Chapter 14

Time flew by, and there were only thirty days left until the seventh day of July, the annual celebration day!

On that day, women who were getting married would hold a simple yet grand ceremony with the beastmen. Wang Xin and Zhou Qing, both just coming of age, would be among them. Married women were not allowed to take more husbands, so this year, only these two from the Green Tribe would be having weddings.

According to local tradition, the tribe would present red deer antlers as blessings to women holding their first wedding.

The red deer antlers symbolize a prosperous life and the continuation of female offspring. These antlers must be obtained through hunting by underage girls of the next generation. If there is a generation gap, adult women who have given birth to daughters can hunt them instead.

This meant that this year, the two sets of red deer antlers would be the responsibility of Jimo Ling. Next year, Meng Xiang would take care of Jimo Ling's, and the year after that, Meng Lin, Meng Xiang's mother, would likely be responsible for Meng Xiang's.

Although the deer are called red deer, it's actually quite misleading; in spring and summer, they shed their fur and turn green, while the male deer's antlers turn red during this season, giving them their name.

Finding a group of green deer in the vast, lush plains and personally hunting down two male deer was definitely not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

So today, Jimo Ling stayed home instead of going to the hospital, preparing her supplies. Tomorrow morning, she would set off with a beastman team to look for the red deer herd.

At noon, Rui came over to cook.

He plated the food, set it on the table, and called out loudly, "Ling, come eat!"

Jimo Ling in the back room replied, "Okay." She organized the herbs she was packing, washed her hands, and then went to the front hall.

Rui eagerly stood up, moved a chair for her, and let her sit down.

Jimo Ling smiled at him, signaling for him to sit as well.

Indeed, the beastmen's recovery ability was remarkable. A few days ago, Rui had been bruised and battered from sparring, but today, aside from a bit of swelling around his left eye, he looked much better and no longer resembled a pig's head.

Noticing that Jimo Ling was observing him, Rui smiled to show that he was fine and urged her to eat quickly.

Speaking of which, that day he had been challenged by a group of beastmen. The rules were that anyone who stepped outside a designated area would lose in a free-for-all.

Looking at the participants, it was clear that they were admirers of his Ling, who were unwilling to accept defeat and had come specifically to challenge him. He accepted without hesitation, thinking of himself as a brave and fearless beastman.

However, these insidious creatures teamed up specifically to target his face. Although his injuries were not severe, the visual impact was quite significant.

When he caught a glimpse of himself in the water, he was so shocked that he punched the surface, causing him to fall into the river. As a result, he didn't dare to appear in front of Jimo Ling that day and decided to avoid her until his swelling went down.

Clearly, the effect they wanted to achieve was accomplished.

However, plans can change. After dinner, not seeing Rui, Jimo Ling went to his house. But Rui, feeling down, didn't notice her arrival in time, and she caught a full view of his pig-headed appearance.

At first glance, Jimo Ling didn't even dare to recognize him. The two stared at each other for three seconds—her wide-eyed (Jimo Ling) and his squinted (Rui's swollen face). Finally, Rui let out a whine, turned his back to her, and buried his head in the beast skin blanket, which confirmed to her that this was indeed Rui.

Feeling a mix of pity and amusement, since he looked fine otherwise and should only have superficial injuries, she couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

Then "the ostrich" buried his head even deeper, but his backside was raised high. Beastmen often transform and typically do not wear underwear, so Jimo Ling caught an unmentionable glimpse beneath his beast skin loincloth.

"Cough, cough, cough…" That was quite a surprise.

Hearing the commotion, Rui, who had been hiding, quickly came out, "Are you okay?" He patted her back to help her breathe.

Jimo Ling waved her hand, indicating she was fine. After coughing a few more times, she stopped, saying, "Okay, I'm fine. What happened to you?"

Now that she had seen it, Rui decided to be candid and explained the situation in a garbled manner.

Jimo Ling barely understood and felt speechless. The beastmen had their own set of social rules, and since they hadn't crossed any boundaries, she decided not to interfere. She had heard of it and understood, so she let it go.

Then, rejecting Rui's attitude of letting it naturally heal in a few days, she found some herbs to apply on his injuries, comforted him gently, reassured him that she wouldn't hold it against him, and stayed with him to rest for a while before leaving.

