Chapter 352- Fierce and Ominous Top VS Pretend Weak but Actually a Big Boss (18)
Wu He’s physical strength was lacking, and his combat abilities weren’t very strong, so he didn’t play a significant role in the hunting team. However, now that he was focused on farming, it became much easier for him. As long as he worked diligently, his field quickly became one of the best cultivated plots in the Ping Shan tribe.
He no longer went on missions with the hunting team. Instead, he spent his days teaching the other tribe members how to farm and taking care of his own field.
Since he frequently visited the priest to collect herbs, Wu He even tried planting some herbs in his garden. To his surprise, after some patient experimentation, he successfully grew several types of herbs, earning praise from the priest.
Hearing the priest’s praise, Wu He became even more motivated. One day, when Wu Peng returned from a hunting mission and passed by Wu He’s cave, he happened to see Wu He working in the field, sweating profusely. Afterward, Wu He’s grandmother brought him some water, and the two of them shared a warm and happy moment together.
Wu Peng was momentarily taken aback when he saw Wu He’s smiling face. He thought that Wu He seemed to be living a good life. Whether things were going well or not, Wu He always had this vibrant and positive energy.
Moreover, Wu He was very kind to his grandmother. Despite her being sick for many years, Wu He never abandoned her. He always made sure to save the best food for her. His kindness and filial piety gave off a bright and uplifting vibe.
Wu Peng suddenly realized that even though Wu He wasn’t particularly strong, it didn’t matter. Wu He was living happily in his own way, striving to make his life better. At least, after seeing Wu He’s bright smile, the fatigue from his hunting mission seemed to vanish instantly.
Thinking about how he passed by Wu He’s place every time he returned home, Wu Peng realized he could conveniently deliver Wu He’s share of the distributed food to him.
After all, Wu He had been busy with farming lately and was undoubtedly exhausted. With this thought in mind, Wu Peng turned back toward the village entrance to fetch Wu He’s portion of the food for thxe day.
The interactions between Wu He and Wu Peng were just a minor episode in the life of the Pingshan tribe. Meanwhile, Mu Jin and Wu Po were enjoying peaceful and comfortable days. However, no matter how much respect and admiration they earned from the tribe members, it was impossible to please everyone.
Some people were deeply resentful upon learning that Wu Po was considered blessed by the gods. These individuals, led by Wu Yan, were the same ones who had been harassing Wu Po since he was young.
Back when Wu Po was still a child, this group managed to bully him occasionally. But as Wu Po grew stronger, they suffered greatly under his hands, with nearly every one of them receiving a harsh beating from him.
Whenever they tried to steal Wu Po’s prey, he would not only snatch it back but often take even more from them. Even when they ganged up on him, they were no match for Wu Po. Otherwise, Wu Yan wouldn’t have ended up beaten so badly that he was bedridden on an animal-skin mat for weeks.
Despite their lingering resentment, the tribe’s strong belief in the gods made them more worried than others who had merely ignored Wu Po in the past.
After all, not only had they been defeated by Wu Po, but they had also actively sought to trouble him. Now, they prayed daily, hoping that the gods would not punish their families for their past actions.
As a result, they didn’t dare to provoke Wu Po again. At most, they would occasionally glare at him with dissatisfaction, but upon seeing him, they often couldn’t avoid quickly steering clear of his path.
Mu Jin found these primitive people simple and straightforward, which sometimes made them quite amusing. Especially when he saw them looking frustrated and aggrieved at Wu Po every day, yet not daring to make a move against him—it was undeniably satisfying.
Mu Jin didn’t harbor the intention to destroy everyone in the tribe simply because Wu Po had been ostracized in the past. During the years Wu Po spent in the communal cave, there were still people like Wu He and the elderly woman who had shown him kindness. Even Wu Po himself had chosen to stay in the Pingshan tribe because of a certain attachment to it.
From Mu Jin’s perspective, the Pingshan tribe wasn’t the most backward, but it wasn’t particularly advanced either. For now, he couldn’t leave, primarily because the female lead was still there.
Even though the female lead had not yet grown into a significant threat or committed any major wrongs, Mu Jin decided to keep an eye on her, having gained some insight into her character over these days.
The female lead’s rise largely depended on a few specific abilities. Once Mu Jin fully developed and promoted agricultural and livestock practices across this world, Mu Xuan would naturally no longer pose any real threat.
