A group being personally greeted by the tribe’s chieftain naturally piqued the curiosity not only of the tribe’s own members but also of the other clans currently settling in the area.

The feline beastmen of the Maolin Tribe twitched their ears and simultaneously turned their heads in the same direction.

Mao Suan, the tribal elder, furrowed his brow slightly and waved to a few young beastmen. “Go take a look.”

Xiang Wen of the Ivory Tribe frowned and snorted coldly, “It must be people from the Cliffside Tribe.” Ever since they’d been humiliated by Xiong Kui at the Cliffside Tribe last time, the Ivory Tribe had harbored hostility toward the people of the Cliffside Tribe.

Of course, this hostility was entirely on their part—or rather, on his part alone. The people of the Cliffside Tribe saw nothing wrong with returning the useless “treasures” they’d been sent.

In Xiong Kui’s words, “This thing of yours is just a bit bigger and brighter than the pearls we dig out of seashells—it’s just a bit prettier. It can’t be eaten or used for anything. You call it a treasure; I call it utterly useless.”

The other beastmen of the Ivory Tribe didn’t respond; they were each busy with their own tasks—some hauling wood to build a frame, others moving items to prepare for the upcoming trade.

When the Black Bear Clan beastmen of the Xiongwei Tribe heard the words “Yaan Tribe,” they all stopped what they were doing. The beastman leading the group, Xiong Da, his eyes lit up: “Is it that Yaan Tribe? The Yaan Tribe that lives by the sea!” His brother, Xiong Er, asked excitedly from the side, “The chieftain said their chieftain is from the Giant Bear Clan!”

Xiong San chimed in from the side in a simple, earnest voice, “You can go ask them.”

Xiong Er turned to look at Xiong Da, “Can I go?”

Xiong Da turned to Xiong San, “Can I go?”

Xiong San looked at the two of them. “Why don’t we all go together?”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Seeing the excited expressions on the faces of those three Black Bear Clan beastmen, Xiang Wen grew annoyed. He snorted and turned away, intending to speak with the Cat Clan elder, only to find that the elder had no intention of acknowledging him.

Cat Yuan saw Xiang Wen heading his way. He turned to the beastman beside him and said, “Come with me to check the nearby waters for fish. Let’s catch some to eat.”

“Okay!”

Xiang Wen watched them leave and snorted again.

The other young beastmen of the Elephant Clan kept their distance; no one dared to approach him.

Meanwhile, although Shi Quan had personally come out to greet them, the people of the Cliffside Tribe didn’t sense any genuine warmth in his welcome; instead, they found his enthusiasm somewhat eerie.

After all, they weren’t close—there really was no need for this.

Shi Quan may have realized that his emotions were running a bit too high at the moment, so he quickly composed his expression—though his eyes kept darting toward the sub-beastmen from time to time.

Several sub-beastmen frowned, feeling offended.

Zhang Shuguang turned sideways and took a step forward, shielding the people behind him, then smiled at Shi Quan and said, “Hello, Chief. May I ask if we can find a place to settle in for now?”

Shi Quan quickly nodded. “Come, come, come. I’ll take you there myself.” He turned to reach for Zhang Shuguang, but Mang Jiu swatted his hand away with a slap.

Shi Quan froze for a moment, then turned his head in annoyance: “What are you doing!”

“What are you doing?” Mang Jiu retorted, his expression darkening. “Just talk—why reach out? We’re not that close.”

Ever since Shi Quan became the leader, not even his most unruly brat had ever dared to speak to him like that!

“You!” he snapped, his eyes bulging with rage.

Mang Jiu gave him a noncommittal glance and asked coldly, “Are you really the chieftain?”

The giant beasts of the Cliffside Tribe behind him nodded in agreement. That’s right—was he really the chief? He didn’t look the least bit like a chief should. Just look at how great their own chief was—and then look at this beastman. There was simply no comparison.

Shi Quan roared and transformed right where he stood. The giant lion raised his paw and slammed it against the ground, then threw his head back and let out a furious roar.

He was going to intimidate this bunch of brats who didn’t know their place!

