Leaving the cave, the two headed down the mountain.

Lang Yan moved with extreme stealth. Once they reached the foot of the mountain, he followed Lin Qiu to his campfire. He set the yam down and looked at Lin Qiu.

“That incident hit the priest so hard. When my father was alive, he used to say that it was precisely because of what happened right after he took office that his personality changed somewhat.”

Lin Qiu: “I see. I understand.”

He didn’t argue with the priest, because it would all be empty talk anyway.

“I have an idea.” Lin Qiu looked up at the Wolf King before him, who exuded both authority and compassion. Lang Yan glanced at the grassy plain and sat down.

“Go on.”

Lin Qiu: “Find all the itch roots we ate back then, roast them again, and bring in some prey for them to test one by one. This is the fastest and most reliable way to determine which itch roots are poisonous.”

“If you’re not certain, test them several times.”

Lang Yan looked at Lin Qiu.

His eyes reflected the flickering flames, filled with determination and confidence.

Lang Yan scanned the itch roots on the ground, which stood as tall as he was—there was already a large quantity from just a single plant.

If they were edible, they would be just like the tail grass the tribe grew—a stable food source.

It would be well worth it.

Lang Yan looked up; Lin Qiu was still watching him quietly. He nodded. “Alright, I’ll have the beastmen gather some to try.”

But he would have to convince the priest first.

The Priest must have studied those itch roots they found back then thoroughly. There was no need to tell Lin Qiu about this; Lang Yan would handle it himself. It was all for the tribe.

Having said what needed to be said, Lang Yan gazed at the bonfire blazing in the distance, then at the small fire where Lin Qiu stood alone. The sub-beastman’s back was tense, his shadow cast on the ground, looking lonely.

He said, “From now on, let’s sit by the main campfire. It’s livelier over there.”

Lin Qiu’s grip tightened, and the green-skinned fruit he’d been holding slipped from his fingers and rolled onto the ground.

“I’m quite used to it,” he said.

Lang Yan picked up the fruit and placed it in his basket, warning him, “This one’s sour.” Lin Qiu: “I’m going to cook with it. Is this one edible?”

Lang Yan: “Yeah.”

Without saying much more, Lang Yan walked away.

Lin Qiu looked at the yam he’d spent nearly half the day digging up, sighed softly, and ultimately didn’t eat it. Since Lang Yan had agreed to test it, he’d save the yam for later.

After dinner, the beastmen didn’t go straight into the cave that first night.

Seeing the fish traps Lang An and the others had woven, and hearing that Qiu had caught many fish with them, they took a rare interest and wanted to follow along to set the traps. Lin Qiu didn’t go with them; he just quietly prepared his own dinner.

After eating, he went to the stream to wash up.

Footsteps grew closer beside him. Lin Qiu cupped some clear water to wash his face, then turned his head to look. Lang Bing stopped and stared at him curiously.

Lin Qiu: “Is something wrong?”

Lang Bing shook his head. “Did you eat some itch roots?”

Lin Qiu: “No.”

“Oh.” Lang Bing snapped his fingers and walked away. Good thing he didn’t eat it.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The tribe didn’t have that much animal-skin rope; today, the fish traps that Lang An and the beastmen had woven had used up all the tribe’s supply. The remaining hides couldn’t be touched—they were all needed for the winter.

Of the daily hunt, any game with good fur was set aside to be tanned for the winter, while animals with short fur, like the curved horn beast, were usually eaten right away.

However, after the beastmen saw the hides Lin Qiu had tanned earlier, they’ve now snatched up nearly all the available hides. Curved horn beasts have large hides; once tanned, they can be cut into enough strips to make many animal skin skirts.

And they don’t chafe the buttocks.

As a result, the tribe has temporarily run out of materials for making leather ropes.

Lang An planned to mention this to Lang Yan; for now, they would have to make do with vines as a substitute.

The fish traps clattered into the water as the beastmen tossed them in, competing playfully to see who could throw them the farthest.

Accidentally, the leather rope slipped from his hand and landed far away.

Just as it was about to sink along with the stones inside, a beastman dived into the water and retrieved the rope.

Soaking wet, he shook himself, splashing water all over the nearby beastmen. The shore was bustling with noise; Wolf Mountain had never been so lively at night.

On Wolf Mountain, the old beastman stood on the platform outside the cave, clutching his wooden staff, watching the rowdy beasts on the shore from afar. Lang Bing climbed up the mountain and said, “He hasn’t eaten.”

The old priest replied, “Go to sleep.”

Lang Bing lowered his head. “…I think Qiu is right.”

The old priest waved his hand, and Lang Bing fell silent, then made his way down the mountain. The old beastman’s eyes were cloudy, with a faint glimmer of moisture.

He still remembered that accident clearly, even after decades had passed. If only he hadn’t been so careless, if only he hadn’t let his guard down just a little…

It was all because he had failed as a priest.

Now, the things Qiu has brought to the tribe—tanning hides, making fish traps, new ways of preparing food, planting and weeding… every single one is a blessing.

The tribe was different now; even the beastmen seemed to have a new spark of life.

Tonight, Lang Yan came to tell him that the methods were indeed viable, but he was old and dared not take any more risks. He could starve to death—he didn’t have many years left.

But they were still young; they couldn’t do that.

The old priest watched Lin Qiu by the stream, wiping his mouth and cheeks after every meal. He was distinctly different from the beastmen. Perhaps he was that faint glimmer of hope foretold in the divination.

He should try to trust him. The old priest made up his mind.

Early the next morning, Lin Qiu woke up in his grass nest as usual.

