The middle-aged man from the Ivory Tribe holding the glowing bead was named Xiang Wen. He had come to the Cliff Shore Tribe with Ning, accompanied by four other Beastmen from the Ivory Tribe. The main reason for this visit wasn’t actually to arrange a partnership between Ning and Mang Jiu, but to ask the Cliff Shore Tribe’s chieftain, Xiong Kui, about the salt exchange with the Salt Mountain tribe.

However, since Ning insisted on coming along, Xiang Wen discussed it with the chief and decided to simply use Ning and Mang Jiu’s matter as an excuse. He also planned to present the glowing bead they had found to Xiong Kui, reasoning that Xiong Kui would likely not refuse to show the Ivory Tribe some extra favor in the future.

However, their plans backfired spectacularly—they never imagined that Xiong Kui wasn’t even at the tribe.

Xiang Wen asked around, but found that while everyone knew the chief had left, no one had any idea where he’d gone.

At first, they assumed he had gone out hunting with a hunting party, but after waiting a whole day, all the hunting parties that had gone out returned, and Xiong Kui still hadn’t shown up. Instead, Mang Jiu and the others, who were said to have gone out, came back.

They sat together eating grilled meat, and Xiang Wen frowned, looking somewhat anxious.

Ning snorted derisively and said to him, “What are you getting so worked up about? Do you really think Chief Xiong Kui would reject our proposal? If I can bear a child for Mang Jiu, it’ll be a good thing for both tribes. Add in this precious pearl, and he definitely won’t refuse.”

Ning was used to being pampered in the tribe. Even after she had accidentally fallen into the sea and been brought back to the Cliff Shore Tribe by Mang Jiu, the people here had never treated her poorly, so she possessed an inexplicable confidence.

So what if Mang Jiu currently has a sub-beastman living with him?

She’d heard he was a male—and males have it hard when it comes to laying eggs—so she certainly didn’t see him as a threat.

Ning didn’t care whether she could be with Mang Jiu for a lifetime. In this barbaric age, the more formidable a beastman was, the more he would be favored by the sub-beastmen. Naturally, more people would want to bear children with such a warrior to improve their own quality of life.

Ning thought to herself that if she could bear children for Mang Jiu, her life would definitely be better in the future; Mang Jiu was the most formidable beastman she had ever seen.

But just because she didn’t mind that Mang Jiu had other sub-beastmen didn’t mean she was willing to share him with anyone.

If Mang Jiu went to find other Sub-Beastmen after laying eggs with her, she wouldn’t mind. But if he went to lay eggs with others before laying eggs with her, she wouldn’t agree!

Ning pressed her lips tightly together, her beautiful face clouded with annoyance.

Thinking of the words spoken by Tianlu—whom she had always detested—Ning’s expression grew even more grim.

They had only just arrived at the Cliff Shore Tribe yesterday when Tianlu came looking for them. Ning thought he was deliberately causing trouble, but instead, he found Tianlu whining about how Mang Jiu had a sub-beastman companion—they ate, lived, and went everywhere together.

Ning, of course, scoffed at his words and didn’t believe a word of it.

To put it simply, she considered herself to know Mang Jiu very well—there was no way he would let anyone else live in his cave!

She and Tianlu had tried so many times, only to be rejected every single time; how could anyone possibly be allowed to stay?

But after she asked around, many people told her that a sub-beastman named Shuguang had been rescued by Mang Jiu and had stayed right in his cave ever since.

What’s more, Shuguang was quite capable, and Mang Jiu was particularly fond of him, always bringing him back extra portions of meat.

Since so many people said the same thing, Ning had no choice but to believe it—there really was a sub beastman living in Mang Jiu’s cave.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about sneaking up to take a peek, but she knew that in any tribe, sneaking into someone else’s cave when the owner wasn’t there would draw criticism and make people look down on her.

So she held back, waiting for Mang Jiu to return so she could go up and ask him directly!

Just now, when she saw Mang Jiu leading that Sub-Beastman up the mountain by the hand, Ning nearly ground her teeth to dust.

“Give me the bead!” She stood up and held out her hand toward Xiang Wen. Xiang Wen frowned. “This is a treasure; I can’t just give it to you.”

“Why can’t I have it? I’m going to give it to Mang Jiu!” Ning glared at him.

