At the foot of the low hill in the forest, more than a dozen tribesmen in tattered grass skirts surrounded a fire in the cave. There was no hope in their eyes.
They looked sallow and emaciated. It was obvious that they were starving.
Only a middle-aged man looked stronger, but he had a missing left arm, so his combat strength had decreased.
One of the women squatted on the ground and hugged her knees. "More than a hundred of our people escaped, and now, we're the only ones left. If this continues, we won't survive."
When the others heard this, there was a desolate look in their eyes.
They were a group of people whose tribe was destroyed. Without the protection of their tribe, they would not survive long in this wild forest.
The one-armed middle-aged man was silent for a moment before saying with difficulty, "There will be a way."
A man stood up and spread his hands in despair. "We've heard enough of this. If we had known this would happen, we would have stayed in the tribe and died with our clansmen."
Two of the women began to sob softly, but they didn't dare cry out. They suppressed their sobs and bit their arms.
Some of them leaned against the cave wall and stared blankly at the rocks at the top.
The one-armed middle-aged man stood up. This environment was too oppressive. It made him despair. He wanted to go out for some air.
He walked out of the cave. The air was very fresh after the rain. Looking at the sprouting plants, the pressure in the middle-aged man's heart eased a little.
However, he did not know that five pairs of eyes were staring at him from a big tree not far from the cave.
On the dense tree, Jiang Xuan turned to look at Chi Shao and whispered, "It seems that their experience is similar to ours. They are all people who escaped from a tribal war."
The argument in the cave was very loud just now. Those tribesmen who were in a state of collapse shouted until their voices were hoarse, so Jiang Xuan and the others heard what they said very clearly.
Chi Shao also looked at Jiang Xuan and whispered, "That's right, they're all vagabonds."
Vagabonds were people who had lost their tribe.
They were like lonely ghosts wandering in the primitive forest. Some were lucky enough to join other tribes, while others were unlucky and died in the forest because of various accidents.
Jiang Xuan and the others were very lucky.
They found the ancient stone mountain and settled in the bamboo forest. They even established a small tribe.
These vagabonds were unlucky. Along the way, more than 90% of them died due to various accidents.
Chi Shao seemed to have guessed Jiang Xuan's thoughts and said, "Do you want to take them in?"
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's observe them first and figure out their situation."
Although the Vine Tribe was indeed short of people, it was risky to take in vagabonds. It would be troublesome if they upstaged them.
Therefore, it was very important to figure out the other party's situation.
"Then let's observe a little longer."
They crouched in the tree and watched the middle-aged man with one arm walk around the cave entrance.
Not long after, someone else came out of the cave.
Although the situation was terrible and people were divided, they still had to eat. No one wanted to starve to death.
They dug some wild vegetables near the cave, caught some big worms that were easier to catch, set up a few simple lasso traps, and caught some small prey as food.
Of course, because they did not dare to go too far, the food they obtained was limited. As the vagabonds shared the food, they could only ensure that they would not starve to death. It was impossible for them to be full.
That afternoon, Jiang Xuan and the others returned to the bamboo forest because it was too dangerous to spend the night in the primitive forest.
For the next two days, Jiang Xuan observed these vagabonds and determined their numbers and combat strength.
After some observation, Jiang Xuan discovered that there were a total of 12 vagabonds in the cave. The one-armed middle-aged man should be a one-color warrior, and the others were ordinary people.
In other words, these people's combat strength was very low. Even if they joined the Vine Tribe, it was impossible for them to upstage them.
What really made Jiang Xuan determined to take them in was an unexpected situation on the third day.
There was a seriously injured vagabond who died on this day.
The remaining 11 vagabonds, deprived of food every day, did not choose to eat his corpse. Instead, they dug a hole and buried him.
It was this action that made Jiang Xuan decide to absorb these vagabonds into the Vine Tribe.
This was because desperate situations easily brought out the viciousness of humans. As long as there were a few ferocious and unscrupulous people among these vagabonds, this fresh corpse might have been eaten as meat in a situation where food was scarce.
This wild world was very dangerous, and the habits of the various tribes were different. There were many tribes that did not eat humans, but cannibal tribes naturally existed.
Jiang Xuan did not want to take in vagabonds from a cannibal tribe. It would be too dangerous.
After obtaining the agreement of Chi Shao, Hook Vine, Stone Loach, and South Star, Jiang Xuan came out of hiding and appeared outside the cave where the vagabonds were staying temporarily.
When they saw five one-color warriors with totem patterns on their faces, the remaining 11 vagabonds in the cave immediately panicked.
The one-armed middle-aged man braced himself and walked out, holding a stone spear tightly in his hand. The others followed behind him nervously, holding wooden spears, stones, and other simple weapons.
Eleven pairs of eyes stared at Jiang Xuan and the others, but no one said anything. They were prepared to risk their lives at any moment.
Other than the one-armed middle-aged man, Jiang Xuan did not feel any threat from these people at all. This was because he was already a one-color warrior and was much stronger than these hungry vagabonds.
Jiang Xuan said to the one-armed middle-aged man, "Don't be nervous. We don't have any ill intentions.
We're from the Vine Tribe. We're here to save you."
"Vine Tribe, save us?" The one-armed middle-aged man looked at Jiang Xuan in confusion, hoping for an explanation.
Jiang Xuan continued, "That's right. We've all lost our tribes. If you can't find another tribe to take you in, how long do you think you can survive in the dangerous forest?"
The one-armed middle-aged man fell silent, and the eyes of the vagabonds dimmed. Jiang Xuan's words had obviously hit a nerve.
"I don't like to beat around the bush. If you are willing to join the Vine Tribe, you can obtain the protection of our Vine God and the protection of the tribe. You can have a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. You don't have to be afraid every day."
Jiang Xuan's words made these vagabonds breathe heavily because what Jiang Xuan said was what they yearned for.
After experiencing hunger, cold, and constant fear, they finally understood how important a tribe was.
"Why should we believe you?"
The one-armed middle-aged man was more cautious because Jiang Xuan was so young. Although the few people beside Jiang Xuan were all one-color warriors, they were also young.
Jiang Xuan asked naturally, "Do you have any other choice?"
The one-armed man fell silent.
Although he was also a one-color warrior, he had lost an arm. He had no chance of winning against five one-color warriors.
If Jiang Xuan and the others were to forcefully kidnap everyone back to the Vine Tribe, the one-armed middle-aged man would at most put up a symbolic resistance.
The other vagabonds were not stupid. They knew their situation very well, but no one said anything. Instead, they looked at the one-armed middle-aged man, hoping that he would make a decision.
At this moment, Chi Shao said, "You're lucky that the Vine Tribe is willing to take you in. If you stay here, none of you will survive."
Jiang Xuan added, "Our patience is limited. You'd better make a decision early. If you're unwilling to join the Vine Tribe, we'll leave immediately. You can stay here and fend for yourselves."
When the vagabonds heard these words, they immediately panicked. It was not easy to be accepted by another tribe. They did not want to miss this opportunity.
Jiang Xuan took in their reactions and said, "I'll ask you one last time. Are you willing to join the Vine Tribe?"
The one-armed middle-aged man struggled for a long time. He looked back at the vagabonds who were looking at him eagerly. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "We… are willing to join the Vine Tribe…"
Jiang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that these people would be stubborn and refuse to join the Vine Tribe.
The rest was easy.
After getting the vagabonds to clean up, he gave them some food and brought them back to the Vine Tribe.