The incident of the Deer Lord luring back five adult does quickly spread throughout the Sparrow Tribe.
People came to see the five deer, who appeared shy and uneasy.
The atmosphere changed from worry and anxiety at dusk to excitement and joy.
Even if they didn't eat meat, five deer could still be useful for plowing fields.
People cheered for the Deer Lord's skill.
Having experienced grand events, the Deer Lord remained calm and composed in the face of the flattery from many bipeds, calmly ruminating to itself...
That night, Han Cheng issued an order.
Starting the next day, the deer herd would no longer be released to roam freely but kept inside the deer pen and fed.
The weather was getting colder, and the first snowfall could happen anytime soon. Also, it was time for feeding. Moreover, the outdoors at this time was relatively dangerous compared to before, and it was too risky for the deer herd to roam freely.
Once inside the Sparrow Tribe's deer pen, they belonged to the Sparrow Tribe. Han Cheng couldn't give them a chance to reconsider.
By spending the winter in the deer pen, eating and sleeping together with the Deer Lord and the others, with saltwater and baby greens to eat, these five deer would be firmly anchored in their newfound home after spring arrived.
Han Cheng didn't know that his decision caused great trouble to a tribe he had never met.
Fu Jiang, along with the five Xiao Fus and the Deer Lord, the rogue deer who liked to butt them with its antlers, had tormented Cao Geng and his men. They were injured all over their bodies. Despite their anger, they were determined to kill the damn Deer Lord and devour it piece by piece.
They will knock off those hated antlers and sharpen them into sharp tools to open up the bellies of those stupid wolves.
Despite feeling awkward walking, they, along with other tribe members, roamed this area all day and gradually expanded their search range. However, despite days passing, they had not seen any trace of those damned deer.
It was as if their appearance was meant to leave them covered in injuries.
Cao Geng and his men were unwilling to give up. This search and waiting continued until the first snow fell.
With heavy snowfall, it meant that the outside world was completely unsuitable for human activity.
Even though they were resentful, Cao Geng and his men had to reluctantly retreat in such weather, returning to the caves to endure this unbearable winter and giving up on killing deer for revenge and meat.
Misfortune never comes singly.
This classic saying, summarized by later generations, was quickly understood by the Cao Geng and his men.
The food they collected and stored decreased because of their confrontation with the deer during this period.
Although they weren't idle while searching and waiting for the deer, the food they obtained was never as much as when they were focused solely on searching.
An old man in the tribe who often sprinkled some ashes on their heads when they went out noticed this change and warned the tribe about it.
But Cao Geng and his men were blinded by their humiliation at the hands of the Deer Lord and were eager to kill the damn deer.
The others were also excited by the description of the number of deer the Cao Geng gave.
Working together, taking down a few wolves that didn't eat deer wasn't a problem. Killing those wolves and some deer for food to survive the winter wasn't a problem either.
The meat was much tastier than the other icy fruits and hard-to-swallow grass seeds. Who wouldn't want to eat it?
So, after hearing the Tribe's chief warning, they reassured him instead of taking it seriously, promising they would catch enough deer before the heavy snowfall. They vowed to give the old man the best deer liver to eat, ensuring that the tribe's winter would be better than ever.
However, the deer never appeared again.
As the weather grew colder and the snowfall seemed imminent, the old man spoke up again, urging everyone to stop their actions. He suggested using this last opportunity to gather more seeds, dried fruits, and other provisions.
Yet, her proposal was rejected once again.
By this point, Cao Geng and his men were starting to panic a bit. They rejected the old man because even if they stopped searching for deer and focused on collecting and storing food like before, food would still be scarce this winter.
Compared to that, continuing to search for the deer herd seemed more profitable.
As long as they found that herd, their tribe's predicament would instantly resolve!
Life is essentially a gamble. Some people gamble with confidence, while others rely entirely on luck.
Some win, while others lose.
Cao Geng and his men undoubtedly lost this time.
In previous winters, the tribe would only implement food rationing after heavy snow had fallen for a long time. However, this year was different. As soon as the heavy snow fell, food rationing began.
Hunger spread throughout the tribe, affecting every person's heart.
Hunger made people irrational. Starving people would do anything.
The once relatively united tribe had now become divided.
Cao Geng and the four others became targets of the tribe's blame and attacks.
People complained, saying that they wouldn't be suffering if it weren't for them. Why was this winter so miserable?
After enduring such complaints for some time, the sentiment turned into a proposal: if the stored food ran out and the winter hadn't passed, they would eat Cao Geng and his men.
After all, they were the ones who had caused the tribe's current situation...
The weather cleared, and the pale sun scattered its bleak light over the snowy landscape, casting a cold and oppressive atmosphere like an icy cave.
But no matter what, there were no dark clouds in the sky. The sun hung above, giving some psychological comfort regardless of the temperature.
Underneath an oak tree, several people wrapped in fur coats struggled to push aside the thick layer of snow on the ground with wooden sticks.
Then, they carefully examined the exposed ground, hoping to find one or two overlooked acorns.
These people were Cao Geng and his men, the ones planned by the tribe to be killed and eaten after the food ran out.
To avoid being eaten, they would search for food in the thick snow as long as the heavy snow stopped and the weather cleared.
Just as they joyfully picked up a snow-covered acorn and placed it in Cao Geng’s fur-wrapped bundle, they heard their companion's shout.