The downpour didn’t last long; the dark clouds came and went just as quickly. After about half an hour, the torrential rain turned into a light drizzle, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth.

Zhang Shuguang stood at the cave entrance, looking out, and noticed puddles of water had formed on the muddy ground not far away.

His brow furrowed involuntarily, and he pursed his lips slightly: “With rain this heavy, I wonder how they’re doing.”

“The cargo’s definitely fine,” Xi Shiyi chimed in from beside him.

Zhang Shuguang shot him a sidelong glance. “How can cargo be more important than people!”

Xi Shiyi quickly nodded. “I know—our clan members come first.”

“You must never forget your brothers and sisters,” Zhang Shuguang said earnestly, looking at Xi Shiyi and Xi Shier. “No matter how much cargo we trade for, not a single clan member is more important. Cargo can be replaced; once a clan member is gone, they’re truly gone. Do you understand?”

The two brothers rarely saw him look so serious; they were both a little startled and quickly nodded under his gaze.

Zhang Shuguang curved his lips into a smile and ruffled their hair one by one. “Good boys, good boys. Once the rain stops, I’ll go back with Mang Jiu for a bit. You two stay here and watch over the goods until we return.”

“Going back?” The two looked at him in confusion.

Zhang Shuguang nodded and pointed to the bag of fine salt sitting to one side. “I promised to trade it for salt with the Sea Eagle Clan.”

“With rain this heavy, they’ve probably flown off long ago,” Xi Shiyi frowned, looking troubled. “What if we go back and they’re not there?”

“We’ll wait a day. If they don’t come back, we won’t wait any longer—it won’t count as breaking our promise.” Zhang Shuguang was very curious about the other side of the continent. He couldn’t go there yet, but he might have a chance to visit in the future. In any case, he had to start building a closer relationship with the tribes over there first.

Xi Shiyi and Xi Shier both murmured “Oh,” realizing there was some sense to what he said.

The light rain stopped quickly, leaving several puddles on the ground; Zhang Shuguang didn’t even have a place to step.

Mang Jiu was carrying a bag of animal hides on his shoulder and holding Zhang Shuguang’s hand with his other hand. Seeing him stumbling along, he frowned and said, “I’ll carry you.”

“No, no, no! Just imagining you carrying me with one hand is enough to drive me crazy.” Zhang Shuguang shook his head like a rattle, refusing under any circumstances to let Mang Jiu carry him while also shouldering the salt.

Mang Jiu had no choice but to shift into his beast form.

“Is this okay?”

With the bag of salt shielding her front, Zhang Shuguang sat cross-legged on Mang Jiu’s head and looked satisfied.

“Let’s go!”

Retracing their steps, Zhang Shuguang sat high above, taking in the scenery. The leaves were a vivid, vibrant green after the heavy rain, with droplets occasionally falling from their tips. Walking on the muddy ground might have been exhausting for a human, but it didn’t slow the giant python down in the slightest.

Zhang Shuguang squinted his eyes, enjoying the cool breeze blowing in his face, when suddenly his eyes widened. He raised his hand and tapped the giant snake’s forehead repeatedly. “Stop, stop, stop! There’s wheat over there!”

The giant snake stopped and swiveled its head from side to side. “Where?”

Zhang Shuguang sighed in exasperation. “Back up—at least as far as your body is long.”

Mang Jiu obediently turned around and spotted a patch of green wheat fields in the distance.

“There’s quite a lot. Should we take it all back?”

Zhang Shuguang scratched his cheek, gazing at the wheat field.

“Leaving it here to ripen doesn’t seem like a good idea. Birds will eat the wheat, and by the time we come back to harvest it, there won’t be much left,” he said, glancing around. In some spots, green wheat ears were still swaying in the breeze—not many, but if they looked carefully, they could find quite a few. “Let’s harvest it all. Think of it as a treat.”

Mang Jiu gave a soft “Mm-hmm,” set him down on the ground, and shifted back into human form. “Stay right there. I’ll go pick them.”

“It’ll go faster with two of us,” Zhang Shuguang said, trying to follow. He took a step forward but was stopped before his foot even touched the ground. He turned to look at Mang Jiu. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s too much mud. Just wait here—find a clean spot to stand,” Mang Jiu said, pointing to a spot not far behind him. “Go over there.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded with a smile. “Take your time, then.”

