Chapter 348- Fierce and Ominous Top VS Pretend Weak but Actually a Big Boss (14)
Thinking of this, the female lead immediately put on a pitiful expression and anxiously said to Wu Peng, “Wu Peng, please let me explain! I truly thought these were medicinal herbs for healing wounds. It was an honest mistake—I didn’t mean to do it!”
Hearing this, Wu Peng nodded and gave Mu Xuan a gentle smile. He didn’t think she had any reason to deliberately harm him.
However, the fact that Mu Xuan clearly didn’t understand medicinal herbs yet used her half-baked knowledge to gather questionable plants and give them to him still left Wu Peng feeling a little uneasy.
As Mu Jin had pointed out, medicinal herbs aren’t something to be taken lightly. In the past, people had accidentally eaten poisonous plants and paid with their lives. Thankfully, Mu Jin caught the mistake in time. Otherwise, if Wu Peng had given the herbs to his injured brother, the consequences could have been disastrous.
With this in mind, Wu Peng felt a newfound sense of gratitude toward Mu Jin. Still, he didn’t blame Mu Xuan, knowing it was an unintentional error. He simply advised her to make sure the herbs were safe and suitable before giving them to others to avoid any further mistakes.
Mu Xuan gritted her teeth inwardly but outwardly gave Wu Peng a gentle nod.
Considering Mu Xuan’s feelings and the growing crowd, along with the returning hunting team, Wu Peng decided to shift the topic quickly. He began discussing the distribution of the gathered food with everyone.
After the incident, Mu Xuan faced the schadenfreude-filled gazes of some foraging team members and wished she could disappear. She was used to acting high and mighty in front of the other women in the team and had never endured such humiliation.
Yet she also knew that her mistake could be seen as either minor or severe, depending on how it was interpreted. Not daring to say much more, she could only cast a resentful glance at Mu Jin. What she didn’t realize, however, was that her expression had been noticed by Wu Peng, who had turned around at that moment.
Seeing Mu Xuan’s look, Wu Peng froze for a moment.
Was Mu Xuan holding a grudge against Mu Jin? But it was clearly thanks to Mu Jin that a major disaster had been avoided.
Wu Peng frowned deeply. For the first time, he began to question whether Mu Xuan was truly as gentle and kind as he had thought.
Primitive people tended to have simple ways of thinking, and Wu Peng’s sense of right and wrong was quite straightforward. Naturally, he felt that Mu Xuan was in the wrong.
Still, he didn’t say much about it. After all, Mu Xuan had never accepted his pursuit, and to her, he was just an outsider. However, if her character truly wasn’t as good as he had believed, he might need to reconsider pursuing her as a future partner.
Although Mu Xuan was beautiful, what had drawn Wu Peng to her was her supposed gentleness and kindness. He hoped to find a woman like his mother, someone warm and kind-hearted. But if Mu Xuan wasn’t that kind of person, he wasn’t so sure he wanted her as his mate.
Mu Xuan, unaware that her most loyal admirer was starting to waver, was still plotting in her heart. She vowed to find an opportunity to get rid of Mu Jin and teach him a lesson.
In contrast, Mu Jin didn’t spare Mu Xuan a second thought. He had no intention of causing her trouble, so long as she didn’t create conflicts by building her harem of admirers and stirring discord among the tribe.
If Mu Xuan found a stable partner and settled down quietly, Mu Jin would have no reason to interfere with her.
Unexpectedly, today turned out to be a day where Mu Jin gained significant recognition among the tribe. The people of the Pingshan Tribe now knew that he had studied under the priests in his former tribe.
As a result, many started to warm up to the idea of interacting with Mu Jin. However, before they could talk to him much, Mu Jin suddenly turned his body, stood straight, and looked intently in a certain direction.
Following his gaze, the others saw a tall figure approaching. As soon as Mu Jin clearly recognized who it was, a wide smile broke across his face. Like a small cannonball, he shot forward and threw himself directly into Wu Po’s arms.
Wu Po hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic reaction from Mu Jin upon seeing him.
Just moments ago, he had arrived at the village entrance and seen Mu Jin standing with the others. He had been worried that, being new to the tribe and close to him, Mu Jin might face rejection after joining the foraging team. However, to his surprise, what he saw instead were kind and welcoming expressions from the group, with a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.
The man didn’t approach. Despite the crowd gathered there, Mu Jin stood out to him like a beacon of light, the brightest and most dazzling presence among them.
Seeing Mu Jin become the center of attention, Wu Po felt a pang of nervousness. He worried that his precious treasure might be noticed or even taken away by others. Standing at a distance, he watched silently, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.
What he hadn’t expected, though, was for Mu Jin to spot him first. Not only that, but Mu Jin’s face lit up with joy as he ran straight into Wu Po’s arms.