Hugging his animal-skin blanket, he looked at his clean hands and finally came to terms with his earlier disrespect toward Lang Yan. Outside the cave, things seemed unusually lively today.

Lin Qiu saw that it was still early and the beastmen hadn’t left yet. He put on his straw shoes and stepped outside. The beastmen immediately shouted, “He’s out! He’s out!” “Qiu, hurry up! Let’s go check the fish traps,” urged Lang Mo, pacing back and forth and trampling a patch of grass.

Lin Qiu looked at the gleaming wolf eyes—including those of the hunting and gathering teams. Lin Qiu: “Were you waiting just for me?”

The beastmen nodded in unison.

“The traps you taught us to make,” said Lang An, with a smile.

Having seen the catch from the two fish traps yesterday, he was even more eager today. Lin Qiu smiled. “Let’s go, then.”

The sub-beastman’s emotions rarely showed, but when he smiled, it was clear and crisp, like a mountain stream just thawing after winter, exceptionally sweet. The beastmen all froze for a moment, then followed Lin Qiu in a daze.

Lang Yan sat to the side, watching the fleeting smile cross Lin Qiu’s face; the dark circles under his eyes had faded somewhat. Never mind, as long as he slept well.

The beastmen marched in unison toward the shore, even the old priest was carried down by one of them. “Pair up and pull slowly.” As soon as Lang Yan finished speaking, the beastmen scrambled to take their positions. Their legs no longer felt weak, their heads no longer ached, and their stomachs were no longer empty.

One by one, their faces glowed with excitement, their eyes shining red—a scene full of vitality. The old priest took it all in, then slowly glanced at Lin Qiu, who stood ramrod straight on the shore. “Lift!”

The beastmen strained together.

“Woof woof! Ours is so heavy!” 

“Woof! Ours is even heavier.”

Lin Qiu：“……”

Could it be that an empty cage in the water is heavy too?

The cage broke through the water’s surface; the startled fish inside thrashed their tails, making the cage rattle and creak. The beastmen kept their eyes fixed on the ropes, terrified they might snap.

He just raised his eyebrows, not daring to make a sound, and quickly pulled the cage onto the shore.

There were eight cages in all.

“Got one!”

“There are fish!”

“We’ve got some here too! So many, many, many fish!”

Even the beastmen who had watched the nets being hauled in yesterday were stunned today.

Fearing the fish would jump back into the river, the beastmen dragged the cages dozens of paces toward the shore. Only when they were a good distance away did they tip the cages over—a jumble of fish and shrimp, with crabs waving their claws and darting about.

The beastmen pounced to grab them: some hugged big fish and grinned like fools, some grabbed large shrimp and instinctively shoved them into their mouths, and others chased the crabs with wicked grins, acting like bullies.

Lin Qiu was astonished by the river’s abundance of fish and shrimp.

He had expected that out of eight traps, catching fish in five would be quite good, but not a single trap was empty. The old priest clutched his wooden staff, his body trembling slightly.

Lang Yan looked at the catch strewn across the riverbank, then at the composed Lin Qiu standing nearby. There was admiration in his eyes, but his suspicion grew deeper and deeper.

The Lin Qiu he now saw was not the one described by the beastmen of the original tribe, nor was he the hysterical figure he had been when he first arrived at the tribe. Since he and the priest had not gone to the western cave during this time, something must have happened to cause such a change in him.

Seeing Lang Mo, who was standing nearby, looking a bit silly as he held the beastman’s hand and danced in circles around the catch, Lang Yan temporarily set aside his doubts. Undoubtedly, if they could guarantee a catch every day without the beastman having to lift a finger, that would be an excellent arrangement.

It would ease the pressure on the beastmen during future hunts.

With the beastmen in such high spirits, Lang Yan immediately ordered them to eat some fish before setting off.

Surrounded by beastmen, Lin Qiu looked at their tanned faces, each bearing a grateful smile—their gazes sincere, their smiles simple and genuine—which put him at ease.

Unaccustomed to having so many people around him, he smiled and tried to slip away from behind the beastmen.

But Lang An grabbed him and said in a gentle voice, “Are you coming with us? You can teach us how to cook fish.”

“Right! The fish Qiu makes smells so good—I dream about eating it!” A black wolf beastman backed up in front of Lin Qiu, grinning broadly. “Qiu’s meatballs are delicious too!” A gray wolf beastman shoved the black wolf beastman aside, his eyes sparkling.

Seeing that Lin Qiu looked a bit uncomfortable, Lang An stepped in to push the gathering beastmen back a bit.

“Hurry up and gut the fish—you still have to go hunting.”

The beastmen’s excited minds finally cleared a bit, and they scampered off to gut the fish.

Lang An said, “They mean no harm; they’re just trying to be friendly.” 

Lin Qiu nodded. “I know.”

Until the hunting party of beastmen left, Lin Qiu was surrounded by wolf beastmen, all chattering away at once until his head was spinning.

Accustomed to being alone, even answering the beastmen’s questions made him unconsciously tense up, his voice sounding a bit stiff. Fortunately, Lang An was there to keep him company, occasionally stepping in to shield him from the beastmen, giving Lin Qiu a chance to catch his breath.

They were far too enthusiastic; he was completely unaccustomed to it.

In the distance, taking advantage of the commotion, Lang Yan called Lang Mo away.

“King?”

Lang Yan and Lang Mo walked westward until they entered the cave where Lin Qiu had once been held captive. Only then did Lang Yan say, “Qiu has changed.” 

“Yeah, he’s changed for the better.” Lang Mo thought about the grilled fish Lin Qiu had taught him to prepare, and swallowed hard.

Lang Yan: “Did he show any signs of being unusual before leaving the cave?”