Mang Jiu drew two horizontal lines at Zhang Shuguang’s feet and said to him, “I’ve left my scent here. Don’t wander off.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded vigorously. “I promise not to move,” he said. He found a rock to sit on, holding the backpack in his arms. “I’ll stay here with the kid and wait for you to come back. Be careful out there.”

Although he knew Mang Jiu was a predator at the top of the food chain, those agonized screams and the angry roars that followed made him feel uneasy.

Mang Jiu nodded slightly, turned, and ran quickly in the direction of the sounds.

Zhang Shuguang watched as his figure vanished in the blink of an eye, then looked down to meet the wide eyes of the two little ones in the backpack.

“Don’t be afraid—your snake dad is really strong.” He tapped Nai Dou’s little nose with his finger, then stroked Tang Dou’s tiny wing. “We’ll just wait here quietly.”

Nai Dou let out a soft meow, and Tang Dou fluttered her wings. She lifted the wing still bound in a splint, and Zhang Shuguang met her dark, beady eyes. He reached out and gently stroked it. “Does it hurt?”

Tang Dou didn’t move, just stared at him.

Zhang Shuguang understood—it didn’t hurt. If it did, she wouldn’t have let him touch it.

With the little wing still in his hand, Zhang Shuguang smiled helplessly. “Good girl, we can’t take this splint off yet. You’ll have to keep it on for a few more days. Bear with it, okay?”

Tang Dou let out a soft chirp, her voice sounding a bit listless.

Zhang Shuguang chuckled. This little rascal actually knew how to play the victim.

Mang Jiu ran toward the source of the beast’s frenzied roar and discovered it was actually a dog-beast.

This dog-beast had pointed ears and a long snout, stood over five meters tall, and likely weighed a ton. Its body was covered in thick, coarse black fur, its mouth filled with sharp fangs, and its eyes were blood-red. Its limbs were short, thick, and powerful. It was using the sharp claws on its two front paws to claw viciously at a crevice in the mountain wall; the rocks around the crevice were being shattered by its claws, and fragments were tumbling down with a clatter.

A pitiful, whimpering howl came from within the crevice—the cry was coming out, clearly indicating that a young cub was hiding inside.

Without a word, Mang Jiu darted forward and kicked the dog-beast squarely in the midsection. The beast was sent flying by the force of the blow, rolling more than ten meters to the side and snapping several cinnamon trees in its path.

“Roar!!!”

The beast shook its head and roared furiously at him, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth. It had clearly shifted its target from the cub to Mang Jiu, who had dared to kick it.

The beast charged forward, leaping into the air with its foul-smelling maw wide open, lunging at Mang Jiu.

Mang Jiu took a step back and raised his fist.

The fist slammed directly into the beast’s skull, producing a loud thud.

“Aaaah~~!” The beast was knocked to the ground, letting out an agonized howl.

The howl carried far and wide. Zhang Shuguang froze, then turned to look.

Mang Jiu took a step forward, raised his foot, and stomped viciously on the dog-beast’s long snout. With a crunch, the snout was crushed under his foot, and blood spattered everywhere.

One kick wasn’t enough; Mang Jiu delivered three consecutive kicks, completely crushing the beast’s massive head. Its enormous body twitched violently twice, then fell completely still.

Mang Jiu wiped the blood from the sole of his foot on the beast’s black fur, then turned and took two steps toward the crevice in the mountain wall.

“Woo-woo~~” A nervous growl came from within the crevice. Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow; the little brat was quite fierce.

“Come out.” He stood outside the crevice, bent down to take a look, and froze. “From the Gray Wolf Clan?”

The little pup in the crevice stared at Mang Jiu for a while. Seeing that he really wasn’t going to make a move, it cautiously poked out a paw.

Mang Jiu saw the paw and frowned slightly.

Not from the Gray Wolf Clan.

The wolf cub scratched and clawed at the rock face, but didn’t come out for a long time.

Clearly, he’d been too scared earlier and had hidden in the crevice, and now he couldn’t get out.

Mang Jiu reached out, pried the crevice in the rock face open a bit, and pulled the restless wolf cub out.

He brought it closer for a closer look, examined it, and frowned.

Zhang Shuguang heard the noise and turned to look. He saw Mang Jiu holding a grayish wolf cub in one hand and a long-haired black beast in the other. He squinted to get a better look. A bear?

