Tianlu had been deeply shaken by Zhang Shuguang’s state yesterday.

After returning to the cave and crying his eyes out, he decided to try a different approach to get close to Mang Jiu. Even if Mang Jiu really did have other sub-beastmen, he could handle it!

After all, he loved Mang Jiu and wanted to lay eggs for him; no matter how many sub-beastmen Mang Jiu already had, nothing could shake his resolve.

Adhering to the idea that if he wanted to lay eggs with Mang Jiu, he had to accept the people around him, and thinking that if Zhang Shuguang was so beloved by Mang Jiu, then he could follow Zhang Shuguang’s example—he could learn to cook, learn to farm, and learn to do many things!

As long as it’s for Mang Jiu, he’s willing to do anything.

Zhang Shuguang turned his head to glance at the Sub-Beastman walking beside him and asked, “I heard you only started liking Mang Jiu after he saved you?”

Tian Lu’s eyes widened, and he looked at him with utter helplessness. “I… I like Brother Jiu. You… don’t be angry. I… I won’t, I won’t get in your way.”

Zhang Shuguang thought to himself, If you didn’t look like a little angel, I’d punch you just for saying that. You’re a real man—why do you have to act so coy?

He doesn’t look down on men who are attracted to men, but when it comes to someone like Tianlu, who deliberately plays the victim, he really doesn’t know where to begin.

Just speak clearly—why do you have to be so evasive? You really need a good lesson in how the world works; no one ever taught you how to behave.

Zhang Shuguang thought to himself, but smiled on the surface. “I hear you’re not very old?” Tianlu quickly replied, “I’m an adult!”

Zhang Shuguang gave a noncommittal “Oh” and said nothing more.

Anyway, whatever he said, the other guy probably had a comeback ready, so he might as well save his energy—there was a big job ahead. Tian Lu was trying to figure out how to strike up a conversation with Zhang Shuguang when he noticed the other man was walking faster and faster; he had to jog to keep up.

Zhang Shuguang wasn’t actually walking fast on purpose; he’d simply realized that if he was going to the big pit to dig up, he’d better hurry while the weather was still cool—the smell seemed to get stronger as the temperature rose.

He gave his backpack a little jiggle, then grabbed the wooden bucket and hurried down the mountain.

Tian Lu followed him and noticed that Zhang Shuguang was heading straight for the fork in the road, cutting right through the two fields he had planted. He wondered if the reason Zhang Shuguang was in such a hurry was because of a stomachache?

He thought for a moment, then decided to follow him after all.

Zhang Shuguang reached the edge of the large pit, set down the wooden bucket he was carrying, and found the spot he had previously chosen.

There was a low, protruding rock he could stand on. He stepped over and stood on it, using a stick to extend the handle of his stone scoop, then reached down to stir the mud.

Tian Lu’s eyes widened, and he let out a startled cry: “What are you doing?”

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at him. “Just stirring it up a bit so the fermented stuff at the bottom rises to the top. That’ll make it easier for me to scoop some out,” he said with a smile, pointing at the wooden bucket. “Could you hold the bucket for me? I’m afraid it might tip over and spill all over the ground—that’d be such a waste.”

“Me hold it?” Tianlu’s voice was so high-pitched it would have startled the birds out of the trees. Zhang Shuguang looked surprised. “Didn’t you say you were coming to help me and learn?”

“You said you were going to farm!” Tianlu was on the verge of a breakdown.

Zhang Shuguang kept stirring as he spoke, “That’s right. This is part of farming. If you want the vegetables in the field to grow better, you have to fertilize the soil. It’s already too late to fertilize now—I should have done it before sowing the seeds, but I completely forgot.” As he spoke, he lifted the scoop and glanced at it. “Hand me the wooden bucket.”

Tianlu took two big steps back, looking as if he was about to vomit.

Zhang Shuguang sighed, stepped over himself, dipped the stone spoon into the wooden bucket, then pulled out two strips of leather as wide as his palm. He handed one to Tian Lu and tied the other over his own mouth and nose. “It does smell pretty bad. If you can’t stand the stench, just stay back.”

Then he turned and muttered under his breath, “I’d better hurry up, or Mang Jiu will have to come help. We can’t have him getting stunk out.”

As soon as Tian Lu heard this, he reached out to grab the stone ladle. “I can handle it—I don’t mind the stench at all!”

Zhang Shuguang looked at him in surprise. “You can handle it?”

“Yes!” Tian Lu nodded vigorously, his eyes reddening. “I can do it!”