Instead of the expected shock and coldness, Rui received a gentle consolation, which he felt opened up a new skill for him.

So the next day, sporting a big bruised face, he resumed his clingy nature, bustling around Jimo Ling.

He finally declared that the baby was hurt but was very obedient, wanting kisses and hugs as a reward!

Jimo Ling simply couldn't bring herself to kiss the pig-headed face, so she ignored the sausage-shaped pout and pulled his big head down, closing her eyes to peck his relatively uninjured forehead. She thought to herself, "This is definitely true love!"

The beastman team accompanying Jimo Ling on this outing included Rui, of course, as well as familiar faces Lei and Lu, a brown bear beastman, and five wolf tribe beastmen.

While traveling, Jimo Ling rode on Rui's back. As the team left the tribe, they headed towards the vast plains.

The red deer were scattered in small groups without a specific gathering place and moved at any time, so tracking them down was not easy.

However, the easiest places to find them were near water sources. But water sources were also prone to encounters with other wild animal packs and ferocious beasts. Thus, the hunting teams from the tribe typically wouldn't choose to ambush at the water sources but would instead set up traps on the paths leading to them.

The plains were open and had many water sources, with multiple directions leading to each, so where they would encounter red deer near a water source would depend on luck.

With plenty of time, Jimo Ling combined crouching and net-sowing methods.

Based on Lu's description of the terrain, she chose a small lake in the grasslands as her fixed point.

Two wolf beasts formed a small team, splitting into two groups to guard the two directions where animal tracks were most frequent. Jimo Ling led the other beastmen to patrol the outer perimeter, looking for signs of deer passage.

At night, the team gathered and set up camp.

After ten days without a trace of the deer herd, they did encounter the vicious Saw-Toothed Crocodile twice but managed to avoid it.

Two more days passed, and in the dead of night, their camp was attacked by a pack of wild wolves.

This pack of wild wolves had over eighty members, with exposed canine teeth nearly two inches long and extremely sharp, capable of breaking through a beastman's defense, which was why they had the audacity to surround them.

Unfortunately, they underestimated the strength of this beastman team. Not to mention Rui, who was a fierce beastman, even Lu, a herbivore beastman with long horns, could toss a wolf into the air. Furthermore, with Jimo Ling's long-range attacks, an arrow shot through the head of one wolf, hitting its target perfectly.

As dawn broke, the frenzied wild wolves were almost all wiped out, finally frightened off by their ferocity, and the wolf king retreated with the remaining pack. Jimo Ling's team suffered some injuries, each bearing wounds.

However, since the wild wolves would bear a grudge, especially with the wolf king escaping, they would bring disaster to the tribe if not dealt with. So, Jimo Ling left behind the most seriously injured Lu, the brown bear with a leg injury, and a wolf beastman, while the other able-bodied beastmen treated their wounds before pursuing.

After a series of chases and fights until noon, they finally eradicated the remaining wild wolves.

Relaxing for an hour, they unexpectedly discovered the tracks of the red deer herd.

Jimo Ling was overjoyed—this was truly an unintentional windfall.

Looking at her arrows, there were still two left… uh, perhaps this was fate.

Immediately, she directed the remaining able-bodied beastmen to drive the red deer herd towards her while she rode on Rui to follow.

A group of beastmen charged into the herd of deer, driving the magnificent male deer with red antlers toward Jimo Ling's direction.

Jimo Ling steadied herself, calmed her mind, nocked an arrow, pulled the bow, aimed, and shot!

With a whoosh, the stone arrow pierced through a male deer's neck, and the running deer fell dead on the spot. The second arrow also found its mark.

Everyone had already witnessed her prowess and was unsurprised, yet they couldn't help but cheer for her.

Jimo Ling achieved her goal and was very happy. She signaled everyone to hunt freely while she and Rui waited to the side.

Once the deer herd had dispersed, the beastmen dragged their respective prey away to feast, and Ji Mo Ling took her kill and Rui to a side area to process it. The antlers were removed, and the deer meat was given to Rui while Ji Mo Ling roasted some for herself, eating a bit of fruit to replenish her strength.

Afterward, she joined the other three beastmen and headed back to the tribe.

The Green Tribe was built against the mountains, known as the Hui Mountain, which stretched for several miles and had three peaks. The main peak was about six hundred meters high, and the summit had been cleared to make a large open area, where a sacrificial altar was set up for significant ceremonies.