Calling it a bear didn’t quite fit, since its head was unrecognizable; it merely resembled a bear in shape, though its size was a bit too massive.

“What is this thing?”

Mang Jiu replied, “A dog-beast—a carnivorous predator. A fully grown dog-beast can grow larger than Xi San’s beast form. This is a half-grown one.”

Zhang Shuguang thought of Xi San’s beast form, which was as big as a small mountain, and his lips twitched. “The flora and fauna in this world have really mutated—they’ve been maximized.”

Mang Jiu didn’t understand what he meant and handed the wolf cub to him. “Here.”

Zhang Shuguang quickly reached out to cradle the cub in his arms, lowering his gaze to look at the tiny, shivering body. “Is this a cub from the Gray Wolf Clan? Whose cub is this in the tribe?”

Mang Jiu shook his head. “Look closely—it’s not from the Gray Wolf Clan.”

Zhang Shuguang froze. He patted the little pup’s fur and, seeing his hands covered in dust, couldn’t help but twitch his lips. “It’s dirty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, the White Wolf Clan.” Mang Jiu nudged the pup aside with his foot, walked over, and sat down on the ground. “He was probably abandoned. I remember there’s a White Wolf tribe in the Black Forest. They’re skilled at hiding and rarely interact with other tribes.”

Zhang Shuguang frowned deeply, running his hand gently over the pup’s back, feeling the dry, coarse fur and the frail body beneath it.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe it as skin and bones.

This wolf pup looked quite big, but felt much thinner to the touch than his own kitten.

He’d forgotten that his own kitten had looked just as pitiful when he first found it. With three meals a day plus occasional snacks lately, it would be a waste of all that food if it didn’t put on some weight.

“Why would a pack abandon him of all creatures?” He couldn’t figure it out.

Mang Jiu tilted his chin, gesturing for him to look for himself.

Zhang Shuguang lifted the little pup by its front legs, and that’s when he saw what set it apart.

One green, one blue—heterochromatic eyes.

He pursed his lips, wanting to say that heterochromia wasn’t anything unusual—just look at Persian cats.

But he also knew that if only one wolf cub in the pack had heterochromia, it might make others uncomfortable.

Holding the wolf cub close to his chest, the corners of his mouth tightened into a straight line.

“Poor thing.”

“Take it back and raise it. Raising one is the same as raising two—three wouldn’t be too many,” said Mang Jiu.

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly, running his hand gently over the wolf cub’s head. “Don’t be afraid. Get some sleep.”

The wolf cub let out a soft whimper and closed its eyes.

It had been wandering alone for several days, weakened to the point of exhaustion by unbearable hunger. If Mang Jiu hadn’t rescued it today, it likely wouldn’t have survived much longer in the woods.

“Let’s go back,” Zhang Shuguang said, cradling the wolf cub in his arms. He shushed Nai Dou, who was meowing incessantly. “Quiet. He’ll be your little brother from now on.”

Nai Dou bared his teeth, looking fierce.

Zhang Shuguang ignored him and looked at Mang Jiu. “Let’s wait a couple of days before we go look for the beehive.”

Mang Jiu’s expression was impassive as he nodded. “Alright.”

Zhang Shuguang teased him. “Look at that reluctant face of yours. We’ll come back once the cub is feeling better.”

Mang Jiu grunted in agreement, hoisted the backpack onto his own back, and the two whining little brats fell instantly silent.

“Let’s chop down a tree on the way back. That way, this trip won’t have been for nothing,” Zhang Shuguang said.

Mang Jiu nodded, kicked out with his foot, and a cinnamon tree over ten meters tall snapped with a crisp crack and fell.

Zhang Shuguang smacked his lips. “That’s brutal.”

Mang Jiu hoisted the dog onto his back and shook his head at him. “Let’s go.”

“You’re not carrying me anymore?” Zhang Shuguang looked at him with a smile. “I’m tired!”

“Alright, I’ll carry you.” As soon as Mang Jiu spoke, he reached to take off his backpack and hand it to him, but Zhang Shuguang quickly took a step back. “Just kidding. I can walk on my own. Let’s head back this way and find a path down near the small waterfall.”

Mang Jiu chuckled softly, “Alright.”

