Elder Mu Shi: “Actually, when the river wasn’t frozen, our tribe often had people go fishing.”
“But for some reason, the fish are getting fewer and fewer.” Even with the cold season approaching, no one seemed to realize the need to break the ice to fish.
The elder sighed, thanked the family, and left.
They managed to catch some fish today, but the elder said there were fewer. It seemed they used to catch a lot. Xue Tuan, hearing the elder’s words, thought that if there weren’t a constant stream of fish, the tribe would eventually run out of resources if they kept fishing for everything, big and small. The small fish Bing Qiu caught this time were all thrown back into the river by Xue Tuan.
“Next time you take your little brother to do something so dangerous, watch your bottom,” Rong Shan said, pulling Bing Qiu out from behind and grabbing his ear.
Although saying this, Rong Shan still felt sorry for the cubs working so hard to catch fish, and didn’t really twist his ear.
“No, brother and that black lion were watching from the shore, there was no danger at all,” Bing Qiu pretended to cover his ears, and cried out his innocence.
“A black lion? That beastman cub named Chong Yan?” Rong Shan released Bing Qiu and asked Xue Tuan.
“What cub? You have no idea how strong he is.” Bing Qiu immediately recounted Chong Yan’s ice-breaking process vividly.
The two adults were stunned to hear that a cub had broken the ice with his bare hands, and wondered if Bing Qiu was exaggerating.
“Really? Have you thanked him yet? Invite him over for dinner next time.” Rong Shan and Feng Yan finished cleaning the area in front of the door and began preparing dinner.
“Okay!” Xue Tuan thought of the little black lion pushing the fish to him, and it reminded him so much of Gray’s actions.
Xue Tuan followed behind Rong Shan, wanting to help his father build the hearth. Being small, he squatted down beside Rong Shan and almost tripped him.
Bing Qiu went over and picked Xue Tuan up. “Let’s go wash our hands, we’re going to eat grilled fish!” he said, to prevent Xue Tuan from getting in the way.
The night air was chilly, and Xue Tuan was already sitting obediently by the fire warming his hands.
The fire burned brightly, crackling with broken branches, occasionally a spark leaping and disappearing into the night, the roaring flames radiating intense warmth.
Feng Yan skillfully scraped off the fish scales with a stone knife, then cut open the belly, removing the innards and tossing them aside. He grabbed some coarse salt from beside him and carefully applied it to both sides of the fish. Salt was precious, and not a drop could be wasted.
They had often eaten fish in the past and were very familiar with how to prepare it. Since they found something Xue Tuan called “ginger,” they had even learned to use it to remove the fishy smell.
Rong Shan used clean wooden sticks to skewer the fish that Feng Yan had prepared, securing them above the fire and slowly turning them. They also set up a separate stone pot to cook some fish soup.
“It’s a pity we didn’t see any cilantro around here, otherwise we would have added some.”
Cilantro is somewhat similar to the cilantro he ate in their previous life. Xue Tuan had picked a lot on the road, and Bing Qiu had become obsessed with it after trying it once.
As time passed, the fish skin gradually became crispy under the roasting, slightly puffed up, and began to emit an enticing aroma. Oil seeped from the fish, dripping into the flames and making a sizzling sound.
The air was filled with the fresh aroma of fish.
When the fish skin turned completely golden brown and slightly charred, Feng Yan gently sliced open the fish with another clean bone knife, immediately revealing the tender, white flesh.
Rong Shan took the smoothly separated fish flesh into a small ceramic bowl, filled it to the brim, and handed it to Xue Tuan. “Don’t swallow the fish bones.”
Bing Qiu had also prepared sweet and sour dipping sauces for the whole family, those who liked different flavors could dip their fish in them.
Xue Tuan couldn’t wait to dig in. The fish melted in his mouth. It was so delicious it almost made his tongue tingle with a unique smoky flavor. It must be said, his father and mother were truly skilled at grilling.
The other pot of fish soup was almost ready. The fish was fresh and tender, bursting with the juices of the broth with every bite.
The family enjoyed a delicious fish feast.
“Tomorrow, we have to go find the beast.” Feng Yan helped Rong Shan extinguish part of the fire in the hearth, picked up a burning piece of firewood, and the family moved into the thatched hut.
“Okay.” Rong Shan and Feng Yan were in perfect sync.
They finally decided to go find the giant beast that had left its footprints.
If they succeeded, they wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while. However, this hunt was also far more dangerous.
Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan overheard their parent’s conversation. The two looked up at the adults in unison, and wanted to hear more details.
Xue Tuan hadn’t heard his father and mother discuss this before, and now, hearing how difficult and dangerous it would be to capture this giant beast, he became worried, and his little face became tense.
Rong Shan and Feng Yan recounted a long-haired beast their tribe had encountered before. Back then, they had gathered many of the tribe’s warriors to successfully surround and defeat it.
Just listening from the sidelines, Xue Tuan could imagine how fierce the battle had been, the roars and carnage of the beasts seemed almost real.
After reviewing past experiences, Father and Mother began discussing countermeasures. Their current plan was to first engage the beast in a prolonged battle to weaken its fighting power, then lure it into a trap.
