When they returned, the tribe’s hunting party was dividing today’s kill—two giant ox beasts.

Spotting Mang Jiu, the man slicing meat with a stone knife called out, “Mang Jiu! Where’ve you been all day?”

“Went to the coast. You only hunted two ox beasts today?” Mang Jiu set Zhang Shuguang down from his back, walked to Xi San, and handed him Zhang Shuguang’s bone knife. “Try cutting meat with this.”

Xi San glanced at the bone knife, then at the sub-beast standing behind Mang Jiu. Taking it, he smiled. “Is this the sub-beast you brought back?”

Mang Jiu nodded. “I’m taking him to see the chief. We discovered some food that can be stored long-term.”

“Really?” Xi San exclaimed in surprise.

“Mhm. I’ll go ahead.” Mang Jiu took Zhang Shuguang’s hand and led him up the mountain path.

Zhang Shuguang gave Xi San a brief smile as he studied him, then obediently followed Mang Jiu.

Xi San watched them ascend the mountain, then turned back to examine the bone knife in his hand. Compared to his stone blade, the bone knife felt almost weightless in his grip and was remarkably slender. He tentatively sliced into the meat before him, only to carve a deep gash.

Staring at the two flaps of flesh peeling back, Xi San froze. He suddenly lifted his head to glance at Mang Jiu and Zhang Shuguang’s retreating backs.

“Mang Jiu!” he called out.

Mang Jiu turned, saw him waving the bone knife, and demanded, “Where’d you get this?!”

Mang Jiu waved him off, signaling they’d discuss it later. He led Zhang Shuguang to meet the chief first.

As Zhang Shuguang climbed the mountain, he surveyed the caves dotting the slopes. He noticed the chief’s cave was on the same level as Mang Jiu’s, while the large cave where the shaman lived was on the lowest tier.

“Does the chief live in a cave with the others?” In his memory, the chief of the Wanshan tribe had always resided in the finest cave, set apart from the communal dwellings of the others.

Mang Jiu hummed in acknowledgment. “The more formidable the beastman in the tribe, the higher their cave. The shaman originally lived on this level too, but later claimed he was too old and weak to climb, so he moved to the large cave.”

Zhang Shuguang eyed Mang Jiu suspiciously and whispered, “You’re quite formidable?”

“I once killed a giant bear beast with a single punch.” Mang Jiu’s expression remained calm, his tone matter-of-fact, yet Zhang Shuguang detected a hint of pride in his words.

A giant bear beast? Just the name suggested a massive creature. To kill it with one punch… He shuddered. No wonder he could haul such a huge fish out of the sea.

Zhang Shuguang raised his hand, thumbs up. “You’re so awesome.”

A faint smile curved Mang Jiu’s lips, the cold hardness vanishing instantly from his handsome face.

Zhang Shuguang stared at his smile, momentarily dumbfounded. Deep down, he couldn’t help but think: Damn, he’s handsome.

Passing by Mang Jiu’s cave entrance, Zhang Shuguang tugged him. “Put the fish bones in the cave first. Just the potatoes will do. And bring the kitten up—I don’t want it to wake up, not see me, and start fussing.”

As he spoke, he lifted the kitten from the net bag and gestured for Mang Jiu to take the potatoes.

At the cave entrance, the blood-soaked beast Mang Jiu had brought back earlier still lay untouched. Zhang Shuguang glanced at it and curled his lip slightly.

“At this temperature, the meat must be spoiled by now.”

Mang Jiu set down the fish bones and dragged the beast out.

Only then did Zhang Shuguang get a clear look. It was an animal resembling a deer, but without antlers on its head.

“What are you doing?” He didn’t understand why Mang Jiu was dragging it out.

Mang Jiu: “It’s a deer beast. The meat is tender, and it’s on the smaller side. I hunted it this morning. We’ll skin it later.”

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow. It really was a deer.

But then he thought, since this alternate world had evolved from a novel, it made sense that its flora and fauna resembled Earth’s in both form and name.

“Let’s go before it gets completely dark.” Zhang Shuguang ruffled the kitten’s furry head, then steadied his arm to carry it.

Mang Jiu, clutching a large potato in each hand, led Zhang Shuguang to the chief’s cave.

The leader of the Cliffside Tribe was named Xiong Kui. He was a burly, imposing man whose very presence commanded respect, even seated.

His appearance, however, was that of an ordinary middle-aged man. A smile played on his lips even before he spoke, clearly delighted to see Mang Jiu.

His sub-beast followers glanced up as the two entered the cave before returning to their work on the hides.

Zhang Shuguang observed him sprinkling black ash onto a hide, then scraping it repeatedly with a thin stone blade. He guessed the man was tanning the skin, removing excess fat and connective tissue to ensure long-term preservation.

Xiong Kui stood up, grinning as he walked over to pat Mang Jiu on the shoulder. Spotting Zhang Shuguang and the kitten in his arms, he asked in surprise, “Did you guys go out and pick up another little one?” As the leader, he’d naturally heard about Mang Jiu taking the sub-beast he’d found fishing.

Mang Jiu nodded, not dwelling on the topic. He simply stated, “We’ll raise the cub ourselves. I came to show you this.” He handed over the two potatoes he held. “Shuguang says these can be stored for a long time. The tribe can eat them through the winter.”

