C12 Something Happened to the Hunting Team

Yuan Ge's gaze slid over him like he was transparent air, completely disregarded. Aside from his marginally higher martial prowess, the man was insignificant to Yuan Ge, who couldn't be bothered with him. As their eyes met briefly, Yuan Ge turned on his heel, "Stare all you want; I'm off to practice archery. I've got no time for a staring contest!"

On the fifteenth day after the hunting team's departure, Yuan Ge, practicing archery in the grasslands, was abruptly interrupted by Jiekui. The reason was dire: Jie'ao's hunting team had encountered disaster, with heavy casualties reported.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ge dashed to the tribe's altar without hesitation, praying under his breath, "Sister, Brother-in-law, please be alive. You must survive!"

Arriving at the altar, he found it besieged by a crowd and a dozen bloodied warriors lying unconscious at its periphery. The High Priest and Chief Jieyang were diligently tending to each warrior's wounds, while elders bustled about, delivering a steady stream of medicinal herbs to the High Priest.

Pushing through the throng, Yuan Ge reached the injured and scanned them one by one until he found Jietu and Jieying, still and silent in their unconscious state. Frantic, he rushed to their side, calling out their names in vain. Their closed eyes and pallid faces, devoid of color, spoke of untold agony. Yuan Ge had never witnessed such a look of pain and could only imagine the torment they endured at the claws of monsters.

Jie'ao stood by, his brow furrowed, silent in his grief. The loss or injury of any warrior weighed heavily on him, more than anyone else in the tribe. He always insisted on strict adherence to protocol during hunts, forbidding any solo actions. Yet, it was the solitary actions of Jieying and Jietu that had led to this monstrous ambush.

Still, as the hunting team's captain, Jie'ao couldn't simply attribute the mishap to Jietu and Jieying. The High Priest and his father, Chief Jieyang, would not entertain such excuses.

Jiesen, trailing behind, stepped forward and reassured Yuan Ge, "Don't worry, with the High Priest here, everything will be alright!"

At that moment, the High Priest and Jieyang approached the two injured individuals. The High Priest chanted softly while applying the herbal medicine to their wounds.

As the medicine was applied, Yuan Ge could clearly see the severity of their injuries. Jietu had suffered the most; several of his wounds were deep enough to reveal bone. Heartbroken, Yuan Ge wondered what kind of beast could have inflicted such grievous harm.

Once the application of the herbal medicine was complete, Jieying and Jietu's complexions gradually returned to normal, and their expressions of pain eased. Soon after, both regained consciousness.

Yuan Ge understood that anyone coming back from the brink of death might initially think they had entered hell—a normal human reaction. Jieying looked around blankly, her eyes filled with unfamiliarity, possibly as her memories before the injury slowly returned. After a short while, her gaze settled on Yuan Ge.

Yuan Ge quickly took hold of Jieying's bloodied hands and smiled, "Sis, how are you feeling? Is it painful?"

"Why don't you try getting bitten by a monster and see if it hurts?" Jieying managed a weak smile, not wanting to cast a shadow over Yuan Ge with this ordeal. In the tribe, many children had delayed their awakening for years after witnessing family members get hurt or die. Courage in people isn't extinguished, just frightened away.

Despite the circumstances, he could still joke. Yuan Ge's anxiety, which had been lodged in his throat, eased. Smiling, he said, "I'm relieved you're okay, Sis. I don't want you to go hunting anymore. I've grown up; I can hunt now!" Yuan Ge was determined to prevent such an incident from recurring. Not everyone had the chance to be reborn like him.

Jieying remained silent, tenderly stroking Yuan Ge's cheek, acknowledging that he had indeed grown up. Jietu, who had awakened at some point, nearly sobbed, "Ouch, it hurts so much!"

The two of them were no longer in critical condition. Despite their serious injuries, they were expected to make a swift recovery thanks to the High Priest's herbal remedies. In the aftermath, many pondered why the hunting team had been ambushed by monsters, but it wasn't the time for such questions. Jieyang merely shot Jie'ao a cold glare and huffed before he went to attend to the other wounded.

Upon being brought home, Jietu, ignoring his own pain, eagerly retrieved a wooden stick from his beast skin bag that he had risked his life to obtain.

"Yuan Ge, check out this stick. It's from a centuries-old ancient tree. I nearly became monster feed trying to get it!"

Yuan Ge managed a wry smile and responded, "You're in no shape to worry about a stick right now!"

Despite his words, Yuan Ge couldn't help but be drawn to the stick that resembled a branch. It was jet black, roughly two meters long, and as thick as an egg. The texture at the severed end suggested it hadn't been cut in one clean stroke. Considering Jietu was an intermediate warrior and he couldn't sever it in one slash, the wood's hardness was evident.

Yuan Ge attempted to bend it with his hands but couldn't. After taking a deep breath and applying more force, the wood finally gave way, bending ever so slightly. The resilience of this wood was incomparable to that of Gorewood.

Jieying and her companion watched Yuan Ge's focused efforts and knew he must be pleased with the wood. They felt their perilous endeavor was justified, as long as he was happy with the result.

Without a word, Yuan Ge picked up the stone knife from the table and began meticulously crafting the branch. He found a thicker tendon and strung it between the two ends of the branch. Once his work was complete, Yuan Ge plucked the bowstring, and with a resonant "twang," the bow sprang to life, its tension palpable. A satisfied smile finally graced Yuan Ge's face.

Even with the bow finished, Yuan Ge's thoughts lingered on the recent hunt and the mysterious monster that had nearly decimated the entire team. Jieying recounted the harrowing experience to him in detail.