Now, whenever Zhang Shuguang didn’t hear Xiao Cai’s voice, he knew something fishy was going on.

His expression darkened as he asked, “Do you want to be locked in the dungeon again?” 

Xiao Cai: “…Master, I’m not really at liberty to discuss this.”

Zhang Shuguang usually didn’t care for beating around the bush, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t smart—on the contrary, his intuition was razor-sharp.

If it had anything to do with him, and the Green Vegetables app had immediately provided feedback—especially at such a low discount—it could only mean they felt guilty toward him!

And this guilt wasn’t something they could openly admit.

Zhang Shuguang reflected on what had happened to him. Realizing that the seeds in the Caizhong app were all purchased with his own money, he clicked his tongue in disbelief. Since he’d managed to transfer this box of paid-for seeds into his phone, what about the other boxes he’d paid for as well?

There was no reason for those to have been left behind.

And let’s be honest, even if his mom did remember about the seeds and went to the store to pick them up, there’s no way she’d plant them in the ground. Even if she wanted to, his dad wouldn’t agree.

So it’s easy to guess what happened to those seeds in the end—his older brother probably just set them all ablaze. The seeds’ physical form is gone, but where did their spirit go?

Hahaha, he could figure that out with his eyes closed.

The box of seeds he was holding traveled with him when his soul transmigrated—do you really think the other seeds he bought would be spared? Xiao Cai frantically contacted the Main System, and the first thing that popped up was three bold exclamation marks.

Xiao Cai: !!! 

Main System: ???

Xiao Cai: My host, he’s the smartest man in the world! 

Main System: What kind of bullshit are you spouting to me?

Xiao Cai: He figured it out! 

Main System: !!!

Xiao Cai: He hasn’t responded to me for a whole

minute! 

Main System: ……

Xiao Cai: Do you know how much my host cares about the battery drain from chatting? Do you know how meticulously he times every session? Do you know he’s never chatted with me for more than 3 minutes and 59 seconds? Right now, it’s already 4 minutes 33 seconds, and he still hasn’t said a word!

Main System: I know!!!

Xiao Cai: Then why do you think he’s staying silent and not letting me go into hibernation?

Xiao Cai: He’s about to start another round of freebie hunting. Main System, you figure it out yourself.

Xiao Cai: If he gives me a hard time, I’ll just copy everything he says and send it to you. If we’re going to get flak, we’ll take it together.

Main System: ……

Zhang Shuguang tapped his finger lightly against his lips, his gaze fixed on his toes.

His toes had swollen to more than double their size, and half his foot had swollen considerably as well. The purplish-red color was terrifying. He didn’t feel any pain at the moment, only a throbbing sensation that reminded him the injury was serious.

“Xiao Cai.”

After two minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

Xiao Cai: “Master, I’m here!”

Zhang Shuguang: “Will all those seeds I bought actually sprout?”

Xiao Cai: “Of course, Master! You bought nothing but top-quality varieties!” 

Zhang Shuguang: “Good. It looks like you’ve collected all the seeds I bought.” 

Xiao Cai: “……”

Xiao Cai: “Master, I want to crash.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Exchanging 30 points for the 12 seeds I bought with my own money, hehehe.”

Xiao Cai: “…Master, I’m going to file a complaint against you.”

Zhang Shuguang: “No, just exchange all my points for seeds.” 

Xiao Cai: “Master, are you serious? What kind of seeds do you want to exchange for?”

Zhang Shuguang thought it over. Now was the perfect time to sow seeds. According to Mang Jiu, seeds would sprout and break through the soil quickly after the rain, but their growth rate would likely be halved.

“Soybeans, corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I’ll take 3 liang of soybean seeds, 2 liang of corn seeds, 1 liang of cucumber seeds, and 1 liang of tomato seeds.”

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master. I’ll exchange them for you right away. You currently have 5 points remaining.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Alright, put the seeds on the ground. Go back to sleep. Come out once I’ve finished making the jerky.” 

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master.”

Zhang Shuguang looked at the four piles of seeds in front of him and pursed his lips. That really is quite a small amount.

Still, with these four types of seeds, his future meals would be much more varied—especially the soybeans, which were truly essential.

Zhang Shuguang recalled the seeds he’d bought and finally let out a regretful sigh. No wheat or rice—it was truly a shame. It seemed he’d have to find his own staples.

When Mang Jiu returned, he saw Shuguang stretching his legs out and propping his hands behind him as he looked up at the sky.

He glanced up and saw the sun hanging high in the sky.

“What are you thinking about?” He held a few leaves in his hand and handed them to Zhang Shuguang. “I saw a lot of these leaves in Ying Cao’s cave. He said you can crush them and apply them to wounds.”

