Chapter 344- Fierce and Ominous Top VS Pretend Weak but Actually a Big Boss (10)
When they returned to their dwelling, Mu Jin noticed several bamboo rats lying on the ground, already hunted and killed. He realized that Wu Po must have finished hunting early and, upon not finding him at home, went out to look for him specifically.
Before Mu Jin could ask any questions, Wu Po carried him straight to their bed made of animal hides in the cave and held him tightly in his arms.
Wu Po buried his head quietly in the crook of Mu Jin’s neck, saying nothing, only taking deep breaths of Mu Jin’s scent.
Sensing his lover’s emotions, Mu Jin gently ran his fingers through Wu Po’s short hair, as though to comfort him. He didn’t say much but simply stayed in Wu Po’s embrace, holding him tenderly.
As it turned out, Mu Jin’s guess was right. Wu Po had searched everywhere around the tribe after discovering Mu Jin wasn’t home. Thus, he had seen the entire encounter between Mu Jin and Wu Yan.
When Wu Po first spotted Mu Jin, he had been overjoyed and was just about to call out to him. But then Wu Yan had suddenly appeared, spouting nonsense and even brazenly suggesting that Mu Jin should leave him and choose Wu Yan as his partner instead.
When Mu Jin asked Wu Yan whether he was suggesting she choose him, Wu Po felt his entire being consumed with fury. He wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and tear Wu Yan apart.
But in the next moment, Mu Jin openly praised Wu Po in front of everyone. Even when Wu Yan accused him of being cursed, Mu Jin stood firm and defended him, refuting their baseless claims.
When Mu Jin told the crowd that he had met people in his former tribe with different-colored eyes and even hair—some of them being shamans—Wu Po was deeply shocked.
For the first time, Wu Po began to question whether he truly was an “ill-fated” person, as the priest of the Pingshan tribe had claimed.
Over the years, even though Wu Po had never spoken about it and refused to believe the accusations, those words had weighed heavily on his heart like a mountain.
Deep inside, he had always been worried—worried that perhaps he really was cursed, that his father’s death might truly have been his fault. He even wondered if Mu Jin might someday suffer misfortune because of his supposed bad luck. This fear made him both long for Mu Jin and handle their relationship with extreme caution.
No matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, if it were ever proven that he brought harm to Mu Jin, Wu Po knew he would force himself to let go, no matter how painful it might be.
But today, Mu Jin stood before everyone and confidently declared that Wu Po was not cursed, that he was no different from anyone else.
It was the first time someone had openly defended him in front of others, and Wu Po felt an overwhelming urge to do something for Mu Jin. He had wanted to hold Mu Jin tightly in his arms right then and there—or perhaps do something else to release the storm of emotions surging within him.
However, the situation at the time didn’t allow it, so Wu Po had forced himself to suppress his feelings.
It wasn’t until Mu Jin neared their cave, with no one else around, that Wu Po finally rushed out and scooped him up into his arms.
The two of them embraced each other for a long time before Wu Po finally managed to calm the storm of emotions inside him.
He raised his head and gazed directly into Mu Jin’s eyes with an intensity and determination he had never shown before. In a soft voice, he asked, “Xiao Jin, you said you’ve seen people from other tribes with different eye colors, and they weren’t considered cursed. Is that true?”
Hearing this, Mu Jin immediately nodded.
From his partner’s question, Mu Jin quickly understood what had happened. It was clear that Wu Po already knew about the events that had transpired in the tribe earlier.
Mu Jin felt an immense sense of relief, knowing that he had stood up for Wu Po and defended him with reason. He believed that the words he had spoken would leave a lasting impression on the minds of the tribe members, and he was certain that Wu Po’s heart must feel lighter now.
In truth, Mu Jin hadn’t fabricated anything about what he said regarding other tribes. The Pingyuan Tribe, where he originally came from, was quite different from the Pingshan Tribe. The Pingyuan Tribe had once been a nomadic group, settling down only in recent generations.
Because of this history, the Pingyuan Tribe had a broader perspective, having interacted and traded with many other tribes in the past.
As the son of the tribe leader, the original Mu Jin had often accompanied his father, Mu Shan, on visits to various tribes, gaining considerable knowledge and exposure. It wasn’t uncommon for him to encounter individuals with features or appearances that were different from his own tribe’s norm. If Wu Po were part of the Pingyuan Tribe, he wouldn’t have been branded as cursed.
However, Mu Jin couldn’t help but wonder about the unique color of Wu Po’s eyes, which stood out so starkly compared to the rest of the Pingshan Tribe. After all, eye color typically had a strong genetic basis.
