Rock Forest Tribe, Lion-Tiger Clan.

The members of the Golden Lion Clan were sitting in a circle, holding pieces of game meat in their hands. They took turns taking bites, eating heartily while chatting and laughing.

Without exception, the topic of their conversations over the past couple of days had been, above all else, Shi Yan, the son of Chief Shi Quan.

Not long ago, Shi Yan brought back a sub-beastman from outside the tribe. You didn’t even need to consult the tribe’s shaman to know that this person must have been malnourished—he was thin and frail, looking as if he might collapse at the slightest touch.

Moreover, he wasn’t as handsome as the other sub-beastmen in the tribe; by any measure, he wasn’t Shi Yan’s usual type.

So the members of the Golden Lion Clan were very curious as to why Shi Yan had brought this person back to the tribe.

It wasn’t just the clan members who were curious; Shi Quan, who considered himself to know the young man well, was equally puzzled.

He even took the time to ask Shi Yan about the reason behind it. Upon learning that Aila might possess some extraordinary qualities, the clan chief and leader made the decision to let him stay.

He even delivered a rousing speech at the tribal assembly, the central message of which was that their tribe was warm, friendly, and open to welcoming and accepting members from other tribes.

Whether others believed it or not was another matter, but when Aila heard Shi Quan’s words, his heart was filled with wariness.

Throughout their journey, he was certain he must have inadvertently aroused Shi Quan’s suspicion, which was why he had been treating him better and better—so well, in fact, that it seemed almost unreal.

Aila was actually quite self-aware; he knew full well that he didn’t have a likable personality, nor was he particularly good-looking.

Before he gained divine power, he was just a sub-beastman in the Wanshan Tribe whom no one paid any attention to; only his friend Shuguang, who went out foraging with him, was kind to him.

Shuguang had a kind nature and was good-looking.

Aila pursed his lips, his eyes darkening.

Shuguang, who had it all, was dead.

He pushed him off the cliff with his own hands.

No, wait—it wasn’t him who pushed him!

It was his hands that pushed him!

These hands—these hands aren’t his!

Aila stared at the faint white light glowing in the palm of his hand, then suddenly pressed his palm tightly against her chest and hurried out of the makeshift thatched hut where he was staying.

The beastmen on patrol nearby heard the sound, but upon seeing it was him, they paid him no mind and went back to their duties.

The chieftain had made it clear: with the gathering just around the corner, they couldn’t afford even the slightest mistake. If the gathering didn’t go off with a bang, every single one of them would be punished!

Aila ran out in a panic. He had only been at the Rock Forest Tribe for a couple of days and was truly unfamiliar with the surrounding area; he could only follow the route he’d memorized on his way there. He had to find a place where no one was around.

But as an outsider—and someone who had recently become the focus of the tribe’s attention—it was hard for anyone not to notice the look of panic on his face.

Upon hearing his tribesmen’s words, Hu Gui couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

“He went out on his own?”

“Yeah, I saw him run out on his own. He was covered in sweat—anyone who didn’t know better would think he was just really hot.”

Hu Gui rubbed his chin and asked, “Where did he go?”

“I don’t know. Didn’t you tell me to keep an eye on him? I saw him run off, so I came back to let you know.”

Hu Gui: …You must be an idiot.

“Go find him right away!”

After the others left, Hu Gui was still worried, so he went to find the clan chief, Hu Fei.

Hu Fei belonged to the Giant Tiger Clan. Aside from some white fur on her belly, the rest of her body was covered in narrow yellow-and-black stripes; her coat was vibrant and silky smooth.

She was currently lying on her side on the grass, her long tail swaying leisurely behind her, while several cubs—who couldn’t yet shift forms—were crawling all over her.

Hearing footsteps, the Giant Tiger—her eyes half-closed—twitched her whiskers and yawned.

“Chieftain,” Hu Gui said as he stood beside the giant tiger’s head and glanced around. “The sub-beastman that Shi Yan brought back has run off. Hu Wei said he suddenly bolted.”

Hu Fei let out a low growl.

Hu Gui sighed. “I know you don’t care about him, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something seriously wrong with that guy.”

Hu Fei used his long tail to shoo the few cubs off his back, then shifted into human form.