Zhang Shuguang thanked him and brought the leaves closer for a better look, realizing they resembled pothos leaves.

He remembered his dad had once kept a pot of pothos. He hardly ever tended to it, just watering it now and then, yet before long, the pothos had grown to cover half the wall. But later, his mom got jealous that his dad had done such a good job caring for it, and the pothos vanished from their home.

“Does it really work?” he asked skeptically.

Mang Jiu: “It should work. I’ve seen plenty of injured Beastmen go to Ying Cao to get this leaf.” He reached out to take the leaf, pinched it between his fingertips, and rubbed it a bit. Then he rinsed the grass ash off his toe with water and placed the crushed leaf on top.

Zhang Shuguang had almost cried out in pain when he rinsed the area with water, but once the crushed leaves were applied, the burning sensation gradually subsided, replaced by a faint coolness.

“It actually works!”

Mang Jiu nodded and pointed to the four piles of objects nearby that clearly didn’t belong there. “What are those?”

“Seeds. Don’t ask where they came from—it’s hard to explain,” Zhang Shuguang said. “Just know they’re good stuff. I’ll plant them in the fields when we get back.”

Mang Jiu acknowledged this. “Are you planning to head back now, or wait until your foot heals?”

Zhang Shuguang glanced around; there was no suitable place to rest. “Never mind. Let’s eat first, then head back. This injury probably won’t heal anytime soon.”

Mang Jiu: “I saw a herd of ox beasts nearby just now. Wait a moment—I’ll go catch one.”

Zhang Shuguang perked up instantly. Beef jerky!

But if he wanted to make beef jerky, he seemed to be missing quite a few ingredients.

He didn’t have the right tools on hand, so if he wanted to cook a meal, he’d have to just roast the beef.

Glancing at the mushrooms lying nearby, Zhang Shuguang stroked his chin. “Grilled mushrooms might be good too,” he thought. “If eating wild fresh mushrooms raw might upset my stomach, I’ll just have a couple of bites.”

Mang Jiu returned quickly. Seeing the calf he was carrying on his shoulder, Zhang Shuguang smiled and asked, “You’ve brought back a calf, haven’t you?”

Mang Jiu nodded. “The meat is tender. You’ll like it.”

Zhang Shuguang sighed. The calf was even bigger than any domestic cattle he’d ever seen—it was truly a massive catch. With that in mind, he asked, “No giant ox beastmen?”

Mang Jiu paused for a moment, then laughed. “No.”

“Why not?” Zhang Shuguang was puzzled. He’d noticed there was no discernible pattern among the Beastmen here; it seemed that regardless of whether their original form was herbivorous or carnivorous, they could all become Beastmen.

Mang Jiu shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Zhang Shuguang sighed. Fine, he must have been out of his mind to ask Mang Jiu such a thing.

“Let’s start a fire and grill some meat,” he said, pulling a small leather pouch—about the size of his palm—from his belt. He untied the grass rope, securing it, and showed Mang Jiu the fine salt inside. “Good thing I packed the salt separately earlier; otherwise, we’d be stuck eating bland grilled beef right now.”

Mang Jiu nodded. “I’ll go cut up the meat.”

Zhang Shuguang hummed in agreement, muttering as he built the fire, “That’s what they mean by not putting all your eggs in one basket—especially when it comes to essentials like this.” Mang Jiu nodded again. He dragged the bull’s head to a spot farther away and began skinning, deboning, and carving the meat with his bare hands.

Zhang Shuguang glanced over and grinned. It was a bloody mess—quite a violent sight.

Maodou, drawn by the smell of blood, stopped playing with Naidou and ran straight over to Mang Jiu. Zhang Shuguang saw this and called out, “Maodou, stay back!”

But Mang Jiu said, “It’s a beastman’s nature. A little blood and meat are good for a wolf cub’s health.” He nodded toward Naidou.

“This little one loves fish.”

Zhang Shuguang suddenly realized, “Oh, right. After all, they aren’t just fluffy little animals—they’re beastmen. Then what does Tangdou eat?” He reached out to pick up the little red bird and examined her. “Does she eat bugs?” Seeing the rare look of terror on his face, Mang Jiu couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you afraid of bugs?”

“It’s not that I’m afraid of bugs. I just think that if, as you say, the little ones all have the instincts of their beast clans, then do the young of the Phoenix Clan really eat bugs when they’re little?” Zhang Shuguang licked his lips. “Do all bird clans eat bugs?”

Mang Jiu chuckled softly for a long moment, as if charmed by his sudden innocence.

