Chapter 162 Tiger's Decision
Hu Lie led a team of strong orcs and set out with his head held high to look for Jiang Qingqing.
They carefully followed the intermittent traces around the tribe, not missing any clues, and repeatedly examined even the smallest details. Every footprint and every broken branch seemed to be a silent clue left by Jiang Qingqing.
In the tribe, everyone seemed to be quietly waiting for their news, but everyone had different thoughts.
Hu Meng sat on a high seat, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. He clenched the armrests with both hands, thinking that when Jiang Qingqing was found, he would definitely punish her severely so that others would know the consequences of violating the tribal rules.
In his opinion, Jiang Qingqing's daring to make a mistake and escape from the tribe was a provocation to his authority.
Wu clasped his hands together and prayed silently, hoping that Jiang Qingqing could be found safely. After all, as a witch, he still had respect and compassion for life in his heart, even if Jiang Qingqing made a mistake.
Time passed by, the sun gradually set, and finally, in the evening, Hu Lie and others returned exhausted. But they came back empty-handed, without bringing back Jiang Qingqing, whom everyone had been waiting for.
Hu Meng stood up from his seat eagerly and asked loudly, "How is it? Have you found her?"
Hu Lie shook his head heavily. "Chief, we followed the trail for a long time, all the way to the depths of the forest. At first everything went smoothly, and we moved forward steadily following the faint smell.
But near a mountain stream, Jiang Qingqing's scent suddenly disappeared without a trace. We looked around and expanded the search area, but found traces of stray animals nearby.
Those messy traces look frightening, and I don’t know if Jiang Qingqing encountered any danger.”
After saying that, Hu Lie frowned, his face full of worry and confusion.
There was a commotion among the crowd, and everyone was talking to each other. In fact, few people in the tribe really cared about Jiang Qingqing. The reason why they went to find her was just because of the education they had received for a long time to protect females.
In their minds, Jiang Qingqing was just a female who overestimated her own abilities, made a mistake and ran away.
Hu Meng frowned, crossed his arms, paced back and forth, and cursed: "This ungrateful woman actually provoked a stray beast. She is really courting death!"
Wu gently raised his hand, motioning for everyone to be quiet, and said, "Don't jump to conclusions yet. Maybe there is still hope."
Hu Lie went on to say: "Chief, given the current situation, we must prepare for the worst. If Jiang Qingqing is captured by stray beasts, then..." He didn't say anything else, but everyone understood what he meant.
People in the tribe began to talk about it.
"Humph, she wanted to run away on her own, who can she blame?" said a sturdy orc.
"But she is a female after all. If she really encounters an accident, it will be a loss to the tribe." An elderly orc sighed.
At this time, a young female curled her lips and said, "She is always so high and mighty, looking down on everyone. This is her retribution!"
The other female looked worried: "No matter what, she is also a member of our tribe. I just hope she can return safely."
Hu Meng didn't expect that there would be stray animals roaming around near the tribe, and his heart was in turmoil. You know, these stray animals are running around everywhere, they are the most restless, and they do things without any bottom line. Jiang Qingqing actually got involved with these people, it's really out of control!
He stopped and waved his hand: "Tomorrow morning, send another team to search nearby. If they are alive, we must find them. If they are dead, we must find their bodies!"
No matter what, we have to know the movements of this stray animal. It would be best if we could live in peace.
Everyone dispersed, each with their own thoughts. The night wind blew quietly through the tribe, bringing with it a hint of uneasiness and worry.
The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, a new group of orcs were ready to go. Hu Meng stood at the entrance of the tribe and looked at them firmly: "Make sure to search carefully and don't miss any clues."
The beastmen nodded one after another, and then quickly ran in the direction where they found the stray beast yesterday. Along the way, they carefully observed the surrounding environment, not missing any slight movement.
They tracked along the mountains and forests for a long time, and finally found a hidden cave in a deep valley.
The entrance to the cave was overgrown with weeds, but the messy footprints on the ground and the broken branches around it showed that there had been a lot of activities here.
They approached the cave cautiously, holding their weapons tightly in case of any sudden danger. However, when they entered the cave, they found that it was empty.
In the empty cave, there were only some ashes from the campfire and a few pieces of gnawed animal bones. There was some hay piled in the corner, which seemed to be used as a temporary bed. There were also some strange scratches on the cave wall, which made people puzzled.
"Everyone, check carefully to see if there are any useful clues." said the leading orc.
Everyone dispersed and searched the cave carefully.
"Look, there are some snake scales on the ground!" shouted a sharp-eyed orc.
Everyone gathered around and saw a few gleaming scales scattered on the ground.
"Judging from the size and shape of these scales, it should be a snake-like stray beast." The experienced orc judged.
"But we've never heard of any snake-like orc activities around here." Someone said in confusion.
"Anyway, this is our only clue at the moment. Let's keep looking and see if we can find anything else." Hu Lie ordered with a frown.
However, after a search, no further valuable discoveries were made.
"It seems that they have been gone for a long time. Let's go back to the tribe and report to the leader, and then make long-term plans." Hu Lie said helplessly.
……
Hu Lie and others returned to the tribe and reported everything to their leader Hu Meng.
After hearing this, Hu Meng nodded slightly, and the big stone in his heart fell to the ground. "It's good that he left, so we don't have to worry about it anymore."
"But leader... Jiang Qingqing is still in his hands..." Seeing that the leader was about to let the matter go, Hu Lie couldn't help but remind him.
Hu Meng frowned, "So what? A female who doesn't know how to live or die is not worth our trouble."
Hu Lie wanted to say something else, but Hu Meng raised his hand to interrupt him. "Okay, let's end this matter here. Everyone go home."
The beastmen looked at each other in bewilderment. Although some of them felt reluctant, they could only obey orders. It was the female's own choice. Whether it was good or bad, it was her own fate!