Zhang Shuguang watched up close as the bleating sheep and clucking chickens lay with their four legs in the air and their claws bound—and the plucked birds had suffered the same fate.

Mang Er was holding one flightless bird in each hand, his movements skilled and efficient.

Zhang Shuguang pressed his hand to his forehead. He realized it—this cruel scheme was Mang Er’s idea.

“Second Brother, won’t they die like this?” Zhang Shuguang asked, spotting a large, snow-white goose honking merrily.

“Second Brother, Second Brother! Save that one for me!” His eyes lit up as he stared at the large white goose. After carefully examining it, he guessed it was a female.

Mang Er glanced back, then unhooked the large white goose he was pointing at and handed it to him. “You want to eat this one?”

Zhang Shuguang cradled the large white goose in his arms, gently stroking its shivering body. “Second Brother! I’m taking these little wild animals back to the tribe to raise them. These chickens and birds need to be fed every day, or they’ll starve to death.”

Mang Er was taken aback. “Huh?”

“…You don’t really think I traded for these just to eat them, do you? Wait, no—I did trade for them to eat, but I want the eggs, not the meat! As for the ‘Mei-mei’ beasts, I need their fur and their milk.” Zhang Shuguang looked at him helplessly and warned, “Second Brother, you absolutely, positively must not let them die. Whether our tribe can have one egg per person every day in the future depends entirely on them!”

Mang Er felt inexplicably nervous at his words and nodded repeatedly, promising, “I definitely won’t let them die. If they really do die, I’ll catch you some more!”

Zhang Shuguang carried the big white goose over to the stall, where they’d brought in quite a few fresh wild vegetables today. He had no idea where this group of beastmen had dug them up from, but these wild vegetables came in all sorts of shapes—and none of them were poisonous.

“Pack up the stall, get dinner ready, and get some rest early after eating. You guys will head back with the beastmen first tomorrow.”

Li saw the big white goose in his arms, reached out to pet it, and nodded after hearing his words. “Mang Er said, since we’ve finally made it out here, can’t we stay a few more days?”

“No,” Zhang Shuguang shook his head solemnly. “This isn’t up for discussion. There aren’t many beastmen left. What if something really happens and we can’t protect you?”

Li pouted, looking a bit unhappy.

The remaining five sub-beastmen were actually quite disappointed as well, but they understood what was possible and what wasn’t.

Since both Zhang Shuguang and the beastmen had made it clear they couldn’t stay any longer, they’d only tried to negotiate a little—hoping to stay just one more day, if possible.

“You’ll have a lot of work to do once you get back—it’s not just a matter of returning home and calling it a day.” Zhang Shuguang could see their disappointment and gently stroked the Great White Goose’s wing. “The honey and fruit wine you’re bringing back must be stored in a cool, shaded cave. If there isn’t a suitable one, you’ll have to dig one. As for these live creatures, once you get back, find a spot near Li’s cave to pen them up—just like this, with a wooden fence.”

Seeing the others nodding earnestly, Zhang Shuguang continued his instructions: “Also, don’t touch those seeds just yet. Store them in a dry place—they mustn’t get damp or wet, or they’ll all be ruined.”

They nodded again, taking his advice to heart.

“Put the ones I swapped for me in the cave—place them all the way in the back and close the door when you’re done.”

“What about the rest?”

“Put the spices I’ve sorted out in the sun to dry. Just like the seeds, they mustn’t get damp. If it looks like it’s going to rain, you must bring them in early. They can handle the sun, but not the damp.” Zhang Shuguang pointed to the spices in the large backpack. “On your way back, eat some wild vegetables and dried fish—you don’t have to take it all home.”

“We won’t be able to finish all this. Let’s save some for you,” Li said.

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “Let’s have some vegetable congee later. Find some wild greens of the same kind, pick a few, and wash them clean. I’ll cook up a pot of vegetable congee for you to try.” He had some green wheat kernels on hand; paired with the wild greens, it should taste pretty good.