“This is meant for the one in Xiong Kui’s hands. What would you do with it if you gave it to Mang Jiu?” Xiang Wen looked at her disapprovingly.

Ning shrieked, “What’s the difference between you giving the bead to Xiong Kui and me giving it to Mang Jiu! It’s all so Mang Jiu can lay eggs with me!” Her voice was so loud that everyone else on the large platform turned to look.

Hearing what she’d shouted, some people began to whisper among themselves.

“What did she just shout? That she wants Mang Jiu to have a baby with her?”

“That’s what I heard, too. And hasn’t Mang Jiu turned her down many times? Why is she still clinging to him?” 

“She was clinging to him before, but now everyone knows Mang Jiu has Shuguang.”

“But if Mang Jiu wants to find lots of people to lay eggs for him, that’s not out of the question—he is the Strongest Warrior, after all!” 

“Mang Jiu wouldn’t go looking for lots of people to lay eggs. If he wanted to, he would’ve done it already. He only wants Shuguang.”

“Exactly! Shuguang is so great. If Mang Jiu doesn’t want him, I’d definitely make him carry my offspring!” 

“You? Don’t you dare let Mang Jiu hear you say that. Watch out—he’ll beat you to death.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m just daydreaming!”

“You can think all you want, but watch out—your sub-beastman might kick you right out of the cave!”

The crowd grew louder and louder as they spoke, finally bursting into laughter.

Ning’s face flushed red with anger. She turned sideways and snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting! Why can’t Mang Jiu lay eggs with me! I came here specifically to take him with me to the Ivory Tribe!”

The crowd laughed even harder.

They weren’t from the Ivory Tribe, so they had to be patient with this Sub-Beastman.

In the Cliff Shore Tribe, Mang Jiu was even more revered than Chief Xiong Kui. Everyone craved power, and Mang Jiu was the strongest Beastman they had ever seen.

How could such a formidable Beastman possibly be allowed to go to another tribe?

So no matter where Ning came from or who she was, the moment those words left her mouth, she had essentially stepped on a landmine for the entire tribe.

“Are you tired? If you want to daydream, go take a nap. Don’t spout nonsense here.”

“Exactly. Mang Jiu coming back to the Ivory Tribe with you? You can’t even stay in Mang Jiu’s cave, yet you dare say you’ll bring him back to the tribe? Go ahead and try.”

“Hahahaha, that’s absolutely hilarious.”

Ning was so furious that she was on the verge of tears. She had never been so humiliated in her life!

It’s all because Xiang Wen wouldn’t give me the bead!

Zhang Shuguang, who was examining the mud on the wall at the edge of the cliff, heard the commotion below. He leaned over to look down, but was called back by Mang Jiu: “Stay back—don’t fall off.”

Zhang Shuguang gave a soft “Oh” and took a step back. “The mud on this wall has hardened too, but it’s not as smooth as the mud over by the hearth.”

“Are you planning to roast a chunk of mud to test it?” Mang Jiu used a bamboo ladle to scoop the oil residue from the pot and place it in a large seashell nearby. “I’ll go dig up some mud for you.”

“No need. Let’s wait until we’re done with the salt fields. After we eat, we’ll go plant the seeds, then head straight to the coastal forest tomorrow.” It had rained yesterday, so the soil was moist and perfect for planting. They should take advantage of the good weather and get all the seeds buried as soon as possible.

Zhang Shuguang lifted the lid, took a look at the Sichuan pepper-simmered snails inside, and said to Mang Jiu, “Make some fried pork slices. That’ll save me from having to stir-fry another dish.”

“Alright,” Mang Jiu sliced the beef into strips as requested. Watching him place the meat in a bowl, sprinkle it with salt, and knead it before dropping the strips one by one into the hot oil—his movements calm and practiced—he asked, “Did you use to cook before?”

Zhang Shuguang tugged at the corner of his mouth. Though it looked like a smile, one could see the bitterness behind it. Mang Jiu thought to himself, he must be thinking about his family again.

Sure enough, Zhang Shuguang spoke up: “My mom used to say that if a man can’t cook, he’ll never find a wife.” 

Mang Jiu: “What’s a wife?”

