Early the next morning, Zhang Shuguang was awakened by the glaring sunlight and the sound of voices.

He didn’t open his eyes, because he sensed a faintly cool presence beside him.

His eyes shifted beneath his eyelids, prompting Mang Jiu to chuckle softly.

He pursed his lips and opened one eye to sneak a peek at Mang Jiu.

This man had been getting more and more handsome lately.

Zhang Shuguang let out a long sigh and opened his other eye.

Mang Jiu smiled and kissed him on the forehead. “Still sleeping?”

“No,” he sniffed, saying in a slightly embarrassed whisper, “Yesterday, um, you, um, scared me so much I fainted.”

Mang Jiu gave a soft snort.

He didn’t want to comment.

Zhang Shuguang’s ears began to redden again; he raised his hand and poked Meng Jiu’s chest. “You, um, um…”

He kept mumbling for a while but couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

Mang Jiu probably guessed what he was trying to say, but he didn’t bring it up.

This man looked very composed—and he really was able to keep his cool.

He didn’t mention a single thing about yesterday. After rolling off the hammock, he spread his arms wide, lifted Zhang Shuguang down, and set him on the ground.

“Wash your face, brush your teeth, and we’ll leave after you eat.”

Zhang Shuguang saw that the others had already started bustling about; realizing he couldn’t delay any longer, he hurried off to wash up.

Breakfast was prepared by a few sub-beastmen, who had followed Zhang Shuguang’s example and cooked meat soup in several earthenware pots.

After eating, while scrubbing the pottery pots, Zhang Shuguang noticed a crack in one of them.

“How did it crack? I was being so careful,” Jiao said, nearly in tears.

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand. “It’s not your fault. This was just thrown together; it’s already done well to last this long.”

Jiao’s face turned pale as she pursed her lips; she wasn’t comforted by his words.

Zhang Shuguang smiled. “How can you know how hard success is without experiencing failure? Once we get back, we’ll figure out together how to make these clay pots more durable. Nothing can be achieved overnight—that means nothing can be accomplished effortlessly or succeed easily. Do you understand?”

The group looked as though they’d learned a valuable lesson and nodded in understanding.

Jiao nodded vigorously. “I’ll go back and mold more clay pots!”

“Actually, they don’t have to be clay pots—they can be other kinds of containers too. You can figure that out for yourselves later. Anything you can use in daily life is worth making,” Zhang Shuguang said. He smashed the cracked clay pot to pieces, picked up a shard to examine it, then dug a shallow hole and buried it.

Fang watched Jiao from the side and asked her, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go back to the tribe? Why are you going back to make clay pots?”

“I never said I wouldn’t go back. I was just asking that day.” Jiao licked her slightly dry lips. “The shaman also said that if I have a beastman child while still in the tribe, sub-beastmen won’t be able to survive. I don’t want my future child to die before growing up.”

Everyone nodded.

Zhang Shuguang spoke up, “No, no—you’ve got it all wrong.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Zhang Shuguang explained, “The reason I asked you to come out here wasn’t to say you absolutely have to have children with someone from another tribe. The main point was to let you see what other tribes are like—to broaden your horizons. As for the matter of having children, let me give you an example,” he pointed at Li, “Li’s father is from the Gray Wolf Tribe—you all know that, right?”

The others nodded obediently; they knew that when Lang Qing was in his prime, he was one of the tribe’s top warriors—otherwise, he wouldn’t be living in the cave on the very top level.

Then he pointed at Lang Jin of the Gray Wolf Clan, who had transformed into a giant beast. “He’s closely related to Li—he’s the son of Lang Qing.”

Lang Jin turned his wolf’s head and let out a howl, baring his teeth.

Zhang Shuguang smiled and gestured for him to get back to work.

He turned to the few sub-beastmen and said, “They’re brothers too, so they can’t have pups together. If they did have sub-beastman pups, there’s a high chance they wouldn’t survive, or if they did grow up, they’d be different—very different—from others.”

The group nodded repeatedly, understanding.

Jiao asked, “Since my beastman father is from the Black Bear Clan, does that mean I can’t have children with anyone from the Black Bear Clan, but I can with other bear clans?”

