The unexpected discovery of sorghum filled Zhang Shuguang with immense delight, his smile almost frozen on his face.

Li and Ying didn’t notice his thoughts, assuming he simply liked the taste of the sweet stalks. Li even handed Zhang Shuguang three uncut stalks, saying, “Take these home to eat.”

Zhang Shuguang thanked her, intending to make some dried fish and send two pieces to Li.

He had originally planned to find branches to hang the dried fish, but now, with the sorghum stalks, he wouldn’t need to make another trip.

Truthfully, the animal bones in the cave could also serve as poles, but he never quite got used to the idea. Imagine waking up to find bones strewn everywhere, crisscrossing the cave floor. It would startle him awake, and his mood would be gloomy for the entire day.

Back in the cave, Zhang Shuguang stripped the ears from the sorghum stalks and set them aside. He then propped three stalks against the rocks and hung the freshly flattened fish on them.

“Meow meow meow ~~” Drawn by the fishy scent, Nai Dou circled around him, its tiny meows carrying a sweet, melodic tone.

Zhang Shuguang hung the fish while keeping a watchful eye on his feet, careful not to accidentally step on the little kitten.

After hanging all the fish, he looked up at the sky. The inky blue expanse was dotted with stars. With weather like this, rain seemed unlikely. He could leave the fish outside to dry instead of bringing them into the cave. Truth be told, he wasn’t too fond of that fishy smell.

After a full afternoon of work, he was exhausted, his back and legs aching. If his pedometer still worked, he’d easily hit thirty thousand steps today! What a physically demanding and hectic day it had been.

Zhang Shuguang sighed, sitting down on a rock. He gathered the wild greens together, then used the firelight to separate the larger and smaller leaves.

He’d gathered quite a lot of ground vegetables, and while picking them had been enjoyable, sorting them now was a chore.

He yawned repeatedly as he worked, his movements becoming almost mechanical by the end, his eyes half-closed.

Ding~

“Master!”

Xiao Cai’s explosive call startled him, sending his body lurching sideways as his eyes snapped wide open. All traces of drowsiness vanished instantly.

Zhang Shuguang glanced down at the groundcover plants he’d sorted. The ones he’d carefully selected earlier formed one pile, while the ones he’d half-heartedly picked later… Well, they might as well have been unsorted.

Meaning all that work was for nothing!

He exhaled in frustration and mentally told Xiao Cai, “Thanks for the reminder.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, it’s 11:37 Earth time. You should rest now.”

Zhang Shuguang was startled. “Almost midnight already?”

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master.”

Zhang Shuguang got up to fetch water and wash his face, then returned to continue sorting the root vegetables. “You can shut down and rest. See you tomorrow morning. Goodnight.” He needed to air these root vegetables properly; leaving them piled up overnight would likely spoil them.

Xiao Cai: “Understood, Master. Good night. Sweet dreams.”

Summoning his energy, he worked for a while longer until the root vegetables were finally sorted. He laid the more intact pieces out to dry on the withered grass while placing the smaller fragments into several stone bowls. Tomorrow morning, he would boil them together with potatoes and venison for breakfast soup.

He had rubbed a little salt on the deer meat earlier. He sniffed it just now—it didn’t smell too strong. But it would only last for one more meal tomorrow. If he had to eat this for lunch too, he definitely wouldn’t be able to stomach it.

With this thought, Zhang Shuguang looked at the venison set aside and felt troubled.

When Mang Jiu left, he hadn’t taken much of the venison. The meat left behind weighed at least thirty or forty pounds. He’d eaten a small piece yesterday, leaving plenty behind. If Mang Jiu didn’t return tomorrow to eat it, this meat would likely spoil.

And most crucially, the cave held only a palm-sized block of salt left, insufficient to salt all the meat again. Without proper curing, it would surely spoil.

Frowning, Zhang Shuguang considered asking the Beastmen in nearby caves if anyone wanted to trade for some meat.

In any other place, he wouldn’t disturb anyone this late. But here, many Beastmen retained the habits of wild beasts. While airing the dried vegetables earlier, he’d seen quite a few gathered on the large platform below, eating and drinking. Clearly, they preferred nighttime activity.

Zhang Shuguang strung the venison pieces with vines and began his descent.

He felt a bit nervous. Beyond those living on the same level as Mang Jiu, he had virtually no interaction with the rest of the tribe. He had no idea what these Beastmen were like.

Therefore, he was cautious. Among the small groups of Beastmen sitting together eating, he chose the one that seemed the most agreeable.

The five brothers of the Black Wolf Clan were sitting at the entrance of their cave, eating meat. Hearing the rustling sound, they all looked up simultaneously.

Zhang Shuguang froze, every hair on his body standing on end as he was locked in the gaze of five pairs of eyes reflecting green light. He stood utterly still, unable to move.

Honestly, even though they were humanoid, it still felt like being stared at by wild beasts.

The eldest, Lang Tai, scrutinized Zhang Shuguang from head to toe, sniffed, then turned to ask the second brother, Lang Li, “Why do I smell Mang Jiu’s scent on him?”