Mang Jiu worked quickly. Just as Zhang Shuguang was getting restless and about to take a stroll around the area, Mang Jiu had already returned with a bundle of green wheat.

“I’ll go pull some vines; you weave a basket.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded, reached out to take the green wheat, and set it aside.

Mang Jiu brought back quite a few vines. Zhang Shuguang was weaving the basket at an astonishingly fast pace; the slender vines gradually took shape under his long, pale fingers. By the time Mang Jiu had finished harvesting all the green wheat, Zhang Shuguang had also finished weaving his vine basket.

“That really is quite a lot.” Zhang Shuguang placed all the green wheat into the vine basket lined with long grass, filling it to the brim.

“That’ll be enough for several meals.” He looked up at Mang Jiu, reached out to pluck a blade of grass stuck in his hair, and smiled. “Try it with some pork drippings later—it should taste even better.”

Mang Jiu nodded, shifting into his serpentine form. “Let’s go.”

Zhang Shuguang sat on the giant snake’s head, plucking wheat kernels as he chatted casually with Mang Jiu.

Mang Jiu watched the wheat stalks falling from time to time before him with a helpless expression.

“Shuguang.”

“Huh?” Zhang Shuguang, who had been telling him how to fry wheat kernel and potato pancakes, paused. “What is it?”

“My nose is covered in wheat straw.”

Zhang Shuguang quickly looked down and saw that the wheat stalks he’d just tossed were all caught on Mang Jiu’s nose. He chuckled and hurriedly said, “I’ll stop now. Sorry about that.”

Mang Jiu sighed and stopped slithering. “We’re here.”

“We’re here? That was pretty quick.” Zhang Shuguang climbed down from the giant snake, glanced around, and laughed, “Look at the rut you left behind—after the heavy rain, it’s actually turned into a ring of water.”

Zhang Shuguang walked over to where their stall had been, carrying his backpack. The wooden planks were still there, with the wet hides spread out on top of them.

“Where did the Black Bear Clan go? They were packing up when we left, too.”

“He didn’t go far,” said Mang Jiu, tilting his chin. “Over there.”

Zhang Shuguang stood on tiptoe to look, and among the trees of varying heights, he finally spotted a dark patch.

He paused for a moment, then asked in surprise, “Over there?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang stepped onto the wooden table, using a wet piece of leather as a footrest, and called out, “Elder Xiong Ri! Xiong Da! Xiong Er! Xiong San!”

The dark mass stirred. Zhang Shuguang stared wide-eyed and realized they were indeed black bears, one after another.

He jumped down from the table, and the black beastmen over there shifted back into human form, walking over one by one, looking quite surprised to see the two of them.

“I thought you’d left already,” Xiong Ri spoke up first, a smile on his face.

Zhang Shuguang replied, “We went to take shelter from the rain, and we still haven’t finished exchanging everything. Have you seen any Sea Eagle Clan beastmen?”

Xiong Ri shook his head. “I haven’t seen them. We were planning to leave as soon as the rain stopped.”

Xiong San leaned in and asked somewhat nervously, “Do you think Guo and the others got soaked by the rain?”

“No, they won’t. As soon as they see it’s raining, they’ll find a place to take shelter. Even if there’s nowhere to go, they wouldn’t let the sub-beastmen get soaked.” Zhang Shuguang didn’t know about the others, but he was certain that Mang Er would never let Li get wet—and Li wouldn’t stand by and watch the other sub-beastmen get soaked either. So they were definitely fine.

“Cheep~~”

A screech from the sky interrupted their conversation. Everyone looked up to see three enormous birds circling overhead. Zhang Shuguang raised his hand and waved in greeting.

The three giant birds in the sky dove downward and, just as they were about to land, transformed directly into human form.

Zhang Shuguang felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his head—three naked men falling from the sky? The sight was just too much to handle.

He turned to look at Mang Jiu, rubbing his eyes hard as he muttered, “This is going to give me a psychological trauma.”

Mang Jiu tilted his head to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Let’s just trade with them and get out of here.” Zhang Shuguang straightened up and greeted the three men as they approached, “Hello!”

“I thought you guys had already left. The rain was so heavy, we got stuck on the way here,” said Haifeng, who was leading the group, with a smile on his face. He was clearly both surprised and delighted to see Zhang Shuguang there.