Mang Er, carrying Li on his back, reached out to grab Zhang Shuguang’s arm and led the giant beasts in a swift retreat, leaving only Mang Jiu alone to face the colossal lion.

A smug look flashed in Shi Quan’s eyes—so they knew fear after all.

The next second, a massive serpent appeared before him, its head held high, its vertical pupils brimming with contempt, its thick body moving slowly as its tail lashed out in all directions.

Dozens of towering trees were severed at the waist, falling one after another with a thunderous roar.

As the dust settled, the area where the thick tail had passed was completely cleared of tall trees; in just a moment, a circle of open space, devoid of tall trees and littered with broken logs and branches, had been cleared around them.

Mang Jiu leisurely wagged the tip of his tail, flicked out his forked tongue, and said in a deep voice, “We, the Cliffshore Tribe, have settled here. Any tribe wishing to trade may come forward.”

Shi Quan, in his giant lion form, tilted his head back, staring at the colossal python before him with utter astonishment.

Mang Jiu arched his back, lowered his serpentine head, and flickered his tongue. “Chief Shi Quan, do you agree with my arrangement?”

“Agreed, agreed.” Shi Quan’s thick mane was on the verge of bristling; under Mang Jiu’s icy gaze, he hurriedly replied.

The onlookers who had rushed over to see the commotion were all startled by the enormous snake head; as their gaze followed the head down to the snake’s body, they felt their stomachs turn.

Mang Jiu turned his head, and his thick tail rose once more. Shi Quan instinctively stepped back, assuming a defensive stance.

Mang Jiu didn’t even glance at him; he simply used his tail to gather the dozens of trees he’d just chopped down into a single pile, completely clearing a space.

“The Yaan Tribe will be staying here for ten sunrises. Any tribe wishing to trade for salt should bring their goods over.”

As soon as Mang Jiu finished speaking, everyone except the Cliffside Tribe was left speechless.

A deathly silence fell over the scene.

Mang Er turned to look at Zhang Shuguang and whispered, “My brother’s gotten chatty.”

“Hmm,” Zhang Shuguang nodded, his voice equally hushed as he ground the words out between clenched teeth, “He seems to talk a bit more when he’s angry.”

Mang Er thought to himself, “That’s not true at all. He used to just fight without saying a word, but now he’s not only fighting—he’s also talking a lot.”

“Is there really salt? Should we trade now? What do you want?” Xiong Da, Xiong Er, and Xiong San had come empty-handed. Upon hearing Mang Jiu’s words, they forgot their fear of this colossal beast and immediately shouted at the top of their lungs.

Mang Jiu turned to face them, flicking his tongue as he asked, “Are you from the Black Bear Clan?”

“Yes, we’re from the Black Bear Clan!”

Mang Jiu: “Okay.”

“Okay”? Did “okay” mean they could trade for anything? Could they trade right now? The three brothers exchanged bewildered glances.

Several young Cat Clan beastmen had arrived early. They’d witnessed the entire process of Mang Jiu transforming and snapping the tree in half. The moment the giant python revealed its true form, these Cat Clan beastmen knelt one after another.

So terrifying—utterly terrifying! Their beast forms weren’t even enough to fill this colossal beast’s teeth.

“Hurry back and tell the elders—it’s terrifying, truly terrifying! We absolutely must strengthen our ties with the beastmen of the Cliffside Tribe. Hurry back!” The group spoke incoherently, their words jumbled as they jostled one another and turned to run away.

Mang Jiu’s massive, burly body circled the area he had marked out, his head and tail meeting as he moved—he stood like a solid wall, trapping the beastmen right in the middle.

His icy snake-like eyes fixed on the other beastmen, who stood frozen in place, and he asked, “Is there anything else?”

Everyone instinctively shook their heads; even Shi Quan dared not entertain any other thoughts under his gaze—the chill in those eyes was more biting than the wind of the snowy season.

Shi Quan, shaken to the core by the succession of shocks, let his tail droop low to the ground as he cautiously asked, “W-what are you planning to do?”

The others were puzzled as well. After all, how could they trade anything if they were all corralled like this?