“Alright, we’ll leave the dried fish for you. We still have some dried meat; we’ve already traded all our cured sausages, but there are still some marinated spare ribs and marinated pork left. Should we take those back?”

“No need. If we leave them here, I might be able to trade for something else,” Zhang Shuguang said, glancing up at the Black Bear Clan and Monkey Clan, who were already packing up, then at the Forest Cat Clan, who had traded for red berries with the Golden Lion Clan. He turned to Li and asked, “Didn’t you guys trade for any berries?”

“No,” they all shook their heads in unison. “We don’t want to eat the fruit. It looks so red—it just doesn’t seem quite right.”

Those were Jiao’s words. After she spoke, the others nodded in agreement. Fang complained with a look of disgust on her face, “Ying Liu said there aren’t any fruit trees around here. We don’t know where they got them—it’s like they just appeared out of nowhere. And they’re all pretty much the same size. I just feel like eating them would poison us to death.”

Zhang Shuguang almost burst out laughing, grateful he hadn’t been drinking anything at the time.

“Has anyone from any other tribes besides the Forest Cat Tribe traded any?”

Jiao shook her head. “I didn’t notice.”

“The Black Bear Clan didn’t swap anything. Xiong San said their elders told them not to trade for anything from the Golden Lion Clan.” Guo smiled at Zhang Shuguang. “He said he wants to travel with us. I’ll go find him in a bit.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “Sure. Go talk to him. If he wants to come along, have him join you guys for now.”

“Mm-hmm, okay!” Guo nodded repeatedly, delighted to be leaving with Xiong San—that way, he wouldn’t have to worry about him every day.

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at the others. Fang said, “The Monkey Clan made a trade, but it didn’t seem like much. I heard from Hou Qi that the fruit is just sweet—it doesn’t have any other flavors. It’s not that it’s not tasty, but maybe the flavor isn’t suitable for their juice?”

“I saw the Elephant Clan swap quite a few,” Lin frowned. “I didn’t see what they traded in exchange—just that they packed up a lot of fruit and took it away.”

“Where’s the Elephant Clan’s stall? Is it still in its original spot? Didn’t you ask the Elephants who came to trade what they were exchanging for?”

Zhang Shuguang was extremely curious.

Everyone shook their heads. “The beastmen who came over just traded for some jerky and sausages—they didn’t trade for salt.”

“What did they trade for it?”

“Fresh meat. Most of those flightless birds we caught later were caught by them.” Lin was the most observant among them; he could basically remember everything that passed through his hands.

Zhang Shuguang looked him over and asked, “Do you usually remember things really quickly?”

Lin paused, scratching his head. “I don’t usually have much to remember, so I’m not really sure.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly, scratching his chin with his finger. His stubble brushed against his fingertip as he thought for a moment, then said, “You remembered everything I just said, right?

“Keep the clucking chickens and bleating sheep fenced in together. Make sure the pen is big enough for them to roam around. Have the kids dig up bugs to feed the chickens, and if there are weeds or vegetable scraps, toss them over the fence to feed the sheep. Someone needs to clean up the manure every day, or they’ll get sick.”

“Okay, I’ll remember that,” Lin said, nodding.

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at the others and saw them all nod in unison. “Got it.”

“Go back and tell the chief that the Golden Tiger Clan wants to find a place of their own to settle. The Black Bear Clan will probably want a large plot of land for growing flowers, and they’ll also need a place to keep their bees,” he said, glancing at the five of them. “Do you know of any suitable spots?”

“What are bees?”

“Don’t they raise flying insects?”

“I call them bees, but they call them ‘flying insects.’ Never mind what we call them for now—just tell me what would be suitable nearby.”

Li: “The back mountain would be good—over by the stream.”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “No, I’m planning to set up a kiln there specifically for firing pottery.”

Fang: “Why not plant them in front of the village, outside the wall?”

Zhang Shuguang looked at her. Fang smiled, “During the rainy season, flowers bloom outside the tribe’s walls—not many, but they’re pretty. If they lived inside the tribe, we could plant them there, but if they don’t, it won’t work.”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “No, bees are an unpredictable factor. Don’t let their small size fool you—they’re highly aggressive. It’s not so bad for adults, but if a kid gets stung, it’ll hurt like hell.”