Xiong Kui took the potatoes without much reaction, but when he heard Mang Jiu’s next words, his eyes widened involuntarily. “Store for a long time? Eat them through the winter?”

Zhang Shuguang met his intense gaze, lifting the corners of his mouth in a polite nod. “That’s right, but they can’t be eaten raw. They need to be roasted, boiled, or steamed.”

Xiong Kui’s sub-beast was a female named Hua. Hearing their conversation, she glanced up and remarked casually, “Aren’t these just groundnuts? One of the little ones dug some up from the soil before. After eating them, they said their mouths felt uncomfortable, then threw up and had diarrhea for days. These aren’t edible.“

Xiong Kui looked at his sub-beast companion and handed her the potato he was holding. ”Is it this the one?“

Hua took it, examined it, then returned it to him with a look of disgust. ”It’s the same, but that one was smaller than this.”

Xiong Kui turned back to Zhang Shuguang and Mang Jiu. “Did you two get it wrong?”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled. “This potato can’t be eaten raw. It must be cooked. If you don’t believe me, we can roast one right now and try it.”

He couldn’t explain technical terms like solanine or its irritating effects on the stomach to these people—they wouldn’t understand. Better to just roast one for them right here. Once they tasted it, they’d know for themselves.

“Also, you have to peel this potato. Any green spots or sprouts are inedible.”

Zhang Shuguang smiled at Hua and asked, “Could I have two branches?” He pointed to the ground beside the rock Hua was sitting on. “Thicker ones, please.”

Hua noticed he was thin but had a pleasant smile, and his tone was soothing. She picked out the two thickest branches from the pile and handed them over.

Zhang Shuguang thanked her again, glanced at the branches thicker than his fingers, nodded in satisfaction, then skewered the potatoes onto them. Turning to Mang Jiu, he asked, “Want to start a fire?”

Mang Jiu nodded and said to Xiong Kui, “Shuguang knows how to start fires, too. He even taught me how.”

This time, it wasn’t just Xiong Kui who was stunned—even Hua, who hadn’t been paying attention to what they were doing, was taken aback.

Starting a fire? That was a skill only shamans possessed!

Mang Jiu didn’t explain further. He found a wooden plank and a stick, then began rubbing the stick together as Zhang Shuguang had taught him.

With his strength and speed, he’d produced smoke quickly during practice, so Zhang Shuguang wasn’t worried he’d fail. Noticing Mang Jiu hadn’t gathered dry grass or leaves, he stepped outside to gather some for himself.

Within moments, when Zhang Shuguang returned to the cave, Mang Jiu had already produced smoke.

Zhang Shuguang hurriedly brought over the bundle of dry grass he held, using it to ignite the fire. He fanned the flames with the grass, and the fire grew larger and larger.

He turned, placing the bundle of dry grass he held onto the ground. He then added more dry grass and some dry branches to the fire.

Xiong Kui and Hua both stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

“You actually know how to start a fire? And how did you make it look so easy? Wu always takes forever to get one going.” Xiong Kui approached Mang Jiu with curiosity, taking the stick he’d just used to rub. The tip was already blackened, and a small circular indentation had formed in the wooden plank on the ground.

Mang Jiu handed him the stick. “Try it. It’s simple—just keep the motion at a steady pace.” He demonstrated by rubbing the stick between his palms.

Xiong Kui gripped the stick and jabbed it into the board, then began rubbing it back and forth with a sharp, rhythmic motion.

While the two studied how to start a fire, Zhang Shuguang had already stoked the flames. He hung potatoes above the fire to roast. After a while, he found holding them too tiring, so he tossed the branches and potatoes straight into the flames. After all, even if the outside burned, the inside would still be edible.

He stared at the potatoes in the fire, while Hua watched him intently from the side.

Her gaze was too direct. Zhang Shuguang held back, then lifted his eyes and met Hua’s stare.

Hua flusteredly looked away, yet couldn’t resist stealing sideways glances at him.

Zhang Shuguang asked, “Is there something on my face?” He raised his hand to wipe his face.

Hua shook her head and asked in turn, “Are you a shaman? How do you know how to start a fire?“

Recalling Mang Jiu’s reaction when he’d heard about his fire-starting ability, Zhang Shuguang waved his hand dismissively. ”You could learn it too. It’s easy enough. And I’m not a shaman—just an ordinary person.“

”If you’re not a shaman, how do you know how to start a fire? Did the shaman from your old tribe teach you?” After saying this, Hua shook her head in disbelief. ”Impossible. A shaman’s skills are only passed down to other shamans.”

Zhang Shuguang tugged at the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself that shamans were quite exclusive. If they couldn’t find a successor, wouldn’t this tribe lose any chance of progress?

Over there, Xiong Kui let out a cry. Both men turned to look. By the firelight, they could clearly see smoke rising from the joint where the wooden planks met the sticks.

“Xiong Kui! You can make fire too!”

“You know how to make fire?” Along with Hua’s voice came a more aged query.

Zhang Shuguang turned his head toward the source of the voice. Standing at the cave entrance was an old man with white hair and a white beard. His back was hunched, yet his eyes sparkled with vitality. What surprised Zhang Shuguang most was the thumbprint-sized black mark between the old man’s eyebrows.