He pictured Zhang Shuguang taking credit in front of Mang Jiu, and the thought made his teeth itch with rage. Whether it was the bitter anger in his heart or not, his movements were unusually quick.

Zhang Shuguang stood nearby, watching his wide, sweeping movements with a look of concern on his face. “Take it slow, watch your footing, and for heaven’s sake, don’t fall.” 

Tian Lu turned and glared at him. “Shut up! Don’t bother me!”

Zhang Shuguang took a step back and nodded obediently. “Okay, good luck!”

Tian Lu held his breath, his face pale, biting his lip as he scooped two spoonfuls into the wooden bucket.

“That’s enough!”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “That’s not enough. We need at least half a bucket. Put it down and let me handle it. You take a break.”

Tian Lu glared at him, gritting his teeth. “I’ll do it!” He pictured Zhang Shuguang complaining to Mang Jiu about being tired, then imagined Zhang Shuguang telling Mang Jiu how capable Tian Lu was. He steeled himself and decided to go for it!

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched, and his outstretched hand snapped back.

Tianlu held his breath, filled half the wooden bucket, shoved the long ladle into it, then ran over to crouch by the side, retching violently.

Zhang Shuguang opened the bundle of wood ash wrapped in animal hide from his backpack, poured it into the bucket, and stirred it. Then, he hoisted the wooden bucket and headed toward the experimental field. Tianlu’s eyes were watering from retching. Seeing him about to leave, he hurried after him.

“Where are you going?”

“To fertilize the fields.” Zhang Shuguang breathed through his mouth, pinching the leather strap over his nose to pretend he couldn’t smell a thing.

Even with the wood ash mixed in, the smell was still quite strong. Once water was added, the stench spread—tch, tch, tch—it’s too gross to describe. Tianlu watched as he dug up the soil beside the vegetable seedlings and poured the mixture into the ground, scoop by scoop . The sight made him so sick he felt like he was going to lose his mind.

He couldn’t pretend to be well-behaved and sensible anymore. He shouted at Zhang Shuguang, “You’re actually going to feed Mang Jiu vegetables watered with poop! You’re so disgusting! How could you be so cruel!”

After shouting that, as if he couldn’t stand the smell any longer, he took off running.

Not only did he run off, but several sub-beastmen nearby who were digging for wild vegetables were also driven away by the stench.

In no time at all, word spread throughout the tribe: Zhang Shuguang had used feces-water to water the fields! The tribe was in an uproar; one by one, their expressions and complexions showed they were utterly repulsed.

Wu Ming was inside the big cave when he heard people outside gasping in shock. He came out to see what the commotion was about, only to have his hand grabbed by someone.

“Shaman! You absolutely have to go talk to Shuguang. He actually—he actually used human waste water to water the vegetables! Just smell it—it stinks everywhere now!”

Wu Ming looked closely and saw that the one grabbing him was Tian Lu, the same guy who was always pestering Mang Jiu. He knew Tian Lu pretty well—no, actually, he knew everyone in the tribe pretty well.

This young Sub-Beastman was obsessed with getting close to Mang Jiu and having offspring with him; aside from that, he really didn’t have any other ulterior motives.

Of course, he usually engaged in ambiguous relationships with other young beastmen, exchanging food for favors—mutually agreeable little matters that Wu Ming considered harmless. After all, it wasn’t his own flesh he was giving away.

Ever since the Shaman’s Legacy had loosened, it had become easy for Wu Ming to “see” into a person’s mind—especially now that Tian Lu’s head was filled with images of him helping Zhang Shuguang with his work just moments ago.

To be honest, Wu Ming was a bit grossed out.

But as repulsed as he was, there was absolutely no way he’d stop Zhang Shuguang from doing what he was doing. He knew full well the benefits it would bring to the tribe if the fields could yield more fruits and vegetables. When you’re starving, what does it matter if the process of farming and fertilizing is a bit gross?

It was all for the sake of survival.

So, he put on an inscrutable, mysterious expression, raised his hand, and gave Tian Lu a light pat on the shoulder, his face full of a loving smile. and said, “Shuguang has his own methods. The smell will blow away with the wind in a moment. It’s fine, don’t worry.”

Tianlu was dumbfounded. In his mind, this old Shaman was the tribe’s highest authority. Though he rarely left his cave, whenever anyone in the tribe obtained something valuable, they would bring it to him.

There had once been a Shaman in Tianlu’s original tribe, but he had died of illness when Tianlu was still a child. Moreover, when that Shaman died, he seemed to have been younger than Wu Ming was now.