Yun said, “We can plant them at the spots where we usually go foraging. They’re not too far from the village, so it’s easy to get there.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded slightly and looked at Lin and Jiao. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Jiao shook her head. “I’d rather not stray too far from the tribe.”

Lin said, “Once they get there, we can let them choose a spot themselves. I think the area by the pond behind the mountain would be good.”

Zhang Shuguang remembered that he’d thrown some lotus seeds into the pond; he’d have to check when he got back—maybe they’d already sprouted.

“Actually, Xiong San said that the flowers on their tribal land weren’t planted by them,” Guo interjected. “If they’re coming over to our place, it might be a bit of a hassle for them to grow their own flowers.”

“No problem. We can take our time growing them—flowers are easier to grow than vegetables,” Zhang Shuguang said with a smile. “You’re really worried about them, aren’t you?”

Guo smiled sheepishly. “Because if they go over there and don’t do anything, the people in the tribe will definitely talk about them.”

“Don’t worry about them having nothing to do—we’ll have plenty of work for them in the future,” Zhang Shuguang said after giving it some thought. “On this trip, you’ve seen and heard a lot. Even though it was short, you’ve met quite a few people.”

The group nodded.

“What are your impressions?”

“Some people smile all the time, but they’re not good at heart.”

“Right, and there are some who try to deceive you.”

“People who try to trade rotten meat for other things, claiming that’s just how meat tastes—as if I’ve never eaten raw meat before!”

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow: “Haven’t you met any decent people?”

“I have. There were a few who were really nice—we just didn’t get to talk much.”

“There was this monkey-beastman who was really nice—he even helped me carry my stuff.”

“Why didn’t you get to know him better? It might have worked out!”

“He brought his little kid over to eat sausage—how was I supposed to get to know him?!”

“There was also a beastman from the Elephant Clan who was pretty nice. The bird he caught when he came to trade was huge,” Yun turned and pointed at the bird already stuffed into her back basket. “Those big ones over there—he brought them all.”

“From the Elephant Clan?” Zhang Shuguang looked at Yun in surprise. “Who from the Elephant Clan?”

Yun shook his head. “No idea. He came a few times, but then said they were out of sausage and never came back.”

“He loves sausage that much?” Zhang Shuguang narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded toward Yun. “Come on, let’s go check out the Elephant Clan’s stall. I’ve never been there before.”

“Huh? I’m going?” Yun looked at him in surprise.

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “Yeah, of course you’re going. Let’s see if you can seize your chance.”

“?” Yun’s face was full of question marks.

The others were taken aback for a moment, then all broke into knowing smiles.

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at him. “Got it?”

“What do I get?” Yun looked completely baffled, but then, spurred on by their expressions, he stopped short, his eyes widening in disbelief. “You want me to go identify someone?”

Everyone, including Zhang Shuguang, looked at him with smiling eyes and nodded in unison.

That’s right—and see if we can bring a beastman back for you while we’re at it.

Yun sighed, but eventually stood up. “Let’s go.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled, “Don’t be so reluctant. You said yourself, he’s a nice guy.”

Yun shot him a helpless glance and said with a wry smile, “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the right person, especially since he’s from the Ivory Tribe.”

“What’s wrong with the Ivory Tribe?” Zhang Shuguang looked puzzled. Warlike or not, the beastmen of the Ivory Tribe were all so massive—why did he sound so dissatisfied?

Yun pursed his lips and snorted, “Everyone in our tribe knows about that time they brought over some kind of treasure—they definitely didn’t have good intentions.”

“Don’t worry about the Ivory Tribe’s attitude. Just focus on whether this person is worth getting to know. You’ve probably seen for yourself these past few days—people in a tribe come in all shapes and sizes; you can’t generalize.” Zhang Shuguang raised his hand and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about what others think; it’s up to you.”

