Tuya was an older stag. His eyes were cloudy, resembling glass beads covered in mist, and they carried an intense sense of worldly experience. Precisely because of his old age, the Shaman had selected him as the first deer to be slaughtered. Yet, his advancing years also made him much more perceptive to human nature than the deer in their pri.
When Bai Mu called out to Tuya, the stag's wet snout twitched slightly. The puff of white breath he exhaled tickled the palm of Bai Mu's hand.
He showed great affection toward Bai Mu and could understand the man's intentions just from his body language. When Bai Mu brushed a hand over his neck and pressed down gently, Tuya would bend his front legs and lower his head, allowing Bai Mu to easily climb onto his back.
Bai Mu plucked so tender grass from the adow and fed it to him. He had the distinct illusion that they had already spent many days together.
This slightly older deer truly won Bai Mu's favor. In truth, Bai Mu had always loved animals, whether it was cats and dogs, or the little chickens and ducks his grandmother used to raise.
Just watching those chickens and ducks scurrying noisily around the courtyard used to give him a strange sense of relaxation. This old stag gave him that exact sa feeling. It was like reuniting with an old friend he hadn't seen in ages.
This deer now belonged to Bai Mu. Perhaps he wasn't as young and strong as the first stag the Shaman had led over, but he was far more suitable for him.
Many tis, that was just how things worked. The best option wasn't always the one that suited you best.
Over there, the young won led the fully fed deer herd back. The at stew was completely gone. Bai Mu hadn't sliced all the wild boar at to throw into the boiling pot. Roughly a third of the at had been hung above the cooking pot, enclosed in a barrier made of large leaves to be lightly smoked. He directed the girls to distribute this smoked at as reserve rations. Prey wouldn't just be waiting for them everywhere; it was never a mistake to plan ahead and make preparations. Afterward, the villagers rested right there, leaning against tree trunks or lying back on the grass.
They took turns standing guard in batches. Bai Mu didn't interfere in this regard, letting them make their own arrangents. He primarily relied on the field of vision provided by his Guard Mushroom to keep watch for himself.
Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly see the wide, sweeping view of the Guard Mushroom. Therefore, he could sleep and stand guard at the sa ti without issue.
To easily direct the villagers, he asked for the nas of the young won and the Shaman. Although there was a language barrier, figuring out nas was relatively simple. He only needed to utter the corresponding syllables for them to know that Bai Mu was calling for them.
The young girl who had helped him drive the deer last night was nad Adai. She had wheat-colored skin, and one could tell at a glance that she was at most fourteen or fifteen years old, only about a year or two older than Xiao Wei. However, she was exceptionally skilled in steering the deer and using a bow and arrow, likely having followed her tribe's hunting parties since she was very young. Ashi was Adai's younger sister. Her facial features were a spitting image of Adai's, but her skin was fairer than her sister's, probably because she rarely went out to hunt under the sun. If Adai was a stalk of wheat growing amidst the wind and rain, then Ashi was a delicate daffodil.
Ashi's hair seed rarely trimd. Her cascading, waterfall-like black hair reached all the way down to her slender waist. Even when tied up, the sheer volu of her hair was enough to make any stressed programr green with envy.
The Shaman had instructed the two sisters to serve as Bai Mu's attendants. Much like personal handmaids, they shadowed Bai Mu and Xiao Wei.
The pronunciation of the Shaman's real na was a bit of a tongue twister, consisting of a very long string of syllables. Bai Mu simply opted to call her "Shaman." She seed to think this was a new na bestowed upon her by the divine, and had actually dropped to her knees to kiss the earth in gratitude.
Aside from these three, Bai Mu also learned the na of Tuya's previous owner—Nuosu. Although he had claid Tuya from Nuosu, Bai Mu didn't prevent them from interacting. After all, Tuya had been with Nuosu far longer than with him. If this were so explicit manga, Nuosu would be called the tragic victim, and his own behavior would have people screaming "NTR". Bai Mu simply handed the task of caring for Tuya back to his original owner, turning Nuosu from a rider into a caretaker. As for Bai Mu, he just needed to let Nuosu know whenever he needed to ride Tuya, and she would bring the stag over. In fact, Nuosu would happily deliver Tuya right into his hands. After so communication, Bai Mu also found a spot to sit down and rest.
In truth, he was not feeling very sleepy. He had entered the Script fully rested, and only about eight hours had passed since then—roughly the equivalent of working from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon.
However, there was nothing else to do right now anyway. There might not be any free ti to relax later, so it was a wise move to build up his energy while he had the chance.
While resting, Xiao Wei transford into a doll, which he tucked away in a pocket under his night-travel cloak.
The villagers no longer showed much surprise at Xiao Wei's sudden disappearance. They firmly believed that Bai Mu was a divine envoy, so no matter what incredible things happened around him, they found it entirely reasonable.
It was a kind of blind religious worship, but there was no need to correct it. Honestly, even if he tried, it would be difficult to change their minds.
Bai Mu closed his eyes to rest. Adai and Ashi took turns guarding the tree next to him, sitting close enough that he could feel their breathing. He drifted into a light sleep, his stamina and Mana rapidly regenerating now that he was fully fed and hydrated.
Around noon, Bai Mu's eyes snapped open. He called over the awake Ashi and gestured for her to go wake up all the resting villagers.
Through the vision of the Guard Mushroom, he had spotted blurry shapes darting about in the distance.
Bai Mu quickly leaped up toward the treetop. Free-climbing was one of his strong suits, not to ntion his physical attributes were now vastly superior to what they once were. In just two or three bounds, he scaled to the top of the towering fir tree where the Guard Mushroom was planted. He plucked the mushroom and gazed out into the distance.
He could see clearly now. It was a pack of wolves. Coiled around the wolves' bodies were the exact sa black, cursed serpents that had possessed the wild boar. It was the Mountain Evil God giving chase, and they were already closing in on this fir forest.
Using the pulling force of the Hand of Walrider, Bai Mu leaped straight down from the top of the tree. He quickly organized the group, mounted his deer, and urged everyone to flee deeper into the jungle. Whether they could outrun the pack was one thing, but staying put was absolutely the wrong choice.
Bai Mu felt fortunate that their mounts were deer. If they had been riding horses, they probably wouldn't have been able to maneuver so freely through the complex terrain of the forest. As he fled, he pondered a question: just how had the Mountain Evil God managed to track them here? Had it followed the hoofprints of the deer herd, or had it tracked the scent of humans?
He leaned more toward the latter. The Mountain Evil God seed to harbor murderous intent only toward humans; it didn't relentlessly pursue fleeing deer or other animals to the death.
The wolves had highly sensitive noses. It would be difficult to fool them in terms of scent, but sotis, covering up one's own odor wasn't the only solution. Bai Mu instructed the young won to take off so of their clothes. They slipped off their tops and shed their skirts, each removing one or two garnts.
Next, Bai Mu tore these articles of clothing into tiny shreds. While riding on the galloping Tuya, he utilized the Hand of Walrider to scatter the fabric scraps into every corner of the forest.
While he was at it, Bai Mu also had Xiao Wei manifest to cast an Updraft, blowing the scraps of clothing even further away.
Although it would be hard to completely stop the wolves from tracking them, dispersing the human scent like this might trick the pack into thinking the forest was full of people everywhere. It could confuse them just enough to buy a little more ti to escape.
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