LSLFBW: Chapter 83

“Are you okay?” Hou Yan asked Xiong Feng, who had turned into human form.

Xiong Feng casually wiped the blood off his arm with his hand. “It’s just a minor wound.”

Then he said in annoyance, “It is a pity that it took away a sheep.”

Hou Yan patted Xiong Feng’s muscular arms and said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

At this time, Shu Lin had arrived at the sheepfold. He hurriedly pulled Xiong Feng out of the crowd and repeatedly examined the wounds on Xiong Feng’s body in the corner.

A low whining sound came from the throat of the lamb on the ground.

This lamb was only a few days younger than Chuan Chuan. Perhaps due to its congenital deficiency, it had always been unable to compete with its siblings for food since birth.

Therefore, it was extremely thin and small. Its running speed couldn’t be compared with other lambs. It was no wonder that the red bird could hit the target with one strike.

Huan Ping leaned over and turned it over to the bleeding area. He saw that there was a huge bloody hole in its throat.

There was no way it could be saved after being injured like this.

“Take it back.”

After hearing Hou Yan’s instructions, Huan Ping picked up the lamb with one hand and turned to walk toward the tribe.

They couldn’t let it continue to bleed here. The smell of blood was the brightest sign in the mountains and forests.

Xiong Feng kept the lamb as a way to stop the loss in time. After all, they all saw that the red bird was holding a big four-eared sheep in its claws.

The sheep in the sheepfold had fled in all directions. Qi Bai was too far away just now and didn’t see clearly whether it was a ram or an ewe that was closed.

He looked at the leader sheep not far away who was only concerned with growing fat, but completely forgot his duty to protect the flock when the crisis came.

Qi Bai narrowed his eyes. ‘If you grow too fat, you will be eaten.’

There was chaos in the valley. The hay that had been lowered in the morning and hadn’t been eaten was trampled everywhere. The thorn fence at the exit of the valley was broken by the panicked flock of sheep.

Perhaps they were used to the environment in the valley, or perhaps they didn’t realize that this gap could lead to the free world outside.

In short, the flock of sheep didn’t take the opportunity to escape.

Yang Luo said to Ma Shu and Hu Huo, “While it is still daylight, go check the damage to the fence and repair it as soon as possible.”

The two of them nodded and left. Yang Luo looked at Ci Yi, who had transformed into human form, and walked over. “What exactly happened here today?”

There were many wounds on Ci Yi’s body, which didn’t look like those caused by a fight with the red bird. It was more like scratches from falling from a high place.

Ci Yi lowered his head, obviously putting the blame for the incident on himself. “Today is no different from usual. These two red birds appeared suddenly.”

Ci Yi recounted the situation.

The sheepfold had always been guarded by Ci Yi and Niu Yong.

Everyone’s requirements for them were very simple. As long as the four-eared sheep showed signs of breaking through the thorn fence, or if other large wild animals were planning to attack the four-eared sheep, they would quickly report it to the tribe.

After all, the tribe members had plenty of time to respond with the thorn fence blocking the way.

However, everyone forgot that danger might also come from the open sky.

Ci Yi had no time to pass on a message after discovering the red bird hovering in the sky and eyeing the sheepfold hungrily.

He made a prompt decision and slid down the hillside, trying to drive the four-eared sheep back to the shack.

But for the four-eyed sheep, beastmen and birds were all predators. Instead of understanding Ci Yi’s good intentions, they ran even faster.

Ci Yi could only try to drive away the red bird as much as possible. However, after Ci Yi turned into a beast, he was no match for the red bird in terms of speed.

Fortunately, Xiong Feng soon appeared and fought with the attacking red bird.

Of course, Ci Yi didn’t forget the one in the sky that never moved.

Ci Yi squatted directly at the exit of the shack and protected the shivering lambs and the slow-running dairy sheep in the shack.

Yang Luo was very angry.

They had taken great pains to raise these four-eared sheep for nearly two months. The tribe members hadn’t even taken a bit of meat, but the two red birds had already taken advantage of it.

Qi Bai advised him, “Grandpa Priest, it has already happened. There is no point in getting angry. Let’s block the shack first.”

Yang Luo looked at the sheep huddled together and sighed, thinking that they had to somehow block it.

Otherwise, with so many sheep here, the two red birds would definitely come back.

Excluding the two sheep that had just been lost and the lamb raised by Qi Bai, the tribe now had a total of 27 adult sheep and 8 lambs.

The shack they originally built was just for the sheep to shelter from the wind and snow. It seemed a bit too cramped to allow them to stay in there all the time and move freely.

Qi Bai also discovered this. Therefore, before blocking the only opening of the shack, they needed to extend the shack horizontally.

But this was easy.

The shack built for the sheep didn’t need to be too particular. This one was only built temporarily in one night, and it was still sturdy after such a long time.

Now all they needed to do was expand the shack using the same method.

Everyone immediately took action. They drove all the four-eared sheep to the outside of the sheepfold and started to build the frame of the wooden shed.

Qi Bai’s idea was very simple. He would use the stone wall inside the valley as a wall and extend the shack horizontally.

A gap was left on the edge of the mountain wall.

On the one hand, this opening could be used to put food in. On the other hand, it could ensure the circulation of air in the sheepfold.

Cut down branches and slightly thicker tree trunks around it to build the foundation of a wooden shed. Then paste the shed with mud mixed with hay.

This time, the mud wasn’t just to keep warm, but also to block the smell of the sheep.