“Myself?” Yun’s expression grew somber as if he’d thought of something. “I stayed in the cave for an entire snow season before Father agreed to let me go out. Every day, I could only stand at the cave entrance, feeling the breeze and watching the beastmen down the mountain having such a great time. I really wanted to join them.”

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at him. Yun let out a low chuckle, though his smile was a bit bitter. “I asked my father why I couldn’t go play. He said everyone else does it that way.”

“There aren’t many young sub-beastmen in the tribe; they all have to be raised with great care. I’m sure some of your brothers and sisters passed away before they grew up.” Seeing Yun nod, Zhang Shuguang said softly, “You’ve made it this far thanks to your mother’s patient care. Don’t dwell on it—things will get better.”

Yun smiled and nodded. “I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come.”

While the two of them were talking, a minor altercation was unfolding over at the Ivory Tribe.

It was still Xiang Wei and Xiang Wen. Ever since their last fight in beast form, Xiang Wen had demanded that the other beastmen not speak to Xiang Wei—an overt act of ostracism.

The two beastmen who were close to Xiang Wei found Xiang Wen’s behavior despicable and refused to comply.

Xiang Wei, however, didn’t mind much. After all, these were the only two people he was close to in the tribe anyway. If others were told not to speak to him, so be it—as long as the three of them had enough to eat and drink, that was all that mattered.

Today’s conflict arose when Xiang Ping heard that other tribes were planning to leave. He returned and told Xiang Wei and Xiang Gu about it. The three of them agreed that this was a major matter; even though they didn’t get along with Xiang Wen, they had to let him know.

When Xiang Ping did tell him, Xiang Wen shot him a sidelong glance and snapped, “If you’re scared, go back. We agreed to trade for supplies, and since the trade isn’t finished yet, I’m not about to take you guys with me.”

“This isn’t about being afraid or not! Don’t you know better than anyone how fierce the beastmen of the Cliffside Tribe are? If they’ve all left, it must be because something major is happening!” Xiang Ping frowned, unable to understand why Xiang Wen was taking this attitude. It was something they could have discussed together, but he insisted on acting as if he looked down on everyone.

Xiang Gu chimed in from the side, “Besides, the Cliffside Tribe hasn’t even traded for the Golden Lion Clan’s fruit yet. Why did you go and trade for so much of it all at once? We work hard hunting every day—what were you thinking, trading meat for fruit?”

As soon as Xiang Wen heard him questioning his decision, he blew his top.

“Haven’t you tasted how fresh their fruit is? What’s wrong with trading meat for it? What else do we have besides meat!”

“But you didn’t have to trade for so many.” Xiang Gu turned his head away. He admitted the fruit was quite tasty, but who trades a whole ox for just one bag of fruit? It was obvious they were taking advantage of their easygoing nature to make such lopsided trades.

To his surprise, Xiang Wen actually agreed!

All the wild beasts they’d captured were traded away.

Xiang Gu’s face was grim because he’d been gored in the arm while capturing a bull beast.

Xiang Wen snapped, “Is it wrong for me to trade them back so the tribe can eat?”

Xiang Wei waved his hand and said, “This isn’t about the fruit exchange—it’s about whether we’re leaving or not.”

“Who said we’re leaving? If you three want to go, go ahead and leave.” Xiang Wen sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know what you three are up to. You went to the Cliffside Tribe and traded for so much meat—what’s the deal? Are you afraid we’ll eat it?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Xiang Wei glared at him. “Do you think we’re like you, hiding all the fruit we traded for? The things we traded for sausage were small wild animals we caught on the spot—and you’ve eaten plenty of that sausage yourself!”

“What did I eat?! I can’t even have a little bit of your sausage? Do you want to get kicked out of the tribe?!” Xiang Wen’s voice grew louder and louder, his face flushed with anger.

Xiang Wei froze for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.

He gave a sarcastic smile, eyeing Xiang Wen as he said, “You’re just looking for any excuse to kick me out of the tribe, aren’t you? Why don’t you just say so outright?”