“A ‘wife’ means a partner. Where I’m from, looking for a wife is also called ‘looking for a partner,’” he wanted to say “girlfriend,” but then remembered that here, men and men could have children together, so he swallowed those words. “Actually, I really do like cooking. Usually, after I finish work and get home, I whip up a simple meal. At least it lets me tell myself that this is one of life’s little joys.”

Mang Jiu nodded slowly. “So, do you have a partner?”

Zhang Shuguang let out a sigh. “Weren’t we talking about cooking? Why are you suddenly asking if I have a partner?” 

Mang Jiu remained impassive, simply repeating his question: “Do you have a partner?”

Feeling flustered by his persistent questioning, Zhang Shuguang turned his head away uneasily. “Yeah, I have a few!” Mang Jiu stared at him for a moment before saying coldly,

“You’re lying.”

Zhang Shuguang whipped his head around and glared at him. “Say another word, and I won’t cook for you!”

He brandished the bamboo ladle in his hand menacingly, looking as if he’d beat him up if Mang Jiu said another word.

Mang Jiu obediently shut up, a hint of undisguised amusement in his eyes as he watched him. Zhang Shuguang snorted.

Mang Jiu pulled the roasted potatoes out of the fire, glanced at Zhang Shuguang’s expression, and, seeing that his earlier annoyance had faded, asked, “Should I go find Li and bring back that leather pouch you use for sweet potatoes and yams?”

Zhang Shuguang placed the pot of boiled snails onto a stone platter on the table and nodded. “Sure. Soak it in water to sprout. By the time we’ve finished laying out the salt fields over there, we should be ready to plant.”

“You can ask Ying to help you plant them again; she knows how to do this kind of thing,” said Mang Jiu, handing him a baked potato.

“Ying really likes to help out.”

Zhang Shuguang placed the potato mixture—made with the slices of meat he’d set aside to cool for the cubs—into a large seashell on the ground. Hearing this, he turned to look at him. “Does Aunt Ying have a hard time getting by?”

“Ying usually helps out in exchange for some meat,” Mang Jiu said, handing him a pair of clean twig chopsticks. “Lang Qing is old; he doesn’t get much meat.”

Zhang Shuguang realized that the “Lang Qing” he was referring to was the Beastman he’d seen earlier in the cave. Curious, he asked, “I heard from Li that his father has many Sub-Beastmen?”

“Yeah, Lang Qing is the current chieftain of the Gray Wolf branch of the Giant Wolf Clan. But he was seriously injured while hunting out in the wild before, so now he can’t bring back much game. That’s why the Sub-Beastmen have to find their own work to eat their fill.” 

Mang Jiu was now quite skilled with chopsticks; he picked up a snail and asked, puzzled, “How do you eat this?”

In the past, he would have just popped it into his mouth and chewed it whole, shell and all, but based on what he knew about Zhang Shuguang, these shells aren’t supposed to be eaten.

Zhang Shuguang demonstrated for him. Since the snails here were quite large, he simply poked a thin twig into the meat and scooped it out.

“Here,” he handed him the snail meat, “Give it a try.”

Mang Jiu looked at the tiny piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

“Not bad.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and pushed the stir-fried meat slices toward him. “You probably aren’t used to this. Have some meat.” He then picked up the previous topic and asked, “Is Ying helping out just to stock up on more food?”

“Many Sub-Beastmen in the tribe help out with other tasks besides joining the foraging teams to gather wild vegetables and fruits. Usually, they get some fruit in exchange. You’re one of the few who give meat.” Mang Jiu took a bite of the roasted potato. “She’ll definitely be willing to help.”

Zhang Shuguang thought about how he never came empty-handed whenever he visited, and nodded. “Alright, then bring the leather pouch back later. I’ll go over and teach Aunt Ying how to prepare it. When you come back, head straight to that cave to find me.”

Mang Jiu gave a soft “Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang happily picked the meat off each snail as he ate, but he couldn’t possibly finish them all. He decided to set aside about half in a large seashell to take to Li later.

The three kids finished eating and ran into the cave to play. Seeing them, Zhang Shuguang suddenly remembered a brief conversation he’d had with A-Si about the kids, so he asked.

“Actually,” he thought for a moment, searching for a way to put it that Mang Jiu could understand, “have you noticed that there are very few young Sub-Beastmen in the tribe?”

Mang Jiu nodded.

Zhang Shuguang picked at the snail meat as he spoke, “Do you know why that is?” Mang Jiu paused mid-bite, looked up at him, and asked, “You know?”