Mang Jiu said nothing. Zhang Shuguang, pushed by Mang Er, emerged through the gap between the snake’s head and tail, gently rubbing its scales to soothe the great serpent.

Mang Jiu lazily closed his serpentine eyes, his body slowly slithering and shifting, rubbing against Zhang Shuguang’s palm—his intention was clear: to let Zhang Shuguang’s hand stroke his entire body!

How could Zhang Shuguang possibly not understand what it wanted? But with outsiders present, it wasn’t appropriate to say or do anything at that moment, so he withdrew his hand and smiled at Shi Quan and the others: 

“Chief Shi Quan, the area marked off by Mang Jiu is where we’ll be storing our goods. On this trip, the Chief and the Shaman instructed us to bring twenty sacks of salt. Although this salt and all our other goods aren’t particularly valuable, they were produced through the hard work of our tribe’s people, so it’s best to store them with care.”

It was rare for a sub-beastman to speak so calmly and casually in the presence of a beastman in his giant beast form. Zhang Shuguang’s every move drew intense attention, and Shi Quan found himself staring at him, though his thoughts were fixed on Aila—the woman he had locked away and forced to cultivate various fruits and vegetables.

That sub-beastman was also quite unusual. Even though he had compromised for now, his eyes clearly told Shi Quan that as soon as he had the chance, he would certainly strike back.

So Aila was locked in a cave, his hands and feet bound, with only an elderly sub-beastman tending to him each day—feeding him, giving him water, and helping him bathe and dress.

Shi Quan would not allow Aila to be untied; even while absorbing life force to force the growth of fruits and vegetables, his hands remained bound. In just a few days, the friction from the restraints had caused his wrists to become raw and festering.

Zhang Shuguang read malice in those cloudy, beast-like eyes. He furrowed his brow slightly and said, “We’ll lay out the goods we’re offering for exchange. Bring whatever you want to trade, and then we’ll negotiate the price.”

His voice brought Shi Quan’s attention back to the present. The giant lion shifted back into human form, and Zhang Shuguang turned his head away to avoid its gaze.

After Shi Quan wrapped his animal-skin skirt around himself, he glanced at the giant snake slowly slithering behind Zhang Shuguang. Then, thinking of all the items they’d brought with them, he nodded and said, “I’ll have them go back right away to prepare the goods.”

He’d come in a flurry and left with his tail between his legs. What could have been a perfectly normal conversation had to turn into physical contact. Not only was his attitude insincere, but his every thought and glance was filled with scheming.

After Shi Quan left with his men, the other beastmen who had been watching from the shadows also departed; they had all heard the mention of salt for trade.

“Hu Fei! Hu Fei!” Hu Gui didn’t even bother addressing the clan chief anymore; he rushed over, grabbed Hu Fei’s wrist, and tried to drag him away. “There’s salt!”

Hu Fei had already learned from Hong Yanyan that she’d been captured by Mang Jiu, and he’d also heard her chattering away about how Zhang Shuguang had had someone feed her meat before letting her go.

“I know there’s salt,” she shook off his grip and sighed. “Brother, my brother, can’t we sit down and talk this out properly?”

Hu Gui frowned but eventually sat down beside her. “What do you want to say? That’s salt—if you don’t go trade it in quickly, Shi Quan is definitely going to take it all!”

“Shi Quan just got totally ripped off.” Hu Fei tossed him a piece of jerky. “Haven’t you heard?”

Hu Gui took a bite of the jerky and burst out laughing. “Yeah, I didn’t just hear about it—I saw it with my own eyes!”

Hu Fei was startled by his exaggerated grin and, upon hearing this, pressed his hand to his forehead. “Don’t tell me you went into the woods yourself.”

“What else could I do but go myself? If I’d sent someone else, they’d probably just come back and describe how Shi Quan was scared out of his wits by Mang Jiu—they wouldn’t be able to explain anything else.” Hu Gui shifted over a bit and said to her, “They’ve brought quite a few sub-beastmen with them. What do you think that means?”

Hu Fei shot him a sidelong glance. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. There are usually so few sub-beastmen, but they brought several at once. Could it be that there are a lot of sub-beastmen in their tribe?” Hu Gui scratched his head and finished the jerky in his hand. “Want to come with me to check it out?”