“What did I say? I’m an elder—you’re even unwilling to let me eat your sausage. Everything in the tribe is meant for the chief and the elders first!” Xiang Wen sneered. “Do you think just because you came out with us, you can do whatever you want? Let me tell you, as long as I’m here, don’t even think about it!”

Xiang Wei couldn’t be bothered to respond. He turned to Xiang Ping and Xiang Gu and said, “I’ve said it before: everyone in our tribe only thinks of themselves. You’ve seen it for yourselves—he’s clearly trying to drive me out. If I go back to the tribe, who knows what he’ll say about me to others? Anyway, I don’t have any blood brothers. You two are closest to me. I don’t plan on going back. Are you coming with me, or with him?”

Just as he was speaking, Zhang Shuguang, accompanied by Yun, emerged from the woods. Hearing the commotion, everyone turned to look, somewhat surprised to see the two of them there.

Xiang Wei glanced in that direction, somewhat surprised to see Yun there.

He knew Zhang Shuguang held a special status in the Cliffside Tribe and often saw him come out to trade goods, but the other sub-beastmen were usually only found at the stalls—he truly hadn’t expected to see Yun here.

When Yun noticed him looking at him, he gave him a smile.

Xiang Wei nodded at him blankly, then quickly looked away.

Zhang Shuguang walked up with a smile and asked, “If you two would stop arguing for now, could we talk about the trade first?”

Xiang Wen snorted with a sour expression, clearly not wanting to say much to him.

Xiang Wei and the others remained silent.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t seem embarrassed; he remained all smiles. His attention wasn’t on the few dead game animals displayed at the hide stall, but rather on a wooden pavilion not far behind them, his eyes glinting slightly as he looked at it.

Calling it a pavilion wasn’t quite accurate—it wasn’t as large as a traditional pavilion—but it at least had a roof and looked quite sturdy.

“Who built this?” He pointed at the large pavilion and asked curiously, “Do you usually live here?”

The others turned to look; Xiang Wei nodded slightly but said nothing.

Xiang Ping spoke up to explain, “Where we come from, there are lots of trees but no caves, so we can’t live in caves as you do. Usually, we just use wood to shelter from the wind and rain.”

“The planks surrounding these posts?” Zhang Shuguang pressed.

Xiang Ping didn’t know what he was getting at, but nodded. “Right. What do you want to trade them with?”

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes finally drifted toward the beast’s carcass on the ground; after just a quick glance, he fixed his gaze back on the makeshift shelter.

“If I may ask, are you planning to leave the Ivory Tribe?”

Xiang Wei pursed his lips and glanced at Xiang Wen, who was glaring furiously at Zhang Shuguang; his mood instantly improved.

“Yes. Would the Cliffside Tribe take me in?” He nodded and asked Zhang Shuguang.

In that split second, the gaze that had been fixed on Zhang Shuguang shifted to him. Xiang Wei glanced at Xiang Wen and snorted, “Haven’t you already kicked me out of the tribe? Anyway, I’m on my own now. If I don’t find a bigger tribe, am I supposed to just wait for you to kill me?”

Zhang Shuguang cleared his throat and silently nodded at his bluntness. Good for him—he dared to speak his mind and take action.

Yun blinked a few times and let the corners of his mouth curl up ever so slightly.

Xiang Wen snapped angrily, “So you’ve been planning to join the Cliffside Tribe all along! No wonder you sent over so many small game animals!”

Just as Xiang Wei opened his mouth to yell at him, Yun chimed in from the side, “Don’t go spreading rumors. Our trades have always been fair—we exchange exactly what we bring, and we’ve never taken anything for free.”

“Who are you? What business is it of yours?” Xiang Wen turned and bellowed at Yun.

Zhang Shuguang’s smile vanished instantly. He then raised one eyebrow and retorted smugly, “Who are you? How dare you yell at a sub-beastman from our tribe? Do you think just because you’re old, you can act unreasonably and show no respect for others?”