A stunningly beautiful woman with long golden hair and honey-colored skin slowly and gracefully wrapped a leather skirt and a breastplate around herself.

She looked to be no more than thirty years old, with a flawless figure—curves in all the right places without an ounce of excess fat, long legs, a slender waist, and perfectly proportioned muscles.

A killer body!

Hu Fei sat cross-legged on the ground, propping her chin with one hand as she looked at Hu Gui. “Brother,” she said with a sigh, “why do you have to overthink all these random things every day? Whether the people Shi Yan brought back are trouble or not doesn’t really have much to do with you, does it?”

Hu Gui’s mouth twitched slightly as he glared at her. “Don’t you care about our clan at all?”

“What does this have to do with our clan?” Hu Fei raised a hand to scratch her head, her movements quite carefree. “Brother, can’t you just say what you mean?”

Hu Gui was nearly driven to fury by her nonchalant, daft tone!

They were clearly born from the same mother, clearly raised on the same mother’s milk—so why did Hu Fei act like an idiot while he was so smart?

Sometimes, he really wanted to give half his brain to Hu Fei, just to keep his little sister from acting so stupidly one day!

Hu Fei could tell from his expression exactly what he was about to say, so she quickly waved her hand and said, “Stop going on and on—I’m sick of hearing it. Just spit it out—what do you want me to do?”

Hu Gui felt a lump in his throat, and his face turned red as he struggled to speak.

Hu Fei blinked, “Go on, say it.”

“What am I supposed to say! Ugh! Seriously, this is driving me crazy!” Hu Gui snapped, then turned and walked away.

Hu Fei scratched her head again; her scalp was itchy—it was time for a bath.

“Kids, come take a bath with Mom!” she bellowed. The little cubs bounded over, and she bent down to pick them up.

Meanwhile, Aila ran out of the tribe and straight into the woods. He ran around aimlessly until he finally stopped by a pond.

As he knelt down, his glowing hand reached into the water.

The fish, drawn by the light, darted away quickly, but Aila remained motionless. Finally, a large black fish swam close, and he grabbed it in one swift motion.

In just a moment, all that remained of the large fish was skin stretched over its bones.

Aila took a deep breath and waited quietly for the next fish to take the bait out of curiosity.

Hu Fei arrived at the pond’s edge carrying five cubs. She paused for a moment when she saw the person lying on the ground, but she didn’t think much of it—after all, clan members came here to bathe from time to time.

She waded into the water with the cubs in her arms, and the little tiger cub peered curiously toward Aila’s position.

Aila heard the sound and turned to look; when he saw Hu Fei, he was startled for a moment, then his face flushed.

He’d never seen a beastman as beautiful as Hu Fei before!

Hu Fei sat down on a rock in the pond. She had placed her five cubs in the water, and they were all happily splashing about on their own.

Aila quickly sat up and pulled her hands out of the water.

The tiger cubs swam a little further out; when Hu Fei looked over, the five of them hurried back toward her.

Aila, her face flushed, stole a glance at Hu Fei. After hesitating for a moment, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Um, I was wondering—which way do I go to get back to the tribe?”

Hu Fei, who had been soaking until she was drowsy, was startled by her sudden voice.

She opened his eyes, looked over, and pointed at herself. “Are you talking to me?”

Aila paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

He thought to himself, “She’s such a beautiful beastman, yet she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. There’s no one else here but her—if I don’t talk to her, who else am I supposed to talk to?”

Hu Fei gave Aila a once-over and suddenly chuckled, “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Aila shook her head. “Aren’t you from the Golden Tiger Tribe? I heard Shi Yan say that the beastmen in the tribe are from the Golden Lion Clan and the Golden Tiger Clan.” He pointed at the kid swimming. “Aren’t you from the Golden Tiger Clan?”

“Yes. What did you ask just now?” Hu Fei nodded with a smile.

Aila blushed even more at her smile and repeated, “I want to know which path leads back to the tribe. I just arrived here not long ago.”

Hu Fei waited for her to finish, then raised a finger and pointed. “Follow the path. When you see a particularly tall tree, ask the beastman standing on top of it which way to turn.”

Aila said, “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly turned and ran off. The truth was, he hadn’t absorbed enough energy just now, and since he didn’t want to expose himself in front of others, he had no choice but to run away and find another place to continue absorbing energy.