Hu Fei shook her head and mumbled, “You go ahead. I’ve got some other things to take care of here.”

Hu Gui looked around. Aside from the five tiger cubs gnawing on bones in the corner, there really wasn’t much else in the shed worth paying attention to.

“So when are you going? Do you have anything to trade? I had our clan hunt quite a bit of fresh meat—I wonder if they’ll need it.” Hu Gui dithered and dithered, refusing to leave. Hu Fei was thoroughly annoyed by him and pushed him with her hand. “Hurry up, hurry up.”

Hu Gui was pushed out of the thatched hut. Hu Fei turned around, picked up the five tiger cubs, and walked out. She had to find some useful items and then go over to talk to them about the matter involving Hong YanYan.

Setting aside everything else, they hadn’t wrung her bird-brain off right away and had even let her eat some meat—that was certainly worth being grateful for! Her own cubs had been disobedient and caused trouble; as their mother, she couldn’t just sit idly by and do nothing.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shuguang frowned slightly as he looked at the giant snake, which had its eyes closed as if asleep.

“Second Brother, do you know what’s going on with Mang Jiu?” He’d previously thought Mang Jiu was just closing his eyes because he was too lazy to deal with Shi Quan, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

With a hint of concern, he gently touched the area under its lower eyelid. “Mang Jiu?”

Mang Er circled Mang Jiu’s massive head, reached out to feel it, then shook his head. “He’s fine. Probably just tired from running?”

He wasn’t entirely sure about that himself.

Zhang Shuguang ran his finger along the giant snake’s snout and noticed that the area around its nostrils felt slightly warm.

He furrowed his brow slightly, then stood on tiptoe to feel other parts of its body.

“Is he sick?” He returned his hand to the fine scales near the nostrils and found that they were indeed slightly warmer than the rest of his body.

His heart skipped a beat, and he said anxiously to Mang Er, “Mang Jiu is sick! His nose is hot to the touch.”

Mang Er paused, raised his hand to feel it, and furrowed his brow slightly. “It does seem a little different.” He lowered his eyes to think for a moment, then patted Mang Jiu. “Why don’t you go soak in some water?”

Mang Jiu hadn’t been asleep. Upon hearing this, he didn’t open his eyes, but simply said, “I’m going to sleep. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Zhang Shuguang pursed his lips and took a step forward, standing on tiptoe to give the snake a quick kiss on the chin. “I’ll stay right here with you.”

Mang Jiu flickered its tongue. “Mm.”

“Have them set up the platform. While they’re at it, drag all those broken-off tall trees over here—use the ones that’re still usable to build the platform, and chop up the rest to burn for firewood.” Zhang Shuguang turned to the giant beasts and said, “Unload all the goods first, and lay out a sample of each type on the platform.”

He pointed at the sub-beastmen. “Start a fire, boil some water, and cook the meal.”

“Xiong Bai, Xiong Yu, Xi Shiyi, and Xi Shier, drag the wood to build the platform.”

“Ying Wu and Ying Liu, keep watch from up high.”

“Mang Ba and Lang Jin, organize the goods we brought and group similar items together.”

“Lang Li and Lang Qian, patrol the surrounding area.”

Zhang Shuguang, his expression unusually stern, said in a cold tone, “This is unfamiliar territory. We mean no harm, but we can’t assume the best of others either. Everyone, stay alert.”

The beastmen nodded. “Got it!”

They had witnessed what had just happened. Mang Jiu’s intervention had served as a powerful deterrent. Although they weren’t afraid of those people, if it came to a fight, the few of them wouldn’t stand a chance.

However, seeing Mang Jiu’s current state, the group grew very concerned.

A large, golden python slithered over, rubbing its body against Mang Jiu’s scales, then turned its head to look at Zhang Shuguang. “Don’t worry. If the illness is severe, the body will run a fever.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

Once everyone had gone back to their respective tasks, Mang Er spoke up from the side, “You’ve suddenly changed.”

