Song Li rubbed his eyes with his paws in disbelief. “A Beast Spirit Flower!”

He had been born after Beast Spirit Flowers had gone extinct.

He had only tasted the roots and stems of one before but had never seen a fully bloomed Beast Spirit Flower.

But every beastman knew—a Beast Spirit Flower’s petals glow!

This was undeniably a Beast Spirit Flower!

“How do you have a Beast Spirit Flower?!”

Que Yu’s face twisted in shock, his unfinished smirk replaced by disbelief as he stared at Fan Zhou.

Impossible!

After the Yellow Rain years ago, most Beast Spirit Flowers had withered away before even producing buds. Around the Waterfall Tribe, not only had flowering Beast Spirit Flowers disappeared, but even the roots and stems had been extinct for years.

So where did this almost-blooming Beast Spirit Flower come from?!

Could it be…

Did Tu Zhou find a surviving flower somewhere because he had moved out of the tribe and wasn’t part of the gathering team?

The thought made his fists clench and his chest tighten.

He was furious!

The other beastmen were equally confused—

How did Tu Zhou have a Beast Spirit Flower?

How could he possibly have a Beast Spirit Flower?!

As Fan Zhou walked toward Xiong Jing, he sighed inwardly.

Obviously, because I planted it myself.

There weren’t any large predators around the Waterfall Tribe, but before moving out, he had thoroughly explored the area to ensure his safety.

Near Fan Zhou’s cave, a small stream flowed by. Following it upstream, he had discovered two Beast Spirit Flower seedlings beneath a large pine tree.

For a mystical and scientifically impossible flower like the Beast Spirit Flower, he had an immense curiosity. So, he had dug one up and brought it back, watering it daily with spiritual spring water.

After ten days of watering, the Beast Spirit Flower had successfully developed a bud and was now on the verge of blooming.

Right now, he had gone out specifically to dig up the remaining seedling.

As for why he carried this Beast Spirit Flower with him—of course, it was to prevent it from being stolen. When the flower hadn’t yet bloomed, he had only needed to block the cave entrance with a large stone. But now that it was about to bloom, he had to guard it personally.

But who would have thought that he would happen upon Xiong Jing’s serious injury?

Since that was the case, this Beast Spirit Flower would go to Xiong Jing.

However, he absolutely could not reveal that he was able to grow Beast Spirit Flowers. So, he casually said, “I found this a few days ago while foraging.”

“Where exactly did you find it?!”

Que Yu asked impatiently.

Fan Zhou ignored him and walked straight toward Xiong Jing.

Bao Su’s eyes locked onto the flower in Fan Zhou’s hand, greed flickering within them.

This was a Beast Spirit Flower—the universal cure-all. Having one was equivalent to having an extra life.

However, when he saw Niu Shan suddenly leap forward to Fan Zhou’s side, his fiery excitement instantly cooled.

He was confident that he could defeat Niu Shan, but besides Niu Shan, there were other beastmen present.

Forget it.

He would wait until no one else was around, then find Tu Zhou and get him to reveal where he had found the Beast Spirit Flower.

A flicker of greed also passed through Que Yu’s eyes.

This Beast Spirit Flower—it could heal that man’s leg!

But he couldn’t win against Niu Shan…

Under the scorching gazes of everyone, Fan Zhou crouched down beside Xiong Jing.

Barely conscious, Xiong Jing felt her mouth being pried open.

The next moment, something warm touched her tongue.

Her muddled mind had yet to register what it was when it melted into a bitter liquid, the taste so unbearably bitter that it made her suffer even more.

Her eyes snapped open—

A peeled Hard Nut was placed near her nose.

“Xiong Jing, eat the Hard Nut. It won’t hurt anymore after you eat it.”

The voice was gentle yet unfamiliar.

But she had no time to think. She immediately opened her mouth wide and bit into the Hard Nut.

It was so bitter!

Her stomach hurt so much!

Fan Zhou watched as Xiong Jing clutched the Hard Nut with both paws and couldn’t help but marvel at the Beast Spirit Flower’s miraculous effects.

It melted instantly upon contact with the mouth and took immediate effect.

Just a moment ago, Xiong Jing couldn’t even manage a simple swallowing motion.

Yet, the very next second, she already had the strength to hold onto the Hard Nut and chew.