Xue Tuan thought for a moment. He remembered that the beast lacked sentience and only attacked the beastmen indiscriminately with brute force. The beastmen couldn’t defeat it in pure strength, and definitely needed to outsmart it.
“Father, Mother, let’s ask the elder for more help,” Xue Tuan said to Feng Yan with a serious face.
“Yes, Father, let’s call a few more people,” Bing Qiu also didn’t want his parents to take the risk and wished he could run to find the elder himself. Although the tribe wasn’t very welcoming to them, he could sense that the elder was still friendly towards them.
Seeing the two children’s concerned eyes, Feng Yan reached out and patted their heads. They had already asked the elder once, but had been refused.
The fear of ferocious beasts among ordinary beastmen was deeply ingrained. They wouldn’t even consider hunting one, let alone avoid the mere mention of it.
“If it’s just about helping out, would they be willing?” Rong Shan asked.
Feng Yan was silent for a moment, then without hesitation, stood up and said succinctly, “Let’s go.”
The two cubs followed their parents to the thatched hut where Elder Mu Shi lived.
The tribe’s priest and deputy chief were also there. They had been frequently visiting the elder’s hut for meetings recently.
Feng Yan stated his purpose directly.
The deputy chief and priest looked at the family with suspicion, seemingly unable to believe what they had just heard. The elder, however, did not refuse outright this time.
“Ha, you? You? Capture ferocious beasts?” The deputy chief looked at the group before him, his face filled with disbelief, and almost laughing.
In all these years, even from the mouths of wandering beastmen, he had never heard of anyone daring to face a ferocious beast directly. Where did this newcomer get their courage? At this moment, he was actually glad he had a good amount of food hidden away.
“I advise you not to gamble with your lives.”
The deputy leader stood up and walked to the door to leave. With his back to the elders, he said, “There’s no reason to just abandon a perfectly good home. Wait for the leader to return before you discuss it.” He then left without looking back.
The elder watched the deputy leader’s departing figure and sighed. Priest Yun Lu remained expressionless.
Yun Lu also stood up to leave. As he brushed past Feng Yan and the others, he hesitated for a moment before stopping and said softly, “If you really have difficulties, I can help persuade to delay handing over your food. As for anything else, I won’t stop you from doing it, but please don’t force others.” He then left.
The elder naturally understood that if they hadn’t been unable to find other prey, the snow fox family wouldn’t have repeatedly targeted the ferocious beasts.
He had already tried to dissuade them, but they remained so persistent. Could they really have some other plan?
Their tribe’s chief had been missing for a long time, and food was scarce. If these two could really…
The elder’s eyes gleamed as he considered placing his hopes on these newcomers.
“I will explain the situation to the tribe. If anyone is willing, we will meet at the tribe’s gate tomorrow,” the elder finally said. He felt ashamed and avoided eye contact with Feng Yan and the others.
“That’s wonderful.” Those words were enough, Feng Yan thanked the elder.
This was already the result they wanted. They only needed to help out so surely someone would be willing.
However, they didn’t know how many would be willing to come with them. From what they knew, most of the strong beastmen in the tribe had gone hunting further west with their chief and hadn’t returned for several days.
This was why they hadn’t gone west to hunt. The remaining members of the tribe were mainly patrol members and beastmen responsible for protecting the gathering teams.
The next morning, the snow in the tribe melted, and a chill was in the air. The Snow Fox family met three young beastmen at the tribe’s gate.
Although few in number, it was still better than just the two of them, their father and mother.
Xue Tuan held Bing Qiu’s hand, and looked curiously at the beastmen.
“Y-you, hello, we were sent by the elder to help you,” the young man at the head of the group said shyly.
They were newly-adult beastman with the thin, gaunt appearance of teenagers, and had previously been members of the patrol team.
Their clothing was rather thin, indicating that their families were not well-off, but they were relatively clean.
The previous night, the elder had gathered many people at the altar and told them about the ferocious beast. Before the elder had even finished speaking, a large group had already turned and left, avoiding them like the plague. By the time the elder announced that they would form a team to kill the beast, only four or five people remained, all from families whose food supplies were almost exhausted.
Feng Yan nodded, his face serious. “You’ve all heard of the ferocious beasts since you were little, so I can’t guarantee there won’t be any danger this time.”
The young people’s faces paled upon hearing this, and they became even more nervous. It would be a lie to say they weren’t afraid, but what could they do? It was better than starving to death.
“We…understand,” the young people managed to reply, forcing a smile.
Having said the serious stuff, Feng Yan still offered a few words of reassurance: “You don’t need to worry too much. Rong Shan and I will confront it head-on. You just need to help us set the traps.”
The young people nodded nervously since this was one of the reasons they had come. They only dared to come because they were assured they wouldn’t have to face the beast directly.
“What are your beast forms?” Rong Shan asked kindly, wanting to ease the young people’s thoughts about the beast.
“We are…we are tigers…”
Ah, big tigers? Xue Tuan thought, “A ferocious beast! It’ll definitely come in handy.”
“Yes, tiger weasel.”