So for all these years, every time Tianlu saw Wu Ming in the Cliff Shore Tribe, he would subconsciously tense up, always feeling as though the old man could see right through him.

He held the shaman in high regard, but he never imagined that Wu Ming would go to such lengths to protect Zhang Shuguang!

“But he waters the vegetables with his own waste!”

“He said it helps the seedlings grow better,” Wu Ming said with a smile, patting his arm. “Just like the Beastmen of the Giant Python Clan—when they go out to eat, they swallow their prey whole. Don’t they end up swallowing everything, whether edible or not?”

Tian Lu was completely dumbfounded by his words.

His mind began racing uncontrollably. Finally, he covered his mouth and turned to run.

Having been forced to witness such an unsavory scene, Wu Ming abandoned his original plan to take a stroll around the tribe. It was better to avoid people to avoid giving them too much to imagine. If he couldn’t control his Shaman power and ended up seeing things he shouldn’t, that would be asking for trouble.

Li, who had been helping his mother cure meat strips in the cave, heard the commotion outside. After going out to check, he returned and said to Ying, “That is so disgusting! Those vegetable seedlings would have grown perfectly fine even without fertilizer. How is anyone supposed to eat them after he’s done that?”

Ying gave him a light whack with the vine she was holding and glared at him. “Don’t talk nonsense. Shuguang must have his reasons for doing that. Besides, you’ve seen it yourself—hasn’t everything he’s ever said or made turned out to be the best?”

Li thought of Zhang Shuguang’s skills and nodded vigorously. “You’re right, Mom. I’ll go help Shuguang then.”

He stood up to leave, but Ying reached out to stop him. “Don’t go causing trouble. Shuguang knew you were in the cave and didn’t come looking for you on his own—he was afraid you’d react just like those other people.”

Li pouted. “So that stink isn’t even letting people call out to him?”

“I’ll let you call him that, but you have to stay put.” Ying handed him the salt. “Has your father been sleeping over at Lei’s place lately?” 

“Yeah, so what?” Li looked at her and asked, “Mom, you’re not still hoping Dad will sleep with you, are you?”

Ying glared at him but didn’t say anything else.

Li sighed and said, “Mom, Dad’s getting old. He can barely keep up with his own sub-beastmen these days. I saw Lei talking with Xiongfeng the other day—they seemed pretty close.”

Ying shook her head, stirred the strips of meat in the basin, then fetched some cinnamon bark. “Go on, crush it.” 

“Okay,” Li said, nothing more, and took the bark to crush it.

In the experimental field, even with a piece of leather covering his nose, Zhang Shuguang still had to hold his breath to ward off the stench. But after a while, he got used to it. He quickly applied fertilizer around all the vegetable seedlings, then carried a wooden bucket to the ditch to wash it clean, and gave himself a quick wash while he was at it.

On his way back, he picked some lemongrass and gathered a few pale blue duck eggs.

He left the wooden bucket by the experimental field; from now on, it would stay there for drawing water and applying fertilizer, so he wouldn’t accidentally mix it up if he took it back.

When Zhang Shuguang returned to the village, everyone he met asked, “Shuguang, why are you watering the fields with manure water?”

“That’s to fertilize the seedlings. It might smell bad to you now, but once the vegetables grow up and you taste them, they’ll be delicious.” Zhang Shuguang explained with a smile, waving his hand. “I’ve got to go cook dinner for my kids at home.”

“Make sure you wash your hands a few times—it stinks so bad!” 

“Exactly, it’s so gross!”

Zhang Shuguang said nothing more; he just smiled and headed up the mountain. Li, who had spotted him from the cave, hurried out. “Shuguang!”

“Do you want to smell how stinky I am, too?” Zhang Shuguang looked at him with a smile. “Didn’t you go out to pick fruit today?”

“Nope,” Li followed him toward the cave, casting a furtive glance behind them. Not seeing his mom, he quickly grabbed Zhang Shuguang’s wrist. “I need to tell you something.”

Zhang Shuguang found his sly, shifty expression utterly amusing. He raised his hand and slapped him playfully. “Speak properly.”

“My father… looks like he’s about to lose his Sub-Beastman.” Li’s face was full of schadenfreude. “That Lei woman isn’t the type to sit around waiting when there’s meat on the table.”

Zhang Shuguang wasn’t really interested in the love-hate entanglements of the older generation, especially since he didn’t know Li’s father at all—it just didn’t feel right to listen to other people’s gossip.