Zhang Shuguang pouted slightly, running his hand gently over the cool scales. “That Shi Quan clearly has ulterior motives. The way he was looking at the sub-beastman just now—it was as if he were scrutinizing them, his eyes full of malice.”

He chuckled softly and added casually, “When Mang Jiu is awake, I can be the kind of person who doesn’t hold a grudge over anything. But now that he wants to rest, I certainly can’t let anyone disturb him.” A shadow of gloom flashed across his eyes, and his expression turned icy.

Mang Er patted his shoulder and said gently, “Relax. With what Mang Jiu just did, this group won’t dare make a move until we’ve left.”

He glanced at the busy beastmen and sub-beastmen and chuckled softly. “Bringing them out to see the world was the right call. Back in the tribe, most of them just eat and play all day—they’d never know that people out here have more than one brain, and that what they say and what they do aren’t the same.”

Zhang Shuguang looked at him in surprise. “Second Brother, you seem to have quite a few brains yourself.”

Mang Er shook his head and said in a strange tone, “I’ve been remembering some things from a very, very long time ago.” Seeing the look of suspicion on Zhang Shuguang’s face, he laughed. “I’m going to help set up the stage. You should get some rest while you still can—when the guests arrive, you’ll be the one who has to take the lead.”

Watching him walk away, Zhang Shuguang scratched his head. Why did it feel like Mang Er had turned into a completely different person just now?

No, wait—it wasn’t just a moment ago.

Zhang Shuguang strolled leisurely along Mang Jiu’s body, lightly scratching the scales with his fingernails as he went.

“Ever since Second Brother decided to follow Li, he’s become especially hardworking. Not only has he stopped sleeping in, but he gets up pretty early every day. By the time I wake up, he’s already bustling around taking care of Li.”

Mang Jiu’s massive body contracted gently in time with his breathing, moving at a steady pace and a moderate frequency.

Zhang Shuguang muttered to himself as his fingers traced patterns across the serpent’s body, as if sketching a beautiful design.

When he felt that the scales beneath his fingertips were slightly different from the rest, his footsteps—which had already moved on—stopped. He took three steps back and probed that spot again with his fingertips.

“What’s this? It feels like a lump,” he muttered, curiously rubbing the small bulge with his hand.

“Shuguang.”

A deep, hoarse male voice rang in his ear, tinged with a hint of lingering sensuality.

Zhang Shuguang jerked his head around—the massive snake’s head had somehow crept right up beside him—and his body froze instantly.

“You… are awake?” He felt inexplicably ashamed.

Running his hands back and forth over someone’s body while they were resting—if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly either.

Mang Jiu’s eyes were fixed on him, but he said nothing.

Zhang Shuguang licked his lips. Unable to resist his curiosity, he reached out again. “You have a lump here. Does it feel uncomfortable—like pain, itching, or swelling?”

Mang Jiu blinked gently; her long, curled, thick eyelashes made Zhang Shuguang’s heart flutter.

“I just want to sleep in my beast form. It’s nothing to worry about,” Mang Jiu said, nudging him aside with his mouth. His thick serpentine body twisted a few times, concealing the small bulge Zhang Shuguang had just touched. His movements were as casual as if he were simply rolling over—shifting from lying on his side to lying on his stomach—and he repeated, “I’m going to sleep. Don’t worry; I don’t feel anything wrong with my body.”

Zhang Shuguang felt much more at ease, knowing full well that Mang Jiu wouldn’t lie to him.

Seeing that the other had closed his eyes again, he recounted to Mang Jiu what had just happened with the beastmen, adding at the end, “Second Brother said I’ve changed.”

Mang Jiu gave a faint “Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang didn’t speak again to disturb him. Instead, he looked at the python’s body, thinking that since he could feel a bulge on this side, there might be one on the other side as well. He circled around to the underside and ran his hand along the scales from head to tail, but found nothing.

Puzzled, he tilted his head slightly and tapped his finger against his lips.

“Shuguang! We made some meat soup—have a bowl.” Li handed him a bowl of meat soup. Seeing him frown, she assumed he was worried that the rude beastman might come back to cause trouble, so she said, “Don’t worry. After Mang Jiu scared them like that, they definitely won’t dare come back to cause trouble.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and sipped the broth from the bowl.