Zhang Shuguang, holding the wolf cub, followed behind Mang Jiu, taking each step with caution, afraid he might trip if he wasn’t careful.

“Mang Jiu, pull some vines—we’re running low on them.” He noticed a low shrub nearby entwined with plenty of greenish-yellow vines—clearly, they were just beginning to regrow after the snow had melted.

Mang Jiu reached out to pull some, then casually tossed them into his back basket. Nai Dou let out a loud yelp, reminding him that the two cubs were still in there!

Mang Jiu paused, took off the backpack, and split the load, carrying one on his front and one on his back. He turned to look at Zhang Shuguang. “Pretty convenient.”

“Hmm,” Zhang Shuguang smiled. “You really pick things up fast.”

Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow and reached out with his free hand. “Hold on.”

Zhang Shuguang held the wolf cub in one arm and clasped his hand with the other, their fingers tightly intertwined.

“This vine is much thinner than the one you gave me at first. Does it have a name?” He leaned in, peering through the holes in the basket. “And it’s also a bit stiffer than that one.”

Mang Jiu explained, “This is a tree vine. It usually grows alongside shrubs. The one before was ground vine—you can only find it in patches in the coastal forests.”

Zhang Shuguang murmured, “That one splits into lots of thin vines and is much more pliable.”

“If you want ground vine, I’ll go pick some later,” Mang Jiu said.

“No need. These are perfectly usable. Just soak them in water when we get back, soften them up, and peel off the bark,” Zhang Shuguang said with a twinkle in his eye. “We should stock up on some vines. We’ll need them for drying meat, fish, and vegetables later on.”

“You can dry vegetables, too?” Mang Jiu looked at him. “Is there anything you can’t dry?”

Zhang Shuguang was stumped by his question.

He remembered that when he was a child, and the family’s circumstances weren’t as good, there really wasn’t much fresh produce to eat once winter came. It was basically just radishes, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and various pickled and dried vegetables. It wasn’t until later, when living standards improved and transportation became more developed, that vegetables from all over the country could be bought in supermarkets.

“Actually, anything that can be dried can be saved for the winter—or rather, the snowy season. It’s not just meat; vegetables work too.” Zhang Shuguang wrinkled his nose at him. “Once our vegetables are ready, we’ll set some aside to dry.”

“Alright, you decide,” Mang Jiu nodded. “I’m heading out hunting in a couple of days; the tribe’s meat supply is almost gone.”

Zhang Shuguang sighed. “It’s only been a few days, and it’s almost gone already.”

“Since we can’t preserve it, we have to eat it quickly; otherwise, it’ll spoil. It’s getting hotter and hotter,” Mang Jiu explained.

“It is getting hotter, and it’s especially dr..” Zhang Shuguang licked his lips, took off his water bag to drink, then fed a little water to the wolf cub in his arms, followed by the two cubs in his backpack. Finally, he handed the water bag to Mang Jiu. “Have some water. I’ve noticed you hardly drink any water all day, except for a little soup.”

Mang Jiu pushed the water bag away. “I don’t like it.”

“Why?” Zhang Shuguang asked, puzzled. Loving baths but hating water—what kind of logic was that?

Thinking of his love for baths, Zhang Shuguang asked, “Have you liked soaking in the sea since you were a kid? You don’t seem like a sea python.”

Mang Jiu shrugged. “It started after my first molt.”

“I can’t help but feel like you’ve mutated,” Zhang Shuguang said with a scoff, his eyes catching sight of the green lemons nearby. “Wait a minute, let’s pick some to take back.”

After picking the green lemons and placing them on a vine, the two continued walking hand in hand.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Zhang Shuguang realized he wasn’t feeling particularly tired from the walk. He turned to look at Mang Jiu. “What did you do?”

Mang Jiu glanced at their intertwined hands and chuckled. “I suddenly realized we can actually walk pretty fast like this.”

Zhang Shuguang didn’t quite understand what he meant, but when he heard the roaring sound of water, his eyes widened in surprise. “We’re at the waterfall already?”

It felt like they’d only been walking for a little over an hour—how could they have gotten here so fast?

“You must have done something.” He shook their clasped hands. “Is this your ability?”

Mang Jiu said, “It’s the first time I’ve realized I could use my ability this way. I just wanted to make it less tiring for you so we could walk faster.”