Seeing that Li was about to say more, Zhang Shuguang cut in, “Didn’t you promise to help me dig for wild greens? Hurry up and go—I’m running out of food here.”

“Oh, right. I’d completely forgotten until you mentioned it,” Li said with a smile, nodding. “I’ll go dig some ground vegetables for you in a bit. There’s plenty right in front of our tribe—they don’t like eating them.”

“They’re usually better when stir-fried with eggs or meat. Go pick some right now. I just found a few eggs; we’ll eat some fresh ones, and we’ll dry the rest.” Zhang Shuguang set down his backpack and added some water to the stone pot to boil.

Li Dian nodded. “Then let me use your backpack. I’ll dig up a lot more.” Zhang Shuguang handed him the backpack and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched him run off.

To him, other people’s gossip was truly no match for a good meal.

He washed the duck eggs, cracked them into a bamboo tube, stirred them with a twig, and then turned to look into the cave. “Qiqi?”

“Naidou? Maodou? Naidou?”

Not a single one answered him.

Zhang Shuguang paused for a moment, then tossed the bamboo tube into the cave, only to find it empty—the little ones weren’t there.

He turned and stepped out of the cave, standing by the low wall to look down. He saw a group of furry Beastman cubs playing on the large platform. His eyes widened when he spotted Mang Qiqi there, and then he spotted his own two snow-white furballs.

The white cubs were easy to spot—their fur was brighter than the others’, and they were full of energy.

To call them lively was an understatement—Naidou was practically scaling walls and leaping across rooftops.

He was close with the Yu family’s twin bear cubs; when they met, they rubbed fur against each other, and he even introduced his little brother to them. Tangdou was surrounded by a few giant eagle cubs, but despite her tiny size, she wasn’t afraid of the cubs who towered over her, chirping happily.

Mang Qiqi watched from the sidelines. When asked, he simply said he’d brought his younger siblings out to soak up the sun.

He’d heard what others were saying about Shuguang, too, and glared at them angrily: “Uncle Shuguang is way better at growing vegetables than you guys. He knows what he’s doing—you don’t need to tell him!”

Although the Giant Python Clan was small in number, their abilities were among the best in the tribe. Even though Mang Qiqi wasn’t fully grown yet, his beast form was already massive, and he was quite formidable among his peers of similar age.

One of his playmates ran over and asked, “Does Shuguang’s cooking taste really good? We can often smell it—it’s so fragrant.”

“You have to call him Uncle Shuguang,” Mang Qiqi corrected them earnestly. “Mang Jiu is my ninth uncle, and Shuguang is his Sub-Beastman, so you have to call him Uncle Shuguang.”

The little friend went, “Oh,” and said, “Then I’ll call him Uncle Shuguang too.”

Mang Qiqi looked satisfied and said with a smile, “Uncle Shuguang’s meat is so delicious—really, really delicious. My dad learned from him, and now his meat is delicious too.”

“Can my mom or dad learn from him, too? I smell the aroma every day, and even the meat I eat doesn’t taste as good anymore.”  

“Yeah, I want to learn too! My mom said she learned how to weave bamboo baskets from Shuguang—he’s really amazing!”

“Uncle Shuguang! You can’t call him Shuguang!”

“It’s Uncle Shuguang, hehe. Can we ask him to teach us, too?”

Mang Qiqi’s eyes widened. That wasn’t what he meant at all—he’d just wanted to show off a little in front of his friends. How had this turned into him trying to drum up business for Zhang Shuguang?

He knew full well that this wasn’t something to agree to lightly.

“I can’t go ahead and agree for Uncle Shuguang. He’s a really nice guy—if you want to learn, just go ask him directly.” Mang Qiqi waved to the three little ones. “Naidou, Tangdou, Maodou, let’s head back!”

The three little ones immediately ran up to him, clinging to his legs for a hug. Tangdou flew up onto Mang Qiqi’s shoulder and rubbed against his ear.

Mang Qiqi bent down to pick up Naidou and Maodou, hoisted Tangdou onto his shoulder, and smiled at his little friends. “I’m heading back. Uncle Shuguang must be cooking already!”

Under the envious and jealous gazes of his little friends, Mang Qiqi scampered off.

Zhang Shuguang ladled hot water into a thick bamboo tube. He walked over to the oven, gave it a feel, and found that the clay forms inside were already half-dry—no longer damp to the touch.

“Let them sit overnight, and we’ll fire them up tomorrow to see how they turn out.” He reached out to feel the strips of meat hanging nearby and found that most of the moisture had evaporated.

