Mang Jiu carried Zhang Shuguang on his back as they ran in the opposite direction. From a distance, they could hear a rumbling sound. Zhang Shuguang straightened up and took a look—the rushing river was crashing against the gravel banks along the shore. No wonder the sound was so loud.

“Is that the Dongchuan River?”

Mang Jiu nodded and set Zhang Shuguang down on a large boulder by the riverbank. Zhang Shuguang stood on the boulder and looked out.

The river was over thirty meters wide, with lush vegetation lining both banks. The current was swift, and the stones along the shore had been worn smooth by the water, glistening in the sunlight.

“It has quite a few tributaries.” From their elevated vantage point, they could see far into the distance.

“All the freshwater our tribe drinks comes from the Dongchuan River,” Mang Jiu raised his hand and pointed toward the forest on the opposite bank. “Many tribes live in that longleaf forest over there; they all depend on the Dongchuan River for their survival.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly, thinking of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River on Earth. “How do we get to the other side?”

“It’s not as wide up ahead; the beastmen can jump right across.” Mang Jiu took his hand. “Come on, let’s go for a walk in the woods.”

Zhang Shuguang grinned as he hopped down from the rock, and the two turned away from the riverbank.

They hadn’t gone far before a faint floral scent reached their noses. Rounding a bend, a sea of pink came into view. “What is this…” Zhang Shuguang stood there, his mouth half-open in surprise, gazing at the expanse of pink. “Peach blossoms?” 

Mang Jiu said calmly, “After the rainy season, they’ll bear plenty of fruit—juicy and sweet.”

Zhang Shuguang was awestruck by the vast peach blossom grove. Hearing his words, he asked, “Do they have fuzz on the surface?”

“Hmm, it’ll make you itch if it gets on you.” Mang Jiu pulled him forward a few steps and pointed at the little insects flitting among the flowers. “Bees?”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “Right. With so many bees around, there’s definitely a hive nearby! Hurry, hurry, let’s go find the hive!”

Mang Jiu pulled him along at a brisk pace; just from that speed alone, it was clear this guy hadn’t been thinking about a beehive for just a day or two.

With Mang Jiu leading the way, finding the hive was easy. They hadn’t been far from the peach grove when they spotted a massive hive hanging between several trees.

The hives were built among the thick branches of several trees, tightly connected one to the next. From a distance, they looked like a barrier suspended in mid-air. The hives were massive, with swarms of worker bees crawling over them, coming and going back and forth. Just looking at them from afar sent a shiver down one’s spine, let alone the constant buzzing that assaulted his eardrums.

Zhang Shuguang shuddered and began scratching his arm. “My God, there are so many of them!”

Although the bees were of normal size, their sheer numbers were overwhelming; he couldn’t stand it after just a few glances.

“Light a fire, light a fire—smoke them out.”

Lighting a fire probably wouldn’t work—it had just rained, and everything was damp, so smoking them out was out of the question. Zhang Shuguang took a few steps back, then looked around. “How about we just leave for now?”

Mang Jiu stared at the massive beehive, faintly catching the sweet, cloying scent. He didn’t want to leave.

His whole face screamed that he didn’t want to leave.

Zhang Shuguang tugged at him twice, but he didn’t budge.

“You’re not actually planning to just dive right in, are you?” Zhang Shuguang looked at him in disbelief. “It’s very dangerous. Don’t let their small size fool you—these bees can be terrifying when they get aggressive!”

Mang Jiu hummed in response but still didn’t budge. Clearly, he intended to give it a try. Zhang Shuguang sighed. “How do you plan to try?”

“I’ll just break off a piece to see if there’s honey inside.” Mang Jiu chuckled softly, tore off the leather skirt, and handed it to him. “Step back a bit. Get out of the way.”

Zhang Shuguang was utterly exasperated. He took the leather skirt and ran a bit farther away, hiding behind a tree. After thinking it over, he decided that wasn’t safe enough, so he ran even farther.

“All set!” he called out.

Mang Jiu transformed into a massive serpent and waved the tip of his tail in front of the beehive.

The swarm of bees was startled, and with a buzzing hum, they took flight, circling around the tail. Mang Jiu’s tail twitched again, and the bees scattered as if frightened.

