Epoch 38: The old clan witch regrets.
Kira was fidgeting, trying to think of ways for him to be noticed by Xue, while Zmei was sitting comfortably. His eyes were closed, and he had a faint smile on his lips.
Lia was sharing the knowledge he recently learned from Tang Tang with Elder Rung.
The two were so immersed in their topic that they forgot about their previous enmity, while Bei and Xue were like statues, sitting still and emotionless, listening to the two clan witches.
When the tent's entrance suddenly opened, their conversation abruptly stopped and Hou came in, followed by Tang Tang.
Kira and Elder Rung were both stunned to see a beautiful sub-beast beside the man.
The sub-beast was wearing black clothes that they had never seen before. His shiny black hair is braided and adorned with white flowers. His white skin was glowing in the room, which is only lit by the fire in the hearth.
Even Kira can't believe that what the three brothers from the chameleon tribe said was all true.
"Good evening, tribe leader Bei, clan witch Lia," Tang Tang politely greeted. He then looked at the three unfamiliar faces.
Hearing the melodious voice, Zmei opened his eyes in time to meet Tang Tang's gaze. Seeing each other's faces, both were momentarily stunned.
'Damn! Genes don't lie. He is also hot!'
[Calm down, Tang Tang. Don't embarrass yourself.]
'Hey, when did I embarrass myself?'
[Be thankful that Hou only thought that you were scared when you first met, not a creep lusting on his body! ತ_ʖತ]
'At least only the two of us know that.'
Tang Tang immediately regained his composure and greeted them with a smile. "Good evening."
Lia stood up, greeted Tang Tang, and led him to sit beside Xue. "Tang Tang, they are the visitors from the winged python tribe," he said as he returned beside Bei.
"I am the clan witch of the winged python tribe, Rung. This is our tribe leader, Zmei, and this is my successor, Kira," Elder Rung introduces with a wide smile.
Tang Tang smiled back. He wanted to offer his hand for a shake, but he might end up embarrassing himself if they didn't take it.
"Nice meeting you, Elder Rung, tribe leader Zmei, and Kira. I'm Tang Tang," he said, introducing himself as he slightly bowed instead.
Tang Tang has a good impression of Elder Rung. He seems like a good person that you can easily get along with, like Elder Zen and Elder Khu.
He then looked at Bei and asked innocently, "Tribe leader, Bei, may I know why you called for me?"
"We.. I—"
Lia wanted to explain it himself but was immediately stopped by Bei. He knew his wife very well, but in front of Zmei, his son that he abandoned, Lia could not act properly and always started panicking.
Tang Tang looked confused, but he actually already had an idea.
Ude can hear, see, and detect everything within a 100-meter radius. That's why, when the tribe leader's tent entered Ude's perimeter, he immediately relayed the conversation between Lia and Elder Rung to him.
"We know that you don't want your origin to be known, but Elder Rung, like Lia, also received an oracle about you," Bei explained, looking somewhat guilty.
Bei and Lia, together with Xue and Hou, promised that they would not reveal that Tang Tang was the God's Messenger described in the oracle or that he was from another world.
They kept their promise, yet the winged python tribe learned about Tang Tang. They didn't know how, but they still feel uncomfortable about it.
Tang Tang, on the other hand, had already anticipated that sooner or later it would be revealed. It is not a kind of secret that can be kept hidden forever. Especially that, together with Ude, they plan to slowly improve the civilization of this world.
'Xue really learned from his father.'
In just one sentence, Bei conveyed everything. On point and straight forward, fit for a taciturn like him.
Tang Tang sighed as he looked at the three people in front of him. "I hope my selfishness doesn't cause any misunderstanding."
"Almost. That's why we hope for some explanation." Elder Rung became serious, looking directly at the sub-beast and watching his every move. "Are you really the person sent by the Beast God?"
Tang Tang just smiled and repeated what he had said to Hou before. "To be honest, I have no idea how I came to this world or who sent me here. I am just aware that this is someone's will."
"Why do you want to hide that you're the Beast God's Messenger?" The elderly asked.
Tang Tang lowered his dark eyelashes, his voice is soft and gentle, as he explained. "Because I don't know if I'm really the Beast God's Messenger, I also don't want to be treated differently. I want to know more about this world, and the best way for that is to freely interact with everyone without any restrictions."
Tang Tang knew that his reasons were shallow because there was really no deep meaning behind them in the first place. He just wants to live a simple life in this new world.
Ude always tells him that his main goal is to live a happy life while helping the people of this world improve their way of life along the way.