Zhang Shuguang smiled at him. “I figured you’d be here soon. That’s salt—where are my fishing nets?”

“Here,” said the beastman behind Hai Feng, bringing over three fishing nets—three large rolls. He didn’t know what material they were made of; to the touch, they felt like thin vines, but they were very soft, so they must have been specially treated. “You can give them a try.”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head and laughed, “There’s no good place to cast a net around here. I’ll take them back and try them out then.”

Hai Feng opened the salt bag and found that even after the recent downpour, the salt was still dry and crisp, each grain as fine as sand from the seashore. He scooped up some to taste it, tilting his head in puzzlement. “It tastes like the sea.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled softly, thinking to himself, “No wonder—they’re people who live by the sea. Most people, when they taste sea salt, would first say, ‘That’s really salty,’ and only then realize how delicious it is. But the Sea Eagle Clan knows it’s the taste of the sea with just a single taste.”

“Why does it taste like the sea?”

“It’s made from seawater,” Hai Feng said with absolute certainty.

Under his steady gaze, Zhang Shuguang shrugged and spread his hands, wearing an expression that said, “You’re the one who’s right.” 

“I also know your fishing nets are made of vines.”

Hai Feng picked up on the subtext and nodded slightly with a smile.

“You’re right—every tribe has its secrets.”

Zhang Shuguang smiled at him and nodded slightly. “If you want the method for making salt, you’ll have to show us your sincerity—fishing nets alone won’t cut it.”

Hai Feng’s gaze toward him changed. After a moment’s thought, he said, “We’ll come back to see you. When we do, we’ll show you our sincerity.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded. “I look forward to seeing you again.”

Hai Feng said no more; they seemed in a hurry to return. After asking for directions to the Cliffside Tribe, they left, taking the salt from that area with them.

However, as Hai Feng was leaving, he made a point of asking Zhang Shuguang about his preferences. Zhang Shuguang replied, “I like the seeds of anything edible.”

Hai Feng nodded, said his goodbyes, and led his men away.

Throughout the entire encounter, Mang Jiu hadn’t uttered a single word. With a sullen expression and a hostile glare, he watched Hai Feng, who was already flapping his wings and soaring into the sky. It wasn’t until Zhang Shuguang tapped him on the shoulder that he turned his head to look at him.

Zhang Shuguang was startled by his gloomy expression. Thinking of how jealous this fellow could be—and recalling how Hai Feng had just inquired about his preferences—he chuckled softly and nudged Mang Jiu’s arm with his own. “You’re overthinking it. He asked what I like so he can trade with me next time.”

Mang Jiu gave a soft snort but said nothing.

That expression was so cold—it might as well have had five big characters written all over his face: “I can’t be appeased!”

Zhang Shuguang nearly died laughing at that look. Smiling, he stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin. “All right, all right, don’t be mad. Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m all yours. You’re my one and only.”

Mang Jiu: “Hmph.”

Zhang Shuguang patted him on the shoulder, glaring and feigning annoyance: “If you keep acting all aloof, I’m going to get mad. We still have business to take care of!”

Mang Jiu glanced at the few Black Bear Clan beastmen standing nearby. They all looked utterly awkward, as if they didn’t know how to broach the subject.

“Elder Xiong Ri, we still have two of our clan members up ahead. If you’re planning to leave now, we’d better set a meeting point,” Zhang Shuguang suggested. “Why don’t we split up?”

Xiong Ri nodded and pointed in a direction. “Our tribe is heading that way—it’s three sunrises and sunsets away.”

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes widened. “Elder Xiong Ri, you must be joking. Didn’t you say you all live in this same forest?”

Xiong Ri nodded. “That’s right. We’re at the edge of the forest, near the grasslands.”

“Is this forest very big?”

Xiong Ri scratched his head and turned to look at the beastman behind him. “Is it big?”

“I don’t know—I’ve never been outside it,” Xiong Da said, shaking his head.

Xiong Er shrugged. “I’ve never been out. This is the farthest I’ve ever gone in my whole life.”

Xiong San nodded. “Me too.”

Everyone else said they’d never left the forest and didn’t know how big it was, so they couldn’t answer the question.

Zhang Shuguang, however, didn’t see a problem with that—after all, in an era when transportation wasn’t well-developed, getting anywhere was a hassle.