Zhang Shuguang stroked the stubble on his chin, shook his head, and said, “I don’t know the bloodline connections between the other bear clans you mentioned and the Black Bear Clan. If there’s no overlap in your bloodlines, then you can have children.”

He felt that if he wanted to keep track of intermarriage among the various clans in the tribe, he would need to keep a record of it.

“Mang Jiu!” He turned and called out.

Mang Jiu was helping take down the vine hammock from the tree and looked over when he heard the call.

“That piece of paper—you remember how to use it, right?” Zhang Shuguang spread his palm and tapped his fingers on it repeatedly, gesturing that it was a cell phone.

Mang Jiu nodded.

Zhang Shuguang puckered his lips and blew him a kiss, then turned to the puzzled group of sub-beastmen and smiled, “Once we get back to the tribe, let’s find a chance to go through everyone’s bloodline records.”

The others nodded; though they didn’t understand, it sounded pretty impressive.

After packing up their things, the group finally set off.

Back at the Lion-Tiger Tribe, Aila lay on a straw mat, staring blankly at his hands.

He was hungry, but he didn’t dare touch anything.

Just moments ago, he’d held a dried-out fruit in his hand and instantly restored it to its original juicy, succulent state. Not only that, but he’d lost control of his energy output and had watched in disbelief as a green sprout burst through the flesh of the fruit’s core, taking root in his hand and growing into a small sapling right before his eyes!

He pursed his lips and looked gloomily at the sapling lying on the ground.

He got up, stomped on it a few times with all his might, then tore off every tender green sprout growing from it.

“Aila, what are you… doing?” Shi Yan stood in front of the thatched hut. He’d originally intended to ask what Aila planned to eat that evening, but instead found him venting his frustration by tearing off the leaves.

Aila clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head vigorously. “Nothing. I wasn’t doing anything.”

If he’d simply said he was just plucking a few leaves for fun, Shi Yan wouldn’t have said anything.

But it seemed he was treating Shi Yan like a fool, thinking the other wouldn’t suspect his obviously concealed actions.

Shi Yan looked at him, then at the scattered leaves on the ground.

Suddenly, he grinned—a grim, icy smile that held none of his usual warmth.

“Do you know why I brought you to the Lion-Tiger Tribe?”

Aila stared intently at him and took half a step back. “You… you did it because… uh!”

Shi Yan reached out and grabbed his face, saying maliciously, “I rescued you from such a miserable life, yet you don’t seem to think you owe me anything.”

Aila’s eyes widened. “You—let go of me!” He swatted his hand away and turned to run.

Shi Yan grabbed him and threw him onto the straw mat, then leaned down and pinned him beneath him.

“I’ll teach you right now what gratitude really means!”

“No!!!”

Aila struggled frantically, screaming at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately, even if someone heard him or happened to pass by, no one would come to his aid.

He was the sub-beastman Shi Yan had brought back, and was already considered Shi Yan’s property.

Other beastmen had no right to interfere with how a beastman chose to treat his own sub-beastman.

This was the way of the Golden Lion Clan beastmen in the Rock Forest Tribe.

A faint glow appeared in Aila’s palm as he pressed it against Shi Yan’s shoulder. Seeing him resist only piqued Shi Yan’s interest even more.

The next second, he suddenly froze, staring at Aila in disbelief.

He felt the power within his body being sucked away by the other person once again!

Overcome by shock and rage, Shi Yan lashed out with a slap that struck Aila squarely across the face. Aila collapsed unconscious on the spot, his hand slipping from where it had been pressed against Shi Yan’s.

Shi Yan grabbed his hand and stared intently at the dim glow that was gradually fading.

“Someone!” he shouted.

The beastmen outside the thatched hut came in. Seeing the unconscious Aila, one of them chuckled, “Shi Yan, you’re quite the force to be reckoned with these days.”

“Stop wasting my time. Go get my father.” Shi Yan’s face darkened, his eyes brimming with ferocity.

The beastman hesitated for a moment, then hurried out.

Shi Yan sat down to one side, pressing one hand against his heart.