Apart from the bitter taste, there wasn’t a single flaw.

No wonder all beastmen considered it a divine gift from the Beast God.

Just like his special ability, it defied all scientific explanations.

After finishing his thoughts, Fan Zhou clapped his hands, drawing the attention of everyone present.

“Earlier, Que Yu made a bet with me. He lost. So now, shouldn’t we be kicking him out of the tribe?”

“……”

The beastmen fell into silence.

Que Yu panicked for a split second, but seeing the hesitation among the beastmen, he quickly regained his composure. With a smug expression, he stared at Fan Zhou and said, “If you kick me out, who will heal the injured in the future?!”

Mao Yu scraped at the ground with her paws, visibly frustrated. She disliked Que Yu, but the tribe did need a healer.

Song Li also didn’t like Que Yu.

This peacock never did any real work—he only bossed others around to gather herbs while he sat back and took credit.

But Que Yu was still the only beastman in the tribe who knew medicinal herbs…

The other beastmen also looked troubled.

Fan Zhou wasn’t surprised by their reaction.

Que Yu’s skills were too valuable. If he were a native beastman, he wouldn’t kick him out over a mere bet either.

Not wanting to put the beastmen in a difficult position, he turned to Bao Su and said:

“Que Yu just claimed that a single Beast Spirit Flower isn’t enough to heal Xiong Jing. Well, there’s another Beast Spirit Flower at that same place, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. If you kick Que Yu out, I’ll take you there to dig it up.”

“Another Beast Spirit Flower?!”

Bao Su was stunned.

He instinctively looked at Que Yu, his eyes darting around in thought.

Que Yu was so furious that his nose nearly went crooked.

He knew Bao Su too well.

That expression on Bao Su’s face—it was obvious he was tempted.

In his past life, Que Yu had gone to great lengths to please this leopard. But no matter how much he flattered him, Bao Su had never truly treated him well.

In this life, all he had done was call him “Su-ge” a few times, but had never actually done anything for Bao Su.

So, of course, in Bao Su’s eyes, he wasn’t worth more than a Beast Spirit Flower.

Watching Bao Su approach him, Que Yu instantly panicked and shouted:

“The tribe leader said I was supposed to be the priest! Without the leader’s approval, who dares to kick me out?!”

This scene surprised Fan Zhou.

He had only wanted to stir up drama between this shameless couple because he didn’t want to see them being all lovey-dovey.

He had thought they were unshakable.

But… this was it?

“Hey! The tribe leader is here! Look!”

Mao Yu suddenly called out, pointing behind the crowd.

Not far away, a gray wolf was running toward them—it was the tribe leader, Lang Tian.

Lang Tian was one of only two beastmen in the tribe who knew arithmetic.

Today, he had been busy organizing the Hard Nut storage, which was a major task—hence, he had arrived late.

The moment Que Yu saw Lang Tian, he immediately clung to him like a lifeline and began frantically explaining how Fan Zhou was trying to drive him out.

But Mao Yu, annoyed by his nonsense, quickly recounted the entire story truthfully.

Sure, Que Yu knew how to use herbs, but Fan Zhou had a Beast Spirit Flower!

Fan Zhou remained silent, watching how Lang Tian would handle the situation.

Truthfully, he had a favorable impression of Lang Tian.

After Fan Zhou had moved out, Lang Tian had personally tried to persuade him to return to the tribe and had even gifted him half a snow chicken.

However—

If Lang Tian’s judgment today didn’t convince him, then joining the Waterfall Tribe would no longer be an option.

Lang Tian shifted into his human form—his bronzed face deeply lined with wrinkles, a man clearly hardened by years of experience.

His sharp eyes swept over Xiong Jing and Fan Zhou before he turned a solemn gaze toward Que Yu.

“You have knowledge of herbs, and losing you would be a loss to the tribe. However, a bet is a bet. You must admit your defeat and compensate Tu Zhou.”

Que Yu was pleased when he heard Lang Tian’s first sentence, but by the time he finished listening to the rest, he immediately started yelling: “You want me to compensate this crippled beastman?! He can’t even grow Beast Spirit Flowers—he just happened to find one! Once these two Beast Spirit Flowers are used up, you’ll still have to beg me when you get injured!”