Mang Jiu raised its massive serpentine head and flickered its tongue.

The buzzing grew louder, and more and more bees crawled out of the hive, flying around Mang Jiu. Zhang Shuguang’s palms were sweaty with tension; his eyes fixed on the swarming bees, he didn’t dare breathe a word. Mang Jiu twisted his thick, long body through the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground, slowly positioning his head directly over the hive.

Only when not a single bee emerged from the hive did he open his massive jaws and bite directly into it. Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of his actions.

The swarm of bees flying around him attacked him in an instant, but their tiny stingers couldn’t inflict the slightest damage on Mang Jiu’s hard scales.

Watching helplessly as half the hive was bitten away, the bees grew frantic with rage. After several waves of attacks proved futile, they could only rally more worker bees and launch an assault on the giant snake’s eyes.

Mang Jiu lashed out with his tail, the whistling wind cutting through the air. The airflow generated by his tail alone was enough to sweep the bees surrounding him away.

“Mang Jiu! Get out of here!” Zhang Shuguang shouted.

Mang Jiu had no intention of harming these bees; if he killed them all, he’d have to find another hive later.

Hearing Zhang Shuguang’s shout, he slid over with a large chunk of honeycomb clenched in his mouth. The tip of his tail reached out, wrapped around Zhang Shuguang, and carried him away.

Zhang Shuguang clung to its thick tail, his heart pounding wildly.

Riding a snake wasn’t the most thrilling part—being tossed up and down by its tail was what really made his heart race!

“Ugh~” Zhang Shuguang held it in as long as he could, but finally couldn’t take it anymore and threw up. Clinging to the snake’s tail, he vomited until he felt dizzy. After leaving the peach blossom grove, Mang Jiu set Zhang Shuguang down on the ground and noticed his face was deathly pale. 

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Shuguang weakly propped himself up with one hand on the snake’s body and waved it gently. “Next time, could you carry me on your back?” Mang Jiu bit the beehive and placed it in front of him, then shifted back into human form. “Was it too fast? Did it scare you?”

“It felt like riding a roller coaster for ages,” Zhang Shuguang exhaled. After taking a moment to recover and the dizziness subsided, he stood up straight. Looking at the brownish-yellow beehive in front of him, he reached out to touch it—it felt slightly hard. “I was so far away just now; I really didn’t realize it was this big.”

Golden, thick honey was already oozing slowly from the crack. Zhang Shuguang dipped his finger in and licked it. “Sweet!” It wasn’t just sweet; it also carried a rich floral aroma. He dipped his finger again and savored it slowly—it was like the scent of peach blossoms, yet not quite.

“I need to find something to put this in, or it’ll go to waste.” He began thinking again about the clay pots he hadn’t fired yet. How wonderful it would be if he could bring a few of them out to hold the honey.

Mang Jiu pointed to the ground not far away. “Go over there and gather some vines to weave a basket. I saw quite a few mushrooms earlier. I’ll chop down a tree and carve out a bucket to hold the honeycomb.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded; there was no other way.

He turned to gather vines. The vines here were quite tough but not easily broken, making them perfect for weaving a basket.

Mang Jiu found a tree and kicked it a few times with his foot. The trunk cracked and snapped, then fell to the ground. Crash! Boom!

Zhang Shuguang paused in his work, looked up, and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. “You really are… something else.” Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow, accepting his teasing compliment.

“Here, take my fishbone knife. Don’t just chop at it with your bare hands.” Seeing him raise his hand to strike the tree, Zhang Shuguang quickly handed him his fishbone knife.

He decided that once they got back, he’d make a fanny pack to hold all the odds and ends he used on a daily basis—something he could carry with him wherever he went and grab whenever he needed it. Mang Jiu traced a circle on the tree trunk with the fishbone knife, then slammed his palm down on the marked spot.

The tree trunk snapped cleanly, the break smooth and even.

Zhang Shuguang carried the vine over and watched up close as Mang Jiu struck the tree trunk with his palm—it was like watching someone shatter a boulder with their chest. Every time Mang Jiu struck off a section of the trunk, Zhang Shuguang would shout “Bravo!” and clap his hands enthusiastically.

