The hunting party and gathering party returned to the tribe very late, and by great luck, they came back fully loaded.
"That's one huge pig." Liang Ye tilted his head up to examine the pig that was like a small mountain, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
"Pig? What's a pig?" Tong heard Liang Ye's exclamation and looked confused.
Liang Ye raised a paw to point at the big fat pig on Qing's back. Tong scratched the back of his head and said, "The White Wolf Tribe calls the Oink-Oink Beast a pig? How strange."
Oink-Oink Beast? Liang Ye silently noted this. So that's what they call pigs in the Beast World.
Through Tong, Liang Ye took the opportunity to learn about several kinds of wild beasts.
Beastmen had simple ways of thinking—they mostly named animals based on their appearance or the sounds they made, straightforward and easy to understand.
Dark clouds hung over the sky, with the occasional purple flash of lightning streaking across the distance.
Shan Cang urged everyone to take their share of food and head home, warning them not to wander around outside for no reason.
Once everything was arranged properly, Shan Cang scooped up Liang Ye with one hand and prepared to leave. Tong opened his mouth and quietly asked, "Shouldn't the cub stay in the big cave?"
Liang Ye wished he could jump down and cover Tong's mouth. Shan Cang had finally forgotten about that matter—why did you have to remind him!
The cub jolted and clung tightly to Shan Cang's neck, burying his head into the man's collarbone, acting like a stubborn little rascal who absolutely refused to come out.
Shan Cang bounced the cub's fleshy bottom in his hand and said, "He's weak. I'll take him back to look after him."
Tong felt a wave of disappointment rise in his heart, but being cared for personally by the chief was indeed better than staying in the big cave. He reluctantly waved at Liang Ye. "See you after the storm season."
Having successfully secured residence at Shan Cang's home, Liang Ye was overjoyed. He rubbed his little head back and forth against the man's face, sticking out his tongue in a silly grin. "Goodbye."
Bo watched the two walk away and smiled warmly. "If the chief had a cub of his own, this must be what it would look like."
Today was a great harvest for the tribe. As the chief, Shan Cang received a generous share of meat. Liang Ye simply couldn't suppress his cravings—he rubbed his little paws together and stared at the man with eager, pleading eyes.
Shan Cang surrendered. "Not afraid of getting diarrhea anymore?"
Liang Ye dragged over two pieces of wood. "Make a fire!"
Out of habit, Shan Cang hadn't even thought of that. Liang Ye had taught them the skill of making fire—they should put it to use right away.
Drawing on his previous experience, Shan Cang quickly got a fire going.
Liang Ye directed him to build a small stove out of stones and place a stone slab of moderate thickness on top. No oil needed—just lay the meat with even fat-to-lean ratio directly onto it.
And just like that, stone slab barbecue was born!
Liang Ye sniffed and tasted his way through the fruits and plants in Shan Cang's home one by one, and he actually discovered a few that could serve as seasonings.
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo—so bitter." The first time Liang Ye tasted the Beast World's salt, it was so bitter his tongue curled up.
Shan Cang sprinkled a small pinch of salt onto the meat slices. "This is salt. If you go too long without it, you'll get sick."
Liang Ye naturally knew this, but the quality of the salt in Shan Cang's hands was far too poor—too many impurities. It could definitely be refined further.
"Is salt hard to find?" Liang Ye suddenly thought that maybe the excessive impurities were due to poor refining techniques, or perhaps salt was simply too difficult to obtain—like how poor families couldn't afford fine grain and had to mix it with various coarse grains.
Shan Cang nodded. "During the hunting season, tribes send people to the trading market to exchange for salt."
Liang Ye suddenly understood. Salt was controlled by a select few, and other tribes had to trade goods for it.
"Who do they usually trade with?" Liang Ye guessed it was most likely a coastal tribe.
Sure enough, Shan Cang replied, "Mainly the Blue Sea Tribe, followed by the Gray Rock Tribe and the White Lake Tribe."
