Rice
“Brother, remember to milk the goats every day, and put away the fish traps too.”
“I know.”
“Keep an eye on my vegetables. You can cut the scallions and clover, but don’t cut them bare. If the soil is dry, water them for me. Morning or evening is fine, but don’t water them in the middle of the day.”
“Hey, it’s not like I’ve never seen you plant these things before. Hurry up, the priest is here to pick you up.”
Bai Wu looked longingly at the vegetable garden and the goats.
Chuan patted his back, “Go on, we’ll take care of things at home. Don’t keep the priest waiting.”
Bai Wu was gently pushed by his dad, and he took a step forward, carrying his basket down to meet Nan Yao.
Nan Yao saw him and nodded slightly, “Let’s go.”
With that, he transformed into his beast form, flapped his wings, and soared upwards.
Bai Wu quickly transformed into his beast form, flapping his wings as he followed behind him.
Nan Yao’s beast form was more than three times larger than Bai Wu’s, and the wind it created was vast and wide.
Bai Wu flew along Nan Yao’s wind, feeling the airflow gently lifting his wings, like a swimming ring supporting him.
He flew high and fast without any effort.
Bai Wu had never flown so fast before; he even floated in mid-air, carried forward by the wind.
The whistling wind blew past, passing through the gaps in his feathers, lifting the roots and sending a tingling sensation through him.
It was incredibly exciting and fun.
Bai Wu let out a clear cry, feeling an immense sense of exhilaration.
Nan Yao glanced back at him, cried out, and gestured for him to follow.
Bai Wu flapped his wings several times, keeping up with its speed.
The two flew out of the Bai tribe’s territory in one breath, and by the time the sun set in the afternoon, Bai Wu found the scenery below completely unfamiliar.
Nan Yao didn’t stop, carrying him onward.
As evening approached, they landed in a meadow in front of a high mountain.
Bai Wu, unusually, hadn’t felt tired even after flying all afternoon.
He transformed back into human form, rotating his arms and shoulders.
Nan Yao put down his basket. “Let’s camp here tonight. What would you like to eat?”
“I brought some dry rations. Priest, why don’t you rest? I’ll cook dinner.”
“We have plenty of time today, so we can have a proper meal. In a couple of days, we’ll only be able to eat dry rations. Wait here for a while; I’ll go catch some game and be right back.”
“Then I’ll wash the side dishes and start a fire.”
Nan Yao flew off to hunt. Bai Wu found a water source nearby, built a simple stove, and gathered firewood to prepare a meal.
A short while later, Nan Yao returned with a wild animal about forty or fifty centimeters long.
He didn’t let Bai Wu do anything. He took the wild beast to the riverbank, slaughtered it, skinned it, and gutted it before handing it over to Bai Wu to cook.
Nan Yao was even more gentle and easy to get along with than he had imagined.
Bai Wu was somewhat surprised and glanced at Nan Yao several times.
Nan Yao suddenly looked up. “What are you looking at?”
“What?” Bai Wu touched his nose. “Will you be able to eat the meat prepared in my family’s way?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll go cook.”
Seeing the conversation had been smoothly diverted, Bai Wu quietly exhaled and went to prepare the meat.
The meat had already been marinated with jiji grass and salt.
Bai Wu lined the bottom of the earthenware pot with a layer of onions, then added a layer of sour fruit jam, and stuffed the marinated meat into the pot to stew.
The onions fried in animal fat quickly released their aroma.
The abundant juices boiled over a high flame, bubbling and gurgling.
Bai Wu’s rumbling stomach mingled with the simmering sounds of cooking. He rubbed his belly, feeling so hungry he could eat a whole cow.
Bai Wu went to the river to wash the bowls. “Priest, may I use our bowls?”
Nan Yao nodded.
Bai Wu blew on the steam rising from the earthenware pot and scooped out some meat with a spoon.
The meat was stewed until it fell off the bone, coated in a thick sauce that smelled incredibly appetizing.
Bai Wu swallowed hard and handed the first bowl of meat to Nan Yao with both hands.
Nan Yao held the meat but didn’t eat it, waiting until Bai Wu had ladled out a second bowl before starting to eat.