The life force that had drained from him in that split second had made him momentarily believe he was going to die—a feeling he had never experienced before!

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the tender sprouts on the ground, then looked down at his hand. His eyes held a hint of apprehension, yet also a touch of fervor.

So that’s it, so that’s it!

When Aila regained consciousness, he didn’t open his eyes right away; he took in everything around him.

No sound—not a single sound!

He suddenly opened his eyes—total darkness, not a speck of light in sight.

Where is this?

He raised his hand…

His hands were bound!

“Let me go! Let me go!”

A rumbling sound echoed, and the light streaming through the crack grew wider.

It turned out he was inside a cave, but the entrance was blocked by a huge boulder.

Aila squinted, straining to see the figure approaching against the backlight; all he could make out was that the person was tall and walked with a steady, confident stride.

“Who are you? What do you want?” He was trembling all over, filled with tension and anxiety.

His secret had been discovered!

After being pinned down by Shi Yan, he hadn’t been able to control the violence surging within him and had lashed out—but he never imagined that Shi Yan wouldn’t collapse from having his life force drained; instead, he’d flown into a rage and knocked him unconscious.

Aila stared intently at the approaching figure. When he recognized the face—which bore an eighty-percent resemblance to Shi Yan’s—his heart skipped a beat.

Shi Quan, the clan chief of the Golden Lion Clan and the current leader of the Rock Forest Tribe.

He still remembered the day Shi Yan had taken him to meet his father. When he first laid eyes on that massive, imposing lion—as towering and formidable as a small mountain—the awe he felt was beyond words.

Shi Quan stopped in his tracks. Though his naturally commanding face showed signs of aging due to his middle age, he was still strikingly handsome.

In modern times, he’d definitely be considered a handsome older guy.

But here, as the tribe’s chieftain, he was expected to step down from the front lines by middle age.

But Shi Quan had no intention of relinquishing power—or rather, he was a beastman who loved to enjoy the good life and be fawned over.

Since becoming chieftain, the number of times he’d gone out to hunt personally could be counted on one hand. If it weren’t for the salt-trading party returning to report on the situation at the Salt Mountain Tribe, he wouldn’t have personally led a group there again.

Aila held his breath as he looked at Shi Quan, who seemed lost in thought, not daring to make the slightest move.

Shi Quan’s eyes swept over him again and again.

Just moments ago, Shi Yan had told him about Aila’s abilities—not only could he bring withered grass back to life, but she could also absorb energy!

“Do you have anything to say?”

Aila froze. Say something?

“Let me go!”

“You hurt my cub.” Shi Quan ignored his roar and studied his hands.

Aila clenched his fists tightly; even if he wanted to strike back, he’d have to get close enough to touch him first.

“I didn’t!”

Shi Quan waved his hand dismissively. “Whether you did or not doesn’t matter. If I think you did, then you did,” he said, jutting a finger at Aila and wagging it. “Do you want to live with all your limbs, or without them?”

Aila was taken aback by his question.

Shi Quan was exceptionally patient; aside from exuding a powerful presence, he also had a somewhat laid-back air about him.

He said slowly, “If you want to live with all your limbs intact, tell me your secret. If you don’t want to live with all your limbs intact, it’s even simpler: I’ll chop off your hand, and then you can tell me your secret. Which do you choose?”

Aila struggled violently against the vines binding her hands and screamed in terror.

“No! You can’t do this!”

“I can,” Shi Quan smiled. “If I want you to live, you live. I can make you live however I please.”

Aila froze, staring blankly at Shi Quan.

Shi Quan clasped his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely around her in a circle.

“Or I could just burn you to death as a monster.”

“No, no! Don’t burn me to death—I’m not a monster!” Aila turned deathly pale and shook her head violently. “Don’t burn me to death, I beg you. I want to live. I’ll tell you everything—I’ll tell you everything!”

Shi Quan smiled with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, within the Golden Tiger Clan’s territory.

“Hu Gui!”

Hu Gui looked up at the beastman running toward him, furrowing his brow as he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“That sub-beastman has been locked up!”

