Ancient Eden

Chapter 22

(7.3)

He had clearly hidden her last night and yet, just when she thought he would continue to hide her, he was taking her back to his people’s settlement.

Could it be that he had changed his mind again and was going to give her back to the chief?

Anger from being deceived burned inside her. She felt shame from her actions of the night before, when she was seducing him.

She used her other hand to hold on to the tree beside her and stopped moving her feet, keeping them firmly on the ground, looking up, she glared at him angrily.

Li Mang’s face flashed with a strange expression that she did not understand.

He looked like he was mocking her, and he also looked out of patience.

Mu Qing had yet to reacted, that already she was being carried on his shoulders, while he strode with big steps forward.

Mu Qing used her hands and feet, as well as all her strength, to kick and hit him carelessly.

He seemed to be a little annoyed, and he suddenly landed a heavy slap on her buttocks, it was so painful it was burning. 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑒𝘭.𝘯𝑒𝑡

Somewhat desperate, Mu Qing watched herself being carried back to the place she had just escaped from the night before and had a low whimper.

Around the huts, there were already people, now and then, walking back and forth. Mu Qing stopped struggling and tried hard to ignore the various gazes of the others.

She was once again thrown heavily on the ground on a piece of animal skin. That fall was not light, and when she got her breath back and raised her head to look up, the man had already lifted the curtain and left, leaving her alone in the room.

Mu Qing raised her eyes to look around, a little startled. This was not that chief’s house where she had stayed the day before. It was a lot smaller than that house, there was nothing on the floor except the beast skin she had just been thrown on. Then she saw that familiar snakeskin with spade shapes, hanging on the wall.

She froze for a moment and, ignoring the pain, got up in a hurry from the floor, and looked out through the gap of the door curtain.

Li Mang had long since disappeared. The men were taking all kinds of tools in their hands and leaving one after the other. Some of the women were going out in groups, leaving only a few women who needed to look after the children in the settlement.

It was as if she had been forgotten here.

Li Mang had hidden her last night, but this morning he brought her back here in such a blatant manner. This seemed to be his own hut. Then it was possible that the night before, when he came back, he had successfully convinced the chief to give her back to him, even though she was already a prey belonging to the chief.

How exactly did he manage to do it?

Mu Qing sat on the ground, contemplating for a long time, but she was still unable to figure out, and she decided not to think about it anymore.

The last time she ate was the day before at noon on the canoe with Li Mang. By now, her stomach was unbearably empty. She looked through the hut, but there was nothing she could eat, and now she even started to miss that piece of venison.

Mu Qing sat back for a while. She was hungry to the point where her heart was beating frantically and her breath was short. In the end, she decided to quietly go outside and look, to see if there was anything to fill her stomach with.

Translator : Laura