“Uncle Shuguang! We’re back!” Mang Qiqi’s voice came from behind him. Zhang Shuguang let go of the bamboo tube, turned around, and waved with a smile. “I saw you guys playing down there.”

Maodou was the first to run to Zhang Shuguang’s side, rubbing against him as he scrambled up.

Zhang Shuguang bent down to pet him, and Naidou ran over too, leaping up and hooking onto his leather pants to climb up. In a few quick bounds, he was on Zhang Shuguang’s shoulders, perched steadily with Tangdou on either side of him.

“Uncle Shuguang, I’ll help you with the work.” Mang Qiqi went to wash his hands, shaking the water off as he spoke to him. Zhang Shuguang picked up a few potatoes and handed them to him. “Do you know how to peel them?”

“I can!” Mang Qiqi nodded.

“Uncle Shuguang, what are we having for dinner?” He crouched down to peel the potatoes, looking up at him.

Zhang Shuguang thought for a moment. There was no fresh meat left in the cave. He’d have to go catch a few ducks this afternoon—and if possible, a couple of rabbits too—to make do for lunch.

“How about some salted pork and salted fish? I’ll stir-fry some shredded potatoes and some eggs. Is there anything else you’d like?” he asked. He went back into the cave and brought out a few large potatoes, washed the dirt off them, and placed them on the table. Then he fetched a few pieces of salted fish and two chunks of salted pork, washed those as well, and set them on the table too.

“Never mind, I’ll just make an omelet. You’ve had scrambled eggs before—let’s try something different.” Zhang Shuguang looked at the ingredients he had on hand and decided to whip up something simple.

Mang Qiqi nodded. “Great, great! I’ll eat anything.”

Zhang Shuguang soaked the dried mushrooms and bamboo shoots in hot water, then poured the water into a stone pot. He placed a large bamboo tray inside the pot to serve as a steamer rack, arranged the potatoes, salted fish, and salted pork on top, and covered it with the lid.

“What’s this for?” Mang Qiqi placed the potatoes in a basin and gathered up the potato peels from the floor. Zhang Shuguang washed a few stalks of lemongrass, chopped them up, and put them in a bowl.

This bowl was the same earthenware bowl he had left out to observe the previous day. After a whole night, the water inside hadn’t seeped out, nor had it dissolved the hard clay on the bowl’s walls.

Zhang Shuguang knew his bowl was a success and felt a surge of joy.

“Steam the potatoes until tender, then mash them. Next, dice the salted fish and salted pork into small pieces. Add some lemongrass to remove the fishy smell. Once the dried bamboo shoots and dried mushrooms have soaked, chop them up and stir-fry them in oil,” he said as he peeled the garlic in his hand. “The fish and meat are already salt-cured, so there’s no need to add more salt—otherwise it’ll be too salty and won’t taste good.”

Mang Qiqi nodded. “What about the egg wrap?”

Zhang Shuguang smiled. “The egg wrap is simply wrapping all these ingredients together in an egg crepe.” 

“Is it tasty?” Mang Qiqi’s eyes lit up.

Zhang Shuguang thought for a moment. He’d only ever eaten vegetable-stuffed rolls at home, and this was his first time making an egg roll, but it shouldn’t taste too bad. It was just that he didn’t have many eggs, so he probably wouldn’t be able to make very many.

Just then, Li came up from the foot of the mountain, his basket filled with wild greens and a few large white eggs.

“I picked up a few duck eggs myself earlier. What kind of eggs are these?” Zhang Shuguang took the basket and pulled out the eggs. “These are really nice. Thanks.”

“I don’t know what kind they are. I just saw them and picked them up. It’s the perfect time for gathering eggs right now. If you like, you can have the kids from the tribe help you collect them—just give them some pork drippings to eat.” Li went to wash his hands, then helped Zhang Shuguang slice the potatoes into thin strips.

Mang Qiqi, listening nearby, perked up at their conversation. “Uncle!” 

Zhang Shuguang startled, turning to look at him. “Huh?”

“I’m just going out for a bit. I’ll be right back!” He turned and ran off, looking as though he were in a terrible hurry.

Li smacked his lips and remarked, “He runs faster than a long-eared beast!”

Zhang Shuguang smiled and nodded. He cracked the eggs Li had brought into a bamboo tube. The yolks of these white eggs were a deeper color than those of duck eggs, and he noticed that the eggs here didn’t have a strong fishy smell; adding a little lemongrass was enough to mask it perfectly.

