The Ferocious God
Bai Wu flew frantically for two days. When he woke up the next day, his shoulders and back were throbbing with pain; he couldn’t even lift his arms.
He endured the pain and picked up the wooden bucket to milk the goats.
As soon as he lifted the bucket, his hands trembled uncontrollably like someone with Parkinson’s disease, and the bucket swayed back and forth.
He took a deep breath, gripped his right hand with his left, gritted his teeth, and lifted the bucket.
“You’re in this state, why are you still trying to be strong?”
A hand took the wooden bucket from his back. Bai Wu turned around. “Brother.”
“Alright, go sit by the hearth. I’ll go milk the sheep.”
“Then I’ll get some hay to feed the sheep.”
An went with him to the sheepfold. “Don’t go out to gather today. Stay home and rest, or your wings will be ruined.”
“Okay, I need to process the bean pods anyway.”
An’s eyes widened. “You’re in this state, and you’re still thinking about work?!”
“There’s not much work. I’ll just put the bean pods outside to dry.”
He had put the bean pods outside to dry last night.
After drying overnight, the bean pods’ skins were wrinkled, becoming increasingly pliable and difficult to peel.
They need to be completely dry before they can burst open and release their pods.
Bai Wu planned to take advantage of the good sunshine to dry them properly.
After finishing their morning chores and eating breakfast, Chuan told Bai Wu to stay home and rest, promising to gather some herbs for him to apply that evening.
Bai Wu, shifting his shoulders, agreed.
Bai Wu rested at home for a day, doing some chores.
The next day, he couldn’t bear it any longer. After his family left, he secretly carried a basket to gather herbs nearby.
He didn’t fly, and walked, saving his wings and avoiding strain on his hands.
Their tribe lived near a river, the banks of which were rich in resources.
It was summer, and there were plenty of edible wild vegetables and fruits. Underneath the plants were many edible roots and stems, but these natural roots and stems hadn’t been selectively cultivated; most were slightly poisonous and needed to be soaked before consumption, and they couldn’t eat too much.
Bai Wu tried to fill his basket with the best-tasting foods.
Otherwise, with limited cooking methods, the already unpalatable food would become even more unpalatable after cooking.
Bai Wu could walk quite a distance in a morning. The basket was overflowing with various kinds of food.
As the sun set in the evening, he returned to the tribe. His fathers and brother were already home.
An saw him and came to greet him, taking the basket from his back. “I knew you’d sneak off to work again. I don’t understand why you can’t stay still?”
“I picked some red berries. Brother, take them out and we can eat them together.”
“Hey, red berries are here so early this year? Are they sweet?”
“I tried two at noon, and they were quite sweet.”
Bai Wu put down the basket and went to the hearth to get a wooden bucket, intending to pull the fish trap.
Chuan couldn’t bear to watch and gently patted his back. “Sit down, let your father pull it.”
“Father is going?”
Mo nodded and carried the bucket down.
“With your father here, you don’t need to worry. Go check your bean pods; they’ve already split open today. I wonder if they’re dried properly.”
“Really? I’ll go check!”
Bai Wu hurriedly ran to the patch of mud where the bean pods were drying.
Two baskets of bean pods covered a large area.
He squatted down, grabbed a pod, and examined it closely. Sure enough, he found that the pod had split open with a black crack.
With a forceful snap, he broke the brittle pod in two, and the pale yellow beans inside fell out.
An ran over, “How’s it going?”
Bai Wu was overjoyed, “Just two more days of drying and they’ll be ready. Once the beans are dried, I’ll make something delicious.”
“What delicious thing? I don’t really like beans; they taste a bit bitter.”
“They won’t be bitter if you make them into other foods. Once the beans are dried, I’ll make some brine and make you some tofu.”
“What’s brine?”
“It’s water from the salt lake. Didn’t you say the salt lake is nearby?”
“Yes, if you want some, I can go and get some for you tomorrow.”
“Yes! Brother, can you get some for me tomorrow? Take a jar and fill it up.”
