When the sun rose, the leader of the Huang Guo Tribe had already led the people out of the cave to continue searching for food.
Having had three full meals in a row, along with the motivation brought by the arrival of spring, everyone seemed even more energetic.
The few remaining people also no longer felt as weak as yesterday.
They actually wanted to join the others in searching for food, but because the tribe’s minors needed care and someone had to guard the cave, they stayed behind.
Lying at the cave entrance and looking out through the gap, they watched as the leader and the others left. The people left behind now eagerly anticipated the scene of their return with enough food.
In contrast to yesterday’s success, the Huang Guo Tribe’s luck wasn’t as good today. Until now, they hadn’t found much.
This was because the areas close to the tribe had already been searched yesterday, leaving little prey behind.
The leader of the Huang Guo Tribe clearly understood this, so he didn’t linger nearby. Instead, he led the group farther from the tribe to search.
Once they had distanced themselves enough from the tribe, well beyond the range of yesterday’s search, the leader slowed his pace and instructed everyone to spread out and look for food.
The leader of the Huang Guo Tribe shouted in excitement because he had found a half-grown sheep!
Although the sheep had died from the cold and hunger and was quite emaciated, there was still a fair amount of meat.
Carrying the sheep, the leader of the Huang Guo Tribe couldn’t help but marvel at his luck.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered the thought he had a few days ago about joining that other tribe, and he couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.
That thought seemed far removed from him, even a bit strange. He wondered how he could have had such an idea in the first place.
Shaking his head and pushing that thought out of his mind, the leader of the Huang Guo Tribe no longer dwelled on what now seemed like a ridiculous idea. Instead, he focused on continuing to search for prey.
The leader of the Huang Guo Tribe voiced a confused exclamation and looked up at the sky.
The sun, which had not been very bright, had disappeared without a trace.
The sky suddenly turned overcast.
Such a sight often meant a change in the weather, and the people of the Huang Guo Tribe were familiar with this.
Upon realizing the change, many people began to panic and gathered around their leader, asking what they should do next.
It was still early in the day, and when the sun disappeared, it was still some distance from the southern direction. The people of the Huang Guo Tribe had walked a fair way from the tribe before they began looking for food.
Under these circumstances, they hadn’t been out searching for long, and the food they had gathered wasn’t much.
If they went back now, food in the tribe would undoubtedly run out again.
In response to the people’s inquiries, the leader of the Huang Guo Tribe looked up at the sky for a moment, clenched his fist tightly, and then told everyone to continue searching for food.
After receiving the leader’s orders, the people of the Huang Guo Tribe scattered to continue their search.
However, compared to the joyous mood, everyone was now overshadowed by a sense of urgency.
As soon as the sun disappeared, the cold wind began to rise, rapidly growing stronger within a short time.
It didn’t take long before everyone began to feel the cold.
The melting snow had now stopped melting and was slowly beginning to harden.
The overcast sky quickly had snowflakes falling.
The leader of the Huang Guo Tribe dared not stay here much longer—not just because it had started to snow but also because the animal skins they wore could not withstand the cold.
This was because they hadn’t yet learned the simple proverb "spring wraps, autumn chills," as the weather warmed, they immediately shed much of the furs they had been wearing.
Amid the swirling snow, the members of the Huang Guo Tribe, hunched and wrapped in their meager catch, hurried back toward the tribe. They wanted to get back to the cave as soon as possible...
Inside the Huang Guo Tribe’s cave, the people left behind grew anxious, no longer filled with the hope they had before.
They crouched by the cave entrance, anxiously peering through the gap, eagerly awaiting the return of their leader and the others.
Two of them wrapped themselves in more fur, removed the stone blocking the entrance, and stepped outside to look into the distance.
The cold wind, mixed with increasingly dense snowflakes, quickly descended, obscuring their vision so they could barely see far ahead.
They waited anxiously, but all they could see was the snow and wind...
“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”
In contrast to the worried and panicked members of the Huang Guo Tribe, the trade team of the Green Sparrow Tribe, upon noticing the sudden drop in temperature and the falling snow, instead shouted in excitement.
This was because the area they were in was southwest of the Huang Guo Tribe, so it took about one to two hours for the snow to reach them after it had started falling heavily at Huang Guo.
The sudden cold and snowfall made Mao, who liked trading, immediately consider leading the trade team back to the originally planned tribe.
He shared this idea with Shang, who, although eager for battle, wasn’t rash, especially regarding matters unrelated to warfare. He was calm and thoughtful.
After considering for a moment, Shang shook his head, rejecting Mao's suggestion.
Over the last two days, the tribes had gathered some prey, and with further delays, they would consume more of their food reserves. Therefore, it was better to continue back to their tribe rather than return to trade with another tribe.
After a brief discussion, they reached a consensus and didn’t linger any longer. They led the trade team against the wind and snow, continuing toward the tribe.
However, this didn’t last long. Their progress was halted not far along the way as the snow grew heavier.
Camping outdoors had become a regular part of life for the trade team.
They found a sheltered spot and began to set up camp...
The snow continued to fall relentlessly, quickly accumulating on their tents, starting to look more like snow huts.
At the edge of one tent flap, the flicker of firelight and the aroma of food began to waft out. After eating, each member of the Green Sparrow Tribe’s trade team received a small bowl of alcohol, which the shaman had provided.
Back in the Huang Guo Tribe’s cave, the returning members gathered around the fire, eagerly sipping hot water...