Zhang Shuguang returned to the cave to find Nai Dou already curled up on the animal hide, snoring soundly.

He stuffed the remaining branches into the fire to stoke the flames, then picked up the pile of dry grass and began to work on it.

Truthfully, he was exhausted. They’d covered a lot of ground today. He hadn’t felt it while busy, but now that he was resting, his legs were shaking from fatigue, and the soles of his feet were throbbing unbearably.

No need to look closely to know—there were definitely several new wounds.

Zhang Shuguang twisted several strands of dry, long grass together into a braid. The grass shortened considerably when bound, so he joined several strands together until he had a single, continuous rope about three meters long.

Straightening his back, he pounded his aching spine with his hands. Exhaling deeply, he measured the length of his four soles with the grass rope before cutting it open with his fishbone knife.

Though he’d never made straw shoes before, he knew a sole needed a frame for support. Zhang Shuguang wrapped the four-foot-long rope around the frame twice, weighted the top with stones to secure it, then began tightly winding the remaining long grass rope around the frame layer by layer.

This wasn’t random wrapping—it was a weave, one over one, like loom work.

Halfway through, the rough shape became visible. Unfortunately, the long grass rope ran out, so he began braiding new strands.

After repeating this process for quite some time, his fingers turning red from the pressure, he finally completed one straw-woven sole.

Zhang Shuguang was quite pleased with his creation. He placed his foot on it and tested it. Though it still pricked slightly, the sensation was entirely different compared to walking barefoot on the stony ground.

He pondered for a moment, then fetched the shark skin he’d brought back earlier. Placing the sole on the skin, he positioned the scaly side down and the smooth side against his foot. Stepping on it again, the sensation was like treading on soft flesh!

Zhang Shuguang was delighted. He cut two pieces from the shark skin with his fishbone knife and secured them to the sole with a grass rope.

Thus, he created an unconventional version of straw sandals: outer layer of shark skin + sole + inner layer of shark skin.

Standing up, he slipped one shoe on and walked around the cave to test it. He discovered the tiny scales on the shark’s skin provided strong friction against the ground, acting as a natural anti-slip feature.

Zhang Shuguang was energized like he’d been injected with adrenaline. He quickly finished the other shoe.

Staring at this pair of unconventional flip-flops before him, he nearly cried with emotion.

He’d actually pulled it off! He really was a crafty little artisan!

Even if his fingers were rubbed raw and numb, it didn’t matter. He finally, finally wouldn’t have to walk barefoot!

But these sandals still had some drawbacks. They didn’t stay on well, easily flying off while walking, and running in them was impossible—he’d just trip.

Rubbing his stubble-covered chin, Zhang Shuguang used the remaining grass rope to tie several more straps onto the shoes. He upgraded them from flip-flops to a mesh-patterned lace-up design. This way, when worn, the laces could be tied around the ankles to prevent them from slipping off.

His freshly made shoes delighted Zhang Shuguang. He planned to make a few more pairs when he had time—he still had two large pieces of shark skin left. With grass growing everywhere on the hillside, he could even thicken the soles for better durability.

But for now, Zhang Shuguang rubbed his eyes—he was genuinely exhausted. He quickly washed his face, then found a twig to scrape his teeth. Sleep beckoned.

His utterly exhausted body resisted sleep, tossing and turning for a long while before finally drifting off. Even then, his thoughts lingered on making a softer pillow tomorrow—sleeping on this stone one left his neck aching.

At the first light of dawn, Xiong Kui and Hua awoke. Their Beastman child was raised in the large cave. Hua first went to feed the child, then returned to the main cave to prepare food for Xiong Kui.

As Xiong Kui ate the meat, he asked Hua, “Did you hear any sounds when you passed by? Has Shuguang woken up yet?”

“No, he seemed to be busy until quite late.” Hua held the meat but didn’t move. After drinking that delicious fish soup yesterday, she found it hard to accept eating roasted meat again right after waking up.

Handing the meat back to Xiong Kui, Hua tied her hair with a grass rope. “Who are you planning to take with you?”

Xiong Kui devoured the meat in a few bites, then pondered, “Let’s take Xi San. And bring Shaman along too.”

“Shaman?” Hua worried, “Is Shaman physically up for it?”

“Yeah, it’s not that far. Xi San and I can carry them,” Xiong Kui shrugged. ” If Shuguang really manages to make salt, the Shaman will be thrilled.”

Thinking of how much they’d traded for salt each time, Xiong Kui couldn’t help but grind his teeth in frustration.

The Sand Crocodile tribe was too ruthless, demanding exorbitant prices. If they continued like this, obtaining salt would become even harder in the future.

Hua said no more. She took two potatoes dug yesterday, peeled them with a stone knife, and then chopped them into pieces. Placing them in a stone pot with water, she began boiling them. “I noticed Shuguang knows so much. He hung all the fish from last night outside the cave. They look pretty, though the smell is too fishy.”

Xiong Kui agreed. Though they’d only known this Sub-Beastman for two days, his attitude and diligence made it clear he wasn’t a bad soul.

Besides, Xiong Kui remembered the Shaman’s words: Shuguang could bring better lives to the tribe.

“Let him sleep a bit longer. I’ll go find the Shaman and the gathering team first.”