An immediately patted his chest in agreement and even went to find the earthenware jar. He put it in his basket so he wouldn’t forget it when he left the next morning.
Bai Wu had been craving tofu for a long time.
Now that he had the beans and the brine, in a couple of days, once the beans were dried, he could pound them, then boil them into soy milk to use as tofu.
An, that big mouth, went to fetch brine the next day, carrying a jar, and expounded on its wondrous uses to the beastmen traveling with him, describing the exquisite taste of tofu in glowing terms.
The beastmen traveling with him, hearing of the brine’s amazing uses and hearing his description of how smooth and delicious the tofu was, were all drooling with envy.
While everyone else was still clueless about what tofu actually was, An had already made a name for himself as a tofu maker.
Even Ta couldn’t help but ask, “Can beans really be made into such a delicious dish?”
“I personally think it’s quite tasty,” Bai Wu said. “When I make tofu, come and see for yourself, you’ll see. There’s a portion of this tofu for you anyway.”
“After you make it, you can cook some for me. I’ll take some to my father-in-law, and others.”
An leaned in with a large head, grinning mischievously, “Who are the others?”
Ta’s wheat-colored face flushed red, and he glared at An angrily, “It’s all because you’ve been telling everyone! Even the Eagle Clan has heard about the taste of tofu!”
“Wow, it’s spread that far? Wu said the tofu is so tender, like double-skin milk pudding, it falls apart with the slightest movement. If you ask me, instead of flying over with the tofu, you should just invite him over here.”
Bai Wu laughed beside him, “I think that’s a good idea. We can treat him to tofu pudding then.”
“What’s tofu pudding?”
“It’s a food with a similar texture to double-skin milk pudding. It’s tender, smooth, and sweet, with a hint of bean flavor. Scoop two pieces into a bowl, drizzle two spoonfuls of honey on top, and it’s smooth, tender, and sweet whether eaten hot or cold.”
Upon hearing Bai Wu’s words, An and Ta both swallowed hard.
Ta said, “I know where there are beetle nests. I’ll go get two nests for you tomorrow.”
An immediately chimed in, “I know too! I’ll take you tomorrow, and we’ll get a couple more nests!”
Bai Wu said, “That’s settled then. When you come back tomorrow afternoon, help me tap the bean pods a bit more; my hands aren’t strong enough.”
Bai Wu’s tofu was still a long way off, but the two strong laborers were already obedient.
The bean pods dried for three or four days begot they were finally ready.
Bai Wu picked two thick, long wooden sticks from his woodpile and had An and Ta gently tap the bean pods on the ground with them.
The two, not understanding the purpose, took the sticks without asking any questions and started tapping the bean pods on the ground.
Bai Wu cooperated with them, constantly using the sticks to lift the pods up, and trying his best to ensure that each tap hit a fresh pod.
The bean pods crackled as beans rolled out, scattering everywhere before settling into a thick layer beneath the pods.
The pods themselves broke, like a layer of crushed leaves spread across the surface.
“That’s enough,” Bai Wu said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Put the beans in a sieve and they’ll be fine.”
An squatted down and grabbed a handful of beans.
The beans were round and clean without a single grain of sand on them.
“It’s really done! This is much faster than picking the pods one by one. Wu, how did you come up with this idea?”
“The pods will naturally burst open after drying, sending the beans flying. You can observe this in the wild and you’ll see.”
“Even if we saw it, we wouldn’t have thought of this method.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Maybe we’ll figure it out when we need it. The beans are finally ready, we can make tofu tomorrow. Ta, why don’t you bring your eagle companion over for a tofu feast with us?”
“Sure!” Ta slapped his thigh. “He’s been waiting impatiently. What time should we come tomorrow?”
“Come tomorrow evening. I’ll come back early to pound the beans and make tofu.”
“Then we’ll come and help tomorrow!”
Chuan, listening to the young people talking, smiled and said, “You should invite your father and dad over tomorrow too, then we can have a meal together.”