Hu Fei watched him leave. Five little tiger cubs were swimming happily back and forth in the pond. She glanced at the cubs, then bent down and picked up a black fish skin from the bottom of the pond.

Holding the fish by the head, she looked at the skin—as thin as a leaf—and narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Awoo~”

A curious cub nuzzled up to her. She let go, and the fish skin fell back into the water with a splash.

Hu Fei chuckled softly, sat back down on the rock, tilted her head back against the shore, and closed her eyes.

Outside the Cliffside Tribe, Xiong Kui had twenty sacks of sea salt brought over. Those animal-hide sacks were undoubtedly made from the mouths of the Giant Python Clan’s beastmen; the hides retained their shape remarkably well.

Zhang Shuguang looked at the three black-and-white-spotted animal-hide sacks and chuckled softly.

Mang Jiu turned to look at him. “What’s up?”

Zhang Shuguang glanced around at the group, moved his lips, and silently mouthed two words: “Panda.”

Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow and pinched his cheek. “You’re such a rascal.”

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened. Why was it that every time he used a word related to cubs, Mang Jiu would apply it to him!

Li, sprawled across Mang Er’s back, yawned. “When are we leaving?”

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at him—he looked completely exhausted!

He couldn’t help but tease, “Did you stay up all night?”

Li waved his hand. “I haven’t slept at all.”

Zhang Shuguang: “……” 

My bad—I’m the clown here!

Aaaah, you shameless guy!

Li has changed color! It’s turned yellow!

Mang Er chuckled softly and shook Li, who was on his back.

Li let out a soft “Hmm,” crawled up a bit, then wrapped his arms around his neck, rested his head on his shoulder, and closed his eyes to fall asleep right away.

Zhang Shuguang was completely stunned by his smooth, practiced movements.

He turned to look at Mang Jiu and asked, “Haven’t those two only been together for four days?”

Mang Jiu nodded.

Zhang Shuguang took a deep breath. Well, that really was something—once you’ve slept together, it’s just different!

For some reason, he felt envious.

He and Mang Jiu—it seemed like they were sleeping in the same bed, too!

So what? Is there really such a big difference between having a distance between them and not?

Mang Jiu turned his back on him. “Get on.”

Without a word, Zhang Shuguang leaped up from where he stood, wrapping his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist—his movements were incredibly fluid.

Xiong Bai, watching the four of them being so affectionate, sighed and said with eyes full of envy, “You all have partners now. I want to find a sub-beastman to have kids with, too.”

Zhang Shuguang asked in surprise, “You’re single?”

“Yeah, didn’t you know I’m single?”

Xiong Bai smiled at him. The term “single” had recently become popular in the tribe. Whenever he stepped out of his cave, he’d puff out his chest and boast to everyone: “I’m single.” 

“You’re not single.” 

“You already have kids—how can you still be single?”

“Shuguang, I’m single too,” Ying Liu said with a smile as he leaned in, tapping his nose with a finger. “I’m coming too!”

Zhang Shuguang was even more surprised. “Brother Ying Liu?”

He straightened up and took a closer look at the ten single beastmen planning to head to the gathering with him this time, and his face twitched violently.

Out of the ten beastmen, he recognized seven and had met the other three before.

It truly exemplified the saying: “You don’t know until you look, but once you do, you recognize them all.”

What he didn’t know was that the beastmen in the tribe had actually come to blows over the ten spots available for single beastmen to tag along on this trip.

Mang Ba, the Golden Python—he was about the same thickness as Mang Da, but he was younger, just one year older than Mang Jiu.

Xiong Bai—needless to say—was an acquaintance.

Xi Shiyi was there too, along with his full brother, Xi Shier—the two brothers were born just half a day apart.

Ying Wu and Ying Liu—they’re also familiar faces.

Lang Li and Lang Qian, brothers from the Black Wolf Clan, had done bamboo-carrying business with Zhang Shuguang; one was the second son, the other the fifth.

Lang Jin and Xiong Yu were beastmen who had just come of age—one a gray wolf, the other a red bear.

When they saw Zhang Shuguang looking their way, they all broke into bright smiles, clearly thrilled to be joining them on this outing.