Hua agreed and continued boiling her potato soup.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shuguang had also woken up. Lack of sleep left him feeling groggy. He remembered promising Yu and the others yesterday that he’d teach them how to start a fire. But when he returned after dark, he’d been busy making dried fish and completely forgotten about it.

He washed his face and brushed his teeth before heading to find Yu.

By this hour, most of the tribe had already risen. Yu, too, was awake, mimicking the steps he’d observed Zhang Shuguang perform yesterday. He sliced some meat and potatoes and placed them in water.

“Brother Yu!” Zhang Shuguang called out from outside the cave.

He wasn’t sure if anyone else was inside the cave, and given Yu’s age, he assumed Yu had a partner. He didn’t want to barge in and disturb them.

The ones who came out of the cave in response to his call weren’t Yu, but two little bears with fluffy, reddish-brown fur. They were round and furry, utterly adorable.

Zhang Shuguang’s face lit up with delight. He crouched down and gently stroked the cubs’ backs. Their fur wasn’t as soft as it looked, but it felt nice. He also realized they weren’t as plump as they appeared—it was just their thick coats.

Yu emerged from the cave and smiled at him. “You’re up so early. I saw you working late yesterday.”

Zhang Shuguang quickly withdrew his hand from the fur, nodding with a smile. “I was going to prepare those fish as soon as I got back. I completely forgot about teaching you how to start a fire. Yu, you haven’t lit it yet, have you? I’ll demonstrate for you.”

He brought over the small wooden stick and plank he found most comfortable to use. Planting one foot firmly on the plank, he squatted down and began rubbing the stick.

By now, the skill of fire-drilling had come to Zhang Shuguang with effortless ease and remarkable proficiency.

Soon, white smoke began to rise. He quickly bent down, gently blew on the smoke a few times, then added some dry grass.

As the flames ignited, the two cubs curiously edged closer. Zhang Shuguang swiftly moved the dry grass pile to the bottom of the stone pot, adding more dry grass and twigs to fuel the fire.

Yu watched his movements closely. After Shuguang lit the fire, Yu picked up a stick to try it himself.

“Brother Yu, don’t rub the stick too hard when you start. Otherwise, your hands will hurt, and it’ll be hard to get smoke. It’s best to keep a steady pace. Once smoke appears, just blow gently. Try it a few times, and you’ll get the hang of it.” Zhang Shuguang instructed him from the side. Yu listened and slowed down the pressure he applied to the stick.

Whether it was due to practice or natural talent, he quickly produced smoke after adjusting his pace.

Zhang Shuguang helped him place the dry grass over the smoking hole, and the flames ignited.

“Roar!” The two cubs, thrilled to see their father had mastered fire, let out excited cries.

“These are my two cubs,” Yu said with a smile, tossing the burning dry grass into the fire before pulling the cubs close. “Their mother went hunting with Mang Jiu.”

Zhang Shuguang was somewhat surprised. He had assumed Yu had sired these cubs himself, largely due to Little Cannon Fodder’s memories. Sub-Beastmen here could indeed father cubs, though the probability was extremely low. More crucially, female Beastmen possessed abilities no less than their male counterparts, and they too rarely sought Sub-Beastmen for procreation. He never imagined Yu would choose a female Beastman as his mate!

It must be said, at this moment, Zhang Shuguang felt genuine admiration and respect for Yu!

“Are they boys or girls?” Zhang Shuguang looked at the two cubs and rephrased his question to Yu, “Are they male or female?”

He wasn’t sure if the tribe here understood the concept of gender. Earlier, when he heard the Shaman mention “ with eggs ”, he assumed the tribe distinguished between males and females.

Yu understood immediately and chuckled. “Did your old tribe say ‘boys’ and ‘girls’? We usually say ‘with eggs’ and ‘without eggs.’ These two are without eggs.”

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched. He thought to himself, How could such adorable cubs be described as ‘without eggs’? While accurate, it sounded awful!

“Girls, huh? No wonder they’re so cute,” he said, crouching to scratch both cubs under the chin. “Didn’t you say all the cubs are raised in the big mountain cave?”

Yu nodded. “We only have two cubs, so we keep them close. If we’re not around, we’ll send them to the big cave to be with the other cubs.”

Zhang Shuguang thought of the Shaman’s place as a giant daycare center—offering full or part-time care. Pretty convenient.

“We also have a little one. He just arrived and doesn’t know anyone. Could you take him out to play?”

Yu heard him and sighed helplessly, “They won’t understand what you’re saying. They’re only two snow seasons old.”

Zhang Shuguang: “…” Oh right, he’d forgotten again—the cubs didn’t start learning to speak until they transformed at age three.

But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t embarrassed!

“Shuguang!” Xiong Kui emerged from the cave and called out upon seeing Zhang Shuguang. “Let’s head out after you eat.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. Seeing him head down the mountain, he guessed he was going to arrange the tribe’s hunting and gathering for the day. Turning to Yu, he said, “Brother Yu, I need to go out with the chief. Could you teach Sister Fei how to start a fire?”

Yu nodded. “Sure, go ahead and take care of your business.”

Zhang Shuguang thanked him and turned back toward the cave.

He needed to move the dried fish and ground herbs he’d laid out last night to the cave entrance first, lest changing weather—wind or rain—compromise their quality.