Mang Jiu looked utterly exasperated but indulged him, saying, “You seem to be enjoying this.”

Zhang Shuguang didn’t stop working with his hands as he wove the vines together. Hearing this, he nodded with a smile: “Yeah, it really is quite a sight.” Mang Jiu chuckled softly, found a stone, and began chiseling away at the wood.

He was strong; by the time Zhang Shuguang had finished weaving a vine basket, he had already hollowed out two wooden barrels.

Zhang Shuguang chopped up the honeycomb and placed it in the wooden barrels. He licked the honey residue off his fingers, cut a small piece of honeycomb and popped it straight into his mouth, then cut a large piece for Mang Jiu and fed it to him. “It’s really delicious. This will last us for many days.”

Mang Jiu chewed on the sweet, soft honeycomb in his mouth and gave a soft “Mm.”

“The fruit trees are all in bloom lately. There should be plenty of bees near the tribe. We’ll look for more when we get back. I’ll fire up a few clay pots to store the honey—wood can’t hold it long-term; it’s all soaked in.” Zhang Shuguang licked his lips, glancing at the color the wood had taken on from the honey, a hint of regret in his voice. “When do you plan to head back?”

The injured beastmen were recovering quickly; the earthworm meat was helping their wounds heal even faster. Zhang Shuguang actually wanted to leave sooner—after all, three little ones were waiting back at the tribe. He could leave them in Li’s care, but the thought of it was unbearable.

Mang Jiu understood his feelings. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Tomorrow, then. I’ll let the Chief know.”

“What about that Divine Blood Tree? Leaving it there just feels like trouble waiting to happen,” Zhang Shuguang frowned in distress. “It wouldn’t be good if it attracted something.”

“Dig it up and take it with us?” asked Mang Jiu.

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “What if it dies when we dig it up? Besides, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to the tribe. Never mind. Anyway, even if it’s discovered, we won’t be able to do anything about it. We’ll just have to take a look and let it grow there on its own. Since it’s called the Divine Blood Tree, it must have its merits. Who knows, maybe it’ll bring some benefits to the flora and fauna of this land.”

Mang Jiu nodded and dug up the remaining two pieces of wood.

“Hollowing out both sides makes them easy to carry. Thread the wood through and hoist them over your shoulders—that’ll be more convenient,” Zhang Shuguang said, pointing to the wooden barrels. Mang Jiu worked quickly; it didn’t take long for the four barrels to take shape.

He cut a section from the remaining tree trunk, threaded it through the four barrels, and hoisted them onto his shoulders. With his other hand, he pulled Zhang Shuguang along. “Come on, let’s go pick some mushrooms first.”

There were plenty of trees and mushrooms in this area. After sorting the mushrooms last time, the two of them knew which ones were poisonous. Although they’d encountered varieties they’d never seen before, having Xiao Cai help identify whether they were poisonous made things much easier.

Xiao Cai: “Master, I’ve spotted an edible plant right ahead.”

Zhang Shuguang looked up and saw quite a few purslane plants growing on the ground.

He’d eaten this once when he was a child and didn’t care for the taste or texture. Zhang Shuguang: “No, I don’t like eating this.”

Xiao Cai: “Purslane has medicinal properties; it can treat dysentery and enteritis.”

Zhang Shuguang couldn’t help but feel that Xiao Cai was acting a bit differently today; he’d never seen it go out of its way to explain things to him in such detail before.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing him standing there in a daze, Mang Jiu turned and asked.

Zhang Shuguang pointed to a few blades of grass at his feet and said, “This is called purslane. It can be used in cooking or as herbal medicine, though it has a strange taste. Let’s dig some up and take it back to Uncle Ying Cao.”

“Alright, you dig them up. I’ll pick all these mushrooms.” Mang Jiu held a bone knife in his hand and was slicing mushrooms at the base of a tree.

His movements were light; he held out his hand below, catching the mushrooms as they fell from the tree trunk and placing them into a wooden bucket. Zhang Shuguang dug up a good amount of purslane, soil and all, and put it into the bucket. He took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Mang Jiu!” he called out softly.

Mang Jiu stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him. “Hmm?”

