totem.

Oh, wait! Granny Feng only watched closely during the day and went to sleep at night! Once her foot was healed, she could sneak out at night to find the beast skin totem and activate her bloodline power!

In the darkness, Huang Ye's eyes sparkled with determination.

Under the bamboo building, the number of livestock and poultry had increased. To prevent tribe members from secretly catching them at night to use as their own prey the next day, Uncle Feng volunteered to stay overnight in the bamboo building.

Little did he know that staying there revealed that the second floor of the bamboo building was quite suitable for summer living—cool and filled with the pleasant scent of bamboo.

However, stone furniture was not suitable for the bamboo building due to its weight. After consulting Emily, she suggested using wooden and bamboo furniture instead. Uncle Feng was enlightened by this.

The next day, he independently crafted a beautiful and sturdy small bamboo stool.

He happily presented the first bamboo stool to Emily as a thank-you for her suggestion.

Male's face soured. Emily knew he was probably feeling jealous again, so she politely declined the gift, thinking that in Male's mind, whether it was a child of six or seventy, they should all stay away from her!

Such possessiveness! Sigh! She had to work on changing this bad habit slowly.

Seeing that Uncle Feng had a quick mind, Emily told him about bamboo chairs and even rocking chairs from her memory. Delighted, Uncle Feng went back to try making bamboo chairs.

Aside from Uncle Feng, other quick-witted Nüwa tribe members also emerged, capable of making connections and learning from new ideas.

For example, inspired by the water wheel used for irrigation, Nüwa women who preferred spring water over river water split bamboo into halves, removed the inner nodes, and used bamboo pipes to bring a long stream of spring water into the Nüwa tribe.

This was just like when Emily first arrived at the Nüwa tribe and cried for her parents, which Male had thought meant she was looking for someone named "Ba" from "Ba" and "Ma."

Although the spring water flow was small, it could fill a bucket soon enough.

After directing the spring water into the tribe, other Nüwa tribe members dug a well to store the water when no one was using the buckets.

Unexpectedly, as they dug deeper, a clear spring emerged directly from the ground, marking the birth of the Nüwa tribe's first living well.