On the morning of the festive day, the chief's family followed the welcoming party of the Tu Tribe to send off Fa, who was getting married, and would stay with the Tu Tribe for one night.

The Green Tribe's festive day didn't involve receiving guests from other tribes since there were no beastmen marrying into their tribe.

Most of the wedding preparations had already been completed, and the sacrificial altar was set up by that morning.

In the afternoon, aside from the necessary patrols, tribe members gradually ascended the mountain. The open space around the sacrificial altar was neatly filled with piles of wood arranged in a conical shape, with people sitting around, some on small wooden stools and others sitting on the ground, chatting and eating snacks while waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.

The area near the sacrificial altar was implicitly designated for families with women, so Ji Mo Ling and Rui occupied one of those spots. Compared to other families with larger gatherings, they appeared rather isolated.

However, it wasn't long before Meng Xiang arrived with her five fiancés to join them. "Ling, can we sit with you? It's a bit crowded at my mom's place," the young girl said with a bright smile.

Ji Mo Ling nodded with a smile, knowing the girl was just being kind and that the crowding was merely an excuse; she could easily have her own table.

With six more people joining them, one of Meng Xiang's fiancés, Qian, was a familiar face to Ji Mo Ling, while she gradually got to know the others. They seemed to blend into the festive atmosphere of the wedding.

As the evening sun set, two sets of newlyweds ascended the beautifully decorated sacrificial altar adorned with flowers and feathers, and the crowd below fell silent.

At the center of the altar was a circular offering table, laden with flowers, fruits, roasted meat, and two pairs of splendid red deer antlers. The brides led the way, with the beastmen grooms following behind, waiting for the Elder to officiate the ceremony.

Wang Xin was followed by six beastmen, while Zhou Ying had four behind her. Unlike human customs, where women had to be eighteen to marry, beastmen could marry as soon as they turned fifteen, so the grooms' ages ranged from fifteen to thirty.

Soon, the Elder, dressed in new clothes and wearing a feathered crown, appeared. After reciting a blessing, he asked both parties if they willingly wished to marry, receiving affirmative answers before declaring the marriage contract established. The newlyweds knelt to bow in gratitude to heaven and earth.

Ji Mo Ling felt as if she might be hallucinating, or perhaps it was the effect of the sunset, as she seemed to see dozens of red lights falling on the newlyweds before disappearing.

However, there was no time to explore this further; once the ceremony concluded, the lively celebration began. Bonfires were lit, and everyone could freely take food from the meat and fruit area. In the open space, people danced and sang, while Wang Xin and Zhou Ying took turns offering toasts with their husbands.

The wine was Ji Mo Ling's friendship contribution, produced by the Grape Tribe, and it was incredibly sweet. Since they usually didn't have access to such wine, everyone drank freely, making the atmosphere exceptionally lively.

After a long night filled with joy, some were drunk, and others tired, the gathering finally dispersed.

Ji Mo Ling had a decent tolerance for alcohol, and by the end, she was merely tipsy, but Rui, on the other hand, could hardly walk straight, so Ji Mo Ling had to help him home.

Not wanting to leave the drunken lad alone at his place, Ji Mo Ling took him back to her home. She laid him on her bed and got water to wash his face. However, he did not appreciate her kindness and mumbled incoherently in protest.

Ji Mo Ling sighed and coaxed him, "Be good, it'll feel more comfortable after I clean your face."

"Don't wipe my face! I want kisses!" The drunken beastman pushed the cloth aside and reached for his lover's neck, "Kisses will feel better!"

Ji Mo Ling: "..." (ω) How shameless! In a moment of distraction, she was pulled down by Rui.

The young beastman treated himself like a mattress, making Ji Mo Ling lie on him, leaning in to find her soft red lips and kissing her. Mmm, sweet and fragrant, he couldn't help but kiss her more passionately.

Ji Mo Ling was held tightly and didn't want to use brute force to escape, so she decided to go along with it. After a while, unable to resist, she kissed him back, only to find he had stopped responding. Pushing herself up, she looked and was stunned to find him sound asleep! =-=!

After the festive day, Ji Mo Ling noticed that Wang Xin and Zhou Ying were rarely seen around the tribe.