Yun burst out laughing and shot Xiang Wen a glare.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at Xiang Wei standing nearby and asked directly, “Are you really determined to join our tribe? We don’t accept just anyone. You know full well that our tribe produces salt—once you join us, you can’t just leave whenever you want. And if you betray us, the consequences will be severe.”

Xiang Wei nodded without hesitation: “I can take an oath!”

Zhang Shuguang waved his hand with a smile. “No need, no need. That’s something you’ll have to discuss with the shaman once we get back. I don’t understand any of that stuff. So, go ahead and pack up your usual belongings—you can come with us right away.”

Xiang Wei nodded and turned to grab the leather bag he usually carried.

“You can’t take anything with you!” Xiang Wen strode forward and snatched the leather bag from Xiang Wei’s hands. “All of this was given to you by our tribe. Now that you’re no longer one of the ‘Ivory’ people, of course you can’t take it with you!”

Zhang Shuguang clicked his tongue. How shameless.

The two who had originally intended to tell Xiang Wei not to act impulsively felt even colder inside upon seeing Xiang Wen’s unreasonable behavior.

The three of them had grown up together since childhood. Although they weren’t born to the same father and mother, they were very close. Moreover, since they had no blood brothers, the three of them were especially close—though not biological brothers, they were closer than any blood relatives.

Now, seeing Xiang Wen deliberately picking on Xiang Wei at every turn, Xiang Ping and Xiang Gu also felt their blood boil.

“I’m coming with you too. With an elder like him who doesn’t care about our people, I’m afraid nothing good will come of us going back!” Xiang Ping reached out and grabbed Xiang Wei’s wrist, glaring angrily at Xiang Wen. “I really don’t know why the chief trusts you so much!”

Xiang Gu took a step to the side and stood beside the other two, giving Xiang Wen a cold laugh. “The three of us are leaving together. Are you satisfied now? When we get back, don’t forget to tell the chief how the Ivory Tribe betrayed its own people—just to drive a wedge between our two tribes.”

He didn’t bother to hide these words from Zhang Shuguang; it was clear he wanted to gauge Zhang Shuguang’s reaction.

Everyone knew that once the three of them left the Ivory Tribe and Xiang Wen returned, he would surely embellish the story with exaggerations. By then, if the Ivory Tribe found out they’d gone to the Cliffside Tribe, there was no telling whether they might cause trouble out of resentment.

If the Cliffside Tribe was too timid to protect them, life would certainly become very difficult from then on.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the three of them, then looked at Xiang Wen, whose face was flushed red with rage—as if he wanted to transform into a beast and start a battle the very next second—and smiled indifferently: “Our tribe is friendly, but that doesn’t mean we’re cowards. If this elder goes back and spreads false rumors, causing friction between our two tribes, we’ll definitely come looking for you to settle this.”

Xiang Wen ground his teeth in anger. “Don’t think we’re afraid of you!”

“We’re not afraid. It’s precisely because we’re not afraid that we need to set the record straight. As for these three, our Cliffside Tribe is taking them in. You know better than we do why they left the Ivory Tribe,” Zhang Shuguang swept his gaze over the other young beastmen who had remained silent, then snorted with a laugh. “Young people should be full of vigor. It’s so boring to always be held back by those who insist on putting on a front even when they’re clearly in the wrong.”

“In our Cliffside Tribe, whoever’s capable is the one who leads!” He raised his thumb and grinned at the crowd. “Look how brave and strong our young beastmen are—isn’t that all thanks to our tribe chief and the Shaman looking out for us? The best things go to the youngsters and the warriors first—that’s the attitude a tribe should have to stay united.”

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand in a gesture of false modesty and smiled, “Never mind, never mind—what’s the point of telling you all this? Elder, if you want to criticize us, go ahead—the Cliffside Tribe has never been afraid of a fight.” With that, he beckoned to the three men, “Don’t bother taking these things. We have everything we need over there—we’re not short on food, drink, or clothing.”

The three exchanged glances; deep down, they were actually unsure of what to make of it.

Zhang Shuguang pointed at the pavilion again. “I’m very interested in this pavilion. Do you know how to build one?”

