I am a Primitive Man

Under the autumn sun, beside the quiet river, several members of the Sheep Tribe stood with weapons in hand, staring blankly at the still surroundings, unsure of what to do.

What lay before them was far beyond their expectations, leaving them utterly at a loss.

After standing in helpless confusion for a while, one of them took the lead, and the rest followed. They began tracing the trail of scattered white bones southward, hoping to find clues.

Half a day later, the group returned the same way they had gone—no one missing, no one gained, indicating their search had yielded nothing.

This completely unexpected situation filled the hearts of the Sheep Tribe members with anxiety and restlessness. They returned to the riverside and searched the area, finding charred stones and ashes in a crude fire pit.

It was easy to deduce—these traces had been left by their chieftain and the others.

Even primitive people possess a basic ability to reason. From what they discovered, they concluded that the herd had passed through here, and the chieftain, like the predators once stationed at this riverbank, had left with spoils.

This should have brought them relief.

The few members of the Sheep Tribe gazed at the fresh sheep bones and the ashes from the firepit, looking confused and uncertain.

After a while, the elder among them—the one who recorded events with knotted strings—spoke up.

He proposed that perhaps the chieftain's group hadn't returned by the same path they had taken, but instead had gone back to the tribe via another route that had been used in the past.

With this possibility raised, the group was instantly invigorated.

Undeterred by fatigue, they took up their weapons and followed the old man toward this alternate route back to the tribe.

But as the saying goes, things don't always go according to human will.

The returning members of the Sheep Tribe saw no sign of the chieftain or his party along the way. Still, they consoled themselves: if the chieftain had indeed taken this other path back, perhaps he was too far ahead for them to catch up.

Surely, they would see him once they returned to the tribe.

However, what awaited them was not their chieftain and warriors, but only the worried, anxious faces of those who had remained behind.

The uncertainty and apprehension that had hung over the tribe were now fully realized. The returning party's failure to find the chieftain sent the Sheep Tribe into a state of collective panic.

The chieftain and all the strong warriors had disappeared.

Left behind were the weaker members—women, the elderly, and children. In such a situation, fear and helplessness were inevitable.

Amid this collective anxiety, the elder who used knotted strings once again stepped forward, proposing another search.

After a night's rest, he led several members back out. This time, they were more cautious, scanning their surroundings as they moved.

Their pace was slow, and finally, they stopped at a spot where someone had found a smooth, worn wooden staff.

At the tip of the staff was a groove—a feature used by their tribe to tie rope for herding sheep. It was unmistakably theirs.

The group fanned out, searching the area more thoroughly.

They found more: two pieces of discarded animal hide, more similar weapons, and even fragments of pottery.

Guided by the elder, the group returned to the tribe with their findings.

Upon seeing these items, many of the tribe broke down in tears.

Though primitive, they were not fools. Connecting the pieces, they understood something had gone wrong.

The younger members—children—did not fully grasp what had happened, but from the reactions of the adults, they sensed something dreadful. Their usual liveliness vanished, replaced with silent fear.

Terror, unease, and helplessness now shrouded the Sheep Tribe's cave like a suffocating mist.

"#￥#……"

In this heavy atmosphere, the elder stepped forward again.

He shared a new idea: they should seek help from the nearby Green Sparrow Tribe.

The Green Sparrow Tribe was not only strong and prosperous, but also kind. They had promised multiple times that if the Sheep Tribe ever faced difficulties, they could come for help.

More importantly, the Green Sparrow Tribe had the Divine Child and a shaman. These wise ones might be able to understand what had happened when they could not.

Thanks to the deliberate efforts of Han Cheng over the years, the reputation of the Green Sparrow Tribe for strength, wealth, and kindness had spread to every neighboring tribe with which they had dealings.

Being one of the earliest tribes to interact with the rising Green Sparrow Tribe, the Sheep Tribe had a deeply rooted respect and trust for them.

So when the elder made his suggestion, it was like lightning striking through dark clouds—everyone instantly felt a surge of hope.

With unanimous support, the elder prepared a small amount of food, grabbed a weapon, and led a few tribesmen toward the Green Sparrow Tribe.

At the same time, the Half-Farming Tribe also began to move…