Only after leaving the cave did Xu Shuangci get a clear view of the place. The mountain hollow wasn’t large, surrounded on three sides by mountains.

A small river, like a jade ribbon, wound its way around the valley.

This place teemed with life; signs of their activity were everywhere.

Numerous small caves had been carved out of the surrounding mountains, and inside, one could faintly make out layers of dry grass.

The vegetation in the center of the hollow had been cleared; the trees were not dense, and sunlight filtered through the canopy to illuminate this spot.

In the large trees standing amidst them, there were more than a dozen tree hollows visible to the naked eye. Inside, cats peered out, looking on with curiosity. Animals also had tribes—this was the first time Xu Shuangci had learned this.

Walking through the cat tribe’s territory, the tall and imposing Qing looked particularly intimidating.

Yet the silver tiger, who usually went about his business alone, was now carrying a sub-beastman out on his back, which piqued the beasts’ curiosity. The cat beastmen hid in the treetops, peering down stealthily.

“Daddy… he’s handsome.” The kitten in the tree hollow arched its back to peek out, only to be pushed back down by a larger cat’s paw. “Keep your voice down. Be careful, the tiger doesn’t eat you.”

“No way. Yesterday, A-Mao and A-Wu were both brought back by the tiger. If he wanted to eat us, he would’ve done it already.” Cat beastmen are rarely stupid; even the little ones are smarter than the young of other beast-kind. But their curiosity is too strong—one slip-up and they’re in trouble.

The big cat couldn’t hold the kitten down, so it simply grabbed the back of its neck in its jaws. The kitten instantly curled up, unable to move a muscle. Meanwhile, the other cats, who had been secretly watching from below, saw their tribal chief and the Priest following behind the tiger-man.  They were almost out of the mountain pass when they stopped at the herb plot in the corner.

That was the Priest’s most prized herb plot.

They were never allowed to go near it; anyone who dared to trample a single plant would face the Priest’s wrath. But what did it mean that the tiger had stopped right there in the herb plot?

And what was the meaning of that fair-skinned sub-beastman on its back, staring at the herb plot with such curiosity! Wasn’t this a blatant attempt to get their tribe’s herbs?!

Could they give them?

The Priest certainly wouldn’t give them away.

Though the herb plot is in a remote spot, a patch of cultivated land with neatly arranged plants in the middle of the jungle is as conspicuous as can be. Especially in a tribe where cats are everywhere, it’s all the more surprising.

For a fleeting moment, Xu Shuangci was so startled he thought someone was actually there.

The herb plot was square, filled with all kinds of medicinal plants. But Xu Shuangci could only recognize the two that Qing had taught him. Adopting a studious attitude, he tentatively asked, “These herbs…”

“They’re for you.”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Priest was already heading into the field. Xu Shuangci waved his hands frantically.

He wasn’t here to steal from them, after all.

“No, no, that’s not necessary. Just tell me what each herb is used for. We’ll go find them ourselves.”

Seeing his interest, Qing said, “If the Priest doesn’t mind, please tell him. I’ll trade you some food.”

The position of Priest held considerable importance within the tribe. They practiced divination, treated illnesses, and conducted rituals… These skills were a tribe’s most valuable assets and were rarely shared with outsiders.

Xu Shuangci might not have realized how offensive his question was, but Qing did. So Qing couldn’t let him teach them for free.

The Priest, however, thought to himself: They were still worried about the fate of those two wolves and hadn’t yet fully repaid Qing for bringing back the cubs. What if he used this as leverage in the future…? Though the likelihood was slim, it was still best to settle the debt of gratitude.

Both sides had their own thoughts.

To ensure Xu Shuangci learned properly, Qing handed him over to the Priest and left the Cat Tribe. Xu Shuangci, meanwhile, gathered some tree bark and a small, partially burned stick to use as a notepad.

Practice makes perfect, so they sat right in the herb plot.

The Priest picked up a medicinal plant and began his lecture.

Xu Shuangci listened intently, scribbling furiously on his stick. What teacher doesn’t love a good student?

Gradually, the Priest grew more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

The cat beastmen hiding nearby were also drawn to the gentle young man bathed in the morning light; before they knew it, they had climbed down from the trees and were crouching beside him. Xu Shuangci felt a slight itch on his crossed legs; he looked down and met two pairs of round, cat-like eyes.

It was A-Mao and his younger brother, A-Wu.

Xu Shuangci’s lips curled into a smile as he gently scratched the kittens’ chins. Hearing them purr, he bit his lip to resist the urge to pet them and continued listening to the lecture. The Priest paced back and forth with his cat tail held high.

The beastfolk watched as the herb plot—which the Priest had once guarded so fiercely—was now torn up by him, with pits scattered here and there. They looked up at the young man, who was intently scribbling on the tree bark.

Is this what it means to be biased?

But if it were them, they’d be biased too.

The cat’s head lolled against its companion’s side. Listening to the Priest’s calm voice, it gradually drifted off to sleep in the soft morning light. Purr, purr…

The priest looked at the cats of his own tribe, then at the sub-beastman. His claws flickered in and out of view.

These good-for-nothings!

The young man looked up in confusion; yet another stick—he’d lost count of how many—was suspended from the tree bark. The Priest cleared his throat, smiled, and continued.

You don’t know until you compare, but the more he compared, the more satisfied the Priest became with Xu Shuangci.

In such a short time, he even felt a pang of regret.

Why wasn’t such an eager-to-learn sub-beastman from their cat tribe?

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to encourage births within the tribe, or spend decades sifting through candidates only to find not a single cat cub fit to be a Priest!

It’s enough to drive a cat crazy!

The study session flew by.

Xu Shuangci’s scalp was burning from the sun, and glancing at the bark beside him, he’d filled a full five sheets.