“Yes, I designed it myself,” Xiang Gu replied.

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes lit up instantly, and his expression grew even more friendly. He noticed that Xiang Gu’s arm was bent involuntarily and saw a large purple bruise on it, so he asked, “Are you hurt? Let me take a look at it later.”

Yun looked up at Xiang Gu, then tugged slightly at Zhang Shuguang’s sleeve with a hint of nervousness and said, “Why don’t we go back first? We can talk about it when we get back.”

After all, while Zhang Shuguang had been asleep, Mang Er had warned them: whenever Zhang Shuguang tried to treat someone while they were out, they had to stop him immediately; if they really couldn’t stop him, they should shout for Mang Jiu.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t object. He looked at the three of them and said, “Shall we go, then?”

The three nodded, not even sparing the remaining beastmen of the Ivory Tribe a second glance.

It wasn’t that they were heartless; it was just that from the moment they arrived until now, these people hadn’t said a single word—not even to stop Xiang Wen.

What a pity—in the end, no one took responsibility.

Zhang Shuguang hadn’t expected that his spur-of-the-moment decision to bring Yun along to make a few acquaintances would end up with him bringing back three beastmen—and skilled ones at that.

They’d left as a pair and returned as a group of five—even Mang Jiu was taken aback.

“They said they want to join our tribe,” Zhang Shuguang explained to a puzzled Mang Jiu, spreading his hands. “I originally went over to see if I could trade for anything, but then I heard them arguing—it was that guy who brought a sub-beastman to our tribe last time and wanted you to have a baby with him.”

Mang Jiu’s mouth twitched ever so slightly.

Li and the other four sub-beastmen were preparing dinner. Upon hearing his words, Li called out, “It’s Ning, right? Last time, the people from the Ivory Tribe brought Zhenbao and Ning to see the chief!”

“It’s the elder who brought Ning,” Zhang Shuguang said, pointing to the three Elephant Clan beastmen standing behind him, looking somewhat awkward. “They were kicked out of the tribe—they weren’t even allowed to take their personal belongings.”

Xiang Wei, Xiang Ping, and Xiang Gu exchanged awkward smiles, looking a bit at a loss.

“Don’t worry, we’re very hospitable. Dinner will be ready soon, and I guarantee that once you’ve eaten, you won’t be thinking about the Ivory Tribe anymore,” Lin said with a smile, pointing to the several stoves burning nearby. “If you have a moment, could you help bring some firewood over? Since we’re leaving tomorrow, Zhang Shuguang said we should prepare a nice meal.”

Zhang Shuguang went over to wash his hands, scooped up two handfuls of the green wheat kernels he’d sifted out earlier, and placed them in a bowl nearby. Then, addressing the three Xiang Clan beastmen who were still standing there dumbfounded, he said, “Make yourselves at home. This will be your home from now on—do whatever you like.” He turned to Mang Jiu and added, “Go greet them. I’ll start cooking.”

Mang Jiu didn’t move; he merely raised his eyes and swept them over the group.

The three of them froze in place, as if locked in the sights of a predatory beast.

Mang Jiu truly lived up to his reputation—so this was the aura of the First Warrior!

All three of them had only one thought, and it only strengthened their resolve to stay at the Cliffside Tribe!

With such a strong and formidable warrior among them, the chief, the shaman, and the elders of the Cliffside Tribe must surely be magnanimous people—at the very least, they wouldn’t constantly have their eyes on the meager possessions of their tribe members.

The thought of the meat that had been skimmed from them whenever they returned from a hunt made the three of them look even more grim.

“Don’t just stand there—bring some wood over. We’ll need a big fire in a bit, and we’re running low on firewood here.” Xi Shiyi walked over, interrupting the trio’s daydreaming. “Follow me.”

The three hurried to follow, their eyes still involuntarily glancing toward Mang Jiu.

Zhang Shuguang washed the green wheat kernels and placed them in a pottery pot, then began boiling them over high heat.

Since the wheat kernels were very tender, he turned the heat down to low after it came to a boil and let them simmer.