That cold, hard, blood-soaked aura, brimming with a murderous aura, was instantly washed away by his smile. Zhang Shuguang was completely dumbfounded by his laughter—this was truly a rare sight.

Besides, he pursed his lips—Mang Jiu looked incredibly handsome when he smiled.

“All right, all right, stop laughing,” Zhang Shuguang said, his face flushing slightly from the laughter. He raised his hand to rub it. “Hurry up and get the meat ready, then go gather some branches!”

Mang Jiu tore off a few pieces of meat and dropped them on the ground for Maodou, who had been staring at him the whole time.

Maodou looked at the meat, then at Mang Jiu, tilted his head, and let out a low growl.

Mang Jiu pressed his finger against the pup’s forehead, leaving a red dot on its white fur.

“Eat.”

Maodou happily opened his mouth and gnawed on the meat, eating with great relish.

Zhang Shuguang watched him eat the meat; his mouth was smeared with blood, but judging by the look on his face, he really did seem to enjoy it.

Mang Jiu had gathered quite a few twigs, and Zhang Shuguang had him tear the meat into strips, then skewer them onto the twigs.

Working together, they quickly skewered a large amount. Zhang Shuguang stuck the skewers into the ground, then turned to Mang Jiu, smiled, and said, “The last time we grilled meat like this, it was still by the sea.”

“Are you craving shrimp?”

Zhang Shuguang shot him a look. “Can’t you tell I’m reminiscing with you?”

“Reminiscing?” Mang Jiu looked at him in confusion. “You haven’t been here that long.” The implication was clear: there was no need to reminisce.

Zhang Shuguang couldn’t help himself; he raised his hand and punched him, then picked up a twig to skewer some mushrooms. Mang Jiu chuckled, “How do you plan to get back after we finish eating?”

Zhang Shuguang paused in his work, looking at him with a hint of tension. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve got a lot of stuff, and your foot’s injured, so you can’t walk. What do you think I mean?” Mang Jiu took the twig from his hand and helped him thread the mushrooms.

“Don’t skewer too many—I’m afraid I’ll get an upset stomach if I eat too many.” Zhang Shuguang stopped him, then scratched his cheek. “Are you planning to transform into your beast form and carry us back?”

Mang Jiu gave a soft “Mm.”

Zhang Shuguang took a deep breath and asked, his voice trembling, “You… in your beast form… um… how fast can you get back to the tribe?”

“You’ll be there by the time you wake up,” Mang Jiu said calmly.

Zhang Shuguang was on the verge of tears. He could sleep on Mang Jiu’s back, but on a snake’s back… well… he’d probably just pass out.

“Fine, fine then. So… sniffle, sniffle… Mang Jiu, why do you have to be a snake?!”

“A snake without fur. Sorry about that,” Mang Jiu said, staring at him speechlessly. “I should have fur.”

Zhang Shuguang was at a loss for words, “Forget it, a snake is a snake. Let’s just eat. We’ll leave as soon as we’re done.”

He sprinkled some salt on the grilled meat skewers, handed one to Mang Jiu, and then took one for himself. The meat was quite tender and very fragrant.

“It’s this fragrant just from a quick grill—it’d be even better stir-fried.” Zhang Shuguang chewed the beef in his mouth, nodding repeatedly. “It’s great, really great. But it seems to me you guys don’t really like hunting ox beasts?”

“Adult Ox Beasts are huge, with massive horns, and they tend to travel in herds. Hunting them is dangerous. Hunting parties rarely go after ox beasts. Personally, I don’t like swallowing their horns—they get stuck in my throat,” Mang Jiu explained. “Xi San likes hunting ox beasts; he’s thick-skinned.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled, then burst into a fit of giggles.

“Speak properly—are you saying you’re thin-skinned?”

“He’s naturally thick-skinned—the thickest in the tribe. He likes hunting ox beasts precisely because their horns need at least three strikes to pierce his hide. With his skills, a single strike gives him the chance to counterattack, so he’s not afraid.” Mang Jiu had seen how Xi San killed ox beasts and had to admit that the other was a skilled hunter as well, experienced in luring the beasts out of the herd one by one before killing them.

Zhang Shuguang asked him, “But the giant boar beast has tusks—aren’t you afraid they’ll pierce your throat?” 

Mang Jiu took a big bite of meat and replied, “Just bite off its head while you’re eating.”

Zhang Shuguang: “……” I shouldn’t have asked!

He ate three skewers of meat and two of mushrooms. The grilled mushrooms were incredibly flavorful and had a delicate aroma. As he ate, Zhang Shuguang praised them, “This flavor is absolutely amazing. I love it. When I get back, I’ll have to go pick some more, dry them out, and then rehydrate them—the flavor will definitely be even richer.”