“Your ability is really useful. At my usual pace, it would’ve taken at least three or four hours to get here.” Zhang Shuguang chuckled. “Next time, try taking someone else with you.”

“No.” Mang Jiu refused without a second thought. He wasn’t about to let himself hold someone else’s hand.

Zhang Shuguang sighed. He recalled what Xiao Cai had said earlier about crops upstream. He looked around but didn’t see anything edible.

“Over there,” Mang Jiu pointed, “are you looking for fruit again?”

“Hm? It doesn’t have to be fruit, does it? I’m just looking to see if there’s anything edible.” Zhang Shuguang carried the wolf cub forward a short distance and stopped at the bank of a narrow river. “What river is this?”

“The Dongchuan River,” Mang Jiu said. “If you follow the Dongchuan River, you’ll reach the Changye Forest. That’s where the Giant Ape Tribe’s settlement is.”

“The Dongchuan River,” Zhang Shuguang scratched his cheek and looked down. He noticed the view from this spot was particularly good—he could see quite far, though the details were a bit blurry. “Then why is there just a small pond at the bottom of the waterfall, and why does it turn into an underground river?”

Mang Jiu didn’t quite understand what he meant, but he nodded anyway. “This small pool is connected to the one in the Coastal Forest. That must be the underground river you’re talking about.”

Zhang Shuguang blinked, then his eyes lit up as a thought occurred to him. “Mang Jiu, when we get back to the tribe, let’s dig a well on the back mountain and see if we can get water out of it.”

“What’s a well?” Mang Jiu was constantly picking up new words from Zhang Shuguang and was very eager to learn.

Zhang Shuguang pointed at the ground beneath his feet. “You dig a deep hole in the ground—a very deep one. That’s called a well. If there’s a water source underground, water will seep into the well, and it becomes a water well. You can set up a pulley on one side and use a bucket to draw water.” He spoke while gesturing with one hand, trying to make sure Mang Jiu understood.

Mang Jiu looked completely bewildered.

“Never mind. You’ll figure it out once we dig the well. I can’t explain it clearly anyway.” Zhang Shuguang waved his hand. “There seems to be a red fruit over there. Let’s go take a look.”

Mang Jiu grabbed him and leaped straight up, clearing the three-meter-wide river in a single bound.

Zhang Shuguang was still feeling a bit queasy after landing. He glanced back and said, his face pale, “Next time, give me a heads-up first.”

The wolf cub in his arms had already woken up, but it was too weak and clung to the warmth of his embrace, so it didn’t stir.

“You hold it. I’ll go check what kind of fruit it is.” From across the river, it looked like a fruit growing on a tree, but when he walked closer, he realized it wasn’t.

He placed the wolf cub into the basket on Mang Jiu’s chest and ran over to examine it closely, refraining from touching it directly.

Ever since he’d learned that Xiao Cai had been hiding things and deceiving him, he’d come to doubt everything he said.

He’d claimed there were crops here, but whether they were edible or poisonous was anyone’s guess.

He’d thought they were red at first glance, but they weren’t—they were actually deep orange. Moreover, these things were as thick as his arm, hanging in long clusters from the tree, suspended by vines at the tips.

Zhang Shuguang furrowed his brow slightly; he felt as though he’d seen them somewhere before.

He reached out and pinched the hard, shriveled outer skin; it snapped with a crisp crack.

“Hm?” He pinched it again; the cracking sounds continued unceasingly, and pieces of dry, flaky skin fell to the ground, revealing the scorched-yellow flesh inside.

“A loofah?” He was surprised. It was actually loofah—the very thing his housekeeper was always raving about, saying it was great for scrubbing pots. She’d even asked someone for two old loofahs to keep on hand, so she could use one until it wore out before switching to the next.

Mang Jiu walked over to him, plucked one, and handed it to him. “You can’t eat this, right?”

“This one’s too old to eat, but it’s great for scrubbing pots and washing dishes. You can plant the seeds inside, and the tender fruits that grow from them are delicious stir-fried. Zhang Shuguang asked Mang Jiu to pick a few more. He carried the wolf cub out and placed the loofahs inside.

“Let’s go. We’ll catch a few fish and dig up some bamboo shoots to take back with us.”