Bai Wu was starving. Despite having a beastman opposite him, he didn’t care about appearances and started tearing into the meat with gusto.
Nan Yao, on the other hand, ate with elegant manners, taking his time.
The meat had been marinated and then stewed without a drop of water, resulting in a very flavorful stew. Bai Wu ate two large bowls before finally feeling full.
He put down his bowl, smiled at Nan Yao, and said, “Priest, I’m full. You can continue eating.”
Nan Yao hummed in agreement, quickly finished the remaining food, and picked up the earthenware pot and bowl to wash them.
Bai Wu tried to snatch the bowl from his hand, but he dodged.
After dinner, it was completely dark.
Nan Yao suggested that Bai Wu lay some grass on top of the wild grass to make do for the night.
Bai Wu agreed.
The two slept on opposite sides of the makeshift stove. They were able to hear each other’s voices without being completely exposed to each other’s sleeping faces.
Bai Wu hadn’t expected to feel awkward sleeping next to a beastman, and felt quite emotional.
He lay down on the slightly prickly grass, and since Nan Yao didn’t need him to keep watch, he gradually drifted off to sleep.
Bai Wu slept soundly until dawn. When he woke up the next morning, he was stunned for a moment, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up, only to see Nan Yao lighting the stove.
The morning dew had just fallen, and the dry grass was damp. As the flames burned, thick white smoke billowed up.
The distinctive, spicy scent of withered grass mingled with the aroma of cooking smoke, wafting out and completely waking Bai Wu.
“Priest?”
“Go wash up first; breakfast will be ready soon.”
“I’ll help.”
“No need, it’ll be ready soon.”
Nan Yao was a man of few words, and his attitude wasn’t particularly friendly.
Having spent more time with him, Bai Wu actually found his attitude quite pleasant; at least he didn’t have to rack his brains for topics of conversation.
Nan Yao said he would take Bai Wu on a patrol, and he truly did.
They generally didn’t land on the ground, and flew over from the sky. As long as there were no unusual occurrences on the ground, the patrol was considered complete.
On the third day, the two finally entered the territory of the Night Howler Tribe.
The Night Howler Tribe was located in the northeastern corner of the entire bird-beastman tribe, a place particularly rich in swamps, rivers, and tall trees.
The scenery was completely different from that of the White Bird Tribe.
The two flew deeper into the Night Howler Tribe’s territory.
As they ventured deeper, the trees grew taller and the forest denser.
Looking down from the air, rivers, lakes, and forests interspersed. It was a tapestry of varying shades of green below.
“Heh!” Nan Yao turned, signaling to Bai Wu that they had arrived.
He swooped down, rushing into the dense forest.
Bai Wu followed behind, flapping his wings. Once they were a little lower, they discovered a massive platform made of planks on the trees at the edge of the forest!
On the platform, beastmen stood guard with halberds in hand. Seeing them, they moved aside to let them land.
Nan Yao didn’t land directly on the platform in his massive beast form.
A few meters from the platform, he transformed back into human form, leaping lightly and landing steadily on the planks.
Bai Wu wanted to imitate him.
But it was too late.
He had never tried flying like this before!
In his haste, he couldn’t transform back into human form, nor was he prepared to land in beast form.
His furry bottom landed on the wooden plank, the momentum still carrying him, and he tumbled twice across the seven or eight square meter wooden platform.
“!!!” Bai Wu stared wide-eyed, completely stunned by the fall, unable to process what had happened.
Fortunately, his beast form had thick feathers and was relatively light, so the roll didn’t leave him seriously injured.
Nan Yao stepped forward, grasped his wingtip, and gently pulled him up. “Careful.”
The beastman beside him also rushed over to help him. “Are you alright?”
“Chirp!” He was fine.
Bai Wu’s face burned.
He transformed back into human form, nodded his thanks to the two, and then pretended to straighten his robes.
He should have just landed properly.
So embarrassing!
Damn it!
Bai Wu didn’t dare look up.
Suddenly, he heard a clattering sound growing louder and closer.
“What’s that sound?”
Ignoring his embarrassment, Bai Wu turned to look into the dense forest.
