HCB Chapter 18 New Possibilities
Chapter 18 New Possibilities
After some discussion, the Lingyu tribesmen quickly changed their formation as instructed, surrounding Maoqiu in the middle of the group, and this special traveling team set off.
The clever furball fully understood Lezhi's meaning. It obediently followed behind Lechu and the others without making any unexpected moves, which reassured the Lingyu Clan members who were feeling somewhat uneasy.
This included Leshan. He was the captain of the guard team, and his daily responsibility was to eliminate insectoids and birds and beasts. Although their main target was also insectoids, there were occasionally unruly birds and beasts that would cause trouble during their hunts. Therefore, out of caution, Leshan initially had reservations about the chieftain's decision.
"...But the cub doesn't have wings. Do you know what he just told me? He wants us to fly back to the clan first, and he wants to walk back alone."
Recalling what the chieftain had just told him, Leshan's expression turned solemn. He had been observing Maoqiu's behavior the whole way, not missing a single detail, while also pondering the chieftain's suggestion.
"...Now that this bird-beast is providing transportation for the cub, it will be of great help to his future life. At the same time, it is also an exploration of a new symbiotic relationship for the tree spirits and the bird-beasts."
Looking up, Leshan saw the cub on the back of the bird or beast, its face rosy and its eyes shining as it looked around without showing any signs of discomfort. Only then did he truly understand what the clan chief meant.
"A new relationship...?"
While the leader contemplates the future, the other younger members of the team are more focused on the present. Le Man, with his emerald wings, is positioned to fly to the left of Mao Qiu, with Le Yun, also a member of their escort team, positioned slightly in front of him.
Seeing Lezhi so carefree on Maoqiu's back, flapping its wings vigorously with the help of the air currents, the lively Leman couldn't help but feel envious. He quietly lagged behind a little and began to discuss it with Leyun.
"Hey, Yueyun, did you see that? The baby bird looks so happy on the back of the beast, it looks like so much fun!"
"Why, you want to try it too?"
"Hehehe~" Having his thoughts exposed, Le Man scratched his head sheepishly. "It's just curiosity. In the past, when we saw birds and beasts, we either avoided them or accidentally got into a fight. We never thought we could ask them for help with transportation. Think about it, if it's a long journey, wouldn't it save a lot of energy if we had birds and beasts to help us travel?"
"That's true. Now that you mention it, I'm also tempted to give it a try. It seems quite practical. Otherwise, the long travel time each time we come out, and the exhausting flight back after our hard-fought battles, is really quite a hassle."
Awakened by Le Man's words, Le Yun clearly thought more deeply. Touching her chin, Le Yun stared thoughtfully at Le Zhi on the back of the fur ball.
"Right, right? I told you this idea was sound. So what do you say? When we get to the tribe, how about we try to find some birds and beasts and make friends?" Le Man suggested excitedly. He wasn't arrogant enough to ask Mao Qiu to take him along, since Mao Qiu still didn't care about anyone except Le Zhi.
Moreover, as seniors who have already entered adolescence, how could they possibly steal the cub's companion? Besides, Lezhi has no wings; he is the only one in the entire clan who absolutely needs a companion for transportation.
Sensing the eagerness in Le Man's tone, Le Yun was also a little itchy to try it out. "Okay, let's make an appointment when we get back."
The two exchanged a smile, then quickly returned to their respective flight positions to concentrate on flying.
Unaware that Maoqiu's sudden whim had opened a new world for these Spirit Feather Clan people, Lezhi sat on Maoqiu's back, fully enjoying the freedom of rising into the air.
This strange group flew on its own, attracting countless stares. Occasionally, birds and beasts would pass by in the distance, all of which were somewhat surprised to see this odd combination.
Ignoring the stares, Le Chu estimated the time and, after flying for a while, waved to signal a change of formation. Just then, they arrived near a large lake, and under Le Chu's lead, the Lingyu tribesmen, carrying fur balls, landed safely on the lakeshore.