Zhang Shuguang was quite pleased as well—familiar faces were always better than strangers. He raised his hand and waved, “Hello, everyone~.”

“Divine Son!”

“Shuguang!”

“Don’t call him the Divine Son! If others find out the Divine Son is in our tribe, they’ll come to snatch him away!”

“Who would dare? Let Mang Jiu whip them to death with his tail!”

“Right!”

Zhang Shuguang burst out laughing and collapsed onto Mang Jiu’s shoulder. “I’ve noticed you’re really well-respected in the tribe.”

Mang Jiu grunted in response, cupping his buttocks with one hand. “Don’t move around.”

Zhang Shuguang grinned sheepishly, his face flushed, and turned to look at them. “You guys can figure out among yourselves who’s going to carry the sub-beastman and who’s going to haul the goods. A lot of what we’re bringing this time is fragile and can’t handle rough handling!”

Over the past while, he’d taught the tribe’s people to make quite a few bowls and clay pots out of mud. They hadn’t made much else, mainly because the tribe members realized that other utensils weren’t particularly essential for them right now. Clay pots, however, were truly a necessity for every cave—they could hold things and double as soup pots.

To meet everyone’s needs, the chief had a large oven built next to the grand stone pot—it worked the same way, with clay fired at the bottom and dried meat roasted on top, killing two birds with one stone and making it usable by everyone.

Once this massive oven was built, the tribe went wild.

They were absolutely ecstatic.

They began making batches of clay pots for the dried meat, accompanied by piles of animal hides and heaps of bones.

“Take all the animal bones with you,” Xiong Kui said with a sweeping gesture of his hand, and bags made of animal hides, filled with all kinds of animal bones, were carried out.

“Save the animal-skin bags to bring things back in later—don’t be so foolish as to trade them all away,” Wu Ming interjected from the sidelines.

He was afraid these kids would get too excited once they got out there—and then, forget about the animal-skin bags, they might not even want to come home!

The group burst into laughter, while the beastmen who couldn’t go were filled with envy—and not just envy, but a touch of bitterness as well.

“Don’t envy them. Once they go out and come back, our tribe will soon be bustling with activity. Our sea salt will draw people from other tribes here in a steady stream!” Wu Ming declared loudly.

Zhang Shuguang looked at the crowd, which had suddenly become excited, and couldn’t help but lean over and whisper in Mang Jiu’s ear, “It feels like Wu has gotten better at sweet-talking people than before.”

Mang Jiu chuckled softly, “Didn’t he learn that from you?”

Zhang Shuguang thought back to the tone he’d used when he’d been talking Wu Ming into things earlier. Well, it was pretty similar.

Five sub-beastmen stood to the side, listening to the instructions from their “mothers” or “fathers,” their faces a mix of excitement, tension, and a touch of unease.

The beastmen shifted into their animal forms. Although the wolf forms of the two ordinary beastmen from the Black Wolf Clan weren’t as large as those of the Gray Wolf Clan members standing nearby, it was clear at a glance that they were just as fierce.

Zhang Shuguang watched as they shifted into their beast forms and saw the multicolored leather pouches—strung together with vines—hanging from the giants’ bodies. He couldn’t help but let out a breath. “Spectacular.”

“Hm?” Those who heard him speak turned to look at him.

Zhang Shuguang waved and smiled. “This is a world you’ve created with your own two hands! The path to prosperity! You guys are amazing!”

They didn’t quite understand, but they felt inexplicably moved!

“Wealth! Wealth!”

“We’re the best! The best!”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled. Good, very good—he liked this reaction.

Once the sub-beastmen had also climbed onto the giant beast’s back, Mang Jiu, carrying Zhang Shuguang on his back, glanced at Mang Er, who said, “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to turn back into a snake?” Zhang Shuguang asked.

“Hmm, we’ll talk about that once Li wakes up,” Mang Er said, giving a gentle jolt upward to steady Li.

Mang Jiu, carrying Zhang Shuguang, led the way at a blistering pace, prompting the giant beasts following behind to gallop after them.

Hearing the rumbling sounds behind them, Zhang Shuguang turned his head and realized they had pulled quite far ahead.