“Why don’t we just walk together?” He looked at Mang Jiu and asked, “You’re going too fast; I’m afraid we’ll get there before them.”

If a stranger suddenly showed up at the entrance to someone else’s tribe, it would likely cause unnecessary trouble.

Mang Jiu didn’t mind either way; he just nodded without saying a word.

Xiong Ri wasn’t quite sure what he meant by “walking together,” but before he could ask, he saw Mang Jiu pull off his animal-skin skirt and toss it to Zhang Shuguang, whereupon a massive python appeared before their eyes.

Seeing the massive snake’s head—as big as a small hill—for the first time face-to-face, all the beastmen of the Black Bear Tribe fell collectively silent.

One by one, they gaped, their faces filled with terror.

Zhang Shuguang raised his hand and waved it in front of their eyes several times before he finally managed to snap them out of their stupor.

Xiong Ri let out a heavy sigh, then began panting heavily to ease his tension.

“The Giant Python Clan… they’re so huge.”

“I didn’t realize how big it was when I saw it coiled up there earlier. Why does it look so huge when viewed head-on?”

“Are you crazy? Of course it’s different when it’s coiled up there compared to right in front of you.”

“Shuguang said he wants to come with us. With Mang Jiu being this big, he must be really fast. How are we going to keep up?”

Mang Jiu swished his tail and reached out to wrap them up.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

The person being coiled let out a blood-curdling scream.

As if finding it too much trouble to pick them up one by one and place them on its back, the agile serpent’s tail simply coiled around everyone except Zhang Shuguang and hoisted them all onto its back at once—moving as though tossing cargo; as long as they ended up on its back, that was all that mattered.

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes twitched as he watched—this was truly… brutal.

So rough it was downright hilarious.

He clamped both hands tightly over his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.

The group, along with the goods they’d traded for, was tossed onto the snake’s back. Mang Jiu then coiled around Zhang Shuguang and placed him atop its head, reminding him in a calm voice, “Hold on tight.”

The giant snake began to slither forward, moving so fast that the surrounding scenery receded like a blur.

Zhang Shuguang had long since gotten used to this lightning-fast pace, but the Black Bear Clan members hadn’t. They were tossed about by the momentum, lurching this way and that. Fortunately, Mang Jiu’s back was wide enough, and after a series of chaotic tumbles, they finally figured out how to stay seated. One by one, they clutched the goods they’d traded for tightly to their chests, sitting in a single vertical row from front to back.

When Zhang Shuguang could no longer hear their screams, he turned to look. He saw Xiong San leading the way, Xiong Er bringing up the rear, and the rest seated in between. It seemed to be going well—no one had been shaken off.

Mang Jiu moved quickly, and before long they were back at their campsite.

Xi Shiyi and Xi Shier emerged from the cave upon hearing the noise and, seeing them return, shouted joyfully, “We caught a bull-beast!”

“Trim off all the fat!” Zhang Shuguang directed with a smile. “I’ll render the fat later. I’ve picked quite a few green wheat kernels—we’ll fry some potato pancakes with them.”

As soon as the two brothers heard there would be green wheat kernels to eat, they happily turned around to get to work.

But the moment they turned, they heard the sound of gagging and retching. They stopped in their tracks and turned back to look, only to find the beastmen of the Black Bear Clan sliding off Mang Jiu one after another, covering their mouths as they ran to the side and vomited violently.

Xi Shier was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: “Hahahaha, did the speed scare you guys?”

The Black Bear Clan beastmen vomited for quite a while before finally shaking off that dizzying sensation. They wiped their mouths and waved their hands, signaling that they didn’t feel like talking right now.

Xi Shiyi clicked his tongue twice and mocked, “You guys are really something. You throw up just because we’re going a little fast? If you were to follow us, wouldn’t you end up throwing up all over Mang Jiu?”

The Black Bear Clan beastmen looked utterly embarrassed. He was right—it would be terrible if they threw up on Mang Jiu.

Zhang Shuguang slid down from Mang Jiu’s head, patted Xi Shiyi on the shoulder, and glared at him. “Speak properly. Don’t be rude.”

Xi Shiyi immediately apologized to the Black Bear Clan beastmen, “I was just joking with you guys. If you think Mang Jiu’s going too fast, you can ride on my back or Xi Shier’s—we’ll run a little slower.”

