When Mang Jiu arrived at the tribal gate carrying the pelt, the rest of the hunting party was already waiting. They greeted him as he approached.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted the object in his hand and asked curiously, “What’ve you got there?”

Mang Jiu usually returned empty-handed from hunts, so carrying something today naturally drew attention.

Glancing at his haul, Mang Jiu explained, “Shuguang was worried I’d go hungry, so he roasted some potatoes for me.”

“What’s a roasted potato?”

“Your sub-beastman really cares about you. But you just moved in with him like that? Didn’t you always avoid sub-beastmen?”

Mang Jiu listened to their chatter without showing impatience, only saying, “He’s different.”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my! He’s different? How many sub-beastmen have you picked up? Why is he the only one who’s different?” Xiong Bai edged closer, winking and making faces—a look that practically begged for a punch.

Mang Jiu ignored him, instead pulling out a baked potato, peeling it, and eating.

He ate with relish. The aroma drew the others closer, and Xiong Bai shamelessly reached out to grab it. “Smells amazing! Let me have a bite!”

Mang Jiu wasn’t one to hog his food. Zhang Shuguang handed him seven baked potatoes—enough for everyone to share a half.

Their hunting party numbered thirteen. Among them, Mang Yue and Lang Qing were elder beastmen, Xi Jiu was a newly-minted adult beastman, and the rest—Mang Jiu, Meng Qi, Xiong Bai, Xiong Hong, Xiong Hui, Lang Zuo, Lang You, Xi Er, Ying Wu, and Ying San were all young and strong beastmen. Every hunting party was like this, with members taking turns going out to hunt.

Within the tribe, hunting party members would occasionally compete to see who brought back the most meat, allowing them to show off before the Sub-Beastman.

Mang Jiu sliced the roasted potatoes with a bone knife and distributed them. Seeing Xi Jiu eyeing the extra half-potato longingly, he gave it to him.

A dozen or so heads bent over the potatoes. At first, they took tentative bites, then stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the food in their hands before devouring it in just a few mouthfuls.

Xiong Bai was a glutton. After finishing his half, he wiped his mouth and shamelessly sidled up to Xi Jiu, nudging him with his elbow: Xi Jiu, share your half with big bro! I’ll give you a leg of the ox beast I’m gonna hunt later!”

Xi Jiu shook his head vigorously, not caring if he might choke to death. He shoved the entire half potato into his mouth and clutched the other half tightly in his hand.

The refusal was clear: he’d rather choke than share.

“Mang Jiu, where’d you find this tasty stuff? Soft and sticky—perfect for an old codger like me with loose teeth.” Lang Qing chewed the potato, his face beaming.

He’d reached the age where even meat made his teeth ache. He’d recently lost a canine tooth, so savoring this treat felt just right.

Mang Yue nodded in agreement. Though transforming into beast form meant eating didn’t require teeth, his body ached from constant meat consumption at his age. This was just what his stomach craved.

Seeing both the old and young enjoying it, Mang Jiu explained, “Shuguang found this one. It’s called a potato. Hua said some cubs in the tribe have picked them up before, but this one’s roasted. Raw ones aren’t tasty.”

“Potato?” Mang Yue glanced down at the last bite in his hand. Its pale yellow hue looked delicious, and the aroma alone was enticing. “Is Shuguang that sub-beastman you brought back earlier?”

“Yes. He lives in my cave, along with a cub from the Giant Cat Tribe.” Mang Jiu rolled up the leather pouch and hung it on his belt. “Let’s go. Come back early.”

Xiong Hong wiped her hands on her leather skirt. Though wrapped in animal hides, her ample figure remained evident. She grinned at Mang Jiu and asked, “Any more potatoes? I’ll trade you some leg meat for them.”

“None left,” Mang Jiu replied coldly. “Want some? Go dig them yourself.”

“Where’s it dug? Maybe we should tell the Chief. Have the sub-beastman go dig some. We still need to hunt meat anyway,” Xiong Bai chimed in as he approached.

