I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 281 Don’t make trouble

Bai Ling and Yue exchanged a glance, and then Bai Ling asked, "They came from a very far place, what do they want with me?"

The orc said, "I don't know either. The chieftain asked me to call you over. They're all over in the council chamber right now. Ling, come with me."

Yue took the handcart from Bai Ling's hands: "Ling, you go with them, I'll push the cart home."

Bai Ling nodded and said, "Okay, Yue, you go back first, I'll go see what's going on." Bai Ling and Yue walked together for a while longer, and when they parted, Bai Ling seemed to have thought of something and said to Yue, "Yue, when you pass by my house, tell my father that if I'm not going back tonight, he doesn't need to wait for me for dinner."

Yue nodded: "I understand."

*

Bai Ling and the orc arrived at the council room. Chief Zhan and several elders of the tribe were there. Upon seeing Bai Ling, Zhan pointed at him and laughed, "This is Ling. All the changes that have occurred in our tribe are because of him."

Besides the orcs from the High Tree Tribe, there were more than a dozen other orcs sitting in the council chamber. These orcs were all burly and strong, and it was obvious at a glance that they were large animals. When they knew that Bai Ling had arrived, they quickly stood up and bowed to him.

Bai Ling quickly exchanged a few polite words, and after they sat down, the leading orc immediately explained the purpose of their visit.

They came to learn the art of making kang (heated brick beds) from Bai Ling.

These orcs came from the far north; winters were already cold enough in the Hightree tribe, but they were even colder in their territory.

During the winter, they also spend their time in caves. Although their beast forms make them more adaptable to the cold, it is still very difficult for the weak beastmen to survive, especially the cubs. In winter, they must be surrounded by their parents in their beast forms in order to survive the extremely cold winter.

They came all this way after hearing from a passing caravan that the Gaoshu tribe had a type of heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) that could keep them warm in winter.

When Bai Ling heard that these orcs had also come to learn how to make a kang (heated brick bed), he first looked at Zhan. After Zhan nodded slightly to him, Bai Ling said, "Okay, I can teach you how to make a kang."

Zhan also said, "Ling hasn't had time to leave the tribe recently, and our tribe doesn't plan to build kang (heated brick beds). How about this, I'll send a few orcs who know how to build kang back with you, and they can teach you the skills. The reward you bring will be split in two, half for Ling and half for the orcs who go to your tribe."

The orcs who had traveled from afar breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhan's words. They thanked him profusely, and Zhan added, "I'll ask the Sky Orcs from the Central Tribe to escort you back, which will greatly reduce the time you spend on your journey."

They had been traveling for over a month. If they had to travel for another month, it would be almost autumn by the time they returned. Then, they would have to set up kang beds for their tribes, which would put them under a bit of a rush. If they had the Sky Orcs, they could return in five or six days at most, giving them more time to set up the kang beds.

The beastmen thanked Bai Ling again and brought out the gifts they had brought, with Bai Ling choosing first.

Zhan specifically said, "Ling, you have to take half. You can't just take a little bit just because your family has a lot of stuff."

Bai Ling's family lacked nothing. Whenever orcs came to the tribe to learn skills, he always took less of the gifts they brought. After he took his share, Zhan would always tell him to take some more. Later, whenever someone came to learn skills, Zhan would remind Bai Ling in advance to take half of the gifts.

Bai Ling smiled and selected two animal hides, some dried meat, beautiful seashells and gems. Of all these items, he liked the two animal hides the most. He didn't know what kind of animal the hides were from. They were huge, with soft and fine fur, and a snow-white color that made people feel warm just looking at them.

*

To entertain these orcs, Zhan had a lot of delicious food prepared. During their conversation, when they learned that the Gaoshu tribe had no shortage of food through "planting" and that its people would never go hungry all year round, the orcs who had come from afar were so surprised that their eyes widened.

The beastmen then bowed to Zhan, hoping that he could teach them the skill of "breeding".

Zhan smiled and pointed at Bai Ling, saying, "This is also Ling's idea. We'll plant the seeds we've collected, and we'll be able to harvest plenty of food in the fall."

The beastmen then turned their gaze to Bai Ling, who smiled and said, "Well, if you want to learn, I can teach you. However, 'planting' is quite troublesome and cannot be learned in a short time. It will take at least a year to learn everything from planting seeds to harvesting crops."

The lead orc looked solemn and his eyes were fervent: "Don't even mention one year, we'll learn it even if it takes ten years."

Learning from the orcs in the tribe meant they wouldn't have to go hungry anymore; it was like a dream come true.

*

After finishing his meal, Bai Ling talked with the beastmen for a while before getting up and leaving. Zhan and a few other old beastmen continued talking with the beastmen who had come from afar.

It was hot and early, and most of the orcs were still awake. They were either sitting in their courtyards or strolling in groups through the streets of the tribe. Bai Ling greeted the tribespeople as they walked, until they arrived outside the Yue family's fence.

Yue and her family were sitting in the courtyard, fanning themselves and talking. When Yue heard familiar footsteps, she picked up some fruit that was next to her, said something to her grandfather and great-uncle, and walked toward the door.

As soon as Bai Ling entered, Yue came out. Upon seeing Bai Ling, he handed her the fruit in his hand: "Ling, here you go."

This is a common fruit in the tribe, about the size of a jujube, juicy and slightly sweet.

There was no moonlight today, and it was impossible to see the faces of the people on the other side even from a few meters away. Bai Ling and Yue were more than 30 meters away from Yue's grandfather, great-grandfather, and cousin. They couldn't see what the two were doing at all, and just assumed that Bai Ling and Yue were standing together talking.

Bai Ling also put a fruit into Yue's mouth. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, his thumb traced a line from left to right across Yue's lips, lingering on the corner of her lips for several seconds, as if reluctant to leave.

Yue glared at Bai Ling and whispered, "Stop fooling around."

Bai Ling said seriously, "I wasn't making a fuss."

The two walked out of Yue's house. He took Yue's hand and intertwined their fingers: "Yue, how did you know it was me? There's no moon today, and you can't see me."

Yue's voice was tinged with laughter: "But I can hear it. Didn't I say I can recognize your footsteps? I heard your footsteps as soon as you were about to walk into our yard."

Every time Ling came to his house, her footsteps were heavy and hurried, and you could hear her joy and excitement just from the sound of her footsteps.