“It’s just a guess,” Zhang Shuguang wasn’t a geneticist; he couldn’t explain such genetic issues clearly, but he certainly understood them better than these Beastmen did. “Don’t many of the Sub-Beastman children born from inter-tribal unions have congenital defects?”

Mang Jiu thought back to the young Sub-Beastman cubs he’d seen in the tribe and nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Where I come from, we usually call this incest. The children born from such unions are prone to physical deformities or intellectual disabilities—what you’d call ‘mentally challenged.’” Zhang Shuguang scratched his face, then looked up at him. “If this keeps up, there will be fewer and fewer healthy young Sub-Beastmen in the tribe. Eventually, it’ll be hard for any young Sub-Beastmen to reach adulthood in the tribe. This is a very serious problem, but solving it isn’t actually difficult—just bring in some Sub-Beastmen from outside to have offspring.”

Mang Jiu sighed. “The Shaman has mentioned this before.”

Zhang Shuguang wasn’t surprised that Wu Ming would bring this up. Despite his advanced age, he was still quite wise.

“And then?”

Mang Jiu shook his head. “Shaman mentioned it last snow season. I don’t remember exactly what he said. Why don’t you go ask him?”

Zhang Shuguang thought it over. Realizing the matter was actually quite urgent, he nodded in agreement. “I’ll go ask him then. I’ll bring him some snails while I’m at it.” He packed some snails into a bamboo bowl and added the leftover fat residue from when he’d rendered the beef tallow. “After you eat, go get the leather bag.”

Mang Jiu nodded. Zhang Shuguang went to Ying’s cave first, set down the snails, and mentioned that he’d like her help with farming before heading down the mountain to find the Shaman. Out of curiosity, Li Qi followed him.

Inside the large cave, Wu Ming sat on a stone slab bed telling stories to a group of furry cubs gathered around him. Two small snakes were coiled on his legs, shifting their positions now and then.

Zhang Shuguang called out from outside the cave. Wu Ming froze for a moment, thinking he must be seeing things. But the little cubs had caught the scent, and all ran out, howling. A smile spread across Wu Ming’s face as he stood up and walked out.

Zhang Shuguang and Li were surrounded by a pack of cubs. A few of the bolder ones, drawn by the scent of meat on Zhang Shuguang’s body, lunged straight for his legs.

“Stop, stop,” Zhang Shuguang said, bending down to pour the pork drippings from the bamboo tube. “Here, have some.”

The cubs, seeing the grease, pounced to snatch it.

Zhang Shuguang was startled; he was nearly knocked over by the excited cubs.

Li, standing behind him, gave him a steadying hand and snapped, “Slow down, you little rascals! Haven’t you ever eaten before?”

Wu Ming happened to walk out just then and looked on helplessly. “They just ate meat, yet for some reason, every single one of them acts like they’re still hungry.”

Zhang Shuguang wasn’t particularly fond of this communal child-rearing arrangement. Not only were the children distant from their parents, but when they ate together, there was always someone who didn’t get enough to eat. However, he understood that this was a long-standing custom in the tribe, so he didn’t say much.

He handed the fried pork cracklings to Li, asking him to help feed the little one, then reached out to steady Wu Ming and handed him

the snails. “I made some snacks. Please try them, Wu.”

“You’ve come to see me about something, haven’t you?” Wu Ming looked at him with a smile and pulled him toward the cave.

Zhang Shuguang glanced back at Li, who was surrounded by the children, and nodded with a smile. “There is something I’d like to discuss with you.”

As soon as he stepped into the cave, the smell inside made him wrinkle his brow slightly, and then he followed Wu Ming to the chamber where he usually rested.

Wu Ming motioned for him to sit down, then sat down on the stone slab himself and said with a smile, “The Big Mountain Cave smells too strong. Usually, these little brats can’t help but pee wherever they please, which is a real hassle.”

“Why do they have to be raised together?” Zhang Shuguang didn’t beat around the bush with Wu Ming; he simply asked what was on his mind. “Once the salt fields are ready, the tribe will be able to make more dried meat to store. Every household has plenty of supplies, so raising the cubs isn’t that difficult. It’s better than keeping them all here with you, isn’t it? You’re getting on in years—you don’t have the energy to look after the little ones.”