Beg?

That one word made Lang Tian furious.

“You don’t hunt, you don’t gather, and now you don’t even want to heal the injured? Then what’s the point of keeping you in the tribe?”

When Que Yu first joined the tribe, Lang Tian was overjoyed. He had hoped that Que Yu could become the tribe’s priest.

But lately, Que Yu’s behavior has been disappointing.

The first commandment of the Beast God’s Ten Commandments was to not bully the weak and innocent. The tribe did need a priest, but if that priest bullied others, then Lang Tian would let the tribe vote on whether to keep him or not.

“The tribe leader is right!”

Mao Yu wagged her tail, cheering for Lang Tian.

The other beastmen nodded in agreement.

Yes, yes! They had tolerated Que Yu only because they thought he would save them when it mattered. But if they had to beg him to do his job, that just didn’t sit right with them.

Que Yu’s face turned red with anger at Lang Tian’s words.

“Aren’t you afraid that if I leave, I’ll go to the Axe Tribe?!”

“Then go! Let’s see if the beastmen of the Axe Tribe will let you push them around.”

Fan Zhou urged him on immediately.

Lang Tian didn’t rush him.

He did want Que Yu to stay, but not if he continued bullying others.

Lang Tian remained silent. The other beastmen didn’t say a word to stop him either.

Que Yu was so furious that his face was burning.

But he stood frozen in place, unwilling to move.

Seeing this, Fan Zhou knew immediately—he didn’t actually want to leave.

“You want to stay in the tribe? Fine. I won’t ask for compensation, but you have to teach the other beastmen how to use herbs. Then, we can cancel our bet.”

“You wish!”

Que Yu nearly jumped up in rage, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at Fan Zhou.

He knew this damn rabbit wasn’t a good person!

In his past life, even after so many years had passed, Fan Zhou had still jumped out and exposed Bao Su’s past betrayal.

And now, he wanted to steal his only valuable skill?

Too vicious!

Fan Zhou remained calm and composed. “Then leave the tribe now.”

“You—!”

Que Yu trembled in rage, instinctively looking toward Lang Tian for support.

Lang Tian’s eyes lit up. “Tu Zhou has a point.”

He also realized that Que Yu didn’t actually want to leave the tribe.

“…..”

Que Yu gritted his teeth, barely holding back his urge to storm off and pack his things.

The Waterfall Tribe beastmen had always been against him!

They were natural enemies!

But he couldn’t act impulsively.

According to what he had learned in his past life, that man would be arriving at the Waterfall Tribe soon.

He couldn’t leave!

Unwillingly, he said, “Fine. I’ll teach the beastmen what I know about herbs, but I want to be the tribe’s priest.”

Hmph.

He could teach them very, very slowly.

Lang Tian was thrilled that Que Yu agreed so quickly and was about to nod immediately, but Fan Zhou quickly interrupted:

“No way! What if he doesn’t teach properly?”

“Hmm… That’s right, that’s right!”

Lang Tian remembered Que Yu’s previous behavior and instantly backed Fan Zhou up.

Que Yu wanted to slap Fan Zhou right then and there, but when he thought of that man, he endured.

As long as he could be useful to that man, being a priest or not didn’t matter.

“Fine.” He gritted his teeth and agreed.

Fan Zhou’s goal was achieved, so he didn’t press further.

From Bao Su’s reaction earlier, it was clear that Que Yu had only played the role of instigator in the broken engagement.

The real culprit behind the original Fan Zhou’s death was Bao Su.

Turning to Lang Tian, Fan Zhou said:

“Tribe leader, let’s go dig up the Beast Spirit Flower.”

With Xiong Jing’s injury—one Beast Spirit Flower wouldn’t be enough.

“No way!”

Bao Su immediately rushed forward when he saw that Fan Zhou was about to leave him behind.

He blocked Fan Zhou’s path in a panic and whispered urgently, “Tu Zhou, let’s talk in private.”

Chapter 3: The PLace Where the Beast Spirit Flower Was Found

“I have nothing to discuss with you.”

Fan Zhou’s face darkened, his tone cold.

Seeing that Fan Zhou refused to move, Bao Su could only lower his voice:

“Don’t be like this. It was wrong of me to break our engagement, but I told you—I’ll always protect you. I haven’t forgotten that you saved my life.”