Xiong Ri waved his hand and said to Zhang Shuguang, “It’s our own lack of skill—we can’t blame him for laughing.”

“Your lack of skill is your problem; his laughter is his problem—the two aren’t related,” Zhang Shuguang said, his face stern as he glared at Xi Shiyi again. “Hurry up and cut the meat, and peel the potatoes too!”

Xiong San walked over and asked, “Should I help you set up the stove?”

“You know how to set one up?” Zhang Shuguang was quite surprised by his observational skills; people who could figure it out just by watching were usually considered smart.

Xiong San nodded. “I watched while we were eating that day. It looks pretty simple.”

“Thanks for your help then. Set up two of them for us. Let’s grab a bite to eat and rest a bit before we head out.” Although the downpour hadn’t lasted long, it had been heavy enough to soak these Black Bear Clan beastmen to the bone. Even though beastmen were physically robust, there was still a chance they could get sick from getting drenched. He thought for a moment—it would be best if he had some ginger so he could brew some ginger tea to ward off the chill. “Is there any food around here that makes your mouth feel really hot and sore when you eat it? Something that stings your nose, grows underground, and is yellow in color.”

The Black Bear beastman shook his head; he’d never seen anything like that.

Alright, it seems I’ll have to get Xiao Cai to trade me some seeds if I want ginger.

But does he even have ginger seeds?

“Xiao Cai.”

Xiao Cai: “Here I am, Master.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Do you have any ginger over there?”

Xiao Cai: “Yes, five pieces in total.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Really? I thought ginger was planted directly in the ground, wasn’t it?”

Xiao Cai: “It’s planted pretty much the same way as potatoes.”

Zhang Shuguang walked toward the cave carrying a wicker basket and asked him in his mind, “Can you use my points to exchange for a piece of ginger? I need to make some ginger tea to ward off the cold.”

Xiao Cai: “Sure, Master. It’ll cost 10 points to exchange for a piece of ginger.”

Zhang Shuguang was actually quite curious. He hadn’t really looked closely when he bought the seeds—could this ginger have been a freebie from the shopkeeper?

“I bought the ginger?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, there’s actually something I’ve been wondering about.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Go ahead.”

Xiao Cai: “Do you remember how many boxes of seeds you bought in total?”

Zhang Shuguang: “No, I don’t remember how many boxes I bought in total. Anyway, it cost quite a bit.”

Xiao Cai: “Oh, never mind then.”

Zhang Shuguang: “What was your question?”

Xiao Cai: “I suspected the main system had taken extra seeds, because I have so many different types of seeds here, but now that you mention it, I don’t think it did that.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Hmm, it wouldn’t do that.”

Xiao Cai said nothing more and went into hibernation.

Now, it basically went into hibernation right after finishing its conversation with Zhang Shuguang, to avoid being confronted or threatened.

Zhang Shuguang took out the palm-sized piece of ginger—which he’d exchanged for 10 points—from the wicker basket and examined it. It wasn’t fresh ginger, but old ginger; the outer skin was already slightly dry.

Mang Jiu came over to take a look and asked him, “Is this the thing you were talking about earlier?”

“Mm-hmm.” Zhang Shuguang glanced around—no one else was there—and whispered, “I just traded for it with Xiao Cai. Everyone got soaked in the rain; boiling some ginger water can ward off the cold and prevent illness. I plan to have the Earth-Dwelling Clan dig around once we get back to see if there’s any ginger near the tribe. This is a great thing—it can be used as medicine and for stewing meat or stir-frying vegetables.”

Mang Jiu took the ginger and sniffed it. It had a pungent smell, but he didn’t find it unpleasant.

“Eat it raw?”

Zhang Shuguang shook his head. “Slice it up and boil it in water. Help me start a fire, wash the wok clean, and fill it with fresh water. I’ve saved a small jar of honey—once the ginger water is ready, we can add a little honey to flavor it.”

He opened the animal-skin bag containing pots, bowls, and ladles, took out the cooking utensils, and arranged them neatly.

“Elder Xiong Ri!”

Xiong Ri walked over. “What’s the matter?”

“Could you have your beastmen gather some thin sticks? We’ll need to roast them over the fire to dry them out first; otherwise, they won’t burn at all.” Zhang Shuguang was glad he’d kept a small bag of flint; at least he could still start a fire when dry wood was scarce.