Mang Jiu nodded. “Take the leftover meat back with you and make it into jerky to keep for later.” Zhang Shuguang replied.

The two gathered their things. Zhang Shuguang watched as Mang Jiu used vines to tie several backpacks and wicker baskets together, then heard him say, “Tie them to me in a moment.”

Zhang Shuguang swallowed hard, clutching the three little ones in his arms nervously.

“I’ll do my best. I move fast. If I fall, all the mushrooms will be crushed.” Mang Jiu looked serious.

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched, and he glared at him. “Hurry up and transform!”

Mang Jiu tore off his animal-skin skirt and transformed into that massive python. The first two times he’d seen his form, it had been in the glow of the fire, so it hadn’t been this vivid. The sheer impact of it made Zhang Shuguang break out in a cold sweat in an instant.

In the sunlight, the black python’s body shimmered with a golden sheen. Large, orderly diamond-shaped patterns are arranged in a pattern of small to large and large to small, with dense scales layered upon one another. The scales were pristine, giving off a cold glow.

Zhang Shuguang stood there, his legs trembling, his eyes widening as he unconsciously pulled the cubs closer to his chest. Mang Jiu shifted its head to look at him, its forked tongue darting out and retracting rapidly.

“Shuguang.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Huh?”

Mang Jiu lowered his head slightly. “Tie the vines.” 

Zhang Shuguang: “Ah…”

Mang Jiu lowered his snake head and leaned closer to him.

Zhang Shuguang sniffed. He realized that even with Mang Jiu’s entire head resting on the ground, he still wasn’t as tall as the other’s head.

“Give me a moment to compose myself.” He took several deep breaths. Then, tentatively, he reached out and gently touched the snake’s head beside him.

It felt icy cold.

He shivered and pulled his hand back. “Um, maybe… let me take a moment to calm down.”

Mang Jiu remained lying still, but the three little ones in Zhang Shuguang’s arms had already recovered. They were wriggling forward curiously, clearly eager to get up close to the giant python.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t hold them tightly; he loosened his grip, and the three little ones hopped onto the giant snake’s head. Naidou and Maodou perched on the edge, looking left and right, while Tangdou stood there motionless.

Zhang Shuguang saw that their initial nervousness lasted less than half a minute before they started running back and forth across the snake’s body. To his surprise, Mang Jiu cooperated by lifting its head, and the three kittens rolled right off its head with a “gurgle,” just like sliding down a slide.

Naidou and Maodou let out a “meow” and a “woof”, clearly thrilled. Tangdou was startled and slid down half-jumping, half-rolling. Zhang Shuguang’s mouth dropped open. So you can play like that?

Mang Jiu played back and forth with the three kittens a few times. As Zhang Shuguang watched, his fear seemed to fade. He glanced at the sky; if they lingered any longer, it would likely be dark by the time they reached the tribe.

“Mang Jiu, come here. Lie down.” He waved his hand.

Mang Jiu lowered his massive snake head to the ground. Zhang Shuguang licked his dry lips, gathered the few backpacks lying nearby, and wrapped thin vines several times around the long neck beneath Mang Jiu’s head.

Running back and forth around the snake’s head, he found he wasn’t quite as afraid after all.

“Alright, I’m going up.”

Zhang Shuguang said, then looked up, but no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find a suitable spot to climb.

“How am I supposed to get up there?! At least Brother Xi San has some muscle on his back I can step on, but you’re so slippery—where am I supposed to put my feet?!” He shouted angrily, slapping the other creature in the process.

Mang Jiu grunted in response, then coiled his long tail around him, hoisting him up and placing him on the vine-wrapped part of his neck.

Zhang Shuguang straddled the snake’s neck. As Mang Jiu lifted his head, Zhang gripped the vines tightly. The three kids had already jumped into the backpack on his back to avoid being shaken loose and falling off.

“Slow down~~~~ Aaaah!!!!”

Is this really the speed a snake should have? It’s lightning-fast!

You might as well be riding the clouds and mist!!!!

The wind was too strong; Zhang Shuguang couldn’t even shout. He could only crouch low. Forget about being afraid of snakes—just keeping himself from being flung off was hard enough.

In a life-or-death situation, fear was truly insignificant.

He didn’t even know how they’d reached the outskirts of the tribe, but when Mang Jiu finally slowed down, the surrounding scenery looked very familiar. Zhang Shuguang slid off the snake, dropped straight to his knees, then covered his mouth and let out a wail.

He was grateful he hadn’t eaten much earlier; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hold it in until now, and he might have vomited right onto Mang Jiu. Mang Jiu shifted back into human form, and the vines fell from his body to the ground.