Wu Ming nodded with a smile. “I’ve already mentioned it to the chief. Once the rainy season arrives, I’ll have them take the children back to raise themselves.” He coughed twice as he spoke; though his complexion was rosy, his face was deeply lined.

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly. “That’s the right thing to do. I didn’t come to see you about that, though.” He shifted his legs to get more comfortable. “I just asked Mang Jiu about the young Sub-Beastmen in the tribe.”

Wu Ming paused, looking at him, though he didn’t seem particularly surprised that he’d suddenly brought it up. He shook his head and said, “Have you noticed the problem too?”

“If people in the tribe keep mating with each other to have offspring, it won’t be long before everyone in the tribe is related by blood.” Zhang Shuguang pursed his lips, his expression grave. “Shaman, haven’t you also noticed that the Sub-Beastman children born to blood-related parents all have various problems and rarely survive to adulthood?”

Wu Ming nodded. “That’s right. And in recent years, while many young Beastmen have been born in the tribe, there haven’t been many young Sub-Beastmen. Not only that, but even when young Sub-Beastmen are born, very few survive to adulthood.”

Zhang Shuguang suggested, “Why not intermarry with people from other tribes? We could have their Sub-Beastman children come here, and our Sub-Beastmen go there.”

“No tribe would be willing to do that,” Wu Ming patted his shoulder. “It’s not that no Sub-Beastmen from other tribes ever came to our tribe before, but later on, they said life in our tribe was too hard, so no one wanted to come anymore.”

“Hard life?” Zhang Shuguang was baffled. “Hard in what way? Do other tribes live better than we do? Is eating meat every day considered a hard life? Then what kind of good life do those other tribes have?”

Wu Ming couldn’t help but chuckle at his question. He waved his hand and explained, “Sub-Beastmen from other tribes rarely leave their tribes; they’re basically kept under protection.”

Zhang Shuguang blinked, then heard him continue, “The Sub-Beastmen in our tribe have to go out foraging, trading the wild vegetables and fruits they gather for meat.”

Zhang Shuguang went, “Oh,” and asked, “So, they think our tribe is too hard work?” Wu Ming sighed.

“Yeah.”

Zhang Shuguang was speechless for a moment. “Isn’t self-sufficiency a good thing? Why is it tiring?”

“The young Sub-Beastmen do want to go out and see the world, but our tribe already has so few of them. If they go out and don’t come back, won’t we have even fewer?” Wu Ming sounded helpless. “Do you have a solution?”

Zhang Shuguang’s lips twitched, and he shook his head. “No.” Bringing a bunch of lazy old men into the tribe, only to have the Beastmen work themselves to the bone to support them—that wasn’t his intention at all.

“Actually, if we let them all see how powerful our tribe is during the gathering, it might not be impossible to attract some SubBeastmen.” Wu Ming spoke; his eyes kept glancing at Zhang Shuguang’s face.

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow. “Shaman, could you please stop trying to solve everything by invoking the title of ‘Divine Son’? Besides, our tribe is already very powerful—don’t you think our tribe is great?”

“Fine, but what good does it do if I say it’s good? Others have to think it’s good too.” Wu Ming slapped him on the arm. “Why can’t you just be the Divine Son!”

“I don’t want to,” Zhang Shuguang said bluntly, since there was no one else around. “I don’t think it’s impossible to bring back SubBeastmen from other tribes. Once they find out our tribe can produce salt, some of them will naturally want to stay.”

Wu Ming nodded. “And have the Beastmen support them? I mean, sure, there are some in our tribe who’ll sleep with several Beastmen just for a bite to eat, but they’re few and far between.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If anyone wants to join our tribe, that’d be great.” Zhang Shuguang knew full well that this wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight; it would take time.

“Let’s compile a registry of everyone in the tribe. At the very least, we should separate those who are blood-related and try to prevent them from mating and having children.” It was a crude method, but for now, this crude method was still the smartest option.

Wu Ming nodded, though he didn’t quite grasp what Zhang Shuguang meant.

“What’s a registry? How do we keep one?” 

“……” In an era without writing, how was he supposed to explain this?

Then Zhang Shuguang spent an hour explaining to Wu Ming what a registry was, what blood relations were, what consanguineous marriage was, and what “beyond the fifth degree of kinship” meant…and so on, talking until his throat was parched.