Hu Gui paused in surprise. “You mean Aila?”

“Yes! Right in the stone cave on Rock Mountain.”

Hu Gui furrowed his brow. “All right, I’ll go find the tribal chief.”

When Hu Fei saw Hu Gui approaching, he tossed the piece of meat he’d been chewing right at him and said before Hu Gui could speak, “I’m not interested in that person.”

Hu Gui: “……” He tossed the meat back and snapped, “Can’t you just let me finish speaking!”

Hu Fei sighed, raised a hand to scratch his head, and casually brushed the long hair covering his face back. “Brother, I know what you’re trying to say.”

Hu Gui looked at her suspiciously.

Hu Fei casually tossed another black object to him. “I saw him yesterday.”

Hu Gui looked down at it. A fish? No, wait—he pinched it. “What kind of fish is this?”

Hu Fei chuckled softly. “After that sub-beastman touched the fish with his hands, it ended up like this.”

Hu Gui furrowed his brow. “You’re saying he did this?”

“Mm,” Hu Fei tapped her finger against her lips—full, bright red lips that looked like ripe cherries. She licked the lingering taste of fish off her fingertip and said, “Don’t get involved in his business. If the Golden Lion Clan wants to court death, why are you getting dragged into it?”

Hu Gui pondered for a moment, then asked her, “Are you saying the Golden Lion Clan also noticed something was off about him, which is why they locked him up?”

“Whatever it is, you mustn’t get involved anymore,” Hu Fei said, rare for her to give her older brother a cold look. “What you should be concerned about right now is the upcoming assembly. We’re running low on salt—and you still have the nerve to worry about some little sub-beastman? Do you really want him to sire a child for you?”

Hu Gui shook his head vigorously. “No way!”

“Well, there you go.” Hu Fei leaned back in his seat and said lazily, “I’m tired. Brother, you should get some rest too. When you’re not busy, think about what we’ll trade for salt at the gathering. I heard a tribe brought some salt with them.”

“They brought salt? Are you serious? Not the Sand Croc tribe from the Salt Mountain tribe?” Hu Gui asked, surprised and delighted. “Where did you hear that?”

“I have my ways, of course. Don’t worry about it. Hurry up and get ready—see what we’ve got that’s worth bringing. We can’t lose face.” Hu Fei yawned repeatedly, his mouth opening wide enough to swallow a fist.

Hu Gui nodded. “You’re right. I’ll have the clan members go out and find some good stuff!” With that, he dashed off in a hurry.

Hu Fei’s mouth moved slightly, emitting a soft chirping sound.

From a tree not far away, a red head poked out from among the dense foliage. Seeing her beckon with her finger, it flapped its wings and flew down.

The red bird had a long tail with a hint of white at the tip.

Hu Fei raised her arm, and the red bird landed directly on her forearm. A melodious female voice came from the bird’s beak, “Didn’t you say you were sleepy and wanted to go to sleep?”

“You were so scared you flew all the way over here—how could I possibly sleep?” Hu Fei tapped the bird’s head with her finger. “Are you really sure—that those bags are all filled with salt?”

“Yes. If I hadn’t been caught, I was actually planning to sneak a taste.” The red bird puffed out its chest. “Their salt is different from ours—it’s like sand, white, and really beautiful!”

Hu Fei asked in surprise, “You actually looked that closely?”

The red bird took flight, transforming into a girl of sixteen or seventeen, and fluttered over to nestle against her. “I saw them putting salt in their food, and it smelled so good—completely different from ours.”

Hu Fei patted her on the head. “Go back to your tree and get some sleep. Let’s see if you dare to fly that far again next time.”

“Mom, I think they’re so amazing!”

“Your mom’s pretty amazing too!” Hu Fei glared at her. “If I weren’t amazing, how could I have raised you to be this big?” As a tiger, she’d raised a bird—and had been doing so for many years. Just thinking about it moved her.

“I’m going to go see them again!” The girl jumped up, instantly transforming into a red bird and flying away.

Hu Fei froze for a moment, then called out urgently, “Hong Yanyan, come back here!”

“No way!” The red bird swiftly flew off into the distance.