Finally, they used straw ropes to tie up the thick wood to make a raft, which was placed in front of the shack to create a simple wooden door.

Until they were sure that the two red birds wouldn’t appear again, the four-eared sheep could only stack in the shack for the time being.

It was already dark by the time they finished all of this. They drove the sheep into the shack and returned to the tribe.

However, Qi Bai’s heart skipped a beat the moment he stepped through the stone gate of the tribe.

Under the astonished gazes of the other tribe members, Qi Bai rushed up the stone steps as fast as he could.

Qi Bai sighed with relief when he saw Chuan Chuan leaning his head on the fence, looking at the clusters of green sprouts in the vegetable garden.

“Baa~” Chuan Chuan tilted his head and looked at the gasping Qi Bai.

In front of Chuan Chuan’s small bamboo house was an open space surrounded by a fence. Qi Bai usually didn’t close the door of Chuan Chuan’s bamboo nest, allowing him to come out for fresh air at any time.

Qi Bai entered the small fenced yard and patted Chuan Chuan’s head. “Be good. Go back to your nest. You don’t live in the sheepfold and are a smaller target, but I’m afraid it will be too late to save you if you are discovered.”

Qi Bai closed the door of the bamboo nest. “So you can’t wander around recently, understand?”

Qi Bai returned to the cave, checked the condition of the duck eggs, closed the cave door for himself and Lang Ze, and returned to the square.

The lamb that had died had already been processed. It was the first time that an animal had been slaughtered in the history of animal husbandry in the Black Mountain Tribe, so everyone was given a small piece of mutton.

Qi Bai also received a small piece of meat that belonged to him.

There were only Zhu Zhu and Hu Xue in the square. Yang Luo and Hou Yan didn’t stand by to check the distribution of food as usual.

Qi Bai asked Hu Xue, “Where are the priest and tribe leader?”

Hu Xue replied, “They are in the priest’s cave?”

Qi Bai walked into Yang Luo’s cave and found not only Hou Yan, but also Xiong Feng and Huan Ping in the cave.

Yang Luo pointed to a wooden block outside and motioned for him to sit there.

The people in the cave were discussing how to deal with the two red birds.

After Lang Ze left, the most powerful beastmen in the tribe were Xiong Feng and Huan Ping, so it was reasonable for Yang Luo to call them to discuss things.

Xiong Feng and Huan Ping meant that they couldn’t let the birds go, and they should go out looking for them.

There was a bloody mark on Xiong Feng’s face from being bitten by a red bird, which made him look like a hot-blooded gangster.

However, as soon as Xiong Feng spoke, the domineering aura disappeared, replaced by his simple and honest nature. “I remember the scent of the red bird. I will definitely find their nest as long as I follow the direction they left.”

Huan Ping also rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “How dare they steal the food of the Black Mountain Tribe? I must catch them!”

Yang Luo raised an eyebrow at Qi Bai and asked him to express his opinion. Just by looking at the way both him and Hou Yan seemed satisfied with Xiong Feng and Huan Ping’s words, it was clear that the matter had been basically settled.

After all, if they didn’t agree then just fight. This was the life motto of the beastmen.

What’s more, the bones of the red bird were rare treasures. They couldn’t find them normally even if they wanted to, let alone these two birds that were delivered to their doorstep.

Qi Bai naturally had no objection and just said, “Be careful. Safety is the top priority. If you encounter danger, you must return to the tribe immediately, and we will make other plans.”

Huan Ping laughed. “Got it. We are very good at running away.”

Yes, hearing this proud tone, the method of escape must be taught by Lang Ze.

That night, Xiong Feng and Huan Ping took some food and left the tribe under the cover of darkness.

The tribe seemed deserted all of a sudden.

Hou Yan took a few beastmen to check the movements of the wild bulls to prevent them from moving towards the tribe.

The usually bustling square was now deserted as everyone returned to their caves after completing their daily tasks together.

In particular, the children were strictly forbidden to leave the cave. After all, to the red birds, these children were no different from lambs.

The place where Qi Bai made the cart boards had changed from the square in front of the tribe to under the bamboo pavilion next to the cave.

“Gah~”

Qi Bai put down the stone axe in his hand, looked up at the dark red dot in the distance, and frowned.

Xiong Feng and Huan Ping had been gone for two days and three nights. During that time, Qi Bai had seen a lone red bird like this more than once.

These red birds showed no sign of approaching the tribe. Judging from the direction they were flying, these red birds obviously weren’t the two that Xiong Feng and Huan Ping were looking for.

The sky, which was usually empty, seemed to become noisy and crowded all of a sudden.

Qi Bai vaguely sensed something wrong.

At this time, Zhu Ya, who was guarding the wall, ran back to the square and shouted loudly. “The salt-seeking team is back, the salt-seeking team is back!:

The gate opened, and a giant wolf entered the tribe first.

It had only been seven days since the salt-seeking team left the tribe, but Qi Bai felt like a long time had passed.

Qi Bai temporarily forgot the troubles brought by the red bird. He happily rushed to Lang Ze to help carry down the salt and other supplies the group had brought back.

Lang Ze didn’t disappoint Qi Bai and handed a bamboo basket full of seafood to Qi Bai.

But before the tribe members had a chance to share what they had seen and gained along the way, a brown bear and a honey badger almost rushed into the tribe at full speed.

Seeing Lang Ze standing in the middle of the square, the fear in their eyes dissipated a bi,t and their rationality gradually returned.

Huan Ping turned into human form, pointed into the distance, and said hoarsely, “So… so many red birds! There are countless red birds there!”