“Over there, rabbits! That long-eared creature!” Zhang Shuguang pointed. “I see three of them! And they look pretty plump.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, edible plants detected 300 meters ahead.” 

Zhang Shuguang blinked. More already?

“Quick, quick, quick! You go catch the rabbits, and I’ll dig up the wild greens.” He waved his arm, signaling Mang Jiu to hurry.

Mang Jiu grunted in response, picked up a few palm-sized stones from the ground, then walked over to his side. Looking in the direction Zhang Shuguang was pointing, they saw three plump, long-eared creatures crouching there, munching on grass, clearly oblivious to their watchful eyes.

Zhang Shuguang heard only a soft whoosh by his ear and saw one of the rabbits grazing in the distance get hit squarely in the head by a stone.

The remaining two were so startled they bolted, but no matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t outpace Mang Jiu’s stones. With two thuds, they all fell to the ground. Zhang Shuguang’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

“That’s ridiculous—his aim is that good!”

Mang Jiu said calmly, “Long-eared beasts live in groups. I’ll look around nearby to see if there’s a den and catch a few more to take back.” Zhang Shuguang nodded blankly. “You’re the expert—you call the shots.”

He snapped out of it and headed toward the spot Xiao Cai had pointed out.

Parting the grass and passing through the trees, he scanned the ground with his eyes. A patch of green leaves, about calf-high and tinged with purplish-red, caught his attention.

“Is this amaranth?” He walked over, bent down, plucked a leaf, and sniffed it. “Is this wild amaranth bitter?”

With that thought, he popped the leaf into his mouth and chewed it. It had a slight bitterness, but the taste wasn’t strong. Xiao Cai said, “Amaranth has high nutritional value and can also be used for medicinal purposes.”

Zhang Shuguang was crouched on the ground, using a stone to dig up the soil, intending to uproot a few plants to take home and plant, while picking some others to save for soup later. Hearing her words, he smiled and asked, “Are you buttering me up?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, did something happen between you and the main system? It suddenly said it needed to go into hibernation for a while and told me to cooperate with you in everything, prioritizing your needs.”

Zhang Shuguang raised one eyebrow slightly. As he carefully dug up the roots, he asked, “Did it say anything else?” 

Xiao Cai: “No, Master. The main system seems to have consumed too much energy; I can’t get in touch with it.”

Zhang Shuguang sighed. Without saying or asking much more, he simply said, “From now on, accept any missions that require turning in items. Just let me know what’s needed.”

Xiao Cai: “Really, Master? That’s great! There’s actually a mission today that requires a specific item!” 

Zhang Shuguang hummed in acknowledgment. “What do you need?”

Xiao Cai: “Five pounds of honey.”

Zhang Shuguang: “……” This really was like snatching food from a python’s mouth. Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Xiao Cai asked, “Are you taking the mission?”

Zhang Shuguang gritted his teeth: “I’ll take it!”

Xiao Cai: “Alright, Master. I’ve accepted the honey harvesting mission for you.”

Zhang Shuguang set the amaranth he’d dug up aside and continued digging. “Can I just turn in the honey and the hive together?” 

Xiao Cai: “That’s fine, Master. As long as they’re both edible.”

Zhang Shuguang breathed a sigh of relief. If he’d been asked to hand in just the honey, he would’ve had to figure out how to separate it from the hive. Being able to hand them in together saved him a lot of trouble.

After digging up six whole amaranth plants in a row, he stood up and stamped his feet, then grabbed the stems and yanked them upward with a rather rough motion.

Many of the plants landed in the wicker basket, while those with intact roots and soil were placed in the wooden barrel. Seeing that Mang Jiu hadn’t returned yet, he simply squatted down under a tree to continue picking mushrooms.

He muttered under his breath, “Xiao Cai, could you take a look and tell me if this mushroom is poisonous?” He had found a red mushroom with a smooth cap, about the size of a palm, and it looked quite beautiful.

“It’s not poisonous.” A strange male voice rang out. Zhang Shuguang froze for a moment, then whipped his head around, scanning the area before slowly looking up. Standing on the very tree where he’d been picking mushrooms was a man with tanned skin, wearing a black animal-skin skirt.