Hearing this, Fan Zhou nearly threw up the fish soup he had just eaten.

“Who the hell wants your protection?”

Shameless bastard!

The original Fan Zhou and Bao Su had both come from the Xiaotan Tribe.

Three months ago, the Xiaotan Tribe had been attacked by a group of rogue beastmen.

In the chaos, the original Fan Zhou had grabbed onto a large log and jumped into the river, managing to escape.

That was when he had encountered Bao Su—who had been on the verge of drowning.

Hearing Bao Su’s cries for help, the original Fan Zhou had swum over and rescued him.

Later, when they reached the shore, the original Fan Zhou noticed that Bao Su’s right leg was injured.

The wound wasn’t serious, but Bao Su was afraid that it wouldn’t fully heal, so he had begged Fan Zhou to take care of him.

He had even promised to become Fan Zhou’s mate, claiming that he had liked him for a long time back in the Xiaotan Tribe but never got the chance to confess.

The original Fan Zhou hadn’t realized Bao Su’s true nature and had been pleased by his words.

After all, he had always been a weak, crippled rabbit beastman, often looked down upon by others.

Though the original Fan Zhou hadn’t immediately agreed to Bao Su’s confession, he had still felt touched by the words. The original Fan Zhou wasn’t injured—he could climb trees swiftly and dig burrows quickly.

Whether it was finding food or shelter, he had taken care of Bao Su completely.

Seeing that Fan Zhou was useful, Bao Su had kept sweet-talking him, and the original Fan Zhou had been utterly fooled, eventually agreeing to be his mate.

But by the time they arrived at the Waterfall Tribe, Bao Su’s leg was completely healed, and he looked vibrant and refreshed—

While the original Fan Zhou, on the other hand, had grown thin from exhaustion, covered in dust and dirt.

The original Fan Zhou had thought that life in the Waterfall Tribe would finally be stable. But who could have guessed that one month ago, Que Yu arrived at the Waterfall Tribe?

Que Yu was exceptionally attractive, and more importantly—he knew how to use medicinal herbs!

Back in the day, when Beast Spirit Flowers still existed as a universal cure-all, beastmen had never paid much attention to herbal medicine, so very few beastmen had ever learned it.

But now that Beast Spirit Flowers were nearly extinct, a beastman who knew how to use herbs had suddenly become incredibly valuable.

If a tribe member mastered that skill, they would undoubtedly be held in high regard.

Since the Waterfall Tribe had no priest, Que Yu was highly likely to become one.

A beautiful and talented young beastman, calling Bao Su “Su-ge” sweetly—

And since Bao Su had only promised to be Fan Zhou’s mate to trick him in the first place, he immediately changed his attitude toward him.

Half a month ago, during dinnertime, Bao Su publicly broke off his engagement with Fan Zhou in front of the entire tribe.

The original Fan Zhou had been devastated and had run out of the tribe, only to trip over a tree root in the darkness—

And by the time he woke up, he had become the current Fan Zhou.

After transmigrating, Fan Zhou spent most of his time exploring the world rather than seeking revenge on this shameless couple.

But since they refused to repent—

One continued bullying him, while the other tried to downplay his own despicable actions.

Still, Fan Zhou couldn’t find a justifiable reason to kick Bao Su out of the tribe right now.

Bao Su hadn’t made a bet with him, and more importantly—

He was a strong warrior and a major deterrent against the Axe Tribe.

“Get lost.”

Grinding his teeth inwardly, Fan Zhou raised his middle finger at Bao Su before walking away toward Lang Tian.

I’ll deal with this scumbag later.

Bao Su had never expected that lowering himself to make amends would earn him a two-word dismissal—

His face twisted in anger.

This wasn’t his fault!

Tu Zhou was a weak rabbit, and a crippled one at that—how could he possibly be worthy of him?

Even if Que Yu hadn’t shown up, he still would have never taken a rabbit as his mate.

Why was he always the one being blamed?!

So selfish!

Suppressing his frustration, he turned and walked toward Que Yu—

He needed to comfort him. He would still have uses for Que Yu in the future.

Fan Zhou didn’t care about Bao Su and Que Yu’s quarrel.