He wrapped the animal-skin skirt around himself, walked over to Zhang Shuguang, and gently patted him on the back. Zhang Shuguang waved his hand, straightened up, and said, “Get me some water.”

Mang Jiu handed him the water skin from his backpack.

After rinsing his mouth, Zhang Shuguang stood up, his face pale as he glared at him. “I told you to take it slow—didn’t you hear me?!!!” Mang Jiu was straightforward and shook his head.

“No.”

Zhang Shuguang pounded his chest in frustration, nearly coughing up blood.

Mang Jiu: “Didn’t you say you wanted to get back quickly?”

Zhang Shuguang: “I brought this on myself.”

He waved his hand, not wanting to argue with this dimwit any further. Straightening up, he looked around. “Did they head straight to the Coastal Forest with the stones?”

“Mm-hmm.” Mang Jiu nodded slightly, supporting him by the arm. “Are you really okay?”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head and took another sip of water. “I’m fine. Let’s head back to the cave first, drop off our stuff, and then go find the chief.” Mang Jiu had no objections. He picked up the items, grabbed Zhang Shuguang’s arm with one hand, and the two of them entered the tribe.

Just then, members of another hunting party returned with their catch. Since the previous supply of meat had nearly run out, the Beastmen had resumed hunting that morning.

The tribe’s people were all lining up to receive their rations, so the two of them entering the settlement didn’t attract much attention.

Li saw the two men heading up the mountain. He urged the Beastman distributing the meat to hurry up, grabbed his portion, and turned to run.

“Shuguang!” he shouted as he chased after him.

Zhang Shuguang turned around and saw Li calling after him from behind, holding a piece of fresh, still dripping meat. “Shuguang, wait!” Zhang Shuguang stopped in his tracks, smiled at him, and asked, “Is this an urgent matter?”

Li let out a soft “Hmm. No, not exactly urgent.” He glanced at Mang Jiu and gave a somewhat awkward nod. Mang Jiu nodded back and said to Zhang Shuguang, “I’ll put the stuff in the cave.”

“Go smell that bowl of snails—see if they’re stinking. If they are, go dump them.” Zhang Shuguang was worried about his little snails; he had no idea how long they’d survive in that bowl of water.

“What do you want?”

Li pulled him toward his cave, saying as they walked, “My mother has been taking great care of your field. It grew a lot of weeds after the rain, but I pulled them all out.”

“You didn’t pull up my vegetable seedlings, too, did you?” Zhang Shuguang teased with a laugh.

Li chuckled. “My mom was watching right there. If she hadn’t been there, I might’ve pulled up the wrong ones.”

Zhang Shuguang thought Ying was quite capable; the newly sprouted vegetable seedlings and weeds didn’t actually look that different, but considering she was a middle-aged woman, distinguishing between weeds and seedlings shouldn’t be too difficult.

Upon entering the cave, Ying was starting a fire with dry grass. By now, almost everyone in the tribe knew how to start a fire; it was just a matter of skill level. Seeing Zhang Shuguang, Ying smiled and asked him, “You just got back? It doesn’t seem like you were gone very long.”

“Yeah, we just got back. Thanks, Aunt Ying. I found some more seeds on my trip. Once the fresh vegetables grow, I’ll bring you some to try,” Zhang Shuguang said.

Ying waved her hand and laughed, “I didn’t really help much. With the rain, they don’t even need watering.” She lit the fire and asked

Zhang Shuguang, “What did you plant? I’ve never seen leaves like these before.”

Zhang Shuguang mumbled, “Just some seeds I found when I was out. I’m picky about what I eat, so I collected every seed I saw.”

Li chimed in from the side, “Mom, Shuguang and I need to talk. Here, take this meat.” He handed the meat he was holding to Ying,

then casually wiped his hand on the pile of animal hides. “Come on, let’s go outside.”

Zhang Shuguang shot him a helpless glance but didn’t refuse in the end.

“Aunt Ying, you’re busy. I’ll be going now.”

Ying smiled and nodded.

Li dragged Zhang Shuguang out of the cave, looking all mysterious.

“What exactly are you up to?” Zhang Shuguang was dragged to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, he saw that quite a few people had already lit fires after receiving their meat. The temperature wasn’t cold at the moment, and they were all roasting meat over the fires on the large plateau. “Spit it out.”

He turned to look at Li and saw that Li’s expression was, no matter how he looked at it, odd.

He’d only been gone three or four days—what was going on? Could Li have gotten into some kind of trouble?

With that thought, Zhang Shuguang furrowed his brow as he looked at Li. He considered Li his younger brother; if something happened to his younger brother, he had every right to ask what was going on.