“Slow down a bit,” he said, patting Mang Jiu’s shoulder. “Stop, stop.”

Mang Jiu came to a halt without so much as a waver in his breathing. He set Zhang Shuguang down on the ground and pulled a water pouch from the small leather bag strapped to his chest. “Have some water.”

Zhang Shuguang thanked him, took a few sips himself, and, noticing Mang Jiu looking at him, handed the water pouch back.

Mang Jiu shook his head, bent down, and planted a wet kiss on the corner of his mouth.

The rumbling footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Zhang Shuguang turned his head to look and saw the giant beasts slam on their brakes; fortunately, they remembered what he was carrying on his back and managed to avoid crashing into one another.

They huddled quietly where they were, not moving.

Zhang Shuguang was already used to being affectionate with Mang Jiu—it wasn’t the first or second time people had seen them—but being watched by so many people at once still made him feel a little embarrassed.

Clearing his throat, he patted Mang Jiu and said to the crowd, “Let’s take a break and have some water.”

The giant beasts lay down where they were, every single one of them, and not a single one made a sound.

The two giant eagles flying in the sky circled twice before spreading out to scout the area. Ever since the attack by earthworms, the giant eagles had been flying farther afield when scouting.

“Why are you running so fast? We already set out two days early—there’s no need to rush.” Mang Er walked over, breathing slightly heavily as he glared at Mang Jiu.

Li rubbed his eyes sleepily, tilted his head to the other side, and drool began to drip down his chin.

Zhang Shuguang said, “Second Brother, why don’t you shift into your beast form? I’m afraid Li will wake up with a sore neck if you stay like that.”

Mang Er glanced at him, then looked at the Golden Python in the distance, and asked, “Aren’t you scared anymore?”

Zhang Shuguang gave a dry laugh. “It’s okay. I’m not as scared as I used to be. Just give me a little time to get ready.”

Mang Er nodded slightly, walked over to the side, pulled on his leather skirt, and immediately transformed into his beast form.

Li slid down from his serpentine neck, now half-awake.

“Huh?” He sat up and ran his hand over the cool, damp scales. “What’s going on?”

Mang Er turned his head, his forked tongue gently brushing against Li’s face. “It’s more comfortable to sleep lying down.”

Li chuckled, rolled over onto his stomach, and wrapped his arms and legs around him. “It’s cooler this way.”

Zhang Shuguang blinked, taking in Mang Er’s beast form, then tilted his head back slightly as he pondered, “Second Brother, you seem to have grown since before?”

“What kind of question is that? I’ve always been long and tall,” Mang Er said as he slithered toward him. “Take a closer look.”

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched, and he took a step back. “My mistake. Let me rephrase that: Second Brother, you’re both thick and long now!”

Mang Er was satisfied. “You’ve got good eyes.”

Mang Jiu snorted from the side, his gaze darkening.

“Don’t you dare…” Zhang Shuguang knew from his expression that trouble was brewing. He opened his mouth to stop him, but Mang Jiu was faster.

In the blink of an eye, the colossal beast that had been towering over them slowly lowered its head.

Zhang Shuguang tilted his face upward, completely dumbfounded.

Everyone except Mang Er froze in place.

They hadn’t seen what Mang Jiu’s beast form looked like after shedding his skin once again.

At that moment, they all had just one question on their minds: Is this really Mang Jiu?

The enormous snake’s head lay flat on the ground. Zhang Shuguang raised his arm to gauge the distance; previously, he could have reached up and touched Mang Jiu’s lower eyelid, but now it was still a meter away from his hand.

“What’s going on? You didn’t say it had grown this much last time.”

Mang Er chuckled from the side: “He wasn’t this big when I left; he’s grown a bit since then.”

“Hmm.” Mang Jiu shifted slightly and nuzzled Zhang Shuguang. His touch was very gentle, but Zhang Shuguang nearly lost his balance from the nudge.

Steadying himself by holding onto the scales, Zhang Shuguang patted him on the back under the astonished gazes of the crowd. “Turn back, turn back. If you go out looking like that, you’ll really scare people to death.”

The giant beasts all nodded in unison. “Right, right, right—it’s way too scary. We didn’t even dare move; we had this illusion that we could be swallowed whole in one gulp.”