Zhang Shuguang tilted his head back and stared at him blankly, not moving. He hadn’t heard a single sound—he had no idea when this man had appeared! If the man hadn’t spoken up and had any malicious intentions, Zhang Shuguang wouldn’t even have known how he’d died!

The man had one hand braced against the tree trunk and the other hanging at his side, still clutching a stone spear. He, too, was looking down at Zhang Shuguang. Zhang Shuguang blinked, his heart racing.

“Um, how about…” He tried to force a friendly smile. “Why don’t you come down and we can talk?”

The man in the tree nodded, leaped down nimbly, and landed with a steady thud.

Zhang Shuguang’s heart skipped a beat. This guy was agile and nimble; though not as burly as Mang Jiu, his muscles were well-defined. He was definitely someone Zhang Shuguang couldn’t afford to cross.

“Hello, I’m picking some mushrooms here. May I ask who you are?”

The man was taken aback; he’d never met such a polite fellow before.

Usually, when he saw a stranger, he’d start a fight without a word—he’d risk his life just to draw some blood, he couldn’t even have a proper conversation. But he could tell this guy was a weak sub-beastman, so he didn’t plan on giving him a hard time.

“Why are you here all by yourself?” he asked, furrowing his brow. He leaned forward to sniff the air, then tensed his body and glared at Zhang Shuguang. “You smell like a Snake Clan member!”

Zhang Shuguang let out a dry “Ah.”

He was glued to Mang Jiu all day long—wasn’t it only natural that he’d smell like him?

But seeing the man’s intense reaction, he gave a subtle nod. “Right, I’m with…” He paused, suddenly unsure how to describe Mang Jiu’s relationship to him.

Call him a companion? That didn’t quite fit.

A partner? That’s not very dignified.

A clan member? That sounded too distant.

He blinked. “I came with my beastman.” Hmm, “my beastman”—that title worked.

“Your beastman?” The man frowned, staring at him as if trying to see right through Zhang Shuguang. “There are no Snake Clans around here. Which tribe are you from?”

Zhang Shuguang actually had no idea which tribes were in the area; he couldn’t make anything up on the spot, so he simply didn’t hide it: “The Cliffside Tribe.”

The man paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, “The Cliff Tribe—are they the giant beasts that live by the sea?” The coast didn’t seem all that close, but Zhang Shuguang nodded anyway. “That’s right.”

“What are you doing here?” the man asked again.

Zhang Shuguang rolled his eyes, stood up, and patted his slightly numb legs. He asked sharply, “Are you interrogating prisoners here? You’re firing off one question after another—shouldn’t you tell me who you are first? Did I pick mushrooms or dig wild vegetables from your land?”

Startled by his sudden change in attitude, the man reflexively turned his head just as a gust of wind swept past him. Before he could dodge, a large hand clamped down on his neck.

“Ugh!”

Zhang Shuguang patted his chest and said nervously, “That gave me a heart attack!”

Mang Jiu glanced at him. Seeing nothing amiss, he turned his attention to the man he was holding and said coldly, “From the Green Forest Tribe? The Long-Armed Monkey Clan.”

The man struggled in his grip, swinging the stone club in his hand at Mang Jiu.

Mang Jiu flung his arm out, hurling the man a great distance away. He crashed to the ground with a thud. Zhang Shuguang grimaced; just hearing the sound was enough to know how painful it must have been.

But Mang Jiu really was incredibly strong—able to fling a person that far with just one arm. Impressive!

The man scrambled to his feet, coughing and choking, and stared at Mang Jiu in utter shock. “You’re… Mang Jiu?” Mang Jiu gave him a cold glance and handed the several plump rabbits he was holding in his other hand to Zhang Shuguang.

Just a moment ago, he’d been holding six plump rabbits by their ears with one hand while pinning a man with the other… Zhang Shuguang hurriedly took the rabbits, barely managing to hold them.

They were quite heavy.

He turned around and set the plump rabbits on the ground, then cleared out one of the wooden buckets, transferred the mushrooms inside to a wicker basket, and placed all the rabbits into the bucket.

The man had already walked over, his neck flushed red. He stared intently at Mang Jiu and asked uncertainly, “You’re Mang Jiu, aren’t you?”

