As they say, one thing subdues another. If there weren’t the threat of the Earth Dragons, these Chi Clan people might have already attacked the islanders.

As for the missing islanders, they might have been eaten by Earth Dragons, or they might have been taken as food by the Chi Clan.

The group wasn’t as fast as the fleeing Chi Clan, but they still got away easily. However, once they descended that mountain, the Chi Clan people vanished from sight.

"They were acting all brave before, but the moment they saw an Earth Dragon they got scared like dogs," Gao Zhou said with disdain.

Bai Ruozhu pinched her chin and said, "I actually think the Earth Dragons’ habitat might have some special herbal medicine. We should find a chance to go look. Also, I still don’t think we should give the Chi Clan any herbal medicine. If the Chi Clan becomes strong, it’ll break the balance here and also threaten the islanders outside."

"They’re still humans, after all. If we let them be slaughtered by the Earth Dragons like this, isn’t that a bit cruel?" the Astrologer asked.

Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow. "That’s the balance of nature. You think they’re human, so you want to help them defeat the Earth Dragons. But if they lose the threat of the Earth Dragons and then cross the Miasma Forest to slaughter the islanders outside, what then?"

The Astrologer fell silent, then after a while nodded and said, "You have a point. Let’s respect the balance here."

They were still talking when a huge explosion suddenly sounded from the mountain, followed by the enraged roars of Earth Dragons.

"What’s going on?" Yuan Licheng asked in shock. "That sounded like fire-thunder."

"The Chi Clan can use fire-thunder?" Tang Feng was astonished. "Why don’t we circle back and take a look?"

Bai Ruozhu agreed. They were planning to check the Earth Dragons’ habitat for Dragon-seeking Grass anyway.

The group retraced their steps, but after they’d only reached halfway up the mountain, they saw a pack of furious Earth Dragons charging down the slope. In front of them a small white figure sprinted along, not very eye-catching yet extremely conspicuous.

"It’s a Chi clansperson!" Fo Lanying cried out. "Looks like a woman?"

The Chi Clan’s bodies were covered in white fur, so they didn’t wear clothes. They only wrapped cloth around their lower bodies to cover their vital parts. The Chi woman running now was clearly much more petite. She likewise wore no top, and as she ran, two furry mounds of flesh on her chest kept jiggling... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Yuan Licheng immediately covered his eyes with his hand, muttering, "I didn’t see anything, I didn’t see anything."

"If you didn’t see anything, what are you talking for!" Fo Lanying stomped on his foot angrily.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast the Chi woman ran, she couldn’t outrun the massive Earth Dragons. She was about to be caught.

"She seems to be holding herbal medicine," Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes. But it was too far away, and clutched in the woman’s hand, so she couldn’t tell if it was Dragon-seeking Grass or not.

"Didn’t that chief say they don’t use herbal medicine? Why did this Chi woman go to the Earth Dragons’ habitat to steal herbs?" Tang Feng asked.

"Feels like those Earth Dragons value that herbal medicine a lot. Let’s save her first and talk later," Bai Ruozhu said, and moved at once.

Jiang Yichun hurried after her. With a wave of his hand he controlled the Water Vapor and wrapped it around the fleeing Chi woman, pulling her closer to them.

The Chi woman cried out in shock, clearly startled. But the next second she could only keep running forward; otherwise she’d be caught by the Earth Dragons behind, or torn to pieces on the spot.

Bai Ruozhu was already very close to her. She rushed forward, grabbed the Chi woman, and used lightfootwork to dart quickly off to the side.

Yuan Licheng immediately set up a formation, and the others also held the Earth Dragons off a bit. It took them quite a bit of effort to finally shake off that frenzied pack of Earth Dragons.

"You’re islanders from outside?" Once they were in a safe place, the Chi woman asked in surprise.

She realized she couldn’t move and asked in shock, "What did you do to me?"

Fo Lanying exclaimed in amazement, "Aren’t you from the Chi Clan? How can you speak human language?"

"What do you mean by that? You think Chi people aren’t human?" The woman’s fur bristled at once.

Fo Lanying retreated a step in embarrassment, because the woman was too worked up and her flying spit had almost hit Fo Lanying’s face.

"Alright, we saved you. You should at least introduce yourself. And why did you go to the Earth Dragons’ place to steal herbal medicine?" Bai Ruozhu asked.

The woman looked a bit displeased, but after thinking a moment she said, "My name is Alin, but I’m not one of the Chi Clan. I can speak your language because my father taught me. He looks almost the same as you, not like me, all covered in fur."

Bai Ruozhu and the others were all surprised. This Alin’s father was very likely an islander who’d accidentally entered this place, and her mother was most likely a Chi clanswoman.

"Then your mother is Chi Clan, right?" Bai Ruozhu asked.

"Hmph!" Alin snorted coldly. "My mother was cast out by them, so I have nothing to do with them either."

Maybe it was because Alin had no one to talk to, or because she was genuinely grateful that Bai Ruozhu and the others had saved her, but now she seemed to open up all at once.

"My mother was born frail, very weak among the Chi Clan. The white fur on her body was very sparse, so the others always looked down on her. Later, one year the weather was bad and the game dwindled, so they drove my mother out of the tribe, saying a weakling like her should live or die on her own and wasn’t worthy of being Chi Clan."

Alin spoke with such anger that her teeth were audibly grinding.

"My mother almost starved to death, but my father saved her. He said he’d come from beyond the mist to gather herbal medicine, and he also treated my mother’s injuries and illness. Later they fell in love, and then they had me." As she spoke up to this point, Alin’s voice softened a lot, and joy surfaced in her eyes.

Off to the side, Yuan Licheng muttered, "That’s some heavy taste."

"Unfortunately my mother was too frail. She died of illness when I was nine. My father has been raising me alone ever since, teaching me many things. I went into the Earth Dragons’ lair to steal herbal medicine to treat his illness," Alin said.

Bai Ruozhu took the herbal medicine from her hand, but her brows quickly knit together, because this was not Dragon-seeking Grass.

"Your father was infected by Miasma. It hasn’t been fully cleared for years, so he needs this herb to ease the poison," Bai Ruozhu said.

Alin looked shocked. "How do you know that? You know medicine too?"

Bai Ruozhu nodded. "Take me to see your father. I might be able to save him."

"What’s the condition? My father said people like you always ask for terms when you do things," Alin asked.

"You know herbal medicine. Just help us find a certain herb later," Bai Ruozhu said.

Alin agreed, half doubtful. She really couldn’t cure her father’s illness herself, and the herb she’d risked her life to steal today could only relieve him for a while. She could only pin her hopes on these people who looked so much like her father.

She walked a few steps ahead, then suddenly stopped and said, "Can you give me some clothes? My clothes got torn off by the Earth Dragon just now. If my dad sees me without them again, he’ll lose his temper."