The Priest didn’t hold anything back. Whenever he mentioned a herb, he described its appearance, medicinal properties, habitat, and how to use it… Basically, he covered every detail there was to know.

This was far more thorough than Qing, who only knew how to identify two types of herbs and, when injured, would simply pound them into a paste and apply it to the wound. Naturally, there wasn’t enough time to cover all the medicinal herbs.

But these were common herbs, more than enough for Xu Shuangci’s daily needs.

By the time they’d finished discussing the herbs in the herb plot, a fluffy mass had settled beside Xu Shuangci—the two bolder ones, A-Mao and A-Wu, had fallen asleep right on his lap.

Xu Shuangci’s heart melted at the sight.

He gave the Priest a grateful smile, his voice soft and gentle: “Thank you, Priest.” 

The Priest nodded firmly: “Come visit the tribe often in the future.”

A hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

As far as he knew, this sub-beastman of Qing’s was one he’d found on the street. How wonderful it would have been if his own tribe had found him back then. But regret aside, since he wasn’t a beastman of the tribe, there was no need to say more about the herbs.

“Alright,” Xu Shuangci agreed. Qing had returned.

He reeked of blood, and his white fur was stained with it.

He casually tossed the two spotted beasts aside, his gaze settling on the young cubs.

The cats, who had been curled up around Xu Shuangci just moments ago, sleeping soundly with their bellies exposed, scattered in an instant, vanishing without a trace. Xu Shuangci looked down.

On his lap, A-Mao and A-Wu yawned, gently pawing at Xu Shuangci’s leg.

“Aren’t you guys leaving?” 

“No.”

“Can Shuangci stay too?” A-Mao asked hopefully.

“No way.” Qing wrapped his tail around Xu Shuangci’s waist and stared at the two cats on his legs. He’d only been out for a moment, but he was already covered in the scent of cats.

Qing: “Finished studying?”

“Mm.” Xu Shuangci smiled softly and patted the tail on his waist. Qing quickly retreated, his ears twitching.

“Then let’s go,” he said to the Priest. “The spotted beast in exchange.”

With that, he led Xu Shuangci out of the cat tribe.

Xu Shuangci silently waved behind him. “Goodbye, thank you, Priest.”

The priest watched as the young man disappeared from sight. He chased after them for a few steps, and upon seeing the cat beastmen hiding in the trees, his expression suddenly changed.

“All of you, get down here!”

“How much did you learn after listening for so long?”

“If you can’t list one, two, three, you’re not eating tonight!” 

“Meow!”

“Wrong! It’s ‘meow’—”

The Priest: “……” He was so exasperated, he laughed!

Xu Shuangci took the five pieces of bark with his notes, along with the herbal samples the Priest had given him. After leaving the Cat Tribe, Qing slowed down.

Xu Shuangci simply crossed his legs and sat on Qing’s back, carefully examining the herbs in his hands.

“Are we going to spend the night out here?”

“Yes.” Worried that Xu Shuangci might fall, Qing wrapped his tail around his waist. Xu Shuangci: “Let’s pick some herbs to take back and plant.”

Qing: “Okay.”

Xu Shuangci smiled and placed the herbs into a wicker basket.

His gaze caught the bloodstain on Qing’s neck. He braced his hands against Qing’s back, leaned forward, and wiped it away with a piece of animal hide. Qing paused for a moment, then continued walking.

Xu Shuangci frowned as he looked at the clumps of dried blood.

“It won’t come off with just wiping—you’ll need to wash it.”

Qing: “Let’s hunt first.”

They had already eaten the prey they’d caught earlier, so they had to hunt again. So, they returned to the same hillside. As usual, Xu Shuangci was placed on the slope.

The tender shoots in his wicker basket had already been eaten at the cat tribe’s camp, so he’d have to find new ones. Fortunately, the cat Priest wasn’t stingy and had told him about quite a few edible plants.

After searching the woods again, they found plenty of plants to gather.

Early spring wasn’t as cold as winter; at least Xu Shuangci only needed to wear a fur vest and a long-sleeved fur tunic. After the snow melted, the plants grew at an astonishing rate.

The tender leaves of the green ear vegetable were sprouting everywhere; wherever he saw a single plant, there was often a whole patch nearby.

However, having grown tired of them over the winter, Xu Shuangci picked only a few; the rest of the half-basket was filled with tree buds.

As he searched through the woods, he parted a clump of shrubs to find a pile of tightly packed dry grass hidden inside.

Eggs!

There were five eggs in total, slightly smaller than chicken eggs, with a faint bluish tint on their surfaces.

“Are these edible or not?”

Never mind, he thought, grabbing the eggs to put them in the wicker basket. Halfway through, he looked at the feathers on the nest. They looked like chicken feathers.

What if they were from a chicken?

Qing had said there wasn’t much food around here, so why not try raising some himself?

If these eggs hatched, wouldn’t it be just like raising chickens? He could have meat whenever he wanted, and eggs whenever he wanted. Xu Shuangci thought this through and took only four, leaving one in the nest.

Based on a hen’s habits, if one egg remains in the nest, he’ll get used to laying eggs there. Next time he comes back to check, he might just find another one.

Qing quickly caught some game.

Xu Shuangci met up with him and pulled the egg wrapped in animal hide out to show him. Qing glanced at it, but his gaze lingered on his fingertips, which were stained with tree sap.

“It’s edible—an egg from a red feather beast.”

“Can I keep it?” Xu Shuangci asked eagerly.

Qing: “Yes.”

“Is it easy to take care of?”

“I’ve never raised one.”

“Then why are you so sure about it?”

Qing’s tail brushed against the sub-beastman’s cheek, but he said nothing.

If you want to keep one, just do it—there’s no need for all these questions.