Mang Jiu nodded, wrapped his arm around Zhang Shuguang’s waist, and said, “I’m going to jump.” Then, he simply jumped.

He really had just said it.

Zhang Shuguang’s heart skipped a beat, and then they landed.

“Mang Jiu, you really are such a straight guy!”

“You sit down and rest; I’ll catch the fish.” Mang Jiu helped him sit down by a large rock nearby, lifted the two pups out of the backpack, and placed them in his lap.

Zhang Shuguang wrapped his arms around the three pups. Tang Dou chirped twice, then tapped the wolf pup’s head with its tiny paws before hopping onto Nai Dou’s head and chirping at Zhang Shuguang.

Nai Dou’s fur bristled, and a hissing sound came from its throat, making it look particularly hostile toward the wolf cub.

The wolf cub wasn’t about to back down either; it bared its tiny milk teeth and growled back.

A cat-and-dog brawl, with a bird stirring up trouble.

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and gave each of the three little ones a gentle tap on the head. “Behave yourselves. You’re all my little ones now. If you can’t get along, Daddy’s going to spank your bottoms.”

Nai Dou twitched his whiskers and meowed softly.

The wolf cub swished his bushy tail and let out a low growl.

Tang Dou hopped chirpily onto his arm, lowering her little head to nuzzle him.

“Mang Jiu, these three little ones of ours are really smart—they can actually understand what I’m saying,” Zhang Shuguang exclaimed with delight.

“Rare beast tribes are much better at sensing emotions than ordinary beast tribes. It’s no big deal that they understand what you mean,” Mang Jiu said as he bent down to catch fish by the pond, snatching one up with a single dip of his hand.

In just a moment, he had already tossed four fish onto the ground.

Zhang Shuguang looked down at the cub in his arms and asked, “Is the White Wolf Clan also a rare beast tribe?”

“Mm-hmm,” Mang Jiu replied without looking up, his eyes fixed on the water’s surface. He reached out, grabbed a fish, flung it aside, and said, “Rare beast clans love to abandon their cubs. When we go out hunting, we always come across some abandoned cubs, but they haven’t been as lucky as those three—they’ve all died.”

“Why?” Zhang Shuguang was taken aback. Rare beast clans are already small in number; if they have cubs, why wouldn’t they raise them properly instead of abandoning them? What’s the point of that?

Mang Jiu replied calmly, “To select the best one to be the next leader.”

“Do they select one every year?”

“No. When the previous leader falls ill or grows old, they select the next one. It happens roughly once every five snow seasons.” Mang Jiu had caught ten large fish and two exceptionally plump frogs. “Can we eat these?”

Zhang Shuguang saw clearly what he was holding and grinned. “What do you call this thing?”

“Croaker.” Mang Jiu tossed the huge, fat frog onto the ground; it hopped around, croaking loudly.

“Catch it!” Zhang Shuguang shouted. “Once we catch it, we’ll skin it and chop it up to make some spicy-numbing frog!” This thing was quite a bit bigger than a bullfrog; look at those thick, meaty legs—all pure meat!

As soon as Mang Jiu heard they were edible, he immediately got up and headed for a nearby corner. In an instant, the air was filled with the chorus of croaking frogs.

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened, and the two little ones in his arms did the same. Tang Dou had already jumped onto his shoulder and turned to look at the commotion.

Before long, Mang Jiu returned, holding a string of frogs tied together with a vine he’d snagged from somewhere.

“Is this enough?”

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched. “You’ve practically wiped out the whole nest.”

“There are still plenty of small ones left,” Mang Jiu said, tossing the frogs and fish into the backpack. “Go dig for bamboo shoots.”

Zhang Shuguang found it somewhat amusing to see him so eager for food, but he didn’t say anything. “Yeah, dig up plenty—fill the basket. I’ll hold the kids; it’ll be a good chance for these two brothers to bond.”

The two little ones in his arms bared their teeth but dared not make a sound.

On their way back after digging up bamboo shoots and gathering some lemongrass, they saw quite a few sub-beastmen from the tribe burying things in the ground where the potatoes were being dug up, and they paused in surprise.

“Shuguang! You’re back. What kind of game did you catch this time?”

