Everyone else also climbed onto the backs of the five large mountain turtles, each turtle carrying four or five people.
The five mountain turtles entered the water one after another, carrying the group into the mysterious Great Swamp.
Jiang Xuan watched the mountain turtles swim freely in the water, feeling a bit surprised. He thought these mountain turtles lived on land and couldn’t swim.
In the Great Swamp, there were tall reeds and various aquatic plants. Many places looked like land, but were actually large patches of water plants floating on the water.
If anyone steps on it, they could easily slip and fall into the water, swallowed by the Great Swamp.
"Chirp chirp chirp..."
Various insects and frogs kept making noises, and occasionally, they could hear some strange bird calls and beast roars.
Jiang Xuan sat on the turtle’s back, enjoying the night wind, using his night vision to look at the scenery around him, listening to all kinds of sounds, feeling very curious.
Shan Jia proudly said, "Everyone who came out this time has eaten the Luminous Mushroom, so we don’t need to light a torch for hunting."
Jiang Xuan said, "These warriors are truly lucky."
"Hahaha, being a Warrior of the Mountain Turtle Tribe really is a fortunate thing."
Shan Jia looked at Jiang Xuan’s Spider Silk Clothing and couldn’t help asking, "Chief Xuan, what exactly is this clothing? I’ve never seen anything like it."
Jiang Xuan didn’t hide anything: "It’s Spider Silk Clothing from the Spider Tribe. We traded from the Black Teeth Tribe at a high price."
Shan Jia nodded, apparently familiar with the Black Teeth Tribe.
"I still prefer wearing Turtle Shell, it’s safe. This Spider Silk Clothing is too thin."
Shan Jia patted his own thick turtle shell, feeling very secure with it on.
The two chatted softly as they looked for prey around them.
The Mountain Turtle Tribe also fished, as they had turtles acting as living "boats", freely navigating the water.
However, they only used spears and harpoon-like weapons to stab big fish from the water’s surface.
They didn’t set fishing traps, nor did they weave fishing nets.
Before long, Shan Jia found a hunting target—a large water beast feeding in a dense patch of water plants.
Jiang Xuan observed from afar and noticed that the beast resembled an otter but had two tusks like a walrus, quite peculiar.
Shan Jia signaled, and the other four mountain turtles swam to surround the patch of water plants from afar.
Clearly, they had coordinated this action countless times before and were very synchronized.
With no torches lit and riding on turtles, their concealment was excellent, so the water beast hadn’t noticed them.
In a low voice, Shan Jia said to Jiang Xuan, "We call these water beasts ’Water Wolves’. They’re fierce and cunning; if you’re not careful, they’ll escape."
"Their tusks are valuable, used to make Tooth Knives, and the oil from their stomachs is great for healing burns and scalds."
"Their fur is also excellent material for Beast Hide Clothing, soft and warm, everyone loves it."
After listening, Jiang Xuan could only marvel at how the tribal people utilized every part of the prey.
This Water Wolf is truly a treasure; if it were in Jiang Xuan’s former world, they’d have been hunted to extinction quickly.
But in this Primordial World, human territories are not large, while animal numbers are vast.
Moreover, tribal hunting follows its own rules. They never capture young or mother beasts with cubs, preventing depletion.
Soon, five mountain turtles and twenty warriors silently surrounded the dense patch.
Once everything was ready, Shan Jia stood up, emitting a strange howl, then decisively threw a short spear at the Water Wolf.
The howl was a signal.
Almost simultaneously, other Mountain Turtle Tribe warriors hurled short spears at the Water Wolf, blocking all escape routes.
The Water Wolf let out a miserable cry, instantly struck by several short spears.
It struggled to escape into the water, but the massive turtles had already reached the plants, making escape impossible.
Before long, the Water Wolf became a trophy, carried by the turtle with Shan Jia and Jiang Xuan.
Afterwards, they caught many strange swamp creatures: fish, giant frogs, water beasts, even snakes.
They returned to the Mountain Turtle Tribe with all the trophies by midnight.
The harvest was plentiful this trip, opening Jiang Xuan’s eyes to the Great Swamp’s diversity.
As a hunting companion, Jiang Xuan received a giant frog the size of a millstone; Shan Jia said its meat is delicious, a rare treat.
After returning to the Mountain Turtle Tribe, Jiang Xuan cleaned and roasted the frog, sharing it with members of the Vine Tribe.
He tore off a frog leg, took a bite, and his eyes brightened: "It’s indeed tasty!"
The giant frog’s meat was tender and had crunchy bones, a delightful texture.
Chi Shao and others praised the frog’s meat quality, eager to hunt some themselves.
Of course, it was just a thought; without night vision and the turtles, swamp hunting at night was nearly impossible.
The next day, the Vine Tribe prepared to return.
Since both the chief and witch were absent, they couldn’t stay away too long.
Before parting, Shan Jia told Jiang Xuan, "Chief Xuan, next time you come, I’ll take you hunting in the Great Swamp during the day, you’ll love it."
"Haha, Chief Shan Jia, I’m looking forward to it."
Jiang Xuan bear-hugged Shan Jia and said, "Chief Shan Jia, next time you’re welcome to visit us at the Vine Tribe, I’ll host you warmly."
Shan Jia replied, "I’ll definitely visit if there’s a chance."
"We’re leaving now; until next time!"
Jiang Xuan waved and left with the Vine Tribe, carrying the mushrooms from their harvest.
Watching Jiang Xuan walk away, Shan Jia sighed, "Chief Xuan is nice, but I wonder what the Vine Tribe is like, if I’d ever get a chance to see it."
In a time reliant on foot travel, distant tribes rarely interacted, meeting again was unlikely.
After Jiang Xuan and his group disappeared, the Mountain Turtle Tribe gradually dispersed, busy with their lives, with little time for farewells.
In the forest, Jiang Xuan and his group retraced their route, rested for a night, caught some prey along the way, and returned safely to the Vine Tribe by the next evening.
When they left, the Vine Tribe people were anxious, fearing mishaps for the leader and witch, which would end their good days.
Fortunately, both safely returned, reportedly with many good trades from the Mountain Turtle Tribe.
June 16th, the heat was intense, and insects were most active.
At this time, the Mosquito Tribe’s Hunting Team came near the Vine Tribe again.
In the forest, Hua Wen led a hundred hunters with a large group of Bird-beaked Mosquitoes.
The three large Pottery Cauldrons taken from the Vine Tribe pleased the Mosquito Tribe’s witch, earning Hua Wen great merit and more power.
"Chief, we’ve visited that small tribe twice already, and missed them each time. Why keep going?"
Hua Wen glared at the questioning warrior and said, "Why so much nonsense? If I say we’re going, we go."
The warrior clearly feared Hua Wen, shrinking back and not daring to question further.
In truth, Hua Wen was merely unwilling to give up; if they missed again, he wouldn’t return.
The Mosquito Tribe’s warriors swiftly moved through the forest, accompanied by a huge swarm of Bird-beaked Mosquitoes flying boldly, their buzzing heard from far away.
As the Mosquito Tribe warriors appeared outside the Vine Tribe once more, they were surprised to find the people had actually returned!