The third brother, Lang Yan, took a bite of the fresh meat in his hand and mumbled, “He’s the Sub-Beastman Mang Jiu brought back.”

Lang Li nodded in agreement. Lang Tai hummed in acknowledgment, unconcerned, and returned to gnawing his meat.

Lang Tian and Lang Qian sniffed simultaneously. They caught the scent of meat—though not fresh, it was unmistakably meat!

For the five brothers, even though they ate their fill during hunts, meat was scarce between expeditions. To stay full, they’d have to hunt daily. But unless they joined a hunting party of ten or more, the five of them alone couldn’t secure enough meat. So whenever meat appeared, they’d gorge themselves, preferably until their bellies were so full they couldn’t eat another bite. That way, they wouldn’t go hungry for about a day.

As a branch of the Giant Wolf Clan, the Black Wolves were half the size of the Gray Wolves in their beast forms, and their strength and explosive power were far inferior.

For instance, during hunts, four Gray Wolves working together could take down a horned giant ox (roughly the size of an adult camel on Earth). For Black Wolves, it would take at least a dozen, often resulting in casualties. In contrast, the Giant Rhino and Giant Bear tribes could handle such prey with just two working together, albeit taking more time. As for the Giant Python tribe… Never mind the others—before Mang Jiu, a giant ox beast could be flung away with a single tail swipe, requiring little effort.

Naturally, Zhang Shuguang was unaware of the innate disparities in strength and stature among these tribes, nor did he care much. He mainly believed it had little to do with him personally.

Even the Black Wolf tribe, whose Beastmen were relatively small compared to other tribes, radiated a fierce, bloodthirsty aura that commanded respect.

Swallowing hard, Zhang Shuguang lifted the pieces of meat in his hands and cautiously said, “Um, I’d like to trade some venison for something.”

Lang Tai tilted his head, his eyes darting to the meat before returning to Zhang Shuguang. “Mang Jiu’s meat? You can decide to trade it?”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “Sure.” If he didn’t trade it, the meat would rot by the time Mang Jiu returned, and he certainly wouldn’t eat it then. That would be a waste.

Lang Tai’s eyes flashed as he reassessed the scrawny, bony Sub-Beastman before him.

Everyone in the Cliff Shore Tribe knew Mang Jiu frequently brought back Sub-Beastmen. At first, they believed he was blessed by the Beast God—how else could he simply bathe in the sea and retrieve Sub-Beastmen? Many single Beastmen tried to imitate him, only to end up drenched and uncomfortable, having found absolutely nothing.

Later, witnessing Mang Jiu repeatedly bring back Sub-Beastmen, their initial shock gave way to routine acceptance. They were far more excited to see him return with a large wild beast.

Mang Jiu was the tribe’s undisputed top warrior. Countless Sub-Beastmen adored him; even those from other tribes had tried their luck with him. But the guy was as thick as a plank, never showing any special interest in anyone.

And now look!

This Sub-Beastman before him might look scrawny enough to be blown over by a breeze, yet he’d managed to stay in Mang Jiu’s cave! He even had free rein over the meat Mang Jiu hunted!

That alone demanded respect!

Lang Tai’s eyes darted around so much that Zhang Shuguang felt a bit intimidated and considered switching to a smaller group for the trade. Lang Tai finally asked, “What do you want to trade?”

Zhang Shuguang opened his mouth. Right, what should I trade?

He wasn’t short on hides, had plenty of bones, and even branches and dry grass were everywhere. What he wanted were seeds for various edible fruits and vegetables, but this group of Beastmen probably didn’t have any.

As he pondered, his gaze was drawn to a glint ahead—a bamboo tube filled with water!

His eyes lit up.

“I’d like to ask for your help cutting bamboo!”

The five brothers froze. What?

“You want us to cut bamboo?” Lang Qian looked at him, confused. “What do you need bamboo for?”

Zhang Shuguang stepped forward, smiling. “To make something. If possible, I’d like to offer this meat as payment for your help.” He glanced at the meat in his hand, then at the piece they’d eaten, comparing their sizes before continuing. “I cured this meat with a little salt. It’s not particularly fresh, but it’s large enough.”

Lang Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You only want three bamboo stalks?”

“Yes,” Zhang Shuguang nodded. Three giant bamboo stalks would be more than enough for him—he could weave quite a few things with them. “Three whole bamboo stalks.”

Lang Tai stood up and took the venison from Zhang Shuguang’s hands. “Alright, we’ll help you cut the bamboo tomorrow.”

Zhang Shuguang smiled and nodded. “Thanks. If it’s not too much trouble, there’s a bamboo I felled this afternoon in the clearing outside the grove. Could you help carry that back, too?” Seeing that they agreed, Zhang Shuguang left with a cheerful smile.

After he left, the five brothers divided the venison, each devouring their share with relish.

“Tastes different from the meat we usually eat,” Lang Tian remarked, chewing a bite of venison before switching back to the giant lizard meat he’d been eating. “His meat is better.”

Lang Tai shot him a glare. “Of course it tastes good—it’s salted.”

All you ever think about is eating! Whoever eats the most carries bamboo tomorrow!