Bai Wu said, “Yes, I’ll prepare a couple more dishes tomorrow, we can all have a meal together.”
Tomorrow they’ll be making tofu, so the family will clean the beans that evening.
Except for Bai Wu, no one knew how to make tofu.
The next morning, everyone was curious when they saw Bai Wu take out the soybeans and soak them in a bucket.
An asked, “Is this the first step in making tofu?”
“Yes, once they’ve soaked and expanded, we can make tofu when we get back this afternoon.”
“You’re making me not want to go out at all.”
Bai Wu said seriously, “No way, I’m counting on you to gather more food. I have to treat everyone tonight.”
Chuan and Mo laughed beside him.
Chuan roasted some noodles for Bai Wu, urging him to eat more.
After Bai Wu ate breakfast, he fed the sheep, and checked the fish traps.
He shouldered his basket and flew to the valley to gather.
He wanted to bring back plenty of wild scallions to make tofu for dinner.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving at his destination, Bai Wu saw Nan Yao.
Nan Yao had transformed into human form and was fighting a three- or four-meter-long crocodile.
The crocodile writhed on the riverbank, its tail lashing wildly, splashing mud and water everywhere, trampling the wild grass into a chaotic mess.
Nan Yao’s strong hands pressed firmly against the crocodile’s head, his face expressionless. His handsome profile like a sculpture was a stark contrast to the frantically struggling creature below.
Bai Wu was completely dumbfounded. He stood on the ground, one claw retracted, staring blankly at the scene before him, even forgetting to transform into human form.
He couldn’t believe that Nan Yao’s human form possessed such strength!
He could subdue the crocodile head-on with such ease!
Where did this person’s strength come from?
Even with the most robust and perfect body, he’s still a human! There must be a source of strength!
Bai Wu’s mind raced with wild thoughts.
Nan Yao looked up at him, their eyes meeting.
Bai Wu felt a chill run down his spine, and froze in place, unable to move.
Nan Yao withdrew his gaze, pressed down on the crocodile with one hand, pulled a stone spike from his lower back, and struck the crocodile’s eyes twice.
The crocodile’s body twitched, then stopped struggling after a moment.
Nan Yao stood up, flicked the blood off the stone spike, and walked towards Bai Wu.
Bai Wu transformed back into human form, took a step back, and stammered, “I… I just came to pick some scallions.”
Nan Yao stopped. “I found traces of a crocodile in this river. I don’t know if there are any other crocodiles hiding underwater. Don’t wander off.”
“Okay! Thank you for the reminder, High Priest. I’ll go back now!”
Bai Wu had never been so obedient in his life. He took another step back, about to transform back into his beast form and leave.
“Wait.”
Bai Wu turned back shakily. “You called me?”
“Cut off a piece of meat to take back and eat.”
Before Bai Wu could answer, Nan Yao was already back beside the crocodile. He had already used a stone knife to cut open its skin, tearingĺ off a large piece of meat from its back and held it up. He gestured for Bai Wu to come and take it.
Bai Wu wasn’t a coward, but seeing the crocodile lying dead on the ground still made his heart tighten.
He walked over, taking the warm, sticky crocodile meat with both hands, goosebumps rising on his arms.
Bai Wu gripped the crocodile firmly, composed himself, and bowed to Nan Yao. “Thank you, High Priest.”
“Go back soon. Don’t come here for the next few days.”
“Yes!”
Bai Wu stuffed the meat into his basket, took a few steps back, and was about to transform back into his beast form and fly away.
Nan Yao stood still, watching him go.
The instant Bai Wu transformed back into his beast form, he turned and saw Nan Yao’s tall figure. Feeling rather lonely, he called out almost unconsciously, “Priest.”
“Hmm?”
Bai Wu and he stared at each other, speechless for a moment.
Nan Yao seemed to frown slightly. Bai Wu’s heart skipped a beat, and the words he had hesitated for so long slipped out of his mouth, “Do you want to eat tofu?”