Li looked at him in confusion and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Shuguang noticed that several sub-beastmen not far away were also sneaking glances at him. After a moment’s thought, he simply took Li over to them, sat cross-legged on a hide, and said to the group, “You don’t seem too worried about them causing trouble, do you?”

Guo, being young and innocent, pointed at Mang Jiu’s massive body upon hearing this and nodded with great pride, “With Mang Jiu protecting us, of course we’re not afraid!”

The others nodded in agreement. That’s right—they weren’t afraid. Even though the gaze of the man who’d just called himself their leader had made them feel very uneasy, they still weren’t afraid.

Only Jiao furrowed her brow, her eyes fixed on the fire, saying nothing.

Zhang Shuguang looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Jiao, what are you thinking about?”

Jiao licked her lips. Seeing that the meat soup in his bowl was gone, she quickly refilled it for him and handed him a baked potato that had cooled down. When Zhang Shuguang waved it away, she held it in her hand, slowly peeling the potato skin as she said, “Actually, I don’t think this is just a matter of whether we’re afraid or not.”

Hearing her say this, Zhang Shuguang silently praised her in his heart. This girl wasn’t just pretty—she was also perceptive. No wonder she’d asked whether they could skip returning to the tribe.

He looked at Jiao encouragingly, gesturing for her to continue.

Jiao understood Zhang Shuguang’s meaning. She took a deep breath and said, “I think we’re outnumbered—they have more people than we do—so we shouldn’t get into a fight with them here.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. She was right—her point was straightforward.

Guo snapped angrily, “We’re not afraid of them at all!”

Fang nodded in agreement, “That’s right—our beastmen are the bravest!”

Yun and Lin, however, lowered their eyes and fell into deep thought; they felt Jiao had a point.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the group and said gently, “Don’t be afraid. Speak up boldly—say exactly what you’re thinking.”

Li spoke up first: “Actually, I’m a little… um, I don’t know how to put it,” he scratched his head, pointing first at Mang Jiu and then at Jiao. “With Mang Jiu here, I’m really not afraid, but what Jiao said doesn’t seem wrong either.”

“I feel the same way,” Yun agreed with Li.

Lin glanced at Mang Jiu, then at Zhang Shuguang, and finally turned to look at the other beastmen bustling about. He asked, “Do you know how many beastmen are in this tribe? And how many members of their Giant Beast Clan are there?”

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he shrugged. “When I saw that chieftain transform into a giant beast just now, I was really scared—my legs were actually shaking. If I hadn’t been sitting on Lang Jin, I might have already been on the ground.”

The others all looked a bit uncomfortable, but they all laughed in unison.

Clearly, they were all in the same boat—they’d been thoroughly scared.

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly. That was only natural—if Mang Jiu hadn’t been beside him, the sight of such a massive lion would have made his legs go weak, too.

Lin tossed the potato peels into the fire, ladled a bowl of meat soup, and held it up to blow on it. “Whether there are many of them or not doesn’t really matter. I don’t want to see any of our tribe’s beastmen get hurt trying to protect us.”

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand. “They might even feel proud to get hurt protecting you guys.”

Lin chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.”

“They’re so strong—how could they possibly get hurt?” Guo pouted from the side and snorted in defiance.

“Before you saw Mang Jiu in his beast form, you thought Xiong Bai was pretty formidable too,” Zhang Shuguang said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “That’s what they mean by ‘there’s always someone better out there; the sky’s the limit.’”

The others nodded in understanding.

Zhang Shuguang set down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, “There’s a saying: ‘Even the strongest beast can’t overpower the local beast.’” He raised his hand and drew a small circle on the ground. “Our tribe has brought a total of twelve beastmen. Even if each of them is a giant beast capable of taking on ten opponents, we can only handle a total of one hundred twenty.”

He drew another, larger circle. “The Lion-Tiger Tribe definitely has at least 120 beastmen. So no matter how skilled our own beastmen are in combat, we’re bound to suffer casualties in the end.”

The others nodded silently. He was right.