Right now, he was in a hurry to dig up the remaining Beast Spirit Flower—

And Lang Tian was even more anxious than he was.

Lang Tian had Niu Shan carry Xiong Jing back to the tribe and ordered the other beastmen to continue gathering Hard Nuts.

Then, he grabbed his own basket and followed Fan Zhou.

The journey to find the Beast Spirit Flower was not easy.

They followed the stream upstream, but in many places—there was no path at all.

Only sheer cliffs.

They had to climb up the rocks, moving with great difficulty.

Anyone who wasn’t physically agile would have no chance of making it up.

Halfway through the climb, Lang Tian gasped for breath and asked:

“Tu Zhou, how did you even find the Beast Spirit Flower?”

“I wasn’t looking for it. I just stumbled upon it.”

Fan Zhou explained casually.

Although he didn’t want to live in the communal cave, he wasn’t reckless either.

He had only moved out after confirming that there were no large, dangerous beasts in the area.

“Then why were you carrying a Beast Spirit Flower earlier?”

Lang Tian asked again, clearly curious.

Who would casually carry around a Beast Spirit Flower these days?!

Fan Zhou’s eyes flickered, but he lied smoothly:

“I haven’t been working with the gathering team lately, so I didn’t get a share of the Hard Nuts. I was planning to trade the Beast Spirit Flower for some.”

“Ah, I see.”

Lang Tian didn’t doubt him.

Beastmen who lived in the communal cave would still get scraps of food, even if they didn’t work—just enough to survive.

But if they moved out, that benefit was lost.

If they wanted food, they had to work for it.

“Since you discovered a Beast Spirit Flower, you’ve done a great service to the tribe. I’ll make sure you get extra Hard Nuts this time.”

Lang Tian promised.

“Thank you, tribe leader.”

Fan Zhou grinned.

Being stuck in this primitive world, salt was a luxury, but carbohydrates and sweetness were just as precious.

He had been here half a month and hadn’t eaten a single carbohydrate.

Or tasted anything sweet.

He was truly too miserable.

But Hard Nuts contained both.

He wanted to try them.

After two hours of climbing, they finally reached their destination.

A crooked old pine tree stood by the mountain spring.

Beneath its canopy, nestled among its roots, was a Beast Spirit Flower with a small, newly-formed bud.

Though the bud was tiny, it already emitted a soft, glowing light.

Lang Tian was overjoyed, waving his hands excitedly, his eyes brimming with tears.

He kept muttering prayers of the “Beast God’s blessings”. Even the roots and stems of Beast Spirit Flowers had medicinal value!

It had been years since he had seen a living, green Beast Spirit Flower.

Fan Zhou also let out a sigh of relief.

Good. The flower was still here.

He had considered digging up both plants earlier, but he wanted to observe why Beast Spirit Flowers had gone extinct in the wild—so he had left this one behind.

However, he had watered this one twice with spiritual spring water.

The one he had been watering daily was already on the verge of blooming, while this one had only just formed a bud.

This confirmed that spiritual spring water was beneficial to Beast Spirit Flowers. He would have to explore more and find additional Beast Spirit Flowers.

Once Lang Tian calmed down, he personally dug up the precious Beast Spirit Flower.

By the time they returned to the tribe, the sun was setting, but it was not yet dark. In this world, a full day lasts about 36 hours.

All the Hard Nuts had been harvested.

The remaining members of the Salt Trading Team had also returned safely.

Xiong Jing had regained consciousness, and her wound had stopped bleeding.

Lang Tian gave her the newly dug-up Beast Spirit Flower, telling her to eat it to ensure she made a full recovery.

Inside the dimly lit cave, Xiong Jing sat on a stone bed, leaning against the rock wall.

She looked at the Beast Spirit Flower in Lang Tian’s hands and shook her head:

“I’m fine.”

“Your wound hasn’t healed yet.”

Fan Zhou pointed at her stomach.

Such a long gash—it had only stopped bleeding, but full recovery was still far off.

Xiong Jing’s round eyes looked at him.

“Keep it. If you get injured, it could save your life.”

Fan Zhou was stunned.

She was thinking of him?

What a good little bear!

“I’m perfectly fine. If I keep it, plenty of beastmen will try to steal it. It’s too much trouble. You should eat it instead. If you recover too slowly, what happens if the Axe Tribe attacks?”