Judging from the tribe names—one sea salt, one rock salt, one lake salt—it was purely a matter of geographical advantage.
If only they could discover a salt deposit on their own tribe's territory, they wouldn't have to worry anymore. Probably every beastman had dreamed of that.
Rather than indulging in unrealistic fantasies, Liang Ye was more concerned with the delicious food right in front of him.
"This, and this—squeeze it on." Liang Ye pushed the plants and fruits he had carefully selected to Shan Cang's hand.
Shan Cang furrowed his brow, seemingly thinking Liang Ye was making some kind of dark cuisine.
Sensing the man's hesitation, Liang Ye puffed up his cheeks and glared with his puppy eyes. His round, glossy eyes held no intimidation whatsoever—they were simply soft and adorable.
Shan Cang gave in and did as told. If it didn't taste good, he'd just close his eyes and swallow it down.
But then, something wonderful happened. A tantalizing aroma drifted from the stone slab into his nose.
No matter how composed and steady a beastman usually was, catching a whiff of that fragrant scent would make anyone swallow repeatedly.
Shan Cang tried his best to maintain his dignified image as chief, but his subtly bobbing Adam's apple betrayed him. Beastmen who chewed raw meat day in and day out had never tasted anything good—a little rough cooking technique plus some seasoning was enough to drive their taste buds wild.
Little Milk Ye's mouth hung slightly open, and saliva ungracefully dripped from the corner, plopping onto the ground.
"Slurp!" Liang Ye was like a parched land finally meeting rain—finally, actual human food!
The meat Liang Ye had casually picked was tender and delicious. Under the high heat of the grill, the fat sizzled and popped.
The Samoyed's triangular ears twitched with every crackle, his entire body screaming the words "I want to eat."
"Wait!" Liang Ye exclaimed in alarm as he watched Shan Cang about to grab the meat with his bare hands, and handed him two cleaned branches.
Shan Cang was puzzled. "What for?"
Liang Ye forcefully shoved the branches into his hands, looking at him with exasperation. "It's hot!"
Shan Cang looked at the branches, then at his own hands. It wasn't hot. Usually, they would toss chunks of meat into the fire to roast, but when they took them out, they were often charred black, with a dry, bitter taste—worse than just eating the meat raw.
When they pulled the meat out, they did it bare-handed, and it was completely fine.
Liang Ye didn't know how thick-skinned adult Beastmen were, especially someone like Shan Cang, a Beastman among Beastmen. A mere fatal burn was nothing to fear.
Shan Cang hesitated for a moment, then gripped the two branches and stabbed them downward. Liang Ye raised a paw to his forehead, unable to watch.
He spread his round hand—there was no way he could demonstrate either.
Shan Cang cut the roasted meat into small pieces and divided them into Liang Ye's stone bowl. Calling it Liang Ye's bowl was a bit of a stretch—it was actually Shan Cang's. He was used to eating raw meat and rarely used bowls, so rather than letting it sit idle, he gave it to Liang Ye.
And so Liang Ye ended up with a bowl bigger than his own head. If he wasn't careful, he could fall right into it and take a bath.
Liang Ye couldn't wait to lean in. "Hoo—hoo—"
He blew on it hard twice, but still inevitably burned his tongue. Yet he couldn't bear to spit it out, because it was just too delicious!
"Wuwuwu—"
The little cub howled and yelped, but really, he was eating happily, so overjoyed he was humming a little tune.
Shan Cang rarely let the cub run wild, but this time he didn't rein him in. He too was lost in the world of good food.
His gray-blue eyes, usually as calm as a mirror and undisturbed by ripples, now churned with crashing waves, surging tides, and overwhelming force.
Shan Cang never imagined such delicacies existed in this world—something so good it made you want to swallow your own tongue.
The cave was quiet, save for the sizzling of roasting meat. The two of them silently kept grilling, and only stopped when both were stuffed to the brim.