Zhang Shuguang replied, then suddenly remembered the cinnamon tree. He turned to Mang Jiu and said, “We’ll have to carry the tree back later.” Earlier, worried they’d move too slowly, he hadn’t let Mang Jiu carry the cinnamon tree; he’d only brought the dog-beast back.

“Alright, I’ll go get it in a bit,” Mang Jiu replied.

The two returned to the cave. Zhang Shuguang, holding the wolf cub and Nai Dou, went to find Ying Cao first; he needed to have him examine the wolf cub’s condition.

Mang Jiu set down their belongings, turned, and headed back down the mountain, making their way quickly toward the cinnamon tree.

Inside the cave, Ying Cao was extracting juice from medicinal herbs. He’d placed the herbs in a stone bowl and was pounding them with a stone pestle, adding a splash of water now and then to dilute the mixture.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t recognize the herbs, but the remedy Ying Cao had given him for cough and fever had worked quite well. It was truly admirable to master medical skills in an era when nothing was available.

“Uncle Ying Cao, could you please take a look at this wolf cub’s condition?” He placed the cub on the stone slab bed in front of Ying Cao. “Mang Jiu and I found him at the edge of the Black Forest.”

Ying Cao reached out to feel the cub’s body, but the cub snarled at him. Zhang Shuguang grabbed the cub’s muzzle. “Don’t be rude—this is Grandpa.”

Ying Cao chuckled. “You two really are a family—you both love picking up strays.”

“He’s fine, just hungry. He’ll be okay after eating some meat.”

Zhang Shuguang let out a sigh of relief and picked up the wolf cub. Nai Dou and Tang Dou each perched on either of his shoulders. “Thanks, Uncle Ying Cao. I’ll take them back now. Later, I’ll make Sichuan-style spicy frog legs and have Mang Jiu bring you some to try. I hope you don’t mind.”

Ying Cao waved his hand, smiling broadly. “No need. I’ve got plenty of meat here—more than I can eat.”

“It’ll be a nice change of pace. Eating the same kind of meat all the time gets boring.” Zhang Shuguang thanked him again, then left with the cub in his arms.

Back at the cave, he found A-Si standing at the entrance, bent over and examining the frogs in the bamboo basket. He called out, “A-Si!”

A-Si turned around. Seeing the wolf cub in his arms, he paused for a moment, then said helplessly, “I just heard them say you’d picked up another cub. I thought they were talking about the little bird. How did you manage to bring back a cub after just one trip out? Is this one from the Wolf Clan?”

“Yeah, a white-wolf cub with heterochromia. Mang Jiu said it was abandoned—he found it on the edge of the Black Forest, where it was almost eaten by wild beasts.” Zhang Shuguang nodded toward the headless dog-like beast outside the cave. “Help me skin it, and I’ll give you some Sichuan pepper frog later.”

“I’m not eating that!” A-Si really couldn’t stand that tingling sensation; he waved his hands repeatedly. “Teach me how to weave a basket instead.”

“Sure, I happen to need to weave one with small holes myself,” Zhang Shuguang said, carrying the wolf cub into the cave. “A-Si, do you not have a bone knife that fits your hand? I have a few here; take one.”

“Okay, thanks,” A-Si didn’t stand on ceremony, grabbing a bone knife and heading over to skin the dog-beast. “Why did you two end up at the edge of the Black Forest? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take risks?”

“Mang Jiu said there was a beehive. We were planning to find some honey to satisfy our sweet tooth, but who would’ve thought we’d run into a wolf cub being bullied by a dog beast right when we got there? Mang Jiu saved him, so we came back.” Zhang Shuguang took some meatballs and gave them to the three cubs to eat first.

The wolf cub was ravenous; drawn by the scent of meat, it pounced and began devouring the meat with a series of “woofs,” its tail hanging behind it, swaying gently.

Zhang Shuguang sighed and stroked its back, saying, “Eat slower, or you’ll choke again. Let’s give you a name. What should we call you?”

Asi heard him muttering and chuckled, “You already have two ‘Dou’s at home. What kind of ‘Dou’ are you going to call this one?”

Zhang Shuguang hadn’t actually planned to include the character ‘Dou’ in all the pups’ names, but after A-Si mentioned it, he thought it might be nice if they were all called ‘Dou.’ That way, anyone who heard their names would know they were from the same family.

