This Is My Primitive Tribe-Chapter 61 - 57 Disillusionment

"Leader, a group of wanderers has come from the southern forest."

At dusk, Gou Teng, who was responsible for patrolling the southern forest, quickly ran to report to Jiang Xuan.

"How many people?"

"Well... there are just a lot of them."

Gou Teng was a bit embarrassed because he could only count simply, and there were too many for him to keep track of.

Not only Gou Teng, but most of the tribe members were also not good at counting, only able to estimate. This was largely because they hadn’t received any education.

Only people like the witch, who had mastered a lot of knowledge and traditions, were a bit better than them.

Understanding, Jiang Xuan patted his shoulder and said, "Take me there to have a look."

"Okay."

Gou Teng immediately led Jiang Xuan toward the southern forest, with Chi Shao and others following closely behind.

On the way, Jiang Xuan pondered that it was necessary to teach the tribe members simple, easy-to-write numbers, as well as basic addition and subtraction. Otherwise, with the tribe growing and resources increasing, they would only become more confused.

This task could be done during the winter when the heavy snow sealed the mountains because they would have the most free time then.

Speaking of those wanderers, as they approached the Vine Tribe, the first thing they saw were dozens of skulls hanging from trees, swaying in the wind, which startled them.

After mustering their courage and walking through that area, they saw a giant eagle returning from foraging.

The enormous eagle landed ahead of them, stirring up a gust of wind, almost causing those wanderers to scatter and flee.

Fortunately, Jing Jie noticed that the giant eagle wasn’t attacking them, so he forcibly calmed the wanderers down.

When they finally reached the outskirts of the Vine Tribe, nightfall had already come, but the giant bonfire in the Vine Tribe’s fields was still burning fiercely.

"There’s a house up ahead."

The sharp-eyed wanderers spotted the house where the Old Witch lived.

"That big bird is also next to the house—oh my, it’s taller than the house!"

"It should be the tribe’s battle pet, right?"

The wanderers chattered excitedly, thrilled to have found the source of the smoke.

"To have such a powerful battle pet, it must be a large tribe!"

Jing Jie was even more excited. He walked quickly forward and finally exited the dense jungle, reaching the outskirts of the Vine Tribe.

The giant eagle gave them a cold glance, then continued pecking at beast meat.

The Old Witch was not surprised by the arrival of these wanderers, as he knew the bonfire was lit to attract wanderers.

Using a stone knife, the Old Witch cut a piece of meat from his prey and then returned indoors to throw it into a pottery jar for cooking.

His age had caught up with him, and his teeth were not in good condition, requiring the meat to be cooked until it was soft before he could eat it.

"Leader, look quickly, what a big vine!"

Just as Jing Jie was about to enter the bamboo house to inquire, a wanderer spotted the enormous ancient vine wrapped around Stone Mountain at a glance.

At that moment, the setting sun had gradually sunk, casting the last rays of sunlight on the ancient vine, enveloping it in a layer of orange-red hues, making the vine appear even more mysterious.

Jing Jie’s eyes were also fixed and dull at the sight of the enormous ancient vine on Stone Mountain, the scene brought him a strong psychological impact.

"This is the territory of the Vine Tribe. Which tribe are you from?"

At that moment, a voice pulled Jing Jie’s attention back from the ancient vine on Stone Mountain to the ground.

Jing Jie immediately saw Jiang Xuan, as well as the tribal warriors of the Vine Tribe behind him.

He noticed the totem patterns on the faces of Jiang Xuan and others, as well as the distinctive one-color warrior horizontal stripes.

Jing Jie quickly said, "We are a group of wanderers who lost our tribe, looking for a tribe willing to take us in."

A female wanderer added, "We came here following the smoke."

Jiang Xuan was secretly pleased; they were indeed wanderers.

However, Chi Shao tugged at his beast hide clothing and whispered in his ear, "There are too many wanderers coming..."

Jiang Xuan did a quick count of the crowd of wanderers and found that there were over a hundred, far exceeding his expectations.

There were indeed too many wanderers.

The sky was quite dark, so Jing Jie didn’t notice Jiang Xuan’s subtle change in expression. He asked anxiously, "Is this a large tribe?"

Jiang Xuan helplessly shook his head and sighed, "No, we are just a small tribe."

Jiang Xuan’s words struck Jing Jie like a bolt from the blue, shattering his dreams.

What had been supporting Jing Jie in leading this group of wanderers to survive was the idea of finding a large tribe to take them in.

Even though many people had died along the way and suffered numerous injuries, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

When he saw the column of smoke, he was more excited than ever because he thought he had finally found a large tribe.

But now, that dream was shattered.

Jing Jie looked around blankly. All he saw were seven or eight bamboo houses and an empty field.

As they say, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The huge gap between dreams and reality nearly overwhelmed him.

"How...how could it be like this..."

Jing Jie stood frozen in place, his mouth slightly open, feeling utterly helpless and confused.

The smiles on the faces of the wanderers also froze, then turned into disappointment, and finally despair.

Jiang Xuan felt the change in their emotions, not knowing why it felt so painful in his heart. However, his Vine Tribe really couldn’t take in so many wanderers.

Jiang Xuan said softly, "We plan to recruit thirty wanderers."