Hu Fei frowned, but figuring that if she could get away once, she could surely do it again, she didn’t make a big deal of it.

But if she could get away once, could she really get away a second time?

The answer is no.

Maybe with others, but with Mang Jiu, it’s difficult.

“Be gentle—you’ll choke it to death.”

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the red bird, which Mang Jiu was gripping by the neck with one hand, and said helplessly, “It’s just craving some meat. Don’t overreact—you’ll end up squeezing it to death.”

They stopped to rest and eat not far from the Lion-Tiger Tribe. Just as Zhang Shuguang finished preparing the stewed meat, he saw a red bird about the size of a magpie hopping and flitting toward him. Since the sun was about to set and the light wasn’t particularly bright, he couldn’t make out the bird’s appearance very clearly.

In truth, even if he’d seen it clearly, he wouldn’t have been able to identify the species—he seemed to have a bit of “face blindness” when it came to birds.

The red bird didn’t chirp either; it just stared at a piece of meat he’d just poked out of the pot and stood there motionless.

Although Zhang Shuguang didn’t understand bird language or anything like that, he had three kids at home, and his daily communication with them relied half on guesswork and half on intuition. So, upon seeing the red bird’s demeanor, he guessed it was hungry.

Before he could toss the meat on the ground to feed it, Mang Jiu swooped in and snatched the red bird off the ground in one swift motion.

At first, the red bird struggled a couple of times, but when its gaze met Mang Jiu’s, it froze, lying as still as a taxidermy specimen.

“You can’t strangle it to death—it’s a beastman,” Mang Jiu gestured to him, urging him to take a closer look at the red bird’s tail feathers.

Zhang Shuguang let out an “Ah?” and stared at it closely. Thinking of the red feather in his own hand, he exclaimed in surprise, “Is this a beastman from the Phoenix Clan?”

Mang Jiu flung the red bird to the ground with a flick of his wrist. The moment it hit the ground, it transformed into a young woman—a naked one, at that.

Zhang Shuguang quickly raised his hand to cover his eyes—and Mang Jiu’s as well.

The young woman sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. A sub-beastman who had witnessed the entire scene—including Mang Jiu’s utterly ruthless treatment of her—quickly grabbed a piece of hide and wrapped her up in it.

Jiao said, “Stop crying already, or else Mang Jiu will get angry and might just squeeze you to death!”

Zhang Shuguang twitched the corner of his mouth. He’d thought this girl was a gentle person, but it turned out he was wrong.

That wasn’t comfort—it was a straight-up threat.

A very effective threat.

Hearing this, the girl—who had transformed from a red bird—quickly wiped the tears from her face, blew her nose hard, and wiped it on the animal hide.

“Don’t kill me! I didn’t mean to. It just smelled so good, I couldn’t resist taking a bite of meat.”

Mang Jiu crossed his arms over his chest, looking relaxed yet impassive. Without even glancing at her, he turned to ask Zhang Shuguang, “Should we eat, rest for the night, and then head to the Lion-Tiger Tribe?”

“Sure. It doesn’t matter where we sleep—the gathering doesn’t start for another two days anyway,” Zhang Shuguang nodded.

As soon as the girl heard this, she quickly exclaimed, “You’ll be able to trade goods at the gathering tomorrow!”

The two turned to look in that direction.

She repeated eagerly, “It’s true! I saw some beastmen from other tribes already at the edge of the forest. They said they plan to trade for supplies as soon as they arrive tomorrow.”

Zhang Shuguang stared at her for a moment but didn’t respond to her remark. Instead, he asked, “What’s your name? Which tribe are you from?”

“I’m Hong Yanyan. I don’t belong to any tribe,” Hong Yanyan said.

Zhang Shuguang went, “Oh,” then turned to Jiao and pointed at Hong Yanyan. “Serve her a bowl of meat. Once she’s finished eating, just let her go.”

He stood up and pulled Mang Jiu along to eat.

Jiao was taken aback, and the others weren’t quite sure why he was handling things this way either.