From the depths of the forest emerged small heads—a group of barefoot beastmen and sub-beastmen.
Upon recognizing the newcomers, their faces lit up with wide smiles, revealing their missing teeth. “Priest!”
Nan Yao nodded and asked the sentry, “Is your chieftain here?”
“Here!”
“Take me to him.”
The children cried out, “Priest, we’ll take you there.”
The adult beastmen and sub-beastmen of the Night Howling tribe who remained in their village, hearing the commotion, also came out to warmly welcome them in.
Bai Wu followed behind Nan Yao. Many of the sub-beastmen came over to talk to him, thanking him for teaching them weaving techniques.
The Night Howling tribe led them along a plank laid out from the branches deeper into the forest. Bai Wu quickly discovered that the Night Howling Tribe’s nests were all built in the branches of trees.
Their nests were no smaller than those of his own tribe. It was almost entirely constructed with vines surrounding a framework of tree branches, and lined with soft feathers and straw.
Each nest was also covered with reeds, presumably for rain protection.
A small path was laid out between the nests using wooden planks.
The path, supported by tree branches and tightly bound with vines, suspended dozens of meters in the air, formed an unobstructed aerial corridor.
On both sides of the corridor were protective nets woven from vines, from which dried fish hung.
All the Night Howling Tribe’s structures were suspended in mid-air with dense foliage a dozen meters above and a forest floor covered with fallen leaves a dozen meters below.
Children darted among the branches like little elves.
Bai Wu had never seen such architecture before, and looking around, he was deeply awestruck.
The chieftain of the Night Howling Tribe quickly arrived and invited them to a clearing in the center of the forest to have dinner with the Night Howling tribesmen.
The Night Howling people were very hospitable, offering their guests a variety of delicious foods.
The group sat around the campfire, singing and dancing to celebrate the priest’s arrival.
After the celebrations, Nan Yao and the Night Howling Tribe chieftain sat around the campfire talking.
Bai Wu accompanied them.
The chieftain’s name was Chang Shui, and he spoke very cautiously.
Nan Yao said, “Tomorrow I’ll take Wu to Thousand Lakes to pick some wild fruits.”
Chang Shui hesitated, “There are a lot of ferocious fish at Thousand Lakes. We haven’t been there in a long time, so we’re not familiar with the area. Why don’t you go a day later? We can clear the area first tomorrow.”
“It’s alright, I’ll go check it out tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll lead the way.”
“I know the way. I just wanted to let you know that Wu might bring some wild fruits back to his White Bird tribe.”
At this point, both of their eyes turned to Bai Wu.
Bai Wu nodded quickly, “I might bring back quite a lot of wild fruits. I’ve been collecting various seeds lately.”
Chang Shui laughed, “It’s just wild fruits. Wu, if you like, dig up as many as you like.”
“I can’t carry too many back, but I certainly won’t be polite with you.”
“It’s alright, we have plenty of wild fruit here. Stay a few more days, and I’ll have my tribesmen take you to find some.”
Bai Wu smiled and thanked him for his kindness.
After speaking with the Night Howling tribe, Nan Yao didn’t trouble them the next day and set off with Bai Wu early in the morning.
The sun hadn’t risen yet when they flew out.
The Night Howling tribe’s territory was filled with water; every breath Bai Wu took filled his nasal cavity with moisture.
With such heavy humidity, he wouldn’t have been able to fly at all if Nan Yao hadn’t been creating air currents ahead of him.
Even so, after flying for a while, the feathers at the base of his wings and under his belly were soaked with moisture. It clung to his body in strands, making him very uncomfortable.
They flew over forest after forest, across river after river, finally reaching a light green lake as the sun rose.
The lake was situated in the center of a wetland.
The grass in the wetland was waist-high. It was a lush green, very neat, looking like a green carpet.
Looking down from the sky, the lake was as smooth as a mirror, and the grass as green as jade, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
Nan Yao cried out and descended with Bai Wu.
Bai Wu followed behind him, landing on a patch of relatively short grass.
As they descended, the sound of flapping wings filled the air, and a large flock of water birds took flight from all directions.
As soon as Bai Wu transformed back into human form, he eagerly looked around. “It’s so beautiful here!”