“This…”

Xiong Jing hesitated.

She was feeling much better and wasn’t in danger anymore, but her body was still weak—she couldn’t do anything for now.

“If you eat the Beast Spirit Flower, you can protect me in the future. How about that?”

Seeing her hesitation, Fan Zhou immediately made a request.

Even Lang Tian couldn’t help but persuade her:

“Hurry up and get better. Look after Tu Zhou from now on—Bao Su and Que Yu love to bully him. If he keeps the Beast Spirit Flower, someone might try to steal it from him.”

This struck Xiong Jing’s heart directly.

She had already heard from Mao Yu about how Tu Zhou was abandoned by Bao Su.

No longer hesitating, she took the Beast Spirit Flower and put it into her mouth.

The bitterness made her want to roll around in agony.

She clutched her head with her front paws, unable to speak for a moment.

Fan Zhou sympathized with her.

Did the Beast God seriously not consider the taste when gifting Beast Spirit Flowers to beastmen?!

After a while, Xiong Jing finally recovered.

The effects of the Beast Spirit Flower were undeniable—her energy had significantly improved.

Seeing this, Lang Tian finally relaxed. He instructed her to rest well, and then left her cave with Fan Zhou.

Lang Tian gathered all the beastmen beneath the waterfall—he had an important announcement to make.

Lang Tian only knew basic arithmetic. He couldn’t solve something as complicated as dividing the total number of Hard Nuts by the number of tribe members.

So, as per tradition, he distributed the Hard Nuts the same way he always had:

Members of the hunting and gathering teams received three Hard Nuts per day.

The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who lived in the communal cave received one Hard Nut per day.

But today, Tu Zhou had contributed two Beast Spirit Flowers, saving Xiong Jing’s life—this was a great service to the tribe.

Therefore, Tu Zhou would not only receive a share of the Hard Nuts, but he would get nine per day!

Other than Que Yu, no one objected.

Since the minority obeys the majority, Que Yu’s opinion didn’t matter.

Lang Tian immediately began distributing the Hard Nuts for the day.

With so few beastmen in the tribe, the distribution was completed quickly.

As darkness fell, the beastmen began preparing dinner.

Meanwhile, Lang Tian carefully examined the red stones that the Salt Trading Team had brought back.

After confirming that they tasted salty, he gathered the beastmen again to distribute them.

For now, they would have to make do by licking the stones—

The Salt Trading Team would go on another trip before winter.

Fan Zhou received a ten-pound red stone, which he carried along with his nine Hard Nuts back to his cave.

His cave was outside the tribe, situated on a cliffside—more than 50 meters above the ground.

It was a natural rock cave, formed by an earthquake.

The cave wasn’t large, and the floor was uneven, but a small stream less than a meter wide ran right next to it, making it very convenient for water collection.

Additionally, a rock ledge protruded outside the cave—though only a few square meters in size, it was enough to serve as a kitchen.

The only downside was that climbing up and down was difficult.

But compared to living in the communal cave, this was a minor inconvenience—one that Fan Zhou could tolerate.

Beneath the bright moonlight, Fan Zhou lit a fire and roasted five Hard Nuts for dinner.

As they were cooked, the nuts released a rich fragrance.

They were soft, moist, and sweet, making Fan Zhou devour them one after another.

His eyes welled up with tears.

This… this was real food!

No wonder the beastmen loved them—even someone like him, who had experienced all kinds of gourmet food, absolutely loved them!

After finishing his meal, Fan Zhou went to bed early.

The next morning, he woke up at dawn but lingered in bed for a while.

When the sky finally started to brighten, he got up.

He rekindled the fire and threw in some Hard Nuts and two snow chicken eggs.

Then, he grabbed a handful of Cooling Grass and crouched by the small stream next to his cave.

Cooling Grass was what beastmen used to clean their teeth.

It worked just as well as toothpaste and had a minty taste.

As Fan Zhou chewed on the Cooling Grass, he suddenly heard rustling sounds nearby.

He turned his head in the direction of the noise, but his view was blocked by a rock.

The first thing he saw was a pair of black ears.

Then, a fluffy, adorable face peeked out from behind the rock.

“Xiong Jing!”

Fan Zhou’s eyes lit up with joy.