After traveling through time, I rely on force to survive

What happens next in Chapter 261?

After saying this, Li Qingqing stopped talking and stood there quietly, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

Thanks to the space, she got to experience being a charlatan and successfully caught Wei Duhu in time.

But how should we proceed with the story? ...

Melancholy.

No one knew what Li Qingqing was looking at, but they felt that the Divine Envoy's actions must have a deeper meaning.

Therefore, no one dared to make a sound to disturb her, and they all followed her gaze, looking blankly at the sky.

"My Lord, Divine Envoy,"

After a long silence, Chief Ying, unable to contain his panic, spoke first.

"My brother Wei... his calamity has been removed, will our tribe's spring water ever return?"

Chief Ying gazed worriedly at the cloudless sky. The curse was indeed powerful; even Brother Wei had vanished without a trace…

Although it is regrettable that Brother Wei cannot return, the survival of the tribe is more important.

“The ringleader has been eliminated, but,”

Li Qingqing slowly withdrew her gaze and looked at Chief Ying. Her deep, mellow falsetto was tinged with a sense of desolation.

“I never expected this calamity to be so ferocious! Although the calamity’s physical form has been destroyed, you, as the leader, have been in contact with it for a long time. If you do not completely sever your connection with it, it may bring disaster to the entire tribe, and then there will be annihilation!”

"Boom!" These words were like a thunderbolt, and all the clansmen present showed expressions of shock, looking at the Ying chieftain.

The leader's sworn brother disappeared because of the calamity. Now that the leader needs to sever his connection with the calamity, will he also disappear?

"My Lord!..."

The leader's pupils suddenly contracted, and fear appeared in his hawk-like eyes for the first time.

He's the leader, so why did misfortune befall him?

Offering sacrifices to the gods can restore the flow of sweet springs; this act, though resulting in death, brings life back to the earth.

But... he didn't want to die. He hadn't yet subdued the surrounding small tribes. If he died, wouldn't those small tribes laugh at him?

The leader of the Ying clan looked conflicted, and Li Qingqing seized the opportunity to strike.

"Are you unwilling to sacrifice yourself for the continuation of the tribe? Or is it that anyone, if not you, can be sacrificed?"

Look at those words... they strike right at the soul!

The Ying chieftain was speechless.

Everyone looked at each other, not daring to breathe, and no one dared to speak first.

Ana, who was standing to the side supporting her father, turned from anger to worry upon hearing this.

"My Lord, is there any other way?" the witch doctor asked in surprise.

The witch doctor was filled with dread. What to do? This damned summoning spell!

Li Qingqing did not respond, but quietly looked at Chief Ying.

But secretly, he was thinking that the Ying tribe and the border city were relatively close, and they would be neighbors for a long time to come, so he might as well take this opportunity to eliminate potential problems in advance.

Next time, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to impersonate a divine messenger again.

The Ying chieftain looked at the shaman, then at his people who were staring at him in panic.

Then, as if having made a great decision, he shouted in the direction of Ana's father:

"Lin Dong, all these years have proven that the path I chose back then was absolutely right. Why are you still dissatisfied with me? I truly love Ana! Yet you refuse to agree! Alright! None of this matters now. If I am taken away by the mountain god, the tribe will be yours! Remember this, this position of chieftain is being given to you by me, Ying Xiao!"

Chief Ying finished speaking in one breath, not giving Lin Dong a chance to speak at all. He looked at Li Qingqing with a resolute expression, "Divine Envoy, I am willing to sacrifice myself, only begging you to bless my tribe to continue and my people to survive!"

Li Qingqing: ?

"No! Chief!" the witch doctor cried out immediately.

Upon hearing the leader's decision, the tribespeople first whispered among themselves, then erupted into a cacophony of discussion.

The scene suddenly fell into chaos.

"My Lord, please allow me to offer this sacrifice in place of the leader!"

Supported by Ana, Lin Dong, barely managing to stay upright, walked to Li Qingqing. He coughed violently a few times.

“Yingxiao is a good leader. When the old leader passed away, he was still young, and we did question his abilities. But over the years, the tribe has prospered under his leadership. We cannot lose a good leader!”

Chief Ying suddenly turned to look at Lin Dong, his face full of surprise.

"Since you acknowledge my abilities, why don't you let Lin Ana marry me? I'm only a tiny bit older than her!"

Everyone:...

Are you sure you're only a tiny bit older?

No, is this the time to talk about marriage or not? Chief, you're practically being sacrificed!

Lin Dong glared at Chief Ying, then coughed and gasped for breath for a while before turning to Li Qingqing and earnestly saying, "Divine Envoy, please grant my request. I will act on behalf of the chief and beg you to protect our people and restore the mountain spring."

"No, Father, I won't let you die!"

Upon hearing this, Ana panicked, gripping Lin Dong's arm tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Ying Xiao has amassed a fortune and opened a black market. He oppresses his people and has no regard for us! He will only lead us to destruction!"

“Ana,”

When Chief Ying heard Ana accuse her so unjustly, she panicked and began to defend herself.

"Whom do I run the black market for? Isn't it for our tribe! Our tribe has to pay tribute to the Emperor of Dayuan every year. Shouldn't we offer some good things? Besides, every penny I earn from outsiders is used to exchange for the supplies our tribe needs, and in the end, it's all distributed to our people."

After these words were spoken, the crowd immediately quieted down.

The crowd looked at each other, then began whispering amongst themselves.

"The leader seems to be right..."

“He opened a black market, but it also boosted our tribe’s economy. When outsiders came, we could do some small business there.”

“When we are short of food, he will distribute food to us. Our tribe has not had a single person starve to death for many years!”

“You’re right. I remember one winter was particularly tough. Our chief risked his life to lead people to other tribes to exchange for food, and he almost died out there.”

"Yes, I still remember this incident. If our chief hadn't been strong enough, many people in our tribe would have starved to death, and we might even have been swallowed up by other tribes!"

“But the chieftain previously suppressed me, was dissatisfied with me, and even forced me to go hunting in the mountains!” a young tribesman muttered under his breath.

"What do you know!" someone nearby immediately retorted.

"The chief forced you to go hunting back then to train your courage and ability, not to really make you face danger. I was in the group at the time. Didn't you notice that he always sent people to protect you, and he also gave you a lot of prey? Don't be ungrateful!"

“You’re right… I misunderstood the leader. Our leader is a good person.”

……

Chief Ying was stunned by the crowd's discussion. Did everyone finally acknowledge his strength?

He looked at Lin Dong and said angrily, "Lin Dong, I have been single ever since my wife passed away. I can make my people live a good life, and I can make Ana live a good life. Is it so hard for you to admit that I am more capable than you?!"

After hearing Chief Ying's question, Ana couldn't help but ask, "Then what happened to Sister Ashuo?"

Chief Ying looked at Ana and said, “There’s nothing between me and Ashu. You know that Ashu’s parents died in an accident during a winter hunt last year. I arranged for Ashu to work in the black market just so that she could have a stable life.”

Chief Ying paused for a moment, then said, "Ana, don't blame me. Lin Dong is afflicted with misfortune. If this misfortune spreads to the entire tribe, our tribe will be destroyed!"

"My father is not afflicted by misfortune! If you don't believe me, ask the divine messenger—"

As Ana spoke, she looked in the direction where Li Qingqing was standing, only to find that she was gone.

"Huh, where is the Divine Messenger?"