Especially Wang Xin, who used to visit her frequently; it had been seven days without a single sight of her, and Ji Mo Ling found herself missing her.

Considering that the tribe had humanized their policies to grant the newlyweds a holiday, allowing them not to participate in communal labor for ten days, and knowing that they must be enjoying their honeymoon with their husbands, Ji Mo Ling decided not to intrude.

However, Ji Mo Ling resolved to prepare several herbal packs suitable for women's nourishment and blood replenishment to send to the two new brides in a few days. ^皿^

The Elder shared her thoughts.

While Ji Mo Ling was busy in the apothecary preparing herbs, the eldest woman of the Green Tribe approached her.

In this tribe, whether female or beastmen, most did not show signs of aging, so the elderly Elder still radiated her youthful charm. Despite her silver hair, her face was rosy with few wrinkles, exuding a certain grace gained from life's experiences.

Ji Mo Ling put down her work and greeted her.

The Elder kindly responded, telling her to continue her work, saying she had come to prepare herbal packs for Wang Xin and Zhou Ying to help them recover.

Upon hearing this, Ji Mo Ling smiled and said, "Oh! How fortuitous. I'm preparing them too. You don't need to worry about it."

"Oh? You're so thoughtful, A Ling." The Elder habitually added an "A" in front of names. She then moved closer to see the herbs Ji Mo Ling was preparing and inquired about the recipe and dosage.

Knowing the Elder was an expert in this field, Ji Mo Ling was thrilled and answered all her questions eagerly.

The Elder pointed out that the recipe Ji Mo Ling was using was more suited for postnatal recovery, and for Wang Xin and Zhou Ying, a different formula would work better, requiring an addition of black cloud beans and adjustments in the dosages of two other ingredients.

Listening intently, Ji Mo Ling asked questions from time to time, and the Elder patiently answered them all.

Just as the two were engrossed in their discussion, someone entered the room, and they both turned to see it was Kong.

"Grandma, why are you out here by yourself again?" Kong looked helplessly at his elder, who had been very serious and disciplined in her youth but had developed a childlike temperament as she aged, often wandering off without notice and even going to Hui Mountain to gather herbs alone, which made the people around her worry. "Do the grandpas know you're here?"

"…Oh, it's you, A Kong. I just wanted to prepare some supplements for the two newlywed girls; I'll head back soon." Meaning the old men didn't know she had left.

"Then hurry back; otherwise, the grandpas will be worried," Kong gently coaxed her. "If you have something to do, just let us know; there's no need to run around for small matters."

"Oh, I'm just an old woman; sitting idle is also boring, so I can still do small things." The Elder waved her hand impatiently, repeating herself until Kong was tired of hearing it. However, the old men had accompanied her through thick and thin for a lifetime, and she didn't know how many more years they could be together, so she tried to comply with them as much as possible. "I'll go back now. A Ling, the herbal packs are in your hands. Come visit me when you have time!"

"Sure, no problem. Rest assured, Elder," Ji Mo Ling replied readily.

As the Elder was satisfied with Ji Mo Ling's response and was about to leave, a loud voice came from outside the door.

"A Kong! Have you seen your grandma?"

Two energetic elderly beastmen entered, one taller than the other. The taller one asked.

"She's here. She's just about to go back," Kong responded.

Hearing the voice, the two old men turned to the apothecary, and sure enough, the Elder was there.

"Elder Kang! Why didn't you let us know you were coming out? We could have accompanied you," the taller old man said, grasping the Elder's right hand.

"There's only this little distance. I can manage on my own," the Elder thought that she was still capable enough to not need assistance.

"But we can't help but feel anxious when we can't see you," the slightly shorter elder said, who was half a head taller than the Elder, as he reached out to hold her left hand with a frown.

"Well, I'm not going to wander off. I'm just in the tribe. What's there to be anxious about?" She said this, but her body followed the two husbands as they guided her outside.

"Anyway, remember to tell us where you're going next time. At least let two of us accompany you so we can feel at ease."

"Okay, okay, I remember."

"You always say that but still forget from time to time. This time, if you go back and the eldest brother gets angry, I won't speak up for you."

"Aw, don't say that!"

The three of them walked away hand in hand, chatting.

Meanwhile, Kong and Jimo Ling, who had been completely ignored in the medicine room, exchanged glances: …This isn't good! They're spreading their love in public!