Xiong Ri nodded. “All of you, come over here. Listen to Shuguang as he assigns your tasks.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled, looked up at the beastmen surrounding him, and said, “All right then. You two go gather thin twigs; you two help fetch water; and the rest of you stay here to help me hull the green wheat.”

Xiong Ri asked from the side, “What about me?”

“You can help husk the green wheat kernels too—that’s the hardest part.” Zhang Shuguang took out the coalstone and, under their astonished gazes, smashed it into small pieces with a rock.

“Can you eat this?” Xiong Ri asked, staring at him in astonishment.

Zhang Shuguang smiled and said, “You can’t eat it—it’s for fuel.”

“For a fire? Can stones be used to start a fire?” Xiong Ri always felt that everything was new and fascinating when he was with Zhang Shuguang; it was as if the things they knew all took on different uses.

Zhang Shuguang explained, “This kind of stone can be used to start a fire—it works really well.”

He didn’t say any more; once they were fully accepted as members of the Cliffside Tribe, he would naturally tell them about the uses of coalstone.

Over on Xiong San’s side, he was building the hearth quickly. Since there was no shortage of mud after the rain, he even coated the stones used to build the hearth with a thick layer of mud, making it very airtight.

Zhang Shuguang nodded in approval. “You’ve got a good eye for craftsmanship. You could be a craftsman someday.”

Xiong San chuckled softly and nodded. “Guo also says the things I make are pretty nice.”

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, Here’s another one who’s been stuffing my place with grain. You two haven’t even gotten to know each other yet, and you’re already exchanging glances!

He placed the wok on the stove, added water, and turned on the heat. He set a bamboo steamer with potatoes on top, then set up the other side of the stove as well. Turning around, he began rendering beef tallow; the aroma was rich, and he only needed to add a small amount of seasoning to balance out the gamey smell.

Xi Shi was quick at trimming the fat, and Zhang Shuguang reminded him to pay attention to the heat while rendering the fat—he had to keep stirring constantly, otherwise it would stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

Over there, the process of rubbing the green wheat kernels was moving slowly; he’d never done this kind of work before and was constantly afraid that applying too much force would crush the grains.

Xiong Da carefully pressed his palms together and rubbed gently. After two rubs, he opened his hands to check; seeing no change, he held his breath and continued rubbing gently for another two rubs before checking again.

He wasn’t the only one—everyone else rubbing the wheat grains was doing the same thing, afraid that if they applied even a little too much force, those fragile little green grains would turn into a white paste.

Just a moment ago, someone had applied too much force and crushed several grains in one go.

“This is even more tiring than when we go to the flying insect nests to collect honey!”

“I wasn’t even this careful when I was harvesting honey—my arms are already aching.”

“Can you actually eat this stuff? It smells pretty good, though.”

“If Shuguang says it’s edible, it must be. He’s so good at making things, and look at those two from the Giant Rhinoceros Clan—if it didn’t taste good, they wouldn’t be so excited.”

“Do you guys think we can really follow them? To the Cliffside Tribe?”

“I guess so. Didn’t Black Bear go back to tell the chief about the tribal migration? Besides, I really don’t want to stay this close to the Golden Lion Tribe anymore—who knows what they’re up to.”

“I heard from the Monkey Clan that Mang Jiu told them to be careful! If nothing were up, Mang Jiu wouldn’t have said a word.”

“Stop worrying about it. If they really do relocate, we’ll go with them; if not, we’ll just stay here. Either way, I’m taking my mom with me wherever I go.”

“Right, I’m taking my mom too.”

“My dad isn’t in good health—I don’t know if he’ll be able to come along. If he doesn’t go, I won’t either.”

“And what about the little ones? A few babies were just born in our clan. They’re so small—would anyone even take them?”

Zhang Shuguang happened to be checking on their progress and overheard their discussion.

He simply couldn’t resist chiming in: “Sorry to interrupt, but let me just say this: our tribe takes everyone—men, women, the young, and the old. We won’t leave anyone behind, not even those who are sick.”

The people who had been talking froze for a moment when they saw him, but upon hearing his words, their embarrassment at gossiping behind his back instantly turned to disbelief and wild joy.

“Can everyone really go?”

“My mom’s so old she’s lost all her teeth and can’t even shift into beast form anymore—can she come along too?”