Mang Jiu: “In the coastal forest. There’s a huge patch. The Chief and the Shaman have already tried it, and both liked it. They’ll probably send people to dig some.”

“These are kinda sweet, really tasty.” Brothers Zuo Lang and Yuo Lang huddled together, gnawing on potatoes. They couldn’t bear to swallow the last bite, swirling it around their mouths several times.

Lang Qing smiled warmly at his two sons, patting them. “Go back and have your sub-beastman dig up more. Your mom will definitely love them.”

Zuo Lang and Yuo Lang nodded. “Right, dig more.”

“What if digging so much ruins them? Better to dig only what we’ll eat,” Ying Wu remarked from the side.

Mang Jiu: “Potatoes store well long-term. Shuguang says keeping them in a cool, ventilated spot makes them perfect for winter food.”

“Really?” The group gasped.

Every snow season, clan members starved to death. Even the Giant Bear and Giant Python clans, who entered semi-hibernation, weren’t spared. Semi-hibernation still required food. Without sustenance, they risked permanent hibernation—a state known as “sleeping forever.”

Mang Jiu’s father and mother had passed away this way when he was very young.

“It’s true. Shuguang wouldn’t lie to me.” Mang Jiu showed little emotion, but the pride in his voice was unmistakable.

Mang Qi raised his fist and playfully punched him, teasing, “You finally got smart, kid?”

“Got smart about what?” Mang Jiu turned to face him.

Mang Qi rolled his eyes. As fellow members of the Giant Serpent Clan, he was far more expressive than Mang Jiu—or rather, Mang Jiu was the only one in their clan with a stone-faced expression. “You’ve finally woken up to the desire to have offspring. Don’t tell me you don’t want to lay eggs with him.”

Mang Jiu blinked, considered it, then shook her head. “I don’t feel that way.”

“…If you don’t feel that way, why keep him in your cave?” Xiong Bai asked.

Mang Jiu met his gaze directly, her expression serious. “I found him. Of course, he’s mine.”

“How many sub-beastmen have you picked up? I haven’t seen you keep the others in your cave,” Xiong Bai scoffed. “What makes him so special?”

Mang Jiu shot back, “If he weren’t special, would you be eating roasted potatoes?”

Xiong Bai: “…” Fine, I wouldn’t be.

Though they chatted idly, their pace didn’t slow. Ying Wu and Ying San spread their massive wings behind them, soaring through the air and occasionally adjusting altitude. Ying San let out a long cry, warning the group of a nearby beast herd.

“Shape-shift. Let’s eat first,” Lang Qing said.

When the Beastmen of their tribe went hunting, they almost always transformed into beast form to eat their fill first. Only then would they bring back other prey to supply the tribe. After all, the difference in appetite between beast form and human form was significant.

From the perspective of the Giant Serpent Clan, a beast form could swallow an entire giant boar beast whole with ease, whereas a human form could barely manage half.

Thus, when their tribe’s hunting party ventured out, they always ate their fill in beast form first.

The Cliffside Tribe comprised five distinct races: the Giant Serpent Clan, Giant Bear Clan, Giant Rhinoceros Clan, Giant Wolf Clan, and Giant Eagle Clan. Such multi-clan tribal alliances were quite common.

During hunts, each race hunted separately. After all, the Giant Serpent Clan had such enormous appetites that hunting alongside them meant others would barely get a single hair.

Hearing Lang Qing’s words, the group transformed into beast forms one after another and sprinted toward the location Ying San had pointed out.

Mang Jiu’s beast form was too massive; even Mang Qi, several years his senior, was significantly smaller. Thus, he always ventured farther afield during hunts to avoid disturbing others.

“Mang Jiu, head that way. I scouted it last time—there’s a herd of giant boar beasts,” Mang Qi gestured with a chin lift.

Mang Jiu acknowledged with a grunt and followed him off in the other direction.