Seeing the unrestrained happiness on Mu Jin’s face, Wu Po felt as though he were dreaming, yet at the same time, it all felt natural.
From beginning to end, Mu Jin’s eyes and heart had always been fixed on him alone. What was there to worry about? Mu Jin had known all along about the rumors of his supposed misfortune, yet he didn’t mind them in the slightest.
With this realization, Wu Po’s gaze toward Mu Jin softened considerably.
He had just returned from hunting, a lamb-like creature slung over his shoulder. But as soon as Mu Jin rushed toward him, Wu Po immediately set the lamb down, concerned that the bloodstains on his arm might dirty Mu Jin’s clothes. He prepared to lift Mu Jin with his free arm instead, but to his surprise, Mu Jin didn’t mind the slightest bit.
As for Mu Jin, he didn’t overthink things. Today, he had wandered through the forest, managed to humiliate the heroine a little, but it didn’t mean much to him. What made him happiest was, of course, being with his beloved.
So, when he saw Wu Po coming to pick him up, Mu Jin’s heart was filled with joy. At that moment, no one else existed in his eyes.
Mu Jin clung to his man unabashedly for quite some time before suddenly remembering that the small bundle of vegetables he had picked earlier had been left behind.
Although it was just a small handful, the vegetables were carefully selected by Mu Jin and were exceptionally delicious wild greens. Naturally, he couldn’t bear to leave them behind. So, he said a few words to Wu Po, hurried back to the foraging team’s area, and retrieved his bundle of greens.
Afterward, Mu Jin greeted Wu He and then quickly returned to Wu Po’s side. Holding the hand of the man that wasn’t carrying the prey, the two walked home together, affectionately side by side.
Those who remained behind watched them, their feelings complicated.
Someone who was not only good-looking but also knowledgeable was undoubtedly admired. Moreover, being able to study under a priest indicated divine favor—a sign of being beloved by the gods.
Why would someone blessed by the gods choose to be with someone like Wu Po, who was supposedly forsaken by them? Could it be, as Mu Jin had said yesterday, that Wu Po wasn’t unlucky at all and that they had misunderstood him all these years?
Many of the weaker individuals and women also took note of the prey in Wu Po’s hands. The lamb-like creature was small but renowned for its excellent flavor. However, it was also incredibly agile and difficult to hunt.
This reminded them of Wu Po’s true strength. Even during the harsh, food-scarce winter season, Wu Po never went hungry. Ever since reaching adulthood, Wu Po’s power had gradually become well-known.
But because of his reputation for being cursed, people had always kept their distance from him. Yet, if this so-called curse didn’t exist, everyone had to admit that Wu Po was undoubtedly the strongest person in the Pingshan Tribe.
Wu Po was usually cold and reserved, rarely showing emotion. No one would have guessed that his interactions with Mu Jin were like this. Although Wu Po hadn’t said much just now, the tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.
Despite carrying prey on his shoulders, Wu Po even took the small bundle of vegetables Mu Jin had been holding, tucking them into his fur skirt, leaving Mu Jin completely empty-handed.
A person who was not only powerful and handsome but also incredibly gentle and caring toward their partner was rare anywhere. Many people now thought that Mu Jin was truly fortunate.
Even Wu Peng couldn’t help but feel a little envious as he watched Wu Po and Mu Jin walk away together. But what Wu Peng envied wasn’t the ease with which Mu Jin could rely on someone else, but the intimate atmosphere between the two.
The way Mu Jin’s eyes lit up when he looked at Wu Po, how his entire world seemed to revolve around Wu Po, and the radiant smile on his face that bloomed only for him—Wu Peng longed to have someone look at him like that.
Unintentionally turning his head, Wu Peng caught sight of Mu Xuan standing nearby, staring at Mu Jin and Wupo’s retreating figures with jealousy written all over her face.
Seeing this, Wu Peng felt even more disheartened. He lowered his gaze, silently finished distributing the day’s catch, and quietly left without waiting for Mu Xuan.
However, Mu Xuan’s thoughts weren’t on Wu Peng at all. She didn’t even notice him leaving.
The heroine, coming from the modern world, didn’t believe in curses. When she first saw Wu Po’s face, she had even considered him as one of her potential targets.
But Wu Po was far too cold and distant, and since arriving in this world, Mu Xuan had grown used to being fawned over. For a time, she didn’t take Wu Po seriously.
Yet now, seeing the interaction between Wupo and Mu Jin, Mu Xuan began to think that Wupo might actually be an excellent choice.
To Mu Xuan, Mu Jin was merely a man and naturally no match for herself. As for Wu Po, his attentiveness to Mu Jin was likely due to years of rejection and isolation from the tribe. Such a person, in her eyes, was easily moved by even a little bit of affection.