"It is said in the oracle that you will bring great changes to Gaia. How can you do that if you keep hiding?" Elder Rung once again probed.
"I don't plan to hide forever. Only until I fully adapt to this world. Still, I am willing to share everything I know from my previous world with everyone, especially if it will greatly help the people living in Gaia," he added as he looked sincerely at the elderly.
Elder Rung nodded gently, his expression softened, and his face, full of wrinkles, showed a smile again. He has been living for almost 400 years and has met a lot of people. He can see that the beautiful sub-beast in front of him is telling the truth.
He stands out from the other sub-beasts other than his clothing; his manner of speaking, gestures, and the confidence he showed prove that he lives and experiences a different environment compared to them.
"I can feel that you were really the person the oracle mentioned," Elder Rung said. "Nature is bestowed by the Beast God, and it wouldn't lie."
If Lia is receiving the oracle through dreams, Elder Rung can perceive it through nature.
The wind is singing as the flowers and trees dance to its rhythm. After meeting Tang Tang, he could feel that nature was rejoicing.
'He is love by nature. No doubt he is the person the beast God sent.' The old clan witch happily thought.
Kira wanted to refute but could not find the right timing. He still can't accept the truth that Tang Tang was much more attractive than him, and now he is being recognized by his own predecessor as God's Messenger.
'Unacceptable!'
"I heard from Lia that you know a lot about medicine." This is what Elder Rung was really curious about ever since the chameleon brothers reported that a sub-beast cured someone poisoned.
In his long life, the only thing he regretted the most was not finding someone worthy of teaching all the knowledge he had accumulated for hundreds of years as a clan witch.
He only has two students, Lia and Kira. The former chose to leave and pursue his heart; the latter was ambitious and scheming, trying to covet a much higher status. Both have exceptional talent but have different priorities.
For so long, he only had one wish. To cure all the unknown diseases that take away the lives of not only his tribesmen but of the whole Gaia.
After knowing from Lia that what Tang Tang cured was not poison but rather a unique reaction of a person to a plant that somebody can eat.
Elder Rung has only one thought. 'He might be the one who can achieve the things that I couldn't.'
"I can't say that I know a lot about medicine since my knowledge is limited and very different." Tang Tang only learned the basics, and during his short time here, he noticed that the medicinal plants and herbs in this world have a much stronger effect.
He cannot apply recklessly what he learned on Earth here because, instead of helping, he might endanger the patient.
Tang Tang also doesn't have any idea how to make a proper medicine; on Earth, he only needs to show a prescription at a pharmacy to buy one if he is sick, unlike here, where the clan witch needs to find the ingredients and make one themselves.
Elder Rung nodded, understanding what Tang Tang meant. "Do you want to learn from me?" he asked.
"Elder Rung!"
Lia and Kira both exclaimed. Even the listening beasts react.
Despite the strong reaction of the people around them, Elder Rung continued. "I can teach you everything I know, and you can also teach me. We can learn from each other."
Elder Rung knows that he is already at the dusk of his life, but he is still eager to do something about it. If the sub-beast from the other world accepts his offer, he might witness something incredible before he dies.
Tang Tang smiled. He had met some people like Elder Rung before. On Earth, there were people who dedicated their lives to their chosen profession.
People who don't care about what others say and continue to do what they want just to achieve their goals and make their lives meaningful. Like one of his professors in university.
After the old clan witch finished his words, Lia and Kira started to persuade their mentor to change his mind. Both didn't agree, but the two have different reasons.
Lia doesn't want Tang Tang to learn from Elder Rung because it will mean that he will need to leave the tribe, while Kira doesn't want to because he just doesn't like Tang Tang.
However, despite their strong objections, Elder Rung's decision is already final. He asked once again. "Do you want to learn from me?"
Tang Tang gently nodded. "I want to."
Hou and Xue panicked when they heard the sub-beast answer. "Tang Tang!"
"Ho ho ho!" Elder Rung laughed energetically. "Then you can come with us when we return to our tribe."
Hou stood up and held Tang Tang's arm, trying not to exert too much strength to not hurt his beloved.
"No, you can't!" he shouted, his voice trembling and on the verge of crying. "Don't leave, okay?"
Xue didn't say anything, but if someone looked closely, they would see that his lips were quivering.
He clenched his trembling hands to control the surging emotion within him.
'Ayo! This guys.'
Tang Tang caressed Hou's hand to calm the beast and looked at the elderly. "I really want to learn from you, but I can't leave for the time being." He smiled and gently looked at the two panicked beasts.
"I still need to get married in the incoming Eulogia."