Mang Yue watched their retreating backs and called out, “You two go ahead. I’m too old to keep up. I’ll wait for you here.”

His aging stomach couldn’t handle much. Swallowing an entire giant boar beast would likely kill him from overeating. Better not to trouble himself.

The forest’s birds and beasts scattered in panic as the Beastmen began their pursuit, occasional shrieks piercing the air.

Mang Jiu and Mang Qi reached the other side of the woods. Before them stretched a vast expanse of tall grass.

Exchanging a glance, they simultaneously shifted into beast form.

Mang Qi flickered his crimson tongue, surprise flickering in his beastly eyes. “You seem to have gotten thicker again.”

Mang Jiu stood upright, his upper body towering two or three meters above Mang Qi.

Dragging his body over twenty meters long, he glided silently through the tall grass. “Eat more. Put on some weight.”

Mang Qi flickered his tongue, silently conceding defeat.

Who else has your appetite? You can devour two adult male giant boar beasts in one sitting. Any other giant serpentkin Beastman would be stuffed to the gills.

While the hunting party busied themselves capturing prey to fill their bellies, Zhang Shuguang, left behind at the tribe, had already roughly cleaned out the cave.

Xiao Cai signaled that the task was complete. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, stood at the cave entrance, looked inside, and nodded with satisfaction.

This is so much more comfortable. All those bones had to be packed away—scattered on the ground, they looked eerily unsettling.

The kitten circled his feet, mewing incessantly.

While Zhang Shuguang was tidying the cave, the little one had run off to play. Now, it seemed, playtime had made it hungry.

“Kitty, how about I give you a name?” Zhang Shuguang bent down to pick up the kitten, then glanced at the stone hearth he’d just built. “All white fur, such a soft little bean—how about we call you Nai Dou?”

The kitten tilted its fluffy head and meowed softly.

Zhang Shuguang leaned down and kissed its little black nose. “Nai Dou, Daddy’s good little kitten.”

The kitten flinched back at the kiss, then stuck out its pink little tongue and licked him.

“Once the water boils, I’ll give you a bath. After your bath, Daddy will cook you some food.” Zhang Shuguang glanced at the burning firewood, then at the stone pot. “After we eat, I’ll fetch some mud to plaster the stones, so it won’t collapse.”

He carried Nai Dou into the cave and soon emerged with two peeled potatoes, a chunk of venison, and a small salt block.

“Wonder where Mang Jiu got all those intact hides. I’ll make a few leather pouches later,” he muttered while slicing potatoes on a flat stone slab he’d found earlier. “This salt needs refining, too. Can’t keep eating it like this.”

The kitten sniffed the meat and crept closer, only to be shoved away by Zhang Shuguang. “Kittens can’t eat raw meat!”

“Shuguang, what are you doing?” Hua emerged from the nearby cave. She’d watched him bustling about all morning. Her earlier offer to help had been declined, but now her curiosity got the better of her.

Zhang Shuguang smiled at her. “I’m making some stewed meat. Sister Hua, is this the kind of salt block our tribe uses?”

“Yes, we just pinch some off and rub it on the meat. Why?” Hua looked at him, puzzled.

“Salt with this bitter taste shouldn’t be eaten in large quantities. It’s bad for your health. Why not boil it down to refine it?” Zhang Shuguang scooped some of the steaming but not boiling water into a stone bowl, poured it onto the skin, then wrapped the kitten in it and rubbed it around.

Without a basin, this would have to do. He might as well treat it like a dry wash.

Nai Dou meowed incessantly under his rubbing, clearly displeased.

Hua shook her head. “Refine? Not even the Salt Tribe knows how. The salt they trade for is always like this.”

Zhang Shuguang froze, turning to look at her. “The salt was traded from outside?”

Hua: “Yes.”

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched as he lifted his gaze toward the vast ocean in the distance.

Living right by the sea yet failing to harvest salt, instead trading for it elsewhere—what could he possibly say?