It didn’t seem like an illusion, though—Mang Jiu really could swallow any one of them in a single gulp.

Mang Jiu transformed back into human form, wrapped in the new leather skirt Zhang Shuguang had made for him earlier, and slipped on the shoes Zhang Shuguang had crafted for him.

“Are they too big?” he asked Zhang Shuguang in a calm voice.

His expression was dead serious.

Are they too big?

Too big, oh!

Zhang Shuguang raised his hand to cover his face, his ears turning bright red.

Sorry, he’d gone off-key again!

Never mind him—Mang Er and Li, standing beside him, also burst into heh-heh-heh laughter at the same time.

Ever since he’d been hanging out with Mang Er, Li had become increasingly lecherous—a complete transformation.

Hearing their two mischievous laughs, Zhang Shuguang knew right away that these two were on the same wavelength as him.

The other beastmen, however, seeing Mang Jiu revert to human form, all gathered around.

They asked in a jumble of voices, “Mang Jiu, why are you so big?”

“Mang Jiu, what on earth did you eat?”

“I want to get bigger, too!”

“You’re really, really huge!”

Xiong Bai was so excited that his entire bear body was trembling, causing Yun, the male sub-beastman sitting on his back, to shake along with him.

“Mang Jiu!! That’s amazing!! How did you get so big!! You just went out to sunbathe for a few days, and look at how huge you’ve become!”

Zhang Shuguang watched his bear-like antics and genuinely feared that his excitement might cause the person on his back to fall off.

“Xiong Bai, calm down—you’ve got someone on your back!” he had to call out.

Xiong Bai let out a howl and stamped his front paws back and forth on the ground. “I’m so happy, really. Mang Jiu truly lives up to his reputation as the number one warrior—he’s not just the best in the tribe, he’s the best on the entire continent!”

The other giant beasts nodded in agreement, howling “Woof! Woof!”—yes, yes, yes.

Mang Jiu looked completely unfazed as he turned to Zhang Shuguang and asked again, “Is it big?”

What others said had nothing to do with him; the answer he wanted was the one that came from a single person’s mouth.

Zhang Shuguang nodded repeatedly. “Big, big, big—you’re the biggest! Is that good enough?”

Mang Jiu was satisfied. He pulled two strips of jerky from his small leather pouch and handed them to him. “Have a couple of bites. Once we get there, we should be able to trade them for some fruit.”

“Fruit?” Zhang Shuguang, his face flushed red, chewed on the jerky. “Is it that Monkey Clan we met last time? Do they have fruit?”

Mang Jiu gave a noncommittal “Mm-hmm.”

Although the other beastmen were used to traveling far and wide, this was their first time attending a gathering—every single one of them was experiencing it for the first time.

No middle-aged beastmen were accompanying them on this trip. Xiong Kui and Wu Ming had discussed it and decided that letting Mang Jiu and Mang Er lead the group would suffice; they needed the experience, just as Meng Da had been allowed to lead the group to trade for salt.

The beastmen of the Giant Python Clan were very reliable in every respect.

After eating some food and drinking water, the group continued on their way. Ying Wu flew back and pointed in a direction where they could rest for the day.

Zhang Shuguang lay on Mang Jiu’s back, reminding him not to run too fast and leave the others too far behind, all the while lost in his own little thoughts.

“Xiao Cai.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, I’m here.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Haven’t you accumulated quite a bit of battery power and points these past few days?”

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master. I’ve already converted your battery power into points. Your phone is now at 130% battery, with 1,061 points, 800/29,010 experience points, and the app is at Level 7. You received eggplant seeds and string bean seeds as level-up rewards.”

Zhang Shuguang: “All my outstanding points have been paid off. That’s good.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, would you like to redeem any points?”

Zhang Shuguang thought for a moment. “Not yet. Keep the seeds for me—I’ll plant them when I get back in a while.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, is there something else you wanted to talk to me about?”

Zhang Shuguang: “You’re smart.”

Xiao Cai: “My master has trained me well.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Did your main system tell you some nonsense? Why do I feel like you’re being especially cautious this time around?”

Xiao Cai: “…Master, just say what’s on your mind. I’ll tell you everything I can.”

Zhang Shuguang couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Mang Jiu, I’m about to drive Xiao Cai to his death.”