“Shuguang, what did you make? This smells so good!” Smelling this fragrance—a fresh scent tinged with a hint of wheat—for the first time, the sub-beastmen standing nearby squinted their eyes and sniffed the air deeply.

“This is wheat that’s just finished heading. Mang Jiu brought it back. The wheat I traded for was yellow and can be used as seed, but this one is green—it can’t be planted, though it tastes pretty good.” Zhang Shuguang lifted the lid of the pottery pot, and an even richer aroma wafted out with the billowing steam.

Zhang Shuguang took a deep breath and exclaimed, “It smells wonderful!”

“It smells amazing—I love this!” Guo even forgot about the stone pot he’d been tending to, leaning in to inhale the white steam deeply. “I can’t take it anymore—it smells so good! Shuguang, can you share some seeds with me when you get back? I want to grow this!”

“I want some too!” Yun shouted at the same time.

Jiao and Fang also stared at him, afraid he might refuse.

Lin shot them a speechless glance and said, “Even if I gave them to you, you wouldn’t know how to grow them. If they don’t sprout, it’ll be a waste. It’s better to let Shuguang try growing them first to see if they’ll mature. If they actually grow, then we’ll take the seeds.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded with a smile. He was pleased with Lin’s common sense—at least the guy knew this wasn’t a free gift and shouldn’t be squandered.

To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure himself. After all, these were primitive seeds, and it was hard to say what the resulting crop would taste like. No one could guarantee that this green wheat kernel, which smelled so fragrant right now, would be just as delicious when eaten.

With primitive seeds, everything was a mystery.

He thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go back and try sprouting a batch first. If they take root, we’ll plant them together then.”

The others, their mouths watering with anticipation, nodded. “Okay, okay. Can I have a bite of this today? Just one, not much.”

Zhang Shuguang nearly died laughing at Guo’s greedy expression and replied immediately, “I’ll serve you a bowl in a bit. Now go keep an eye on the pot—don’t let the meat burn.”

After saying that, he turned to peel the potatoes. Since this was just a test batch to check the flavor, he didn’t need a lot of ingredients.

He diced the potatoes into very small pieces and put them all into the pottery pot to simmer with the green wheat kernels, then sprinkled in a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.

By the time the potatoes had simmered until they were almost completely broken down, the originally clear, slightly greenish broth had thickened, and the green wheat kernels—plump as little beans—floated and sank in the broth.

“Is it ready to eat yet?” Mang Jiu asked, unable to resist, after finishing what he was doing.

Zhang Shuguang turned his head and tilted his chin toward him. “Wash your hands before you eat.”

“Shuguang, taste this fish—how does it taste? Do we need to add anything else?” Li, who was standing behind Zhang Shuguang, said anxiously, “I can smell something burning!”

“Turn down the heat, add a little water, and don’t stir it with the wooden spoon. Taste it—if it’s not too bland, it’s ready to serve,” Zhang Shuguang said, his gaze never leaving the pot of potato and green barley porridge, looking completely focused.

Li obediently poured water into the stove, and the simmering fish turned into a pot of fish soup.

“Yikes!”

Zhang Shuguang was startled. He turned to look at him, then glanced at the fish and water in the pot, and was dumbfounded.

“You… don’t usually cook fish?”

“I usually just toss it straight into the water to boil. You told me to pan-fry the fish in oil, so I did—and this is what happened.” Li scratched his head and looked up at him. “Is it still edible?”

Zhang Shuguang walked over to him, first adding firewood to the stove to reignite the flames, then sniffing the burnt smell coming from the pot—it wasn’t too strong.

He washed the lemongrass, rolled it into two bundles, and tossed them into the pot. Then he said to Li, “Don’t use the wooden spoon to stir it around in there—just stand by and watch.” Seeing Li nod earnestly, Zhang Shuguang sighed and asked, “Why don’t you usually cook fish?”

“Mang Er does it. His fish tastes better than mine.”

Zhang Shuguang: Excuse me, I’m the clown.