He was already using lemongrass as a substitute for scallions. Once he saved up a few more points, he could trade for some green onion seeds to plant.

While mulling over what other seeds to trade with Xiao Cai, his hands didn’t stop moving for a moment. His wrist flickered rapidly as he used a twig to beat the egg mixture, then added a pinch of salt.

“Why isn’t A,-Si back yet? I’m starting to miss him a little.” Li held a fishbone knife in his hand, slowly slicing potatoes. Zhang Shuguang saw how hard he was struggling and handed him the bamboo tube and chopsticks. “I’ll slice them. You keep stirring.”

Li gave a soft “Oh” and obediently swapped tools with him, then asked, “Did A-Si meet a Beastman he likes over there? Is he planning to stay by the sea with his Beastman?”

Zhang Shuguang paused in his slicing and looked at him. “A-Si is a Beastman.”

“Right, a Beastman. I was just thinking…” Li stopped mid-sentence and looked up in surprise. “What did you say?”

Seeing the look of astonishment on Li’s face, Zhang Shuguang smiled, his eyes crinkling. “I said A-Si is a Beastman. When he’s at the beach, he turns into a turtle with long green fur on his back.”

“A turtle?” Li asked, puzzled. “What’s a turtle?”

Zhang Shuguang was a bit taken aback, but then realized it made sense—it was only natural that Li wouldn’t know what a turtle was. The Beastmen likely ventured much farther out to hunt, while the Sub-Beastmen only went out with the foraging teams, probably no farther than the Wild Plains.

“You’ll understand when A-Si comes back, and you see him in his beast form. It’s hard to explain to you.” He set the peeled garlic aside and turned to fetch a bowl.

Spotting Mang Er walking over from across the way, he paused for a moment, then raised his hand in greeting. “Second Brother!” Mang Er smiled and gave the fawn he was carrying a little shake.

Zhang Shuguang asked with a smile, “Second Brother, did you go hunting first thing this morning?” He placed the garlic cloves he’d just picked up into a bowl, then set the bowl aside on the stove, keeping it out of Mang Er’s reach.

Mang Er glanced at the plump, white garlic cloves and said, still a little shaken, “I went out last night. I brought these back for you.” 

“Thanks, Second Brother,” Zhang Shuguang said, handing him a bone knife. “I’m just about to make egg-wrapped meat. Want to have another serving?”

Mang Er chuckled, took the bone knife to start butchering the meat, and asked, “How should I cut it?”

“Cut the four legs off separately; I want to marinate and air-dry them.” Zhang Shuguang stood before the not-too-large deer, gesturing with his hands. “Cut everything around the breastbone into small pieces. Don’t cut the meat on the belly—I’ll handle that myself later.”

Mang Er nodded, glanced at the bone knife in his hand, and asked, “Don’t you have a bigger knife?”

“No.” Zhang Shuguang shook his head. He still had a few unused fishbone knives, but this was the largest one.

Mang Er sighed and said, “Didn’t Mang Jiu sharpen a few more stone knives for you to keep? Bone knives are too brittle; they break easily. Wait here—I’ll go sharpen a knife.” With that, he stood up and walked away.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t stop him. Seeing that Li had already beaten the eggs and was staring at Mang Er’s retreating back, he raised an eyebrow.

“What are you looking at?” Li scratched his face and chuckled. “Mang Er’s pretty impressive. It’s just a shame he loves sleeping so much.”

Zhang Shuguang froze for a moment, then gave him a mischievous look. “You aren’t thinking of laying eggs with Mang Er, are you?”

“No way, I was just joking,” Li said, pursing his lips with a subtle smile. “He’s too lazy. I’m afraid if we had kids, he’d starve me to death in no time.”

“Mang Er isn’t lazy,” Zhang Shuguang leaned in and whispered, “Look, every time he wakes up, he goes out to hunt. When he goes out with the hunting party, he always brings back plenty of meat. He just loves to sleep. If we could find him more things to do, he’d definitely sleep less.”

Li nodded. “You’re right.”

“Then why don’t you give it a try?” Zhang Shuguang egged him on. “Mang Er’s actually quite handsome. If you could lay an egg with him, the little one would definitely be good-looking too.”

Li’s mouth twitched slightly. “You’ve never seen a baby from the Giant Python Clan, have you?”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head, but as he pictured a bunch of tiny snakes coiled up together in a loving embrace, he shuddered violently. “I haven’t. Have you?”