Wu Ming, however, still looked completely baffled. He had heard the words and understood the meaning, but he was baffled because he felt that what Zhang Shuguang had described was profound—so profound that it gave him a strange sensation.

Zhang Shuguang was taken aback when Wu Ming suddenly closed his eyes, and the hexagram between his eyebrows began to glow with a faint golden light. What was going on?

Wu Ming didn’t keep his eyes closed for long—about three minutes.

When he opened them again, Zhang Shuguang noticed a golden glow flickering in the old Shaman’s eyes.

“Shaman?” he called softly.

Wu Ming nodded with a smile. “I saw them—the characters you mentioned.”

“Huh?” Zhang Shuguang exclaimed in surprise. “You saw them?”

Wu Ming nodded. “God allowed me to see your writing.”

“……” Zhang Shuguang found the Shaman himself more powerful than the deity.

But since he’d already spoken up, he figured Wu Ming probably had something to say to him as well, so he simply shut his mouth. Gods be damned—to him, both gods and shamans were beyond his comprehension.

“But what will you use for the register you mentioned?” Wu Ming asked.

Zhang Shuguang chuckled. “The register will require paper. Never mind—if you trust me, just gather everyone together. Once the salt fields are ready, I’ll do my best to produce the paper.”

“Paper?” Wu Ming heard another strange term and closed his eyes again. Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened. What did that mean?

“I see paper!”

Zhang Shuguang thought for a moment and said, “Write with a pen on paper.” Wu Ming closed his eyes again.

Over the next half hour, Zhang Shuguang witnessed the Shaman’s extraordinary abilities.

Whenever he mentioned an item that could be handmade and would bring more benefits to the world, Wu Ming would enter a meditative state, then open his eyes and tell him what he had seen.

A loom—seen. 

A spinning wheel—seen.

A waterwheel—seen.

Not only that, but every time he opened his eyes, a golden glow seemed to flicker within them. After several attempts, the old Shaman’s eyes had completely shifted from dark brown to a light brown.

Zhang Shuguang remained silent. Wu Ming gazed at him with his pale golden eyes, and after a long moment, he said, “Divine Son, you will bring the best life to the tribe.”

“……” Zhang Shuguang pressed his hand to his forehead. Well, it seemed he really couldn’t shake off this “Divine Son” title.

“My shamanic power has been revived because of you.” Wu Ming stood up and took a few steps; though still slow, he no longer walked with a hunched back. At that moment, he looked like an old man who had taken a tonic—vibrant and radiant.

Anyone who saw Wu Ming now would be astonished by his transformation in such a short time.

Wu Ming bowed respectfully to Zhang Shuguang. “Thank you, Divine Son, for enhancing my magical power.” 

Zhang Shuguang: “……” I don’t even know how to respond to this.

What exactly was this Shaman power? He had merely meditated for a moment, and Wu Ming had already grasped the very things he had spoken of.

He suspected the other man could use this mysterious power to peer into the images in his mind. When he had spoken earlier, his mind had unconsciously visualized what those things looked like and what they could be used for.

Wu Ming smiled kindly at him and said, “As long as the Divine Son doesn’t want to reveal his identity to the outside world, I certainly won’t say a word.”

Zhang Shuguang felt exhausted. He waved his hand and stood up. “Shaman, you should get some rest. I’m heading back. As for those snails, just use a thin bamboo skewer to pick out the meat. I’m off.”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that if he didn’t leave now, the other man might glimpse something else. It would be best to avoid getting too close to the Shaman in the future.

In truth, his worries were somewhat unfounded. The reason Wu Ming had been able to see the images from him was due to the circumstances at the time: Zhang Shuguang had been focused on making Wu Ming see them, and Wu Ming had been equally eager to see them, so their magical power had taken effect, allowing Wu Ming to perceive them.

Also, since Wu Ming rarely encountered new experiences in his daily life, he couldn’t use his magical power extensively to unlock his deeper potential. That was why he was grateful to Zhang Shuguang for reawakening his magical power—which was exactly what he meant when he said his “magical power had come alive.”

Zhang Shuguang was unaware of all this; he now felt a deep sense of apprehension toward Wu Ming.

