After eating two bowls of hot porridge, Huangguo, like the others, used great determination to support her weary body and continued to move forward with the group.
Her body was already very weak, and she felt that she might collapse at any moment. Cold and fatigue relentlessly assaulted her. The cold and fatigue of the journey had replaced the excitement that had been there before departure and the initial rush.
It was as if a person who had set a thrilling goal, shaking with excitement, was stripped of that initial enthusiasm due to the journey's hardships. Unlike those who could form new goals when difficulties wore down the initial one, Huangguo had no other choice. If she didn’t keep pushing forward to that desirable tribe, the only thing waiting for her was a dead end.
At this point, neither Huangguo nor the others from the Green Sparrow Tribe considered returning to their original cave because it was now empty. The only things they had were what they brought with them. And they couldn’t take those things back either, as their most valuable pot had already broken into two halves— not because it slipped and fell, but was intentionally broken.
While Huangguo regretted the broken pot, she also understood why it was done. If they hadn’t, two people from their tribe, who were already weak and elderly, would have died yesterday due to exhaustion from walking.
The rest of the group also had little strength left after battling the cold and snow, making it nearly impossible to carry them. So, the group leader had people break the pot into two halves, tie it with a rope, put dry grass and animal hides inside, and let the weak sit in it while being pulled by the deer.
Huangguo looked up at the two people sitting in the broken pot being pulled by the deer. Admiring their wisdom, she also felt a pang of envy, as she was also very tired and would have liked to sit in there if possible.
Seeing the group leader pull the deer and move people forward brought Huangguo a bit of reassurance, but it also raised some concerns. The leader had gone from two to one, as another person who had separated from the group yesterday was already out of sight.
“Keep moving, don’t worry,” said Shuang, trudging along, his breath visible in the cold air. He saw that the group's mood was low and the situation was worsening. He thought for a moment and then spoke up to encourage everyone.
Yes, the Divine Child wouldn’t abandon them, and the tribe's people wouldn’t either—they weren’t without support.
These words also uplifted some people in the Huangguo Tribe. However, others, like the leader of the Huangguo Tribe, were more skeptical.
The leader of the Huangguo Tribe didn’t fully believe in what Shuang was saying. If a similar situation happened in their tribe, he would likely not save anyone. Such actions would involve a lot of risk and consume many food resources after rescuing everyone. As a person from this era, and especially a leader, he understood the preciousness of food more than most.
The weather had turned warm to cold, and the tribe's remaining food wouldn't be plentiful either. If they and others went there, it would only deplete the tribe's resources, dragging them down, much like the group they were currently struggling with.
People often habitually measure things around them based on their standards, projecting themselves onto others. For example, a frog at the bottom of a well imagines the sky as the top of its small world, like two old farmers in a field dreaming of an emperor who plows with a golden plow daily.
Similarly, the leader of the Huangguo Tribe believed that because their tribe lacked food, the Green Sparrow Tribe must also have a limited amount. Compared to the leader of the Huangguo Tribe, Huangguo tended to believe Shuang’s words more, though she still harbored some concerns.
Due to constantly walking through the snow, the group's strength was diminishing. With this situation, more people would likely be unable to move forward. The tribe sending people to meet them would at least need to have a few more large pots cracked open, like those used for pulling them, to bring everyone back. But these were precious items.
The leader of the Huangguo Tribe doubted if the other tribe would be willing to break such valuable items to bring them back. Unlike the others in the Huangguo Tribe, who were uncertain, Shuang and the others had no such worries. However, Shuang still had some concerns.
According to the route, even if Miao and the others hurried back to the tribe, the Divine Child would need to quickly organize people and resources to come to them, which would still take until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. The food in the group could only last until tomorrow afternoon.
Did they have to kill the deer?
He thought about it, turning to look at the deer faithfully trudging along, carrying their things. His heart ached at the thought of sacrificing such a faithful animal.
This was yet another difficult decision he faced since he had brought people to the Green Sparrow Tribe for food earlier. Unlike when he felt helpless and anxious, although the choice was tough this time, he was not panicking because the Divine Child was with their tribe.
Even without the wind, the snow-covered weather was still bone-chilling, and it was even more so now with the wind blowing. The group trudged through the thick snow, struggling to move forward.
At around noon, one of the people in the moving group suddenly pointed excitedly ahead.
Everyone looked in that direction. In the distance, a line of black dots appeared in the snow—a significant number of people, among them numerous deer, with smaller, running black shadows indicating wolves nearby.
In the middle of the group, someone held a stick with a cloth tied to it, displaying a flag with an indistinct design. It was hard to see from this distance, but Shuang and the others knew the design.
Because they also had a flag like that in their group.
The people coming to meet them had arrived!
Without thinking about why the welcoming party had come so quickly, Shuang and the remaining dozen or so trade team members couldn’t help but shout joyfully, jumping up and down. The person holding the flag raised it high, waving it vigorously.
The cold wind stirred the flag, causing it to flutter with a sound, the somewhat off-standard Green Sparrow design as if it were trying to soar. The distant group saw Shuang and his team, and the flag started to sway in response, calling back to them.
Indistinct voices could be heard in the distance. The group on the other side visibly quickened their pace, with some pushing forward and heading towards Shuang and his team.