“No matter how strong you are, on their turf, in an unfamiliar environment, and without knowing the full situation, getting into a conflict and fighting them is unnecessary,” 

Zhang Shuguang spoke sternly, pointing at Mang Jiu. “But their leader clearly had ulterior motives—that sleazy look on his face made me sick to my stomach—which is why Mang Jiu intimidated him directly to force him to back down.”

The others nodded in agreement. Right!

Zhang Shuguang summed it up: “If they really come looking for trouble, we’ll fight back!”

The group felt an inexplicable surge of excitement, almost wanting to raise their arms and cheer.

“But!”

Their arms, raised halfway, froze in mid-air. There’s a “but”?

“But our main purpose for coming here is to trade for more good stuff, to promote our salt, and to give you all a chance to see the world—not to pick a fight on purpose.”

They nodded. Right, we remember that.

Zhang Shuguang smiled. “So no matter what, remember this: we don’t start trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. Got it?”

The group nodded repeatedly. “Got it, got it, got it!”

“Shuguang! The platform is set,” Xiong Bai called out.

Zhang Shuguang let out a sigh. “I’ll be right there!”

He tossed his head back. “Let’s go. You guys, each take charge of a stall for a bit. Watch how I haggle with them first. If you really have no idea about the prices, come find me,” he said, then paused, scratching his head. “Wait, that’s not right—I don’t seem to know the prices either. Go ask Brother Mang Er.”

The others nodded with a smile. “Got it.”

Zhang Shuguang led his group over and saw that the stand Xiong Bai and the others had set up was very simple: they’d arranged a few pieces of wood in neat rows, propped them up with stones, and then laid furs over the wood to form a table. “Not bad, not bad,” he said.

“Take out everything we brought and lay some of it on top, sorted by category,” Zhang Shuguang said, pointing to the empty wooden table in front of him. “Put the salt over here.”

Xiong Yu carried over a bag of salt and set it down, then turned to go get another one.

Zhang Shuguang spoke up to stop him: “One bag is enough. Could you please bring me the backpack I left over there?”

Xiong Yu hurried off to fetch the backpack.

Meanwhile, the other beastmen were also laying out the goods they’d brought on the table, arranging them in order.

These included: fine salt, dried meat, bamboo-woven backpacks, bamboo-woven pillows, and bamboo-woven plates.

For now, they had only brought out these items; the pottery wasn’t on display because Zhang Shuguang had mentioned that while the pottery they made was fine for everyday use, it wasn’t suitable for storing food, as it could easily cause the food to spoil.

Li sat beside Zhang Shuguang, while the others sat cross-legged side by side at the edge of the table, their faces full of smiles yet tinged with timidity as they looked at the others.

“Don’t let anyone think the sub-beastmen of our tribe are petty. Be confident, hold your heads high, and smile.”

At his command, the group immediately straightened their posture as Zhang Shuguang had suggested, the corners of their mouths curving slightly upward.

The beastmen took a few steps back to observe, then raised their hands and clapped enthusiastically, “Great! That looks great!”

These words drew nods of agreement from the others—yes, it was impressive.

The first to run over were the three brothers from the Black Bear Clan, each carrying a stone jar sealed with animal hide.

Xiong Da ran over, heading straight for Zhang Shuguang’s table. He set the small stone jar down with a thud, asking, “I’ll trade for salt! Can I use this?”

Zhang Shuguang caught a whiff of a sweet scent, and his eyes lit up. “Is that honey?”

The large snake head leaning against his back twitched slightly—it had clearly heard Zhang Shuguang’s question. Honey!

Xiong Da froze for a moment, clearly surprised that Zhang Shuguang knew what it was without even looking.

Zhang Shuguang’s smile grew much more sincere. He fanned the small stone jar with his hand, and the distinctive sweet scent of honey became even clearer. He tilted his head to take a whiff; he couldn’t quite pinpoint which flower the scent came from, but this honey was clearly many times sweeter than the honey they’d found near that peach blossom grove last time.

He couldn’t help but swallow hard. Pointing at the small stone jar, he looked up and asked with a smile, “Could you open it so I can have a taste?”