Although this beastman named Hong Yanyan looked like a minor, she had clearly come over with ulterior motives. Besides, they’d all seen what happened that day when Mang Jiu picked up that red feather.

This girl was clearly here to spy on them—or perhaps she had some other ulterior motive!

Was it really okay to just let her go like that?

Several of them looked at Mang Jiu.

Mang Jiu shrugged indifferently. “Let her go.”

After the two of them left, the others turned to Mang Er, who was eating meat from a bowl. Mang Er said helplessly, “It was the right call to have you all come out here. No matter who sent this beastman or what her purpose was, it’s all out in the open now.”

Everyone nodded. Right—but so what? What does that have to do with whether or not we let her go?

Mang Er chuckled wryly, “Use your brains, all of you. Don’t just spend your days eating and sleeping.”

“Mang Er, are you calling us stupid again?” Xiong Bai growled, clearly indignant. “Shuguang said to let her go—what if she goes around spreading the word about us?”

Mang Er couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him in pure sarcasm, pointing at the bright-red figure. “She’s nothing special. Never mind Mang Jiu—I could take out two of them with a single slap. Besides, we came here to attend the gathering in the first place—what’s there to fear about it getting spread around? Shuguang would actually be thrilled if everyone from all the tribes got to know us! Otherwise, who are we going to trade all this stuff we brought with us to?”

Everyone’s faces lit up with realization. “Oh, right—that makes sense!”

Mang Er sighed, served himself another bowl of meat, and said to Jiao, “Do as Shuguang said: give her some meat, then let her go. If you don’t let her go, are you just going to keep feeding her for nothing?”

Everyone nodded. “Right, right, right—let’s let her go.”

Zhang Shuguang and Mang Jiu sat off to the side, having overheard their entire conversation.

As he stirred the chunks of meat and potatoes in his bowl with his chopsticks, Zhang Shuguang let out a low chuckle, catching Mang Jiu’s attention.

“What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Shuguang picked up a piece of meat, popped it into his mouth, and mumbled.

The meat from these long-eared beasts was actually quite tender and tasted good; it would be even better with some chili peppers. By the time he returned to the tribe from the gathering, the chili peppers he’d planted should be bearing fruit—though they probably still needed a little while to ripen.

“No one in our tribe—from the oldest to the youngest—has a dark heart.” He tilted his chin, gesturing for him to look at the crowd gathered around Hong YanYan. He saw that after Jiao had given Hong YanYan a bowl of stewed meat, she had lowered her head and was eating voraciously, while the others stood nearby staring at her as if they’d never seen anyone eat before.

One person, holding a small bowl, was staring intently.

Zhang Shuguang chuckled. “None of them ever considered just killing the person to put an end to it all.”

Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t think of that either.”

“I’ve got you—why would I kill anyone? Am I that kind of brutal person? Besides, this girl is from the Phoenix Clan. What if she’s related to our Tangdou in some way?” Zhang Shuguang finished the meat, mashed the two potatoes in his bowl, scooped some meat broth into it, and took a sip. “Actually, I’m more curious about who sent her here.”

Their previous encounter might have been a chance meeting, but running into her again wasn’t such a coincidence—she must have come here with a specific purpose.

Mang Jiu hummed in agreement. “As long as you’re happy. Want to take a walk around here after you finish eating?”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “No, thanks. This area is clearly someone else’s territory now. It wouldn’t be good to wander around and cause a misunderstanding.”

“Shuguang,” Li walked over, holding two fruits that were green with a hint of red. “Want some?”

“No, thanks. These fruits look really sour and astringent—they’re not ripe yet.” Zhang Shuguang didn’t want to try anything sour or astringent lightly, especially something he knew would be sour but was still expected to eat. His experience with that green lemon once was more than enough.

Li saw the look of disgust on his face and was clearly reminded of the time they’d found that green lemon—the way Zhang Shuguang’s expression had contorted from the sourness.

“This isn’t as sour as that green lemon. Just take a bite and you’ll see,” she said, shoving a fruit right into his hand. Then, turning to the bright-cheeked girl—who had already finished the few pieces of meat in her bowl and was now watching others eat with an unmistakably greedy look on her face—she asked, “Is she from the same clan as that little bird of yours? Their animal forms look pretty similar to me.”