Mang Jiu looked at him impassively. “You know me.”

“I’ve seen you before!” The man’s voice was strangely agitated. Zhang Shuguang turned to look and heard him say urgently, “I’m Hou Qi!”

Mang Jiu tilted his head. Hou Qi? Who? He didn’t recognize him. He gave a slight nod. “Oh.”

Then he turned to look at Zhang Shuguang. “Are you still picking mushrooms?”

“No, I’m done. I’ve got plenty already,” Zhang Shuguang glanced at the wooden bucket on the ground, now filled to the brim. “Let’s head back. It’s getting late, and the chief will worry.”

Mang Jiu gave a soft “Hmm.”

Seeing the two of them about to leave, Hou Qi quickly reached out to stop them. “Wait, wait a minute!” Mang Jiu, with a wooden staff slung over his shoulder, looked at him in confusion. “Is there something else?”

“Yes, something important.” Hou Qi spread his arms to block their path. “Word has it that your Cliffside Tribe has closed off the hunting grounds up ahead. Though it doesn’t really concern us, the chief still wants to know what happened.”

He had come to the other side of the river intending to head to the hunting grounds to gather some information, but as soon as he arrived, he spotted Zhang Shuguang picking mushrooms all by himself.

A flash of surprise crossed Zhang Shuguang’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Xiong Kui to act so quickly—he’d already had the beastmen spread the news.

Mang Jiu, however, was aware of Xiong Kui’s arrangements. Upon hearing the question, he replied, “Earthworms and centipedes have crawled out and devastated large swaths of land. The chieftain has discovered the danger beneath the ground, so the hunting grounds have been temporarily closed.”

That excuse is utterly half-hearted. Their tribe just closes things off on a whim without a proper justification—they really take the other tribes for fools.

However, given the Monkey Tribe’s strength, even if they raised doubts, they wouldn’t dare to confront them head-on. At most, they’d send people to secretly gather intelligence and speculate on the cause.

Zhang Shuguang lowered his head to hide his slight surprise, deciding to reward Xiong Kui with an extra rabbit leg when he returned.

Hou Qi’s mouth twitched noticeably, but since the other person had already spoken, he couldn’t very well keep pestering them with questions, so he just went, “Oh.”

“So when are you guys planning to head out for the Lion-Tiger Clan gathering? It hasn’t rained on the other side of the river, so I’m thinking of bringing some people over to pick up a bunch of mushrooms to trade.”

Zhang Shuguang felt his attempt to change the subject had been a bit abrupt. He looked up at him and noticed the man was still staring at Mang Jiu—a gaze so intense that “fanatical” wouldn’t be an exaggeration!

What’s going on!

Could this male beastman be a suitor of Mang Jiu?

A sudden sense of danger washed over him. Without a second thought, Zhang Shuguang reached out and grabbed Mang Jiu’s arm, pressing his body close to him. Mang Jiu turned to look at him, his eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

Zhang Shuguang shot him a sidelong glance and didn’t move.

“Tired?” Mang Jiu asked.

Zhang Shuguang gave a soft “Mm-hmm” and looked at Hou Qi. “We haven’t settled on a time to go to the gathering yet. We don’t want to disturb you while you’re picking mushrooms, so we’ll be heading out now.” With that, he took Mang Jiu’s hand and walked away.

Mang Jiu said calmly, “If you’re tired, let me carry the basket for you.”

“No need. This is fine.” Zhang Shuguang tightened his grip on his hand and hurried away.

Hou Qi opened his mouth but swallowed his words. He watched the two figures walk away, pursed his lips, then turned and leaped into the air, landing instantly on a tall tree. He stood on a branch for a moment, then turned and began leaping through the forest, disappearing from sight in no time.

Zhang Shuguang heard a sound and glanced back, but didn’t see Hou Qi. He turned and glared at Mang Jiu. “It wasn’t enough that you provoked the female beastmen—now you’ve even drawn in a male beastman! And one from the tribe across the river, no less!”

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

“Hmph!” Zhang Shuguang said angrily. “He clearly knows you. Look at the way he was looking at you just now—like he wanted to stick to you. He’s definitely up to something.”