Xiong Da nodded. In truth, there was never a shortage of people wanting to trade for their honey, so they usually didn’t let anyone taste it—since breaking the seal of the beastman’s hide might cause the honey’s aroma to evaporate more quickly. But this man was different: he had salt!

Zhang Shuguang, of course, wasn’t going to taste their honey for nothing. He took out a few small, palm-sized plates he’d specially prepared from his back basket—plates specifically meant for serving fine salt to people like them who came to trade for salt, so they could sample it.

Guo, standing nearby, handed him a piece of roasted meat. Zhang Shuguang sprinkled some snow-white fine salt onto it; the salt crystals gradually melted into the meat. He handed the meat back, saying, “Here, try our fine salt first.”

When Xiong Da saw the snow-white, sand-like grains of fine salt, his eyes widened in amazement.

He took the grilled meat and bit into it right away.

“Mmm!”

His eyes widened, and his mouth moved rapidly as he chewed, chewed, chewed!

“Xiong Da, does it taste good?” Xiong Er stood nearby, swallowing hard and watching him longingly.

Zhang Shuguang was taken aback and asked, “Your name isn’t Xiong Er, is it?”

Xiong Er nodded. “How did you know that? Do you know me?”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head with a stern expression, then bent over and buried his face in his hands.

His shoulders shook violently, and he choked back a burst of laughter. No matter what, he absolutely couldn’t let them think he was rude just because of the image of Xiong Da and Xiong Er in his head.

The two brothers fought over a piece of grilled meat, getting their hands covered in grease.

Xiong San shook his head, scooped some honey from the stone jar, and handed it to him. “You can try some of our honey.”

Zhang Shuguang rubbed his face vigorously, then looked up at Xiong San. “Who are you?”

“My name is Xiong San,” Xiong San said, handing him the small wooden stick used to dip the honey. “Give it a try.”

Zhang Shuguang said thank you, then turned to Guo and said, “Quick, grill a piece of meat for this big brother, too.”

Guo nodded vigorously. “Okay.”

Xiong San glanced at Guo and pursed his lips.

Zhang Shuguang caught the sticky honey dripping from the wooden stick in a small plate. He first examined the color—it was darker than the honey they’d found earlier. The scent was so strong it almost stung his nose, and it was much thicker; clearly, this honey was exceptionally concentrated.

He stuck out the tip of his tongue and gave it a light lick. Sweet! Extremely sweet!

He smacked his lips softly, savoring the flavor. “What kind of flower is this? So many different flavors—it smells amazing.”

“There are lots of flowers near our tribe. After the snow season ends, they keep blooming until the next snow season, when the cold finally kills them off.” Seeing how pleased he looked, Xiong San let out a quiet sigh of relief and said, “There aren’t many of us in the tribe; we rely on trading honey for other things.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. Just then, Guo had finished grilling the meat, so he motioned for Xiong San to try some first.

Guo handed the meat over and said to Xiong San with a smile, “The salt from our tribe is really, really delicious—much better than those salt blocks we used to have. It’s not bitter at all, and it’s so savory!”

Xiong San had never seen such a young sub-beastman before. In their tribe, there were only two or three sub-beastmen in total, and they were raised with great care—it was rare to see them in everyday life.

With a stern expression, he nodded, took the meat, and took a bite.

With just one bite, he knew that no matter what, he had to trade the salt back!

Zhang Shuguang propped his chin up with one hand and watched with a smile as the three brothers reluctantly ate the meat, taking it one small bite at a time. He asked, “Want to trade?”

The three brothers exchanged glances and spoke in unison, “We’ll trade! We’ll trade! We’ll trade!”

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand and pointed at the other items. “Take a look at the other specialties from our tribe. Once you’ve seen everything, then you can decide what you want to trade for.”

“Do you make jerky?”

“What’s this for?”

“I want that thing you use to store salt!”

“Anything goes—as long as you have enough honey, we can trade for anything.” Zhang Shuguang grinned like a sneaky uncle trying to sweet-talk a kid; no matter how you looked at it, his expression suggested he wanted more than just to trade for salt.