The moon hung high in the sky. Liang Ye, full and drowsy, sprawled out on his back with his round belly up and tumbled into dreamland.
Shan Cang turned to look behind him and found the space empty. His body stiffened instantly, frozen in place like an ice sculpture.
He slapped his forehead, annoyed at himself. As the tribe's leader, how could he be so lacking in restraint?
Thankfully, what he'd made was food allocated to himself. If he'd accidentally eaten through the tribe's stored provisions, that would be unforgivable.
His nostrils flared as Shan Cang slipped out quietly, just before the torrential rain could wash over the land.
Beastmen could go a while without eating once their stomachs were full—something like hibernation. He could go hungry, but the cub couldn't. Cubs needed small, frequent meals and food at all times.
As for Shan Cang sneaking out under the cover of night, the deeply sleeping Yeye knew nothing about it. He scratched his little belly, smacking his lips, dreaming of who knows what stolen treats.
"Pitter-patter—"
The rain poured down in sheets, as if the sky had a hole torn in it. All around was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face. The wind howled like ghosts sobbing and wailing.
Liang Ye groggily opened his eyes and was startled by the apocalyptic scene.
The fire in the cave had long gone out. He was wrapped in animal hide, curled up at the head of the bed, and didn't feel cold.
He looked around—empty and desolate. The cavernous cave was like the belly of a great beast, and the entrance its mouth.
Panic and loneliness crept up Liang Ye's heart like spider silk, binding him tightly, thread by thread.
"Shan… Shan Cang…" he called out in a very low voice.
The only response was the howling wind outside the cave.
Liang Ye's small body trembled, and he curled himself up even tighter. His little ears flattened into airplane ears, his tail tucked between his legs, his black eyes darting around as he stared warily at the cave entrance.
He woke up and the sky had fallen!
No one had told him the rainy season was this terrifying. He was living out an apocalyptic blockbuster firsthand, and to make it worse, he'd been dealt a single-player quest—starting on hell mode from the very beginning.
With rain this heavy, Shan Cang probably wouldn't go out, right? But the cave wasn't that big—just a small patch of ground, visible at a glance. And Shan Cang wasn't the type to hide and scare him.
So where had Shan Cang gone?
Could something major have happened to the tribe, forcing Shan Cang to rush over?
All kinds of terrible thoughts flooded in, and Liang Ye scared himself half to death.
"BOOM!"
A thunderclap tore through the rain, as if the earth were splitting and the mountains crumbling, the sky caving in.
Lightning lit up a small patch of the world. Liang Ye's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpricks, and in his glossy black eyes reflected a massive figure at the cave entrance. A thick, heavy stench of blood instantly filled the entire space.
The creature's shadow blotted out the faint light from outside. Its form loomed like a mountain pressing down, sharp fangs glinting with cold light, eight legs splayed menacingly, poised to strike.
Liang Ye didn't even dare to get a clear look at what the thing was before the overwhelming stench of blood drove him back step by step.
Besides, even if the lights were on and he could examine it closely, he probably wouldn't recognize it anyway.
"CRASH!" A deafening boom.
The ground shook. Liang Ye tumbled and rolled from the head of the bed, and by sheer bad luck, rolled right to the monster's feet. The rain had soaked the ground, and the dampness seeped through his bones and into his heart.
"Drip—"
Blood fell onto Liang Ye's cheek, scorching hot, yet he was cold all over.
Liang Ye's tongue was frozen, his eyes wide open.
Aaaaah! His white fur!
Do you have any idea how hard it is to bathe a cub!?
Because of his terribly frail constitution, Shan Cang didn't allow Liang Ye to bathe often. Worried he'd turn into a stinky little dog, Liang Ye was forced to learn how to lick himself clean.
The furious pup jerked his head up and crashed straight into a pair of enormous cow eyes. The curse words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed with a gulp.
S-So scary!