Chapter 31: Forced to Leave

After the rebels had finished their solemn oaths, a female named Hu Fang stepped forward and said, "I ask the Elder to banish Qi Yue, never to return to Luyu for all eternity!"

"What has Qi Yue done wrong?" Hu Man asked.

"If it weren't for her, this incident would never have happened. She is a destabilizing factor for the tribe. Luyu has no need for such a female!" Hu Fang stated firmly.

At this moment, many voices in the crowd chimed in, "That's right! Exactly!"

"How can you turn right into wrong? What has Qi Yue done wrong? From beginning to end, she has been the victim. If you were in Qi Yue's position, what would you do?" Lang Ling’er said indignantly.

By the time so many tribespeople had joined in the chorus of condemnation, Qi Yue had already withdrawn the last bit of affection she held for this tribe. It was time to leave. Perhaps her father had also faced many helpless situations when he and her mother first settled in Luyu?

Qi Yue stepped forward and patted Lang Ling’er. "Ling’er, say no more."

"I, Qi Yue, shall leave Luyu tomorrow and never return. With the Beast God as my witness, I, Qi Yue, hereby swear that I shall have no further connection with Luyu." After speaking, Qi Yue pulled Feng Yu away. Feng Yu cast a furious glare at the crowd—these bastards, unable to distinguish right from wrong, black from white! He had not expected Luyu to be such a tribe, a place filled with foul air, devoid of fairness or justice.

Although the Elders felt that Qi Yue was innocent—if not for her, they would never have discovered Hu Jia’s conspiracy—they thought nothing of her oath to leave. After all, she and Feng Yu were mated, and sooner or later, they would have left. Besides, at a time when hearts were wavering, pacifying the tribespeople was the most important thing. However, by the time they understood the true meaning of the Witch Doctor’s fifth prophecy, it was already too late for regrets.

Back at Grandfather Xiong Jia’s house, Feng Yu held Qi Yue and said, "Qi Yue, don't be sad! You still have me and Chi’er; we will always be by your side."

[That’s right, Mother! It’s better to leave this lousy tribe early. Haven’t you wanted to leave for a long time? You were always complaining that everything here tied your hands.] Chi’er stood on Qi Yue’s shoulder, rubbing its small head against her cheek to comfort her.

"I’m fine, don’t you worry. Come, let’s pack up our things. I want to leave immediately; I can’t stay here for another minute." Qi Yue patted Feng Yu’s shoulder, turned, and began to pack. Ten minutes later, Feng Yu carried Qi Yue on his back and flew westward.

When the Great Elder announced the dismissal, Hu Yue carrying Bao Xue’er, Lang En carrying Ling’er, Lu Li bringing Shi Yang on his back, and Shi Yu being carried by his brother, all arrived at Grandfather Xiong Jia’s house, only to find it empty.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Hadn't they said they would leave tomorrow? It seemed the tribespeople had truly broken her heart. Ling’er began to sob. Through their time together, everyone knew that Qi Yue was a rare and wonderful female. Why couldn't the tribe make room for her? Even if she was disfigured, even if she was already mated, even if she had always been tolerant and yielding.

Lu Li felt even worse, as if he had lost something of great importance.

After leaving Luyu, Qi Yue handed all the milk-fruit that Hu Yue had picked to Chi’er, telling him to eat if he got hungry. She then curled up on Feng Yu’s back and fell into a deep sleep. She slept until the sun set the following day. Feng Yu found an uninhabited cave, held Qi Yue in his arms, and leaned against the cave wall to rest.

Qi Yue’s arm twitched, feeling a bit restricted, and she awoke naturally. It was dim before her eyes. "Chi’er, take out a light stone." As her words fell, a light stone was tossed onto the ground, and the cave brightened.

Seeing Feng Yu holding her while sitting on the ground, Qi Yue felt a bit awkward. She struggled slightly and left his embrace. Looking at the daylight outside the cave, she realized she had slept for quite a long time. At last, she had left that suffocating tribe.

Feng Yu had woken up the moment she moved and released her when she stirred. "You're awake. Are you hungry?"

"I'm alright. You still have some prey, right?" Qi Yue thought that he had likely been flying for a whole day and must be exhausted.

"Yes. You sit for a while, I’ll go outside to prepare it and gather some firewood." Feng Yu instructed before walking out.

"I’ll come with you. It’ll be faster with two people." Qi Yue followed Feng Yu’s footsteps outside.

Feng Yu was cleaning a wild pig by a small creek not far from the cave, while Qi Yue gathered firewood nearby. By the time Feng Yu finished cleaning, Qi Yue had already piled up two small mounds of dry branches.

Qi Yue watched as Feng Yu left the pig’s head, internal organs, and skin where they were, while the rest of the meat was portioned and stored in his storage space. "Feng Yu, keep the pig’s head and skin too. Aside from the intestines, put everything else in there. Oh, and carefully remove the gall bladder from the liver—don't let it burst."

Qi Yue asked Chi’er for a fur bag and handed it to Feng Yu. The pig intestines were too troublesome to clean, and there was no time.

After having Chi’er store the fur bag and firewood, Feng Yu buried the intestines, and the three returned to the cave.

Feng Yu skewered the meat with branches, only to be shooed away by Qi Yue to rest. "You take a nap for a while. I’ll call you when it’s roasted."

As she roasted the meat, Qi Yue thought to herself: in this primitive beast continent, salt was the only seasoning for roasted meat, which was a real disservice to her palate. Although her body had been eating this for over a decade without any adverse reactions, her modern memories made it psychologically difficult to accept. When could she go find some seasonings? And with such a long journey ahead, should she stop for a day or two to prepare some ready-made food for the road? With Feng Chi’s temperature-controlled storage space, she could cook things and keep them hot to eat anytime.

"What are you thinking about?" Feng Yu watched her movements; although she was constantly turning the meat, her gaze was somewhat vacant, and he wondered where her thoughts had wandered.

"I was wondering if we should stop for a day or two to prepare some food. I’m also missing some seasonings; I need to find them in the forest, and we need to collect more milk-fruit for Chi’er. But I don’t want to delay too much; I want Chi’er to reach the Fire Vein sooner." Qi Yue sprinkled some salt on the roasted meat.

[Mother, Chi’er is not in a rush. I don’t feel any discomfort right now, so a day or two doesn’t matter.]

"Chi’er is right, don't worry so much. We only suspect that the lava will be good for Chi’er, but we won't know for sure until we get there. It’s a good idea to stop and prepare. Tell me whatever you need me to do." As long as it was something Qi Yue wanted, he would try his best to find it for her.

"Alright. Tomorrow, hunt a few more pieces of prey. If you come across milk-fruit or other fruits, gather as many as you can. As for me, I’ll take Chi’er into the nearby jungle to find the seasonings I need. Tomorrow, we’ll build a simple stove by the creek, and I need you to find two stones about this big—I want to make a stone mill." Qi Yue gestured a circle about forty centimeters wide.