Having finished her inspection, Ji Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. She lightly petted the cub’s smooth and supple fur, addressing the worried tribe members around her, "Everyone, don’t worry. Brother Xiu Yan is fine. He’s just exhausted from overusing his wings. It seems we should limit the use of his wings, especially when he still hasn’t fully recovered from his previous injury."
Ge Xing breathed easier, giving a solemn nod, "That’s a good point. Once the cub wakes up, Ji Nuan, you need to let him know that overusing his wings can lead to severe exhaustion. It could be dangerous if he has to face a powerful enemy."
Ji Nuan softly stroked the cub’s chubby head in agreement.
Xiu Yan enjoyed the long-missed petting, the belly rubs, and his paw getting squeezed. He wanted to twitch his chubby little paws in delight, but the stern look in the eyes of the young female stopped him. Instead, he obediently lay there and enjoyed the young female’s petting.
"Speaking of which, Ji Nuan, what’s going on with your wound?" Ge Xing looked towards Ji Nuan’s ankle wound that was still slowly bleeding.
Ji Nuan frowned, equally puzzled, "I’m not sure what happened. I felt uncomfortable after bending over for a prolonged period, so I moved a bit, and then I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. I haven’t had a chance to inspect it myself.
"I examined the porcelain earlier and it didn’t break, so the wound couldn’t be from that."
Ge Xing crouched down, "Stretch out your ankle, and let me see."
Ji Nuan nodded and rolled up her Beast Skin, revealing her pale foot. The wound on her ankle where the skin was torn was undoubtedly severe.
Ge Xing’s face darkened upon seeing the wound. A fierce light flashed deep in his eyes, while the orcs’ faces betrayed their curiosity and confusion at seeing the wound.
Ji Nuan and others had been consuming the meat procured by the orcs, so she was unfamiliar with the injuries they inflicted on their prey.
But to the orcs surrounding her, the wound on her ankle was incredibly familiar. It was clearly made by the claws of an orc.
"What is it... Is there something wrong with this wound?" Ji Nuan, sensing something amiss from the change in atmosphere, began to get anxious. Could it have been caused by a poisonous creature?
"Ji Nuan, I believe your wound was caused by the claw of some creature, but luckily it doesn’t seem to be poisonous. You should get some herbs and bandage it up, and it will heal in a few days," Ge Xing said, his face lightening up.
The other orcs realized what happened, "Ah, so it’s a creature with sharp claws. Its claws are as sharp as ours, no wonder they can cause such harm."
Ji Nuan nodded, "That’s what I thought too. Fortunately, I brought some herbs with me before we left. Let’s have the injured tribe members come to me to get some later."
Ge Xing nodded his agreement.
Then he stood up, and with a wave of his hand cleared the gathered orcs, "Why are you all standing here? Got nothing to do? Move along, move along! Go rest. We will continue on our way soon."
"Fu Yi, come here. I’ll show you a few kinds of herbs so you can help gather them." Ji Nuan called while gesturing towards the Lightning Mink sunning itself on top of her pack. She also took out some herbs from her bag.
With a push from its four short legs, Fu Yi jumped off the pack. A flash of white and it was sitting in front of Ji Nuan, its front paws lifted and its rear planted firmly on the ground.
Charmed by its fluffy adorableness, Ji Nuan handed it a purplish-red herb while giving it a contained gaze.
The Lightning Mink’s gaze flashed, and it squeaked twice before rushing into the forest.
Ji Nuan chewed the herb into paste, carefully spreading it over her wound. The sharp pain made her take a sharp breath, her face turned pale.
The wound was deeper than she thought.
"Squeak squeak squeak!" Suddenly, the call of the Lightning Mink came from the edge of the forest. Ji Nuan’s eyes flashed and she turned to look, a look of surprise on her face.
"Isn’t that Fu Yi? It has herbs in its paws!" Ge Xing also noticed the little white furball.
Ji Nuan nodded, "Yes, I was afraid we’d run out of herbs, so I asked Fu Yi to gather some. It seems like it is having a hard time identifying the correct ones. I’ll go take a look."
Ge Xing got up, walked over, and offered her his arm, "Let’s go. I’ll help you over there. You’re still injured."
Watching the two orcs move farther and farther away, Xiu Yan was feeling cold. The young female had not only acted faint, but even left him behind. His wolfy heart was grieving.