“You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?” The only thing he could think of was that those two Beastman brothers who’d been chasing Li must have launched a fierce attack, leaving Li unable to hold them off.

Li froze for a moment, then quickly shook his head. “It’s not me—it’s you!”

“Me?” Zhang Shuguang looked at him, completely baffled. “What about me?” He was busy every day—what could possibly be wrong with him? Li sighed and pointed. “Do you see over there?”

Zhang Shuguang followed his gaze and shook his head honestly. “I don’t see anything. It’s pitch black, with just a few bonfires,” he said helplessly. “Can’t you just come out and say it? Mang Jiu and I haven’t had dinner yet. Why don’t you come back with me? I’ll cook while you tell me?”

“Oh, come on! Did I ask you to look at the fires? I asked you to look at the people by the fires!” Li said angrily. “Didn’t you see that those few people over there aren’t sitting with the others?”

Zhang Shuguang thought to himself, It’s hard enough for me to make out the bonfires—you want me to spot the people standing next to them? You’re really putting me on the spot.

But he couldn’t say that outright, so he gave a noncommittal reply: “I see. They’re not with the tribe’s people. Could they be from another tribe?”

“Exactly!” Li’s eyes sparkled as he looked at him. “They’re from the Ivory Tribe. They arrived last night.”

Ever since Zhang Shuguang had started using certain words, the people in the tribe had gradually begun to follow suit. Li could now clearly distinguish between yesterday, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that.

“People from the Ivory Tribe—are you talking about that Ning?” The only person Zhang Shuguang could think of who might be connected to him was the chief’s daughter from the Ivory Tribe, the one saved by Mang Jiu.

“That’s right!” Li nodded vigorously. “Ning brought the people from the Ivory Tribe over, saying she wanted to ask Mang Jiu when he’d lay eggs with her!”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Haven’t you already turned her down many times?” He had no fondness for such persistent people, especially since Mang Jiu was now his man!

His family! His little brother!

“Ning doesn’t care if Mang Jiu turned her down or not. She’s just a total pain in the neck, and I don’t like her,” Li said, snorting before adding, “I don’t like Tianlu either.”

Zhang Shuguang nearly died laughing at his pouting expression and couldn’t help but ask, “Looking at you like that, could it be that someone stole your sweetheart?” Sweetheart?

Li tilted his head, thought for a moment, then pursed his lips. “Does ‘sweetheart’ mean the person I want to have a baby with?”

“Right.” Zhang Shuguang perked up, his curiosity piqued. “Didn’t you say there wasn’t a Beastman you wanted to have kids with? How come you suddenly have one now?”

Li sighed dejectedly. “That was before. Anyway, never mind me. I wanted to ask what you think. It looks like the Ivory Tribe is determined to get an explanation from Mang Jiu this time.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and asked him in return, “Who saved Ning before?”

“Mang Jiu!” Li gave him a look that said, “Are you kidding me? Everyone in the tribe knows!” 

“Who let Ning stay to recuperate?” Zhang Shuguang pressed on.

Li: “The tribe, of course. She even ate a whole lot of meat for free!”

Zhang Shuguang asked again, “So, in your opinion, who’s stronger—the Beastmen of the Ivory Tribe or Mang Jiu?”

“Mang Jiu, of course,” Li said solemnly. “Mang Jiu is our tribe’s greatest warrior. Even among other tribes, there’s definitely no beastman stronger than him!”

When they went out on foraging expeditions, they often encountered Beastmen from other tribes who were hunting, and they’d seen other Beastmen in their beast forms—truly, no one could compare to Mang Jiu.

Whenever anyone in the tribe spoke of Mang Jiu’s prowess, their faces would light up with pride.

Zhang Shuguang replied matter-of-factly, “Well, then, what do you think? Do you really believe the Ivory Tribe would just come over and force their chieftain’s daughter to marry Mang Jiu just because they want to?”

“Marry?” Li heard a new term.

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand. “You’ll understand later. What I mean is, no matter how many people they send, it won’t matter. If Mang Jiu doesn’t want her, how could they force him?” 

Li nodded. Yeah, Shuguang was right.

But then he thought about it—today, everyone in the tribe had been talking about how Mang Jiu might keep Ning in the cave this time. They’d also mentioned that the Ivory Tribe had brought treasures they’d found, and that as long as Mang Jiu agreed to have a child with Ning, the treasures would be left for the tribe.

Zhang Shuguang couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the sky. He raised his hand and patted Li on the shoulder. “You believe everything they say? Are treasures that easy to find? Even if they did find them, wouldn’t they keep them for their own tribe? Why would they just hand them over to someone else for nothing? Do you really think they’re all philanthropists?”

