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After much deliberation, Ta finally agreed to Bai Wu’s request and agreed to take him to the snow mountain border.
Bai Wu told his family and set off early the next morning with food and supplies.
The two flew to the border at the fastest speed possible for a long-haul flight.
Ta worried constantly about whether Bai Wu could keep up, and frequently looked back at him.
Bai Wu used the air currents to keep up; this usually delicate person didn’t utter a sound.
They flew for a morning, and at noon Ta insisted on resting. He also made Bai Wu sleep for a while.
Bai Wu’s shoulders and armpits ached terribly, but he didn’t show it.
He took two roasted dough sticks and a few strips of dried meat from the basket, handing them to Ta first. “What’s the border like? Is it rich in resources?”
“If it were rich, it wouldn’t be a border. Just snow-capped mountains and grasslands, not many animals, but lots of insects. The beastmen on the other side are all ferocious beasts. They hunt most of their prey, so we don’t like going there unless necessary. Often it’s a wasted trip.”
“Does the High Priest go there often?”
“Often. Without his deterrent, the beastmen might cross the border. You don’t know, the beastmen’s priests are far less powerful than our High Priest.”
Bai Wu thought of Nan Yao’s enormous beast form and felt he could easily imagine it.
Such a massive body, even just its weight could crush a group of people.
The two ate a quick lunch, and Bai Wu took a nap.
After waking up, the two transformed into giant white birds and flew northwest.
This time, Bai Wu gritted his teeth and persevered, not resting even once along the way.
As the sun set, they finally reached their destination.
The afterglow had faded, and several snow-capped mountains rose abruptly from the vast wilderness.
The remaining rays of the setting sun cast a pale yellow glow on the snow-capped peaks.
Ta carried Bai Wu down the mountainside.
At the foot of the mountains lay a barren wasteland, jagged rocks, and sparse weeds.
Bai Wu clearly felt the higher altitude; breathing was much more difficult on the ground than at home.
Ta was also exhausted. He sat down on the grass, took out some mosquito-repellent grass from his basket, and gave half to Bai Wu. He vigorously crushed his own half, and applied it to every inch of his exposed skin.
Bai Wu was almost out of breath, and his hands trembled as he held the grass.
Ta finished applying it to himself and turned to Bai Wu, asking, “Do you need any help?”
Bai Wu, panting, shook his head in refusal. Ta stared at his pale face. “I’m truly impressed this time. I never expected you could fly here in just one day.”
Bai Wu’s voice was hoarse. “Before, it was just unnecessary. Even a sub-beastman could fly fast and for a long time if they grit their teeth.”
Ta said, “Anyway, I’ve never seen a sub-beastman fly fast or for a long time.”
The two ate the dry rations they had brought.
Ta went to find a large jar of water nearby.
Bai Wu was exhausted. He discussed keeping watch for the rest of the night with Ta and found a place to lie down.
The environment here was so harsh—the grass was uneven, mosquitoes were swarming, and the wind was quite cold—yet lying on the grass felt more comfortable than lying in his soft bed at home. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
He was woken up early the next morning by Ta.
Bai Wu slept soundly, feeling refreshed; even his arm pain was gone. He stood up, stretched, and jumped a little. “Why didn’t you wake me up for the night watch?”
“How could I make a sub-beastman keep watch?”
“Then you sleep now, I’ll keep watch here.”
“No need, I dozed off for a while last night, I’ve had enough sleep. Let’s go find the beans you mentioned; the sun is about to rise, we might not find the place if we don’t look soon.”
Seeing that Ta’s complexion was alright, Bai Wu didn’t insist.
They packed their things, slung their baskets over their shoulders, transformed into white birds, and flew towards the sunlit side of the snow-capped mountain.
This time, Bai Wu led the way.
The snow-capped mountain was vast; he circled around its base, flying for quite a while before reaching the sunlit side.
He had thought it would take a long time to find the beans, but to his surprise, he saw bean stalks protruding from the grass as soon as he flew over.
These bean stalks were at least two meters tall, like small trees, slender and frail, with sparse leaves and distinctively shaped bean pods, making them easy to identify.
Bai Wu glanced around and saw dozens of bean stalks.
The bean stalks were gilded with an orange hue by the morning sun, making the bean pods appear even plumper.
This trip was definitely worthwhile!
A surge of joy welled up inside Bai Wu.
He cried out, signaling Ta to land with him below.
Ta flew over from behind, overtaking him.
The two quickly landed on the hillside.
Bai Wu, carrying his basket, ran to the nearest bean stalk.
He stretched out his hand to compare, and found that the bean stalk was a head taller than him. He grabbed the nearest bean pod, which was as thick and long as his forearm. With a strong pull, the bean stalk bent, but the pod still wouldn’t come off.
He grumbled from the side, “Hey, this thing is really hard to pick.”
Bai Wu smiled, and with more pulling and twisting, finally managed to tear the pod off.
The pod he tore off was heavy, plump and full.
He held it to his nose and smelled it; a fresh, grassy scent wafted from the broken end of the pod.
He tried to tear open the pod with both hands to get the beans inside, but the pod was surprisingly tough and wouldn’t open at all.
With all his might, he dug his fingernails into the pod’s skin and tore it open. Inside, large, greenish-yellow beans bigger than marbles popped out with several falling to the ground.
He bent down to pick up a bean, placed the tender bean in his mouth, and gently bit into it. A burst of slightly bitter, refreshing flavor exploded within him.
The beans were very tender; they would surely taste delicious cooked.
Having tasted the beans, Bai Wu put a bean pod in his mouth and bit into it.