Nan Yao waited for him to finish looking, then pointed ahead. “The wild fruit is over there. I misjudged the time; it’s not fully ripe yet.”
“Waiting a few more days won’t hurt.” Bai Wu ran excitedly in the direction he pointed. “Where? I can’t see it.”
Nan Yao followed him, pointing to waist-high grass. “In the grass.”
Bai Wu bent down to examine it carefully. After a while, he noticed a few weeds that were different from the others.
They had spikes of fruit on top. Wait, this grass looks familiar.
Bai Wu’s eyes widened as he looked closely. He wasn’t mistaken; it was the rice he’d seen since he was a child.
Holy crap!
It’s rice!
It’s actually rice!
Bai Wu held the ears of rice in his palm and examined them carefully again.
It really was rice!
Bai Wu felt his mind go blank, and stood frozen in place.
“What’s wrong?” Nan Yao frowned, gently nudging his arm.
“Ahhhhh—” Bai Wu turned around and suddenly hugged Nan Yao tightly, “Rice! You actually found rice! Holy crap!”
Nan Yao was extremely close to him, and was instantly enveloped in a hug.
Before he could even break free, Bai Wu was already jumping up and down, yelling and glancing at the rice with every jump, his face full of excitement.
He was practically as excited as a monkey, completely oblivious to the fact that hugging the priest was somehow inappropriate.
Nan Yao’s hand froze. He watched him gesticulate wildly in front of him before he stiffly withdrew it.
Bai Wu reached out and grabbed a handful of rice, popping one into his mouth and biting down hard.
The sweet rice juice burst out, confirming to every taste bud: this really was rice.
Living, real rice growing on the stalks.
“Damn! I should have known!” Bai Wu was almost in tears. “There’s actually rice here! Sure enough, there’s always a way out!”
Nan Yao hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his arm. “Calm down.”
Bai Wu wiped his face. “I can’t calm down!”
Bai Wu jumped around on the spot for a long time before finally calming down.
Nan Yao asked him, “What’s so special about this fruit that excites you so much?”
“It might bring about an entire civilization!” Bai Wu vigorously wiped his face. “Those who haven’t tasted it can hardly imagine its specific effects. You’ll know once you’ve tasted it.”
“You’ve tasted it?”
Bai Wu’s heart skipped a beat. He snapped back to reality, his excitement fading. He composed himself. “I tasted it in my dream.”
Nan Yao stared at his face. “You’ve tasted quite a lot in your dreams. Goat’s milk, tofu, beans—are there so many strange and wonderful things in your dreams?”
Bai Wu understood the implication in Nan Yao’s words.
He should have been anxious, but having just found the rice, his mind was overwhelmed by the intense excitement. Now, only exhaustion remained; he couldn’t muster any tension.
He composed himself. “It’s all the will of the Beast God. I don’t know why there are so many strange and wonderful things in my dreams.”
Nan Yao looked at him silently.
His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through him.
Bai Wu stood there calmly, letting him look at him.
He wasn’t afraid Nan Yao would see through him.
Nan Yao looked for a long time, then said, “Perhaps it really is the Beast God’s decree.”
Bai Wu countered, “Otherwise, why would I be here?”
The two looked at each other again.
Nan Yao withdrew his gaze first. “From now on, you can just call me by my name.”
“That’s inappropriate.”
“You’ve done plenty of inappropriate things, why didn’t you say it was inappropriate before?”
“Doing those things won’t get me beaten by my dad, but calling you by your name will.”
Nan Yao looked at his self-righteous face, paused, and said, “You’re not my subject, you don’t need to call me priest.”
“…Fine. You figured it out a long time ago, didn’t you?”
“You’ve never hidden it, didn’t you want others to see it?”
“Maybe? Anyway, my presence in the tribe is definitely the Beast God’s will, if there is a Beast God. I have a clear conscience, and there’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“I hope you can always have a clear conscience from now on.”
“Otherwise?”
“Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”
Nan Yao’s words were calm.
Bai Wu tilted his head to look at him, quickly judging that this man was serious.
“That day will never come, my dad, father, and brother are all in the tribe.”