Mang Jiu: “What did you ask?”

“I didn’t ask anything—we just exchanged a few words.” Zhang Shuguang leaned against his shoulder, laughing. “I went to tease it a bit; it’s way more fun than before.”

Mang Jiu let out a soft sigh. “Don’t scare it away.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I know, I know.”

“Xiao Cai.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, go ahead.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Where’s the Main System?”

Xiao Cai: “The main system said it wants to keep a certain distance from you, so don’t contact it unless it’s something really important.”

Zhang Shuguang: “So what new features did you gain after the upgrade? Has the app changed at all?”

Xiao Cai brought up the phone’s virtual screen. Zhang Shuguang took a look and noticed that the little sprout in the app’s icon had grown quite a bit. “Will this one bloom?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, I don’t know about that, but the Main System said I can keep upgrading as long as you actively complete tasks.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I know, I know. Look how hard I’m working for you guys right now.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, you’re about to arrive at a new tribe. Aren’t you going to redeem a Communication Manual?”

Zhang Shuguang: “It’d be weird if I did. Are you trying to take a kickback from them again? And a ‘Communication Manual’? Do you think I can speak the language of beasts?”

Xiao Cai: “…No.”

Zhang Shuguang rolled his eyes subtly. “Go back to sleep. I’ll call you when I need you.”

Xiao Cai: “Okay, Master.”

Mang Jiu sensed his body relax and realized he’d stopped talking to Xiao Cai, so he asked, “Are you done?”

“Yeah, I asked it where the main system went. It said it didn’t want to deal with me and went off to sulk.” Zhang Shuguang gave a soft snort. “I’ll tell you, that thing has the most complicated mind of all.”

Mang Jiu’s tone was gentle, tinged with a hint of indulgence: “You’re the smartest.”

Zhang Shuguang savored the compliment. Yeah, that was exactly the kind of thing he liked to hear.

Following Ying Wu’s guidance, the group arrived at a place to rest for a while. It was backed by high mountains, not far from a water source, and surrounded by lush grasslands and towering trees.

“This is a nice spot,” Zhang Shuguang said as he climbed down from Mang Jiu’s back and reached out to run his hand through the emerald-green grass. “It seems to grow a bit taller than the grass near our tribe.”

Mang Jiu nodded. “Are you tired?”

For a split second, Zhang Shuguang’s expression wavered. He glanced at the giant beasts beside him, helping each other unload their cargo, and realized that as someone who’d been carried the entire way—essentially a second-class cripple—how could he dare say he was tired compared to them? That would be as thick-skinned as a city wall.

Just then, Li—who’d been sleeping on Mang Er’s back the whole way—yawned and stretched, then whined in a slurred voice to Mang Er, “I’m sooo tired~~.”

To his surprise, Mang Er actually comforted him: “Then let’s eat something and get some early sleep.”

The look on Zhang Shuguang’s face was priceless.

Li slid off Mang Er’s back as if going down a slide, gliding smoothly from his waist and abdomen down his spine all the way to the tip of his tail.

After he landed and transformed back into human form, Mang Er walked over to ask Mang Jiu if they should send the beastmen out to hunt for food, only to see Zhang Shuguang waving at him.

He raised an eyebrow curiously: “What’s up?”

Zhang Shuguang pointed at Li and asked, “Don’t you think Li sleeps even more than you do since he’s been with you?”

On the way here, although the scenery along the route wasn’t particularly beautiful, everything was green where it should be and blue where it should be, with big white clouds drifting across the sky and the occasional Hua in sight—so how could he possibly keep his eyes closed the whole time?

He still remembered when Li first said that Mang Er loved to sleep and seemed lazy.

And what about now?

Whether Mang Er is lazy or loves to sleep, who knows?

Li, on the other hand, really can sleep.

Mang Er chuckled softly and turned his head to glance at Li, who was drinking water. Sleeping through the entire journey had left some scale imprints on his face, making it slightly red. Combined with his cheeks, which had unconsciously puffed out as he drank, he looked inexplicably cute.

“He hasn’t been sleeping well these past few days. Let him sleep if he wants to—it’s fine.”

Zhang Shuguang：“……”

He never would have imagined that one day, he’d be force-fed a mouthful of Mang Er and Li’s “dog food.”