It was as if his secret were about to be discovered by someone he couldn’t fully trust, so he hurriedly fled. If Wu Ming had known his thoughts, he would likely have shouted, “What a huge misunderstanding!”

Zhang Shuguang returned to the cave and found that Mang Jiu had already come back. Not only was Mang Jiu there, but there was also a beautiful young woman. At that moment, they were talking.

No, it would be more accurate to say the young woman was doing all the talking.

Zhang Shuguang had no interest in eavesdropping, and since he was eager to speak with Mang Jiu about the Shaman, he walked over. Mang Jiu saw him, stepped right past Ning, and handed him the leather bag. “A-Si said everything you picked out is in here.”

Zhang Shuguang thanked him, took the bag, opened it, and looked inside. “Hmm, it’s all here.” He then turned to Ning, who was glaring at him, and smiled. “Hello.”

Ning frowned and snorted. “So you’re that Sub-Beastman who lives with Mang Jiu? You don’t look like anything special.”

Mang Jiu frowned and turned to speak, but Zhang Shuguang grabbed him by the arm.

“You’re quite the character yourself, though it’s a shame he doesn’t want to live with you.” Zhang Shuguang spoke with a smile, but his words left no room for laughter. Ning, having been directly snubbed, grew even angrier.

She took out the glowing bead she’d gotten from Xiang Wen and said, “Our Ivory Tribe has found a treasure that shines even after the sun sets. Mang Jiu, if you lay an egg with me, I’ll give you the bead.”

Mang Jiu ignored her.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the glowing bead in her palm, looking quite surprised.

To actually find a night pearl—though for a Beastman, it was nothing more than a pretty trinket.

Seeing that Mang Jiu hadn’t reacted, Ning took two steps forward to approach him and shoved the pearl into his hand. “Have babies with me! I’m sure I can lay you lots of eggs!”

Zhang Shuguang cleared his throat. He’d never before encountered a woman who’d so directly declared her affection and offered to help a man have children. Ning turned and glared at him.

Zhang Shuguang sighed and said to Mang Jiu, “Why don’t you chat with her for a bit? I’ll take these over to Ying’s cave.” Mang Jiu gave a noncommittal “Hmm.” Zhang Shuguang smiled and nodded at Ning, then turned and left.

After he left, Mang Jiu tossed the beads in his hand to Ning. His casual attitude suggested he didn’t think the beads were anything special at all. Ning fumbled to catch them and snapped, “Mang Jiu, how could you do this!”

Mang Jiu replied coldly, “Stop pestering me. It’s annoying.”

Ning stared at him in shock. “I’m a nuisance? I want to lay eggs for you—how am I a nuisance?!” 

“I don’t want to have eggs with you. Find someone else.”

With that, Mang Jiu turned and walked away.

Ning clenched her lips in anger and shouted after his retreating back, “I’m definitely going to lay an egg for you!” 

Mang Jiu: “Go dream on.”

Xiong Kui had just come up from the foot of the mountain when he overheard those two lines. He looked at Mang Jiu awkwardly, then saw Ning suddenly running toward him—he truly felt completely drained.

“Mang Jiu, you’ll have to handle this yourself,” he couldn’t help but mutter.

Mang Jiu’s face remained impassive: “I’m going to help Shuguang till the fields.”

“What’s there to farm in the middle of the night! You… where are you going?!” Xiong Kui watched him enter Ying’s cave and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Ning stepped in front of Xiong Kui, shoved the bead in his hand at him, and said urgently, “Chief Xiong Kui, this is a glowing bead found by the Beastmen of our tribe. It must be a gift from the Beast God—it’s a treasure!”

Xiong Kui looked down at it, then back at her. “Huh?”

“Can you make Mang Jiu lay eggs with me?” Ning stared at him, her expression serious.

Xiong Kui’s mouth twitched slightly as he handed the bead back to her. “I can’t accept something this important. Whether Mang Jiu will lay eggs with you isn’t something I can demand of him—you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Ning froze, looked down at the bead in her hand, then back at Xiong Kui. “This is a treasure—you don’t want it?”

“It’s not much use.” Xiong Kui spoke vaguely. He looked up at the sky, then said to Ning, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”

After saying that, he headed straight for Ying’s cave.

Ning was completely taken aback—this wasn’t what she had expected!