With that, he turned and walked away without waiting for Li’s reaction, muttering under his breath, “Wasting my time. I thought this was something important.”

Li scratched his head behind him, suddenly realizing that wasn’t actually what he’d meant to say!

“Shuguang, wait for me!” He ran after him.

Zhang Shuguang had already reached the entrance of the cave when he saw Mang Jiu coming out carrying a wooden basin. He hurried over, sniffed it, and reached in to grab a snail. “It’s actually still alive?”

“This thing’s easy to keep alive,” Li ran over to his side and said disdainfully, “They’re all over the riverbank. Nobody eats them—they’ve got little meat and hard shells. Even the beastmen don’t like them.”

The implication was clear: even the Beastmen, with their sharp teeth, wouldn’t bother cracking open the shell to eat it.

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly, taking note. There were snails by the river too; he’d catch some more when he had the chance.

Since they were so resilient, all the better.

“I remember leaving some Sichuan peppercorns out to dry before I left. I’ll just give them a quick stir-fry later. Mang Jiu, give me all the fatty meat from the ox-beast—I’ll use it to render lard.”

As Zhang Shuguang spoke, he entered the cave. The cubs that Mang Jiu had brought back were now lying side by side on the stone slab bed.

The pace had been too fast just now; not only was Zhang Shuguang struggling to keep up, but the others were also startled. Zhang Shuguang walked over, patted the three kids on the back a couple of times, then went to the shelf to fetch some items.

That day, Mang Jiu had smashed the remaining three scales into pots. Zhang Shuguang reached up and took down a flat-bottomed wok, then grabbed another pot with two handles.

“I’ll go wash the pots. We’ll use one to render fat and the other to stir-fry later.”

Mang Jiu nodded, grabbed a bone knife to cut the beef, and, following Zhang Shuguang’s instructions, sliced off the large chunks of fatty meat and placed them in a bowl.

Hua heard the noise and came over carrying two large bamboo-woven trays. Smiling, she said to Zhang Shuguang, “I wove these two trays for you. See what you think?”

Zhang Shuguang took them with delight, examining them closely. “Sister Hua, your craftsmanship is superb!”

These were exactly like the large bamboo drying trays used in later times—with fine, tight mesh that would hardly let anything fall through.

Hua could tell he was genuinely complimenting her and was delighted. “I’ve woven quite a few. These are easier to make than bamboo baskets. If you want more, I’ll weave some for you in a couple of days.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded eagerly, not holding back at all. “Sister Hua, please weave a few more for me—I’ll take both large and small ones. I plan to make a lot of dried meat to stock up.” He’d soon be able to harvest plenty of sea salt, and then he could really get to work curing meat and drying fish!

Setting the bamboo trays on the ground, he dumped all the mushrooms he’d brought back onto them, filling two large trays to the brim. Hua looked at the mushrooms in surprise and asked, “Are all these edible?”

“Mm-hmm,” Zhang Shuguang nodded, crouching down to arrange the mushrooms so they wouldn’t pile up on top of each other. “All of these are edible, and they taste pretty good. Mang Jiu and I roasted some earlier, and after drying them and rehydrating them, the mushrooms will taste even more fragrant and delicious.”

“Are they all non-toxic?” Hua was still haunted by the memory of someone in the tribe dying after eating mushrooms. “There are so many wild mushrooms in the mountains after it rains, but no one picks them.”

Seeing how interested she was, Zhang Shuguang picked some himself, placed them in a large seashell, and handed it to her. “Sister Hua, give these a try. They’re all non-toxic.”

“Alright, I’ll go back and make some soup!” Hua wasn’t one to be shy; seeing that he spoke with such certainty, she became curious too. “If they really are as delicious as you say, I’ll go pick some from the back mountain tomorrow.”

“Don’t pick the really beautiful ones,” Zhang Shuguang cautioned. Hua nodded. “Okay, I’ll remember that.”

After she left, Zhang Shuguang took the cured meat and dried fish stored in the cave out to air out. It had rained recently, and the cave was a bit damp; the meat hadn’t been fully sun-dried, and if it wasn’t air-dried, it would easily go moldy.

Over at Mang Jiu’s side, he’d sliced a bowl of fatty pork. He washed it, brought it back, and placed it in the double-handled pot. Then he lit the fires on both stoves.

Zhang Shuguang came out carrying the rack, and seeing it hung full of fish and meat, he smiled at Mang Jiu and said, “We’ll have more and more food reserves from now on. Someday, you should dig a big stone jar and put it in the cave. Stone jars seal better, so we can store the dried meat in there.”