He stroked the stubble on his chin and hummed thoughtfully.

“Hua Dou? Bai Dou?” Neither of those sounded very good.

The wolf cub paid no attention to his future dad’s indecision, eating his meatballs without even looking up.

Nai Dou swiped Zhang Shuguang’s arm with his furry tail and meowed.

Zhang Shuguang stared at his big tail, then glanced at the wolf cub’s big tail, and his eyes lit up. “Let’s call him Maodou!”

“……” A-Si pressed his hand to his forehead. “Why do they all sound like food?”

Zhang Shuguang gave a dry laugh. “Well, it is food, isn’t it? Nai Dou, Tang Dou, plus Mao Dou—Dou Dou Dou!”

“From now on, you’ll be called Mao Dou. Good boy, eat up—look how skinny you are.” Seeing that the wolf cub had finished the fish balls in the shell, he turned and fetched a few more for him. “A-Si, try this meatball. I think you’ll like it.”

A-Si replied, “Just a moment. I’ll peel this skin off first. You two really came back with a bountiful harvest.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. Yes, they’d originally planned to just get some honey and head back, but they never expected to bring back so much.

By the time Mang Jiu returned carrying two cinnamon trees, Zhang Shuguang had already chopped up all the fat frogs and blanched them. Seeing the extra cinnamon tree, he wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Mang Jiu set the trees on the ground and handed him the bundle, “I saw some Sichuan peppercorns and picked some more.”

Zhang Shuguang quickly took it—the bag was nearly full of Sichuan peppercorns, still attached to their leaves.

“If we dry them, they’ll last a long time. You rest for a bit and have some water; I’ll peel off some bark to use for cooking the meat.”

With A-Si helping out, the meal was a bit late, but everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. Zhang Shuguang actually quite liked the texture of the giant frog—the meat was tender and had no strange aftertaste.

A-Si particularly loved the stir-fried fresh bamboo shoots; he ate nearly half the plate himself. He also tried the meatball, ground-cover vegetable, and potato soup and found it quite good.

Zhang Shuguang realized that A-Si was a light eater; unlike Mang Jiu, he didn’t have a heavy palate.

By the time they finished eating, the sun was about to set. Zhang Shuguang let out a satisfied belch, sat on a rock, and stretched lazily. “All that hustle and bustle—another day is almost over.”

“When I came up just now, I saw Xi San heading toward Shaman Wu’s cave. He looked pretty anxious.” A-Si sat down beside him, glanced at Mang Jiu, then turned to Zhang Shuguang and whispered, “Have you heard? The people from the Ivory Tribe have come to press us. They asked Mang Jiu when he plans to join forces with Ning.”

Zhang Shuguang was taken aback by his erratic line of conversation.

“Weren’t we talking about Brother Xi San? Why did you suddenly switch to Mang Jiu? Could you please not jump from one topic to another when we’re chatting?”

He looked at A-Si helplessly. Seeing the other man acting all secretive, as if afraid Mang Jiu might overhear, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “He’s not deaf—how could he not hear what you’re saying?”

Mang Jiu glanced over, then stood up to clear the bamboo bowls, stone plates, and wooden basins from the table.

Zhang Shuguang patted A-Si on the shoulder and asked, with a slightly awkward smile, “You just said Brother Xi San went to Wu’s cave. There are so many kids in there—what if they need to talk? Are they going to kick the kids out?”

A-Si chuckled. “What are you thinking? Shaman’s ‘Big Cave’ isn’t just a single cave. There are several caves connected together over there—that’s why it’s called the ‘Big Cave.’”

Zhang Shuguang realized it was like that. He’d thought it was called the “Big Cave” simply because it was a huge single cave.

But on second thought, it made sense—if several caves were connected, wouldn’t that still be massive?

“Our place is a single open floor plan; theirs is a suite.”

“Do you know what they’re talking about?” Zhang Shuguang had a hunch; he guessed it had something to do with sea salt.

A-Si shook his head. “I don’t know, but I saw the oldest Sub-Beastmen in the tribe, along with the other sub-beastmen, all go over there. It looked like they had something important to discuss.”

“That’s not ‘oldest,’” Zhang Shuguang rubbed his face. “That’s just the oldest in age. Calling someone ‘the oldest’ sounds too rude.”