The pod was already old, with a rough, bumpy surface and a layer of fuzz. It had a strange texture; after chewing, it was just a handful of fiber. It seemed unsuitable as a vegetable.
It would probably be fine to feed it to the sheep now, but he wondered if the pods could be eaten when they were still tender.
Anyway, picking so many edible beans on this trip made it worthwhile.
Bai Wu tossed the beans back into the basket and continued picking pods.
The sun quickly rose high in the sky, and the sunlight shone on the two of them, causing them to break out in a thin layer of sweat.
Ta grew increasingly impatient. “We’ve finally made it here, why don’t I go hunt some game? There are several kinds of uncommon game here, I’ll go get some to try.”
“Are you sure you can manage alone?”
“I’m a warrior of our tribe!”
“You’re still just a prospective warrior. Alright, alright, just kidding. Go ahead, but don’t fly too far.”
“I’m going then. Call me if you need anything. This place is spacious so your voice carries far. Shout loudly and I can hear you.”
After saying this, Ta rubbed his bright red fingers against his body, and left the basket on his back to Bai Wu. He transformed into a large white bird on the spot, flapped his wings, and flew away.
Bai Wu stood there patiently continuing to pick beans.
He understood a little why his tribesmen didn’t come here to pick beans.
The pods were hard to pick, the beans were even harder to collect, and the place was far away; picking them would be a laborious task to transport them back, which wasn’t very convenient.
Only someone like him, wanting to collect some seeds, would fly hundreds of miles to come.
Bai Wu patiently picked the bean pods.
The wild bean stalks were sparse and scattered, far less neat than those planted by humans. It made picking difficult, especially since he had to walk as he picked.
By midday, both baskets were almost full. Bai Wu pressed the pods down firmly, carrying one basket on his back and another hanging from his chest, preparing to continue upwards.
Just then, a whooshing sound came. A large shadow fell, and a giant bird flew in.
Bai Wu, bent over by the weight of the basket on his back, struggled to climb it. His face flushed, thinking it was Ta returning. He called out, “What did you hunt?”
The giant bird transformed into human form and swooped down from mid-air, his deep voice ringing out, “Why are you alone here?”
Bai Wu turned around in surprise. “Priest? You’ve come to inspect the border?”
At this moment, Bai Wu’s cheeks were flushed, his hair clung to his face, and tiny beads of sweat dotted his nose; he looked quite disheveled.
Nan Yao helped him unload the basket from his back and glanced around. “Where are the beastmen who came with you?”
“Ta went hunting. Did the Priest just arrive?”
“I’m about to go back.”
The two were talking.
A large white bird flew in from afar carrying a small animal in its claws.
Reaching them, the white bird dropped the animal to the ground, transformed back into human form, and jumped down.
Bai Wu and Nan Yao both looked at him.
“Priest,” Ta said awkwardly, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, “I was chasing the gray beast, and I was almost there, so I didn’t come over.”
Nan Yao nodded. “You’ve been here for two days?”
“We arrived last night. Wu wanted to pick beans, so we might go back tomorrow.”
Nan Yao turned to Bai Wu. “Are you staying here another night?”
“Actually, we’re almost done, but I can’t fly back to the tribe in one go. We’ll set off tomorrow morning and won’t be back until tonight.”
“Are you carrying all these beans back yourself?”
Ta quickly interjected, “I’ll carry them, I won’t let a sub-beastmen carry them.”
Bai Wu shook his head. “They’re so heavy, how can you carry them all by yourself? I’ll carry them with you.”
Ta tried to argue again, but Nan Yao interrupted them, saying to Bai Wu, “I’ll help you carry your share back. We’ll go back together today.”
Bai Wu looked at Nan Yao, then at Ta.
Ta shrank to the side, no longer daring to speak.
Bai Wu hesitated, “No need, how can I trouble the High Priest?”
Nan Yao held out his hand, looking at him persistently.
Nan Yao’s insistence was absolute; no one could refuse.
The two baskets of bean pods on Bai Wu’s back were eventually transferred to him.
Nan Yao secured the baskets to his back and, before transforming into his beast form, specifically instructed Bai Wu to follow behind him.
Bai Wu didn’t understand.
When they actually took off, Bai Wu found following behind Nan Yao surprisingly easy; he hardly needed to fly, simply gliding with his wings spread.
Nan Yao flew very fast, and Bai Wu, using the air currents created by his wings, also flew very quickly.
It had taken Bai Wu and Ta a whole day to arrive. They set off before the morning dew had even dried and didn’t reach the border until sunset.
They set off from the border at noon and arrived at the tribe by nightfall when the stars came out.
It was too late.
Ta was exhausted and took his prey straight home.
Nan Yao helped Bai Wu carry the baskets to his nest, put down the two baskets of bean pods, before he flapped his wings and flew away. Bai Wu’s family didn’t even have time to thank him.
Bai Wu transformed back into human form, completely exhausted.
Chuan brought over dinner. “You must be exhausted?”
An peeked in from the side. He didn’t dare speak when Nan Yao came over, but once Nan Yao had flown away, he squeezed in. “You still say you don’t like the High Priest? The High Priest even gave you things.”
“Brother, move aside.” Bai Wu wolfed down his dinner, mumbling, “The High Priest has eaten so much of our food, what’s wrong with helping out?”
An answered irrelevantly, his eyes scanning his younger brother. “You’re the only sub-beastman in the whole tribe who looks so good even just sitting down.”
Bai Wu: “…Do you think the High Priest is the kind of person who gets easily blinded by good looks?”
“Then why is he getting close to you?”
“He sees me as strange, and is secretly observing whether I pose a threat to the tribe.”