“I don’t know.” Zhang Shuguang looked at Mang Jiu and asked, “Is she from the Phoenix Clan?”

Mang Jiu nodded. “Yes, her tail feathers are mottled. I’d guess her situation is similar to Maodou’s—she was driven out of her tribe.”

“If she’s grown this big, even if she was driven out of the tribe, someone must have raised her. Do you think it might be someone from the Lion-Tiger Tribe?” Li asked curiously.

Zhang Shuguang shrugged. “Who raised her has nothing to do with us. Let’s eat and get some sleep early—after running for so long, the beastmen are all exhausted.” He pointed at Hong Yanyan. “Let her go; she shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

Li nodded in agreement.

Hong Yanyan left reluctantly, glancing back every few steps as she was shooed away. She flew to a tall tree in the distance, not afraid to reveal that she hadn’t actually left. She watched as they finished their meal and cleaned up, then took out a vine hammock and secured it to the tree. Soon after, she saw everyone lying down in the hammocks.

She froze for a moment, chirped twice in surprise, then turned and flew back.

The people of this tribe are truly amazing! She had to hurry and tell Mom!

If Hu Fei knew that her foreign-born child had been caught like a silly bird and even eaten their meat, she’d probably swat her away with a single swipe of his tail.

After a good night’s sleep, everyone got up early, ate breakfast, packed their things, and set off.

The Golden Lion and Golden Tiger clans of the Lion-Tiger Tribe had put a great deal of effort into preparing for this gathering. They had erected numerous thatched huts on a small plain near Rock Mountain to provide lodging for the beastmen from various tribes who had come here.

“Chieftain!” A beastman from the Golden Lion Clan approached the entrance of Shi Quan’s thatched hut and called out loudly, “They’re here—it’s the Cat Clan!”

“The Cat Clan?” Shi Quan frowned as he stepped out of the thatched hut.

The beastman outside saw that he was holding a red fruit and looked at him in astonishment. Red fruit at a time like this?

Seeing the expression on the beastman’s face, Shi Quan raised his hand and tossed the fruit to him. “It’s sweet. Go ahead and eat it.”

“Thank you, Chief. A dozen or so beastmen from the Cat Clan have arrived, and they’ve brought quite a lot of supplies.”

“Tell them to find their own spots. They can stay wherever they like.” Shi Quan waved his hand dismissively. “The place isn’t that big anyway—first come, first served.”

“Chief! The Bear Clan has arrived!”

“Chief, the Elephant Clan has arrived!”

One after another, people came to report the news, and Shi Quan nodded in satisfaction.

“Are there any others nearby? Tell the beastmen on patrol to be on the lookout. What about the Golden Tiger Clan? What are they up to?”

“Chieftain Hu Fei seems to have taken his cubs for a swim. Yesterday, Hu Gui suddenly became anxious about the Golden Tiger Clan’s beastmen going out to hunt, saying we need to stock up on more fresh game meat.”

Shi Quan nodded. “Go back to your duties. If the beastmen from the Cliff Edge Tribe arrive, be sure to come and tell me.”

“What kind of beast tribe is the Cliff Edge Tribe?”

“They…” Shi Quan thought back to the members of the salt-trading caravan he’d seen that time and ground his teeth. “They’re a mix of several beast tribes living together. I don’t know exactly which tribe they’re from, but just keep an eye out. Go get Shi Yan for me.”

The group acknowledged his orders and left.

Zhang Shuguang and the others strolled leisurely along the final stretch of the path, as if they were strolling through a garden.

In truth, Zhang Shuguang had his own ulterior motive; as he surveyed the local environment and climate, he was mentally mapping out the route.

“Once things settle down, we can take a look around—that is, if they don’t tell us not to wander off, of course.” He patted Mang Jiu on the shoulder. “What do you think?”

“Sure.” Mang Jiu, with Zhang Shuguang on his back, strolled leisurely forward, each step flattening a patch of grass.

This truly lived up to the saying: “There was no path to begin with; the path was made by people coming and going.”

