Chapter 12 – Beat them up (2/2)

That day, many people got driven back by the guarding warriors when they tried to go fishing at the river.

A few days earlier, residents in mountain foot area noticed that the children in orphan cave became diligent. In the past, they would simply sleep, eat, and occasionally go rob some things. However, now everyday they went out and they would only return from the riverside in the afternoons when food was supposed to be distributed. Also, every time when they returned, they had dragged back some arm-length odd fish with a giant head and numerous mouthful sharp tiny teeth, tied with straw rope.

Men with curiosity followed them and wanted to learn the skills of fishing. However, first of all it was difficult for them to dig out stone worms, and with the lack of alternative bait, it was pretty hard for them to capture a fish with merely a straw rope. Secondly, even if they had dug out stone worms, or they had used some other things as bait, it was still difficult for them to capture a fish as easily as Shao Xuan and his companions. Sometimes, the things they fished out were alien and strange and one could get his body swollen like a ham with a single touch.

Finally, those men noticed that Shao Xuan was using some black thing that could float above the water surface, and that black float was the only thing that Shao Xuan had yet they didn’t possess. Indeed, the harvest was not ideal when one did not use that equipment.

Shao Xuan had actually analyzed why that happened. Those piranhas probably didn’t like to live in the bottom of the river, while the straw rope with a bait tended to sink under the water. Stone worms, on the other hand, would easily flee once they touched dirt and rocks from the bottom. Those two factors added up to the result of a bad harvest.

These days, Shao Xuan asked Caesar to catch more of those worms from the black swamp, and obtained more black floats. He used them to trade for some meat and animal skins. The meat was not much and he shared it with kids in the cave the day he got it back. As for the animal skins, although it was not fine in the quality, it could absolutely make the coming winter less harsh for them.

Because of that, aside from the kids from the cave, the residents in the mountain-foot district who had no hunting missions were also fishing tirelessly. No one would complain for too much food. Winter was coming and man could only feel at ease when he had enough food stored.

However, everyone was disappointed today.

Shao Xuan sighed at another group of people returning from the riverside, upset and unsatisfied.

Unexpectedly, Caesar, who was lying beside, suddenly stood up and stared at one direction.

Shao Xuan looked at that direction.

About twenty meters away from the entrance of the cave, there were some giant stones. Normally if the weather was fine, kids would lie there and bath in the sunlight. However, now few would go because they were kept busy all day long. At this time, no one was supposed to be on the stones, but Shao Xuan observed that someone was there, for a little bit of animal skin was exposed at the edge of it.

Even based on the little part of animal skin, Shao Xuan had recognized that it was Sai, who used to rob away Shao Xuan’s things and once got beaten up by Shao Xuan at the training ground. Usually Ye and Zhan would follow Sai everywhere, they also came today.

The day before yesterday when Shao Xuan was taking Caesar to catch worms in the black swamp, these three kids blocked Shao Xuan at the gravel yard to rob him of the black floats. They fought but at that time, kids from the cave also came so Sai and his companions quickly ran away. Perhaps the three of them did not give up, and they thought they could steal something in here.

They dared not rob the fish, because there was a clear rule in the tribe that no one should take the food in orphan cave, however, the fishing equipment did not belong to the “food” category.

Shao Xuan touched his jaw. He tapped on Caesar and told him to wait, while he turned around and entered the cave.

“Hey, you all!” Shao Xuan shouted out at the kids in the cave, “Lately you have all behaved pretty well, and we captured lots of fish, which is good! If the situation continues, we will not suffer from starvation this winter, with all the food from the tribe. But, what shall we do if now someone wants to come down here and rob our things?”

The eyes of the kids were lit up when they heard Shao Xuan’s voice, for they thought it was time to go fishing. However, when they realized it was not about fishing, the enthusiasm quickly cooled down. But, all emotions were replaced by anger when they understood what Shao Xuan was implying.

Rob things?

Beat them up!!

No fish and they only want to rob the fishing equipment?

That’s also a No!!

What’s the meaning of “steal”? Oh… you say that taking without informing is called “steal”? That’s basically the same as “rob”?! Beat them up hard!!

Shao Xuan had said before, that to those little whelps, “eat” must be the most beautiful word in the world. Food is the specific interpretation of that word. They would fight with full spirit with whoever that wanted to rob away their food. Taking their food equaled to taking their most treasured thing.

At that time, Sai with his two minions were just discussing how they planned to take some black floats when no one was watching and then leave quietly. The discussion was heating up when Caesar jumped down out of nowhere and pounced on them.

It was so sudden, that these three could only jump away out of reflex, quite terrified.

Sai’s heart raced with the shock as he stared at Caesar with a stick tightly held in his hands. He was still afraid but he decided to swing the stick as long as the wolf took one step forward.

Thinking too attentively, Sai did not notice the surroundings, until Ye and Zhan poked at him.

“What are you poking for? Didn’t you see me…”