Li chuckled. “I have. The Giant Python Clan doesn’t have many young ones—only three non-shifting hatchlings. None of them has reached the semi-adult stage yet.”

“Is a half-grown one about the size of Qiqi?” Zhang Shuguang asked.

“Right,” Li nodded. “I don’t know why, but the Giant Python Clan doesn’t have Sub-Beastman cubs—they all hatch from eggs.”

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow. “And there aren’t any female Beastmen either, right?” He rinsed the soaked mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots, then chopped them up and placed them in a bamboo bowl. He leaned over to lift the lid off the stone pot and poked the potato with a twig chopstick; it went right through. He scooped the potato out and set it aside in a wooden basin. “There aren’t many female Beastmen in the tribe either.”

Li nodded and pointed at the potatoes. “What do we do with these?”

“Peel them, then mash them,” Zhang Shuguang handed him the wooden spoon. “You handle that; I’ll make the crepes.”

“There are already quite a few female Beastmen in our tribe. I heard from my father that there are even fewer in other tribes.” Li moved the wooden basin onto the table, found a rock to sit on, picked up a potato, and began peeling it. “I wonder why that is.”

Zhang Shuguang sighed and didn’t ask any further.

“None of the Sub-Beastmen in the tribe have had babies lately,” Li said, pouting. “My mom says the last snow season was too cold. A lot of the sub-beastmen got frostbite, and once you get frostbite, it’s hard to have babies.”

Zhang Shuguang picked out the salted fish and salted pork with chopsticks and placed them in a basin nearby. He soaked them in the clean water to rinse them off, then diced them and divided them into two coarse bamboo bowls. “It’s not just the cold that makes it hard to have babies; poor nutrition does the same. And once you have a baby, you need to eat even better.”

“My mom says the same thing.” Li finished peeling a potato and picked up another to continue peeling. “Since you’ve been here, everyone in the tribe has been eating much better. At least a lot of people aren’t eating raw meat anymore.”

“You’ll eat even better from now on, don’t worry. Eating more vegetables is good for your health,” Zhang Shuguang couldn’t explain what vitamins were to him, so he changed the subject and continued the conversation. “We were just talking about Mang Er earlier. What do you think about that?”

Li’s mouth twitched. “What do you mean, what do I think? I don’t have any thoughts on it.”

Zhang Shuguang was about to say something else when he saw Mang Er walk over holding two stone knives. He sat down beside them and, without a word, began butchering the deer.

“Second Brother, why don’t you find a Sub-Beastman?”

Mang Er didn’t even pause in his work; he just chuckled softly. “I don’t like going out much. What Sub-Beastman would want to be with me? Besides, I eat my fill and go to sleep—it’s so carefree.”

Zhang Shuguang didn’t say a word, but Li, standing nearby, asked, “So you don’t want kids?” 

“Of course I do,” Mang Er glanced at him with a half-lidded look. “What’s the matter? Do you want to lay eggs for me?” 

Li opened his mouth and gasped, “No!”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled softly, went into the cave to fetch the frying pan, washed it clean, and then placed it on the stove. He added a small amount of hog beast fat to melt, swirled the pan, and poured in some beaten egg mixture.

There was a sizzle, followed by the aroma of eggs wafting through the air.

The omelet cooked quickly; the animal fat prevented the egg mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When Zhang Shuguang saw the edges curling up, he gently lifted it with chopsticks and placed it in a clean wooden bowl nearby.

The first egg crepe was golden, fragrant, and soft, lying there in a thin layer—it looked so tempting he couldn’t resist eating it.

The three cubs, who had been sleeping in the den, were lured out by the aroma and began rubbing against his legs. Zhang Shuguang tore off pieces of the omelet to share with them, smiling as he said, “Let’s satisfy your cravings first.”

He began making the second omelet, his movements growing smoother with each pass: melting the oil, pouring the egg mixture, swirling the pan, then lifting the edge with chopsticks to form a perfect, intact omelet.

He ended up making thirty egg crepes in total—far more than he had expected.

“Uncle Guang!” Mang Qiqi was drenched in sweat, clutching a bag in his arms. “I brought you some eggs!”

Zhang Shuguang was surprised, amused, and deeply touched. “Did you get your little friends to help you collect eggs?”

“Yeah, I told them you were making egg rolls today and that they could have a bite.” Mang Qiqi set the bag on the table; when he opened it, eggs of various colors spilled out.

Pink, pale blue, snow-white, and two with gray and yellow patterns.

Zhang Shuguang clenched his fist to compare—the two speckled eggs were about the size of his fist, but the rest were actually quite a bit larger. There were over a dozen eggs; he had no idea where they’d all come from.

