Chapter 21
The plan was to migrate towards the main river, the Dawa River, but the real target of the Green Tribe was actually one of Dawa's main tributaries, the Dana River. Only if there was no suitable location would they move closer to the Dawa River.
Along the way, Ji Mo Ling carefully marked the path to help the main group follow them easily later.
In the end, they were quite lucky and found a cave near the Dana River. The entrance was only wide enough for two people to pass through, but the internal space could accommodate their entire tribe. There were no dangerous creatures inside, and after scattering some insect-repellent powder, lighting some fire, and installing some glow stones, it only required a bit of cleaning to be ready for habitation.
By now, the drought had worsened. Most water sources on the plains had dried up, revealing cracked riverbeds. Struggling aquatic creatures were either eaten or sun-dried to death, and the vegetation had turned yellow and withered. The air at midday was so hot it seemed to warp. Standing outside for a few minutes was enough to smell the faint scent of roasting meat from one's own skin.
On the seventh night after Ji Mo Ling and her group had settled down, the main party arrived, following the markers.
Five wooden carts were pulled up the hillside by the orcs, following the path that had been cleared, and were neatly parked on an open space. The women were escorted into the cave one by one by their respective orc partners, and the wounded were prioritized for accommodation.
Everyone was exhausted from the journey, so Ji Mo Ling's group, who had been resting for several days, took it upon themselves to stand guard. At dawn, Li and a few orc warriors relieved them, allowing them to rest.
Ji Mo Ling's dwelling was a small hollow in the cave near the entrance. Rui had installed a leaf curtain, set up a stone bed, a wooden table, several stools, and a few storage shelves, making it into a cozy little room.
Ji Mo Ling bid Rui goodnight, lifted the curtain, and went inside to sleep. Rui, in his beast form, curled up at her door and also closed his eyes.
After resting for a few hours, Ji Mo Ling woke up. Outside, the once quiet cave had become lively with the sounds of tribe members coming and going.
After tidying herself up, Ji Mo Ling stepped out, expecting to see Tie Bao Jin, who usually slept at her door in his beast form. Guessing that he had gone to prepare food, she decided to go and find the chief instead.
Just then, Chen Xiao and Zhou Ying came to see her, and the three of them went into Ji Mo Ling's room to talk.
First, Chen Xiao praised Ji Mo Ling for how well she had completed her task.
This resting place was much better than they had anticipated. The temperature inside the cave was significantly cooler than outside, and the place was easy to defend and difficult to attack, saving them a lot of trouble.
On top of that, the cave had been somewhat arranged, and several large stone jars filled with water were inside, indicating that they had done a lot of work to ensure that the main group could settle down quickly.
Ji Mo Ling modestly credited their success to good luck and Rui.
It was he who had found this place while hunting on the hill. He had been chasing a fire rabbit that darted into a crack in the mountainside. Unwilling to give up, Tie Bao Jin had scratched at the wall in frustration, causing a lot of loose rocks and weeds to fall.
Sensing something unusual, Rui dug further and discovered the cave entrance. At that point, he didn't care about the rabbit anymore and rushed back to report the discovery, which led to finding this ideal resting spot.
After reporting on her side of things, Ji Mo Ling asked the chief how their journey had gone, noticing that there were quite a few wounded. Had they encountered trouble?
Chen Xiao sighed, and Zhou Ying patted the chief on the shoulder, explaining the situation.
Due to the drought, tensions on the plains had escalated. Their migration was obvious, and along the way, they encountered several attacks by wild and ferocious beasts. The most serious incident occurred four days ago when they faced three ferocious beasts. Five orc warriors were lost, and most others were injured. They even lost one of their specially-made water carts.
Upon hearing this, Ji Mo Ling felt a pang of sorrow. Their own journey hadn't been smooth either, though they had avoided much trouble due to their high mobility.
The atmosphere grew somber for a moment, but as a leader, Chen Xiao quickly regained her composure.
"Overall, our prospects are still optimistic. According to Li Hai's observations, this drought won't end anytime soon. She issued a Level 1 warning for the plains ten days ago and migrated along with the Tu Tribe. When we left, the small river by our tribe had already dried up. Staying in our old territory would have led to ruin. Given our current situation, things could be much worse. Now, we just need to hold out until it rains, and we'll have survived."
Ji Mo Ling and Zhou Ying both nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Rui came in, carrying food and water. Not wanting to disturb the discussion, he greeted the two elders briefly, placed the food by his fiancée's side, and left to attend to other matters.
Chen Xiao and Zhou Ying, seeing this, were further impressed by Rui. They also suggested that Ji Mo Ling eat while Zhou Ying examined the simple map.
This had been prearranged; after confirming the location, Ji Mo Ling was supposed to survey the terrain and draw a basic map to facilitate future planning.
Zhou Ying used Ji Mo Ling's simple sketch and description to draw a more detailed and aesthetically pleasing map. She then sent orcs to conduct further exploration, plan patrols, and set up water collection routes.
After finishing this part of her work, Ji Mo Ling expressed her intention to check on Chen Lan, a pregnant woman who had endured the dangers of the journey. As both her good friend and a healer, Ji Mo Ling couldn't rest easy until she had personally seen her.
Zhou Ying politely asked Ji Mo Ling to also check on Zhou Qing afterward. She, too, had been confirmed pregnant before the migration, though she had been well-protected and was in stable condition, so there was no rush.
Ji Mo Ling was surprised but promised to visit her later.
Both pregnant women were in relatively good health, only needing to rest further.
Ji Mo Ling then helped Kong and Qian treat other wounded tribe members, organized and inventoried the medicine, and spent the entire day busy.
At dinner, when she returned to her room, Rui was nowhere to be found, but a meal for one had been left on the table. Hungry, Ji Mo Ling couldn't help but smile, thinking how considerate her dear watchdog was. She sat down and eagerly began eating.
After she had eaten and cleaned up, Ji Mo Ling headed outside for a walk, planning to find Rui. Along the way, she smiled and greeted the tribe members who acknowledged her.
At this time, the sun had not yet set, and while it was still warm outside, it was no longer unbearable. A few people were out enjoying the evening breeze.
Ji Mo Ling glanced around but didn't spot Rui. Instead, she ran into Wang Xin, who came over to say hello.
"Why are you alone? Where are your husbands?" Ji Mo Ling asked, puzzled to see Wang Xin by herself.
"Three of them are injured and resting under my orders, one is out on a mission, and two others were nagged into going to fetch water for a bath. I couldn't stop them, so here I am, all alone," Wang Xin shrugged, looking helpless.
Ji Mo Ling nodded, understanding. The water in the cisterns and the water carts was reserved for daily drinking needs. If the other water cart hadn't been destroyed, they could have used it to supply bathing water for the women. Now, anyone wanting to indulge in a bath had to fetch the water themselves.
The two of them stood in the shade, chatting idly, while occasionally glancing down the mountain path, clearly both thinking about their orc partners who hadn't returned yet.
They ended up waiting until the sun set, and then saw a group of orcs returning up the mountain, each carrying something on their backs.
Ji Mo Ling and Wang Xin quickly spotted their own partners. The orcs also noticed them, and three of them promptly broke away from the group and jogged up to meet them.
After greeting each other, they linked arms and headed back into the cave together.
Ji Mo Ling listened to Rui muttering about helping her prepare bathwater, and she felt her heart soften and warm. This guy really was making it harder for her to let go of him.