Inside Ying’s cave, Li had returned before Zhang Shuguang. He was complaining to Ying about how those little brats were too wild—they’d nearly bitten him. Zhang Shuguang walked in carrying a basket, followed closely by Mang Jiu, and then Xiong Kui.

The sudden arrival of these three startled both Ying and Li.

Xiong Kui waved at them, then sat cross-legged on the ground and pointed at Mang Jiu. “Look at you—you’re not satisfied with just having Shuguang, and you had to go and provoke that Ning!” As soon as he said this, he realized he’d spoken out of turn; it wasn’t Mang Jiu who’d provoked him—it was Ning who’d come crawling to him.

But thinking of the bead that had just been shoved into his hand, he couldn’t help but snort. “To treat a lousy glowing bead as a treasure—I’m truly amazed by the judgment of the Ivory Tribe. It’s barely bright enough to see by. What good is it? It’s just a decoration—you can’t eat it or drink it.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded to himself. He was right—if there were many, many night pearls gathered together, their combined brightness could serve as a lamp. Unfortunately, with just one, the light was truly faint.

He didn’t say anything, but bent down to take the items out of the leather pouch and place them on the ground. “Aunt Ying, I brought these back from the Wild Plains. Could you keep an eye on them for me these next couple of days? If they sprout and grow leaves, plant them in the field.”

Ying crouched down beside him, picked them up one by one to examine them, and nodded. “Alright, it looks like these will sprout any moment now.”

“Mm-hmm. I’ll go dig up some soil from the field later. These seeds should sprout faster if we put them in the soil,” Zhang Shuguang patted Mang Jiu. “Go back to our cave and bring a large wooden basin.”

Mang Jiu went back to fetch the basin. Zhang Shuguang placed all the seeds he’d set aside into it and said to Ying, “Aunt Ying, just sprinkle a little water on top every day—not too much.” Ying nodded again. “Show me how to do it later; I’ll learn from you.”

Zhang Shuguang replied, “Sure.”

He and Mang Jiu took torches to the experimental field on the back mountain. As the torchlight swept across the field, it was a sea of green, and Zhang Shuguang was overjoyed.

“They’re growing so fast!” He planted all the seeds he’d gotten from Xiao Cai in the field; with Mang Jiu’s help, the work went quickly. Brushing the dirt off his hands, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking satisfied. “This is my kingdom!”

“Isn’t it a bit small?” Mang Jiu looked down at the hoe he was holding. “This works really well. Should we make a few more?”

“Hmm, we’ll talk about that in a few days. Right now, I just want to get the salt fields laid out as soon as possible. Then we’ll be able to make lots of delicious food!” he said to Mang Jiu with a smile.

Mang Jiu nodded and wiped the dirt off his face. “Let’s go back.”

Zhang Shuguang gave a soft “Mm-hmm.”

The two brought some soil back to Ying’s cave, spread a thin layer over the seeds, and then sprinkled a little water on top.

“Aunt Ying, just water them a little each day. Once they sprout, take them out and plant them in the field. I just planted some seeds myself; please keep an eye on them for me.”

Ying nodded. “Okay, sure.”

After Mang Jiu and Zhang Shuguang left, Ying asked Li to carry the wooden basin into the cave. Li pouted and said, “I want to go too.”

“What do you mean, ‘I want to go’? You’re always running off somewhere. Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to work the fields,” Ying pinched his ear. “You’re old enough now—you’d better hurry up and find someone to have a baby with!”

Li sighed. “Mom, I’ve told you, I don’t want to. Let’s talk about it later!”

“Later, later—you’re always saying ‘later.’ You…”

“Fine, fine. I won’t go out anymore, okay? I’m going to sleep. I’m tired.” Li hurried to his stone bed, pulled the animal hide over himself, and covered his head.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Zhang Shuguang and Mang Jiu took the three kids to the Coastal Forest. The area that had once been overgrown with vines was now completely bare.

“Shuguang!”

“Mang Jiu and Shuguang are here!”

“Come quick, we’ve dug the hole!”

“Shuguang, A-Si is sick!”

Zhang Shuguang froze, thinking he’d misheard.

“A-Si is sick,” Xiong Bai ran over, trying to pull him along, but was pushed aside by Mang Jiu. “No matter how much we call out to A-Si, he won’t wake up. We don’t know what to do.”

Zhang Shuguang frowned and followed them to check on A-Si.