And he’d even opened his mouth to ask about it himself.

Excuse me—he doesn’t deserve this!

Mang Jiu raised his hand and ruffled Zhang Shuguang’s hair, then spun him around and pulled him into his embrace. With his forehead pressed against Mang Jiu’s collarbone, Zhang Shuguang muttered, “It changed color. Big deal.”

“What changed color?” Mang Jiu looked down at him.

Zhang Shuguang stepped back from his embrace and waved at the two of them. “I’m going to find those sub-beastmen. You two go ahead and eat—I’ll get things ready here. I’ve been running around for most of the day, so I’m hungry too.”

Mang Er nodded. “I was thinking we should split up for the hunt. I’ll take five of them and head out first.”

Mang Jiu agreed, “Let’s bring back a kill for Shuguang and the others first.”

The five sub-beastmen were quite familiar with Li; they often ran into him when they went out foraging. Right now, they were huddled together, whispering to one another.

They were still a bit nervous—after all, they were venturing far from the tribe this time.

In the past, even when they went to the Wild Plains to gather, the beastmen would stroll along at a leisurely pace. Even if a trip took three or four days, they felt at ease knowing they were still within the hunting party’s territory.

Now, however, it was different. This time, the beastmen had sprinted the entire way; even though they’d left Mang Jiu far behind, they were running as fast as they possibly could. As a result, in just half a day, they’d already traveled very, very far from the tribe, and this stretch of forest was completely unfamiliar to them.

Jiao looked around nervously and asked, “Are there any big wild beasts around here?”

Li nodded slightly. “Probably not.”

Fang, the sub-beastman sitting next to Jiao, snorted softly. When Jiao turned to look at her, she rolled her eyes at her. “Where out here isn’t there a beast? Besides, even if there are beasts, so what? With so many beastmen around, are you afraid we’ll get eaten?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Jiao looked at her helplessly.

Fang waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t care what you mean. Hurry up and go gather firewood and twigs. Can’t you see that Mang Er has already led the others out hunting? They’ll definitely bring the prey back soon.”

The three remaining male sub-beastmen exchanged glances and turned to gather twigs. The female sub-beastmen in the tribe were fiercer than the next, and they certainly didn’t want to get mixed up in it.

“Don’t go too far.” When Zhang Shuguang arrived, he saw the three of them leaving and quickly called out.

“Xiong Bai, stay with them for a bit.”

Xiong Bai nodded and followed him.

Zhang Shuguang sat down nearby and watched as Xiong Bai tried to start a fire, staring absently at the stick he was struggling to turn.

There was something called a fire striker—how did you make one again?

“Shuguang, what are we going to cook later?” Fang asked.

Zhang Shuguang snapped back to reality, scratched his chin, and asked with a smile, “What do you guys want to eat? I brought quite a few dried vegetables. Since we’re in unfamiliar territory and aren’t sure if there are any large wild beasts around, for safety’s sake, let’s not go out to forage for wild vegetables. Let’s just make do with the dried vegetables I brought for now, okay?”

Jiao looked at Zhang Shuguang gratefully. She wasn’t stupid; she could clearly tell that Zhang Shuguang was trying to save her from an awkward situation.

She also understood why Fang was hostile toward her.

The question she’d asked the chief that day—whether she could stay outside the tribe instead of returning—had left the tribe’s people baffled, but she didn’t know how to explain herself.

It was also after that day that Fang began to distance herself from her.

Fang nodded. “Sure! Whatever you bring is bound to be the best!”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled softly and glanced at Li. “Then please ask Li to help me wash the dried vegetables.”

After the two of them left, Zhang Shuguang said to Jiao, “After dinner, have a good chat with her. Good friends can talk about anything.”

Jiao nodded with her eyes downcast, “Thank you.”

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand and turned to look for Mang Jiu. This time, he’d brought the skillet Mang Jiu had made with him. Given their limited resources, he figured he’d feed the sub-beastmen first and worry about the rest later.

“Who’s there!”

Mang Jiu pulled him behind him with one hand while flinging the remaining half of the jerky with the other.

The dried meat shot out like an arrow, whoosh.

With a thud, it embedded itself directly into a giant tree in the distance.