In this world, Wu Po’s light-colored eyes were even more striking than the rare shades Mu Jin had seen before. In direct sunlight, they glimmered faintly with hints of gold.
Earlier, while passing through the tribe, Mu Jin had casually glanced at Wu Po’s mother, Wu Chan. She was an attractive yet ordinary woman by Pingshan Tribe standards, with dark brown eyes. This only deepened Mu Jin’s curiosity about Wu Po’s father, whose identity now seemed somewhat mysterious.
After seeing Mu Jin’s affirmative nod, Wu Po tightened his embrace even more. At that moment, he finally felt that he could be completely at ease with Mu Jin.
Although Wu Po and Mu Jin had spent a short time together, in Wu Po’s heart, Mu Jin was incredibly capable. Moreover, Mu Jin had so much knowledge, and he had always been by the side of the priest in his previous tribe.
Someone like him, with such wisdom, spoke in a way that was convincing.
As Wu Po thought about how he was never really a cursed person, but had suffered so many injustices over the years, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of sorrow. However, more than that, he felt happiness.
Without the curse hanging over him, Wu Po felt strong. Stronger than anyone in the Pingshan Tribe. With this strength, he believed he was worthy of Mu Jin, and he could take good care of his little partner.
Mu Jin sensed that Wu Po had finally calmed down, so he patted his shoulder, lifted his head, and kissed his man before standing up. He then walked to the cave entrance and brought in the plants he had collected earlier.
Today, Mu Jin had indeed gathered a lot. He first handed over the small fruits he had carefully cultivated to Wu Po, before turning to check on the vegetables he had picked.
Wu Po smiled as he held the branch laden with yellow fruits. Though the taste of the fruit wasn’t great, Mu Jin had put thought and effort into it, and that made Wu Po very happy.
He picked up a fruit and popped it into his mouth, thinking to himself that since Mu Jin didn’t like the taste of this fruit, he would just eat them all himself. However, after eating one, Wu Po showed a somewhat surprised expression on his face.
Because this fruit had none of the sour and astringent taste he remembered; instead, it was very sweet, something he had never tasted before.
When he looked at Mu Jin, he saw Mu Jin smiling proudly at him, grinning as he said, “So, how does it taste? Not bad, right? I specially found these for you.”
Upon hearing Mu Jin’s words, Wu Po immediately realized that his little partner had known all along that the fruit was sweet. He didn’t know how Mu Jin had figured out the taste, but he was certain that this type of fruit, which was so sweet, must be very rare.
Wu Po felt moved, and he quickly picked another one and put it into Mu Jin’s mouth.
Mu Jin happily chewed on the fruit while organizing the large bundle of plants he had brought back today. Some of the plants could be used as regular vegetables, while others were herbs for seasoning.
After sorting the plants, Mu Jin gathered all the medicinal herbs together and presented them to Wu Po like a treasure. He said, “This is a herb that the priest from my old tribe mentioned to me. It’s great for quickly treating wounds.”
“You can carry some with you in the future. If you get injured while hunting, you can use it right away. It will stop the bleeding immediately, and it’s much more effective than the herbs you’ve been using.”
After giving Wu Po the herbs, Mu Jin went on to ramble about today’s harvest. Wu Po looked at his little partner with soft eyes, watching him proudly boast about his accomplishments. He truly felt that there was no one more adorable than Mu Jin in the world.
How fortunate he was to find such a devoted partner. Wu Po thought that perhaps all the good luck in his life had been used up just by meeting Mu Jin, and he felt it was all worth it.
After showing off the spoils of the day to his man, Mu Jin began helping Wu Po process the bamboo rats. The rats were already killed, skinned, and had their internal organs removed.
Wu Po had good luck today. At first, he hadn’t encountered any suitable prey after circling around the forest. Later, he remembered a bamboo grove on the edge of the forest, so he decided to take a chance there.
He thought the bamboo rats might have a good taste and perhaps Mu Jin would like them, so he rushed over and managed to catch quite a few. In fact, he came back much earlier than usual today.
Wu Po had caught eight bamboo rats in total, but he had given three to the tribe and one to Wu He, so he only brought back four rats. But that was more than enough for him and Mu Jin to have a satisfying meal.
Mu Jin, listening to Wu Po talk about the hunting, also understood that he had given some of the prey to the tribe. It was customary for the strong hunters in the tribe to contribute regularly. Mu Jin didn’t see any problem with that.
After all, the meat and food contributed to the tribe were shared by all. This way, even the elderly, weak, and injured members of the tribe would have food to eat. Even though it was difficult to get enough to eat during lean seasons, the tribe was clearly content with this system.