Ancient Eden

Chapter 49

(16.2)

A deep trench was dug around the perimeter of the settlement, and it appeared to have been dug not long ago. During daytime, at the several entrances and exits, bridges-like crossbars were put on top of the trench for people to cross, and when night came, the crossbars were removed and put away. This design was a bit like an ancient moat built for protecting the cities. And at night, the men here would take turns to keep watch.

In case there was any accident, they would use the horn to wake up the whole group of people.

Mu Qing only discovered this when she went to relieve herself, along with Li Mang, a few nights ago.

Now that the horn was suddenly resounding, it meant that some problem had probably happened.

While Mu Qing was still in a daze, Li Mang was already up, quickly packing up, and taking his weapons on the ground. He lifted the curtain, about to go outside, but then he looked back at Mu Qing, and seeing her still sitting there looking at him, he turned around and came back to put her back on the animal skin and leaned over to kiss her quickly on her forehead. He whispered a few words, and only then walked out of the hut.

Her forehead slightly warmed up because of his kiss, as if the temperature of his lips remained. According to his tone just now, he was probably comforting her, telling her not to be afraid or something close in meaning.

Mu Qing didn’t know what was happening and listened with open ears to the sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps coming from outside. Some women and children also seemed to have been awakened, and she vaguely heard them talking.

As soon as Li Mang went out, she put her clothes back on and laid alone for a while, but somewhat unable to bear it, she got up and went outside to have a look. She saw that the people had dispersed and left, only a few of them were left, talking about something. She could not understand their conservations, so she returned to the hut.

Mu Qing slept and woke up several time during the night, and at dawn, Li Mang still had not returned.

She felt as if she was worrying about him.

This discovery made her a little uncomfortable.

She thought about it for a while and felt that this worry of hers was mostly just based on the fact that he was the only close person that she could rely on here. His existence directly determined the state of her life here before she leaves in the future. So, she was worried about his well-being. There was no other reason apart from that.

When she thought like this, she felt some relief. Seeing that the skirt was still on the ground, she picked it up, folded it and put it on the animal skin, then got up from the ground and went to Naduo’s hut.

It was just dawn, and usually, most people were not up at this time. But today there was something unusual, and all the way over to Naduo’s hut, she met some women who were already doing their work, while talking. Although Mu Qing could not understand, but she felt that they were probably still talking about the incident that happened last night, there was some anxiousness on their face that couldn’t be concealed.

Mu Qing had never been so eager to know what they were saying, so that she would not have to be in the dark and overthink about the matter. But she could only deduce from their looks that something unexpected had happened last night, which was why some of the men, including Li Mang, had not returned all night long.

She quickened her footsteps.

Naduo was sitting in front of the fire cooking breakfast while talking to a woman beside her. That woman lived near her hut and Mu Qing was quite familiar with her face. Her expression looked very sad, and Naduo looked like she was comforting her.

Mu Qing did not see Youyou’s father, he was probably also with Li Mang now. She sat down silently in front of the fire and started adding firewood to it.

Although there was a smile on Naduo’s face, but her eyes inadvertently still showed some traces of concern, just like the other women here as well. Even as the pot of soup on the fire was boiling in front of her, she did not notice it, until it started to overflow and make “chi chi” sounds, that’s when she lifted the lid, in a fluster.

Mu Qing’s mood suddenly became heavy. She once again speculated on what Li Mang and the other men in this tribe had gone to do last night. Was it to track an enemy, or perhaps to track some prey?