Mu Jin had long suspected that, no matter how attractive Mu Xuan might be, she couldn’t possibly have the allure to capture the hearts of so many strong individuals or cause conflicts among tribes. In truth, the tribes valued her for her abilities. On top of that, her later self-proclamation as a messenger of the gods had made them hesitant to offend her.
What puzzled Mu Jin the most, however, was Wu Chan. Everyone in the tribe knew Wu Chan was Wu Po’s mother, and she had abandoned him back then because of his supposed ill fortune. Yet now that the matter of Wu Po being “cursed” had been clarified, Wu Chan still made no effort to reconcile with him.
Occasionally, Mu Jin noticed Wu Chan watching Wu Po from a distance. While there was a trace of guilt in her eyes, it was overshadowed by more complex and distant emotions. There was none of the warmth or affection a mother should have when looking at her child. This made Mu Jin wonder if Wu Chan was truly Wu Po’s mother at all.
On the other side, the female lead had put in a lot of effort and time to finally craft a bow and arrow. Eagerly, she hurried to find the hunting team leader, Wu Peng, and presented the bow and arrow to him as though offering a treasure.
The female lead was very confident in her creation, especially since her followers had previously seen the bow and showered her with extravagant praise.
However, when Wu Peng saw the bow, he frowned. The vine that the female lead used to make the bow lacked sufficient elasticity, resulting in weak force. Additionally, the stone arrowhead was too cumbersome and difficult to sharpen effectively. Mass production of such arrows would be a challenging endeavor.
Since the stone arrowheads were ineffective, they struggled to penetrate the hides of animals, making them impractical for hunting. Still, Wu Peng didn’t want to dampen Mu Xuan’s enthusiasm and politely said he would bring it to the hunting team to try it out, thanking her courteously for her efforts.
Hearing this, Mu Xuan felt quite smug, believing that her bow and arrow would make her famous. Little did she know, when Wu Peng took the bow to the hunting team, many people tried it, but the results were disappointing. Eventually, it was tossed aside as something useless.
Meanwhile, the traps taught by Wu Po continued to prove exceptionally effective, making the female lead’s small contribution pale in comparison. Naturally, the hunting team soon forgot all about her bow and arrow.
While Mu Xuan was indulging in dreams of admiration and acclaim, Mu Jin’s focus was entirely on the latest batch of planted sweet potatoes.
The newly planted sweet potatoes and herbs in the tribe were thriving. In this world, the sweet potato-like crop had a very short maturation period, and a batch had already ripened in a short time. As for Wu He’s herbal planting project, it also pleasantly surprised Mu Jin.
Learning that the tribe would participate in an inter-tribal gathering soon, Mu Jin instructed Wu He to plant even more herbs. After all, these medicinal herbs, which could heal and save lives, held immense value for any tribe.
Mu Jin initially intended to get involved in animal husbandry1 by introducing livestock to the tribe. However, with so many tasks at hand and the inter-tribal gathering drawing closer, he hadn’t had the chance to delve deeply into the idea. Instead, he briefly shared his thoughts with the chief of the Pingshan Tribe.
Even with just this mention, the chief was visibly thrilled, which Mu Jin could understand. After all, hunting and gathering were the tribe’s primary sources of food.
Now, with Mu Jin’s improvements to farming and the discovery of sweet potatoes, the tribe’s food supply issues were largely alleviated. If they could successfully raise livestock, they wouldn’t have to fear starvation during the harsh winter months when food was scarce.
In this way, even in the face of unforeseen circumstances, such as the inability to hunt for a time, having domesticated animals would allow the tribe to survive comfortably for short periods. The chief was so eager about the prospect that he immediately began planning with Mu Jin, agreeing to start work on this initiative as soon as the gathering was over.
The inter-tribal gatherings occurred annually, but every five years, a larger, more significant gathering would be held. Tribes from farther regions would attend to trade and exchange resources.
As it happened, Mu Jin’s arrival at the Pingshan Tribe coincided with this five-year grand gathering.
The vast expanse of this continent made it impossible for all tribes to convene in one place. Generally, only neighboring tribes maintained regular contact. However, it was said that this time, many tribes—including some from distant areas—would participate.
The chief of the Pingshan Tribe intended to bring nearly every promising young member of the tribe to broaden their horizons, even though the tribe’s population wasn’t very large. As a result, the group traveling to the gathering would number more than thirty people.
It was also rumored that some tribes from even farther regions, including the Pingyuan Tribe where the original protagonist resided, would also be attending.
Note :
- Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with the care, breeding, and management of animals for various purposes ↩︎