Although it claimed to have been coerced, Maoqiu believed it was simply keeping its promise to Lezhi, which was why it didn't bother with these two-legged creatures. After landing smoothly and coming to a complete stop, it even bent down to help Lezhi get off its back easily.
Lezhi fully understood Maoqiu's good intentions. Protected by Lechu, she jumped off Maoqiu's back, smiled at Lechu, and even jumped twice to show him that she was really okay. Then, Lezhi went straight to Maoqiu's head, reached out and hugged Maoqiu's pointed beak, stroking the top of the beak and praising it.
"Furry is so great! I owe you so much for helping me out this time. Are you hungry? I'll grill some meat for you!"
"嗻～"
Having caught the key words, the fluffy ball, which had been beaming with praise, responded in a much higher tone, nudging Lezhi with its sharp beak, its eyes filled with longing for food.
It's clear that Maoqiu is really hungry. Lezhi hasn't eaten anything since she woke up this morning. At this moment, her adrenaline has subsided, and her brain has received the feedback that her stomach is empty.
"Okay, I'll cook right away. I'm hungry too. There's some insect meat left over. I wonder if it'll be enough..."
As she spoke, Lezhi browsed through their inventory in the space.
Lechu, who had been listening for a while, quickly stepped forward. "Lezhi, are you hungry? I brought some food, so don't worry. Maoqiu got some too. You're still a cub, so you don't need to worry about food."
With a gentle smile, Le Chu reached out and took Le Zhi's arm, leading him to a resting place that the tribespeople had already prepared.
The tribespeople who were digging a fire pit to prepare for starting a fire saw Le Chu bring Le Zhi over and asked, "Chieftain, you've come. Are you hungry? Wait a moment, we'll be ready soon."
"Hmm, no rush, take your time, I still have some fruit here."
"Okay, the captain and the others have gone hunting and will be back soon. Then we'll have roasted meat. The cubs can have some fruit to tide them over. We have more here if we need more."
Through Le Chu's conversation with the tribespeople, Le Zhi belatedly realized that the tribespeople who had just landed together had already started to perform their duties in twos and threes. Le Shan led several members of the guard team to hunt in the forest, some people stayed here to keep watch and tidy up the resting place, and a few people gathered firewood not far away to prepare for starting a fire.
Lezhi, who had been looking around, was only brought back to her senses when Lechu pressed her down on a flat, large rock. The fur ball that had been following Lezhi closely had now returned to its normal size. When it saw Lezhi stop, the fur ball quickly took over the top of Lezhi's head.
Don't think it didn't notice; that annoying two-legged creature is trying to touch Lezhi's head again, hmph.
Lezhi, whose hair was protected by the fur ball, looked innocently at Lechu, who helplessly withdrew her hand. "Um, Lechu, actually I have food. There's some insect meat left from what the fur ball hunted..."
"It's okay, you can keep those for yourself. With us here, you don't need to worry about food. Here, this is for you."
Stopping Lezhi from taking out food, Lechu took the initiative and stuffed a palm-sized fruit into Lezhi's hand, gesturing for Lezhi to eat it.
"Huh, is this for me?"
"Of course, this is one of the favorite fruits of our tree spirit cubs. You probably haven't tried it yet, so give it a try."
Encouraged by Le Chu's urging gaze, Le Zhi couldn't bear to refuse his kindness, so she held the fruit up to her eyes to examine it. The entire fruit was milky white, and when she brought it closer to her nose, in addition to the fresh fragrance of plants, it also carried a unique milky aroma.
Upon smelling the aroma, Lezhi felt an involuntary craving well up from the bottom of his heart. A voice inside him kept urging him to eat it. Following his inner desire, Lezhi opened his mouth and took the first bite. The smooth fruit pulp melted in his mouth, and the rich milky aroma assaulted his taste buds, making him involuntarily exclaim, "Mmm~"