“You remember that paper-making video, right? When we get back, we’ll need to find some wood to soak. I think soaking it in the pond would work well. Could we dig out that pond behind the hill?”

“Sure,” said Mang Jiu. “Actually, it’d be better to dig a new spot over by the ditch—it’s closer.”

Zhang Shuguang thought it was a good suggestion and pinched his ear playfully. “You’re still the smartest.”

The two chatted quietly as they walked. They hadn’t gone far when two young beastmen suddenly leaped down from a tall tree.

They were holding a long, pointed stone spear. “Who are you?”

Mang Jiu stopped in his tracks, and the giant beasts that had been running up behind him rushed forward.

Seeing so many giant beasts appear at once, the two beastmen of the Golden Tiger Clan shuddered in fear.

In all their lives, they had never seen so many giant beasts from other tribes at once—it was truly a test of their mental fortitude!

“Quick, go tell the chief! Tell the clan leader—the Giant Beasts have arrived!”

Zhang Shuguang straightened up and slid down from Mang Jiu’s back. Once he regained his footing, he couldn’t help but ask the pale-faced beastmen, “Weren’t you the ones who invited us to this gathering?”

The beastman paused for a moment, only then noticing the many items strapped to the giant beasts’ bodies.

“You… which clan are you from? Which tribe?”

“The Cliff Edge Tribe. Which clan?” He turned his head to look around. “The Giant Python, Giant Eagle, Giant Wolf, Giant Bear, and Giant Rhinoceros clans—is that okay?”

“Yes, yes, wait a moment—our chief will be here shortly.” The beastman hurriedly patted his companion on the shoulder. “Go on, go on—go get the chief!”

His companion transformed into a black-and-gold tiger and dashed off in a flash.

Zhang Shuguang looked at the tiger, then turned to glance at the two brothers from the Black Wolf Clan standing behind him.

Ordinary beast-kin tigers aren’t as big as wolves—that doesn’t seem quite right, does it?

Could it really be that the Cliffshore Tribe’s territory is a feng shui treasure trove, a place that’s especially nourishing?

“I’ve noticed that the beastmen in our tribe have the most beautiful fur—each one is glossy and sleek. Just look at the wolf’s black coat—it’s practically gleaming.” He gently nudged Mang Jiu’s side with his elbow.

Mang Jiu looked down at him, his expression slightly somber.

“You’re even more beautiful!” Zhang Shuguang quickly praised him. “When the sunlight hits your scales now, they’re black with a hint of purple—absolutely stunning, as dazzling as a gemstone!”

Mang Jiu sighed helplessly. “Speak properly.”

“I’m serious! I’m absolutely not lying! I was completely captivated by you that day,” Zhang Shuguang said with a look of sincerity on his face.

He’d come to understand Mang Jiu by now—the guy was a total jealous type. As soon as he heard Zhang Shuguang complimenting another beastman, his whole demeanor would turn particularly gloomy.

But this man was also very easy to please; just praise him a few more times, and he’d be all smiles.

The phrase “beaming with joy” didn’t quite fit Mang Jiu’s personality, but he really did smile.

Mang Jiu pinched Zhang Shuguang’s cheek. “You’re such a rascal.”

“……” Every time he was called that, Zhang Shuguang felt like slapping himself.

Their relationship really had—sort of—reversed itself!

Shi Quan arrived quickly with his men. Spotting the giant beast from afar, a flash of jealousy crossed his eyes, though he maintained a broad smile on his face.

“Here you are, here you are! We’ve been waiting for you!” He reached out enthusiastically, intending to pat Mang Jiu on the shoulder, but froze when he saw Zhang Shuguang. “Why did you bring a sub-beastman along?”

The tone of his question implied that bringing a sub-beastman along was somehow disrespectful to this opportunity.

“Our chief said that since the sub-beastmen haven’t seen the outside world from the tribe, it’s not good for them to stay cooped up, so they’re taking this chance to get out and about.”

“All right, all right, all right.” Shi Quan repeated “all right” several times in a row, but Zhang Shuguang slowly furrowed his brow at his sudden excitement and tone.