Mang Jiu nodded, added some dry twigs to the fire, and, noticing the hearths coated in dark brown mud, reached out to touch them.

“Shuguang, come take a look.”

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at him. Mang Jiu pointed at the hearth. “The mud you smeared here has gotten really hard.” 

“Really hard?”

“Yeah, it’s different from the usual dry mud. Take a look.” Mang Jiu tapped his finger on the hardened patch of mud, producing a hollow thud. Zhang Shuguang walked over, bent down to look, and froze in surprise.

He reached out to touch it; the surface felt slightly rough to the touch, yet looked quite smooth.

“Knock off a piece so I can take a look.” There was a hint of excitement in his voice. Without a word, Mang Jiu knocked off a piece with some force and handed it to him.

Zhang Shuguang examined it closely, then grabbed Mang Jiu’s shoulder. “This! This! This is—pottery!”

He didn’t know what kind of clay was needed for pottery, nor did he understand how to fire it, but this fragment was clearly a piece of pottery clay!

He could make pottery now!

He’d never have to eat out of stone or bamboo bowls again! Pottery!

Woo-hoo, pottery!

He was so excited that he threw his arms around Mang Jiu’s neck and shook him back and forth. Mang Jiu was crouching there and nearly toppled over from the shaking.

Reaching out to steady his waist, Mang Jiu said helplessly, “Yes, yes, you have pottery now. But what is pottery?”

“It’s this!” Zhang Shuguang showed him the shard. Seeing that Mang Jiu still looked confused, he suddenly remembered the video from earlier and leaned close to his ear, whispering, “Do you remember the plate we used to serve food on in that video I showed you before?”

Mang Jiu nodded slightly; in the glow of the firelight, his skin flushed red.

Zhang Shuguang: “That’s porcelain—it’s a bit higher quality than this. Pottery is made by firing clay. The silt we brought back last time can be used to make pottery. Once we’ve finished laying out the salt fields, let’s go get some more and give it a try.”

Mang Jiu nodded again.

Li, standing nearby, saw the two of them hugging and couldn’t help but speak up: “I’m right here, you know! If you want to hug, can’t you go back to the cave to do it?” Zhang Shuguang also noticed that Li was currently leaning his whole body against Mang Jiu, who was sitting there obediently.

He quickly let go, straightened up, and stepped back, glaring at Li. “Why aren’t you back helping your mom cook? What are you doing standing here watching?”

Li snorted. “I just wanted to tell you that Ning heard Mang Jiu has a close friend—a Sub-Beastman who lives with him in the cave—and she wants to meet you!”

“No time, I’m swamped.” Zhang Shuguang waved his hand. “Why don’t you stay and have a meal with me?”

Li shook his head. “No, thanks. My mom said I can’t eat here all the time—it’ll make her feel like her cooking isn’t good enough. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, just be careful.” With that, he waved and left.

Zhang Shuguang looked down at Mang Jiu and couldn’t resist kicking him in the butt. “Look at you—how come so many people like you?” 

Mang Jiu grabbed his ankle and chuckled. “So, do you like me?”

Zhang Shuguang: “……” He had a feeling that if he answered this question wrong, he might go from standing on one leg to landing on his butt.

“Of course I do. You’re my little brother—of course I like you!”

Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow and let go. “I like you, too.”

“Ah, heh, that’s really great.” Zhang Shuguang gave a nervous laugh and wiggled his leg, realizing he hadn’t been holding on very tightly. He quickly pulled his leg back. “I’m going to cook. You go get a basin of clean water for me later.”

Mang Jiu nodded in agreement.

On the large platform at the foot of the mountain, five Beastmen from the Ivory Tribe sat in a circle, watching Ning and waiting for her to speak.

Ning had spotted Mang Jiu the moment he entered the tribe, and she’d also seen Zhang Shuguang, whose hand he was holding.

Although she had a domineering personality, she wasn’t without a brain. Before meeting him, she had already asked others in the Cliff Shore Tribe about Zhang Shuguang.

When she found out that the other person had been rescued by Mang Jiu and was now living in his cave, she nearly gritted her teeth in frustration.

And even though he hadn’t been there long, the rest of the tribe had a very favorable impression of him. Basically, no one had a bad word to say about him.

Ning’s face hardened as she threw the bone in her hand forcefully into the fire.

“Ning, if the chief of the Cliff Shore Tribe asks, Mang Jiu won’t refuse.” The speaker was about the same age as Xiong Kui, with a few wrinkles on his face. He pulled a glowing bead from the animal-skin pouch at his feet. “Give this to Xiong Kui—they’ll definitely agree!”

Ning pursed her lips and snorted. “I know!”