“You’re so particular about your words,” A-Si pouted. “Judging by your reaction, do you know what they’re up to?”

“Yeah, Brother Xi San took some people to the coast to boil salt. He must be bringing back the finished salt to show them this time.” Zhang Shuguang said. 

He saw A-Si’s eyes widen in surprise, but this surprise wasn’t because he’d just learned that seawater could be used to make salt; rather, it was the kind of surprise one feels when a secret has been uncovered. 

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know the method for making salt from seawater?”

A-Si felt awkward and tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Everyone in our tribe uses seawater to make salt. I only realized they didn’t know this method after coming here.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Zhang Shuguang asked, and then it dawned on him—it wasn’t that A-Si hadn’t wanted to say it, but that he hadn’t dared to.

If an outsider stood out too much, people would likely suspect him of having ulterior motives. Besides, A-Si rarely interacted much with the other members of the tribe, and although this method of making salt wasn’t particularly unique, it might have been a means for his tribe to barter for resources. Since the Cliff Shore Tribe had a place to trade for salt, he certainly wouldn’t have mentioned it. 

A-Si gave an uneasy laugh. “People in our tribe use salt to trade for things. All the tribe members have sworn an oath not to reveal this method to outsiders.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded in understanding. “I told them before that salt could be boiled from seawater, so the chief had people try it,” he said. “But boiling salt takes too much time, and the yield is low. It’s not as good as large-scale salt evaporation.”

“Sun-drying salt?” A-Si asked, puzzled. “How does that work?”

“Dig salt pans, channel seawater into them, and let the sun do the work.” Zhang Shuguang raised a finger and pointed at the sky. “If you’re interested, you can come watch when we start sun-drying salt in a while.”

“I can watch?” A-Si looked stunned. 

Zhang Shuguang looked puzzled. “Why not? Just don’t tell anyone—I trust you completely.” He patted A-Si on the shoulder. “Besides, you can’t make salt just anywhere; it won’t work in rainy areas.”

A-Si nodded solemnly. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“You wouldn’t have anywhere to tell anyone anyway. Without a boat, it’d be hard for you to cross the strait and return to your tribe.”

“What’s a boat?” A-Si asked again.

Zhang Shuguang drew a simple boat on the ground with a twig. Thinking of the Great Gathering they’d mentioned, he asked, “How do the different continents come together? Can they really travel by mountain paths?”

“No,” A-Si shook his head. “Usually, people ride giant sea beasts to travel between the continents. But these beasts are hard to catch and even harder to tame and raise, so the Grand Gathering is held only once every ten snow seasons.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. No wonder—transportation really is inconvenient.

“If we get the chance in the future, we could build a boat. Going out to sea isn’t impossible.”

A-Si smiled and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Whether I can go home depends on you.”Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow. “Don’t let your jaw drop when the time comes.”

Just as the two were talking, Xiong Kui came up from the foot of the mountain, followed by Xi San.

Xiong Kui held a large conch shell in his hand. He walked over and, without a word, shoved it into Zhang Shuguang’s hands. “Take a look—this is the salt they’ve boiled down.” As he spoke, he didn’t spare a glance for A-Si, as if he didn’t care at all that the tribe’s secret might be overheard.

Xi San grinned as he picked up a stone and sat down at the table. Curiously, he fiddled with the thick bamboo tube filled with sour juice sitting on the table, then picked up the bamboo-joint cup to examine it. Acting as if he’d known them forever, he poured himself a cup of sour juice and took a sip, his face scrunching up in a sour grimace.

“What on earth is this?”

“Sour fruit juice,” Zhang Shuguang pinched some snow-white salt granules between his fingers, rubbed them together, licked them, then looked up at Xiong Kui. “How much did you boil?”

Xi San replied, “We got a total of three large conch shells’ worth of salt. Not much.”

Zhang Shuguang frowned. That was too slow.

Xiong Kui sighed, rubbed his hands together, and asked, “Shuguang, how’s your health?”

“Huh? I’m doing just fine.” Zhang Shuguang realized what he was getting at and smiled. “Why don’t we head to the Hot Rock Cave tomorrow? I’ll see if the stones are any good.”

“Great, great, let’s go tomorrow!” Xiong Kui broke into a beaming smile, his eyes brimming with anticipation.