Mang Jiu chuckled helplessly. “You’re overthinking it, aren’t you?”

Zhang Shuguang grumbled unhappily. It wasn’t overthinking—it was a danger-filled situation!

Still, he knew his reaction was a bit over the top. Pouting, he said, “Turn into a snake and carry me. My feet hurt, and I don’t want to walk anymore.” Mang Jiu quickly set down the wooden bucket, bent down, and gripped his ankle. “Where does it hurt? Did you step on a rock just now?”

Seeing how concerned he was, Zhang Shuguang cheered up again. He nudged him. “No, I’m just tired from walking. Hurry up and turn into a snake—I want to lie down and soak up the sun.”

Mang Jiu shot him a helpless glance and obediently transformed into a snake.

Zhang Shuguang had been so preoccupied with his dizziness and nausea earlier that he’d forgotten to look at his snake form. Only now did he notice that many of Mang Jiu’s scales were missing or damaged, with patches of flesh exposed where they’d fallen off.

He reached out to touch them, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears. His voice cracked as he asked, “Didn’t you say you’d recovered?” Just seeing these scars made him realize how severe the giant python’s injuries had been that night!

The thought of it made his heart ache unbearably. Zhang Shuguang pouted, feeling utterly distressed.

Mang Jiu’s massive, serpentine head turned toward him, and it extended its tongue to gently touch his cheek. “It’ll be fine once I shed my skin. Don’t worry.” 

“Can’t they just grow back?” Zhang Shuguang looked at him with a pout.

The giant snake’s head shook. “No, I can only shed my skin. I can feel that I’m about to shed again.”

“You’re going to shed again?” Zhang Shuguang was so surprised he forgot all about his own distress. “Didn’t you just shed once? That’s way too frequent!” Logically speaking, the larger the snake, the longer the interval between molts should be, but Mangu’s situation clearly wasn’t like that.

Frequent shedding could be caused not only by rapid growth but also by physical discomfort.

Zhang Shuguang ran his hand over its slippery scales and asked, “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” The round snake eyes narrowed slightly, and an expression of contentment was actually visible on that handsome snake face!

“No, it feels really good when you touch me.”

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched twice, and he slapped him. “I’m asking you a serious question!”

“What’s with that look of pure bliss on your face? It’s making me think about all sorts of things!”

“I’m being serious,” Mang Jiu brushed his lips lightly against his, “I’ll wrap you around my back, and we’ll head back.”

Zhang Shuguang gave a soft “Mm-hmm” as he was coiled onto his back by the tail, along with the wooden bucket.

“Wait a second, I’ll tie these together.” He pulled two vines from the wicker basket and tied the wooden bucket and the basket together. He’d originally planned to wrap them around Mang Jiu’s body to secure them, but found he was too thick to wrap around.

“It’ll fall off if we leave it like this.”

Mang Jiu coiled the wooden bucket and basket back down with his tail and began swimming forward while carrying them. “Lie down. I’ll go a bit slower.”

“Alright.” Zhang Shuguang rolled over on the snake’s back, tilted his face upward, rested his arms behind his head, and dangled his feet. “Let’s go.”

Who else could sunbathe on a snake’s back like him! Come summer, he could even pitch a tent on the giant snake’s body to stay cool!

Back at their temporary cave, Zhang Shuguang saw the honey in the wooden barrels and thought of his mission. He said to Mang Jiu, “Um, I need to hand in that honey for the mission.”

Mang Jiu nodded. “Alright, I’ll go talk to the chief about Hou Qi first.”

“Hmm, I’ll go with you,” Zhang Shuguang said. “I’ll give this purslane to Uncle Ying Cao.” The two went to find Xiong Kui and Ying Cao, only to discover they were in the cave where the injured beasts were staying. Seeing the two return, Xiong Kui waved them over. “Come quickly, I have good news.”

Zhang Shuguang spotted the man standing beside Xiong Kui and exclaimed with delight, “When did Brother Ying Liu arrive? Have you seen my little one these past few days?”

“I have. They’re all doing well. Mang Er brings them fresh game every day.” Ying Liu was also pleased to see Zhang Shuguang and smiled, “Don’t worry about them.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded with a smile. “That’s good. I was worried they might be causing trouble… Wait, did you say Brother Mang Er is helping to look after them?”