“My little one’s still drinking milk—can he come along?”

Zhang Shuguang nodded in response to each of their questions; after nodding so many times, he began to feel a bit dizzy.

He raised his hand to signal to the somewhat excited crowd, “I’ve already discussed this with Elder Xiong Ri. By joining the Cliffside Tribe, your descendants’ bloodlines will be improved. Even if you aren’t part of the Giant Beast Clan, your next generation might be. Regardless of age, gender, or background, our tribe will accept everyone. As long as you’re free of bad habits, hardworking, kind, and friendly, we sincerely welcome you all to join us!”

“We’ve already started growing food that can last through the snowy season. We have salted meat that can be stored long-term, and we’ve begun growing our own vegetables and fruits. As long as you’re willing to work hard, you won’t go hungry—you won’t starve to death!”

“We have an unlimited supply of fine salt—you’ll have to taste it for yourselves to know how good it is. We also have all kinds of handy tools. Even sub-beastmen can work normally here without needing special care. We’re self-sufficient and can definitely make our lives better and better.”

“Most importantly, our tribe has the bravest warriors, the most delicious food, and the most comfortable homes—we’ll make you feel right at home!”

“What are you still hesitating about? What are you still anxious about? What are you still doubting? Come join our Cliffside Tribe—it will absolutely be the best choice of your life!”

The impassioned voice echoed through the cave, and everyone heard it clearly.

Silence fell over the scene, and everyone turned to look at Zhang Shuguang.

Zhang Shuguang had spoken nonstop just now and was feeling a bit thirsty.

Mang Jiu handed him a cup of water. After watching him gulp it down, he stared at him for a long moment before saying with a puzzled expression, “The way you were just now… you didn’t look like a Divine Son…”

Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow at him. “So what? If I don’t look like a Divine Son, what do I look like?”

For a rare moment, Mang Jiu hesitated, looking as if he were weighing whether, if he said it out loud, Zhang Shuguang would still sleep with him tonight.

Zhang Shuguang looked at him suspiciously and let out a single sound through his nose: “Hm?”

He was quite curious.

Mang Jiu raised his hand and gently stroked Zhang Shuguang’s face, then said very seriously, “Don’t talk like that in the future.”

“Why?” Zhang Shuguang asked, looking puzzled. “Did I say something wrong just now?”

He turned his body to look at the Black Bear Clan beastmen, who were still standing there dumbfounded, as well as his own two giant rhinos, and blinked his eyes in confusion, asking, “What’s wrong with you guys?”

The group snapped out of their daze, and all took a step back in perfect unison.

“……” I was just giving a little pep talk—why did they look like they’d been through a major scare?

Mang Jiu moved his hand from Zhang Shuguang’s face to his head and gave it a gentle press. “What I mean is, you were like a completely different person just now—it was really scary.”

Zhang Shuguang turned around and raised his hand to slap him on the shoulder. “Speak properly!”

Mang Jiu tilted his chin toward Xi Shiyi and Xi Shier, whom Zhang Shuguang knew well. “If you don’t believe me, ask them.”

Zhang Shuguang turned to look at the two brothers and saw them both lower their heads at the same time, instantly averting their gaze, which had been locked on him just a moment before.

His lips twitched slightly; he had to admit that Mang Jiu was right.

“Was I that scary just now?” He felt a little discouraged; after all, it had been a sort of mini-speech, and he’d been in high spirits, only to have his enthusiasm dashed.

“If you were like that every day, they probably wouldn’t think much of it, but when you do it out of the blue—you know—it’s a bit hard for them to take in all at once.” Mang Jiu wrapped an arm around him and led him aside, then turned to the crowd and said, “You guys go ahead.”

Zhang Shuguang snorted. He felt it was necessary to wait until they returned to the tribe to regularly brainwash this group of people, so they’d understand what it meant that “the tribe is our home, and development depends on everyone!”

The coal wasn’t burning very brightly, but the heat was sufficient. The water in the pot had already come to a boil, bubbling and steaming. Zhang Shuguang poked at the potatoes steaming on the bamboo tray with his chopsticks; it took some effort to poke a hole in each one.

He put the lid back on; they still needed to steam a little longer to be fully cooked.

