"What happened to Hai'er?"
I immediately sensed that something was wrong. The division of labor in the camp before I left was that Guan Hai'er was responsible for hunting wild beasts, something he was very good at as an explorer.
From my understanding of him, he should still be in the camp at this time, and the expressions of others also made me suspicious.
"Because you never came back, Hai'er took his equipment two days ago, prepared food, and set off, saying he was going to find you. No matter what we said, he wouldn't listen."
Luo Yaqin stammered out the truth.
"Ah!"
My head immediately ached. How could it be that I'm back now, but Guan Hai'er is lost instead?
"Why didn't you stop her!"
I asked with a hint of reproach, after all, after I left, Luo Yaqin was the backbone of this camp.
For something like Guan Hai'er leaving to find me, he wouldn't have set off without Luo Yaqin's approval.
"Don't blame Sister Yaqin either. After all, you've been gone for so many days and haven't returned. Naturally, we were all worried, so..."
Shangguan Yao chimed in from the side.
Seeing this scene, I wearily rubbed my temples.
Things had already happened. Even if I blamed them, Guan Hai'er wouldn't come back. So, after a moment's thought, I made a decision.
"I'll rest today. If Guan Hai'er doesn't return tomorrow, I'll go find him!"
Seeing that I had made up my mind, the others said nothing more. Only the scene of reunion was suddenly cast with a shadow.
"Master, why don't you take a bath first? You're all dirty now."
Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Kexin, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
I was only filled with exhaustion at the moment, so I nodded to Kexin and let everyone else leave.
One wave after another.
I felt like my life was like the sea, with calm moments being the minority, and life always finding a way to throw me a curveball from unexpected directions.
I lay on the bed for a while. I didn't know how long it had been when I heard Kexin's voice from outside.
"Master, the water is ready."
I grunted in response and got up. I followed Kexin to a small room where a large wooden basin was placed. It looked like it had been made not long ago.
I quickly took off all my clothes and let Kexin take them to be washed. I then jumped into the wooden basin with a splash.
Damn, this feels good!
I immersed myself in the water, feeling the hot water envelop my body. I had no other thoughts besides feeling good.
This is life!
When I was outside, after working 996, I used to like to go to the bathhouse near my home with my colleagues. That was one of the few ways I could relax back then.
"Master, shall I scrub your back?"
After an unknown amount of time, I heard the door open and then close. A moment later, Kexin's voice came from behind me.
I hummed softly. The comfort of the hot water made me too lazy to say a word. Then I felt a pair of gentle hands on my shoulders.
...
The bath made me feel completely refreshed, like a brand-new product. However, it exhausted Kexin quite a bit.
Time flew by. In the evening, after a delicious feast, around the crackling bonfire, I continued to tell the girls about my experiences in the Du'an tribe.
When I returned in the morning, due to time constraints, I had only briefly mentioned a few memorable things from the Du'an tribe, without going into detail.
Now that I was completely relaxed, I began to narrate the stories vividly.
As I spoke, everyone would occasionally show surprise, as if what I said had a great impact on their worldview.
"This thing called the Shepherd God is truly unscientific. If I had the chance, I'd really like to study it."
When I talked about the Shepherd God, everyone else looked apprehensive. Only Luo Yaqin, instead of being nervous, seemed excited and eager to study it.
"If nothing unexpected happens, you probably won't see the Shepherd God again in this lifetime. He has long since slumbered with the High Priest in a sunless temple."
In my narration just now, I had concealed the fact that a part of the Shepherd God's power was within me, and that he had previously manipulated illusions to try and possess me.
This wasn't because I didn't trust Shangguan Yao and Luo Yaqin, but because there was no point in saying some things, and it would only make them worry along with me.
As I spoke, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I then used my wildman tone and turned to Kexin beside me to ask.
"Do the current Kasa tribe people still worship the sea god Qi Ye?"