Jing Jie finally returned to his senses, speaking with difficulty, "But... but here we have far more than thirty wanderers."

A middle-aged wanderer behind him cried out, "The weather is getting colder, and soon it will snow. Without a tribe to take us in, we will die, all of us will die."

"I don’t want to die, wah wah wah..."

Sadness spread among the wanderers, and cries filled the air.

A relatively strong wanderer squeezed through, walked up to Jiang Xuan, showed off his arm muscles, and said urgently, "Take me in, I am strong and can help the tribe with hunting."

The other wanderers also reacted, rushing to Jiang Xuan, clamoring to join the Vine Tribe.

They were afraid that others would be taken in while they themselves would be abandoned, ultimately dying in the forest.

Only Jing Jie remained silent, not yet recovering from the state of shattered dreams.

Not far away, in a bamboo house, the old Witch stood at the door, watching with interest, wanting to see how Jiang Xuan would handle the situation.

"Stop arguing!"

Jiang Xuan, irritated by the noise, shouted loudly, scaring the wanderers into retreating immediately, not daring to make a sound for the moment.

They were afraid that if they angered Jiang Xuan, none of them would be taken in, and they would truly be left with nowhere to go.

Jiang Xuan hung his head, forcing himself to think calmly.

Being slightly ruthless, he could follow the initial plan, taking in only the thirty wanderers in the best physical condition.

But doing so, the remaining wanderers probably wouldn’t survive this winter.

Thinking differently, if all over a hundred wanderers could be taken into the Vine Tribe, the population of the Vine Tribe would receive a great boost instantly, turning into a genuine small tribe rather than a miniature tribe.

Of course, there were risks. With so many wanderers, the existing food in the Vine Tribe would certainly not be enough, and people might starve to death.

Jiang Xuan felt torn, because the Vine Tribe was too fragile, a slight misstep could lead to its destruction, yet he didn’t want to miss this opportunity to rapidly expand the population.

Jiang Xuan turned back, looking at Chi Shao and Gou Teng and the others, asking, "What are your opinions?"

Chi Shao looked at Jiang Xuan with eyes full of trust, saying, "You are the leader, you decide."

Gou Teng and others nodded. In their fixed impression, these major decisions were made by the leader or the Witch.

The Vine Tribe had no Witch, so the leader had to make decisions alone.

Jiang Xuan glanced back at the Stone Mountain Ancient Vine, then looked at the wide farmland of the Vine Tribe, and finally glanced at the distant small river, slowly forming an idea in his mind.

"Step back and let me talk to your leader!"

Jiang Xuan had heard someone call Jing Jie a leader earlier, and there was a horizontal pattern on Jing Jie’s face, clearly marking him as a One-Color Warrior, indicating he held some authority among the wanderers.

The wanderers, anxious but not daring to defy Jiang Xuan, slowly backed away, allowing Jing Jie to stand at the front.

"I know it’s very painful for you, but what’s most important now is figuring out how to keep you people alive, isn’t it?"

Jiang Xuan’s words, combined with the will to survive, prompted Jing Jie to slowly lift his head.

He wasn’t inherently fragile, just devastated by the shattering of his dreams and unable to recover for the moment.

Seeing the light return to Jing Jie’s eyes, Jiang Xuan continued, "Now there are two options, listen carefully."

"One option is I select thirty people from among you to join the Vine Tribe. But with the weather getting colder, I fear it will snow before the others find another tribe. I don’t need to say what the consequences would be, do I?"

Jing Jie nodded but didn’t speak.

"The second option is all of you stay on the outskirts of the Vine Tribe. We can help build shelters to keep you from freezing and provide food for thirty people."

"The remaining food, you need to figure out on your own. Those who survive the winter can all join the Vine Tribe."

Jing Jie spoke with difficulty, "It’s going to snow soon, where will we find food?"

The wanderers’ eyes were also filled with sorrow, clearly believing it was impossible to find food in winter and that many among them would starve.

Jiang Xuan said, "Don’t worry, I have a way to help you find food in winter. As long as you work hard, plus the food provided by the Vine Tribe for thirty people, most of you should be able to pull through."

Jiang Xuan glanced again at the Stone Mountain Ancient Vine, then turned to Jing Jie, "You don’t need to respond to me now. Tonight I will have people help build temporary shelters for you and provide you some food."

"Tomorrow at noon is the day for the Vine Tribe’s rituals. You can observe, and after the rituals, tell me your decision."

Jing Jie nodded helplessly after hearing Jiang Xuan’s words. He did need time to think it over carefully.

Jiang Xuan turned to Gou Teng and said, "Go find Gan Song and the others, light the bonfires, and help these wanderers build shelters."

"Okay!"

Gou Teng immediately returned to the tribe and called Gan Song and others to come.

Soon, bonfires were lit around the outskirts of the Vine Tribe, and the wanderers and the tribal people worked together to build temporary shelters as a refuge for the night.

After the shelters were built, Jiang Xuan had some food sent to the wanderers, enough for them to barely fill their stomachs, though it was impossible to eat their fill.

Finally, the over a hundred wanderers stayed in the temporary shelters, huddling by the bonfires, anxiously awaiting their fate the next day.