“Yeah, Li is staying in your cave with the kids. He hasn’t gone out with the harvesting team these past few days. Mang Er brings them fresh meat every day—the two of them are helping you look after them.” Ying Liu nodded at Mang Jiu and said, “Xi San brought back a lot of salt. Wu has already distributed it to everyone, and there’s still quite a bit left. He sent me over to ask when you plan to head back.”

“Tomorrow.” Mang Jiu looked at Xiong Kui. “I’ll take Shuguang back tomorrow.”

Xiong Kui looked at Zhang Shuguang. “I’ll have someone keep an eye on that tree. You don’t need to worry.”

“Yeah, thanks, Chief,” Zhang Shuguang smiled at Xiong Kui, then turned to find Ying Cao and handed him the purslane. “Uncle, this is called purslane. It’s a wild vegetable that can be boiled or stir-fried. It’s also a medicinal herb that can treat diarrhea.”

Ying Cao took it excitedly and asked, “Is there more? Where did you find it?”

“I went over to the peach grove with Mang Jiu. There’s plenty more there. You can go dig some up when you have time—it grows right on the ground.” Zhang Shuguang actually wasn’t very good at telling directions; he’d even made a fool of himself once before.

Once, when a friend was driving to his house, they called him at a traffic light at an intersection to ask which way to go—north or south. He told them to just follow the traffic lights at the intersection.

It completely baffled his friend.

It took him a while to reply: “Go up? Am I supposed to fly to the sky?!”

But that’s beside the point. Since Zhang Shuguang had trouble orienting himself here, he decided to simply note some prominent landmarks, like this peach grove. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Ying Cao looking completely bewildered—clearly, he had no idea where Zhang was talking about.

Xiong Kui, however, gave Mang Jiu a surprised look and said, “How did the two of you end up so far away?” And not only that, but they’d actually come back in just half a day!

Zhang Shuguang paused for a moment. “Is it far?”

“It’s far—about as far as it is from here to the tribe,” Xiong Kui nodded. “If you were walking from the tribe, it would take a whole day.”

Zhang Shuguang was dumbfounded—that really wasn’t close.

The thing was, he hadn’t thought Mang Jiu was running that fast at all. They’d just chatted and taken in the scenery, and before they knew it, they were there. Zhang Shuguang turned to look at Mang Jiu and asked sincerely, “You can fly now, right?”

Mang Jiu chuckled softly, raising a hand to pinch his cheek. “Being able to run fast lets me take you to more places. That’s pretty great.”

Zhang Shuguang felt it wasn’t really a matter of how fast he ran, but rather that the great battle had accelerated Mang Jiu’s evolution! He didn’t know if it would have any effect on his body.

He pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed, looking deeply troubled.

Mang Jiu ruffled his hair and soothed him with a gentle voice, “I’m really fine. I don’t feel unwell at all.” Zhang Shuguang nodded, saying nothing more.

Now wasn’t the right time to talk; they’d have to wait until they were alone to discuss it.

He needed to give Mang Jiu a full-body checkup—preferably one that covered him from head to toe.

Xiao Cai: “Master, there are edible plants about three hundred meters behind you.”

Zhang Shuguang reflexively turned his head and saw, not far from the cave entrance, the Divine Blood Tree swaying in the wind, its blood-red leaves fluttering. Zhang Shuguang: “Is it… edible?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, that’s what the navigation system shows. I’m not sure if humans can eat it.” Zhang Shuguang thought to himself, You really are the epitome of ‘shoot first, ask questions later.’

If it says it’s edible, that means you can eat it—but I can’t guarantee there won’t be any adverse effects. 

Zhang Shuguang: “Is there any indication of medicinal value?”

Xiao Cai: “It promotes longevity and eternal youth.” 

Zhang Shuguang: “……”

He felt like he was being pulled in, but he couldn’t help wanting to pick some leaves to try.

“You guys keep chatting. I’m going to take a look at that tree.” If he wanted to do it, he’d just do it. At worst, he’d taste-test it first—it was a tree he’d grown from his own bloodline; it surely wouldn’t kill him.