“You’re such a go-getter. I’ll make extra later, and you can take some to share with your friends,” he said, reaching up to ruffle Mang Qiqi’s hair. “Thanks, Qiqi, you’re so great.”

Mang Qiqi nodded vigorously. “Okay! Thanks, Uncle Guang!”

“Why ‘Uncle Guang’ now? Isn’t it ‘Uncle Shuguang’?” Li mashed the potatoes with his spoon, pressing down hard until they turned into mashed potatoes. He asked, “Is this okay, Shuguang?”

Mang Qiqi scratched his head and gave a shy chuckle. “It feels so much closer that way. I like Uncle Guang.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded with a smile. “Right, let’s stick with Uncle Guang. You keep your little brother and sister company while I finish making the egg crepes.” He worked quickly, cracking the remaining eggs into the bamboo tube and whisking them, then continued making the crepes.

“Li, you need to mash the potatoes until there aren’t even tiny bits left—they have to turn into a paste.”

Li gave a soft “Okay.”

Zhang Shuguang finished making all the egg crepes, stacking them one on top of the other in a wooden bowl. Then, using the oil left in the pan, he stir-fried the diced mushrooms and bamboo shoots until cooked. He added some diced salted pork and continued stir-frying before transferring the mixture to the wooden bowl. He turned to Li and said, “Add half of the mashed potatoes to this, mix it all together, and add just a little bit of crushed Sichuan peppercorns.”

“Okay.” Li followed his instructions, mixing all the ingredients together.

He mixed the remaining mashed potatoes with the diced salted fish, sprinkled in some chopped lemongrass, and stirred until well combined.

“How do we wrap them?” Li leaned in, eyeing the thin, golden egg wrappers with eager anticipation.

Zhang Shuguang moved the wooden bowl holding the egg wrappers onto the table, placed the seasoned mashed potatoes in the center of one, then folded it left, right, up, and down—and a neat, square egg roll was formed.

“Want to try some?” He used a bone knife to cut the omelet in half, giving Li and Mang Qiqi one half each.

He quickly wrapped up another one with salted pork and mashed potatoes and handed it to Mang Er. “Big Brother, you try some too.” After saying that, he turned to Li and Mang Qiqi and pointed to the bowl of garlic cloves on the table: “Take a bite of garlic with it—it tastes especially good.”

Mang Er’s hand trembled as he took the egg roll. Garlic! He would never touch it again in his life!

The egg rolls won over their stomachs. Mang Qiqi ate so intently that he didn’t even look up. Zhang Shuguang wrapped five of each flavor and placed them on a bamboo tray.

“Qiqi, take these to your friends first. You can eat more when you get back.”

Mang Qiqi nodded repeatedly and ran off carrying the bamboo tray.

Zhang Shuguang ate one with salted pork himself, then half of the one with salted fish, and was nearly full.

As for the three kids, Tangdou had a smaller appetite but still ate a whole salted-fish omelet; although Naidou and Maodou didn’t look very big, their appetites were anything but small.

“That’s really good,” said Mang Er as he helped salt the four legs. “Take a break. We’ll stew this meat tonight.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. Seeing Li holding an egg roll without eating it, he knew she intended to take it back to her mother, so he smiled and said, “Go take it back, then come back later to help me out.”

Li nodded happily and turned to leave.

Mang Er raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Shuguang, who had sat down beside him. “What’s up? You want to tell me something?”

“You didn’t even finish what you were saying yesterday before the garlic fumes made you lose your mind. You still haven’t told me about Mang Jiu!” Zhang Shuguang poured him a cup of warm water, smiling. “Second Brother, have a drink.”

Mang Er nodded slightly. “You’re saying the Shaman doesn’t know much about evolution either?”

“Right. I asked the Shaman about it, and he said he didn’t know. Beastmen’s evolution doesn’t follow any set pattern—some get stronger and more powerful, some run faster, and Mang Qiqi’s sense of smell is especially keen.” Zhang Shuguang propped his chin up and looked at him. “What’s going on with Mang Jiu?”

“I don’t know. He’s probably just getting bigger and bigger.” Mang Er scratched his cheek, then added after a moment’s thought, “I’ve only seen one Beastman go through physical evolution once—he didn’t make it. He was in agony.”

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened. Thinking about how A-Si had been at the time, he blurted out, “Will Mang Jiu die from the pain?” 

Mang Er: “……” How am I supposed to answer that?