“So you’re saying what I just said wasn’t right?” Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked up at Mang Jiu. “I think after hearing that, they’ll definitely want to come to our tribe even more.”

Mang Jiu smiled and nodded, praising him: “You’re really great.”

Zhang Shuguang: “……” There’s no way to communicate with him!

“Go on, go on, I’m cooking—get out of the way!”

Mang Jiu didn’t budge. Seeing him get so worked up, he quickly tried to calm him down: “I’ll help you cook. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it.”

“No, I don’t need that!” Zhang Shuguang glared at him. “Go help them hull the wheat—hurry up and get to it. My potatoes will be ready any minute.”

Mang Jiu bent down and kissed him on the tip of his nose, his eyes brimming with affection: “Okay, I’ll teach them how to rub the wheat grains until they’re spotless.”

Zhang Shuguang was amused by his expression and patted him on the shoulder. “Go on, then.”

Since the potatoes still needed to steam for a while longer, he started chopping other ingredients. Since the clan members had left quite a few heads of lettuce behind, he picked out some tender lettuce leaves and set them aside, then peeled the lettuce stalks, sliced them into thin diamond-shaped pieces, and placed them in a bowl.

“Pour some clean water into the bowl for me.”

Xi Shier hurried over with a bowl of water and poured it into the basin as instructed.

Zhang Shuguang shot him a sidelong glance, and Xi Shier gave a sheepish chuckle.

“Bring me a piece of meat with a good balance of fat and lean, and use a stone to pound it to pieces—the finer the better. If you don’t know how, have Mang Jiu do it. Just tell him you’re making meatballs, and he’ll know what to do.”

Xi Shier nodded. “Got it.”

Zhang Shuguang was thinking about what to make. A cow yields a lot of meat, but now wasn’t the best time for grilling—it would be too much trouble to build a big fire for it.

There was plenty of beef fat, so he could fry beef meatballs.

With green wheat kernels and potatoes, mixed with some ground meat and lettuce leaves, he could make potato pancakes.

Sliced lettuce could be stir-fried with beef slices—a fragrant beef and lettuce dish.

Shredded celery, celery leaves, shredded potatoes, plus garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and hot beef—served with blanched thin slices of beef—would make for a great alternative version of “boiled beef.”

With four dishes—meat, vegetables, and a staple—it’s perfect.

After listing the ingredients, Zhang Shuguang began preparing the meal. He washed the two beef tenderloins and started slicing them thinly, then sprinkled some salt and ground spices on them and mixed it all together. “Xi, come help me. Pour the ginger water simmering in the pot into a bowl and set it aside to cool. The potatoes are done too—take them out and put them in a bowl, then mash them. Make sure they’re mashed really, really fine.”

Xi Shier nodded and obediently got to work.

After marinating the beef, Zhang Shuguang took a bowl of water over to Xi Shier. Seeing that Xi Shier had already pounded the beef to the right consistency, he added some water and began stirring, gradually incorporating the ground spices as he went. “Stir in one direction like this—no need to stir too fast.”

Xi Shier acknowledged him and began mixing the meat filling.

Zhang Shuguang washed his hands, then went to check on the green wheat kernels they were rolling. With Mang Jiu joining in, their progress had sped up considerably; they had just finished rolling the last bit and were about to sift out the chaff.

“This smells so good—my hands are all fragrant now that I’m done.”

“Don’t get so close—you’ll get your hands dirty!”

“I know, I know—I’m being careful!”

Seeing how happily they were working, Zhang Shuguang didn’t say anything; he turned around and went back to make the fried meatballs first.

“It smells so good—absolutely amazing!”

“I’d go to the Cliffside Tribe just for a taste of this!”

“If we go there, will Shuguang cook for us every day?”

As soon as those words came out, Mang Jiu’s gaze instantly shot over.

The speaker quickly shut up, trembling and falling silent.

“Once we get to the tribe, you’ll have to cook for yourselves,” Mang Jiu said coldly. With that, he picked up the sifted green wheat kernels and went to find Zhang Shuguang.

Xi Shier snorted with a chuckle from the side and remarked, “The only reason we get to eat Shuguang’s cooking is that he’s kind-hearted—he always cooks for everyone at once. Usually, only Mang Jiu and the kids get to eat it!”

The group’s lips twitched. We’d just had a dream—we’d barely started dreaming when we were startled awake.

That was really rough.